The pier echoed with the rude roar of the overseer and the crack of the whip. [.\nCOM Situ’s updated chapters are the most complete and comprehensive, and the error-free content is repaired in the most timely manner. Due to caching reasons, browser access is recommended.\nCOM official website]
The workers carrying boxes were like donkeys walking upright, working hard and coming back and forth between the deck of the cargo ship and the dock warehouse.
Not to mention the salary of eight silver coins an hour and eating in the same pot, even stopping for a break is a luxury here, and you have to beg the supervisor if you want to go to the toilet and drink water.
This is Sails Harbor.
This is the Westport that players joke about.
A healthy slave here only costs 1,000 dinars.
Even though the population has become so cheap, businessmen from Triumph City are still more inclined to rent.
In the eastern part of Zhongzhou Continent, many survivors have an "illusion" about the legion that distance creates beauty, and believe that the legion is actually very well-behaved.
However, in fact, it is just because they have come into contact with too few people from Weiland and do not yet understand the nature of these guys.
Every old resident of Fallen Leaf City knows very well what the Weirant people looked like when they first came to the River Valley Province, and what they looked like after being beaten in pain.
The reason why they behaved so well in the eastern part of Middle-earth was just because they were hurt by being beaten.
If it were Xifan Port, which was far outside the range of the alliance's power projection, they wouldn't even show it.
But what's interesting is that even though they have worked very hard to exploit the locals, they are still dwarfed by the local nobles in Borneo.
So much so that every time General McClung passed by here, he couldn't help but lament that he was too kind when he was in the River Valley Province and did not squeeze out the potential of the local survivors at all.
The residents living there are mainly the Wilant people, followed by merchants from Silver Moon Bay and other places, as well as local nobles and some free people in Borneo Province.
Since the slave trade was not prohibited locally, some nobles from Lowell State migrated here after the fall of Golden Gallen Port.
As for the players, they are almost invisible here.
After all, there is neither an airport nor a save point opened by the boss. It takes more than ten or twenty days to go here from the alliance port, and it takes another ten or twenty days to go back.
If you die here once, not only will the unsaved experience points be cleared, but all equipment and property will be exploded. This risk is completely disproportionate to the benefit!
However, although this place is useless to players, it has a completely different meaning to the people of Valant.
Since the civil servants of Triumph City borrowed this territory from the empire, they have brought clean streets, beautiful houses and bright street lights here.
Bennot and other civil servants have high hopes for the local development prospects.
Even though the nobles of the empire have become pedantic to the point of stubbornness, no one should be able to refuse the decent life of civilized people.
They can influence the nobles of Shizhou through the abundant life in Xifan Port, and then influence the nobles of Tiandu through the nobles of Shizhou.
They don't expect to educate the guys here to be very civilized, and they have no interest in doing charity, but they need an ally that is intimidating enough to share the pressure from the alliance with them.
On the port paved with sandstone bricks.
A bearded Willand man looked frequently at the diamond-encrusted pocket watch in his hand, with an expression on his face full of anxiety.
His name is Arman, and he is a businessman in the sugar and tea business. His main business is to deliver the sugar and black tea produced in West Sail Port to Triumph City and the ports controlled by the Southern Legion. He also occasionally acts as a slave trader.
According to the original plan, his fleet should set off in the morning to the "Eternal Night Port" of the Southern Legion on the southernmost side of the great desert, and then detour to the west of the Central Continent to bring the finest tea and sugar cubes back to Triumph City.
port.
However, plans cannot keep up with changes.
Just yesterday, a piece of news was announced from the Governor's Office, making the entire Weiland businessmen in West Sailor Port excited!
The legion's expedition to Haiya Province is over, and a large amount of equipment stranded on the front lines is on sale!
As long as you spend 10,000 dinars to purchase a voucher from the governor's office and pay a certain amount of deposit, you can pack and transport the treasures piled up in the Haiya Province at an ultra-low price of less than 10,000 dinars per ton.
