"It seems Father already knew..."
Baron Jonas's reaction entered Leilin's view, immediately giving him a suspicion. If he hadn't decisively sent Isabelle away, the Baron would have dealt with her upon his return.
When that happened, unpleasant news might have arrived, or perhaps that cousin would have simply "fallen ill and died." After all, in this world, the Church had zero tolerance for worshippers of demons and devils. Even relatives and friends would be implicated.
Father and son went to the banquet together with tacit understanding, as if they had both forgotten Isabelle's existence.
The entire banquet was extremely lively. Even that bard who had recently arrived at the port—Xueno—was invited to perform. His voice was indeed as melodious and pleasant as a lark's, and the short poems he recited drew thunderous applause from the entire hall.
However, after the banquet ended, Leilin saw him being invited into his father's study. It seemed the Baron had invited him for more than just a performance.
But none of this mattered to Leilin anymore. After the banquet, he prepared to move out, while directing the pirate group and trade matters.
Of course, this had to wait until relations with Viscount Dim had eased, or even until after prisoners were exchanged and a contract signed.
...
*Slap!* A crisp slap landed directly on the young man's face, immediately causing a large swelling to rise on his pale cheek.
"
In front of the young man stood a furious middle-aged man, dressed in extremely elaborate noble attire. The edges were embroidered with complex patterns in gold thread, filled with an elven style. On his ten fingers, he wore rings of various colors and exotic treasures, some of which even radiated a powerful magical glow.
This was the controller of the entire Bodie Archipelago. He was also King Danbuleisi's younger brother of this generation—Marquis Louis.
Though in terms of titles, the King would certainly not be stingy with a court duke's designation, Louis valued strength more. This kind of hereditary noble with territory was something even the King's own children might not necessarily obtain.
Furthermore, with the continuous development of the kingdom's outer seas, trade profits kept growing, which satisfied Marquis Louis greatly.
The only thing that made him frown was that in the vast outer seas, there were still a few small noble fiefdoms and a group of unruly barbarian pirates, sticking out like irritating nails.
Therefore, when his useless son this time begged for territory, Marquis Louis had simply gone along with it.
However, looking at Viscount Dim before him, Louis really felt that "iron wouldn't become steel" kind of frustration: "Scoundrel! You act with no rules at all. Not only did you fail at the assassination from the mainland, but you couldn't even handle things on the ocean. You even lost the Black Tiger Pirate Group..."
Speaking of this, even Marquis Louis felt a pang of distress. Although no matter how many filthy, low-life pirates died, his lordship wouldn't bat an eye, that Level 10 warrior captain, Steve, was still a decent subordinate. And the group of thieves and assassins he had personally trained were also lost in the process.
"And another thing!"
Marquis Louis's chest heaved as he flung a letter directly onto Dim's face.
"Look at this. This was specially sent by that fellow Griffith. Your actions this time didn't just fail completely; they've pushed the Faolan Family firmly into the camp of those country bumpkins!"
Dim let the letter slap against his face, the stinging sensation continuously reaching him, filling his eyes with flames of rage.
"Father! Please give me another chance! If you assign Borujie to me, I can definitely..."
Viscount Dim looked very similar to Marquis Louis, only much younger. He had a pair of narrow, elongated eyes and was currently bowing respectfully.
"Get out!!!"
But what answered him was the marquis's hysterical roar.
*Slam!* The door was shut forcefully. Only then did Dim touch his swollen face. The searing pain only doubled the fury burning in his heart.
"Haha... My dear younger brother, it seems you've encountered some trouble?"
The maids and other attendants naturally didn't dare to approach Dim in this state. Each one wished they could learn from ostriches and bury their heads in the carpet. But another noble youth strode over without any hesitation, a mocking smile seemingly covering his face.
"Big Brother!"
Dim held his face, looking at the newcomer, feeling somewhat awkwardly at a loss. This was the marquis's legitimate son, the one who would inherit the title and the Bodie Archipelago in the future. Especially since he had the support of a noble maternal family, he was incomparably above someone like Dim, who had come from lowly origins and could only rely on the marquis's favor to stand out.
"Oh my! Little brother, how did you get hurt? Quickly, fetch a priest!"
