Chapter 95 - Kaysang Officer meeting new people
More months passed for the people of Kaysang, especially for those of Sagletius who always had something changing for the better in their life.
With the passing months, new changes came, the atmosphere around the streets could be described as a lively place, where at all corners you could meet the eye of a person wearing clean and kept clothes.
The streets of the Sun District were starting to get even more crowded with each month it passed.
However, no matter how many people arrived inside the Sun District, regardless of criminals or simple people looking for a better life, there was someone handling those according to certain plans and had such a headache that most people couldn't comprehend.
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Inside the Administrative Palace, Aldenis, the old mayor, the chief architect Kavos and a bald, middle-aged man, Pholbor Novio, were discussing certain things of the development inside their district.
"Novio, we will have to extend the mines inside Kalerna Mountain Range again. Do you have funds from the monthly profits of the mine or does it require the general funds?" asked the old man while reading some sheet paper containing a lot of calculations and numbers.
"Sir, we have the funds, but since the prince ordered me to have all slaves released, the manpower of the mines consisting of the prisoners is quite lacking. There are some freed slaves who signed the working contract with us, and those so-called professionals, but that's all. We need more manpower."
"There's no problem you can place a notice on the public square Notice Board. You'll have plenty of men applying for the mines, especially those immigrants coming from the Sorbet Kingdom and the Briss Kingdom."
"Hmm, is there a problem with those kingdoms that people start fleeing their country?"
"Briss has a civil war, Sorbet conditions are slightly better with their new queen, but their former king was a mad king, plunging their country in a reign of terror. So you can imagine the conditions of those people. We have it better here with His Highness stabilizing things in Kaysang."
"Kavos, you should have one of your specialists check on the mine and start planning for the expansion."
"Yes, yes. I'll have one of my men check whenever they are free since we're still understaffed. We simply are expanding and constructing quite the amount of projects, at a rapid pace that it eats our time." responded Kavos with an annoyed tone while his face was visible tired from work.
"And it will continue, remember that once His Highness and His Majesty finish off those traitorous nobles, you'll have to rebuild the entire kingdom."
"Fuck me, with how many guys I have, barely managing the expansion of Sun is enough."
"Don't whine, it's not like you're the only one having it hard. My men and myself are working on expanding the trade routes, contacting different islands as we speak."
"Don't tell me? That crazy old guy took the ships on a stroll?"
"No, no. Gosh, I dare not. Lord Patrick is busy training the navy recruits. I've sent those 3 brothers from Leviathan, Flex, Levon and Yetty. Those 3 together with 2 platoons of 50 soldiers, the navigators and seaman and some merchants wanting to trade with different islands."
"Phew, you did well sir. Lord Admiral doesn't really know how economics and trade actually works."
Then as they spoke, one of many snails on the large desk began ringing.
*Puru-Puru* *Puru-Puru* *Puru-Puru*
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"Tsk, which one is this time?"
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*Gotcha*
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"Reporting sir, this is Flex of the Platoon SS-08, we have arrived at our destination, the Rain Island. How should we proceed approaching the inhabitants of this island?"
Kavos and Novio looked at Aldenis, who stroked his white beard with some interest. The old man took some papers from his desk before replying back to Flex.
"Young Flex, the first approach, if the people inhabiting that island are hostile to us, take the passive approach and just investigate a bit the island before journeying back home. Also have most of the platoon guys in case the inhabitants show hostility stay on the ship and only let the merchants journey out to sell their goods and trade for whatever the Rain Islands have. They know what to do."
"I understand sir, I'll report back if anything happens."
Aldenis placed the receiver of the snail back and did a check sign on a sheet of paper that had many names on it.
"Now we'll see what those guys on Rain are hiding. My spies had some speculations but we were never able to get substantial information on them."
Meanwhile, on a medium-size ship inside the officer's quarters, 10 people were staring at a normal-looking young man with dark hair and brown eyes, whose facial features were something simple, not ugly nor handsome.
That young man, who looked to be around 21 years old, looked at the surrounding guys and said to them.
"Well, you've listened to the mayor's instructions. We will follow them to the letter, if the inhabitants are wary of us, we'll just wait for the merchants to come back with information, and maybe who knows those guys will open up to us."
"We should stay here for 4 days. Have your guys prepare and also notify the merchants."
"Yes, sir." replied eight of the guys before taking their leave from the officer's quarters.
Inside the quarter remained only 2 young men that looked close to the one who talked.
