Zhoushan. Dinghai Port.
A massive seagoing vessel eased into harbor, ropes thrown, planks lowered.
The moment the gangway hit the pier, a small figure shot down it like an arrow.
A ten-year-old boy leapt onto solid ground.
This was E'zhe, the nominal Khan of Mongolia, direct descendant of Genghis Khan, hostage in name but treated more like a peculiar guest.
The instant his boots touched the wooden planks, his face turned green.
He bent double and vomited spectacularly.
Dockworkers jumped back in horror.
"Hey! What's wrong with you, kid?"
"Ugh, that's disgusting!"
E'zhe wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve, gasping between breaths.
"This is terrible… so this is what sailing is really like? All that rocking, swaying… I feel like the whole world is still moving."
Behind him, two operatives from Gao Family Village jumped down as well. Officially, they were his guards. In reality, they were his supervisors.
One of them folded his arms. "If it's this unbearable, maybe you should give up and go back."
E'zhe shot him a glare and straightened his small frame.
"No. I'm going to be a naval officer. Dao Xuan Tianzun approved it himself."
The two operatives exchanged a look and immediately fell silent.
When Dao Xuan Tianzun had spoken, that was the end of discussion.
Though E'zhe was technically a political hostage, Dao Xuan Tianzun had never mistreated him. In fact, he had indulged him far more than anyone expected.
Most soldiers did not understand why.
Only Gao Yiye knew the private reasoning.
It was shameful, Dao Xuan Tianzun had once said, to exploit a child for political leverage. Shameful. But if that shame secured peace and stability for the realm, then one man bearing that guilt was better than countless commoners bleeding for it.
So the boy was to be treated kindly.
E'zhe lingered on the dock until the nausea subsided. For a ten-year-old who had just crossed the sea for the first time, his recovery was astonishingly quick.
He took a deep breath.
Then another.
He squared his shoulders.
And marched toward the Zhoushan Maritime Academy.
---
The Zhoushan Maritime Academy now enjoyed immense prestige.
Together with the Yellow Pole Military Academy, it formed the twin pillars of Gao Family Village's military education. One for the sea. One for the land.
An officer of the land army who had not studied at the Yellow Pole Military Academy would blush to admit it. Even the loud and boastful Flat Rabbit had gone through formal drills there despite already being well past thirty.
Likewise, a naval officer without credentials from Zhoushan Maritime Academy was considered a "wild card" — talented perhaps, but lacking systematic training.
When E'zhe spotted the academy gates in the distance, his heart thumped with excitement.
"I finally made it…" he whispered. "This is the place."
But just as he approached, he noticed a commotion at the entrance.
A man in his thirties, dressed in merchant's attire, stood arguing with the guards.
"I'm here to enroll!" the man shouted. "Why are you blocking me?"
E'zhe blinked. "He's at least thirty… he's coming to school too?"
One of the operatives chuckled softly. "Perfectly normal. Flat Rabbit was over thirty when he trained at Yellow Pole. Many senior officers are 'wild cards.' They come here to fill gaps in their knowledge."
At the gate, the guard stood firm.
"Sir, this is not an ordinary academy. It is a military academy. Enrollment requires that you are a registered soldier or reservist of Gao Family Village, and you must present a recommendation letter."
The merchant scowled. "What nonsense is this? At other schools you just pay tuition and that's it! Why so complicated?"
The guard's tone cooled slightly.
"The fact that you are standing here means you are one of ours. No outsider could even reach this island. That is why I am speaking politely. If anyone else caused a disturbance here, they would already be thrown off the island."
The man's arrogance deflated instantly.
He fumbled inside his robe and produced a token.
"Look carefully. Instructor Jiang Cheng issued this. Dengzhou Navy token. I'm a naval captain."
The guard examined it.
"Dengzhou Navy. Special Mobility Squad Captain. Yao Xingjuan."
The name was real.
The token was authentic.
"You are indeed one of us," the guard said. "However, you still require a recommendation letter to enroll."
The man was none other than Yao Xingjuan, famed maritime merchant and occasional pirate.
After witnessing Dao Xuan Tianzun's "divine blessing" during the Battle of Pi Island, he had promptly thrown his lot in with Gao Family Village. Given his unique experience in both trade and naval combat, Jiang Cheng had granted him command of an independent fleet.
His mission was simple in theory and brutal in practice: trade with Japan, Joseon, Southeast Asia, and Western powers… and fight them whenever necessary.
On these seas, if you did not prey on others, others would prey on you.
Commerce and piracy were twin arts. One had to master both.
After joining, Yao Xingjuan learned of the Zhoushan Maritime Academy and rushed over eagerly. He wanted structured knowledge. Ocean currents. Monsoon patterns. Modern naval formations. He knew fragments, but his understanding was scattered and incomplete.
Unfortunately, in his enthusiasm, he had forgotten something basic.
Military academies were not open marketplaces.
He had come without a recommendation letter.
Yao Xingjuan frowned. "Recommendation letter? I've never heard of such a thing."
With practiced smoothness, he slipped out a heavy silver ingot and nudged it forward.
"Brother. Be flexible. Let me through."
The guard's face darkened instantly.
"Are you insane? Do you want me sent to a labor reform camp? You dare try to bribe me here?"
He tapped the embroidered emblem on his chest.
"The eyes of Dao Xuan Tianzun are watching."
Yao Xingjuan's hand snapped back as though burned.
The atmosphere turned painfully awkward.
At that exact moment, E'zhe stepped forward.
He reached into his tunic and produced a folded letter.
"Big brother," he said politely, "please check mine."
The guard unfolded it.
His eyes widened.
It bore the personal seal of Saintess Gao Yiye.
The letter declared that this child was the Heavenly Khan of Mongolia, here to study maritime affairs, and in the future would command the Mongolian Navy.
The authority of the document was overwhelming.
The guard immediately straightened and gestured respectfully. "Please, this way."
Another guard was summoned to escort E'zhe inside.
Watching this unfold, Yao Xingjuan's brows twitched.
"So… he has a recommendation letter, he walks in. I don't, so I stand outside. No exceptions?"
The guard gave an apologetic smile.
"Admiral Yao, with your status, a recommendation from Instructor Jiang Cheng would be effortless. Once you obtain it, you'll be admitted immediately."
Yao Xingjuan snorted. "Dengzhou is far away. If I go there and back, that's weeks wasted."
The guard hesitated. "Well…"
Then suddenly—
The embroidery of Dao Xuan Tianzun on the guard's chest shimmered faintly.
A clear, resonant laugh echoed from it.
Both men stiffened.
They immediately bowed deeply.
"Greetings, Dao Xuan Tianzun."
Li Daoxuan's amplified voice carried calm authority.
"Guard, you handled this correctly. Without a recommendation letter, even the highest official must not be admitted. Rules exist for a reason. Without rules, there is no order."
The guard's back straightened even more.
"As for Yao Xingjuan," the voice continued, "you are correct as well. Traveling back to Dengzhou solely for a letter would be inefficient."
A slight pause.
"Therefore, I will personally act as your recommender."