Chapter 712.1: The Night That Decides The Fate Of Port Gallon
Chapter 712.1: The Night That Decides The Fate Of Port Gallon
The setting sun gradually sank beneath the sea, the shimmering golden reflections retreating farther and farther against the incoming tide.
A young man draped in a sapphire-blue shawl and dressed in a formal robe woven from Devil’s Silk walked straight out of the warehouse district. The most luxurious hotel in the harbor district immediately came into view.
The hotel was called “Truimphant.”
It was said that the owner was a local citizen of Port Gallon.
After the New Alliance seized control of the settlement and confirmed the ownership of the property, they returned the seaside hotel to its original owner and reissued the business license.
To express gratitude for the New Alliance’s generosity and celebrate the liberation of Port Gallon, the owner had immediately changed the hotel’s name from the “Empire” to “Triumph.”
Apparently, the fellow had initially wanted to rename it to the “Alliance,” but city hall rejected the request on the grounds of misleading branding.
Dahlia did not particularly care about the origins of the hotel, but he was very interested in the New Alliance’s attitude toward this harbor.
It was obvious that after fighting the war to this extent, the New Alliance soldiers probably had no intention of withdrawing completely, or even if they did withdraw their military presence, there would still be a bunch of them living in Port Gallon.
After investing such enormous costs, even if they did not intend to directly absorb this place into New Alliance territory, they would at least establish a locally controlled puppet government. Otherwise, there would be no reason for them to distribute food to the locals. They should instead do as the Wislanders did and simply rob the survivors clean.
Or at the very least rob the nobles dripping with wealth.
And based on the New Alliance’s actions so far, Dahlia could almost certainly conclude that they were not merely removing the slaves’ shackles and abandoning them afterward. They genuinely intended to govern the land.
If that was truly the case, then this settlement of over a million people would undoubtedly welcome a tremendous opportunity for growth. It might even become the next Silvermoon Bay!
As an armed merchant with his own cargo ships and private guards, if he lacked even this level of commercial instinct, he might as well sell the ships and go home to farm.
However, he could not focus solely on profit while ignoring the objective risks involved. If he earned money but could not safely take it away, then it would all be meaningless.
Doing business on land was fundamentally different from doing business at sea.
At sea, deals were mostly one-time transactions. At worst, one needed to check the weather and deal with mutated creatures or relatively weak pirates. But on land, one constantly had to navigate intricate local power structures.
Especially in a place like Port Gallon.
It had once been the largest slave-trading port along the Poro Sea. The local situation was likely far more complicated than he imagined.
He needed answers to two questions.
What kind of order did the New Alliance intend to establish here? And, to what extent were they actually capable of enforcing it?
He believed he was not the only one curious about these questions. Every merchant docking was probably wondering the same thing.
Fortunately, the Port Gallon authorities had prepared a welcoming banquet for the visiting merchants at the Triumph Grand Hotel.
Rumor had it that all the important figures in the settlement would appear there. It was the perfect opportunity to observe things firsthand...
Walking onto the red carpet outside the hotel entrance, he showed his invitation letter to a nearby attendant. The attendant bowed slightly and gestured politely toward the inner hall. “This way, sir.”
There was something unusual about the attendant’s demeanor, and Dahlia could not help asking curiously, “Are you a noble here?”
The attendant froze briefly before smiling gently. “Certainly not. I used to be a noble’s servant... though those ‘iron men’ returned my freedom. I’m now employed by this hotel.”
“Iron men...” Dahlia repeated the phrase thoughtfully before continuing with curiosity, “You know they’re actually people of the New Alliance, right?”
The attendant nodded politely. “I know. But I’ve already grown used to calling them that. Many people here are the same.”
Dahlia stared into the attendant’s eyes for a while, attempting to find the mark of slavery within them. Unexpectedly, he found nothing.
The attendant did not avert his gaze. He simply met Dahlia’s eyes naturally, neither excessively servile nor humbly self-deprecating, but simply as one person looking at another.
A trace of surprise appeared in Dahlia’s eyes. From the warehouse district all the way to the hotel, every local he had encountered had lowered their heads. Even accidental eye contact caused them to hurriedly look away.
And most of them had been born free citizens.
Clearly, the attendant’s former master had to have been an extraordinary individual. Otherwise, even the household servants would not have received such a good education. At least in Poro Province, that kind of self-respect was exceedingly rare...
“... You feel completely different from everyone else. Your former master must have been someone remarkable.”
Hearing that, the attendant smiled faintly. “I am grateful to Governor Nihark for cultivating me. Whether he did so out of vanity or some other reason, he was the one who taught me to read and write. As for whether he was remarkable, please allow me to reserve the right to disagree. Gratitude and admiration are two separate matters.”