!
The only requirement of the Governor's Office of Saifan Port is that these arms purchased through vouchers must be transported back to Saifan Port!
And the target of the sale must be the West Sailing Port Arms Reserve Bureau or the Empire!
Although this condition means that the selling price will be suppressed to a certain extent, it still cannot stop the enthusiasm of the Weiland merchants in Xifan Port.
After all, the price of less than 10,000 dinars per ton is so good, it’s almost like giving it for free!
They have been doing business for so many years, but they have never seen arms being sold by the pound!
Even if all the good stuff has been picked out and only some bullets are left, the profit is still more than 50%.
And if you can buy the Conqueror Tank of the Eastern Legion, your profit will be doubled!
Of course, Arman would not miss such a lucrative deal. Although he did not have the means to engage in arms trading, did this kind of business with closed eyes require any means?
What's more, if it doesn't work, you can still sell it to the Weapons Reserve Bureau in Saifan Port, so you don't have to worry about it falling on your hands.
Praise to His Majesty the US Marshal!
Praise Governor Huye!
This is almost obvious, the Governor's Office of Saipan Port sent them a New Year's gift!
However, what a coincidence is that Arman is obviously not the only one who thinks so.
The entire Saifan Port was like crazy, and the berths of the piers were packed to the brim.
The workers on the dock had just filled the boat with their front feet, and they didn't even have time to take a bite of dry food. They were immediately urged by the supervisors to unload the goods into the warehouse. If they were slower, they would be whipped.
But even so, in the face of the strong loading and unloading demand, the hard work of the coolies still seems to be a drop in the bucket.
The slaves themselves are to blame. After all, they are so hard-working and so cheap that the port of West Sail Port cannot use electrified loading and unloading equipment. In case of such a demand peak, the only option is to
Push yourself again.
Because there were so many ships rushing to unload, the port office and "labor agencies" had to go to nearby manors and plantations to mobilize a group of slaves and serfs.
Looking at the busy dock, the bearded captain said with a frown.
"At this rate, I'm afraid we won't leave until tomorrow morning."
Arman couldn't help but said.
"It's too slow. We have to hit the road today anyway!"
The captain's brows twitched fiercely and he looked at him with a wry smile.
"I understand your eagerness to make a fortune, but... you also have to consider the reality."
"Reality?" Arman put down his sleeves and looked at the captain with sharp eyes, "I tell you what reality is! Boxes and bundles of munitions are piled in Haiya Province, and they are weapons of the regular army! The one to the east
You losers have never been so generous! Merchant ships from the entire route are running there. If we get there late, we won’t even be able to drink soup!"
Facing that aggressive gaze, the captain swallowed.
"Okay, even if these coolies can unload the cargo before dark, should we go with an empty ship?"
"That's right, let's go with an empty boat!" Armen interrupted him without hesitation, and continued with an excited look, "Except for supplies, we don't need to bring anything with us! There is no time for us to hesitate.
In the past, we were not doing business, we were picking up money! Do you understand?"
When he said this, Armen softened his tone and patted his captain on the shoulder.
"Prepare as I told you, this deal is indispensable for your benefit... I can assure you that your share of this deal will be at least 1 million dinars!"
Upon hearing this generous reward, the captain subconsciously held his breath and nodded his neck unconsciously.
"good……"
One million dinars!
The captain’s ransom was not that high!
Compared with this property, going home to celebrate the New Year is nothing.
Watching the captain leave, Arman continued to cast his gaze at the Lion Clan foreman beside him, and his smile as warm as the spring breeze immediately fell.
"How long will it take to vacate my fleet?"
Faced with the urging of the Wilante man in front of him, Najib wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a smile on his face.
"I'll ask the supervisors to push again and try to make it before tomorrow -"
"As much as possible?"
