Chapter 54

In the presence of a large crowd, Luo Zhengdao was lavishly praised by Captain One-Eyed Dragon. Not only did the other people present find it extremely embarrassing, but Luo Zhengdao himself also felt very uncomfortable. At this moment, he was truly at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and he couldn't scold Foul Chopin for this. In the end, he could only respond with a helpless smile.

To be fair, apart from wanting to vent his anger by competing with the goblins, the main reason Luo Zhengdao risked staying on the edge of the mainland was that he couldn't deal with the goblins' subsequent encirclement and suppression without expanding his military forces. Even if it was a force weaker than the goblins, such as the mysterious sorcerer Najef, with a very complex background, he would still be at a disadvantage. In these times, if one didn't have a reliable team and rashly started a movement, it would inevitably lead to trouble. Sooner or later, one would have to pay the price. As Chairman Mao said, "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun." Since Luo Zhengdao had entrusted his life and fortune to this private army, taking a risky step was a last resort.

After a series of twists and turns, Luo Zhengdao finally settled the matters in Qiongzhou, and his gaze turned to his destination, Xiangjiang.

From a geographical perspective, Xiangjiang Port is located on the edge of the mainland, an unremarkable island among countless others. Although the natural harbor conditions are relatively good, there are many islands near the mainland with similar hydrological conditions. Compared to these islands, this famous commercial port seems to lack any distinctive features. If Xiangjiang Island had nothing special, it wouldn't be marked on the pirates' maps. Unlike Qiongzhou Island, which is in the inland rainforest and is still in a state of development, the small Xiangjiang Island is a central commercial port that integrates numerous trade routes, and can even be considered the main trade hub on the edge of the mainland.

The port transportation in Xiangjiang is exceptionally busy, with ships of all sizes coming and going throughout the year. The docks and harbors used for loading and unloading goods are always brightly lit and never stop, making it no exaggeration to call Xiangjiang Port a city that never sleeps.

Since the second goblin empire destroyed the human Bright Dynasty, the major merchants of Xiangjiang have entered their golden age. They not only did not feel threatened by the powerful military force of the alien race but also demonstrated the professional skills of merchants.

Through complex commercial operations and bribery, the Xiangjiang merchant consortium completed a splendid transformation and directly connected with some of the bigwigs in the goblin senate, thus obtaining the special privilege of the goblin army not stationing in Xiangjiang. To this day, this magical commercial metropolis, while the humans on the mainland have become slaves, still maintains its semi-independent special status. Not only has it not declined due to the collapse of the Bright Dynasty, but it has also absorbed a large number of human refugees from the mainland and the wealth they brought, resulting in a畸形繁荣 state, which cannot help but make one marvel at the infinite power of money to transform the mundane into the miraculous.

Nothing happens without profit, and everything has its internal logic. Keeping Xiangjiang as a free port is highly beneficial to the goblins; otherwise, they wouldn't allow this port to operate outside their jurisdiction.

In the new world, the strategic resources necessary to maintain the normal operation of a naval fleet are primarily magic pattern cloth, sea floatwood, and stone pine spore powder, these three indispensable items.

Magic pattern cloth is an alchemical product made from high-grade long silk produced on the mainland, manufactured using a special loom through enchantment. Since the new world's silkworms, which are beetle-like creatures with eight legs resembling spiders and their favorite food, mulberry trees, are extremely sensitive to mana particles and almost die upon exposure, raising silkworms outside the mainland requires airtight artificial silkworm rooms to ensure success. Additionally, the mulberry trees, which these insects love, do not thrive in high concentrations of mana particles, making the process challenging. Meeting both conditions is a dream for most offshore breeders.

To put it bluntly, attempting to produce magic pattern cloth outside the mainland, whether in terms of cost or price, is uncompetitive and results in a loss.

The buoyancy that keeps ships from sinking into the ether sea comes from sea floatwood. This tropical tree, which resembles palm and coconut trees, grows very slowly, and its wood is relatively hard and durable, though not as good as oak, teak, or rosewood. Sea floatwood rarely flowers or bears fruit and generally reproduces through spores that fall from the top of the tree. As these spores grow into saplings and detach from the mother tree, they are carried by the currents of the ether sea to the vast seven seas. It can be said that sea floatwood can be found on almost all fly islands, as this tree has a very strong vitality. However, the main production area is concentrated in the starry sea, where the stable monsoon climate and precipitation conditions are most suitable for the growth of sea floatwood. Sea floatwood of the same age from the starry sea is of higher quality and has a larger diameter than those from other places.

