Chapter 103: Assassination (Part 2)
“Where are the goods from the East?”
Soren turned to ask the person beside him, and someone immediately led him to the back.
Soon, they came across a carefully arranged pile of goods. Without even looking, he knew it was porcelain, a precious cargo. On the continent, exquisite porcelain is sometimes more favored by nobles than silverware, and since porcelain is easily breakable, accidents during transport often occur, which is why finely crafted porcelain has always maintained high prices. Although there are some ceramic crafts here on the continent, only porcelain from the East is considered the best, and only authentic Eastern porcelain can command a high price!
It’s akin to how wine connoisseurs cherish vintages from their region.
“How did so much break?!”
Soren frowned slightly after a glance and said in a low voice, “Almost all the boxes on this side are broken.”
Upon hearing Soren’s words, the Pirate Leader behind him immediately broke into a cold sweat and gritted his teeth, saying, “The idiots down below were careless; they dropped it while transporting. I’ve already had the one responsible whipped twenty times. If you are not satisfied, I can punish them again.”
“Forget it.” Soren waved his hand and said slowly, “Since they have already been punished, let it be.”
He looked at the porcelain in front of him, then turned to the boxes next to him filled with spices, tea, and silk. The goods brought over from the East are quite valuable; his trip was not only to sell them but also to bring a gift for Gloria. In the past, she had helped Soren and Vivian a lot, but he lacked the ability to express his gratitude. However, Soren is now one of the Pirate Kings of the Southern Coast; this time, how could he go to invite her overseas empty-handed?
Reciprocity!
Essentially, Soren still holds onto many past traditions. The other gifts are probably of no use to Gloria, but the spices, tea, and silk from the East are sure to be useful to her. Wizards inherently enjoy spices and tea, as many items that help calm the mind have a supportive role in their learning and comprehension of spells. As for silk, it goes without saying that in this era, which is close to a medieval level of civilization, silk is something most women cannot resist.
“Take all these; transport them out.”
Soren took a glance and picked out the best ones. Immediately after, he ordered his subordinates to carry them out.
This batch of goods is quite high-end. After opening a couple of boxes to take a look, he found a mermaid-like mark in the corner of one box. Of course, it was not a mermaid; it actually looked more like an Eastern merman. This thing is called ‘mermaid’ in the East, which is completely different from the ‘fishmen’ here in the West. This mark represents a very powerful force in the Eastern world, controlling nearly sixty percent of Eastern trade. Whether the goods are transported across the desert or via maritime routes, most come from the cities they control.
This organization is quite mysterious!
Soren had interacted with them in the past and knew there were many experts within.
Moreover, these Easterners are not at all afraid of the Drow. They are also one of the few humans who engage in trade with the underground Drow, albeit this trade is quite covert and not very frequent.
Soren quickly picked out the gifts.
He did not linger on Snake Island for long. After preparing the gifts for Gloria, Soren led his men towards Taro Port. Since he was back, he should at least meet the Naga Priestess; otherwise, she might feel displeased. Relationships are like that. If he didn’t come to see her, she might think Soren looked down on her. After all, she is the leading priestess in the Southern Coast region, overseeing Taro Port and nearby cities. The influence of the Naga Priestess is still quite strong.
Soren still needs the support of the Ocean Church!
The journey to Taro Port did not take much time, and by afternoon, Soren and his men arrived there.
The approach of the warship did not alarm too many people, but some heads of merchant guilds learned of Soren’s return and were already preparing to greet him, much like Soren’s own intention to meet with the Naga Priestess. As soon as Soren arrived at the port of Taro, he ordered others to send part of his gifts to the Ocean Temple, planning to stay here for one night, and then depart for Shipwreck Bay.
The time to deliver gifts must be honored.
Even though Soren had initially coerced the Naga Priestess into submission due to his overwhelming power, that was in the past; now that time has passed, if he has a chance to ease relations, he should slightly win her over. Soren wants to establish a foothold in the Southern Coast, and he must hold onto the golden thigh of the Ocean Goddess. As long as he holds onto her golden thigh, even the biggest troubles will have the Ocean Church to help him share some of the pressure. Soren is willing to serve the Ocean Goddess; isn’t that just finding shade under a big tree?
Of course.
Simply relying on the big tree is not enough; if one wants to forge a sword, the foundation must be solid. Soren’s ultimate goal is to become a towering tree himself.
As soon as the pirate lackey sent with the gifts left, shortly after, a leading figure from the Taro Port Merchant Guild came over to establish connections, bringing gifts with them. These individuals have many ears; pirates are known for being loose-lipped, so it’s not surprising that they knew Soren was back. Soren was clear in his mind about their motives, as they merely wanted access to smuggling trade and new shipping routes to the Overseas Islands.
These things cannot be shared with them!
Soren has not been attacking merchant ships much lately, yet he can still support so many subordinates because he tightly holds onto smuggling trade. The profits in this are quite astonishing; there are probably over two thousand men listed as pirates and guild sailors under Soren’s banner, and their livelihood hinges on the gold and silver drawn from these dealings; merely collecting a little maritime protection fee is insufficient to sustain such a crew. As for the other overseas routes, Soren would never share those with them, as it is expected to become a lucrative source of income in the future.
A round of meaningless pleasantries.
Soren smiled and dealt with the various visitors, accepting all the gifts brought in. However, when it came to probing into overseas trade routes or taking a guess at smuggling practices, he offered no responses whatsoever. This attitude left many feeling helpless; several had no choice but to leave their gifts behind in disappointment.
Time passed like this for a quarter of an hour.
Just as Soren finished dealing with the heads of the guilds sent over, suddenly a mysterious figure appeared behind him. Almost immediately, a glint of cold light flashed, and an exotic short blade pierced into his back, directly hitting the critical area of his heart!
A spray of blood burst out.
Soren’s figure froze for a moment, then a look of pain appeared on his face.
The short blade pierced his heart!!!
………………(To be continued ~^~)
