Although it was attacked by pirates, the impact on Gordon was not very large. The walls of Seacliff Fort are fortified, and the gravity trebuchets that Gordon used to design and build to destroy the castle are now all placed on several vantage points in the castle, and can be used as long-range firepower, covering the entire area of the new city.

And the pirates who boarded 6 lightly did not have any siege weapons at all to get the Sea Cliff Fort.

So they wisely gave up the Sea Cliff Fort, which they couldn't gnaw on, and the new city that didn't have much oil and water, and set their sights on the old town of Cloud Scale City.

Despite its small size, the city is strategically located, a rare and excellent port, and is located on the main road connecting the north and south of the entire peninsula, so it is a place where both smugglers and pirates who want to sell their stolen goods gather. And it is precisely because of the thriving illegal trade that attracts a large number of people, and the complete lack of government control and planning, that the current situation of Cloud Scale City, as the seat of governance of the entire peninsula, is chaotic, crowded, and dirty.

Accepting the commission of the King of Haiwen, he came to harass the pirates in the Gordon territory, because the current Sea Cliff Castle was difficult to capture, and the enemy could deal with it effectively, so he turned his attention to Cloud Scale City. If the King of Haiwen knows, I am afraid that he will scold this group of pirates for bullying the weak and afraid of the hard, and they can't deal with their number one enemy, but they will only go to the black to eat the black.

Of course, the pirate who made a lot of money from this raid didn't care.

When Gordon returned to the realm, he first traveled to the newly built New City to check on the damage caused by the pirates. Before the situation was clear, pirates attacked the area, killing some farmers working in the fields and burning down several wooden houses.

Today, this new city does not have an official name. It was only a rudimentary form, and even the rudimentary wooden fence had not been built, and it was more appropriate to be a rural community than a city.

Naturally, such an undefended place. It would be a target for the pirates.

However, Gordon had long been prepared for such an attack on his territory. Although the city did not have any defenses, the artisan area at the junction of the city and the edge of the forest not only built a four-meter-high earthen wall early, but also was heavily guarded.

And the really valuable materials in Gordon's hands are either stored in the castle. Either it is stored in the warehouses of the artisan quarter, and they are all stored in the pirates' hope. So after killing a few unlucky civilians to vent their anger, the pirates took the pots and pans they snatched from the houses and went to Cloud Scale City.

Several old men who were crying around Brian immediately gathered around when Gordon returned. The object of his crying has changed from a tall and mysterious butler who always wears a mask to the lord himself.

These old men are the tribal chiefs who have sworn allegiance to Gordon for the previous 6 years and brought their people to defect. Now they have all settled in the rapidly expanding city, and their status has changed from tribal patriarch to "community tribune".

Anyway, I am in charge of my territory, and Gordon is the lord of Hyven. Naturally, you can set up official positions at will. It is very effective and inexpensive to use an official position that these aborigines do not understand, but always feel very powerful, to appease and win people's hearts.

In fact, the position of "community protector" is, to put it bluntly, similar to that of the director of the neighborhood committee, and not even a neighborhood office -- the latter is at least a government department.

However, although he was not an official official civilian official of Ferredon, Gordon spent a lot of money to buy a batch of high-grade calico from smugglers, made a set of noble robes for each of these "community tribunes", and then asked the blacksmith to create a batch of imperial medals with a white gold dragon head.

Get these lines. The elders of the former tribe naturally couldn't put it down, and they said that they admired the glorious culture of the Platinum Empire, and they wanted to lead the people to naturalize.

It was not an overnight thing for these natives to change their identity and become citizens of the empire. So Gordon was ready to start with the upper class of Indigenous peoples with wealth and prestige.

Now. On the outside, at least, several community tribunes, who have been completely "Ferredonized", are speaking in a thickly accented lingua franca about the damage their people have suffered as a result of pirate attacks.

Gordon inspected the houses burned by the pirates, as well as the dozens of civilians who had been killed, and after reassuring them, he returned to Seacliff Fort.

In charge of defending against the pirates is the half-elf Yang Qi. Together with the remaining Redstone Guards and men drawn from the Security Patrol, he organized a mobile force that was stationed in the Artisan District during normal times, and if a small group of pirates were reported, he would quickly attack. The goal is not to kill the enemy, but not to let the pirates cause too much damage.

As for Sea Cliff Fort, Theodore led more than 300 newly recruited recruits who had not yet completed their training to defend. They have the easiest task. The pirates on 6 lost all desire to attack when they saw the tall and thick walls of the castle. And the heaviest daily work of these recruits is nothing more than carrying stone bullets for a few gravity trebuchets.

While the pirates on board 6 are not a threat to the castle, the pirate ships are a bit of a nuisance.

In the beginning, there were still pirates who had the delusion of attacking Sea Cliff Fort, and a total of twelve pirate ships with stone crossbows mounted on their bows were sent to attack Sea Cliff Fort.