Arman raised his eyebrows, stared at him, and said word for word, "I don't care what method you use, you must unload all the goods before dark!"
As soon as Najib heard this, the sweat that he had just wiped suddenly broke out from his forehead again.
"Sky, it's before dark, but sir, it's only three hours until dark -"
"That's your business." Arman said coldly without even looking at him, "The maximum extension is until eight o'clock in the evening. If you can't do it, I can only talk to your boss - or rather
My partner chatted.”
Hearing these words, Najib felt a faint chill on his back.
Although he is from the Lion Clan, he is just a commoner, nothing compared to those big shots with titles.
Therefore, even though this request sounded a bit too much, he could only grit his teeth and say it bravely.
"I'll find some more people..."
"Go ahead."
Armen waved his hand impatiently and shooed the guy away like a fly.
Facts have proven that urging is still effective.
Under the desperate urging of the overseers, the slaves exerted all their strength and actually vacated the last two ships before the sun sank below the sea level.
Najib was anxiously preparing to ask Lord Arman for credit, but was blocked by the crowd in front of the pier.
I saw a group of coolies forming a circle on the small dock. In the middle, a skinny guy was lying on the ground, twitching and foaming at the mouth.
This guy is really too thin, and his skin has been tanned black and red by the sun, looking like a smoked sausage.
Najib pushed his way into the middle of the crowd and kicked the guy on the ground. Seeing that he had stopped moving, he looked at the dock workers next to him and asked.
"What's wrong with this guy?"
A tall and thin man lowered his head and said.
"His name is Orissa——"
Before he could finish his words, he was whipped on the forehead and staggered back a few steps. Fortunately, a worker next to him held his arm and prevented him from falling into the sea.
Blood seeped out from the opened flesh, covering his eyes and half of his face. It was shocking to see.
The man seemed stunned. He touched his forehead and stood there in a daze, unable to recover.
"Who cares what his name is? Drag him off the pier for me! Damn it! Don't you know how busy we are today? Don't be stuck here!" Najib cursed and yelled, whipping the whip in his hand.
Pointing his finger, he shouted back all the workers surrounding him.
The crowd blocking the dock finally dispersed, and the port returned to its usual busyness.
After taking a look at the wooden box that had sunk into the sea, the corners of Najib's mouth twitched in pain.
What a pity for the fine tea...
One pack can cover half of his salary.
Fortunately, he did not need to compensate for the lost goods. These big shots had already anticipated the clumsiness of these roughnecks, and the loss of one or two boxes of goods was within the acceptable range.
Otherwise, even if you sell him, you won’t be able to afford the compensation...
The reprimanded laborers carried the poor man named Orisa to the labor registration office. This was a routine procedure. The dead had to cross out their names, otherwise they would be considered runaway slaves and the whole family would suffer.
The staff at the registration office checked the list and found that this guy was not a slave at all, but a free citizen.
Of course, he was just surprised.
After all, free people without land may not necessarily live more comfortably than slaves.
Especially if the former has a family to support, there may be dirt in his stomach.
"Are there any of his family members here too?"
Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads, saying they didn't know where this poor guy lived.
The staff didn't bother to bother. When they heard that there were no relatives here, they closed the registration book in their hands.
"Let his family come."
One worker really couldn't bear it and asked in a low voice.
"...What should I do with this person?"
The staff member rolled his eyes.
"You're already dead. Just find a place to bury it and see if you can survive."
As he spoke, he continued to urge.
"Move out quickly, don't stop here and get in the way."
The two guards stared straight at this side, and the workers who brought Orissa here could only carry the body out again.
A group of people stood on the street confused not knowing where to go, wondering in a few words whether to go to his family first or find a place to bury him.
After all, people have to be buried in the end. Isn’t that piece of red soil in the suburbs prepared for this?
Everyone sympathized with Orissa's plight and couldn't help but be surprised that this usually silent old guy was actually a free citizen who had redeemed himself.
