Release That Witch - Chapter 675
Chapter 675: Last Hope
he blade cut through the armor neatly, blood splashing out from the cuts like red strings.
The knight did not make any sound as she had expected but instead grabbed her hand firmly as if to gain more time for his companions.
Unfortunately, he misjudged the difference in their power.
No. 76 easily escaped from his grasp, kicking him away while drawing out her blade.
Her kick felt like a blunder blow and his armor was entirely deformed. The knight spat out a mouthful of blood and smashed on the ground, no longer making any sound.
It seemed like her fists and kicks were more convenient. No. 76 glanced at her already dull blade, threw it away and jumped towards the rest of them with her bare fists.
The hunters instantly became the prey.
She jumped high and started jumping on the clumsy knights’ shoulders. Every time she landed on a knight’s head, she would clamp his helmet with her feet and then spin with the help of her body inertia, which resulted in a crackling noise as his cervical spine broke.
Compared with No. 76’s swift movements, the knights’ counterattack and dodging were not different from that of a pile of wood.
There was no problem even if she was unable to land on their heads, as she could hit their joints to make them lose their balance and then finish them off with a fatal kick. She could also easily trap her opponents with her physical gestures and lead them to attack her simultaneously only to end up killing themselves in the end.
“This… is impossible!”
“A damn monster!”
After a few rounds, the knights realized that their enemy was not normal. Not only did she possess extraordinary strength but was also an expert in the art of fencing and close combat skills. She was obviously an experienced fighter and her killing skills did not match the look of a twenty-year-old girl at all.
“Everyone move aside!”
With a loud cry, Sir Lougan led his horse in the crowd towards No. 76.
The rest quickly closed in around her, trying to trap her among them.
No. 76 sneered, did not retreat but instead went straight ahead and grabbed with her hands the horse’s front legs, immobilizing it while it neighed nonstop.
No one could believe in their eyes when they saw what happened next. She lifted both the knight and his mount in the air and threw them to the others around her. The ones that got hit sustained wounds ranging from fractures and bleeding to immediate death. The knight himself sustained the worst impact naturally. As he fell from the horse’s back, his body was distorted into an unnatural shape.
The surviving pursuers instantly scattered.
They jumped on their horses rushing to escape from this “monster”. But No. 76 did not plan to give them this chance.
As soon as the enemy gave up resisting, a massacre started.
…
The night had already fallen when No. 76 finally finished cleaning up the battlefield.
The bodies of the knights were thrown into a nearby field and were covered briefly with some wheat straws. Discovering them was only a matter of time but by that time the witches would have already retreated to the Kingdom of Graycastle.
She crawled in the most extravagant coach, removed the cushion that Yorko usually slept on and carefully took out a colorful sparkling magic stone ring under the mattress. Even under the weak moonlight, one could see a cyclone swirling inside the transparent crystal.
After carefully examining the ring, No. 76 put it in her robe, fixed the cushion and lay on her back.
Next, she only needed to reach the next village and hire a wheeler to take her to the Kingdom of Graycastle.
They would probably not stay long at the border, maybe not even one day, but as long as her destination was the Western Region of the Kingdom of Graycastle, she would be able to meet those witches one day.
Looking at the bright moon outside the window, she sighed.
400 years had passed. The Union that used to reign the world had disappeared like dust in the wind. The only thing that remained unchanged was the stars in the sky.
Only when she looked up to the sky, would she feel like she was still alive—not just being alive underground or in the present after the disappearance of the Union, but actually living at the Holy City of Taquila 400 years ago.
That extremely prosperous witch empire.
The road to escape afterward… that could not be counted as living anymore.
The only thing that kept her going was a last remaining hope.
…
“So, how does it feel to have a female body once again?” someone asked, “Do you feel like you’re being yourself again?”
She took deep breaths and moved her wrists and heels. “The distance is shorter.”
“Of course, because this body is kind of small. A body too sturdy wouldn’t be convenient to serve those humans.” The voice laughed. “Furthermore, female God’s Punishment Soldiers are already so rare. Don’t be so picky.”
“Appearance and age are also very important,” someone else said, “Assuming the tastes of humans haven’t changed a lot, none would want those body shells that look like men. Just looking at them makes one feel disgusted. You can ask Elena if you don’t believe me. She would prefer a male body instead of a defective product like that.”
“Correct. Among everyone, yours is the best looking.”
“You know what I mean, Pasha.” She shook her head, staring at the huge blob in front of her with the moving tentacles. “Like this, I have to practice my limb control from the start. From sewing to holding a blade, each move would require a long time to master.”
“It’s okay.” A tentacle dropped down and slowly poked her forehead. “We have got all the time in the world.”
…
“Why do we need to deal with common people?” Alethea, who was soaking in hot magma, blew a chain of bubbles in dissatisfaction. “Can’t we bring the witches here to test their talent?”
“Are you confused because of the long sleep?” Pasha refuted her. “It’s not like 400 years ago anymore. One or two would be alright but do you plan to catch a hundred witches and bring them all in the mountains? I don’t want to be regarded as a monster from the later generation.”
“Even so, can’t we let a witch execute this task? Don’t forget that all of these bodies are actually enemies of the witches.”
“First of all, she must completely trust us and possess the ability to protect herself. Where can we find someone like that?Nowadays the common people control the world so it’s inevitable to deal with them—just like in the Land of Dawn at the first Battle of Divine Will.”
Pasha paused, stuck a tentacle out and pointed at her. “What do you think?”
She played with her sword, threw it in the air and just by slightly moving her body she let it slide into the scabbard. “I don’t have any preference… as long as I can see Taquila’s glory once again.”
Chapter 676: The Pursuit
p>…
Sometimes, when she didn’t want to train anymore, she would also enter the deepest area of the maze to see the magic core that the survivors of Taquila had so many high hopes for.
“This is the completely repaired instrument of Divine retribution? Are you sure it’s useful?”
The biggest core looked like a simple spindle apparatus, nearing the size of a Senior Witch’s experiment tower. Dozens of white brackets like visceral ribs were releasing magic power into it. Its uniqueness was obvious as it was floating mid-air of the maze without any hangings or support. Due to the cold light that the core emitted, the floor was no longer plain red.
