chsdbacks Chapter 50 Foreign Trade and Slavery Refugees
Chapter 50 Foreign Trade and Slavery Refugees
"I plan to rebuild Sapphire Bay, so it would be even better if we could establish trade routes with the outside world."
"Rebuild Sapphire Bay?" Tasha gazed at the foundation of the giant building in the middle of the beach, which currently only had the outline of a dock.
"This doesn't sound like a small project that could be built by a few people and a few groups of monsters."
Allen just smiled and didn't explain much to her.
Tasha didn't dwell on it too much. This boy clearly had more secrets than the one wearing the robe, and whether he could create a miracle was not something she should worry about.
So Tasha answered Allen's question directly:
"The kingdom does indeed lack an outlet to the sea in the Howling Wind Sea, that much is certain. However, with the extremely dangerous western wilderness separating them, no merchant guild would be willing to send a caravan to Sapphire Bay. It would be an absolutely risky investment."
"Before the Western Wilderness was reintegrated into the Kingdom's territory, Sapphire Bay was meaningless to most merchant guilds."
After Tasha finished speaking, she saw that Allen simply nodded and did not show the disappointment she had expected.
I couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you disappointed?"
"Sapphire Bay has been lost for a long time, and I am indeed prepared to be unable to connect with the outside world for a period of time."
Allen shrugged.
"and……"
"And what?"
"And I think you haven't finished speaking."
Tasha looked at the boy, her eyes filled with curiosity once again. He was only a teenager, but he seemed to have been in a complex environment for ten years.
"I didn't finish my sentence. Although the Kingdom of Dorne is temporarily trading in Sapphire Bay, Sapphire Bay itself has a very advantageous geographical location, and there are places closer to where we hope to transship goods."
"The southern countries?"
Tasha shook her head: "Whether it's inland or at sea, the southern countries are the most prosperous places on the continent of Tyrese, and their pursuit of trade is even greater than that of the hateful Ashk Empire."
"But they have many trade targets, the inland, the western islands, and even the Elven kingdom across the Sea of Terror. Sapphire Bay may represent interests for them, but it is not so urgent."
"Moreover, the southern countries don't have a very good reputation, even..."
Tasha paused for a moment, then omitted the princess's name.
"Even the trade overseen by the royal family of Dorne has suffered losses at their hands. Before you possess sufficient power, attracting the attention of those sea hyenas is still quite dangerous."
Hearing this, Allen understood what Tasha meant and asked, "So you mean... the North?"
"Yes, the North is vast and has many tribes with diverse beliefs. The people of the North are naturally fierce, and even without forming a state, they can still pose a threat to the expansion of the Ashk Empire."
Tasha dipped her finger in the fruit wine and roughly drew a map on the table showing the locations of Sapphire Bay, the Western Wilderness, and the Northlands.
"However, the people of the North are not good at production and have a great demand for goods from the outside world. In recent years, due to the blockade by the Ashk Empire, there have been fewer and fewer decent trade routes. If a new trade route were to appear, I think many tribes would be interested in it."
"I have some friends who know people from the North. If you need, I can help you make contact with them after I return to the kingdom, but I can't guarantee it will be successful."
Allen had no objection to this; any contact with the outside world would help him expand his territory more quickly, and the expansion of his territory would eventually reflect in his power, so he would naturally accept anything that came his way.
"That would be perfect."
Allen thought for a moment and then added, "If any trade with the North is indeed facilitated through you, consider one-tenth of the profits from the first trade as a reward for your hard work."
"One in ten?" Tasha suddenly remembered something and said with a self-deprecating laugh, "I don't have a noble title."
Allen, not understanding, did not respond.
Tasha didn't dwell on her memories any longer, but teased, "Such a large sum of money for your trouble, are you afraid I won't put in the effort to find you a caravan?"
"Not only that, Sapphire Bay is far from the Kingdom of Dorne. If you don't come here again, you won't be able to take this large sum of money." Allen added with a smile.
"Fine, so this money of yours gets me not only to find you the Northern Merchant Guild, but also to bait me into organizing another trade route to the Kingdom of Dorne, right? Pretty good deal, huh?" Tasha snorted.
Allen didn't argue, he just kept smiling and poured her more wine.
