Chapter 35 Watching the Fire from Across the Sea
The value of the Sea Wolf is quite good.
The Gind that Soren searched out is only around seven to eight thousand, but various goods and jewelry are worth twenty to thirty thousand Gind; this does not even take into account the black market profits of Shipwreck Bay. If someone is sent to take over this, the final profit could exceed fifty thousand Gind. Do not underestimate this wealth; Soren risked his life several times to earn a little Gind. The polarization of wealth in this world is even more severe than in his previous life; the higher you go, the more wealth accumulates.
During the Ming Dynasty, the national tax was about three to five million taels of silver per year, while France around the same time had only eight hundred thousand gold coins annually.
Tax revenues in various principalities in this world are roughly similar; perhaps some kingdoms can reach several million Gind, but they must be wealthy kingdoms like Arendelle. In the Ming Dynasty, it was effortless to slaughter a few wealthy merchants to generate a year’s worth of national tax. Many nobles during the English and French periods were richer than kings. The distribution of wealth in this world is unfair, and there is hardly any fairness to speak of. The money Soren earned by taking down two batches of pirates is equivalent to nearly a year’s worth of taxes from a city.
This money is very useful!
Although many of the goods are supplies, there are naturally ways to get rid of them.
If he hadn’t earned so much wealth by taking down pirates, Soren wouldn’t have easily given away a ship’s worth of supplies.
This is a very necessary investment!
The Drow know what Soren wants, but because his strength is still insufficient, he wisely did not speak up. If he speaks and the other party disagrees, it could easily create a rift. It is better to first build a closer relationship, and then after establishing his own position, incorporate them all at once. The value of these Drow is astonishing, not only because of their combat power. More importantly, they can serve as a source of faith and help construct a framework for a church temple.
Because among them, there must be priests of the Underd, without priestly leadership, it would be impossible for them to last this long!
Of course, their value goes beyond that.
Changing faith is a difficult task. Even if they cannot serve as a source of faith for Vivian’s future fight against the Demon God of Fear and Vampire Son, they can still be a great help for Vivian to expand her faith and complete the church framework. Furthermore, these individuals may even become the foundation for Soren’s investiture as a deity. The Saint’s Cataclysm is a grand game; only deities are qualified to place their pieces on the board. No matter what Soren plans to do in the future, obtaining the qualifications of a deity is undoubtedly a safe bet.
The Saint’s Cataclysm is the most chaotic period, but it is definitely not the end of chaos!
After this turbulent period ends, although the mortal realm will regain some peace, the struggles among deities will become increasingly apparent. If he and Vivian defeat the Vampire Son and the Demon God of Fear, what they will face are the gods of the upper planes and the demon gods of the lower planes. A newly ascended deity is undoubtedly the easiest enemy for them to handle; without the foundation of faith and a church, Vivian will become a lamb in the eyes of all demon gods in the future.
Soren is a Half-Elf. These Drow have human ancestry to adapt to life on the surface.
If he remembers correctly, during the time of the Saint’s Cataclysm, two of the first deities to fall were the God of Half-Elves and the God of Wanderers, which indicates that these two divine professions will be vacant in the future—specifically the domains of Half-Elves and Wanderers. Although these are just weak domains, they can help Soren move further along, enabling him to fight against the Demon God of Fear as a deity. Undoubtedly, it will be much easier than combating him as a mortal. The Vampire Son has already ascended successfully; they must hasten their steps to catch up.
These Drow are all Half-Elves.
Soren is willing to sacrifice his life for Vivian; he even considered transforming into a Shadow Lich. If Vivian cannot ascend to fight against the Demon God of Fear, then he will ascend and fight them!
After all, Vivian is not a vampire; she has already been branded with the mark of the Demon God of Fear.
The Vampire Son is unintentionally a very clever guy; he actually knows how to use the domain of vampires to become a god first. This undoubtedly gave Soren some inspiration. Since the Vampire Son can use the not-so-prominent vampire domain to ascend, then he can use his Half-Elf bloodline as a springboard to one day master the domain of Half-Elves.
With a divine profession, Soren will at least have the form of a saint in the future!
As long as he has the form of a saint, Soren will have the confidence to face any deity incarnation without fear.
This is a long-term road.
It was after seeing these Half-Drow that Soren gained a vague direction; the Vampire Son gave him the greatest inspiration. If he leverages the Half-Drow as a springboard, and if he can ascend to godhood after reaching a certain strength, then he can pursue the profession of the God of Half-Elves when the period of turmoil begins. This way, all Half-Elves in the world can serve as a reserve base for him to develop believers and will not provoke too much friction with other ancient deities.
This is a very weak divine profession.
But for Soren, it is a very important springboard because his ultimate goal is certainly not just this.
Because he possesses the divinity of slaughter!
………………
The road to becoming a god is extremely difficult.
But if Soren plans to take this path, he must strategize in advance; otherwise, he does not have that much time.
One fortunate thing.
It seems that from the beginning until now, all his legendary deeds are related to slaughter, whether it’s the rumors of the Throat Cutter or other legendary events. The Vampire Son has not fallen. As long as he has not fallen, his power is growing day by day, and his divine power is also strengthening day by day. Soren has opened a situation; he cannot allow the gap between them to widen further.
A day quickly passed.
The pirates prepared a cargo ship and loaded it with supplies from the island. After a night of rest, these Drow recovered a lot. Before sending them off, Soren handed them a letter and said, “Deliver this letter to your clan leader; perhaps she will understand how to choose in the future!”
“I look forward to your response.”
The lead Half-Drow bowed humbly and then reached out to take the letter and keep it close, saying, “We are very grateful for your help, and we are willing to help you when you need it.”
Soren nodded lightly and said, “Go. Your clan must have been waiting for you for a long time.”
The three Half-Drow in front of him bowed once more before boarding the cargo ship. They are undoubtedly fortunate to meet Soren in their most desperate moment; not only did they preserve their lives, but they also returned with a shipload of goods. But that’s all it is; if they cannot prove their worth or provide equivalent benefits, they will not be able to obtain the help of this noble again. As Drow emerging from the Underdark, they are well aware that all effort is aimed at gaining a return.
Soren watched the departing cargo ship and then turned to Adele, saying in a deep voice, “Send someone to take over the black market trade in Shipwreck Bay; we can give up a portion of the profits to local forces, but the slave trade must remain under our control.”
Slave trade?
Adele showed a hint of confusion, but she has gradually started to get used to Soren’s commands and did not ask further before preparing to arrange personnel.
After defeating a batch of pirates in Shipwreck Bay, Soren needs to support a group of pirates who can serve him.
Since the Vampire Son can use the vampire domain to dabble in fear, Soren can naturally attempt to use the Half-Elf domain to dabble in slaughter. In every aspect, Soren actually has the advantage, because whether he eventually ascends to godhood or not, few people will be energetic enough to chase him thousands of miles overseas.
This is the key reason he has always focused on the Overseas Islands!
As the trump cards he possesses increase, Soren’s vision becomes clearer. As long as he controls the pirates, it is equivalent to grasping the maritime trade routes. To deal with him, one must first cross the sea!
………………(To be continued ~^~)