“Of course, I’ve been studying it for 385 years!” A piece of blob appeared from above and landed next to her using its tentacles. “The more I study it, the more I feel like it’s a creation of God. Comparing with it, the things that had been researched by the Quest Society like the Sigil of Magic Stones were literally trash. Well… they were not even close to the essence of the magic power. If we had found this ruin 400 years ago, there would never have been the second Battle of Divine Will.”
Celine would always become extremely excited whenever talking about the magic core, so she could only pat her rough exterior. “Have you verified the other cores?”
“Of course, Pasha even used the phantom instrument to display a miracle at the extremely far kingdom of common people. Oh, you were probably still asleep at that time, so you didn’t see it.”
“That far?” she asked surprisingly.
“Correct, much farther than any ability can reach, even the Infinite Sigil can’t be compared with it,” Celine replied while shaking her tentacles, “This is the power of the magic core. It allows the witches to possess power beyond their limits. That common person who kneeled down in shock because of the miracle is the best proof. The magic core should have been our aim, not the damn God’s Punishment Army! Long live Lady Natalia!”
“But without the God’s Punishment Army scheme, we wouldn’t be able to survive until now.” She pointed out.
“Eh…. well, long live Lady Alice too,” Celine murmured reluctantly.
“But I heard Pasha saying that in order to activate the instrument of Divine retribution, the Chosen One is also required, is that right?”
“Correct, the Chosen One! This magic core is too immense and complicated. Without the Chosen One, it would be just a dead object unable to become a new deity!” Celine used her tentacles to grab her hand. “This is why all of our hopes rest with you. You must find her.”
“If she does exist.”
Hearing that, the voice of the blob became heavier. “Yeah… if she does exist. Why can’t I become the Chosen One?”
…
“I heard that Starfall City has been defeated! They’ve been defeated by the common people!”
After receiving the news, the magma underground started boiling, and all the Sleeping Ones and the Waking Ones started shaking their tentacles excitingly, which was the only way they could express their emotions.
But not everyone was excited by the news.
“How can this be possible?” For instance, Alethea’s dancing expressed shock and anger. “How can they be defeated by common people?”
“Is the news credible?” someone asked.
“I’ll ask the Chamber of Commerce of Dawn to investigate this.” Pasha moved her tentacles to quiet them down. “Behave yourselves, don’t shake the whole burrow!”
Surprisingly, even though they all looked alike, huge blobs with several tentacles on their epidermis, she could still recognize each of them easily.
It was probably due to the fact that they had been living here for so many years that she could distinctly remember everything from their breath frequency to their tentacle movements.
Pasha bent her huge figure and immersed in the lava. “For Taquila.”
All the blobs that could still move dropped down and many voices sounded. “For Taquila.”
The turbulent lava soon calmed down.
“Once the news has been confirmed, I suggest we immediately retrieve the divine relic,” Elena said, “Starfall City no longer fits to possess it.”
“But in that case, a fight with the God’s Punishment Army will be unavoidable and I don’t believe that they’ll be unprepared. Even though they lost to the common people, it doesn’t mean that Hermes would also be vulnerable,” Alethea said in doubt, “Who knows how the common people won? Maybe they just killed a few hundreds of God’s Punishment Soldiers and then believed to have claimed an important victory.”
“This is also possible.”
“I also think so.”
Many expressed their approval.
“The other common people will help us understand,” Pasha said, “and right now, the most important thing is to find the Chosen One. Banach Lothar has already set up the stage. Now, it was time for the actors to perform.”
“If she can succeed in finding the Chosen One in this trip, the demons will definitely perish and the witches will eventually reach new heights!”
…
She walked to the exit of the ruin and stopped.
There was a huge palace, half of it being covered by dirt. At the center of the palace, there was a patio that reached the ten-meter-high surface.
Bright white light shed down the patio, forming a gentle beam of light which lit up a piece of land at her feet.
Opposite from the patio, there were two tombstones.
In contrast with their shabby and dirty surroundings, there was no trace of dust on the tombstones.
Obviously, for hundreds of years, someone who had been sweeping this area clean, had also planted a small plain white flower for the person in the tomb.
She bent over, with one knee in front of the tomb.
This was where the greatest witches were buried. No matter what kind of disagreements they had before, or how intense their disputes were, it was ultimately for the survival of the witches. Thus, even after death, they were put together, never to be separated.
Two of the Union’s Three Chiefs.
Alice, the unstoppable Queen of Starfall City.
Natalia, the dazzling Queen of Sunchaser.
“May the deities be with you.”
After praying, she stood up and nodded to the top. “I’m ready, and please send me away.”
A tentacle appeared from the dark, rolled up around her waist and rose towards the patio. The sky looked bigger and bigger until there was nothing but the sky anymore.
She blinked her eyes trying to get used to the bright light, then slowly opened her eyes and saw the long-awaited world unfolding before her eyes.
“I can only come this far.” Pasha’s tentacle waved from the hole’s exit. “This body can’t be exposed to the sun.”
“I know.” She bent over and hugged the tentacle for goodbye. “Wait for my good news.”
“Oh right, you can’t use your previous name anymore. The Chamber of Commerce of the common people will arrange a new identity for you, as well as a new more appropriate name—No. 76.”
“Sounds nice.” She smiled. “I ‘ll be going then. Take care.”
“You too.”
So, in order to pursue that faint hope, a new journey had begun.
Chapter 677: The Promised Reunion
ven though walking in the forests slowed them down, it was a sound trip.
Three days later, Yorko encountered a team of soldiers of the Graycastle miles away from the boundary. They were searching along the road. They wore unique brown leather uniforms with long metal rifles on their backs, which clearly showed their identities to him.
He understood what had happened when he met Duke Kant after he followed the team and returned to Evernight. Having received the letter from Hill, His Majesty Roland had directly sent two confidential letters away. One was to order the platoon of the First Army that stationed in Deepvalley Town to divide into four troops and enter the Kingdom of Dawn from the four junctions of the boundaries so as to reinforce the retreating diplomatic personnel. The other one was to inform Duke of the Northern Region to be ready for a war. That meant that the Duke began to prepare military materials, such as grain, cotton, and horse carriages. When the main army arrived in the Nothern Region, they could declare a war to the Kingdom of Dawn.
