"Hurry up!"

"A bunch of useless stuff!"

"Didn't you eat?"

The docks echoed with the rude roar of the overseers and the crackling of whips.

The laborers carrying the boxes were like donkeys walking upright, toiling back and forth between the deck of the cargo ship and the dock warehouse.

Not to mention the salary of eight silver coins an hour and eating in a pot, it is a luxury to even stop and rest here for a while, and if you want to go to the toilet to drink saliva, you have to plead with the overseer.

This is Saifan Harbor.

That is, the Westport that players ridiculed.

Here, a healthy slave costs only 1,000 dinars.

And even though the population is already cheap, merchants from Triumph City are still more inclined to rent.

In the eastern part of the Zhongzhou Continent, many survivors have a "fantasy" of the beauty of the Legion from a distance, thinking that the Legion is actually very well-behaved.

However, in fact, it was only because they had too few contacts with the Willantes and did not understand the temperament of these guys.

Every old resident of Fallen Leaf City knew very well what the Willant looked like when they first came to the province of River Valley, and what it was like after being beaten.

The reason why they behaved so well in the eastern part of the Middle-earth continent was only because they were beaten.

In other words, Xifan Harbor, which is far outside the projection range of the alliance's power, they will not be able to act.

Interestingly, even though they have worked hard to oppress the locals, they are still a little bit compared to the native nobles of Borneo.

So much so that every time General McLaan passed by here, he couldn't help but sigh that he was still too merciful when he was in the river valley province, and he didn't squeeze out the potential of the local survivors at all.

The inhabitants of the area were mainly the Wilantes, followed by merchants from places such as Silvermoon Bay, as well as the local nobles and some freemen of Borneo.

Since the slave trade was not forbidden, some of the nobles of the Lowell State migrated here after the fall of the port of Kinggallen.

As for the players, they are almost invisible here.

After all, there is neither an airport nor an archive point opened by the bigwigs, and it takes more than ten or twenty days to come here from the port of the alliance and another ten or twenty days to go back.

If you die once here, not only will the unsaved experience points be cleared, but the equipment and property will be completely exploded, and the risk and benefit will not be proportional to the risk and benefit!

However, while this place is a chicken rib for the player, it has a very different meaning to the Willants.

Ever since the civil servants of Triumph City borrowed the territory from the Empire, they brought clean streets, beautiful houses, and bright street lamps with them.

Benott and other civil servants have high hopes for the development prospects of the region.

Even if the nobles of the empire have become pedantic to the point of stubbornness, it is not thought that anyone can refuse a decent life for civilized people.

They can influence the nobles of the Lion State through the surplus life of Xifan Harbor, and then influence the nobles of Tiandu through the nobles of the Lion State.

They didn't expect to civilize the guys here, and they weren't interested in charity, but they needed an ally who was deterrent enough to share the pressure from the Alliance.

Sandstone bricks paved on the harbor.

A bearded Willant looked at the diamond-encrusted pocket watch in his hand, his face full of anxiety.

His name was Yarman, and he was a merchant in the sugar and tea trade, whose main business was to send sugar and black tea produced in the port of Saifan to Triumph City and ports controlled by the Southern Legion, and occasionally made a cameo appearance as a slave trader.

According to the original plan, his fleet should have set off for the "Eternal Night Harbor" of the Southern Army in the southernmost part of the Great Desert in the morning, and then detoured to the western part of the Middle-earth continent to bring the finest tea and sugar cubes back to the port of Triumph City.

However, plans have not kept up with the changes.

Just yesterday, a piece of news announced from the Governor's Office made the entire Westsail Harbor Willant merchants boil!

The Legion's expedition to Haiya Province is over, and a large number of equipment stranded on the front line is on sale!

As long as you spend 10,000 dinars to buy a voucher from the governor's office and pay a certain amount of deposit, you can pack and ship away the treasures that are stacked in Haiya Province at a very low price of less than 10,000 dinars per tonne!

The only requirement of the Governor's office is that the arms purchased through the voucher must be shipped back to Saisail Harbor!

And the object of sale must be the Westsail Harbor Weapons Reserve Bureau or the Empire!

Although this condition means that the selling price will be suppressed to a certain extent, it still cannot stop the enthusiasm of the merchants of Weilante in Xifan Harbor.

After all, the price of less than 10,000 dinars per ton is so fragrant that it is equivalent to giving it for nothing!

They have been buying and selling for so many years, and they have never seen arms sold by the pound!

Even if the good things are picked out and only a few bullets are left, it is more than 50% of the profit.

And if you can buy the conqueror tank of the Eastern Legion, the profit will have to be doubled!