As a result, an artillery battle between a backward torsion stone crossbow and an advanced gravity trebuchet began, and the old and new generations of siege weapons began.

The end result, of course, was a fiasco for the pirates. Because the gravity trebuchet designed by Gordon is far stronger than the torsion catapult on a pirate ship in terms of range, accuracy, and power. And most importantly, the walls of Seacliff Fort are thick and will not sink. And those pirate ships, which are only three or five hundred tons, simply cannot withstand the bombardment of a few stone bullets.

Therefore, the pirates, who were soon overwhelmed by the gravity trebuchet, no longer dared to enter the waters within a kilometer of the Sea Cliff Fort, but only cruising in the open sea.

Although they won a complete victory in the defensive battle, Gordon's army did not have much to do with the pirates.

After all, the opponent has a ship in hand, and he can board 6 at any time and place to attack the target he fancies. Many of the small tribes that had sworn allegiance to Gordon but had not moved into the new city were sacked by the pirates. Heavy losses. In addition to Cloud Scale City, there are three other settlements that are larger and can already be called "towns", which have also been visited by pirates.

Because of the complex topography of the Inner 6, it is on the Hybon Peninsula. Almost all of the larger settlements are by the sea. Although the transportation is convenient, it also provides convenience for pirates.

"Where's Xie Ona?" When Gordon returned to his study, he did not immediately attend to business. As his only relative in this world, of course he has to care about his sister's situation. She should be able to show her skills in such a noisy matter as pirate attacks.

However, Brian's answer surprised Gordon a little.

"The hosts. On the first day of the pirate attack, when Miss Xie Ona attempted to attack Sea Cliff Fort, she personally killed a pirate captain who was said to have the strength of a level 10 warrior, and then she said that she seemed to have a new understanding of swordsmanship, and stayed in the indoor training ground for the past two days. ”

"That girl, there's no problem, right?" Gordon couldn't help but guess. Since when he was in the imperial capital. After using the Imperial Sword "Platinum Light" in battle with Drington, she became a little too immersed in swordsmanship.

Fortunately, the little sister who serves Xie Ona every day and is responsible for delivering meals tells Sù Gordon, the eldest lady of the Freeman family, as usual.

As a gamer from another world, Gordon knew that kind of time. The feeling of suddenly being obsessed with something, so for Xie Ona's current state, he was still reasonable and didn't interfere too much.

"Your Excellency, this time the pirates attacked, we were burned down eight houses, twenty-six people were killed, thirty-three people were injured, and the economic losses and various material consumption combined, more than seven hundred gold coins......"

Brian skillfully listed one number after another for Gordon. After letting him leave for the first time, the situation in the territory changed clearly.

The mage nodded and said, "Very good, you go down first, and let the chef cook two more cutlets for you tonight." ”

With Ainia as well. Unlike ice goblins with a sweet tooth, Brian is an out-and-out meat eater, especially the steaks that are grilled to a brown, crispy, squeaky skin. Gordon could already imagine what it would be like to hear that there was a steak feast ready to eat, hidden beneath the cold, mysterious metal shell, and the comical brain of the whirring lump of meat.

After the earl's butler, who was mysterious and profound in the eyes of outsiders, ran to the kitchen with sonorous steps, several people who had been anxious and had been waiting for Gordon's return for a long time poured into the study almost without regard for etiquette. They were all maritime merchants who had a large trade volume throughout the peninsula based in Cloudscales - or rather, a group of greedy smugglers.

In the past, these smugglers made a lot of money by selling all kinds of contraband that was abundant on the Hybon Peninsula. For example, slaves, such as various alchemical plants that are in danger of being poisonous. In addition, silver, which was strictly controlled by the Precious Metals Act and could be used to mint coins, was also an important commodity for smugglers to make money.

The relationship between the king of Haiwen, who controls the silver mines of the peninsula, and these smugglers has both entanglements of interests and contradictions, and the relationship is quite complicated.

However, after Gordon's arrival, the smugglers found a new way to make money, and that was to provide a channel for the lord, who was now blocked from almost all foreign trade routes, to obtain supplies from the outside world. It's just that the price is more "touching".

The reason why Gordon left the chaotic and filthy Cloud Scale City and left the city in a state of autonomy is also because he still relies on these smugglers.

So this time the pirates came to ransack Cloud Scale City, causing the smugglers to suffer a big loss, which is a good thing for Gordon.

In the past, it was Golden who had the power to price these greedy smugglers, so the pricing power of a qiē commodity was in the hands of the other party. Gordon could only endure the nausea and be ripped off.

But now, with the Seacliff Fort intact in the pirate attack as a contrast, the looted smugglers finally realize that they want to keep their property and lives safe, and no longer be shaved by pirates, so they can only turn to the young lord for help.

Although there were many people who rushed into Gordon's room, only one person was elected by the group of smugglers to be qualified to talk to Gordon.

