Chapter 306: I won. I want to start counting from whichever year I choose, so I will start from

Perhaps it was the good luck brought by Saint Xisi; ever since the warship "Grace" arrived in the waters near Deadwood Port, the docks here had not known a moment of peace.

Merchant ships, driven by the great storm to flee in all directions, had discovered this unfamiliar continent one after another.

And they only needed to cruise along the coastal area for a bit, or ask the fishing Tide-kin Lizardmen for directions, to find this port located on the northern coast.

This port was just like its name; it looked exactly like a piece of rotting wood lying on the beach, and every single place from the docks to the port's buildings was written through with sloppiness.

But even so, for those ships that had just broken free from the vast ocean's vortex, this place could be considered a "Sacred Blessed Land" bestowed upon them by Saint Xisi for rest.

Just like that, ship after ship, dragging broken sails and twisted masts, swayed into the harbor amidst the gray morning mist, like ghosts returning to their nest.

Some had only half a hull left, others couldn't even hang their ship flags, yet they still struggled stubbornly on the crests of the waves, relying on their last bit of power and the sailors' will to slide into the seaport that used only a few wooden piles as docks.

Baron Titch stood on a wooden crate at the port, hands on his hips, his cloak snapping in the wind, his face brimming with an enthusiastic smile.

"Welcome to Deadwood Port! I am the baron here, enfeoffed by the respected Prince Luo Ke of the Kexi family!"

Facing the sailors panting on the beach, he benevolently opened his arms and continued with a smile.

"... No matter where you come from or where you are going, whether you are poor or rich, as long as you still have hands, there is food to eat and a place to stay here."

He truly did not break his promise.

As long as they were willing to work, whether it was repairing bridges and roads, moving cargo, or logging in the forest, Captain Kaidesen, the biggest "foreman" under Baron Titch, would personally arrange tasks for them, as well as work sheds and hot porridge... ensuring everyone had endless work to do.

As for those who were unwilling to labor, they would not be driven away; they could pay silver coins to obtain food and lodging.

If they had no money, they could use goods as collateral.

However, if they used goods as collateral, it would definitely be a "bone-deep discount," like "selling finished textiles for the price of raw wool" or "selling rum for the price of sugarcane."

Actually, this was nothing.

The small Deadwood Port couldn't digest such massive amounts of cargo anyway, let alone have a treasury with infinite purchasing power. If Baron Titch was willing to take their things, they were already thanking the heavens.

After all, if this noble master didn't take them, the final fate of these goods might just be to benefit the fish and shrimp in the sea, and they wouldn't even get a single copper coin back.

The only thing the captains complained about was one thing: the prices for food and lodging here were outrageously high!

And credit was not allowed!

"This price is enough to stay at the largest hotel in the Shengcheng for a whole week!" Looking at the price written on the wooden sign, a man wearing a captain's hat couldn't help but mutter.

"Then why didn't you go to the Shengcheng instead of coming here?" Rolling his eyes at this idiotic question, Kaidesen slid his finger down the list. "Next."

The man who looked like a captain gritted his teeth, but in the end, he still put the silver coins he hadn't even warmed up yet into the hat on the counter beside him, took the key from Kaidesen's hand, and left.

On the shallow beach not far away, looking at those rows of damaged sailing ships lying across the water, Titch quickly smelled a business opportunity again.

He set up a sign in the most conspicuous position at the port, on which was written "Port Ship Repair Workshop."

Repairing a ship with a broken mast started at a price of 500 silver coins, and repairing a steam boiler would require adding another zero.

This was undoubtedly extortion!

But the captains had no choice but to accept it.

After all, not only was the nearest port an unknown distance away, but they might not even be able to repair them there.

A storm of that scale didn't just affect the ships floating on the sea; it was hard to say how many intact ports remained in the entire eastern coastal region of the New Continent...

Just like that, relying on the ship repair business, Titch took another cut from the merchant ships that docked.

As for the work he received, he used the crystal ball given to him by His Majesty the Demon King to assign it to the "engineers of the Gutafu United Kingdom."

