Chapter 566: Since Ancient Times, Goblin Bandits

In the days that followed, Xia Duo would either go to the Library to read or conduct his own research during the day, occasionally visiting the administrative office of the Seven Cities Council to inquire about the recruitment status of new residents for his territory.

Of course, a daily ritual was to glance at the port; while taking a walk, he would check to see if any fleet flying the flag of Daxia Territory had appeared.

As for the evenings, he would study Feierde's Spellbook together with Niya. By the time the end of the month approached, Feierde's Spellbook had been completely identified and had entered the true deciphering stage, yet the fleet still had not appeared.

Additionally, there were two major events at the end of the month: one was that the Elven Kingdom of Ilfarlan officially established diplomatic relations with Netheril, and at the same time, the New City District of Seventon would be expanded southward.

Rumors claimed that Ilfarlan was unwilling to use the same embassy district as Cormanthyr; besides building a new Trade District, the most important thing was the construction of the Ilfarlan Embassy.

However, this news had not been confirmed by the personnel in charge from the Seven Towers.

The other major event was one that Xia Duo considered significant himself: the Seven Cities Council issued a military operation, with the territories belonging to the Seven Towers Group launching a joint expedition, led personally by the Great Arcanist Badijiaer, to coordinate with the Danzo Dwarf Kingdom in clearing the Underground Passage.

Of course, if it were just that, Xia Duo would not think this matter had much impact; the key was that the Seven Cities Council had specifically formed an army for this operation, and it would be stationed in the Underground Passage from now on.

This had a different significance. It was also the first time Xia Duo learned that the Netherese had actually participated in the construction of the Underground Passage. Perhaps in the past, they had simply shelved the dispute, but now it was a different kind of "since ancient times."

Furthermore, what impact the Underground Passage would have on maritime trade routes was also a matter worth studying.

Of course, this was not within Xia Duo's field of research.

……

At noon that day, after finishing his meal, Xia Duo did not return directly to Giles Tower, but took a detour, intending to head to Severton West Port to take a look; most ships coming from the south docked there.

It had been over a month since the territory's fleet set sail. Compared to the previous round trip which only took two months, this trip had taken quite a bit longer.

Of course, considering the actual situation, traveling from Nan Jing to Seventon required passing through multiple rivers, most of which were upstream; only in winter when the water flow was gentle could they arrive within a month.

And now, May, also known as the Melting Snow Month, was already at the end of the month, entering spring; the water flow had increased, so the corresponding voyage time had to be extended somewhat.

Generally speaking, anything within two months was considered normal. Although Xia Duo was a bit anxious, he was not so worried that he couldn't let it go.

……

Although Seventon was considered the capital of Netheril, strictly speaking, it was actually the territory of the Seven Towers Group. The massive flow of people gathered for the Snow Melting Competition naturally dispersed again after the competition ended.

Without the large number of outsiders, not to mention the Old City District, even the New City District appeared slightly deserted, at least somewhat inconsistent with the title of a capital.

Passing through the Trade District and arriving at the West Port, Xia Duo finally felt a hint of prosperity. Of course, the entire population of Netheril was only a few million, and they were distributed across a vast land.

No matter how prosperous this place was, it might not be as prosperous as an ordinary small town in Xia Duo's hometown. For Xia Duo to say "a hint of prosperity" by the standards of Earth was already quite rare.

"Eh—"

Seeing the familiar Daxia flag from afar, Xia Duo's eyes couldn't help but brighten, and his originally casual pace, meant for a post-meal stroll, couldn't help but quicken.

Upon reaching the pier, he could already see the full view of the six cargo ships lined up neatly. It was not yet past noon, and there were still crew members on the decks eating while chatting and looking around.

Of course, there were also a few soldiers on guard at the pier, wearing the standard Leather Armor of Savile Territory, which was very conspicuous.

Transporting hundreds of people in one trip, without soldiers to keep order, Xia Duo would not be at ease at all. He had borrowed two squads of soldiers from Savile Territory to protect the ships.