There's no need to say everything; this is enough.
Allen had already learned from the guards that Tasha had a secret royal background.
From what Alan just heard, he realized that Tasha's intentions went beyond simply repaying Alan's favor; she also subtly revealed the predicament of the Kingdom of Dorne.
Since the people of the North are fierce and powerful, why hasn't the Kingdom of Dorne, which is also adjacent to the North, been attacked?
The answer is self-evident: the Ashk Empire, which she mentioned was constantly expanding, had probably already annexed the northern territories of the Kingdom of Dorne.
Therefore, the pressure from the North that originally needed to be borne by the Kingdom of Dorne is no longer a concern for the Kingdom of Dorne.
Therefore, this would make the North stronger and continue to put pressure on the Ashk Empire, which would be a win-win situation for the Kingdom of Dorne.
After discussing the trade matters, Tasha and Allen talked about something else.
—That group of slave refugees.
Tasha recounted to Allen how a silver dragon had attacked the slave traders' fleet, and how the slaves had been sent away on two separate ships.
Allen had already noticed those who disembarked with the Imperial Guard and sailors.
Faced with the food offered by the dog-headed people, they scrambled to swallow it, as if they had no other choice but to eat.
After hearing Tasha's explanation, Allen finally understood where these people came from.
Upon hearing that it was made from a silver dragon, Allen knew the answer in his heart.
That silver dragon that's been "executing justice" everywhere, and it's so close by, even sending a ship full of slaves to Sapphire Bay, must be Lyriel Silvershine.
As for the "evil blood" he mentioned, Allen roughly understood what it meant.
He glanced briefly at the group of slaves.
Half-orc, half-troll, half-snake, half-fox...
The slaves come from a wide variety of races, and at a glance, most of the factions on the panel are displayed as evil, with only a few being neutral.
This has nothing to do with their own nature. Perhaps they do have some bloodlust and cruel tendencies, but the brain of that arrogant silver dragon is just as "human-machine" as the panel division in the "Lord's Handbook".
"I asked around among these slaves, and they said that the slave caravan was the famous Black Tide Merchant Guild."
Tasha's words were full of disdain.
"Actually, it's obvious without me saying it. Just look at the races of these slaves and the proportion of women among them, and you'll know that the purpose of capturing them is to sell them to nobles at high prices."
"Hmph, the Black Tide Merchant Guild loves doing this kind of thing."
Allen glanced at the slave refugees in the distance and asked curiously, "Some of them aren't very good-looking either."
Tasha glanced at Allen, her tone tinged with disgust: "That's to satisfy the nobles' curiosity. Whether it's the slippery skin of a snake-man or the cat-man's jointed hind paws, as long as it can make the nobles boast about it at gatherings, it's naturally worth hundreds or thousands of gold coins."
"Don't think about the moral bottom line of the nobles."
Tasha paused. "You'll always see results that get worse with each passing day."
……
After the banquet, the guards and sailors set up camp to rest.
Tasha accepted Solina and Viola's invitation and went to the stone castle to rest together.
Kylian rested with the guards.
Those slave refugees naturally had no tents or anything like that, so they could only rest in the open.
Fortunately, the weather in Sapphire Bay is currently very pleasant. Having just left the hot rainy season, the evening breeze is cool but not cold.
Allen summoned three slave refugees separately; they were the leaders of this group of slaves.
A burly male orc, a beautiful and charming female fox-woman, and a female snake-woman with four arms.
The three people who were summoned were surprised by the bay and the fact that the master of the monsters in the bay was just a young boy with a childlike face.
However, the behavior of the treant, the crab, and the kobold during that day demonstrated the boy's absolute authority among the monsters, so all three were very respectful.
Tasha explained that most of the slave refugees were women, carefully selected by the Black Tide Merchant Guild to be sold as playthings to nobles.
As for the small number of male slaves, they were prepared as war slaves.
The nobles enjoy bloody and cruel battles and beast fights, so the Black Tide Merchant Guild also selects some powerful slaves as beast fight slaves.