Those agile Lizardmen were very useful; they often repaired the paralyzed engines in a flash, sometimes even better than before the incident!

Because their technology was solid, although the many captains felt the pinch, considering that they could leave once the ship was repaired and could still make a profit selling tickets, they ultimately endured it.

Later, Titch heard from a captain who was about to leave that the price he set wasn't actually exaggerated; the colonies in the New Continent basically had this market rate.

And the engineers there had terrible skills; even after repairing, there were all sorts of problems, and they had to be repaired again after barely making it back to the Empire's mainland.

Realizing he had been deceived, Titch was silent for a long time, and in the end, he only sighed.

Those damn profiteers!

No wonder he went bankrupt!

Just like that, a week passed. Kaidesen flipped through the account book, looking at those rows of astonishing numbers, and was completely stunned.

"One week... we actually made a net profit of 100,000 silver coins?"

He stared blankly at the numbers, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

This money was enough to order a brand-new medium-sized cargo sailing ship with a capacity of 250 tons at the Royal Shipyard!

If buying second-hand, he could even buy a larger one equipped with a steam boiler!

"Very normal," Titch whistled. Recently, he hadn't been putting on noble airs in front of him, and he joked, "After all, it's a business with no capital."

Hiring those Lizardmen didn't cost money.

Just like when he opened a tavern by the sea, he only needed to pay them something called Nether Coins.

Captain Kaidesen closed the account book after verifying it and handed it to Titch with a face full of emotion.

"I've been working myself to the bone on the vast ocean, not eating or drinking for a hundred years, and I might not even be able to save up this much money... Being by your side, I've truly had my eyes opened."

Titch chuckled and said.

"Isn't that inevitable? That thing wasn't meant for you to buy at all. If you could afford it, it wouldn't be sold at this price."

"You really are a demon!" Captain Kaidesen couldn't help but curse.

Titch picked his ear with his little finger.

"What did you say? I didn't hear clearly."

Kaidesen's expression stiffened, and he quickly changed his words.

"I mean, you are simply a divine messenger sent to the mortal world by Saint Xisi to save us suffering castaways."

That's more like it!

Although it was completely not the case.

Titch wore an approving smile on his face, patted Kaidesen's shoulder with the hand he had just used to pick earwax, and shook the account book in his hand.

"I'm very happy you think so... In any case, I'll leave this place to you. If an accident happens, you know how to find me."

"Oh right, don't forget that you have a share of this money, so work hard."

After speaking, he ordered his lifeless soldiers to move the chests full of silver coins onto a trailer, then turned and mounted his horse, pacing toward the castle on the nearby hills.

By the way—

This purebred highland horse was also something he had cheaply acquired from an unlucky merchant guild to settle a debt. It was said that in the New Continent, one could sell for tens of thousands of silver.

Kaidesen nodded respectfully, watching this noble master who was throwing his weight around leave.

Not for anything else, just for that sentence "you have a share," this respected baron was worthy of the title "divine messenger."

At least in his heart, it was so.

Additionally, the sailors of the Traveler these days were no longer clamoring to leave.

Because Captain Kaidesen had become Baron Titch's steward and the "actual Viceroy" of Deadwood Port, their status had risen accordingly. Although they were still working, the work was much easier than before; they had all become foremen and were assigned separate wooden houses... although they had built those themselves in the first place.

But these weren't the main points. The main point was that it wasn't just stranded sailors landing at Deadwood Port, but also immigrants from the Old Continent.

Among them were many young ladies who were still shaken, or wives who had just lost their loved ones and needed a shoulder. In this isolated environment, these Traveler sailors with considerable income and housing had actually become the "hottest commodity."

It was that "single-plank bridge effect."

In normal times, no decent lady would ever look at these men who were homeless all day and didn't know when they would end up feeding the fish.

Even though most of them were poor people who couldn't make it in the Old Continent, which was why they took the ship to the New Continent.