Besides the ordinary soldiers, there were also a few mages hired by the chamber of commerce, such as Hans and Silaiwen; they were all Official Mages and could basically handle most situations.

Xia Duo did not see the mages outside. If they were not resting in the cabins, they should have gone to Seventon to sightsee. However, Xia Duo was not familiar with them, and perhaps even if he met them outside the port, he wouldn't recognize them.

"Ah—Lord Xia Duo! Why are you here?"

As soon as he approached, Xia Duo was spotted by a soldier. Immediately after, the other soldiers reacted as well, coming over one after another to salute.

Xia Duo waved his hand, letting them take him onto the ship. However, one soldier had already run back ahead to call people. By the time Xia Duo boarded the "Lucky Owen," Old Ouwen was already waiting on the deck.

Besides him, there was also Chairman Masa of the Silaiwen Chamber of Commerce. He hadn't expected him to come personally on this trip.

"Chairman Masa, Captain Ouwen, long time no see. Was the journey smooth?"

"Your Lordship's reputation has already reached the Inner Land. As we sailed along, as long as they knew we were from Daxia Territory, no one gave us any trouble." Masa smiled and flattered him.

However, Xia Duo was not surprised by this. One of the events in the Snow Melting Competition had come from his own hand, and it had even allowed Netheril to win by a large margin; it would be strange if he had no reputation at all.

It was just that he saw Old Ouwen looking like he had something to say, so he asked again, "Captain Ouwen, do you have something to say?"

"My Lord, when we passed through Maihete Lake, we encountered a group of Goblin bandits. Although they were eventually wiped out, I am worried that we might encounter more when we return."

Maihete Lake, Xia Duo was no stranger to it. It was a large lake that one had to pass through to get from Nan Jing to Seventon, far larger than the small lake dug out by Savile Territory to widen river channels and build ports.

Goblin bandits were something Xia Duo heard about often; sometimes, even lone Goblins would run over to Savile Territory. However, the strength of Goblins was very weak; a fully armed regular soldier could easily take on two or three in a one-on-one fight.

Moreover, the larger the number, the easier they were to crush, because Goblins had no civilization and were a chaotic mess, only capable of fighting when they had the upper hand. Aside from having slightly higher Wisdom, they could basically be regarded as a strengthened version of a Goblin.

Of course, this was on land. If it were in the water, ordinary humans basically couldn't beat Goblins; after all, they were considered an aquatic species and had an innate advantage over humans.

Thinking for a moment, Xia Duo asked again: "Did the Goblins have any Spellcasters?"

"This—" Old Ouwen hesitated for a moment and did not give a definitive answer, only saying, "We would have to ask the Mage lords on the ship about that."

"Then where are they?"

"They went ashore to drink!"

"……"

However, they were not his own subordinates after all, so Xia Duo could only look at Masa, "Chairman Masa, look—"

Masa immediately understood, "I will send someone to find them and bring them back immediately!"

"Go."

"Yes."

Watching Masa quickly get off the "Lucky Owen" and board another ship, Xia Duo turned back and asked Ouwen, "When did you arrive in Seventon? Have you been to the Council yet?"

"My Lord, we arrived yesterday afternoon. I'm not too clear about the Council side; that is all handled by Chairman Masa."

Xia Duo nodded. The task of handing over and transporting the new residents was indeed something he had entrusted to those three chambers of commerce. Moreover, strictly speaking, of these six ships, only the "Lucky Owen" and one other newly purchased ship belonged to Xia Duo.

As for the personnel, only the people on the Lucky Owen could be considered Xia Duo's residents.

The relationship of the other personnel was still with Savile Territory. Of course, if they wanted to transfer over, it would just be a matter of a word from Xia Duo.

It was just that the current Daxia Territory had no commercial atmosphere at all. Even if the other party joined, the work they did would be the same as it was now, and he didn't want to force the three chambers of commerce to join; as long as they could be used, that was enough.