Chapter 140 - 115: Are Ark People Just Stinking Beggars? (2)

"By the way..." Lumi looked around and quickly realized something: "Could it be that your Ideal is squeezed at the end?"

Old Dean nodded.

"I’ll arrange for someone to find a way to bring your ship over."

Lumi chuckled, "Lord Charles has been complaining, saying he’s waited so long for your help that his eyes have turned green."

The young man hurried away, the militia quickly mobilized, and Old Dean simply stood on the dock, watching the bustling scene on the shore.

The fat merchant pondered.

What does Lord Roland want to make of Seagull City?

Is it to be a secret silver port like White Oak, a commercial auction paradise attracting massive wealth, or a fortress like Gray Mist Port, a sea stronghold strictly orderly, exchanging frontline Gray Realm intelligence?

"I say, this place isn’t even worth a damn!"

Someone was shouting loudly.

Old Dean was slightly taken aback and turned, focusing his gaze on the deck of the nearest cargo ship.

Several navigators had already set up a makeshift bar table on it, drinking to the point of collapse, including that red-nosed old captain and a sharp-faced middle-aged man.

The man was heard knocking on the table, commenting, "I bet within half a month, the navigators will be completely disappointed in this barren land!"

"Why do you say that? I feel that Seagull Port gives at least a pretty good first impression."

Someone joined in the conversation, "You can’t see such complete relics and architecture in other places..."

"What do you know? This is just the beginning, nothing more than a few dozen-meter-high broken buildings, not even taller than the Alliance tower seen everywhere!"

The middle-aged man’s expression was filled with disdain: "Haven’t you seen the Alliance’s Secret Silver Port?"

"The taxes at Secret Silver Port are ridiculously high, Duke, we don’t have that many coins in our pockets."

Someone shook their head, then took a gulp of cheap liquor.

"Hey, you guys really should take a look. The entrepreneurs there have built skyscrapers towering to the sky, much better than the humble buildings of Ark!"

The man named Duke became excited: "Don’t hide it from you, I was taken to the commercial area of Secret Silver Port by a Gold Level navigator once."

"That place is simply a heavenly city! Magic-guided vehicles weave through the clouds, and everyone inside is always dressed in fine clothes."

He waved his finger as he described vividly, "If you stick your head out from the observation floors above the seventieth level, you’ll find the clouds outside are sweet-scented!"

"Hmph, places like that aren’t welcome to us poor souls risking our lives at sea."

The red-nosed old captain took a swig of alcohol, although the alcohol ban onshore annoyed him, but the old captain did offer a fair statement:

"Seagull Port may be poor, but at least there aren’t any damn little thieves here... I see the boys managing the docks are just a bunch of honest lads."

"Honest? They don’t understand a thing! I’ve already tested them, those people can’t even answer the most basic maritime knowledge, they just smile dumbly like those foolish slaves!"

Duke shook his head, "I think those Ark people are just using the Alliance’s official letters to stink up the place! The so-called fight against the Celestial Calamity is nothing but a hype."

"Truly wealthy people won’t come here. I know several Silver Level navigators, and they unanimously think Ark people are nothing but hicks."

Duke didn’t lower his raspy voice at all, and he even deliberately enunciated "hicks" heavily.

The young men on the dock lowered their heads slightly.

Charles also prohibited them from starting conflicts with the navigators.

Furthermore, once they engage people like Duke, they will definitely seize the opportunity to entangle them. Even if they can’t gain any advantage, they will take the opportunity to vent their malice.

Old Dean shook his head helplessly.

In fact, only by witnessing everything happening on this land with one’s own eyes can one understand that Lord Roland’s deeds are an open-sea miracle.

Only Lord Roland can pull desperate people out of the blood-red Hell.

However, there’s never a shortage of sharp-tongued individuals in this world, and there are many like Duke. Fortunately, the navigators are not Lion Heart nobles whose brains have been addled by drink. There are no simple-minded fools here.

Nobody paid attention to Duke’s caustic remarks.

People continued discussing new topics, like some Bronze Navigator who had a stroke of luck, rising to fame as a Silver Navigator locally with a collection from a small country.

Or that a Gray Realm relic had appeared on a particular route, producing rare treasures, and a fleet of navigators that went there never returned from the depths of the route, even the Alliance’s rescue fleet didn’t come back.

The seas are always filled with endless novelties.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, someone claimed to have heard a rumor that the legendary Lady Nightingale would soon visit Ark Island, which caused everyone to burst into laughter.

That’s a Platinum Level navigator, and ordinary people have to pay a fortune for concert tickets just to catch a glimpse of her...

Seeing no one paying attention to him, Duke cursed under his breath as he took another swig of liquor, simultaneously rolling his beady eyes, continuing to look for easy targets to bully.

The next second, he noticed Old Dean at the edge of the dock.

"Yoho~ Who do we have here?"

He knocked on the table hard, letting out a sarcastically eerie laugh: "Oh, I remember now, you’re that merchant exempted from maritime taxes by the Alliance!"

Everyone turned their gaze towards him.

Duke scrunched his eyebrows, his expression growing richer as he relished the attention.

"Tsk tsk tsk, finally found someone in charge!"

He stood up, loftily looking down at Old Dean, spreading his arms and hooting loudly: "You Ark folks set all these rules at the port just to make things difficult for~ us~ all~!"

The next second, many navigators swarmed over, and many, already stirred up, took the opportunity to voice their demands.

"Exactly, exactly! No country’s port sets such weird rules! Why is Ark so unique!"

"Stop having these spear-wielding hillbillies watching over us! We want free trade!"

"I’ve already wasted two whole days, lower the port docking taxes now!"

Old Dean furrowed his brows, silent.

"Hey, everyone’s asking you something!"

Duke guffawed proudly, "Are you deaf, old man?"

But in the next moment, the man’s laughter was stuck in his throat.

A peculiar buzzing sound reverberated in everyone’s ears, prompting them to instinctively look up, watching as a more than twenty-meter flying steel fortress sliced through the dusk, speeding from the horizon!

Soon, it hovered over the port, presenting itself to the crowd, the ominous cannons gleaming with reflections of the sea lights!

Like a demonstration.

Lord Roland had finally returned!

"There really is a flying magic war chariot—"

Duke’s face turned deathly pale, a large patch of light yellow seeped into his pants instantly.

He cowered under the table, clutching his head in terror: "I’m sorry I was wrong! Please don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!"

Besides the man’s cries, the dock plunged into complete silence.

Those who intended to cause trouble, or were already causing trouble, the navigators were all frozen in place, their hearts leaping to their throats.

Old Dean’s face showed a wistful smile.

The local youths working at the port suddenly felt invigorated. They didn’t cheer but instead stood tall, showing their best work posture!

Shattered Star didn’t linger in the sky for long before it soon descended upon the heart of the city-state.

Everyone craned their necks, their gazes following the war chariot’s flight path, then looking at each other.

Many seasoned sailors’ expressions grew serious.

The style of that steel war chariot was distinctly closer to that of the Northern Empire!

Isn’t the Ark Kingdom a partner of the Alliance? Does that mean Lord Roland also has ties with the Empire’s higher-ups?

And on the deck, a strong stench had already reached everyone’s nostrils.

"Damn! I just cleaned the deck yesterday!"

The captain’s expression changed as he reacted, kicking Duke off the deck: "You disgusting bastard turning my stomach!"

The man floundered in the seawater, drowning in several mouthfuls of salty mixed drink.

Damn! Ark Island isn’t just a newly risen country with every inch of land being precious, it’s clearly a devil’s lair that’ll eat you alive!