Scottish Sea, Gulf of Mali.

After twelve days of continuous sailing, the three-man Artis Merdeen crossed the mouth of the crystal clear River Spey and finally arrived at Elgin in Black Harbour in north-central Scotland.

Elgin is known as the Black Harbor.

It's not a good idea to call her Black Harbour, because the proper Elgin is not a port at all, but the capital of the Scottish kingdom of Marry.

However, Scotland was in a recession, and the county of Mary built a port in Losimouths, but it was not profitable for the county.

After learning the hard way, the Scots built a new port east of Losimouth, where the squires could receive black merchants. They also wanted to give Black Harbor a name, Elgen, and from then on, the county of Mali really flourished.

However, this had a side effect.

Because of the Scottish accent, there was no distinction between the merchants who came and went, and over time, Elgen was pronounced Elgin, and the inland capital of Mali was transformed into a strange black harbor on the edge of Lossimouth, which claimed to be orderly and welcomed in all directions.

Lorraine's first stop was here, on the one hand, because of her reputation for order, and on the other hand, because the Scots were financially constrained, and there was a good market for inferior spices, which were difficult to sell in England.

The Artis Beauty half-sailed to shore.

In the distance, Henna, who was standing on the lookout, excitedly shouted, "See the port!" Due South! ”

Lorraine laughed: "Henna, change hands!" Pierce, untie the bow sail and set sail three nautical miles! ”

"Yes! Mr. Captain! ”

Elgin Harbor was deep in the water, and the lowering of the sails of the Artis Beauty sailed smoothly to the dock, constantly adjusting the direction with the bow sail on the way to the slow advance, showing the excellent handling skills of the crew.

There are two red and white flags on the wharf alternately, guiding the Beauty to moor into the nearest Pier 7 and anchor on the shore.

There is nothing difficult for Lorraine.

After a while, the bow of the Beauty slammed lightly into the embankment, and Pierce let go of the anchor plate, and the shiny iron anchor sank to the bottom with a clatter.

"Henna stays on board, Pierce, go to the stern and pick up a fine set of porcelain, and follow me to visit the local gentleman."

Lorraine tied her bow sail and snapped off the board.

He smiled at the precise pilot, and with a flick of his finger, a silver shilling flew up.

"Pretty chess, sir."

The pilot reached out and took the shilling, and put it in his pocket with a smile: "Beautiful sail, sir." ”

The sedan chair is carried by everyone, and with this compliment, the next handshake becomes logical.

"Sir, our first time doing business in Elgin, is there anything we should pay attention to?"

The pilot frowned and thought for a moment.

"First of all, you have to respect the way of life of the Scottish people, and you must be familiar with and obey the laws of Scotland. Although it is a black harbor, it is an orderly black harbor. ”

Lorraine shrugged: "Don't I need to visit the management committee?" ”

"That's another thing." The pilot chuckled, "For the laws of Black Harbor to protect you and your crew, you must get permission from the Governing Council before trading. Of course, this is mainly done to get a tax license, which is used to file taxes at the port authority. ”

"Black Harbor where you need to file taxes...... Where do I get my tax license? ”

"No. 17 Fanhua Street, this is the office of the management committee. The Black Harbor Governing Council has three gentlemen who take turns to sit on duty, and this month it is Carl Brown. Mr. Pidick. ”

"Thank you so much for your advice." Lorraine waved a gentleman's salute, and when she saw Pierce disembarking with a fine little box, she offered another shilling, "Does Mr. Pidick like porcelain?" ”

"Who doesn't love porcelain on the island of Britain?"

……

17 Fanhua Street.

Bidding farewell to the enthusiastic pilot, Lorraine knocked on the door with Pierce, and was led to the second floor by the brown-haired secretary to meet Mr. Pidick of the Management Committee.

Pidick was a standard Celtic with a round red nose and bushy blonde hair.

His blonde hair was heavily anointed, shiny, and smooth, and covered with a pure white curly wig, adding a bit of a serious bureaucratic touch.

With a set of tea sets and the noble blood of the Drake family, Lorraine was qualified to sit on the sofa for the first time.

Now the exquisite tea set from the East was placed on the coffee table between the two, and Pidick looked at the azure teacup and couldn't put it down.

