Chapter 294 This is the territory of Prince Colin
Janna continent, Sun Staircase Mountains.
As the last drop of rain fell from the sky, the cloudy sky finally became clear again, and the strong wind that had been howling for seven days finally stopped blowing.
The setting sun shone on the top of the Sun Staircase Mountains, and the large dry and cracked rocks reflected the golden-red light, as if nothing had happened -
But everyone in the Fenghou tribe knew that those crazy days and nights could not be meaningless.
Uyana, the prophet of the Tide Clan, closed her eyes and stood on the edge of the rock wall, twitching her nose and taking a deep breath.
"I smell a wider sea." she said softly.
The cloak behind her was swaying gently in the wind, and her eyelids inlaid with sea blue scales slowly opened, staring at the end of the north.
"Leave quickly if you smell it." Ulga muttered impatiently, grabbing a piece of hard dried rat meat and taking a bite, "We don't have much food here, and we can't feed your entire tribe."
Uyana was not angry, but smiled softly and nodded slightly towards him.
"Thank you for your protection during these seven days. If we can survive this catastrophe safely, the Tide Clan will remember the kindness of the Wind Roar Tribe."
She was about to leave with her tribe, but Ulga suddenly stopped her.
ifier |
"Our dry food is almost finished anyway, so it's time to make up for the shortcomings."
Wuyana's smile deepened, with a little cunning and calmness in her eyes.
"Great."
The thousand-year gap is not so easy to eliminate, but this is still a good start.
In the past, they each endured similar but different sufferings in their respective homes, and tortured each other in the same desperate situation.
And now they have a common history.
This is much more reliable than any contract.
She was about to say something when a sound of breaking wind suddenly passed over her head——
A Windhowler sentry wearing light armor with wings that had not been folded yet landed quickly, knelt heavily between the two of them, and shouted hoarsely:
"Lord Windhead! To the north of Thunder Bluff... We found a ship and a group of unidentified humans! "
"...Thunder Bluff?" The expression on Ulga's face suddenly changed, but he was shocked by another shocking fact in this sentence, and he repeated, "Ship?"
That's a mountain!
The closest place to the sea is at least three hundred miles away.
Not just Ulga, Uyana Cuilin also had an expression of astonishment on her face, looking at the sentry with a strange expression.
It came out, and hit the ridge together with the huge waves that did not reach the top of the mountain and then disappeared, as if it was rolled up by some kind of force..."
He tried to describe the magnificent scene, but it still seemed too pale in front of the power of the gods.
Ulga and Wuyana looked at each other, with a hint of shock and confusion in their eyes.
Wuyana frowned slightly and her voice was a little lower:
"I suggest not to have contact with them for the time being... We know nothing about the outside world, let alone whether those people are friends or foes."
h Although the murals from a thousand years ago are incomplete, there is one thing that all the lizard people remember - that is, they once suffered extremely severe suffering on the ancient continent.
As to how they got there and how they suffered, their ancestors did not tell them.
Now they can only rely on the wisdom of the devil.
Ulga looked at the mountain shadows in the distance with a solemn expression. After a moment, he nodded.
"You, set off immediately, go to Assam City, and report this matter directly to the Demon King!"
"Yes!"
The sentry did not dare to delay for a moment, fluttered his wings and flew towards the plain in the south that was still shrouded in the afterglow.
Wuyana stared at the direction the sentry left and suddenly spoke.
"I remembered a distant legend."
"What?" Ulga looked at her.
"The history of the Tide Clan began with a divine ship that descended from the sky..." Wuyana murmured, "I don't know where fate will take us this time."
This is the seventh day since the Traveler was stranded, and Keidson still has not been able to figure out where he is.
Their ship lay like a corpse on the top of the mountain, nailed to a place where no one should come. Surrounded by an endless stretch of unfamiliar forest, there was neither star navigation nor map guidance, as if the earth itself was silently rejecting them.
There was not much food left on the ship. Bark stew and dried fish soaked in salt water became routine meals.
Hunter gunpowder is almost running out. No matter how beautiful the musket is, it can't scare away the wild beasts, let alone kill the hungry.
What's worse - no one knows they are still alive.
They don’t know what is happening outside.
And what about the tsunami seven days ago.