Such a lucrative deal, of course, Yarman will not miss it. Although he does not have a way to buy and sell arms, does this kind of closed-eye trade need any way?

What's more, if it really doesn't work, it can still be sold to the Weapons Reserve Bureau in Xifan Port, so it's not afraid of smashing it in your hands.

Kudos to Your Majesty!

Praise be to Governor Huye!

It's almost obvious that the Governor's Office of Saisail has sent them a New Year's gift!

Coincidentally, however, Yarman is not the only one who thinks this way.

The whole Xifan Harbor is like crazy, and the berths of the wharves are crammed to the brim.

The workers on the docks had only filled the boat with their front feet, and they had not even had time to nibble on the dry rations, and were immediately urged by the overseers to unload them into the warehouse.

But even so, in the face of the strong demand for loading and unloading, the lives of the coolies still seem to be a drop in the bucket.

The slaves themselves were to blame, after all, they were so hard-working and cheap that the port of Xifan did not have electrified loading and unloading equipment. In case of such a peak of demand, you can only push yourself again.

With so many ships in a hurry to unload their cargo, the port office and the "labor brokers" had to go to nearby estates and plantations to mobilize another group of slaves and serfs.

Looking at the busy dock, the captain with a beard said with a frown.

"At this rate, I'm afraid we'll have to leave tomorrow morning."

Yarman couldn't help but say.

"It's too slow, we have to hit the road today anyway!"

The captain's brow twitched fiercely, and he looked at him with a wry smile.

"I understand your eagerness to get rich, but...... You also have to think about the reality. ”

"Actually?" Yarman lowered his cuffs and looked at the captain with sharp eyes, "I'll tell you what it means to be practical!" Boxes and bundles of arms are piled up in Haiya Province, and they are also weapons of the regular army! That bunch of garbage to the east has never been so generous! The merchant ships of the whole route are running there, and if we go too late, we won't even be able to drink a mouthful of soup! ”

Faced with that aggressive gaze, the captain swallowed.

"Well, even if these coolies can unload their cargo before dark, shall we go empty-"

"That's right, go empty!" Yarman interrupted him without hesitation, and continued with an excited expression, "We don't have anything to bring except supplies!" There is no time for us to hesitate to dangle over, we are not going to do business, we are going to pick up money! Picking up money, you know? ”

At this, Yarman softened his tone and patted his captain on the shoulder.

"Prepare as I said, this business will not be without your benefits...... I can assure you that your share of this business is at least 1 million dinars! ”

Hearing this generous reward, the captain subconsciously held his breath and nodded his neck down unconsciously.

"Good ......"

One million dinars!

The ransom of the commanders is not so high!

Compared to this property, going home for the New Year or something is not worth mentioning at all.

Watching the captain leave, Yarman continued to look at the leonin head on the side, and the warm smile immediately collapsed.

"How long will it take to get my fleet in the air?"

Facing the urging of the Velante master in front of him, Naji said with a smile on his face while wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"I'll tell the overseers to rush again, try to get it before tomorrow—"

"As much as possible?"

Yarman raised his eyebrows, stared at him with dead eyes, and said word by word, "I don't care what method you use, I must unload all the goods before dark!" ”

As soon as Najib heard this, the sweat he had just wiped suddenly came out of his forehead again.

"Oh, before dark, but my lord, it's only been three hours before it gets dark—"

"That's your business." Yarman didn't even look at him, and said with a cold expression, "At most, until eight o'clock in the evening, if you can't do it, I'll have to talk to your boss, or my partner." ”

Hearing this, Najib only felt a faint chill in his back.

Although he is a leonite, he is only a commoner, and he is nothing compared to those big people with knighthoods.

Therefore, even if this requirement sounded a little more difficult, he could only grit his teeth and say hard.

"I'll find some more people to ......"

"Go ahead."

Yarman waved his hand impatiently, chasing the guy away like a fly.

Facts have proved that the urge still has an effect.

At the urging of the overseers, the slaves exerted their strength and were able to vacate the last two ships before the sun sank into the sea.

Najib was in a hurry to ask Lord Yarman for credit, but was blocked by the crowd in front of the docks.

I saw a group of coolies forming a circle on the narrow dock, and in the middle a scrawny guy was lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth and convulsing.

This guy is so thin, and his skin is tanned by the sun, like a smoked sausage.

Najib pushed and squeezed into the middle of the crowd, kicked the guy on the ground, and when he saw that he was no longer moving, he looked at the dock workers next to him and asked.

"What's wrong with this guy?"

A tall, thin man said with his head bowed.