No wonder he works so hard!
Some people had envious expressions on their faces.
After all, if you die as a slave, you will get nothing. However, if you die as a freeman, your family will at least receive compensation.
Although 800 dinars is not much, it is already a huge amount of money for them.
This is one of the few benefits that Vaillant has secured for them.
However, although some people were envious, others looked towards the port with hatred.
Most of these people are believers who have converted to the Silver Moon Sect.
Most of them are listeners of the "Silver Gospel", and most of them have heard "Boer the Awakened" translated and recited by Mr. Melgio, the pastor from Silver Moon Bay.
That is their enlightenment reading material.
Although they have never been to Boulder City, they clearly remember how the people there did it.
Perhaps his anger reached the extreme, and a ray of fire finally burst out from the suppressed silence.
"Look, these are the so-called 'free people'..."
A hoarse voice floated out of the crowd, and a tall and thin man walked out.
He was the man who had been whipped on the dock earlier.
A shocking scar was printed on his forehead, dyeing the white gauze red.
Seeing the ferocious appearance, people couldn't help but take two steps back, with expressions of fear on their faces.
The man didn't stop, his hoarse voice gradually became hysterical, completely releasing the anger in his chest.
"They took everything from us and put a label on it! One thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand... Siren coins or dinars, go and buy it! With our blood, with our sweat, go
Buy what belongs to us! Let’s achieve their greatness and wisdom!”
"Then... when we finally buy back what originally belonged to us, and when they finally drain the last drop of our blood, we can lie down in the red soil like Orissa."
There was silence all around.
The hopeless fate was so oppressive that it was suffocating.
What's the point of working so hard if there's nothing left to commemorate in the end?
What free people...
That plump bait was a scam from the beginning!
Perhaps it was the silence of the people that gave him the courage to continue speaking. He clenched his fists tightly and tortured his soul to the people watching around him.
"Tell me! Why should we buy something that belongs to us!"
"But what can we do..."
Finally, a suppressed complaint came from the crowd, breaking the silent silence.
Looking at the restless crowd, the man did not flinch. Instead, his mind became hot and he shouted.
"What can we do! Bol has told us what to do! We must unite!"
"Then what?"
This time he didn't speak because someone in the crowd shouted for him.
"No need to ask! Of course we are going to take back what belongs to us!"
Angry roars and filial piety arise one after another, and the emotion of revenge is superimposed in the contagion.
The growing numbers blunted fear, and the thousand pillars that sealed their courage seemed to disappear.
Even the most timid person has an expression of rage on his face at this moment——
And hatred!
"This is not over yet!"
"That's right!"
"Orissa cannot die in vain!"
"They must pay!"
The chatter became louder and louder, and finally attracted the guards in the port area.
Although these guards rarely enter the slums outside the port area to enforce the law, this is a special period after all. There is a shortage of people everywhere in the entire dock. How can so many people be allowed to gather here to make noise.
Leading the guards was the foreman Najib. He held the whip he had used before tightly in his hand and shouted loudly to the workers gathered together.
"What are you doing here! It takes so long to lift someone? Why don't you go back to work quickly!"
Everyone was getting emotional, and someone in the crowd shouted.
"We quit!"
"Quit? Haha! I turned against you!" Najib raised his eyebrows and swung the whip in his hand. However, he did not hit the booing guy. Instead, he hit a passerby who was watching the fun.
The man's eyeballs were blown out.
I saw him kneeling down in pain, covering his eyes, and blood was flowing all over the floor.
Seeing the blood, the crowd was in an uproar. Thousands of people gathered on the road, shouting and surrounding Najib.
He had never seen such a scene before. Najib was also startled and couldn't help but take a step back.
But he soon discovered that he had given up too early.
Hearing a "pop" sound of gunfire from behind, the guard holding the Ripper rifle fired several shots directly into the sky without saying a word.
"Pop-pa-!"