Kedson sat on the broken railing at the stern of the boat, looking at the eerily silent mountain forest in the distance. This is not the sea, and even the wind doesn't want to stay here. He wanted to write something for his logbook, but the ink was already smeared with wet bubbles.
He knew in his heart that the empire would not come to save them.
The sailor sitting on a wooden pier chopping firewood muttered dejectedly, and chopped the ax head hard, as if he wanted to vent his despair on the firewood.
"This insignificant place is not on the imperial chart at all, and there will be no ships passing by here at all..."
If it were before, Kedelson would definitely scold his subordinates who said such depressing words, and even hang the guy up and whip him a few times, but now he doesn't even have the energy to refute.
At this moment, the sound of rapid footsteps interrupted his thoughts.
"Captain! Captain!" A sailor on guard rushed into the temporary camp excitedly, shouting as if he was crazy, "There are people! They are imperial soldiers! I saw their uniforms!"
Kedson stood up suddenly, and his whole body seemed to be struck by lightning.
Imperial soldiers? !
"What did you say?!"
Not just Kedelson, but all the listless sailors raised their heads, with hope shining in their dead gray pupils.
The sentry sailor restrained his excitement and fully described what he saw.
"They are the soldiers of the Empire! They are coming towards us from the mountain road! A whole team, with muskets!"
He swallowed and continued excitedly.
"We are not living on a deserted island... There is no doubt about it! This is an imperial colony!"
"Holy Saint Sith..." First mate Ewen knelt on the ground in exhaustion, kissing the deck and praying.
He has never been so fond of those guys who can do nothing but collect taxes.
He has to clear their names!
They also do some things!
Before he had time to think too much, Keidson jumped down from the railing and ran up the rocky slope outside the camp, looking at the forest passage like a monkey running into the woods.
Immediately afterwards——
He saw the hope he had been looking forward to for a long time!
In the still morning fog, a group of neat figures were walking through the lush woods and walking along the rugged mountain road towards their location.
They wore the familiar gray-white Imperial Army robes, with faded emblems embroidered on their chests, and carried long-barreled muskets. Their marching formation was extremely standard, as neat as a military parade in the Holy City. Every step was as clean as if it had been cut by a knife, and they could not even feel their breath.
This is very unusual in the colonies.
The more remote the colony, the closer the empire's soldiers are to gangsters. Some are simply exiled prisoners with guns... And these guys are as disciplined as regular troops.
But Keidson couldn't think too much at the moment, he only felt joy.
But before he could turn this excitement into alertness, his eyes were attracted by the leader.
The man was walking at the front of the team, wearing a crimson noble dress, a cloak lined with silver-edged moon patterns, a soft hat with a feather on his head, a silver-headed scepter in his hand, and a shining sword at his waist.
His face was filled with unruffled arrogance, and his steps were confident and flamboyant, just like the owner patrolling the manor - but his eyes were like an eagle standing on the shoulders of a pirate, sharp and cunning, and could not see the dignity and calmness of the aristocrats of the old world.
Kedson knows this kind of person.
Most of them were nobles from the Old World. Because their good life was too boring, and the extraordinary power given to them by Saint Sith had nowhere to vent, they came to the colonies to find hardship. As a result, they were in debt, lost their territory and had no shame to go back. They could only hang out with sailors and prostitutes in taverns all day long... There are such guys in almost every port of the Empire in the New World.
This person is also of that type.
But his luck was obviously much better. He probably found a big rural nobleman from a certain New World as his backer.
Regardless of whether the latter missed the upper-class life in the Holy City, or the life in the New World was too boring and simply needed an amusing clown... In short, the big shot gave him a valuable piece of clothing and a silver scepter that marked the status of a baron, so that he could maintain his previous dignity.
In order to leave a good impression on the other party, Kedelson quickly tidied up his appearance and immediately announced his family name after the person came up.
"Dear noble lord... I am Kedesen, and I belong to the Golden Seagull Chamber of Commerce in the Aussie Empire. We are the property of Count Castiel of the Empire..."
"Dam, stop it!"
「这是怎么回事儿？」
凯德森神色一僵，心虚地小声说道。
"We don't know this is your territory... Please bear with me."
According to the fiefdom law of the empire, all property in the territory belongs to the lord himself and no one may infringe upon it.
·The laws of the colony continued from the empire. Although they were not as strict as those enforced by the empire, they could not stop these people from having guns in their hands, and this nobleman looked like an extraordinary person...even if he was not a very strong one.