"Is there any problem, Levon, Yetty?"
"There's no problem brother, just that I don't want to go out of the cabin and get wet from this shitty weather."
"Haha, indeed. Rain Island is the right name for this place. Let's hope the inhabitants aren't a bunch of ignorant fools and open their way for us."
Then as the brothers waited inside the cabin for a while, a soldier holding a rifle in his hand and a slightly fat guy walked inside the officer quarter, making the 3 brothers look with interest at the fat guy.
"Sir Velomer, what happened? Did a problem happen with the inhabitants of this island?" asked Flex when looking at this fat guy.
"Captain Flex, the people of this island don't want the soldiers or sailors on their island, however, I think the leader of this island wants to talk with you about something I don't know."
"Hmm, interesting, they don't want us to be on their island, but still want to talk with me? Interesting. What about you merchants? Are you allowed on their island to at least trade your goods?"
"Hehe, I don't know but their leader looked curious when we told him about our goods. But with this shitty weather, most of us would rather let our goods inside the lower deck of the ship, being protected from the bad weather."
"I understand. I'll go talk with this leader. Come, Levon, Yetty, we have to represent Kaysang with honor."
Said Flex walking to where some jet-black coats were situated. Those coats had epaulets that had on them a silver eagle.
Taking the coat on his body, he looked at his brothers, then to the soldier, and the fat merchant gulped, who gulped down when looking at the entire attire of those 3 brothers who were all now wearing their dark coats.
'So this is how the elite officers of the army Mayor Aldenis created, look like. I've heard about them from the taverns in Sagletius but it's one thing to see them so close. They sure look imposing with those dark long boots and black attire, but what's with that small crowned silver eagle standard on their chest?'
"Sir Velemon, you should go to the other merchants and talk with your attendants on how to take your goods the fastest way possible once the rain stops."
When he ended saying that Flex, who was wearing his military officer uniform, accompanied by his two brothers, walked out of the officers quarters. They were greeted by the rainy weather, the soldiers and sailors working in tandem to unfurl the sails and anchor the ship on the island's shores.
"Such shit weather, I really wonder why sir Aldenis and sir Blood even placed this island on the targets for our trade routes. They probably don't even have a thing to offer to trade with us." said Levon, slightly annoyed that his uniform was getting wet, especially his officer hat.
"Don't complain, I still remember the year sir Blood spent with us training us until we collapsed on the ground. Those were bad times, not this little rain."
"Sigh, sir Blood, or better let's call him His Highness Vlad between us officers since the masked Blood is a wanted criminal, is for sure a ruthless person when it comes to discipline and training us, the first batch of soldiers. However I have no complaints about this, he rewarded us greatly whenever we cleared his challenges." replied back Flex while also looking down on the ground from the main deck.
"Flex, shouldn't we tell the soldiers to stay their hands and not show hostility even if we're treated without respect?"
Asked Yetty while looking at the shore of the island and seeing a group of armed men with some primitive-looking weapons, aside from having painted faces and weird tattoos on their body.
"Don't worry, they know what to do since His Highness wrote down the military codex every new recruit would respect it as their most precious possession regardless if they are from the army or the navy."
Then as he ended saying that, he walked down the ships boarding ramp, making most of the soldiers on the ship go to the railings of the main deck and watch with curiosity their 3 officers walk toward those inhabitants of the island.
Flex, Levon, and Yetty continued walking on the rainy weather until the men waiting for them suddenly draw their bows behind a muscled man with a solid build, very tanned skin and long hair that was dreadlocked.
"Stop right there foreigners, we don't welcome anyone on our island. Stop right there, where you are." said the muscled man who clearly seemed to be the leader of this island.
Flex looked at the guy and stopped right on the place with a heavy step that splashed the dirt toward the inhabitants.
Stopping in place, he placed an arm on his hidden pistol that he hold on a belt, then said the inhabitants.
"You are the leader of this island?"
"That's right I'm Chief of this Island, Zeke Gaddonk, who are you, foreigners? I've never seen people wearing such clothes like you."
"We greet you Chief. I'm Flex Garland, those other two are my brothers Levon, and Yetty Garland. We're emissaries of our Royal Prince Vermilion Zagreus Vlad who sent us to explore the seas around our kingdom in order to establish connections with other lands and their people."
"I don't understand what you've said there about who you're representing? Is he some chief like me?"
Levon and Yetty looked at the muscled man weirdly while having their arms on their hidden firearms and thinking to themselves.
