Chapter 68 Showdown
As the "Yorkshire Mariner" drove, the nearby flags and sails began to increase. Near Waxson City, the ships also became frequent. About 2 hours later, a building that looked a bit like an oriental pavilion appeared in the players' field of vision.
The Yorkshire Mariner, driven by the sea breeze, continued to move forward, and the "gazebo" appeared more and more components from below sea level. Barrett soon discovered that it was the top of the lighthouse. The lighthouse was located on an island less than 1 nautical mile from the port, and the tower made of granite was strong and straight. The small sampan tied to the edge of the island was undulating in the waves, like a kite soaring in the air was firmly controlled by the thin line.
According to the popular arrangement in the Western Continent, in the "pavilion" on the tower, there is a large brazier connected to two copper plates at a 90-degree angle. The wheels under the copper plates are placed on the rails surrounding the brazier. The two guards holding spears next to the brazier look back and forth in the distance. Of course, as a warning point on the sea outside Waxson City, it is impossible for these two people to be found in the lighthouse in front of them. There are at least two teams of ten people in the tower to ensure that in most cases, they can send warning messages to the port behind them in time.
After the "Yorkshire Sailor" crossed the lighthouse and the islands and reefs at its feet, the players were not far from the port entering Waxon City. Here, everyone could see a huge three-masted warship hovering outside the port, as if they were intentionally shocking visitors with malicious intentions. The large crossbows on these three-dimensional sailing ships not only had an amazing range, but also had no underestimation. Within a certain distance, they could even directly cause damage to the hull of the enemy ship.
As an alien ship, the "Yorkshire Sailor" soon received the flag of "stop ship inspection" from the other party. Amid Captain Rollins' orders, the sailors who had just recovered from their health were busy putting their sails away. However, like the large main ships, they would not be responsible for the boarding inspection in person. After waiting for half an hour, a patrol boat with a brig sail slowly leaned on the side of the "Yorkshire Sailor".
After the patrol boat dropped the pedals, the naval officer who came towards him greeted Captain Rollins with a smile. It can be seen that he is obviously a regular visitor to Waxon City, and the two sides should be quite familiar with each other.
But when the naval officer turned his eyes to the deck, the original smile on his face immediately disappeared. The two rounds of naval battles left many indelible marks on the "Yorkshire Mariner". In particular, the bullet marks from the crossbow were even more obvious evidence.
Then his expression began to become serious: "Mr. Rollins. What kind of accident did you encounter at sea this time? It wasn't the fishman yelling by the sailors some time ago, right? If that were the case, you would be famous this time. Because the "Yorkshire Sailor" is the first ship to be attacked by the fishman in this period. There must be big news in the tavern on the horse's head tonight."
"I'm sorry Mr. Michael! I think you're going to be disappointed. This time we encountered a private hunting ship from the Mammoth Kingdom." Captain Rollins spread his hands. "As for fishman, I can't even see a shadow along the way. I really doubt that the original statement was just a simple rumor."
"Aren't you a fishman? In this regard, it is true that only hearing the sailors' discussions, no victims have appeared." Sir Michael touched his chin. "Anyway, there are so many rumors among the sailors, and it's not bad for those. But are the guys from the Mammoth Kingdom actually going out again? If they always wander on this route, it would be a big trouble. I need to spread this news upward, and I hope those big men will find a suitable solution."
There are strong pirates on a busy trade route, which is a major disaster for city-states and regimes that focus on trade. Generally speaking, if you have strength, the local government will definitely organize a fleet to strangle the other party. No matter how bad it is, it will drive them far away and will not pose a threat to normal trade in a short period of time.
"You mean Waxson City is going to send a ship to clean up those guys?" Captain Rollins asked with a little excitement. However, this expression also fell into Barrett's eyes not far away. However, from his perspective, Captain Rollins' performance seemed to be a little over-forced.
Sgt. Michael's expression suddenly became much stiffer: "I can't ask about this kind of thing. But I can only say that Mr. Rollins, you'd better not have too much hope. I think you should also know about the conflict last year. Waxson has shed too much blood. The men of the Town Hall will not be willing to have any conflicts with the mammoth barbarians within at least a few years."
"Are you just letting those pirates ignore it? We are lucky this time to make a fortune, but it is not certain if it is other merchant ships. This situation lasts for 12 months, and the lost ships and rumors will be enough to ruin the situation that Waxson has finally established." Captain Rollins's words became more and more excited. It seemed that he was really worried about his next shipping safety.
Sgt. Michael shook his head: "What's the use of telling me? You have to listen to the big guys above when going out to sea to suppress bandits. But you'd better not have too much hope. Everyone knows the current situation."
"Hey! Since this is the case, we have to be careful when we run this route in the future." While saying this, Captain Rollins walked up and handed Sgt. Michael a puffer roll and a citrus-sized linen bag. Then he muttered something in his ear.
The Sgt. Michael, who took the purse, suddenly frowned, and then showed a clear expression. Then he waved. A navy soldier immediately stopped beside him. Then he whispered a few instructions, and the soldier nodded immediately. Then the routine inspection began.
Of course, in addition to the inventory and inspection of goods, Barrett and other temporary bodyguards also experienced a brief inquiry. The task documents of the "Church of the Goddess of Wealth and Commerce" are very useful at this time. Because in trade-oriented cities, this church has always had a great influence.