Fortunately, the emissary delegation had had a sound trip.
The Duke exhaled a long breath of relief when he was saying this sentence. Yorko felt flattered.
But what touched him the most was how his old friend had responded to this incident.
Though he clearly knew that the four witches in the delegation were more important, but his name was ranked at the top of the list in the letter. He felt that he had nothing to complain about his suffering and scary experiences at the thought of such a good treatment.
Yorko wrote a long letter about what had happened during the process of the retreat. He handed it over to the Duke who would pass the letter to His Majesty. He hoped that His Majesty could put an end to the military tensions in the Nothern Region. Now, he understood what Hill had said was true. His Majesty took it much more seriously.
Additionally, he was quite surprised by the responding speed of the First Army. Apart from the time for carrier pigeons to deliver letters back and forth, the army, which originally bore responsibilities to defend against the remaining force of the church and demonic beasts, could carry out the operation on the very day they received the order. As far as he knew, nobles used to spend half a month summoning knights, mercenaries, and free peoples, let alone dividing them into groups to carry out missions. Once the troop spread out with less supervision, those mercenaries paid aforetime would escape over one night.
This might be the reason why his old friend could conquer the king’s city in one day.
Now, Yorko dimly understood that the military force of His Majesty was much better than that of the other nobles, not only in terms of weapons but actually beat them in every other aspect.
As a messenger, he was not alone. The whole kingdom backed him up and fought with him as his sharp sword. He felt exhilarated at this thought like there was a flame burning in his chest.
Now, No.76 was the only one he was worried about.
According to his promise to her, the first person who arrived at the destination would hang a four-colored flag at a visible spot. Yet Duke Kant ordered his men to search each corner of Evernight but did not find such a flag. Now that they lived in the house arranged by the duke, Yorko directly set up a flagpole in front of the door with a four-colored flag fluttering in the wind. Once No.76 entered the inner city, she would immediately see the flag and find them.
Actually, he was not the only one that worried about No.76. Through windows, Yorko often saw Annie and Amy standing under the flagpole and waiting for No.76’s safe return. As they knew each other better, Annie gradually changed her attitude towards him. At least, she would not stare at him, full of vigilance.
Hill’s men had talked to him several times and they had hoped that he could go to the Western Region as soon as possible. The magician had directly told him that the chance that No.76 successfully distracted the knights while at the same time staying alive was narrow. If those knights had not targeted at them, she would have arrived at the border village one day later and arrived in Evernight earlier than they had. Now, nothing happened at their meeting spot, so No.76 was very likely dead already.
Yorko knew that the magician was right, but he wanted to wait for another few days, just for the words she had said when parting.
“When the situation turns better, I’ll meet you again, right in the border city of the Graycastle. Make sure that you wait for me there!”
After they parted, Yorko finally knew why he had that strange feeling.
Although No.76 was a slave in name, he never treated her like a slave, neither in the Black Money nor in the Kingdom of Dawn.
Yorko had decided to give her freedom if she came back alive.
But the decision came too late.
Three more days passed. While he was thinking about leaving the Northern Region the next day, things seemed to turn for the better. A carriage stopped beside the flagpole. The coachman seemed to be very anxious and wanted to ask the guards about something, but he was afraid to come forward to ask. Yorko witnessed everything through the window, but before he came out, Annie and Amy had gone up to the carriage.
No.76 came back!
Each member of the delegation had heard the news and even Duke Kant, out of curiosity, came to see the brave maid who had sacrificed herself.
But her condition was not good.
When Yorko saw No.76, she had bruises all over her body. She was unable to move due to her broken right hand and left foot.
“Sir…” No.76 blinked her eyes and managed to summon up a smile, “thank you for waiting for me!”
All of a sudden, he felt completely relieved.
“I’m glad you came back.”
They then stayed in Evernight for another week until No.76 was in a stable condition. After that, they went to Deepvalley Town where they took a ship and left the Nothern Region.
In the following days, Yorko got to know what had happened to her after her departure.
The knights of Glow had caught up with her before the sunset. In order to gain her some time, she untied the reins of all the horses and spurred them to run in the opposite direction to stop the knights who were speeding up. At the same time, she had attempted to flee to the mountains on the roadside. After a short while, however, she had been stopped by a creek.
Considering that she would die after being captured, she thus had ridden off the cliff that was 30 meters high. Luckily, there were branches and cane vines on both sides of the precipice, so she had smashed into pieces. However, during the long drop, her head bumped into the rock and bled. Her right hand and left foot were broken by the rocks that jutted out. By the time she had reached the stream, she had sunk into a coma.
The knights stopped chasing, probably because they had not found a safe path leading downhill or they had thought she was dead. It had been midnight when she had woken up. She had used splashed chilling stream water to keep herself awake. Sometimes she had been able to catch several small fish and shrimps.
Two days later, fishermen around there had found her and saved her life.
Hero could remove her pain, but could not cure her wounds. Now, they had to go to the Western Region and see whether there were witches who could cure her.
Anyway, she’s come back alive!
Satisfied, Yorko stood in the wind at the bow. The ship sailed towards Neverwinter with its sails stirring in the air.
Chapter 678: The New Orders of the Fjords
p>A long-lost guest was ushered into Neverwinter on the end of the autumn twilight.
She was the businesswoman, Margaret.
Roland had prepared an extremely high-standard courtesy for the friend who was the first to come onboard and brought generous returns to Border Town during its difficult time. She was not only welcomed by the First Army’s cannon firing but Roland had come to Shallow Beach to welcome her in person.
“That’s very kind of you, Your Majesty,” Margaret smiled and said, “I’m simply an ordinary businesswoman.”
“The western region wouldn’t be so developed today without your help,” Roland said in ease, “Neverwinter will never let such a friend down.”