"His name is Orissa—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he received a whip on the door of his head, and he staggered back a few steps, but fortunately the worker next to him grabbed his arm and prevented him from falling into the sea.

Blood seeped out of the flesh that had been turned open, blindfolded his eyes and half of his face, and it was shocking to watch.

The man seemed stunned, touched his forehead, and stood there stunned.

"Who cares what his name is, let Lao Tzu drag him off the dock! Damn it! Don't you know how busy it is today! Don't be so stupid here! Najib yelled and cursed, whipping his whip out of the way and throwing all the workers around him back.

The crowd in front of the pier finally dispersed, and the port resumed its usual busyness.

Glancing at the wooden box that had sunk into the sea, the corners of Najib's mouth twitched in pain.

It's a pity that the fine tea leaves......

A package can cover half a month's salary.

Fortunately, he did not need to compensate for the loss of goods, and these bigwigs had long expected the clumsiness of these rough people, and the loss of one or two boxes of goods was within an acceptable range.

Otherwise, you can't afford to lose even if you sell him......

The reprimanded laborer carried the poor man named Orissa to the labor registry, a routine procedure in which the dead had to cross out their names, otherwise they would be considered fugitives and the whole family would suffer.

The staff at the registry checked the list, only to find that the guy was not a slave at all, but a free man.

Of course, he was only surprised.

After all, landless freedmen may not be more comfortable than slaves.

Especially if the former still has a family to raise, it may be all dirt in his stomach.

"Is there any family for him here?"

Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads, indicating that they did not know where the poor fellow lived.

The staff didn't bother to bother, and when they heard that there were no relatives here, they put the register in their hands and put it up.

"Let his family come."

A laborer couldn't bear it and asked in a low voice.

“…… What about this man? ”

The staff member rolled his eyes.

"The dead are all dead, find a place to bury them, and they can't come back to life."

As he spoke, he continued to urge.

"Move out of here, don't stop here."

The two guards stared straight at the side, and the laborers who had brought Orissa here had to carry the body out again.

A group of people stood on the street in a daze, not knowing where to go, wondering whether to go to his family first, or find a place to bury it first.

Anyway, people have to be buried in the end, isn't that piece of red soil in the suburbs prepared for this?

Everyone sympathized with Orissa's plight, and couldn't help but be surprised that this old fellow, who was usually silent, was actually a freeman who had been redeemed.

No wonder he worked so hard!

Some had envious expressions on their faces.

After all, he died as a slave, but there was nothing. However, if the freedman died, the family would at least receive a compensation.

800 dinars is not much, but it is already a huge amount of money for them.

This is one of the few benefits that the people of Willant have won for them.

However, while some people were envious, others looked in the direction of the port with hatred.

Most of these people were converts to the Silver Moon Sect.

Most of them were listeners of the Silver Gospel, and most of them had heard Pol the Awakened translated and read by Mr. Mergio, the priest from Silvermoon Bay.

It was an enlightening read for their literacy.

Although they had never been to Boulder City, they remembered very well what the people there did.

Perhaps it was the extreme of anger, and a flame finally burst out of the oppressive silence.

"Look, it's the so-called 'freedmen' ......"

A hoarse voice floated out of the crowd, and a tall, thin man walked out.

He was the same man who had been whipped on the docks.

The shocking scar was imprinted on his forehead, dyeing the white gauze red.

Looking at the hideous appearance, people couldn't help but take two steps back, with a frightened expression on their faces.

The man didn't stop, and the hoarse voice gradually became hysterical, completely releasing the anger in his chest.

"They took everything from us and labeled it! One thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand...... Silan coins or dinars, go buy them! Use our blood and sweat to buy what belongs to us! To accomplish their greatness and wisdom! ”

And then ...... When we finally buy back what belongs to us, when they finally drain the last drop of our blood, we will be able to lie down in the red soil like Orissa. ”

There was silence all around.

The despair of fate was suffocating.

If, in the end, there is not even something left to mourn, then what is the point of them toiling tirelessly?

What freedmen......

That fat bait was a scam from the start!

Perhaps it was the silence of the people that gave him the courage to continue, and he clenched his fists and sent a soul torture to the onlookers around him.

"Tell me! Why should we buy something that is already our own! ”

"But what can we do......"

A suppressed grumble finally came from the crowd, breaking the silence.

Looking at the restless crowd, the man did not flinch, but shouted out in a hot mind.

"What can I do! Pol has already told us what to do! We must unite! ”

"And then?"

This time he didn't speak, because someone in the crowd shouted out for him.

"Don't you need to ask! To take back what belongs to us, of course! ”

Angry roars come and go, and revenge is superimposed on the contagion.

