Chapter 195: The Southern Continent
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 195: The Southern Continent
According to Duke Signir and the Pope, who attended the coronation, the subjects of the Northern Continent don't know who their ruler is.
The problem was that I had to rush back because Bronx II tried to take advantage of my absence.
“So that's why they said I need to hold a coronation on the Northern Continent as well…”
“If I had wrapped things up properly before returning, I wouldn't have needed to go back, but since that's not the case, I have no choice but to do the work twice.”
In an era without proper means of communication, the only way to let people know who their ruler is is to show them your face in person.
There's a reason so many kings tour their continents while conducting their duties.
“Cynthia and Isabel must be happy.”
Cynthia and Isabel were set to accompany me on this trip to the Northern Continent.
After all, the two of them will have to manage the Northern Continent in the future, so they also need to be known to the subjects as my wives.
Cynthia, in particular, had no foundation other than her image as a Saintess, so she had much to prepare for. I had a plan for her.
“Should I go with you?”
Aenya thought for a moment before shaking her head.
“No, I can't. If I go, there'll be no one to hold down the fort. Eleanor is too kind, and Eusebia and Piole aren't interested. Adeleade is competent enough… but she's still not cunning enough to weave conspiracies.”
I needed someone to manage and supervise the Southern Continent's nobles we'd made deals with, and I couldn't think of anyone more suitable than Aenya.
The cunning Aenya, who in a future that would now never come to pass had been clever enough to throw the world into chaos with her beauty, would surely fill my absence well.
“Thank you. It's because of you that I can leave without worry.”
“Hmph. Just with words?”
Aenya, sitting on my lap, lifted her head. I kissed her forehead and then her lips.
“I'll give you the rest tonight.”
Aenya's face turned bright red, just as it had the first time we were together.
“I-I like being alone with you.”
I had six official wives. If you included Jin and Mari, there weren't even enough days in the week.
So, sometimes I would call two or more of them to my bed at once.
None of my wives were uncomfortable with it, as they'd had prior experience, but it seemed they couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
“How naughty.”
Aenya pouted and glared at me.
“So, what's your answer?”
“Alright, alright. Tonight, I'll devote myself to you.”
“Hmph. Of course you should.”
Pushing off my lap, Aenya swayed her hips and hummed a little tune.
As she was about to leave the audience chamber, she paused and whipped her head back toward me.
“By the way, you're not just going to entrust the work to the Southern Continent's nobles and wait, are you?”
“Of course not. They might try some counter-espionage.”
“Then… spies?”
I nodded. Just as Aenya said, I planned to send spies to double-check.
“That won't be easy, will it? We don't have the personnel to send as spies, do we?”
To act as a spy, one had to be well-versed in the culture of the region they were infiltrating.
The problem was that this was an era where over 95% of the population lived and died in the land of their birth. The culture of another continent would be all the more foreign.
In other words, training spies to the level I required would take an enormous amount of time and resources.
“I plan to hire spies who are already established.”
Seeing Aenya tilt her head in confusion, I curled my lips into a smile.
@
Boatman was a rather famous merchant in the northern part of the Southern Continent. He was so good at making money that nobles competed to sponsor him.
Of course, it was a sponsorship intended to share in the profits.
Knowing this, Boatman didn't refuse. Instead, he used his patrons as backing to increase the number of sailing ships he operated.
“Money makes money. With more capital, you can seize more opportunities.”
Thanks to his influential patrons, Boatman was able to obtain information that an ordinary merchant could not.
One such piece of information was that the exchange between Count Montina, who owned a port city in the north, and Duke Baeneng of the Western Continent had suddenly become very active.
The relationship had progressed abruptly, without any clear cause and effect.
Boatman took note of the fact that both nobles owned port cities. That was why he had increased his number of sailing ships as soon as he received the sponsorships.
That choice paid off in gold and silver. The two nobles had cut their tariffs to half of what other regions charged.
It was an uncharacteristic move for nobles, who usually only schemed for ways to collect more taxes.
“The nobles must have developed an eye for the market. What's the point of setting high tariffs? It's meaningless if the merchants who are supposed to pay them don't show up.”