His name was Usherman, and he was a middle-aged man with a gray head. But though he is old, this guy is from the other side of the Steam Sea, in the Wilfast region. The energy is still high. Usherman was good-looking, with a personable face that could be used to deceive the little girl, but Gordon was not at all impressed by his wide-sleeved shirt and tight trousers.

The fashion taste of the Wilfast people, Gordon only has the evaluation of the wonderful.

The strangely dressed smuggler cried to Gordon, "Your Excellency. This time the pirates are too arrogant! These scoundrels have killed our people, robbed us of our belongings, burned our ships, and are about to push us into a corner! Now, it's up to you to keep our people's property safe! ”

To the man who claimed to be a lord, Gordon smiled disdainfully, "I don't remember that Mr. Useman paid me a copper business tax. Nor did he fulfill his obligations as a citizen. Even when we first met, you said that you didn't recognize the noble title of 'Count Hyperven', only gold coins. ”

"This ......," Usserman explained, taking out a perfume-scented handkerchief from his pocket and wiping the sweat from his forehead. These are things that are in the past. My lord, now that we are facing a common threat, we should put the past behind and work together. ”

Merchants have thick skin, and smugglers have even thicker skin.

However, Gordon didn't have a good attitude in the face of these guys who used to open their mouths to blackmail themselves, but now they look like "haha, those things are over, let's be good friends", but he doesn't have a good attitude: "I have a strong sea cliff fort here." Pirates are no threat to me. Don't talk about fair cooperation. Remember, today you have come to ask me, please show sincerity. ”

Usselman knew that he had relied on Gordon's inability to trade with the outside world, and that he had been a little too ruthless when trading with him. For example, the high-end fabrics that Gordon bought for a group of community tribunes under his rule were ten times more expensive than the market price.

So when I came to see Gordon today, Utherman and his party were ready to be ridiculed by Gordon. Moreover, since the other party is willing to see him, it means that this lord has not completely closed the door to cooperation. The attitude at this time is nothing more than to blackmail a group of people and get back the losses they suffered before.

Uthman said, "Your Lord. While pirates can't help this magnificent castle, the city you're building, with the scattered villages and towns scattered around the area, won't be able to defend against pirates. Also, I know that you are building a sea vessel. Assemble your own fleet. In the future, if the fleet is really built, I am afraid that the threat of pirates will not be able to ignore it. ”

The smuggler's words are true. Gordon knew that these pirates were always a great threat to himself without sea dominance. Fortunately, in order to keep sailing, pirate ships are generally designed to be narrow and light, and they cannot carry many people, and it is impossible for pirates to have a large army to board6.

While piracy isn't a priority in the real world, in the long run, these outlaws at the steam sea will have to be dealt with.

Seeing that Gordon didn't speak, his attitude seemed to soften a little, and Utherman continued: "Lord Lord, do you know the specific identity of the pirate who attacked the territory this time? ”

"Barlomew. Bellamy, nicknamed 'Man-Eating Vulture'. Gordon said in a deep voice.

This Barlomew. Bellamy is the most powerful pirate on the Steam Sea, with a total of fifty pirate ships, large and small. Gordon knew something about the pirate, or because he was the one who was responsible for the attack on Ji'er and Sigrid.

"Then my lord, do you know that this Bellamy actually has an old relationship with the Aldrich family, and when the King of Hyven was a pirate, Bellamy was the first mate on his ship. This time, the opponent's attack is actually mainly aimed at you. After all, we used to just do business with peace of mind, and we didn't offend the king of Hyven. However, the other side attacked unfavorably, and after coming to Cloud Scale City and looting our supplies, these pirates appeared, and it turned out that we have been using our trade routes to buy various supplies for you. So now, we, the poor merchants, are no longer the unlucky ones who are accidentally affected, but the main targets of Bellamy's attacks in the future. ”

Gordon could hear what Usherman meant. This means that if you don't care about it, you won't be able to buy anything from smugglers in the future.

At that time, the gold coins in his hand will rot to the point of being old and desolate.

Although he didn't like the smugglers, in the end, because of a common interest, Gordon made a deal with them. However, the smugglers provided him with a considerable amount of military expenses to suppress the pirates.

The next question is how to eliminate Bellamy.

In fact, not only this time, but the inhabitants of the Haiwen Peninsula have often suffered from piracy in the past. There are very few tribes like the Aikan people who have the Arcane Federation as a backstage. Most people can only run away desperately in the face of pirate landing and attacking.

And the various tribes have also united to organize forces to deal with pirates. But since the whole sea is in the hands of pirates, they can come and go whenever they want, and they can board 6 wherever they want. So it's impossible to prevent it at all.

And now, Gordon, who does not even have a single warship in his hands, seems to be powerless to change this passive situation.

As a representative of the smugglers, Usserman also attended a special meeting convened by Gordon to discuss how to deal with pirates.

And the young lord proposed at the meeting a method that seemed to him to be very stupid and useless.

"Since we can't take the initiative, let's lure the pirates into the bait." Gordon said.