This group of rough men had never seen such a situation, and they fell in minutes.

Some had already proposed to Captain Kaidesen that they intended to settle down in Deadwood Port, telling him not to take them when he left.

From now on, they were Jiana people.

The setting sun slanted, spilling residual gold onto the ridges of the wooden houses in Deadwood Port, dotting those moldy rotten woods into shining gold mines.

Just as Kaidesen was directing the foremen to distribute a new batch of food rations, a carrier pigeon with snow-white feathers and silver magic patterns wrapped around its leg ring suddenly landed silently on the windowsill of the "Viceroy's Office."

"Coo-coo—!"

It wasn't afraid of people either, and called out toward Kaidesen.

Kaidesen had no time to pay attention, waving his hand impatiently, trying to drive it away.

"Go, go, go, where did this seabird come from... If you don't get lost, I'll stew you."

The pigeon seemed to have become a spirit; it wasn't scared by him at all. Instead, it puffed out its chest, tapped the broken window that was about to be blown away by the wind with its claws impatiently, and even kicked off a nail that wasn't nailed down tightly.

Only then did Kaidesen realize this silly bird was not right. He quickly picked it up from the windowsill and soon discovered the letter tube tied to its leg.

He removed the letter tube, carefully untied it, and soon pulled out the letter paper stuffed inside.

He saw that the wrinkled letter paper was slightly damp, and a golden military emblem was branded at the bottom—a scepter and a sword crossed over a spire castle.

"... Saint Yier Castle? General Hamorton?"

He opened the letter paper, and after reading only two lines, he stood frozen on the spot.

【Respected Prince Luo Ke of the Kexi family:

I, Hamorton Joseph, on behalf of the Os Empire's Vast Ocean Fleet, extend my most sincere gratitude to you and Baron Titch Kexia of Deadwood Port!

Thanks to the protection of your port for the Grace, the soldiers and sailors of Saint Yier Castle were able to safely rest and return.

To thank you for the helping hand you extended to our army in times of distress, I will set off in seven days to personally visit and express my thanks!

I hope you do not mind my intrusion.

—Hamorton Joseph.

】

General Hamorton!

The commander of the landing battle at Sardo Port!

The legendary general awarded the title of "Imperial Griffin" by the Empire's Regent!

He was coming personally?! Coming here? Coming to this broken place?!

Captain Kaidesen's breathing became rapid in an instant, his face blooming with a rosy glow, just like seeing an idol in a newspaper.

"Hey! I'll leave this to you all, I have something to leave for a while!"

Throwing down this sentence, Kaidesen didn't stop for half a second. Clutching the letter tightly in his hand, he rushed out the door at almost a sprint, ran all the way up the hill, and arrived under the stone wall outside the fortress built of rocks.

Two lifeless Imperial sentries stood on the stone wall. They just glanced at him coldly and continued to be their statues.

Kaidesen didn't care at all. Standing below the fortress, he shouted upward at the top of his lungs:

"Respected—Master Kexia!! Good news!!!"

The wind blew his cloak into a mess, and the bangs wet with sweat stuck to his forehead. He was so excited he couldn't even catch his breath, waving the letter in his hand and shouting.

"A personal letter from General Hamorton!! He said he's coming to Deadwood Port—"

"The Empire, finally noticed us!!!"

In the camp in the center of the stone wall, the fragrance of food was thick.

A pot of thick soup made of air-dried meat, potatoes, and sauerkraut was bubbling. Titch had just torn off a piece of bread when he heard Kaidesen screaming outside the gate.

He almost choked on his own saliva, quickly put down the bowl, wiped his mouth messily, and walked hurriedly toward the city gate.

"Letter! Give it to me!"

The gate opened, and he pretended to be calm and reached out his hand.

Kaidesen didn't see the unnatural panic on his face and excitedly offered the letter.

"My lord! General Hamorton—"

"Alright, I know!" Titch interrupted him quickly, saying impatiently, "I will handle this matter. You go back and continue your work, don't bother me if there's nothing else."