Margaret’s Chamber of Commerce was a great help in both the initial acquisition of a large amount of food and also in leasing ships to transport the refugees in the later days. Even Theo had depended on Margaret’s network and support to gain a firm foothold in the old king’s city. Although these were not provided free of charge, Roland was very clear that many things could not be done with only the money.
“It’s my honor to be your friend,” Margaret slightly bowed and said, “Other than to fulfill the previously signed perfume contract, I’ve brought you a new business opportunity this time.” She pointed to her back and said, “They’re the most popular businessmen in the Fjords and they’re very interested in the plan of the steam-powered boat.”
“Really?” Roland smiled. “Would you please give me a brief introduction later?”
According to his usual practice, eating and talking was the way to deal with the businessmen. The long table in the living room was filled with a variety of delicious food and the overseas visitors seemed to be particularly happy without eating fish. They had been trying to control themselves and behave as elegantly as possible as noble etiquette was not popular in the Fjords, but after a few drinks, the imitated etiquette was gone as the atmosphere was increasingly heated.
Roland did not really care about this as he preferred a lively dining environment as opposed to the complicated dining rules in the palace.
He also had a brief understanding of the visiting business group through the chit-chatting session. Other than Gammon and Marleen who first came to visit Border Town, there was also the Chamber of Commerce from Sunset Island and Shallow Water Town. Both of the islands in the south and the north next to Crescent Moon Bay formed a closely-connected business circle.
Although the three islands were not very big in size, they held the most population and power as the first residential area in the Fjords. Besides, it was very competitive among them as could be seen from the size and scale of their ships. Each of the three-masted ships parked at the dock of Shallow Beach could carry around 300 people and cargos of similar weight. The price of such sailing ships was around 5,000 gold royals each excluding the sailors. It was obvious that both of the Chamber of Commerces did not want to fall behind Crescent Moon Bay in the competition of respect and power.
After the desserts were served, it was time for the official discussion.
“Margaret mentioned that you want to purchase the steam engine?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Nibelung, the person-in-charge of Shallow Water Town’s Chamber of Commerce was the first to speak. “However, other than the steam engine, we also hope to own a steam-powered boat like the one you sold to Crescent Moon Bay.”
“I heard that the modification fee you previously quoted was 1,800 gold royals and Sunset Island is willing to pay an extra 200 gold royals to modify 5 ships at the price of 2,000 gold royals each,” Atiyer, the businessman from Sunset Island said as he was unwilling to be left behind, “Sunset Island’s Chamber of Commerce can pay half of the deposit upfront.”
They were apparently referring to the paddle steamer that Crescent Moon Bay purchased a year ago which was an almost obsolete technology to Roland. However, it would be a very cost-effective transaction to him as he could train the workers with this order while earning a good amount of money.
“It’ll take two to three months to build a paddle steamer and it’ll take around a year to build 5 ships. Barov, the City Hall Director, will sign the contract with you if you can accept that.”
“That’s not a problem at all. However, Sunset Island has a small request,” Atiyer cleared his throat and said, “We hope you can hire the craftsmen from the Fjords to build the ship.”
“What do you mean?” Roland lifted his eyebrows and asked.
“It’s just like the steam engine factory of Crescent Moon Bay, we’ll provide you with a group of craftsmen and the ships they build will be first used by Sunset Island and then they can choose whether to leave or stay after the completion of 10 years.”
“Shallow Water Town also hopes to sign the same contract,” Nibelung added, “Five sailing ships are only for the first order. There’ll be at least five ships to construct every year after that if you agree with our request.”
“I see,” Roland thought, “So, this is a big order which lasts for 10 years in which every completed transaction each year costs up to 10,000 gold royals. Additionally, they won’t be controlled by others after 10 years as they’ll have learned the detailed construction method by then.”
In fact, he did not mind to spread this method at all. The paddle steamer was apparently outdated as compared to the steam turbine that was under development, along with the triple-expansion steam engine that was already in production.
His initial purpose of signing a 10-year contract with Crescent Moon Bay, rather than to prevent the technology leaking out, was was for the craftsmen to adapt to the life of the western region, and afterwards, they would refuse to return to the Fjords and become a member of Neverwinter.
It was just a seemingly beautiful castle in the air apart from the industry-based technology.
Thinking about it, Roland knocked on the table and said, “There’s no problem in principle, but there could be some amendments needed on the details, such as changing the 10 year duration to five years…”
Speaking of it, both of the two businessmen looked extremely happy about it. It was an even better choice for them if they could master the construction method of the steam-powered boat earlier.
“I can even give a 20% discount on the price if Shallow Water Town and Sunset Island are willing to let the craftsmen stay in the western region. What do you think?”
“This…”
Both of them immediately hesitated as it was difficult to train a craftsman. However, it was hard for them to determine if it was a cost-effective deal for reducing the duration to five years with a few hundreds of people and an additional annual saving of 2,000 gold royals.
“Your Majesty, may I answer you later after I discuss it with the others in the Chamber of Commerce?” Nibelung asked.
“Yes. Of course,” Roland made a gracious hand gesture and said.
“Please excuse me temporarily.” Atiyer subsequently left the living room.
“So…” he shifted his gaze to Gammon and Marleen and said, “Are you not here for the steam-powered boat?”
The representatives of Crescent Moon Bay had been very calm when both the Chamber of Commerce was fighting to be the first to discuss the business. They only occasionally talked about their previous business with Border Town and it felt like they were not here for business but casual chit-chatting… Such actions had raised Roland’s curiosity.
“No, Your Majesty. We’re also here for the steam-powered boat,” Gammon took a sip of the white liquor and said, “but not the wooden paddle steamer. Crescent Moon Bay wants the indestructible steel ship that can split the storm, just like the one you built for Sir Thunder.”
Margaret’s look immediately changed after hearing this.
Chapter 679: A Generous Return
Your Majesty, I absolutely did not disclose the information conferred between you and Sir Thunder to anyone…” She quickly explained.
“I know,” Roland waved and looked at Gammon with great interest. “Where did you hear about this?”
