Extraordinary Voyage-Chapter 730 - 628: Arms Smuggling and Old Acquaintances
"Well then, my lords, happy cooperation! I shall take my leave now."
"Mr. Diego, happy cooperation, farewell."
Watching the seemingly ordinary but very shrewd mysterious guest and his extraordinary retinue being personally escorted out of the Orange Leaf Castle's parlor by the Marquis, Aiven slowly sank into contemplation.
Today was indeed a coincidence; early in the morning, he finalized a construction plan for a railway project with his father-in-law.
Currently, the New Continent is rich in natural resources, and everything is cheap.
Pine trees, used as rail sleepers, are endless on this continent, and century-old trees can be found everywhere. Moreover, after "Vulcan Metals Company" received the Kingdom's military procurement order, they began to continuously expand their scale, the production capacity increased continuously, and low-end rails designed for a speed of 60 km/h didn't cost much.
Furthermore, in the vast and sparsely populated territory, all the land belonged to him, with no need for land requisition. Occasionally, wooden attachments on the surface were also cheap.
The only shortage was manpower, using a few Anuma slaves to handle transportation work was still feasible, but if they were to directly participate in railway construction, Aiven wouldn't dare to ride on the steam locomotive running on that railway.
Additionally.
Holding in his hand sixty million Golden Lions worth of spoils, it was already enough for him to either establish from scratch or complete acquisitions of various major livelihood industries within the territories of Far Sails, Georgia, and Buffalo, laying a good foundation for the economic order within the territories.
Then, he could confidently proceed with attracting investment, welcoming investors from all sides to come in with their gold tickets.
However, the recently departed Mr. Diego, although indeed a very influential big merchant, did not come here to invest because he saw the potential in his own territory's development.
He was actually a smuggler from the Sea Hegemon Hilus Empire, a long-term partner of Marquis Duke, and also a major client of the Mercury United Trading Company.
His contribution alone accounted for nearly thirty percent of the trading company's total sales.
However, when talking about business, businessmen are always motivated by profit.
Hilus merchants, represented by Diego, had no qualms about reselling large quantities of cheap goods from foreign industrial countries, mercilessly destroying their own pitifully small low-end handicraft industry, while also fattening their own pockets.
Although the financial situation of Hilus has indeed been poor in recent years, the nobility has been living in luxury for nearly a century, and even though society is severely divided, it does not prevent the upper class from indulging in decadence and debauchery.
A high-ranking official from the Hilus Empire's trade department even publicly declared:
"Let the Tulip be content in producing wool fibers, let Atlant be content in producing drapery, let the New Continent be content in producing beaver skins, dyes, and sugarcane, let the Peacock Islands be content in producing silk and ceramics.
The only thing that can be proven is that all industrial countries are training skilled workers for St. Cruz, and St. Cruz is the emperor of all countries, the entire world serves him, and he does not need to serve anyone!"
This time is no different; this Mercury partner received a new order.
If it were ordinary goods, he wouldn't need to come personally, but because this order required extraordinary weapons to deal with the "Spirit Tide"!
And the order's origin is the New Hilus Vice-Kingdom's Army Headquarters.
Small-time smugglers might survive on mere courage, living hand to mouth.
But the big-time smugglers who can stand the test of time have connections everywhere, and this Mr. Diego, who very likely has some connection with the Imperial Army, clearly belongs to the latter group.
What he wanted were items like the Holy Salt Bombs, Sword Oil, and coral steel weapons that were being mass deployed in Phaletis and the entire Tulip Alliance Colony...
Even though they, as the world's foremost military power, could produce similar items effectively, whether through the "Tinder Sect" or the "Curse School," they still had to consider the cost of large-scale long-term use.
Aiven's mass-produced weapons were definitely not the most effective, but they were likely the most cost-effective across the New Continent. Plus, shipping costs were low, just needing to travel up the Balboa Isthmus to the West Coast.
Ultimately, Aiven... agreed to this arms smuggling aimed at enemy countries.
Hilus's governance order in the New Continent would collapse, but it shouldn't be now, nor should it be due to the rampaging "ghosts."
In such circumstances where the Spirit Tide is continuously erupting, vacant lands yield no value to anyone. It is better to let Hilus occupy those lands, while he continually siphons blood through smuggling trade. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
Just like when Hilus first robbed the organized Azik and Kuma Empires, not the scattered hunting tribes.
Besides.
Apart from inciting internal regional conflicts and antagonism within Hilus through the ultimate "Dismemberment Plan," whether it be the "Blood Loss Plan" led by privateer fleets or the "Trade War" led by smugglers, the "Overlord Disqualification Plan" was steadily progressing all the time.