Kaidesen was stunned for a moment, feeling that Master Titch's interest didn't seem high?

He wanted to say something else, but Titch had already turned around without a word, waving his hand to signal the soldiers standing by the gate to close it.

The gate closed!

The smile disappeared instantly.

Titch frowned, anxious like an ant on a hot pan, and hurried toward the depths of the camp while opening the letter.

On the other side of the camp, Lumier was sitting by the campfire, calmly reading a magic book full of obscure spells, without even raising his head.

He had obviously heard the sound outside the stone wall, but this guy actually had the leisure to study magic!

"Lumier." Titch walked to him, suppressing his temper, and whispered, "We have trouble!"

"Hmm?" Lumier responded casually, but didn't move his gaze from the book, as if he didn't care about the trouble in his mouth at all.

"General Hamorton is coming!" Looking at this guy who had no self-awareness, Titch shoved the letter in front of him and gritted his teeth. "Do you know who that is? The commander-in-chief of the eastern coast! A ruthless character who has been fighting the Netherworld for over a decade! He wants to see Prince Luo Ke of the Kexi family!"

Lumier finally closed the book, looked up at him, and said calmly.

"So what?"

Titch widened his eyes, his tone excited.

"So what? Did you hear what I said?! He has seen more demons than you and I combined. What if he discovers we are servants of His Majesty the Demon King?!"

He had confidence in fooling ordinary sailors, after all, he had seen more nobles than these bumpkins.

But running into a ruthless character like Hamorton...

With a guilty conscience, he would probably be exposed in a second.

"Even the sailors in the port who have lived and eaten with us for months haven't seen anything." Lumier stood up slowly, patted the dust off his robe, and looked at him. "Why do you think an Imperial general would be able to see through us in just the time it takes to eat a meal?"

"But, but the problem is he wants to see Prince Kexi! Where are we going to find that guy?" Titch whispered through gritted teeth, speaking quickly. "I'll just say it, that guy was made up by you, right?! It's fine if you fool those people outside, don't fool yourself!"

He had been here for so long, and hadn't even seen a shadow of that Kexi. Although no one had told him about this, he knew with his butt that it was just a cover!

Luo Ke Kexi?

There was no such person in this place at all!

Looking at Titch who was about to smoke from anxiety, Lumier was slightly stunned and looked at him with a strange expression.

"Didn't I say it?"

"Prince Kexi is our Demon King."

The air was quiet for a long time, with only the crackling of the campfire.

Titch froze on the spot for a long time, until a spark flew onto the tip of his nose, which woke him from his stupor.

Luo Ke Kexi is the Demon King...

"Ah?!"

In the distance, the Sun Staircase Mountains shrouded in night, cold wind swept across the cliffs, rolling up the scent of dry gravel and wormwood.

A figure wrapped in a pitch-black cloak stood on a protruding rock, a pair of amber vertical pupils taking in the busy coastline.

Ever since the Demon King left this place, Sarah would come here almost every night to watch for a while, returning to the camp in the deep mountains only late at night.

"Damn it... these hairless monkeys! Arrogant vermin! How dare they... just walk onto my territory so swaggeringly! It's truly... truly a great humiliation!"

A little female dragon whose wings hadn't grown hard and whose teeth hadn't fully grown squatted in Sarah's arms, biting the corner of Sarah's cloak in a fit of rage.

Sarah glanced at this restless young dragon, then moved her gaze away from her, her indifferent expression seeming too lazy to bother.

Just at this moment, a gentle and elegant voice suddenly drifted over from the shadow of the rock wall not far away.

"Oh? Then... before some vermin stepped onto this land, who did this land belong to?"

The cat ears standing on top of her head moved slightly, and Sarah turned around quickly, her indifferent expression melting away due to surprise.

"Demon King!"

She knelt on one knee, lowered her head respectfully to salute. Because the movement was too fast, Tafu, who was squatting in her arms, didn't sit steadily and was bumped out.

