Chapter 51: Layout Overseas
2015-02-05
Author: Floating Tower
(The Tower has really been sick recently. Writing is a bit laborious; please bear with me. This is a 5000-word chapter.)
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Taro Port.
In a relatively remote tavern, Soren sat in a corner waiting, while outside, pirates served as guards. Nearby the bar, a few heavily made-up serving girls occasionally moved slightly to showcase their feminine beauty, trying to attract Soren’s attention. With sufficient strength, growing fame, and naturally increasing wealth, even the number of his underlings had multiplied. Soren was not the kind of person who liked to be surrounded by a crowd, but his current status naturally required a group of subordinates to serve him.
The owner of the tavern was “Sturgeon,” a chubby middle-aged man.
He appeared to be a businessman, and he was indeed a businessman, but secretly he was also the leader of a small band of pirates. This guy had pledged allegiance to Soren from the very beginning, and now this tavern was also under Soren’s control. He did not plunder the assets of his subordinates, as that would be digging his own grave, but he required everyone to obey his commands. The wealth of Taro Port was still beneath his notice; as long as he could establish connections with the Overseas Islands and seize a gold or silver mine, his wealth would skyrocket.
There are certain rules in this world.
Many places do not use their real names and prefer to act under titles.
Just like Soren’s “Throat Cutter,” very few people know his real name; most people refer to him respectfully as “Your Grace Throat Cutter.”
Real names sometimes carry taboos.
Soren had no interest in the heavily made-up barmaids; he sat in the corner smoking, using a rather expensive tobacco from the Halfling region. Perhaps it was because he had killed too many people lately, Soren felt that his stress had increased significantly compared to before, and he felt somewhat weary from the bloody carnage he was used to. He needed to relax and numb his spirit a bit. After all, being too tense is really uncomfortable; even the strongest man will have moments of fatigue.
Soren did not drink.
He barely touched any alcohol, so he could only smoke some tobacco.
No one nearby dared to disturb him, while the bouncers outside drove away others trying to enter the tavern. Soren’s pirates numbered more than a thousand, but only a little over three hundred were fully under his command. After all, those who came to pledge allegiance to him were small pirate groups. He couldn’t disperse them all, as that would easily lead to backlash; Soren simply accepted the loyalty of those small pirate leaders. To put it simply, Soren was the top dog on the entire Southern Coast, with many small leaders who had come to pledge allegiance.
He commanded those small leaders, and they controlled the subordinates; however, strict control was difficult to achieve. After all, pirates are somewhat special.
Other pirate kings were the same.
They could influence many, but only their closest subordinates could truly be mobilized for battle.
As time went by, Soren seemed to be waiting for someone. He appeared very patient, showing no signs of anxiety.
After about half an hour, a visibly young half-elf entered. He was the first mate promoted by Soren and was now independently commanding a pirate ship. Behind him was a man about thirty years old, looking somewhat shifty, but with very keen eyes. This guy’s fingers moved restlessly, and he was very agile with his wrists and fingers. Just a glance at Soren revealed that he was a wanderer, specializing in thievery.
Such people are usually quite shrewd!
“Your Grace.”
The first mate slightly bowed his head and then said, “That’s him.”
Soren nodded and glanced at the thief before him, who was somewhat intimidated by his gaze. He quickly lowered his head and bowed, saying, “Your Grace Throat Cutter. I don’t know what I can do for you!…”
Soren slightly squinted his eyes, a hint of killing intent flashing in his gaze, along with a special kind of pressure.
That was the effect of the Gaze of Fear.
The scruffy-looking thief seemed a bit scared; sweat began to bead on his forehead, but he still stood his ground in front of him, showing some courage.
Soren nodded slightly and solemnly asked, “What is your name?”
The scruffy man hurriedly lowered his head and said, “My name is Slonoko; they all like to call me Slim Monkey.”
Soren slightly frowned and then said, “From today on.”
“You are responsible for collecting all useful information on the continent. I will specifically mobilize personnel and resources for you. No matter if the information is useful or not, as long as there are significant rumors on the continent, you will bring all of them to me. The personnel will mainly be distributed in Shipwreck Bay, City of Wealth, and Taro Port. This is the core area connecting the continent and the bay islands, and much news will flow north and south from here.”
“Your task is to disperse the personnel and regularly deliver important news back to me.”
“No problem, right?”
The scruffy-looking guy couldn’t help but show a hint of surprise on his face, his expression seemed somewhat excited as he muttered, “I… I will not disappoint your expectations!…”
Even a fool could understand that he had been promoted by Your Grace Throat Cutter.