A smug Boatman said.
However, his long-time second-in-command, Ferran, couldn't hide his worried expression.
“Still, doubling your fleet by taking on such massive debt is too risky a choice.”
Riding the momentum, Boatman took on even more debt from his patrons to further increase his fleet.
If he failed to repay the debt on time, his patrons would burn him at the stake.
“If I miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I'll never become a noble.”
Ferran's eyes widened.
“A noble?”
“It seems the rumors about King Theomayer selling titles are true. If I can just earn two or three times what I have now, I can buy a knighthood. No, what am I saying? At this rate, even a barony is within reach.”
Through his close association with nobles, Boatman had come to a realization: no amount of money mattered in the face of power.
The moment he understood that, the memory of himself struggling so desperately to make money flashed in his mind, and a sense of futility washed over him.
The shock was so great that he had genuinely considered suicide.
The reason he had resumed his business with renewed vigor was that an intense desire had followed: the desire to become a noble himself.
“But you've heard the rumors that the situation on the Western Continent is unstable, haven't you? That Duke Baeneng, the one we bribed, was ousted and there's a new king…”
“Hmph, as if a king doesn't need money! The nobles are all greedy pigs. Once he sees the massive profits from trade, he'll encourage it even more. Of course, we'll have to bribe him all over again.”
That was why Boatman had increased his fleet and expanded his trade operations even after hearing the rumors.
He placed a hand on Ferran's shoulder.
“Ferran, stop with the useless worrying and just work hard. If I become a noble, I won't be able to go on trade expeditions myself, it wouldn't be dignified.”
“You mean…”
“That's right. I might just hand the trading company over to you. Which means you'll have a chance to become a noble, too.”
Ferran was a merchant, too. Soon, his eyes shimmered with the same greed as Boatman's. The two men faced each other and smiled in the same way.
But that smile didn't last long. It was when they docked at the port city in Duke Baeneng's domain.
As Boatman familiarly tried to bribe the port official, he heard news that struck him like a bolt from the blue.
“What? The tariffs are back to what they were before?”
For Boatman, this was terrible news. If the tariffs were as high as they used to be, this expedition, which he had financed with massive debt, would result in a loss.
In that moment, the faces of the patrons he'd borrowed money from flashed through his mind.
The same men who had laughed and smiled with him would, upon hearing he'd taken a loss, draw their swords and demand their money back as if their friendship had never existed.
If he still couldn't repay the debt, he might end up on the gallows. Just moments ago, he had been dreaming of becoming a noble; now, he had to contemplate death.
The port official scowled.
“You must not have heard me correctly. The tariffs are even higher than before.”
“You're insane-! How can this be? This trade benefits both sides, so why the sudden change!”
“There's no use getting angry at me. This is a venerable Imperial edict.”
Boatman froze as if doused with ice water. The force behind this absurd act was an Imperial edict? No, not a royal edict, an Imperial one?
“An Imperial edict, you say?”
The port official's thin, thread-like eyes scanned Boatman up and down. A smirk soon appeared on his face as he looked down on him arrogantly.
“Tsk, tsk. A merchant can't afford to be so behind on the news. Even if you're from a different continent. Anyway, out of consideration for our past dealings, I'll tell you. This is an order from His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, the ruler of the three continents and the first sword of the Church.”
“The Emperor, you say…?”
Boatman, who amidst his shock had been thinking of bribing his way out, was flustered.
The ruler of three continents? That wasn't someone a mere merchant's bribe could sway!
“It seems merchants from the Southern Continent like you have gotten on his bad side. After all, you're the ones who've been filling Duke Baeneng's coffers all this time.”
“This is unfair! We were only offering a small token of our sincerity, just as we do when passing through any other territory…! We had no direct involvement!”
“I told you, it's no use telling me. Even a low-level official like me who worked under Duke Baeneng is in the same boat, forced to walk on eggshells.”
Boatman tried to contact the influential figures in the duchy with whom he had built connections through trade, but they couldn't give him a clear answer either.
“You'll get a similar answer wherever you go. Everyone has to be mindful of the Emperor who just established a great empire. Still, these measures won't last forever, so I suggest you wait patiently.”