"Ouch—"

The young dragon who rolled twice on the ground let out a short cry of sorrow, rubbed her sore butt, shook her body, and stood up from the ground without temper.

Luo Yan stared at this little guy and looked her over, nodding with satisfaction.

It seems the magic potion recorded in the ancient books is a bit useful.

He had Sarah boil the medicine according to the recipe he gave, and feed it to this guy in the meat every day. In just half a month, she had actually gained more than three jin.

Following this trend, maybe she could be ridden in two years.

Stared at by Luo Yan's gaze, Tafu felt her heart hair-raising. She didn't know what he was thinking, and thought he was still brooding over her previous words, so she swallowed and said nervously.

"You, why are you so narrow-minded... I was talking about those people, not you. And, and... it was over a thousand years ago that humans ruled this land, why are you counting back so long."

Before she invented the Lizardmen, of course, humans lived here.

Although she also thought about denying this, the helpless thing was that she had already written it in the spaceship's log, and this guy happened to be able to understand "Dragon Language."

Thinking of this, Tafu's heart was full of regret.

If I had known, I wouldn't have written it!

Looking at Tafu who was dodging her eyes and lacking confidence, Luo Yan shrugged his shoulders and said in a calm tone.

"I won. I want to start counting from whichever year I choose, so I will start from—you should be glad that I actually don't care or mind your past at all, otherwise I could completely make the truth public and nail the name 'Gutafu' to the pillar of shame in history."

But that would do him no good at all. The shattered hope would not be transferred to him because of Gutafu's "death."

The Lizardmen of the Jiana Continent would completely move toward nihilism.

It's better to let Him stay on the throne like a kind-hearted elder.

"You guy..." Tafu held her breath, her small claws clenched, but in the end, she lowered her wings and gave in.

This vicious human had signed a familiar master-servant contract with her. At her current growth rate, she probably wouldn't be able to turn against him until a hundred years later.

Those who know the times are heroes—

She chose to admit defeat.

Luo Yan didn't continue to bother with this little ghost, but looked at Sarah who was kneeling on one knee, and said in a gentle tone.

"Get up... During the time I was away, did Alakdu work seriously?"

The cat ears on her head moved slightly, and Sarah stood up obediently, reporting meticulously.

"According to your instructions, Alakdu led his clansmen to dig a labyrinth with a construction area of about 1,000 square meters under the Sun Staircase Mountains... Including the connected natural caves, the labyrinth already has a considerable scale!"

"The labyrinth is designed after the Thunder County labyrinth, with rockfall traps, labyrinth corridors, poison mist traps, and drainage culverts in the shallow areas!"

"Currently, the entrance is set in the mountain stream at the southern foot, using the terrain to form natural cover. Unless detection magic is used, it is not easy to detect."

Luo Yan nodded with satisfaction.

"Not bad."

Sarah, who was praised, scratched her cheek with her index finger and said embarrassedly.

"I actually didn't do much... It was mainly Alakdu who was putting in the effort."

"You can't say that. You also have your value. No major chaos happened during the time I was away. This credit belongs to you." Luo Yan nodded with a smile, and continued in a gentle tone, "As for Alakdu, I will praise him later."

Speaking of which, ever since he got together with Lady Arachnos, this cave spider has become more and more proficient at digging holes.

It is indeed worth praising!

Sarah glanced at Luo Yan quietly and said in a low voice.

"Demon King."

"What's wrong?"

"You have already conquered this continent... Why do you still want to build a labyrinth here?" Looking at Luo Yan who seemed to be in a good mood, Sarah hesitated for a moment and finally asked the confusion in her heart.

In her understanding, the labyrinth in Thunder County was established by the Netherworld to resist the invasion of human adventurers into the underground world.

But here, the only threat seems to be from the sea?

Wouldn't the best choice be to fight against the Empire's colonists together with the Lizardmen?

Not surprised by Sarah's confusion, Luo Yan didn't answer this question directly, but cast his gaze toward the brightly lit coastline in the distance and smiled faintly.

"You will know soon."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 307 =====