Perhaps it was not a very important position, but just from Your Grace’s assignment, he would be able to command quite a number of personnel, from Shipwreck Bay to the City of Wealth and then extending to Taro Port. His Grace intended for him to establish a simple intelligence network. As for why His Grace was interested in those rumors rather than collecting information on plundering fat sheep.
At this moment, who could care about so much?
The scruffy man clearly understood one thing: if he did this job well, it would mean he had become a close confidant of Your Grace Throat Cutter. It was noteworthy that the pirates promoted now were almost all those who had fought and served alongside him during his battles, especially the survivors from the fight against the Swamp King; practically all of them had become leaders of small crews. From the rewards perspective, this Grace was indeed very generous. Many of those small leaders had one or two boats in their possession.
Soren explained a few things to the first mate nearby, then asked him to lead Slim Monkey away.
Some matters are quite strange.
Before the battle with the Swamp King, Soren had hardly any trustworthy personnel, and there were no particularly loyal individuals. But after the battle against the Swamp King, he had many usable individuals, especially those who survived through battle. These guys believed they had assisted Soren in defeating the Swamp King; they considered themselves to be trusted subordinates with merit, and their loyalty automatically increased.
Many of these guys’ mindsets changed like this.
Initially, they feared and were intimidated by Soren, viewing him as a terrifying presence. There was not much loyalty to speak of.
They were primarily controlled through fear.
But after the battle with the Swamp King, they thought, well, I also have merit! I have sold my life for this Grace, and no matter how brutal he is, he would not arbitrarily punish those who fought for him, right? I fought for this Grace. If promotions come later, I surely should have a share, right? He seems to be someone who values rules; how could I not be more trusted than those guys?
It’s really that simple.
That group of subordinates who experienced the battle with the Swamp King automatically shifted their mindset to that of being Soren’s close confidants.
Thus, loyalty began to soar!
Why did this happen? Perhaps it’s the power of human nature and authority! Just like when you have done something important for your boss, you feel that you have gained extra points in their eyes. Accordingly, you begin to believe your importance has increased compared to before. They have less fear in their hearts, more respect, and their perception begins to change, leading to promotions becoming a natural outcome. The group of guys quickly transformed their mindset to that of being Soren’s confidants.
Therefore.
Many things are indeed quite interesting; sometimes, it’s really necessary to give subordinates more opportunities to sell their lives!
Once they do so, it boosts their sense of recognition.
For example, the first mate before him. Initially promoted by Soren, he looked at him with mostly fear. But after experiencing the battle against the Swamp King, his loyalty was at the highest among everyone, and his gaze toward Soren now contained a hint of fervor and admiration. He believed he contributed to defeating the Swamp King. At the same time, he felt he should be Soren’s top henchman, even ranking above the position of the red-haired pirate Adele Isabella, who initially followed Soren.
I helped Your Grace defeat the Swamp King; I proved my loyalty to Your Grace, so my status should rank above that woman. Even if temporarily below her, as long as I get some opportunity to showcase my prowess and loyalty, sooner or later, I can replace that woman and become Your Grace’s most trusted aide.
Such mindsets are actually quite common among Soren’s subordinates.
Because with the rise of a new pirate king, it also means many positions become available. Pirate kings are not simply figureheads; most of them control a significant amount of trade within their sea territories, opening up opportunities for over a hundred promotions. Many people are itching to show themselves, with the most notable being the surviving pirates, whose strengths are quite decent; each believes they are capable of competing for the position of the leader, all looking for chances to further demonstrate their abilities.
Time quickly reached noon.
Soren put away his pipe, lightly tapping his fingers on the table, seemingly waiting for someone to arrive.
A nearby serving girl cautiously brought him a plate of exquisite food, intentionally revealing the voluptuous curves in front of him as she set the food down. But Soren merely glanced at her and then picked up a piece of bread to eat. Power is the best companion of a man; having strength, not all women will flock to him like moths to a flame, but with power, many women will try to seduce him. Soren was not without desire, but he felt it was not yet the time; now was not the moment for relaxation and enjoyment.
About an hour later.
A red-haired female pirate in tight leather entered.
She quickly approached Soren, slightly bowed, revealing her ample breasts, and whispered, “Your Grace, the matters you instructed have been prepared. The food, medicine, weapons, and so forth—we have sufficient quantities ready. Meanwhile, we also leveraged our influence to borrow some cargo ships from other trading companies. Six companies’ heads indicated that as long as Your Grace takes care of them in the future, they are willing to gather these supplies for free and deliver them to the desired locations.”
Soren is the Pirate King.
What is a Pirate King? It refers to one who specializes in plundering these merchants or collecting protection fees!