Lorraine said with a smile: "The azure glaze comes from the peculiar porcelain firing process of the Eastern Qing Dynasty, and the full name is copper tire cloisonné enamel. This craft originated in the Zhou Dynasty for more than 2,000 years and reached its peak during the Jingtai period of the Ming Dynasty, so it is also called cloisonne. ”

"Shocking......," said Mr. Piddic, smashing his mouth, pondering the awkward pronunciation, "the mysterious land of the East, the learned little Drake." ”

He carefully placed the teacup back into the wooden box and closed the lid with a click.

"Little Drake, are you really from Devon?"

"A disdainful descendant who has been expelled from his home is not worthy of impersonation." Lorraine crossed her legs and sat in a more comfortable position, "Sir, I have brought some spices and pewter from the East Indies with me, hoping to gain a long-term business qualification in Elgin." ”

"Spices...... And pewterware? "You look young, and you have already opened up the route to the East?" ”

Lorraine smiled and waved her hand: "You misunderstood. Spices and pewter were the spoils of an unforgettable experience, and I was just a fledgling merchant, and sooner or later I would go to the East, but not now. ”

"I see your brilliance again, courage, confidence and honesty."

"You've won a prize."

After some pleasantries, Mr. Pidick adjusted his sitting position, put his hands on his knees, and sat upright.

Lorraine also sat up at the right time, and looked at Mr. Pidick calmly.

Now even little Pierce knows that the topic is about to begin.

Mr. Pidick cleared his throat and called the secretary softly, telling her to be careful to put away the staggered fetus, and to bring over a blank tax card and a letter of invitation to the guests.

The secretary glanced at the young Lorraine in surprise, but ran back and forth as Mr. Pidick asked.

The two letters were soon placed in front of Lorraine, both in rolled parchment, squared and beautifully engraved with flowers.

Mr. Pidick asked Lorraine's full name, and first wrote it on the tax plate with a quill pen, signed it, covered it with fire paint, and then carefully pasted the ribbon flower while the paint was still dry.

He solemnly handed the tax card to Lorraine: "Little Mr. Drake, Elgen Harbor welcomes an honest and courageous, self-confident, erudite, and generous noble bloodline like you. ”

"With a tax card, you will enjoy the protection of Scottish law, subject to the supervision of the Elgen gentleman."

"You can buy and sell in Ergen normally, buy property, book appointments, and the tax rate for each transaction is 20%, and buying and selling are settled independently."

Buying and selling are settled independently, which means that for each transaction, the black port will take a total of 40% of the transaction value, which is the world of black market merchants.

This commission is ridiculously high, but after experiencing Cherbourg, Lorraine felt that it was worth the money, and immediately stretched out his hands and solemnly took it.

"Thank you Mr. Pidick for your trust and support, and I hope that our friendship will be as long as the bagpipes in Scotland and will never end."

"That's my hope, too."

Qualification of the call to a port acquired. Lorraine rolled up the tax card and handed it to Pierce, looking curiously at the other paperwork on the table.

"Mr. Pidick, this is ......"

Mr. Pidick regained his relaxed sitting posture and said with a smile, "You are already a resident merchant in the harbor, and I must tell you about the rules of Elgen's trading. ”

"Most of the black ports in northwestern Europe, including Elgen, do not support private transactions, and generally speaking, we have two ways to trade."

He stretched out two fingers and curled one of them: "The first is the exchange, you have to have your own property, register with the port authority, and be subject to accounting review." Every transaction you make is credited to your account, and the Port Authority collects commercial taxes every three months and is still refunded for your contribution to Black Harbour. ”

"Generally speaking, if you trade more than five thousand pounds in half a year, the tax refund is 5%, more than ten thousand pounds, 10%, and the maximum is 50%."

Lorraine calculated that if the trade volume reached 50,000 pounds, he would only need to bear a 10% tax on the sale, of course, first and then back.

He nodded: "What about the second one?" ”

"Second, for traveling merchants who do not have an exchange, like you, there is an auction every fifteen days in Black Harbor, where taxes are drawn on the spot, and tax refunds are not calculated, but the venue itself does not take additional commissions."

Lorraine looked at Mr. Pidick with interest: "This is the invitation to the auction?" ”

"Invitations are not required for auctions." Pidick corrected with a smile, "This is a VIP invitation to the auction. ”

"VIP?"

"The VIP of the management committee who has his own private room has a quieter environment, more spacious seats, and even the legitimate transaction tax only needs 15% of the purchase price." Mr. Pidick smiled and handed the invitation to Lorraine, "Little Mr. Drake, this is a gift from being a friend, I hope you enjoy it." ”