The greater and greater numbers blunted the fear, and the thousand pillars that sealed their courage seemed to disappear

Even the most timid person has an angry expression on his face at this moment-

And hatred!

"It's not over!"

"That's right!"

"Orissa can't die in vain!"

"They have to pay!"

The gossip grew louder and louder, and finally attracted the guards in the port area.

Although these guards rarely enter the slums outside the port area to enforce the law, it is a special time after all, and there is a shortage of people everywhere in the entire dock, where can so many people be allowed to gather here to make a fuss.

Leading the guard was none other than Foreman Najib, who clutched the whip he had used before and shouted at the gathered laborers.

"What are you doing here? How long does it take to lift someone? Don't hurry up and get back to work! ”

The crowd was in high spirits, and someone in the crowd shouted.

"We're quitting!"

"Quit? Scold! It's against you! Najib's eyebrows were raised, and the whip in his hand snapped up, but instead of the coaxing guy, he randomly drew a passer-by who was watching the excitement, and the person's eyeballs were bursting.

I saw people kneeling down with their eyes covered in pain, and blood flowed all over the ground.

Seeing the blood, the crowd was in an uproar, and thousands of people gathered on the road, shouting and surrounding Najib.

Having never seen this meeting before, Najib was also taken aback and couldn't help but take a step back.

But he soon realized that he had coaxed too soon.

I only heard a "pop" of gunfire behind me, and the guard holding the rifle of the Ripper, without saying a word of nonsense, fired several shots directly into the sky in a row.

"Bang Bang ——!"

The sound of the gunshot was like cold water poured on a soldering iron, and the scorching emotion was extinguished with a loud sound.

This isn't Boulder City at all.

Pol is not from Borneo.

The people who had been excited a second ago showed fear on their faces and fled in all directions, and in a moment the streets were clean.

Najib was stunned for a moment, then smiled and looked at the tall nose behind him.

"Hey...... My lord, I said that these guys are as timid as rats, and they can't make a big deal. ”

The Willant officer glanced at him with disdain and silently reloaded his rifle.

He is a member of the Southern Legion, and he has been a colonial guard for more than ten years, and he has suppressed two or three violent holes, and the most fierce one forced them to move out all the 902mm heavy guns.

It's a rare occurrence here, and as soon as a gunshot goes off, it's over without a person dying.

Of course he was satisfied.

But—

It also made him look down on him a little.

……

The night in Xifan Harbor is gradually deepening, and the evening breeze blowing from the sea to the harbor carries a slight coldness.

The commotion at the entrance of the Labor Registry did not affect the busyness of the place in the slightest.

The docks are still bustling with coming and going, and the glittering windows are still resplendent in gold.

The phrase "we're quitting" was like a joke.

I only pity the passer-by who was blown out of the eyeballs, and I can't find anyone to tell me about my grievances.

Finally ready to go, Yarman, who was standing in the port, was reluctantly saying goodbye to his family.

“…… It's almost my birthday, so I can't wait until the festival is over. The little girl in the floral dress had her mouth slightly cocked, and her dark brown hair was tied in princess braids, just like a real princess.

Birthdays are celebrated on the second weekend of January every year, and are more important than the New Year for the people of Willante.

It is said that it was the day they were born, and at the same time the beginning of all splendor and legend.

It is precisely for this reason that no matter how busy they are, the people of Willant will choose to come out this day and stay with their families.

Yarman had planned to do the same, and even planned to return to Triumph City to participate in the celebration of his birthday.

But unfortunately, the big names of Triumph City gave too much......

Yarman touched her daughter's head and said with a doting expression.

"Well, wait for Dad to come back and bring you a gift."

"Well......" Ruby said reluctantly, "your taste is so unique, how can you give your daughter a specimen of a mutant head." ”

"Haha! I'm sorry! It's Dad who doesn't think it through! ”

Yarman smiled and picked up his lovely daughter, who giggled and spun around in the air several times before putting her back on the ground.

Gently scraping his daughter's nose, he continued in a doting tone.

"And what do I Ruby Lovely want?"

Ruby's eyes sparkled and she said immediately.

"I want to play with Sister Ansuya!"

Ansuya was the daughter of the Count of Sharma.

The latter is a well-known nobleman in Shizhou, not only has a plantation of more than 100,000 acres in the suburbs of Xifan Port, but also has an extremely wide social circle in Tiandu, and is also a partner in Yarman's business.

Every time he talks about business, Yarman brings his daughter with him.

Ruby didn't know how big the Ansuya family's estate really was, and she didn't really care, but she was impressed by the labyrinthine garden.

Every time she followed her father there, she would pull Ansuya to play hide and seek with the other children in the manor.