"Excuse me?" Teach raised his eyebrows and said domineeringly, "Captain Keldson, in Lower Teach Cosia, has been entrusted by His Royal Highness Prince Roxail Colin to manage Deadwood Port, and to govern the mountains, forests and river bends here."
"This is the territory of Deadwood Port."
"And these trees are all my private property!"
Kedson was stunned and speechless for a long time.
Although he knew that this guy was looking for trouble and was clearly taking advantage of the situation, he still suppressed his anger and swallowed the breath that reached his throat.
After all, it is obviously more terrifying to be living on a deserted island that will never see the light of day than to be robbed.
At least there is order here.
He lowered his head humbly and said nervously.
"I'm sorry, Your Excellency Baron. We...really didn't know that this mountain forest already belongs to you, the esteemed one. We encountered a tsunami, and we had no choice but to use the resources on your territory for survival needs. We are willing to compensate you for your losses..."
Looking at Captain Kedson’s humble look, Teach had a hard time getting addicted to the nobility.
He doesn't know this guy.
But after spending so many years in the colonies of the empire, he knew these guys very well.
ced hands in’ to make some money.
By the way, they don’t even have last names.
Feeling the piercing gaze from behind, Tiqi coughed slightly and continued his speech pretending to be generous.
"Well, since we encountered a storm, there is nothing we can do. Seeing that you are so polite and it is indeed not intentional, I exempt you from responsibility..."
Kedson finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although he knew that this guy was by no means a serious noble, he was reasonable at least, unlike those pirates who were completely unreasonable.
He respectfully performed the courtesy of a commoner to a noble, and whispered "Thank you" in a low voice, with a bit of real gratitude in his tone.
Teach looked at him and continued.
"Let's talk about it, Captain Cadson. How did you... get to the top of the mountain?"
As he spoke, Teach cast his eyes on the steamship halfway up the mountain not far away, with a bit of surprise in his eyes.
"This is a long story..."
Kedson sighed and followed Teach's gaze to the wreckage of his ship, the Traveler. Without any concealment, he told the story of his group's experiences.
According to their original plan, they planned to go to the Port of Saldo to support the reconstruction there and look for business opportunities, but they did not expect that they suddenly encountered a natural disaster like never before—— Like sand in the eye of an hourglass, it flows from one vortex to another..." Describing the scene at that time, Keidson was still frightened and his voice was low, "I have been traveling in the vast ocean for more than ten years, and this is the first time I have seen such terrible weather. We thought we were dead at the time, but fortunately we saw a beam of light at the critical moment..."
When he spoke, his face was full of piety.
"This is too scary."
"Yes, it's too scary...I promise what I said is true."
Kedson swallowed his saliva and continued.
"Then, something even more incredible happened to our ship. I clearly remember that we came to another sea area after breaking through the waves, but when we climbed up from the deck, we found that our ship was stranded here."
Looking at the astonished Baron Teach, he continued to add.
"It's like something threw us here..."
Tich was silent for a long time, crossing himself on his chest seemingly piously, and said with emotion.
"Perhaps Saint Sis heard your prayers."
"I think so too..."
Kedson swallowed in fear for a while.
At this moment, he suddenly remembered something, looked at Tiqi, and his tone turned tentative.
"Speaking of which, where is this... land? I have never seen it, let alone there is no mark on it on the empire's charts."
Teach was not surprised by his question and said straightforwardly.
"Navigation chart? Of course it's not on yours. This is a brand new territory opened up for the empire by His Royal Highness Prince Colin at his own expense... Those stingy people in the New World refused to allocate a penny to us. We can only do it slowly on our own, and we have achieved some results recently. Until now, the only offshore fishing port on the entire continent is Deadwood Port, and not even a decent deep-water port has been built. We hope you can plan a route."
· The charts of most civilian ships in the empire come from the Adventurers' Guild and the Merchant's Guild, two "cross-border organizations" supported and established by the church. Since sailing often takes months or even a year, the dissemination of information is far from keeping up with the speed of change, so there is no so-called standard map.
Lumil didn’t understand these twists and turns, but as a native nobleman of the empire, Teach knew these rules very well.
Kedson really had no doubts about this statement, but was actually a little embarrassed.