Amused by the interesting answer, Dahlia laughed. “You shouldn’t be working here as a waiter. You should sail abroad and make far more money.”
The attendant nodded slightly. “It has not even been a month since I gained my freedom. I plan to start with work I know I can do well. Perhaps in the future I’ll consider your suggestion... though we’ve already chatted for quite a while. May I escort you to the banquet hall now?”
There were other attendants at the entrance, but the banquet was about to begin.
Realizing he had delayed the man’s work, Dahlia laughed heartily, “Please lead the way. By the way, my name is Dahlia. May I know yours?”
The attendant nodded politely. “Of course. My name is Zaid.”
Zaid.
Dahlia silently memorized the name. Perhaps the land was not entirely without hope after all.
Among a million faces, not every one carried the same expression of despair. There were still faint sparks flickering like fireflies in the darkness.
Following Zaid into the banquet hall, Dahlia saw the spacious chamber already filled with elegantly dressed guests. All kinds of faces gathered beneath the luxurious decorations as groups of people chatted among themselves.
He noticed two familiar faces.
One was Bugara, the sausage tycoon of Silvermoon Bay. Virtually all the sausages in the Camel Kingdom came from meat-processing factories under his company!
The other was even more impressive, Ikabu, president of the Silvermoon Bay Merchants Association!
The textiles produced by his enterprises occupied 30% of the Camel Kingdom’s domestic market and accounted for 23% of textile exports. Because of the massive taxes he contributed, he had even received an audience with the King of the Camel Kingdom and been granted the honorary title of knight.
Shock appeared on Dahlia’s face. He had never expected that man to be here too!
He only just found out after arriving! And what surprised him even more was the content of their conversation.
While he himself was still hesitating, these people already seemed to be discussing plans to build factories in Port Gallon!
“I heard the Baiyue Strait Development Company plans to build a steel mill and a cement factory here.”
“Oh? And who told you that?”
“I took a walk around Knight's Way earlier. There were recruitment notices posted there. Workers are being offered monthly salaries of 1500 Gallons.”
“1500 Gallons... Isn’t that 150 silver?!”
“Cheap, isn’t it? In Dawn City, even dogs probably wouldn’t glance at a salary like that, but for the locals it’s considered high pay. If import taxes stay reasonable and harbor supplies remain stable, that amount can buy over 100 kilograms of corn. They probably don’t even eat that much dirt in a month.”
“Ssss... Now that you mention it, I suddenly feel those wages are too high.”
“I’m more worried the New Alliance might enforce their labor laws here too.”
“That’s not impossible, though they’ll probably adapt to local conditions. Dawn City didn’t start with its current system overnight either... Besides, if they really followed New Alliance law strictly, paying them 7200 Gallons a month, I bet the workers would immediately spend all their wages on food.”
“Haha, that would be a disaster... Though honestly, even at a monthly wage of 150 silver, if they spend one-third of their income on clothing, bedding, and curtains, that’s already a considerable market.”
“You planning to open a textile factory here?”
“Why not? This place already produces flax and dyes. The Xilande Empire’s embargo might be troublesome, but once the ceasefire officially takes effect things should improve.”
Though eavesdropping was impolite, Dahlia listened carefully to every word and felt increasingly tempted by the business opportunities being discussed.
He specialized in grain imports and exports. Expanding his old business onto land would likely be difficult. Crossing industries meant competing against giants who had spent decades cultivating their respective fields.
But suddenly he thought of someone, the waiter he had met outside the hotel entrance.
Competition in the primary and secondary industries would certainly be brutal, but no one seemed particularly interested in the tertiary sector yet, especially hospitality.
His capital was limited, but while hot money in Port Gallon was still scarce, investing in one or two hotels remained entirely feasible.
And if so many major players truly believed in this place’s future commercial prospects, then perhaps earning money from those major players would itself be a brilliant idea.
Dahlia’s thoughts immediately stirred. Perhaps after the banquet ended, he could have a chat with that interesting young man...
The people socializing in the hall were not only merchants from Silvermoon Bay. There were also local businessmen and nobles from Tulip Street.
Perhaps because many of them had recently been dragged out of their homes, although quite a few minor nobles still maintained forced smiles to preserve appearances, many of the major nobles who had suffered losses practically had dissatisfaction written all over their faces.
Their resentment was not directed entirely toward the New Alliance. Much of it was aimed at the “new nobles” who had risen amid the chaos.
For example, the militia leader named Laxi was already drunk before the banquet had even begun, stumbling around like a baboon unable to find its own home.
Even more detestable was Bihari. Once merely Governor Nihark’s dog, now that he had found a new master his nose was practically pointed at the sky.