Although he did not regard the matter as confidential, it was almost impossible for the outsider to know about the steel ship as there were still a couple more months to go until it was fit to launch. Plus, only the bottom of the hull was completed at the moment and it was built in a totally enclosed shipyard. All the workers they had selected were the most skillful local residents.
They would have to pay special attention if any locals were secretly in contact with the Fjords.
“It’s big news in Fjords that Sir Thunder is recruiting new crews and that the campaign is on a much bigger scale than any of the recruitments in the past. It isn’t a surprise that many people from Fjords have joined his team since there are many outstanding captains in Crescent Moon Bay.” Gammon said with a smile, “The news regarding the magical steel ship also came from Thunder. He must take some hard measures to dispel the concerns of others about an in-depth exploration of the ocean to the west of Shadow Islands.”
“How many people know about this?”
“Not many, Your Majesty. The captain would not have revealed anything to us if he didn’t receive a great help from Crescent Moon Chamber of Commerce earlier. After all, Sir Thunder is a lot more highly respected than us businessmen.”
“I see,” Roland nodded, “however, I can’t meet your demand since we cannot build a second ship in a short time as this kind of ship is extremely hard to build.”
“We understand, Your Majesty,” Marleen said, “We’re just hoping that you can sell the second steel ship to us after you complete the transaction with Sir Thunder. Crescent Moon Bay Chamber of Commerce is willing to pay 10% deposit up front and we’ll pay 40% of the remaining once the project starts.”
“They have already started to talk about the deposit before they even know the price.” Roland once again realized the Fjords people’s adventurous spirit. Perhaps they smelled the great potential of the ship much faster than any ruler of the Four Kingdoms. At least, he had never seen any great nobles who would pay a high price for something he had never seen before.
“The city of Neverwinter also needs more than one steel ship, so it’ll be two or three years later by the time the shipyard has time to build you one.” Roland slowly said, “Have you not considered to send your craftsmen to participate in the construction and sign a new ten-year or five-year contract? That might speed up the construction process, and you can also learn the relevant techniques.”
“You’re kidding me,” Gammon felt a little embarrassed and said, “We absolutely don’t mean to covet it. We won’t dare to ask for such techniques. With a steel ship like this, you can definitely become the most popular partner in the Fjord Islands, provided that it’s really like what Sir Thunder described.”
“I’m not kidding.” Roland took a sip of the drink and shrugged.
“…” It was their turn to be shocked this time.
After a moment, Gammon said in disbelief, “You mean… you’re willing to disclose the technologies to the Crescent Moon Bay Chamber of Commerce?”
“As long as you can provide enough craftsmen as I need not only blacksmiths and carpenters but apprentices as well,” Roland replied without hesitation. “I’ll need 2000 of them. You can recruit literate civilians to make up the number if you don’t have that many. You need to provide the laborers within five years. In that case, we’ll start the ship construction next year. Of course, you’ll still bear the expenses incurred on shipbuilding.”
“I really don’t know what you’re thinking, Your Majesty,” Gammon said with a wry smile. “Perhaps it’s not your most valuable technology just yet?”
Roland shook his head and said, “The steel ship I’m building for Thunder is the most cutting-edge technology that the city of Neverwinter has so far.”
He was not making a fool of himself. “So far” was indeed no exaggeration at this point of time… Who knew what would happen five or six years later?
“Then, why are you…” Gammon startled. Then he waved with resignation and said, “No, I’d better not ask. The Crescent Moon Bay is willing to make the deal.”
Why? Since the development of technologies could not be achieved without a foundation, not to mention those of ship construction. Fjords would not have enough manpower to maintain this huge industry, even if they were given mines, machines, and converters. When the first steam engine was introduced, the manufacturing industry could no longer be copied by a pair of skilled hands or a hammer.
Roland could not help but remember the answer of the Black Sea Shipyard director when he was asked about the need of Varyag’s construction, “It needs the central party committee, the State Planning Commission, the military-industrial commission and nine Commissions of Industry for National Defence.” Although steel ships were not so highly demanded, it was also the result of the entire city of Neverwinter’s joint production. Other than the core power parts and hull welding work that Anna was in charge of, the remaining parts had been distributed in batches to the assembly plant and processed by the common people.
It would be an inevitable trend of industrial development.
Therefore, he needed more manpower to achieve his goal rather than protecting the technologies from being stolen. The population of the city of Neverwinter was increasing drastically but it was not fast enough for Roland. However, he did not need to explain this to a businessman. The man would eventually understand five years later.
“What a wise choice! The steel ship will not let you down,” Roland lifted the glass and said, “cheers.”
“Cheers… what?”
“It means drink up the wine in a gulp for celebration,” he calmly explained. “The new etiquette of the king’s city.”
“Well, really? In this case… cheers.” Both of the businessmen from Crescent Moon Bay were forced to drink up the white wine in their glasses.
After a while, Nibelung and Atiyer also returned to the living room and agreed to sign the contract.
As a result, the City of Neverwinter received the biggest order they ever had. It included a renovation deposit of 4,000 gold royals (the remaining 4,000 gold royals would be paid upon the completion of the construction), and a prepayment of 5,000 gold royals for the construction, both of which would be received by the end of the year. There would also be a total price set out according to the subsequent construction progress. He could already imagine Barov’s grinning face. Once City Hall had such great revenues, they would be financially more capable of arranging a job for every citizen.
Nibelung changed the topic after they had reached an agreement of the business, “Your Majesty, we also heard that there are a lot of perfumes for sale here other than the ships, I wonder…”
“Miss Margaret had signed a contract with me six months ago. She’ll be my sales representative and will be responsible for the sale of perfumes in the Fjord Islands after we open the Shallow Beach port. So, you should talk to her instead if you want to buy perfumes.”
Roland added after seeing his regretful expression, “However, the city of Neverwinter is also preparing to promote a brand new merchandise. Perhaps you will be interested.”
At these words, he clapped his hands, and the guard who was on-duty outside the hall quickly came in with three glass bottles.
The bizarre color of the clear liquid in the bottles immediately caught the businessmen’s attention.
Chapter 680: The Joint Chamber of Commerce
What’s it? A new fruit wine?” Margaret curiously asked.