Of course, Aiven also wouldn't turn down money; arms smuggling has always been one of the most profitable trades, and he wouldn't have to worry about these spirit-only targeted weapons backfiring against him.
When trading with the Kingdom, ethical considerations come into play, but when trading with Hilus, there's no need to shortchange himself.
Olivia, who had been quietly listening nearby, gently sat beside Aiven, refilling his tea:
"It seems that Hilus is indeed under pressure. At the end of last year, they abandoned a large mining area, retreated a thousand kilometers in madness, and the vacuum area in between has already been occupied by some Natural Spirits and Atrean people.
These are the most fertile lands across the New Continent; should we intervene?"
Aiven pinched the bridge of his nose, pondering for a moment, and finally shook his head:
"Although everything is looking good for the territory at the moment, we shouldn't take steps that are too large. Even if we have some spare energy right now, the inland areas are still too dangerous for production and construction, with the distance and defense costs being overly high.
Moreover, the resources of the central and western regions are not urgently needed by us at the moment. Let's secure the basic foundation first; two birds in the bush are not as good as one bird in the hand."
In the extraordinary path, one must learn to restrain; territory management is the same.
...
Time flies swiftly.
With the arrival of spring in the Sea Origin Calendar 188, the navigable season for the Black Sea has also arrived as expected.
Whoosh—
A vast fleet, mostly hoisting the Phaletis flag totaling forty-three ships, is leaving the Tessaga Ocean Current, winding its way from north to south.
On the deck of the Level 4 Battleship serving as the flagship of the escort fleet.
A young man in a colonel's uniform and a burly knight clad in heavy armor are leaning against the rail, chatting familiarly.
"...The ready model in Ilya is already there, I've heard the 'Black Wing Order' has begun to instigate everywhere, most kingdoms on the continent have their own Titled Knights, but those smaller duchies and marquisates don't."
"That's right, this is also the issue the Church is considering."
"Knight Ambrose, have those Constitutional Assembly members sent to the Tulip Duchy already been sentenced?"
"Well, although the official verdict is yet to come down, it's said Speaker Jerome will be sentenced to beheading, while the others will probably be sentenced to hanging. Frankly, apart from being slightly more dignified, there's no real difference.
After all, they have wiped out the entire noble class of Ilya, and if they were allowed to live, the kings within the Alliance could never agree."
Although that rebellion battle has already passed several months ago, their statuses—Iron Wall Knight under the Church and Wizard under the 'Violet Eye'—have led them to be quite concerned with this matter.
This has been a perpetual topic among the upper echelons of the kingdom over the past months.
"Anthony."
A beautiful noblewoman around twenty-five or six, dressed in a watery green gown with her long hair pinned up, indicating she is married, steps onto the deck and softly calls his name.
Turning to see his beautiful newlywed wife, the young officer with short hair smiles warmly:
"Delis."
If Aiven were here, he would definitely recognize these people as his long-missed acquaintances.
Having executed several missions together, while having no personal relationship, he highly respects the knightly character of the Church's Iron Wall Knight Captain Ambrose.
Besides the newly promoted Tier 3 Great Knight 'Iron Wall Knight' Ambrose, this ship also has a knight squad under him composed of twelve Official Knights.
The Church's mission statement is: Given the constantly deteriorating living conditions in the New Continent, the devout lambs of the Goddess need stronger protection, thus the colony's strength is enhanced.
As for whether the real situation is truly as such, no one knows...
The other two are Anthony and Delis, the first friends Aiven made after joining the 'Violet Eye,' although they lack Alva.
Suddenly.
The lookout on the main mast shouts:
"Look quickly, there's Montauk Lighthouse of Long Island, we've arrived at the New Continent."
At this moment, distant waves have revealed a line of black land ahead, where a tall lighthouse stands at the pinnacle of the peninsula.
Seeing that place, many people in the recently Black Sea-crossing ocean fleet shout with excitement.
"We finally made it!"
"New Continent, here I come! Oh!"
"..."
Especially the hundreds of Ilya refugees spread across several merchant ships in the fleet, thinking of the arduous journey from their homeland to here, they couldn't help but be overwhelmed with emotion.
"Gold, silver, land, this is our future home."
The Montauk Lighthouse at Long Island's easternmost tip is also called the 'Morning Star Lighthouse,' established since the days of Buffalo, it has decades of history.
This lighthouse is the guiding light for all dream seekers immigrating to the New Continent; seeing this lighthouse means they are about to reach the New Continent and begin their dreamed 'wonderful' new life!