Not long after, there was a sudden quarrel from the deck. As the sound became louder, Sgt. Michael and Captain Rollins rushed backwards to the entrance of the cargo hold on the deck. Captain Rollins gently brought his shoulders as he passed by Barrett. It seemed that he was signaling Barrett to follow him quickly.
After arriving at the cargo hold under the deck, Sgt Michael let out a voice: "What are you quarrels about? What are you quarrels about? Everyone is living impatient, right?"
"Sir, please look here. We are not making any unreasonable trouble." The soldier who had been ordered by Sgt. Michael before pointed at the front while speaking.
Soon, what appeared in front of everyone was a pack of sacks cut into two pieces. In the middle of the sack that should have flour, there was a bag that was obviously smaller than the size. The black particles leaked from the broken bag appeared so distinct from the slightly brown flour (non-fine powder).
Seeing all this in front of Barrett immediately flashed through his mind the interaction between Sgt. Michael and Captain Rollins on the deck. The previous indignation or other things were just performances. Their ultimate goal was to find out what the cargo was this time.
Because there are escorts from the Chamber of Commerce on the Yorkshire Mariner, even if Captain Rollins wants to find out, he cannot do it himself due to the rules in the industry. Otherwise, it would be a rhythm of turning against the Chamber of Commerce directly. Even if the cargo is investigated, it will still be difficult to gain the upper hand in public opinion. If he does not catch the other party's handle, his career will be hit a big blow.
However, if this kind of thing is left to the maritime patrol led by Sergeant Michael, it will have no direct relationship with Captain Rollins. Even those who understand know that Captain Rollins' small actions are indispensable behind this, but the soldiers under Sergeant Michael are indeed "seriously" performing their duties, at least they cannot point at them on the table.
"What are these?" Sir Michael yelled angrily: "I remember there is no record of this kind of goods in your customs declaration documents!"
"I don't know what it is? But the escort of the client is on the ship, so I immediately sent someone to inform him." Captain Rollins, who said this, immediately ordered the sailor beside him.
At this time, Barrett walked over several blocking soldiers and sailors, and saw him pinch the black particles on the ground and touch them. Then he smelled them under his nose: "Part pellet gunpowder? And it's a very good-quality granular gunpowder. Just this small bag that was cut in Borham is worth at least 50 gold coins."
Although it looks similar to the black gunpowder in reality, the main raw materials for this strategic material in the game include rubies. Moreover, their production process must be participated by magic, which means that even if you know the formula, the black gunpowder made by ordinary people will not explode. Because of these two reasons, the price of black gunpowder in the game remains high. At present, these at most 10 guns are worth 50 gold coins. You should know that this is a consumable.
After a while, the escort staff from the Chamber of Commerce were invited by the sailors. When they first arrived at the cabin, the guy looked impatient. It seemed that anyone present had offended him. But when he saw the scene in front of him, his feet immediately became soft. If he hadn't held the board beside him, he might have sat on the deck.
Captain Rollins, who found the visitor, immediately walked up and roared: "You bastard, tell me why there is gunpowder hidden in the flour? This kind of goods is not on the initial transportation list! If half of these bags have the same goods, it is also a big deal of at least 25,000 gold coins. I think you are definitely aware of the risks of such a business than me. But you actually gave us such rewards before. I will definitely complain to the Marine Transport Union for this time."
"And we, when you took over the mission, there was obviously no news about this in the details you gave." Clematis Bot, behind Barrett, also spoke at this time, "When you get ashore, we will appeal to the local temple on the grounds that you conceal the details of the mission and try to escape the compensation. You greedy guys, just wait for the punishment of our Lord!"
The roars of these two people alone made the representative of the Chamber of Commerce in front of him fight. The voice of Sir Michael became the last straw that overwhelmed the camel: "I didn't expect it to be a piece of gunpowder! This thing is very rare in our northern city-state! Especially the mammoth barbarians in the north, who lack mages and alchemists, they are more eager for these things. Moreover, our Waxson City has very strict restrictions on the circulation of this kind of goods. What is the purpose of your Chamber of Commerce transporting these contraband this time? This requires people to investigate and investigate it."
Although the arms trade on the Western Continent is booming, not everyone can get involved. Even the same kind of arms will have different meanings in the eyes of different regimes. In terms of restrictions, it will be different.
Like the city of Waxson in front of us, it has a very good urban defense system in this era. The city itself is located between the valleys of two rivers. The city is surrounded by five slightly arched hilly plots. The walls with irregular pentagrams are generally wrapped around the area where residents are concentrated. There are 4 bastions that help each other within the walls, stationed with counterattack forces when surrounded.
There are moats that are more than three meters deep and three meters wide outside these city walls. The water in the moat is drawn from the two rivers outside the city. Under the tall and majestic city walls, I don’t know how many besiegers returned in vain. To put it bluntly, the city defense here also adopts a bastion structure. Some people once claimed that this professional barrier could allow the attacker’s corpses to pile up to the same height as the city wall.
But just like in reality, the castle eventually collapsed under artillery and explosives. The large-scale application of gunpowder in the game will also pose a serious threat to the safety of Waxon City. With the gunpowder thing, precious spellcasters can hide behind without facing the attacks of the defenders.
Fortunately, the Mammoth Kingdom, which is the least inconsistent with the Seven Cities Alliance, lacks academic casters. This makes them unable to produce gunpowder on a large scale. Therefore, cities like Waxson can be considered impure. Therefore, the Seven Cities Alliance will inevitably strictly control gunpowder entering the Northland without asking for all elimination, but at least they must keep the threat within the range they can bear. (To be continued.)
Chapter completed!