These trading companies are not without strength, but their guards cannot possibly compete with these fierce pirates at sea. When the guards of the trading companies perish, they require compensation, and there are not many willing to fight desperately. Thus, many times, they resort to paying for peace. Almost every Pirate King has a certain influence over trade in nearby sea areas and controls the entire sea’s smuggling activities. Their attempts to curry favor with Soren are not solely for protection but also because they want to use Soren’s power against competitors or buy stolen goods at low prices to resell.
These coastal traders are seldom clean individuals!
Soren reached out to take a look at a list and then gently nodded, “Good. Have them prepare all the supplies. I will need them soon.”
“By the way.”
“What about the slaves I need? How is the preparation going?”
The beautiful red-haired female pirate showed a hint of embarrassment and said softly, “Currently, we have only gathered a small portion. Recently, there was a collapse at the City of Wealth’s mines, which increased the demand for slaves in the market. Because Your Grace requires strong labor, we are currently unable to gather enough numbers.”
“However, just give me a little time, and I guarantee to complete Your Grace’s task!”
Slaves.
A crucial part of Soren’s plan.
He decided to develop in the Overseas Islands, and these incredibly cheap laborers were essential.
Moreover, due to the estate economy in the Southern Coast and the various demands of different mines, the slave trade in this area was much more active compared to others. The mines controlled by the nobility and local tyrants were absolutely unwilling to hire commoners; they would use every means to obtain slaves or criminals to work, significantly reducing labor costs. These mines are incredibly dark and bloody places, where there is virtually no semblance of law. When labor is insufficient, let alone slaves, even commoners can be captured to work until they die.
This hardly needs much explanation.
Even in the 21st century, there are still numerous dark corners in the mines.
Upon hearing this, Soren furrowed his brows slightly, he glanced at Adele before him, noting her expression seemed somewhat tense. Not participating in the battle against the Swamp King had many people considering challenging her position in Soren’s eyes, wanting to prove their value surpassed that of this woman. She had become somewhat anxious. This woman had regained the strength her father once held and was considered a formidable pirate leader; however, she clearly did not wish to lose her value in Soren’s mind.
Her current status is second only to Soren. Naturally, she was unwilling to be pushed aside by others. So she constantly sought to elevate her standing in Soren’s eyes, using some little tricks.
The most obvious one.
She previously hardly wore makeup; now, every time she saw Soren, she had put on at least a bit of makeup.
The significance was self-evident!
………………
Soren furrowed his brows and thought for a moment before saying, “Get this done as soon as possible. Within a week at most, I will have new arrangements. Have them send the goods to Snake Island, leaving behind a batch of personnel to hold the fort, and then recruit people from the coastal regions.”
He paused for a moment and continued, “Do it in the name of the trading companies; no need for combat strength, just adult labor will do.”
Adult labor?
Adele dared not think too much and quickly replied, “Yes. I will arrange it immediately.”
Before this red-haired female pirate departed, she showed a moment of hesitation on her face, looking back at Soren, unsure of her thoughts, her face slightly reddening.
Ocean Temple.
The Naga Priestess furrowed her brows, sitting at the back of the great hall, looking at a human man in front of her, puzzled, “So many supplies? Still preparing for slave labor? Is he planning to expand overseas?”
The man in front did not answer but remained quietly in place.
The Naga Priestess gently waved her hand, saying, “You may leave. Continue to monitor his movements; I am becoming more and more curious about what he intends to do.”
Developing overseas.
There had been people who tried this before, but the indigenous people in overseas regions are very xenophobic, combined with the harsh living environments and a variety of dangerous creatures, the vast majority of pioneers ultimately failed. Survival in the overseas islands is very challenging, a significant problem is the population turnover; diseases and monsters can even defeat professionals, making it even harder for ordinary people to survive there. Without ordinary people as a foundation, developing overseas is almost out of the question.
Let alone the vigilant Amazons and the deeply territorial indigenous people.
She was very curious about how Soren would establish a foothold!
………………
In the room.
Soren spread out a nautical map for observation; the area of the overseas islands is vast, but the places suitable for development are few. There are too many monsters, enemies, and hazardous environments; all these factors combined greatly increase the difficulty of pioneering. However, Soren had one advantage: he knew where past pioneers had established port towns. These locations had been selected through significant manpower and resources in the past; they generally featured natural harbors and various geographical advantages, along with surrounding environmental factors.
For example, whether there are formidable enemies, what resources are available, whether the land is suitable for farming crops, and so on.
Many people failed when trying to develop overseas before!
But among them, there were some who succeeded because they found excellent geographical locations.
Soren was now trying to recall the best piece of land among them.
………………(To Be Continued ~^~)