The youth roared at his attendant behind him, as if he were truly a caring elder brother. But Dim seemed to glimpse deep-seated mockery at the bottom of the other's eyes.
"Damn it! Damn them all!"
It wasn't until he walked out of the estate that Dim's expression completely darkened.
"These people who have humiliated me, I will never let them off. I swear!"
"And that Faolan Island, and that little noble called Leilin! I will make you all go to hell to repent!"
Dim's face was savage, like a ferocious beast, letting out an injured growl.
...
Of course, Leilin wouldn't know all this, but he could guess a little. However, at this moment, his mind was entirely absorbed by other matters.
The place Leilin had chosen for seclusion was at the other end of Faolan Island.
Since the Faolan Family hadn't been rooted here long, the number of farmers recruited and slaves purchased was insufficient, so the entire island hadn't been fully developed yet. Leilin chose this location not only because few people came here, but also because he had his eye on a large stretch of low-lying tidal flats nearby. Such flat terrain was quite rare on Faolan Island and was enough for Leilin to do many things.
For now, Leilin had only built a few wooden plank houses nearby, looking as if he were truly preparing for austere cultivation.
At this point, information from the family was continuously being relayed to him through Jacob.
"The prisoner exchange has been completed, but they refused to sign any contract?" Leilin looked at the distant coastline, a peculiar light flashing in his eyes.
"Yes, Young Master!" Jacob stood behind Leilin, his demeanor humble and respectful. Through the previous battles, he had become completely convinced of Leilin's abilities, his loyalty even comparable to that of Baron Jonas.
"It seems they're quite unwilling?" Leilin gazed at the blue sea nearby for a long while before suddenly smiling and speaking slowly.
"That's certain. But they also gave a hint—they won't move against our family for now! And the Baron has also agreed."
"Only a brief peace. Their plan was disrupted, and they need to redeploy. We also need to accumulate strength!"
Leilin could already smell something in the air. This wasn't peace; it was merely a brief truce.
Once they finished redeploying, they would definitely strike again!
Of course, Leilin wouldn't refuse either, because he was just as short on time right now.
"How are the preparations for the slaves, the raw sugar, and the fishing boats?" Leilin asked. This was his preparation for the sugar and fish floss trade he had previously mentioned to the Baron.
"I've found a small merchant at the port who is willing to provide channels for purchasing slaves and raw sugar. As for fishermen and fishing boats, notices have been posted in the territory. Commoners willing to come here will receive tax benefits..."
Jacob reported respectfully.
"Good. As for finances, you don't need to worry. Steve's little vault should be enough to cover the initial investment. Father has agreed to let me use all of it..."
Before handing over the prisoners, Leilin had, of course, already squeezed Steve's remaining value completely dry. He had also obtained the wealth Steve had hoarded, along with several locations rumored to hold buried treasures. Those pirates always had a habit of converting their liquid wealth into more stable metal coins and secretly burying them on some deserted island.
Overall, all these things added up to a value of about a thousand gold coins, enough for the initial investment.
Later on, further replenishment would naturally be needed, but Leilin already had a plan in mind. Isabelle's pirate group was prepared for this purpose.
"As for the slave trade, I want slaves skilled in carpentry and stonemasonry. Even if the price is a bit higher, it's acceptable..."
The current Danbuleisi Kingdom was in an era of continuous development of the outer seas. Vast numbers of deserted archipelagos were being discovered, along with the aborigines, tropical forests, minerals, and ancient creatures on them. Of course, disease and death were also unavoidable.
Because few inland commoners were willing to follow their lords to develop land in the outer seas, slaves were indispensable for truly developing the islands.
Marquis Louis of the Bodie Archipelago was the biggest beneficiary of this trade.
In his hands, the massive slave trade had even formed an industry chain. Not only did he trade with various pirate groups, but he also established specialized slave-hunting squads.
In the slave trade, untamed aborigines were naturally the lowest grade, only fit for the fighting pits or as sacrifices to other dark gods. Tamed aborigines were worth about twice as much. If they possessed skills in farming, stonemasonry, or carpentry, the price would rise even further.
But these were still only the low end. The truly high-end slaves were those with special professions or beautifully trained female slaves. Each of them could fetch an astronomical price on the mainland!