'This guy really doesn't know about the concept of royalty? Are they really that isolated, that they don't know about their outside?'
Yet as the two brothers thought that, Flex reacted quickly and nodded his head.
"That's right Chief, our Royal Prince is something like a chief for us people of the Kingdom of Kaysang that he is ruling." responded Flex to the chief of Rain Island, not feeling offended by the comparison he had to draw to explain to this person Vlad's status inside Kaysang.
"I see, then I deliver my greetings to your Chief, however, this doesn't change the fact that you and your men are not allowed to step inside my lands. This is the tradition since our ancestors, and I will not be the one to break it."
Flex looked calmly at this indigenous chief and thought to himself.
'They are easy prey for my men inside Valor, but I better report back to his Highness and mayor for them to think about the possibilities of assimilating this island inside Kaysang. For now, let's see if the merchants are allowed here.'
"We understand your wishes Chief Zeke, but we would want to ask you, to at least let the merchants inside our vessel at least try to sell their products to your people, and maybe buy the goods you have on your island."
When hearing Flex's request, the tanned muscled guy turned to his men and asked them in a dialect that Flex couldn't understand.
The other men responded in kind using the dialect the chief talked about. There was some tension in their tone, but slowly the chief said something that made the rest calm a bit.
"Listen foreigner, your selected people, or how you call them merchants, are allowed to stay on our islands only 3 days, if they remain more than that, we will have to force them out."
"That is plenty enough. We thank you for allowing our merchants to exchange goods with your people. You don't need to look suspicious at us and the goods our kingdom offers, however you'll have to discuss with the merchants about how to trade their goods."
"I understand foreigner, you can go to your ship and have your merchants come to my village. I give my word that nothing bad will happen to them."
Flex, Levon and Yetty looked at this indigenous chief with a more favorable look, and soon they began walking back to their medium size ship Valor.
While this was happening, some of the indigenous guys asked Zeke with indignation using their dialect.
"Zeke, why are you alloying those foreigners on our sacred lands!? This is treason."
Zeke turned to that man, and his calm and dignified expression disappeared, he said to his people.
"You guys are stupid? Have you seen that ship those 3 came from? Is anyone on the island capable of building such a thing? Those guys are dangerous, we have to treat them with wariness and also not just leave them empty-handed."
"But the ancestors said to never allow foreigners inside the island."
"And where are the ancestors to protect us if those foreigners are hostile against us!?
You tell me, Berlos, are you capable of protecting the village if all the men who are holding those pointing iron sticks start attacking us?"
"You're worrying too much Zeke, those are just some spears they are holding. We can easily kill them if we want." replied the guy who started this conversation.
"Hmph, and what if those are not some spears? I'll rather bypass a bit the ancestor's orders and protect the village. This is my right and choice as chief, if you got a problem I'll see you inside the arena."
The brothers could hear the conflict of the indigenous guys, and a conversation started between them.
"Those guys are afraid of us. Just look at them conflicting one another for only letting our greedy guys inside their lands." added Levon while moving toward Valor.
"It's a good sign, we should let them see what they could get if they trade with us, and have them more open to us, before slowly starting to influence them and introducing them to our system."
Then in only some minutes, they stepped back on the ship and looked at the gathered soldiers and sailors who numbered around 130 men.
"Captain Flex, did those guys approved to let us on their island?" asked one of the soldiers who looked to be relatively young, around 16 or 17 years old.
"Unfortunately for you guys, especially you Valen, only the merchants are allowed on their island."
"FUCK THEM!? WE WANTED TO SEE THE WOMEN THEY HAD!?" yelled some of the soldiers slightly annoyed.
Yet the young soldier's face turned quickly in a sly expression and said to Flex with certain confidence.
"But sir, don't the merchants need their attendants to help them with their goods? What if some of us soldiers change our clothes with the attendants and start investigating the island and their people and whatever important thing they hold."
The three brothers looked at one another before Flex walked and ruffled the young soldier's head.
"Why haven't I thought of that. That could do it, we can also inspect and scout the lands like this. Good thinking Valen, I'll make sure that if this mission goes well, you'll get your credit for this."
"Hehe, no need Captain, this was just one of my silly ideas."
"Silly as it might sound, as long that it works, it's all good for us soldiers of Kaysang."
"Someone go notify Velemon and the other merchants to come meet me inside the officers quarters. Levon, Yetty go select some boys to blend with Valen as the merchant's attendants."