“If it’s just a fruit wine, it won’t be as easily sold as the perfumes,” Nibelung shook his head and said.
“That may not be the case,” Gammon said while looking at the glass bottle with interest, “Not to mention the contents of the bottle, simply the unique container is worth several gold royals.”
“Is this a new product of Alchemist Workshop of the king’s city?” Marleen added, “I’ve never seen such a big crystal glass bottle before.”
“The appearance isn’t important, and the key lies within the product itself.” Roland did not know whether to laugh or cry for a moment as he did not expect these businessmen to be interested in the glass bottles first. The total cost of the colorless glass vessels was low as all it needed was to master the formula. However, he did not sell only the glass vessels as all the glasses produced in the city of Neverwinter was to supply for the chemical laboratory, perfume plant, and beverage plant.
“It’s called Chaos Drinks as it’s chaotic and unpredictable just like the name. Each of them is a unique treat.” He cleared his throat and pretended to be mysterious. “I bet you’ve never tasted the same taste. You may try it if you don’t believe it.”
All three bottles of drinks were carefully selected by Roland from Evelyn’s beverages warehouse. They not only had their own characteristics, but two of the bottles had also been specially processed. One of the bottles was iced, which was freezing cold and pleasantly cooling. The other bottle was added with dry ice, which could be described as the world’s first carbonate beverages.
All the five merchants looked astonishing after taking a sip of it as Roland expected.
“How exactly was it brewed?” Atiyer smacked his lips. “Those fruit wine has an indescribable taste as compared to the others.”
“Looking at this cup of green apple juice, it’s still gushing air… Oh God, is it breathing?”
“Apple? Even honey isn’t so sweet!”
The businessmen were each expressing their views while the toasting did not stop. They were continuously drinking until the three bottles were empty.
“Lap…” Gammon licked his lips as if he could not get enough of it. “Your Majesty, your… Chaos Drinks… are fantastic!”
“Do you think it’ll have a market if it was sold as a merchandise?”
“Of course!” The businessman from Crescent Moon Bay said without thinking, “There may be a slight difference in the popularity of the three drinks, considering the difference of personal tastes, but they definitely are all rare wines! I bet no one will be interested in the top-grade fruit wine from the Kingdom of Dawn anymore after tasting these wines.”
“You’re pretty honest.” Roland could not help but smile. Most businessmen would pick the flaws to keep their prices down if they wanted to buy the goods. Such straightforward praise was very rare.
“I don’t dare to deceive Your Majesty, and I don’t want to lie to my tongue,” Gammon paused for a moment and said, “but I don’t quite understand one thing.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Why would you give it such a weird name?” He picked up the iced empty bottle which had a thin hoar on it. “For example, this… can be called ‘deep-sea icing’. I can assure you that it’ll appear on every banquet in the summer.”
“I think that bottle of numbing, green-colored drink can be called ‘roe manna’. The feeling of numerous fish eggs hatching on the tongue is really memorable,” Marleen added.
“I think so, too.” Margaret laughed. “Although the word ‘chaos’ sounds very novel, it can’t highlight their distinct characteristics. It’ll sell better if you name it separately.”
Roland pretended to be regretful and said, “Unfortunately, these drinks are a unique enjoyment. In fact, these three bottles are the last stock.”
“Do you mean… they’re no longer brewed?”
“Yes, I can’t tell you the process of brewing chaotic drinks. However, the end result is always changing and their only common point is that they’re all very tasty. That’s why I named it ‘Chaos’ and the quantity reduced with every mouth taken.”
The crowd took a deep breath at the same time and everyone showed an unbelievable look. The scarcity was valuable and these items had an excellent quality of uniqueness… It could definitely bring the Fjords… and even the four kingdoms a trend.
Gammon was the first to speak. “Your Majesty, please let me be your agent for this. The Crescent Moon Bay fleet is spread across the coast of the four kingdoms and only we can bring you the most generous returns.”
“Crescent Moon Bay’s maritime trading center has always been in the Kingdom of Dawn, when was the Everwinter trade route expanded?” The representative of Shallow Water Town Chamber of Commerce interrupted.
Atiyer quickly added, “The merchant ships that head to the Kingdom of Wolfheart and the Kingdom of Everwinter are mostly from Sunset Island. You’re deceiving His Majesty.”
Roland stretched his arms out and interrupted the arguments of the three. “In this case, let’s set up a Joint Chamber of Commerce.”
“Joint… Chamber of Commerce?”
“Yes, participants need to sit down and negotiate the area they’re responsible for, and the city of Neverwinter is solely responsible for delivering the goods in order to avoid malicious competition to bring down the price.” He described the concept of regional agency as clearly as possible. “You can plan for the division according to your own strength as all of you have a long-established business and your own familiar selling towns. In this case, you can quickly sell the goods and won’t have to compete with the peers. The final income of sales will be divided according to the proportion of the contract. As a result, everyone involves will be protected.”
The businessmen quickly understood the simple principle. “Sounds good, but how to determine the specific area and division ratio? The beverages sent to the Kingdom of Everwinter and the beverages sold in the Fjords would have a huge costs difference.”
“The cost of transportation is definitely something to consider, and there are also manpower costs, selling prices, product output, etc. In general, agents with the highest costs will receive an extra credit due to the limited supply. The details of the provisions will definitely need to be gradually discussed to all parties’ satisfaction.”
It looked like it was decreasing the total income at the first glance. However, without malign competition, their profits would be much higher with the strengths of the three chambers of commerce.
A lot of the products from the city of Neverwinter had so far only been consumed internally by the Convenience Market due to the lack of sales channels. The businessmen from the Fjords who built their fortunes by selling merchandises were the best channels for Roland. It was undoubtedly the most economical way for him to provide them the merchandises to be sold to every corner of the mainland in the future.
“I’m willing to join.” Margaret was the first to show her support.
The others also wanted to give it a try after seeing her declaration.
Roland smiled and said, “Rest assured, cooperating is always more powerful than standing alone. This will be a win-win situation for everyone as long as we work together.”