Even after handing over a heavy purse, this was the only answer he could get. Boatman could no longer hold back and unleashed the frustration boiling inside him.
“Patience!? Patience!? Damn it! The cargo on my ships is wine! It was prepared to age perfectly during the voyage, and if it's not put in a cellar right now, it'll be ruined!”
That's why he couldn't turn back. The journey to the Southern Continent took two weeks. In other words, he had to sell it on the Western Continent, one way or another.
And as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would be bankrupt. No, he would be a dead man.
“Hey, you! Why the hell are you yelling at me! Ah, what rotten luck!”
Slam.
“Hey, wait! Wait!!”
Boatman pounded on the door with his pot-lid-sized fists, but once closed, it showed no sign of opening. He soon slumped down on the threshold.
“Damn it. What am I going to do…?”
After pondering for a long time, he went back to the port official. Forcing a heavy sack into his hands, he attempted one last resort.
“I'm not asking for much. Just help me this one time. This is enough money to live the rest of your life in leisure, isn't it? So please…”
The quick-witted port official immediately understood what Boatman wanted. That was why his face flushed red as he pointed a finger at him.
“Are you insane! Are you asking me to take part in smuggling? My god! In this situation? We'd be beheaded as an example! Money is important, but it's only meaningful if you're alive to spend it!”
“Damn it! I'm dead either way, so I have to grasp at straws! If it's not enough money, I'll give you more! So please!”
Boatman faced reality. He had long since given up his ambition of making a fortune and becoming a noble.
Only one hope remained: to avoid a loss, or at least minimize it, and escape death.
The port official recognized this.
“Hmm. It's not that there's no way…”
“I'll give you any amount of money! Any amount!”
“Do you think he is short on money?”
“What do you…”
The knight summoned by the port official dragged Boatman to the imperial palace in the capital.
The audience chamber was filled with dozens of heavily armored guards and knights. Forced to his knees with his head bowed, Boatman swallowed hard.
It was then that a voice came from the throne.
“I hear you're a rather famous merchant from the Southern Continent. That you have access to the merchants' exclusive information network, and even have a foot in noble society?”
Boatman sensed that he had stumbled upon another opportunity that an ordinary person would never encounter in their lifetime. Clearing his throat, he spoke distinctly.
“To sell goods at a high price, one must know what is needed in each region and where one can get the best price. To that end, I have built friendships with various merchants and have not been stingy with my sincerity. While I don't cover the entire continent, my reach extends to the major cities and provinces.”
He continued without pausing for breath.
“It is the same with noble society. The minor and mid-level nobles who hold the real power are my patrons. Without their cooperation, not even a grand lord can get things done as they wish.”
After a brief pause, the man on the throne spoke.
“You're quick-witted.”
The man had realized that Boatman had figured out what he wanted and was promoting his own value.
Boatman bowed his head so low that the tip of his nose touched the ground. A cold sweat trickled down his forehead, gathered at the tip of his nose, and dripped to the floor.
The man continued.
“Very well. I will permit your trade. You will not have to pay tariffs.”
Boatman's eyes widened. But he couldn't be entirely happy. He knew that only one's parents gave benefits without expecting something in return.
“There must be a condition…?”
“What I want is information. You are to report everything about the Southern Continent to me, without leaving out a single detail. Can you do it?”
“A-are you asking me to be a spy?”
“Is there a problem?”
Boatman squeezed his eyes shut. He had no choice in the first place. If he refused, death was unavoidable.
He decided to think positively. With the Emperor, the ruler of three continents, as his backer, wouldn't it be easier to achieve his dream?
Yes. It might even be better to be the first to become the Emperor's ears.
“Of course not. Hehe. No problem at all.”
But Boatman didn't know. He wasn't the only one recruited by Allen. And he wouldn't be the last.
Not a single ocean-faring merchant refused Allen's offer. And even before making the offer, Allen had known this would be the outcome.
‘After material greed is satisfied, the lust for power follows.’
Allen smiled, having created a vast intelligence network on the Southern Continent using the merchants' own desires.