"This... I'm just a captain, and I can't influence the decision-making of the Chamber of Commerce. However, I can convey your expectations to Gerald Castiel. He may be able to mediate for you. If I can go back from here. ..."
"Let's talk about this," Teach glanced at the ship behind Kedson, his voice was a bit joking, "I'm afraid it's still a little difficult for you to go back."
Kedson said with a wry smile.
「Yes...We kindly ask you to lend a helping hand. If there is a teleportation array——」
"Don't think about it," Teach shook his head. "There is strong subspace turbulence in this area, and the channels that can be opened are very small. It's okay to send some letters, but larger packages have to be unpacked and sent in batches, let alone people... Otherwise, our development here will not be so slow."
Kedson's face changed slightly when he heard this.
There are two types of subspace turbulence, one is the active interference of hell or chaos, which is common on the front lines of the New World, and the other is a natural phenomenon that is more common in sparsely populated places.
If he had a choice, he just hoped it would not be the former.
However, judging from the calm reaction of the Imperial Baron, it is unlikely that the corrosion of hell has spread here.
“By the way, did you...see that storm?” Keidson continued to ask.
"Are you talking about the one you met? That's not the case..." Teach casually said in a natural tone, "But we have had a lot of wind here in the past few days, and it has been raining and high tides. For safety reasons, I asked the residents of Deadwood Port to evacuate to the nearby mountains... not far from here."
At this point, he also cursed.
“What a mess.”
Kedson said with a wry smile.
h "So are we. This shipwreck... caused me a lot of losses."
h "Haha, I can see it. To be honest, it's a miracle that you are alive."
Ti Qi cast a joking glance at the steam sailboat hanging halfway up the mountainside.
Kedson could only shrug his shoulders helplessly in response to his teasing, and expressed with his eyes that he could laugh if he wanted to.
Teach did not continue to tease him. He looked away from the broken ship and looked at Keidson and continued.
"Let's get down to business, we will not leave you alone in trouble, but the situation we are facing now is also very difficult, and we cannot support you in vain."
Kedson said immediately after hearing this.
"Don't worry about this, we can work in exchange for food."
"That's great," Teach laughed, patted Kedson on the shoulder, and continued, "If you are willing to help us rebuild our home, we can give you food, fresh water... and even pay in gold."
The supplies on the ship are running low, the rum has been filled with seawater, and the sailors are so hungry that they are drinking rainwater and chewing tree bark... Even Kedson's own stomach is empty at the moment.
When he heard that the other party was willing to provide food, he did not hesitate for a second and immediately agreed.
"Deal!"
There is no teleportation array, and there is no stable route... I don't know when the next ship will approach here.
Since he can't leave here in a short time, having a job that takes care of food and housing is already a piece of pie in the sky for him, and he won't refuse it ungratefully. Even if you are digging in a mine, it is definitely better than being a savage in a deserted mountain.
What's more.
That apocalyptic tsunami has probably affected all the ports in the New World.
Nowadays, every colony is too busy to take care of itself, and no one will bother to find a few merchant ships that are "missing" at sea.
The most important thing now is to survive.
"I'm glad you made the right choice, we will take you to Deadwood Port, and then I will tell you what to do."
Teach nodded with satisfaction and stretched out his hand.
Kedson didn't hesitate and shook his hand.
People... no matter whether you are poor or rich, whether you leave or stay in the end, as long as you are willing to contribute to us, we will definitely not let you go hungry."
After changing the subject, he casually glanced at the edge of the southern rain forest and added another sentence.
h "However, out of good intentions, I still have to remind you——"
h "We have not completely conquered this land. You'd better not go too deep into the rain forest to the south."
Kedson became nervous instantly.
"Is there anything there?"
"There are groups of lizardmen. They are real savages who drink blood. After catching you, they will dig out your heart and offer it to their dragon god."
Looking at Keidson who was so frightened that his face turned pale, Teach laughed and patted him on the shoulder again.
"But don't worry, Deadwood Port is safe... Dear Prince Colin and those lizardmen have reached an agreement, and we will not violate the river. Of course, you should not provoke them. We will not break the agreement we finally reached and waste our bullets and lives for a few idiots who do not listen to advice."
"I will remember your advice." Captain Keldson swallowed his saliva and said, "We only operate near Deadwood Harbor..."
Teach smiled and nodded.