Chapter 681: The Preparation of Sleeping Island
p>Sleeping Island in the Fjords.
As the winter approached, the sea breeze swept through as the island became colder. Tilly could hear the sharp howling when the cold wind blew through the gap even with the window closed.
Not many people would stroll outside the house at this time. However, there were always celebrations in the square of Sleeping Island with a grand bonfire that lasted for several days and pots of boiling hot fish soups. The witches had transformed the square into a lovely paradise with their abilities.
Tilly also wanted to join the carnival and share the joy of the church’s defeat, if only she did not have so many things to deal with.
The witches’ life had changed radically since she brought the news back. It was not the change of their living conditions but they had become mentally different. Everyone seemed to have their burdens lifted off their shoulders with more vivid eyes while they had clearly looked and spoke more freely and comfortably.
They finally did not have to live in fear and worry anymore. The stress that had been pressing on them had finally broken down and the densely-gathered clouds disappeared. Their enthusiasms could not be dispersed even by the howling cold wind.
“This is probably the ‘liberation’ Roland mentioned,” Tilly thought.
This was when Camilla Dary, the Chief Butler of Sleeping Island came into the house after knocking.
“Your Highness, I’ve completed the preliminary statistic for the witches who’re willing to go to the Western Region,” she said while sitting crossed-legged opposite of Tilly and she put a list down on the low table, “and almost half of them have signed up to help the Western Region.”
“Really? It’s better than I expected. You’ve done a good job.” Tilly smiled and nodded while picking up the list to take a detailed look.
Regarding the relocation to the Western Region, Princess Tilly had told the witches that they could go to support the construction of the city of Neverwinter in order to withstand a greater catastrophe, which was the Battle of Divine Will.
In order to make sure everyone voluntarily made their choices, Tilly did not hide the facts about the witches’ empires, the Union, and the demon. She had told everyone that the church was only part of the Union and that the real enemy of the human beings was the demons instead. They had no mercy or pity, so helping the Western Region was also helping themselves. Of course, she also made it clear that they could live a peaceful life on the island, if they did not want to leave.
She had initially thought that many sisters would decide to stay on Sleeping Island as they might be intimidated by the new enemies or they had become fed up of dealing with the common people or they had doubt about the uncertain future. However, the statistical results showed that nearly half of them had decided to help. The demons that they had never seen were far less scary than the church and the witches’ wish for the broader outside-world had not extinguished.
“They’re interested in Prince Roland who defeated the pope and wanted to see how the lord who eradicated the witches’ enemy looks like.” Camilla helplessly sighed. “And, most importantly, your elder brother also gained a lot of extra points for himself with this identity and they had transferred the same trust they have in you to him.”
“You seem worried.”
“Of course, he’s a noble and a common person after all. He’s fundamentally different from us… And, to be honest, blood sometimes can be a hurdle to the benefit.” The chief butler frowned and said, “Your Highness, I’m neither questioning your decision nor saying that your brother is a hypocrite, but what if… I mean what if what he seeks is in contrary to the interests of the witches, and kill us like the other nobles?”
“I understand your concern, this decision was made after my repeated consideration.” Tilly put down the list and held Camilla’s hand. “The witches may be different from the common people but we all have the common goal under the threat of Battle of Divine Will which is to stay alive. Why don’t we take this opportunity to integrate into the world while forming an integral community of interests with the common people rather than completely dodging it? As our abilities go deeper into all sectors, Roland can’t leave the witch’s power even if he regrets and wants to cancel the agreement with Sleeping Island.”
“However… will he let go of his control on us?”
“Based on what happened in the past six months, Roland did not seem to impose any additional restrictions on the witches. Otherwise, the Witch Union in the Western Region would not be supporting him without holding back.” Tilly smiled. “And, I believe in my instincts more than these general principles.”
“Instinct?”
“Yeah… I don’t think he’ll do that,” she slowly said while tapping the table.
Camilla hesitated and finally laughed as if she was surrendering. “Thinking about it now, your instincts are never wrong since I knew you.”
“It’ll be the same this time.” Tilly smiled.
“I understand, Your Highness. I’ll finish the preparatory work for the witches’ relocation as soon as possible,” the chief butler said with a hand covering her chest.
“Thank you.”
Princess Tilly was clear that Camilla who was born as a noble had lost her confidence to the nobility as she had seen them stop at nothing to get powers and interests. However, she did not know that Tilly could feel that Roland was obviously not simply a traditional noble through her deeper contact developed with Roland. Roland treated everyone differently, not only the witches as compared to the nobility. She called him “brother”, not because of the relationship between her and the previous Prince Roland, but she simply liked this kind of barrier-free and unbiased relationship.
When she talked to Roland, she could always feel relaxed and comfortable which she had not felt for a long time. She believed that the other witches also felt the same.
“Oh yeah, I recently heard some bad rumors.” Camilla changed the subject.
“What’s the rumor?”
“It’s about the news you brought back. Some of them think that they should also imitate the Union and create an organization with witches as the superiors to regain the glory of their ancestors since the witches had once created a huge empire that rules all the common people.”
“The source?” Tilly lifted her eyebrows and said, “Is it the witches from the Bloodfang Association?”
“No… they believe in loyalty to the strong. The Western Region could defeat the seemingly invincible enemies, and Iffy, Softfeathers, and Nightfall further confirmed them in this belief. The combat witches were the first to register to go to the city of Neverwinter.” Camilla shook her head. “I’ve surveyed and the source should be some other witch organization.”
The witches in Sleeping Island were a large aggregation which was similar to the Witch Cooperation Association in Seawindshire. There were a few scattered groups other than the Bloodfang Association. These groups were generally built to evade the church’s arrests and to help each other before Tilly’s appeal. However, they did not have the power of Bloodfang Association and they had rarely gossiped about her policies.
“I understand.” She nodded.
“Do we need to talk to their leader?”
“No, let them be,” Tilly said, “and they’ll naturally understand that the Union has become history when they reach the Western Region. And, a completely new path is waiting for us.”
Chapter 682: A Never Lonely Road
p>After Camilla Dary left, Ashes stepped out of the study.