The sound of the gunshot was like cold water poured on a soldering iron, extinguishing all the hot emotions with a sizzling sound.
This is not Boulder after all.
Boer is not from Borneo.
People who were excited a second ago showed fear on their faces and fled in all directions. In a moment, the streets were cleared.
Najib was also stunned for a moment, then smiled coyly and looked at the officer with a high nose behind him.
"Hehe... Sir, I said, these guys are as timid as mice and can't cause any big trouble."
The Valeant officer glanced at him contemptuously and loaded his rifle in silence.
He was a member of the Southern Legion and had been a colonial guard for more than ten years. He had suppressed Baodong at least two or three times. The most intense one forced them to bring out all the 902mm heavy artillery.
The situation here is indeed rare. Once the gunshot is fired, it is over without anyone dying.
Of course he was very satisfied.
but--
It just made him look down upon to some extent.
…
The night in Xifan Port is gradually getting darker, and the evening wind blowing from the sea to the port is slightly cold.
The commotion at the entrance of the Labor Registration Office did not affect the busyness here at all.
The pier is still busy with people coming and going, and the sparkling display windows are still magnificent.
The phrase "We quit" was like a joke.
I just felt sorry for the passerby who had his eyeball popped out. He couldn't find anyone to express his grievances to.
Finally, everything was ready to set off. Standing at the port, Arman was reluctant to say goodbye to his family.
"...It's my birthday soon, so I can't wait until the festival is over before going." The little girl in a floral dress raised her lips slightly, and her dark brown hair was tied into a princess braid, just like a real princess.
Same.
The second weekend in January every year is Birthday Day, which is a more important festival than the New Year for the people of Wilant.
It is said that that was the day they were born and the beginning of all glory and legend.
It is precisely for this reason that no matter how busy they are, people in Weiland will choose to take this day off and stay with their families.
Armen had planned this, and even planned to return to Triumph City to attend the birthday celebration.
But unfortunately, the big shots in Triumph City gave too much...
Arman touched his daughter's head and said dotingly.
"Be good, wait until dad comes back to bring you a gift."
"Well..." Ruby said reluctantly, "Your taste is too unique. How could you give your daughter a specimen of a mutant head?"
"Haha! Sorry! Dad didn't think well!"
Arman smiled and picked up his lovely daughter, making her giggle and spin around in the air several times before placing her back on the ground.
He gently scratched his daughter's nose and continued in a doting tone.
"Then what gift would my lovely Ruby want?"
Ruby's eyes sparkled and she said immediately.
"I want to go and play with sister Ansuya!"
Ansuya is the daughter of Earl Sharma.
The latter is a well-known nobleman in Shizhou. Not only does he own a plantation of more than 100,000 acres in the outer suburbs of Xifan Port, but he also has an extremely wide social circle in Tiandu. He is also a business partner of Arman.
people.
Whenever discussing business, Arman would bring his daughter with him.
Ruby didn't know how big the Ansuya family's manor was, and she didn't care much about it, but she was deeply impressed by the maze-like garden.
Every time she went there with her father, she would pull Ansuya and hide and seek with other children in the manor.
Upon hearing such a simple request, Arman lovingly touched his daughter's head.
"Okay! Dad will take you there when you get back!"
After a pause, he smiled and said again.
"Of course, daddy still has to bring gifts...my lovely Ruby will stay at home and look forward to it!"
Speaking of which, when the trip was over, he happened to be planning to contact Earl Sharma to see if he could use some power to make this batch of goods more valuable.
When the time comes, just take your daughter with you to disturb that guy.
"come back quickly!"
The little girl stood up on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, then ran back to her mother's side.
Gently patting her daughter's hand, Margery looked at her husband lovingly, with a charming smile on her face.
"be careful on the road."
"Don't worry! It's not my first time running this route! Wait for me good news!"
After giving his wife a kiss, Arman grinned and stood back on the dock with his suitcase.