Allen glanced at the three characters' character panels:
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
【Name: Grug Bonecrusher】
Race: Orc
Age: 28
[Character Template: Standard]
[Faction: Chaotic/Neutral]
[Level: Berserker lv12 (-5)]
[Status: Limited mobility (shackles)]
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Name: Linor Soft Tail
[Race: Fox-person]
Age: 22
[Character Template: Standard]
[Alignment: Lawful/Evil]
[Level: Rogue lv4 / Shaman lv2 (-2)]
[Status: Magic Seal (Suppressed by Drugs)]
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
【Name: Sharak Blue Scale】
[Race: Half-Snake Man]
Age: 24
[Character Template: Standard]
[Alignment: Lawful/Evil]
[Level: Scimitar Mastery lv5 (-2) / Gunfighter lv5 (-2)]
[Status: Limited mobility (shackles)]
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
"My...sir, what are your orders?"
The one who spoke was the lead orc, who spoke fluent Common.
His hands, feet, and neck were bound by shackles, but the chains connecting the shackles were relatively loose, allowing him to retain some fighting ability.
This was intentional on the part of the Black Tide Merchant Guild; the relatively loose shackles allowed the war slaves to demonstrate their fighting prowess without giving them enough ability to resist.
Incidentally, it can also be used to seduce some noblewomen with a desire for conquest.
The Black Tide Merchant Guild makes a living from this business. Unless they are top-tier war slaves, most of their profits are less than those from slaves sold as playthings.
The same was true for the half-snake people on the other side.
Only the fox-people, whose physical combat strength is relatively weak, are not restricted by shackles, but their magic power has been sealed by special drugs, making them appear somewhat weak at this moment.
"What are your plans next?" Allen asked directly.
The three of them looked at each other; they had discussed this issue countless times in recent days.
The fox-woman in the middle stepped forward and said, "My lord, if you don't mind, please take us in. We... are willing to serve you."
Allen could hear the obvious hesitation in her words.
"As for servants, I have plenty; I don't need any more like you."
Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of the three men turned rather unpleasant.
Tasha and the Royal Guard had made it clear before they boarded the ship that they would only take them to Sapphire Bay and would not be responsible for anything afterward.
If the owners of Sapphire Bay don't take them in either, then they'll have no choice but to make a living in the wilderness.
"Don't you want to go home?" Allen asked.
"Going home..." The fox-person's expression was expectant. "Would you be willing to send us back to our hometown, sir?"
"I don't have the habit of doing good deeds for free."
Allen's words poured cold water on the fox-people's heads once again.
If it were her, she could understand Allen's actions.
No one would be so brainless as to pay such a huge price to send a group of slaves back to their homeland.
The orc and snake-man standing to the side showed no emotional fluctuations.
The two of them, or rather most of the slave refugees, no longer had a homeland.
They were the losers in tribal wars, sold as slaves to the Black Tide Merchant Guild.
Fox people, who were purely abducted, are actually a minority.
In the slave trade, the Kuroshio Merchant Guild has always aimed to maximize profits with minimal costs.
"Sir, you said we won't do good deeds for nothing, which means we still have a chance to stay, right?" the half-snake man who hadn't spoken until now asked.
Allen glanced at her.
"Sapphire Bay doesn't tolerate idlers. If you want to stay, you'd better demonstrate your skills in exchange for food and shelter."
To be honest, Sapphire Bay is still underdeveloped and there isn't much room for outsiders.
Their arrival was not entirely a good thing for Allen; they were not as easy to control as lower-level monsters.
The orc Grugg spoke first:
"My lord, I am willing to fight for you! The blood of the berserker still flows within me; all I need is a chance to prove myself!"
The half-snake man, Sharak, spoke calmly and steadily:
"My people are skilled at processing monster hides and making poisons. Whether it's fighting, working, or guarding, we are competent."
The fox-woman Linor then realized that she had been so focused on finding a way back home that her most pressing task was to win the favor of the master of Sapphire Bay.
He quickly replied, "My lord, my people are skilled in weaving and fluent in multiple languages... I am also a spellcaster! It's just that the merchant guild temporarily sealed my magic with medicine..."
She thought for a moment, then added, "My lord, there are still many scattered people among the refugees. My people can help you organize them, regardless of their ethnicity or language. This is what we fox people excel at!"
Allen then nodded.
Only if it can save him management costs can it be considered necessary to accept him.
"I'll consider it."