The substance that has replaced gunpowder in the new world is undoubtedly stone pine spore powder. Stone pines are large ferns that grow on the islands of the storm sea. Although they appear unremarkable, they are indeed very peculiar.

Stone pines have strong reproductive capabilities and a wide distribution, but it is puzzling why they can only grow and develop normally in the storm sea. Once transplanted elsewhere, they can survive but cannot produce spores normally.

It is well known that the major powers in the new world are unable to control the circulation and trade of these three strategic resources. Therefore, they must maintain a relatively stable and reliable trading mechanism to ensure the normal operation of their naval fleets. Perhaps considering that cutting off such trade would be detrimental to themselves, the goblin senate chose to go with the flow and retain an external trade window in Xiangjiang, allowing various legal and illegal underground transactions to continue, avoiding mutual strangulation and preventing the situation from becoming uncontrollable.

This time, the entire Qiongzhou Island was thrown into chaos, with a death-row prisoner being rescued, and the social order, which had just stabilized, deteriorated due to Luo Zhengdao's meeting with the resistance organization, which boosted their morale and led to increased attacks.

At the same time, almost all the misfortunes fell on the goblins. Would they accept defeat so easily? The word "failure" seems to be absent from the goblins' vocabulary. Their slogan is, "This is a test on the path to success; we will achieve new success and greater victories through the trials of difficulties." Regardless of whether this seemingly extremely middle-school argument holds up to scrutiny, the goblins' stubbornness and persistence are evident. In a sense, only the obsessed can succeed, which may be a universal truth that is not particularly pleasant to hear.

After the failed long-distance pursuit of Luo Zhengdao, the two commanders, Mordo Blackwater and Jeti White Mountain, who had to return to their home port for rest and reorganization, almost simultaneously received reports of the unrest in Qiongzhou.

The new world's science and technology are not advanced, and many industries, including metallurgy, have a technological level that can barely be compared to the pre-industrial revolution old world, and in many aspects, they are far behind. This may be the inevitable result of distorted development.

Magic and alchemy can provide efficient long-distance communication services, but the main drawback is the high initial economic cost and low普及度. This high-end technology is destined to have little to do with ordinary people's lives, and only national-level users and high-level mages can afford it. Although magic communication is faster and more secure than satellite and fiber optic communication, the extravagant cost of magic communication can bankrupt a wealthy merchant in a day without national financial support.

Despite this, once the state machinery decides to mobilize all its forces and invest heavily, the situation for the enemies of the state in the new world is even more perilous than in the old world.

"This time, we cannot fail again!"

The goblin commander, fully dressed, stood in the sea chart room, facing his subordinates. Mordo Blackwater, with a pained expression, pounded the table, his eyes full of resentment and unwillingness. If it weren't for bad luck in the past, he would have already presented Will Needham's head for the reward. How could he let him strut around so arrogantly?

At this moment, the goblin deputy commander interjected:

"Commander, we have completed the positioning. This is the map marked by the Great Shaman."

Hearing this, Mordo Blackwater gritted his teeth and then resumed his usual calm and composed demeanor. He nodded and said:

"Set out immediately. We must present Will Needham's head to His Majesty."

Naturally, Jeti White Mountain also received this valuable information, especially when he heard that his old rival Mordo Blackwater had received the shaman's assistance first and immediately announced his departure. The goblin soldiers could hear the bear goblin commander's roar from a distance at the port:

"We can't let that bastard get ahead again. Leave the ships that haven't been repaired, and the remaining warships set sail immediately."

There was no need to speculate about the cause and instigator of the unrest. From the beginning, Mordo Blackwater was certain that the widespread unrest in Qiongzhou was related to Luo Zhengdao. Those who knew the inside story understood that the hereditary fief of the Foul family was mainly concentrated on Qiongzhou Island. Luo Zhengdao's adoptive father organized the last regular army of the Bright Dynasty on Qiongzhou, making a futile resistance. This weak human army, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, was ultimately crushed by goblin generals led by Mordo Blackwater, sealing the fate of the Bright Dynasty. Therefore, when Mordo Blackwater heard the familiar name of Qiongzhou again, he instinctively thought of the elusive Will Needham.

Not long ago, Jeti White Mountain's pursuit of Luo Zhengdao failed, which did not surprise the goblin commander. Luo Zhengdao had managed to escape from Mordo Blackwater's hands multiple times, making him an expert in evasion. It's not that he looked down on the clumsy and brutish Jeti White Mountain, but his brain was clearly more muscle than brain, so how could he capture this cunning human?