"See you next month! Wait for me!"
After saying that, he turned back in three steps and followed his captain and all his men onto the deck, following the long sound of the air whistle as they drifted away.
At the same time, on the street less than 500 meters away from the pier, a mother and daughter arrived at the door of the Labor Registration Office.
Since the dock does not recruit female workers, few women will appear here.
Unless there is a situation...
People moved out of the way unconsciously. The stooped woman said thank you, held the little girl's hand tightly, and hurriedly walked to the counter.
The staff member who was on duty before had already got off work. This time, a young man with slicked back hair was sitting here, eating melon seeds and talking and laughing with his colleagues next to him.
Many young aristocrats who are neither high nor low like to send their children to work here.
After all, Tiandu is too far away for them, but the Weiland people in the port area are right in front of them.
Especially for positions in the labor registration office, I often deal with Weirant people.
If you can be appreciated by the people of Weiland, it will be equivalent to reaching the sky in one step!
The little girl stood on tiptoes, stuck her head out from under the counter, and spoke before her mother.
"Where's my dad?"
Hearing that timid voice, the young man turned his head over with a smile and asked.
"Your father? Who is your father?"
The little girl continued.
"Orissa...he is very tanned, and the pastor of Moon Church said his lungs are not very good and he is always coughing."
Worried that the staff member didn't know what her father looked like, she tried hard to trace his portrait with her hands.
However, because the description was too abstract, its only effect was to make the young man sitting behind the counter more and more impatient.
"Sorry... to disturb you."
The stooped woman was much more silent. She first grabbed her daughter to signal her to stop talking, then found a crumpled paper coupon and hurriedly put it on the table.
That's proof of identity.
Her husband earned it through his illness, and it was also the only thing that proved that they had no master.
Seeing this certificate, the impatience on the young man's face softened a little. He turned over the name list and compared it with the name on the certificate, and sure enough he found the name Orissa.
"They are the workers who registered here last month."
"This name sounds familiar... Oh, it's the one that was sent just now!"
The colleague sitting next to him thought about it, then smiled and opened the drawer, took out a wallet that had been wrapped in advance and threw it on the counter.
"I was just talking to you about this! It's the old guy who exhausted himself to death..."
Hearing the "clang" sound, both mother and daughter were stunned, and there was a buzzing in their ears.
The stooped woman's lips moved, and finally she silently put away the bag of money and kept it tightly in her hands.
At that moment, her body seemed to shrink even smaller.
Not wanting to stay here for a second, she took her daughter's hand and hurriedly left the counter, escaped from the suffocating atmosphere, and went to the street outside.
The evening breeze blowing from the port area is extremely cold.
Looking at her mother with her dark eyes, the girl asked in a low voice.
"Where's dad..."
Her mother, who usually responded to her, did not speak this time. She just quickened her pace and pulled her towards home. Her gently trembling shoulders seemed to be suppressing something.
As if she finally understood where her father had gone, the little girl lowered her head and said nothing, but she did not cry. She just held her mother's calloused hand tightly.
Her father always hoped that she would become sensible as soon as possible. She was always confused about what being sensible meant, but now she seemed to finally understand a little bit.
She also has two brothers who are much younger than her.
She has to learn to be strong.
The mother and daughter passed by the Silver Moon Church's church, like a drop of water falling before a storm, quietly blending into the silent night.
Standing at the door of the shabby church, Melgio looked at the injured workers and sighed softly, and worked with other priests to bandage the wounds of these poor people.
He wanted to help these poor people.
But he was also worried about whether he had harmed them.
"Goddess Silver Moon... please protect your poor believers and protect them from misfortunes and disasters."
Please also protect me and don’t make mistakes I regret...
His index finger touched the silver moon hanging on his chest, he chanted softly in his mouth and prayed devoutly in his heart.
He always has an unknown premonition.
Something big is going to happen at Saifan Port...