LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Steel and Timber
The room instantly fell silent, with only the rustling sound of Hughes drying his hair filling the space.
Alexei clutched his chest, looking at his lord in shock.
What did he just hear? No sea tax!?
Ever since the Pirate King unified all the pirate forces on Storm Ocean and enacted the thirteen laws of Gem Bay, all factions on Storm Ocean had to pay sea tax to Gem Bay.
This order was quickly enforced, the Dark Sail Fleet docked at ports, and pirates brandished official documents, declaring to every lord that they either handed over the sea tax or lost their heads.
Not paying sea tax meant only one thing: declaring war on all pirates.
Indeed, wherever the Frontier Count was enfeoffed, war followed, but Alexei was the chief scribe, handling nearly all affairs on the island.
War? Castel had made no preparations for war, what would they fight with?
Besides, this was the sea. No matter how powerful the Empire’s land forces were, they were not necessarily effective here.
Alexei’s face twitched as his gaze landed on the two pirates.
Earlier, Jeremiah had called the Pirate King "Governor," and it wasn’t a casual title, this was a widely recognized term across the Seven Seas.
"Governor" was an imperial title, usually granted by the royal family.
Yet the Pirate King had proclaimed himself Governor, and the usually aggressive Empress had uncharacteristically remained silent.
The Empire’s blades had yet to reach the seas, and the Pirate King had no interest in warring with the Empire.
Thus, a delicate balance was maintained: the Governor’s men occasionally raided imperial fleets, while Frontier Counts like Hughes were tacitly permitted to expand freely into Storm Ocean.
‘My dear lord, even the Empress seated on the High Iron Thorn Throne chose silence, and now you want to go to war with Gem Bay?’
‘By tomorrow, every inch of the sea you see will be filled with ships flying black sails.’
‘But before that happens, these two pirates would have already cut off your head and fed it to those shit-eating horse-faced fish in the ocean.’
‘Unless, of course, you manage to drag the entire Empire into the fray, forcing the Empress to sacrifice the four western provinces to wage war against the Pirate King—but let’s be real, you’re just Duke Cohen’s illegitimate son. Even if you were his illegitimate father, it wouldn’t change a thing.’
Jeremiah was also stunned by Hughes’ words.
He glanced around uneasily, as if expecting a group of armored knights to suddenly burst in and hack him into pieces.
How long had it been since someone dared to openly oppose Gem Bay on Storm Ocean?
Even Blood Harbor, where the Candlelight Church had built the grand St. Tis Cathedral, didn’t dare to directly challenge Gem Bay, despite being the station for the Empire’s entire navy.
And yet, this lord before him dared to flip the table?
Was this some kind of trap set by one of his rivals? Collecting sea tax was a lucrative job.
Jeremiah would rather suspect Hughes of an internal power play than believe he truly intended to refuse the sea tax, because waging war against Gem Bay on Storm Ocean was just that absurd.
Perhaps land-based nations could rely on terrain to negotiate neutrality, but this was the sea.
If he made it back alive today, by tomorrow, the Dark Sail Fleet would come knocking on Castel’s door.
Jeremiah was already secretly signaling the tattooed man, but Hughes’ next words made him freeze.
"If Gem Bay is open to equal trade, then we can talk."
Equal trade? You want to talk about equal trade with pirates?
Jeremiah’s expression darkened. He began to suspect he had over-thought things, was this noble just some ignorant brat?
The tattooed man beside him hadn’t given any warning signs either, indicating there was no ambush.
Had he been overthinking it?
Jeremiah’s face twitched.
He reached for the curved blade in his coat, intending to teach this lord a lesson about how pirates operated.
But just as he gripped the hilt, Hughes’ slow and deliberate voice sounded again:
"For example, steel or timber?"
Jeremiah’s hand froze.
He stared intently at Hughes, his voice turning hoarse: "Are you joking?"
Steel and timber?
The most scarce resources at sea were steel and timber, more specifically, steel for forging weapons and timber for building ships.
These required blacksmiths and shipyards. Gem Bay had plenty of those but lacked raw materials.
While the Empress’ naval power was weak, the Empire’s land forces were another story.
The Empire had been expanding through fire and steel for ten years straight.
Though enemies remained on land, the northwestern coastal region had long been pacified.
Across the sea from Gem Bay, Frontier Counts like Hughes dotted the coast like sesame seeds on a flatbread.
Under these circumstances, the Pirate King’s fleet could forget about acquiring any resources from the mainland, at least not officially.
If Hughes had a way to sell steel and timber, not only would Gem Bay abandon sea tax collection, but they would even pay above market price, buying as much as they could get.
Do you want free trade? No problem. No matter who buys on Storm Ocean, the goods will ultimately end up in Gem Bay’s hands.
In fact, they would even establish a dedicated trade route for this, with Gem Bay personally ensuring its security.
On Storm Ocean, Gem Bay had that kind of influence.
But was this noble truly capable of obtaining such sensitive materials?
Jeremiah didn’t know much about the Empire, but steel and timber were controlled resources everywhere. Did Hughes have that much backing?
Jeremiah eyed Hughes suspiciously.
Wait, before he came here, someone had mentioned this lord’s background...
Yes, when collecting sea taxes from the Frontier Counts enfeoffed by the Empire, Gem Bay usually provided some intelligence on them.
Frontier Counts were known for their stubbornness, clashes were not uncommon.
If Jeremiah and his companion didn’t return, the next day, the Dark Sail Fleet would come knocking.
He had received Hughes’ dossier, but at the time, he had been drinking.
Seeing him drunk, the informant had only given a brief mention.
Hughes’ initial compliance with the sea tax had also put him at ease.
Jeremiah vaguely remembered that this lord was supposedly the child of some big shot.
Wait, where did he say he was from again? Cohen Duchy?
Duke Cohen?
Jeremiah gasped sharply. His knowledge of the Empire was limited to a handful of names, ones he could count on two hands. But among them was Duke Cohen.
Duke Cohen ruled a vast territory in the Empire’s southern borderlands, and judging by Hughes’ young age, it was clear his holdings were thanks to his Duke father.
What was his rank again? Frontier Count?
How high did a count rank?
Jeremiah wasn’t familiar with the Empire’s noble hierarchy, let alone its civil and military bureaucracy, but as he pieced things together, his gaze toward Hughes changed entirely.
[Banshee would be replaced by Siren]