Chapter 534: Post-War Development
Squad after squad of Black People prisoners, their faces etched with despair, were escorted to the iron mine in the Kas Mountain Range. What awaited them was a lifetime of contributing to High Cliff Castle’s development, until every last drop of value had been wrung from them.
Compared to Harland, the Lord felt he was as merciful as the Holy Light God himself.
After all, in principle, Black People were forbidden from setting foot in Debei due to the King’s decree. Unfortunately for that principle, the Lord was the law.
The recently rescued Wilderness People were put to work cleaning up the battlefield. Everything from weapons and equipment to the surviving warhorses was a rich bounty of spoils.
“Lord Levi, what do you plan to do with these ships?” Miriel’s eyes shone as she gazed at the massive ironclad ship beneath her feet. If they were all entrusted to her, she could not only make a huge profit for High Cliff Castle but also line her own pockets.
“To be honest, the simplest and most hassle-free option would be to just sell them,” Levi said, walking to the bow. He rested his hands on the smooth railing as the salty sea breeze billowed his white cloak, revealing the exquisite Leather Armor he wore underneath.
In the distance, the horizon burned. The setting sun melted the clouds into flowing gold leaf, and pillars of light spilled across the water, creating a dreamlike path to the Divine Kingdom.
As the thirteenth wave crashed against the bow, Levi finally spoke. “Miriel, are you interested in coming to work for High Cliff Castle?”
He turned to look at the beautiful Half-Elf merchant.
The sea breeze seemed to shift, tangling the red highlights at Miriel’s temples into a messy web. A look of surprise crossed her face. She reached up to hold down her wildly blowing hair and offered a slight smile. “My Lord, as you wish.”
“I, Miriel Martel, with the gods as my witness, swear in the name of the Sacred Laurel Tree to be forever loyal to the great Duke Levi. From this day forward, your will shall be my will, and your enemies shall be my enemies…”
The Half-Elf knelt on one knee, her face solemn.
“I, Levi Targaryen, as the Lord of High Cliff Castle and Duke Debei, promise to forever protect you and light the path before you…”
A silver Treasure Sword landed gently on Miriel’s shoulder. She knew that from this day on, she would no longer be an outsider in High Cliff Castle.
Levi smiled at the alluring, bewitching Half-Elf before him. The bright, friendly smile on his face was almost unsettling.
“Miriel, welcome to High Cliff Castle.” He extended his hand and gave the beautiful Half-Elf’s small, cold hand a shake.
“The honor is mine, my Lord,” Miriel said with a smile.
To be honest, although she bore the Martel Family surname, she was not a noble. She was merely the president of the High Cliff Castle branch of the Secret Silver Commerce Association.
Therefore, when the Lord of High Cliff Castle himself extended an olive branch, she had naturally agreed without a moment’s hesitation.
‘After all, only a fool would refuse!’
‘Anyone could see that under this Lord’s leadership, High Cliff Castle’s rise was only a matter of time.’
‘And right now, High Cliff Castle was practically empty. If she joined now, the future benefits would be unimaginable.’
“Old Si, you need to work harder.” The Lord glanced at Si Kai beside him. “If you’d chosen the right path, you wouldn’t have struggled so much just to deal with some nobody.”
Levi knew that Si Kai’s Combat Qi Cultivation was stuck at a High Tier bottleneck. ‘If he had joined High Cliff Castle sooner,’ Levi thought, ‘with my help, he would’ve advanced to the Epic tier long ago. He wouldn’t still be in this state.’
‘If he keeps dawdling, he’ll be left behind.’
The Lord’s words made the tall Knight flush with embarrassment.
To be honest, Si Kai truly wanted to join High Cliff Castle. After all, the nobles of the Northern Territory were deeply entrenched, having already claimed all the available positions. It was nearly impossible for him to break in. High Cliff Castle, on the other hand, offered a terrifying number of opportunities, but his Knight’s creed forbade him from betraying Duke Fulina.
“Don’t agonize over it too much,” Levi said, not pressing the issue. He clapped him on the shoulder. “Whatever you decide, just make sure it’s a choice you won’t regret or suffer for later.”
“I plan to establish a sea-faring trade fleet, and I want you, Miriel, to be in complete charge of it.” Only then did the Lord reveal his true intentions.
As someone with the knowledge from his past life, he knew full well that the ocean was another Silk Road.
Now that these ships had been delivered right to his doorstep, he couldn’t possibly just turn around, sell them, and continue to develop his own little corner in a backwater like the Wilderness.
Miriel was a competent merchant. When the time came, they could just hire some elite sailors and a captain. They’d still be able to sail the seas.
“My Lord, to be frank, if we convert this slave ship into a merchant vessel and engage in sea trade, it would greatly alleviate High Cliff Castle’s financial situation. This ship alone could even support several thousand standing soldiers.” Miriel’s brow furrowed. “But seafaring isn’t that simple. It requires a great deal of expertise. We’d need elite sailors, a captain who knows the sea routes and the weather, and we’d even have to find merchants willing to trade with us.”
“Furthermore, we’d have to build a port here and develop a small town.”
“I know it’s difficult, but that’s no reason not to do it. After all, everything is hard at the beginning. You can’t get fat off a single bite,” the Lord said with a grand wave of his hand.
“I can provide you with money, soldiers, whatever you need. I have only one demand: turn this place into a prosperous port!”
The Wilderness, after all, was an undeveloped land, a place rife with bloodshed and brutality, where war and death were daily spectacles.