Chapter 431

It has already been mentioned that in the Servia Kingdom, especially for nobles at the bottom of the pyramid like "Barons."

Titles are not linked to fiefdoms.

Taking Baron Faluo as an example.

While he also held the title of "Baron," compared to those local powerhouses in the inland regions, he neither had his own subjects nor the qualification to dictate the life and death of local commoners like a local emperor, and his income was a huge step behind.

On the surface, he owned a rather luxurious three-story mansion in the White Cliff District, lived a life of luxury, and traveled with a dedicated carriage and guards, appearing very respectable. But compared to the Barons in the inland regions who lived in towering fortresses and vast manors, with crowds of servants and even bathing in milk, he paled in comparison.

Of course, it was not without its benefits.

After all, one was a remote countryside where one couldn't even see a few professionals, while the other was an important kingdom port city where a branch of the Adventurer Association was located; the living environments were completely different.

And on the other hand, although low-level nobles like Baron Faluo did not have their own fiefdoms, their noble status and titles destined them not to sell their physical labor for gold coins like the laborers at the Broken Wave Pier.

Under normal circumstances, they would hold some high-paying, high-power important positions in town.

If they had good ability and a certain degree of ambition, they would enter the official promotion system of the Shoal Bay Governor's Office from a very high starting point;

If their ability was average and they didn't want to climb higher, they could basically drift until retirement in some well-paid, idle, and relaxed secondary position.

Baron Faluo belonged to the former.

Born into a military family and having received an elite education from a young age, his ability went without saying; it was just that because his personality was not so smooth, his promotion speed was relatively slow.

But even so, his own status as a "Baron" still allowed him to become the Chartered Approval Officer of the Shoal Bay Governor's Office at the age of forty-two.

The job title alone might not reveal much, but if one listed the content of his work, anyone with a certain sensitivity to the official ecosystem could see the gold content within:

1. Responsible for issuing franchises for fishing, mining, salt fields, and shipbuilding;

17. Responsible for pier construction expansion permits, exclusive sales rights for specific commodities, and temporary charters for shipwreck salvage;

3. Reviewing the qualifications of permit applicants, investigating and assessing local resource stocks, and setting the commission ratios for franchise operators...

There were many others besides these.

But just these three items listed were enough to prove the high authority of this so-called "Chartered Approval Officer."

To put it bluntly, if one had even the slightest evil intent, given the scale and prosperity of Shoal Bay, the grease one could scrape from this one position alone was likely more than the combined total of an inland local tycoon's entire fiefdom.

Haiyin's connection with Baron Faluo stemmed from this.

As a Druid of the Coral Society, her core philosophy was to maintain the ecological balance of the ocean.

Even though her strength was average now, she was at least a Lv3 professional, and she had been assigned by the organization to protect a coral reef located southwest of Shoal Bay.

But at the same time, she was also an adventurer, and because of her nature as a spellcaster, she held a near-core status in her team and often needed to go out on missions.

Under these circumstances, she naturally couldn't live by the sea for long periods to guard the coral reef like those professional Gravediggers.

With this as a premise, through the channels of the Three-Footed Sea Dog, Haiyin and Baron Faluo reached a cooperation.

The Baron took a fancy to the Coral Society behind Haiyin; after all, sitting in the position of "Chartered Approval Officer," the more interests he had with various forces, the more stable he could sit. At the same time, it could be considered an investment in a spellcaster like Haiyin, hoping for a return after she grew up in the future;

Haiyin, on her side, could receive regular financial aid to support her in hiring professionals to guard the coral reef, avoiding large-scale destruction or pollution.

Even the sea area where the coral reef was located was, under the Baron's behind-the-scenes manipulation, included in a franchise area that would never be developed, enjoying a "fishing moratorium" during specific seasons every year, and restricting coral collection and prohibiting destructive fishing of reef organisms.

Haiyin could not be anything but grateful for Baron Faluo's help to her.

At the same time, she also knew clearly that if something happened to the other party, or if he even stepped down from the "Chartered Approval Officer" position, his successor... might not necessarily be as easy to talk to as the Baron.

Now, hearing the rumor that the Baron's daughter had been abducted, she naturally could not remain indifferent.

"Is the news accurate?"

Haiyin suddenly stopped and asked Xia Nan with a serious expression.

"It shouldn't be wrong." Xia Nan nodded, "I learned about the situation from Hela at the Three-Footed Sea Dog earlier, and now the relevant commission has also been posted on the mission wall in the association hall."

"It's not certain that she was really attacked by someone, but her daughter's disappearance is definitely true."

Upon hearing this, a thick layer of anxiety appeared on Haiyin's cold, pale face, and her body turned as if she were about to go back to the association immediately to learn the details of the mission.

But the next second, she suddenly hesitated again.

Frowning and biting her lip, she then stomped her foot fiercely, caught up to Xia Nan in a few steps, and continued to move in the original direction, but her pace was significantly faster.

"I need to go back to the tavern first to explain the situation to the captain and the others; after all, this is an unplanned accident, and acting alone will inevitably lead to accidents."

She explained proactively, as if talking to herself.

To this, Xia Nan did not express an opinion, his expression noncommittal.

He naturally would not get involved in this event.

Haiyin was just a trader he had just met, not even a friend; he had only met the Baron and his daughter once and had never spoken a word to them, and he had only learned the name "Baron Faluo" later through the mouths of others.

Although the 500 gold intelligence fee on the association commission was quite eye-catching, and Xia Nan did indeed need sufficient funds to forge equipment and renovate his pirate ship, his savings of over three thousand gold coins were likely enough, so he wasn't overly desperate. The most important thing right now was to wait for Hela to introduce her channels to him so he could obtain the connection to participate in the "Moon Tide Feast."

Unless there was something more tempting than gold coins, he mainly held a wait-and-see attitude toward this "Baron's Daughter Disappearance" event and would not join rashly.

Pondering this in his heart, Xia Nan did not stop his feet and returned to the Three-Footed Sea Dog tavern with the other party.

But unexpectedly, after only walking for another two or three minutes, he suddenly saw a few familiar figures by the side of the street.

And following a short burst of commotion, they disappeared into the shadows of the nearby alley.

His footsteps paused, and his eyebrows lifted slightly.

Jieli felt that today was quite unfavorable.

He knew that he had once been just a small-time hoodlum, and even having the nickname "Blood-Nosed Rat" was only because of his previous miserable experiences, not because he had achieved any impressive feats worth singing about.

But today is different from the past.

The current him, to a certain extent, could be considered a member of the Shark Gang.

Even though he hadn't been taken to meet the brothers in the gang one by one, he had just taken the risk to keep watch for those gang bosses not long ago and had already obtained their promise.

Once this matter was completely over, he would truly become a member of the Shark Gang.

And no one would ever dare to look down on him again!

As for the possibility of being swindled...

On one hand, Jieli didn't think those big shots in the Shark Gang had any need to deceive a small hoodlum like him;

On the other hand, if they were really cheating him, wouldn't they just kick him away after the job was done? How could they possibly give him that thing as a reward?

Thinking of this, a daydreaming smile appeared on Jieli's face involuntarily, and his right hand subconsciously reached toward his waist.

Feeling the cold, hard touch from his fingertips, it was as if his bright future was also condensed here.

It's just a pity that, although he considered himself a member of the Shark Gang.

The merchants in the Saltwater District didn't seem to recognize him yet.