Hearing that it was just such a simple request, Yarman touched his daughter's head dotingly.

"Good! When you come back, Dad will take you there! ”

After a pause, he said with a smile again.

"Of course, dad still has to bring gifts...... My lovely Ruby just stay home and look forward to it! ”

Speaking of which, when this trip is over, he also happens to plan to contact Count Sharma to see if he can use some power to make this cargo play some value-for-money.

When the time comes, I'll take my daughter with me to disturb that guy.

"Come back soon!"

The little girl stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek, then ran back to her mother.

Gently patting her daughter's hand, Margaery looked at her husband with affection, with a bright smile on her face.

"Stay safe on the road."

"Don't worry! It's not the first time I've run this route! Wait for me with good news! ”

Giving his wife a kiss, Yarman grinned and returned to the dock with his suitcase.

"See you next month! Wait for me! ”

With that, he followed his captain and his men aboard the deck with three steps and one turn of steps, and faded away with the sound of the elongated air whistle.

At the same time, less than 500 meters across the street from the pier, a mother and daughter arrived at the door of the labor registration office.

Since the docks do not recruit female workers, very few women are present here.

Unless it's a case......

People unconsciously got out of the way, and the rickety woman said thank you, holding the little girl's hand tightly, and hurried to the counter.

The staff on duty before had already left work, and this time it was a young man with his back combed and sitting here, munching on melon seeds while talking and laughing with his colleagues next to him.

Many small aristocrats like to put their children here to work.

After all, Tiandu is too far away for them, but the Wilantes of the port district are right in front of them.

In particular, the positions in the labor registry often deal with the Willantes.

If you can get the appreciation of the people of Willant, it is equivalent to a step to the sky!

The little girl stood on tiptoe, poked her head out from under the counter, and said in front of her mother.

"Where's my dad?"

Hearing the timid voice, the young man smiled and turned his head and asked.

"Your dad? Who is your dad? ”

The little girl continued.

"Orissa...... He was very tanned, and the priest of the Church of the Moon said that his lungs were not very good and he always coughed. ”

Worried that the staff member didn't know what his father looked like, she gestured to his portrait with her hand.

However, the description was so abstract that the only effect was to make the young man sitting behind the counter more and more impatient.

"Sorry...... Excuse me. ”

The woman with a crumply figure was much more silent, first dragging her daughter to signal her to stop talking, and then finding a crumpled paper ticket and hurriedly placing it on the table.

That's proof of identity.

Her husband earned it with his illness, and at the same time the only thing that could prove that they had no owner.

Seeing this document, the impatience on the young man's face eased a little, and he took out the roster and looked it up against the name on the certificate, and sure enough, he found the name Orissa.

"It's the worker who registered here last month."

"It's a familiar name...... Oooh, it's the one I just delivered! ”

The colleague sitting next to him remembered, then opened the drawer with a smile, took out a pre-wrapped money bag and threw it on the counter.

"I was talking to you about this! It's the old guy who exhausted himself to death......"

Hearing the sound of the "bell", the mother and daughter were stunned, and the sound in their ears buzzed.

The woman's lips moved, and finally she silently put away the bag of money and held it tightly in her hand.

At that moment, her body seemed to shrink even smaller.

Not wanting to stay here for a second, she hurried out of the counter by the hand of her daughter, escaping from the suffocating atmosphere and heading out into the street.

The evening style blowing from the port area is exceptionally cold.

Looking at her mother with her dark eyes, the girl asked in a whisper.

"Dad......"

Her mother, who usually responds to her, didn't speak this time, but just quickened her pace and pulled her in the direction of home, her gently trembling shoulders seemed to be suppressing something.

As if she finally understood where her father had gone, the little girl lowered her head and said no more, but she did not cry, but only held her mother's calloused hand.

Her father always hoped that she would be sensible sooner, and she was always confused about what sensible was, but now she seems to have finally understood a little bit.

She also has two younger brothers who are much younger than her.

She had to learn to be strong.

The mother and daughter passed by the church of the Silver Moon Sect, like a drop of water falling before a storm, silently blending into the silent night.

Standing at the shabby church door, Melgio sighed softly as he watched the wounded laborers and join the other priests in bandaging the wounds of the poor men.

He wanted to help these poor people.

But he was worried about whether he had harmed them.

"The goddess of the silver moon is above...... Please bless your poor believers from misfortune and calamity. ”

Bless me from making mistakes that I can't regret......

His index finger touched the silver moon hanging from his chest, and he read it softly in his mouth, praying reverently in his heart.

He always had an ominous premonition.

There's something big going on in Saifan Harbor......

(End of chapter)