She sat on her knees on the rug, hands stretching out to Tilly, and said, “come here.”
“I’m fine…”
“Don’t pretend to be okay. There are no other people.” Ashes interrupted her.
Tilly twitched her lips and finally moved her body. She thrust herself into Ashes’ chest, back facing her.
Hearing the strong heartbeats of Ashes coming through her clothes like rhythmical drumbeats, Tilly felt calm and reassured.
“Thank you,” Tilly said softly.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. If we make a wrong decision, the worst scenario is that we go back to the Sleeping Island.” Ashes gently smiled and said, “If you leave, I’m sure Roland Wimbledon won’t stop you, for you have all the witches in the Witch Union backing you up.” She paused for a while and continued, “besides, you don’t need to speak so resolutely. In this way, you don’t need to suffer such great pressure now.”
Princess Tilly shook her head and said, “I must be convinced before persuading the other witches to trust me. If I’m somehow hesitant and confused, the decision will go nowhere.”
Though she appeared to be very confident in the decision, she was still a little concerned. She was not worried about Roland. In fact, he had expressed his attitude when he had agreed to continue to use the Sleeping Spell to manage the immigrated witches. She was only concerned about two things. After living an exclusive life for nearly two years, could those 300 some witches smoothly fit in Neverwinter? When the Battle of Divine Will was over, would common people change their views about witches?
These were unknown risks and also the problems Tilly had to think about. In the eyes of the other witches, she looked very confident and spunky, but only several witches understood her concerns. After all, from now on, she had to bear responsibilities for over 300 witches, not just for herself. It could be said that all the witches on Sleeping Island felt more relaxed after the church was defeated, except her, for her responsibilities were even greater.
“Just do what you’ve thought.” Ashes embraced her from her back. “The immigration won’t start until the end of the next Months of Demons. If you still feel worried, you can spend the remaining months conducting a thorough investigation.”
“Is the Charming Beauty ready to sail?”
“Anytime.”
“Don’t forget your textbooks and exercise book. You can learn some new knowledge on the way.”
“Uhm…If I read books in the cabin, I’ll be seasick.”
“If you want to protect me, you have to become stronger than this. For example, you can try to be a legendary Transcendent… How can you be stronger without studying?”
Ashes mumbled agitatedly, “OK, ok, I got it.”
“Don’t worry. If there is something that you can’t understand, you can ask me at any time. You should know that I have nothing to do on the ship.”
“Yes, yes, yes. As you wish, Your Highness.”
“Fortunately, I am not alone anymore.” Tilly thought.
No matter what will happen to them afterward, someone would always accompany me.
“Yeah,” Tilly replied her. She closed eyes and felt the warmth coming from her back. It felt like her heavy responsibilities were greatly reduced.
The wind was still chilling outside the windows while the inside was warm like in spring.
*
To establish a Joint Chamber of Commerce was a complicated matter, for each treaty needed repeated amendments. Roland left it to Barov and Edith and then turned his attention to the winter operation plan.
Undoubtfully, Months of Demons of this year came much later than that of last year. Today was the last day of late fall, but there were no signs of snow, except for a grey sky outside the windows.
It was good news to Neverwinter. The later the Months of Demons came, the more residential buildings would be built by the construction team.
Based on the reports of City Hall, the Western Region was richer in all materials this year than past years, especially in grain. The Stronghold Area had yielded ten times higher grain than the average amount of the past years. Luckily, Petrov had built grain storages in time and half of the wheat was sent to the Border Area, as the stronghold could not house such a large amount of grain.
With enough grain, he felt more secured to do anything.
Besides, there was enough ammunition. After Anna had improved the new generation machine tool and processing machinery, they were first used to process and load bullets, so the productivity had enhanced a lot. At the same time, the shortage of bullets after the battle with the church was pretty much filled.
Due to the fact that he had enough grain and weapons, Roland could not help thinking of other plans.
The First Army took priorities to prevent demonic beasts and guard Neverwinter, but it seemed a waste to have thousands of soldiers all in the city. After all, most of demonic beasts would attack the big breach of Hermes while only a small part of separated beasts would attack one side of Misty Forest. Additionally, the firepower capability of the First Army was more than ten times stronger than that of last year. In such a case, some common demonic beasts could not even approach the city wall.
Besides, why he was eager to make other plans was that there were no rivals on the whole continent against the First Army, not even demonic beasts. When fighting against Duke Ryan, he had had to spare no efforts and used all guns and cannons. But now, he just needed to dispatch a team of 500 soldiers, and they could defeat all knightage who dared to directly confront them.
So when an army defended the city wall, he could also dispatch another unit to open a second battlefield. Was it possible to be a way of reducing the burden of next year’s expedition?
Roland found it not a tricky question. As before when Months of Demons came, endless heavy snow completely blocked the entire Western Region. However, since Neverwinter had dozens of cement carriers, land transportation was no longer a problem. Further, the First Army could also utilize Redwater River to transport soldiers and materials to their destination.
As long as he made a good plan, Neverwinter could be totally capable of winning two battles at the same time. “Ah, it sounds somehow like a monopoly.”
After receiving Hill’s letter, Roland ordered the Nothern Region to be ready for a war. That was not a bluff. If the King of Dawn, Appen Moya, indeed neglected his warnings and arrested the messenger’s party, he would have to change his plans and take the priority to force Appen to free them. However, a cross-border war required a considerable logistic support. If there were fewer soldiers, they could not continue fighting. Plus, Hermes Plateau which was guarded by the church would fall apart at any time. Therefore, it was not an appropriate time to declare a war to a neighboring country at this moment.
But luckily, the delegation arrived safe and sound, so he could target a place closer to the Western Region.
“Your Majesty, did you request to see me?”
As the door of the office was open, Iron Axe strode in.
“Are you interested in returning to your hometown in winter? If you go back now, it won’t be so hot there yet.” Roland spread out a very roughly-drawn map of the Graycastle and pointed to the bulging corner in the south. He smiled and asked, “I remember that both you and Echo come from the land of the desert?”
He wanted to conquer the Southernmost Region in winter, the habitat for Mojin Clan.