Struggle in the Steam Age

On the island of Nicosia, more than 120 nautical miles away from Nova Sauer, a welcome ceremony is being held. Just a week after the discussion between Butler Bayer and Lawrence ended, Lawrence's father finally arrived on the island with the last group of people who had been organized before. In this way, Lawrence can finally relax and start visiting the surrounding areas.

"Count August, thank you very much for the gift you gave me—" The lord of Nicosia Island, Viscount Dionysia of Nicosia belonging to the Elysion Empire, accepted the gift from Lawrence with a smile , went on to say. "Please also accept my gift in return—"

As soon as the words fell, the three attendants beside the viscount came over each carrying presents on a carved silver tray covered with embroidered white kerchiefs. One of the plates contained bread, one contained salt, and the last plate contained gifts. In the center was a necklace made of flowers, which was exactly the same as the gift Lawrence had given just now.

This is a courtesy gift, expressing the highest respect and warmest welcome to the guests. In fact, serving bread and salt to guests in the western part of the Old World is a universal etiquette, regardless of high or low.

It's just that poor people often only use black bread and coarse salt at this time, while ordinary people use white bread and refined salt bought in the store. The etiquette among nobles like Lawrence would choose exquisite white bread made from wheat produced in certain specific places and the top mineral salt produced in certain specific salt lakes.

As for the flower necklace, it is a unique etiquette of Xingchenhai. It was only spread among some aborigines, but it became a unique etiquette of this region after the colonists came here, but not every noble This etiquette is used. Viscount Nicosia can clearly tell from his appearance that he is a descendant of an aborigine, so he chose this etiquette in the ceremony to welcome Lawrence.

So Lawrence naturally tore off a small piece from the large piece of bread, dipped it in salt, and put it in his mouth to taste. Then he took the necklace made of flowers from the plate and hung it around his neck.

According to traditional rules, bread and salt represent a friendship and a hope for peace. The flower necklace, in addition to representing peace, also represents a desire to communicate with others. Newcomers like Lawrence need to bring gifts like this to visit those neighbors.

If it is on land, then Lawrence needs to visit all the neighbors who border his territory. And an independent island like this needs to visit all the islands that can only be reached by boat after a day from the port.

When visiting the island, both parties need to send these meaningful gifts. If everyone accepts such a gift from the other party, it means that both parties are willing to get along with their new neighbors. Of course, this is only in theory. What the actual operation will be like, of course, is another story.

But reality is reality, and etiquette is etiquette. After the round of visits is over, the territory where Lawrence is located can trade with the surrounding territories. In addition, he can also take this opportunity to integrate into the circle of the same status around him. In the future, there will be various social activities, such as dance parties or hunting, so that people will come to visit.

That's why Lawrence didn't like this kind of event at first, so he bit the bullet and came to participate: After all, if his territory wants to develop, it is necessary to deal with the neighbors around and exchange information. So even though he always felt that this kind of high society welcome and send-off rules were too hypocritical, he still took the housekeeper's suggestion and started this tour.

Nicosia was the first island in Lawrence's circle of visits, and the farthest island from Nova Sauer, and at the same time the most knighted island owner of the nearby islands. According to the plan, Lawrence will spirally visit all the surrounding islands from far to near and see what is useful for his own island.

For example, the territory belonging to the Viscount of Nicosia consists of two main islands no more than 100 meters apart and dozens of scattered islands around it, covering an area of ​​more than 2,200 square kilometers. There are seventy or eighty plantations on the island, growing a series of tropical cash crops like coffee, cocoa, pineapple and so on.

In addition, there is a small coal mine on the island and small factories for rough processing these cash crops. If these agriculture and industries are combined, this territory can be regarded as one of the best developed territories in this area.

Different from those territories on the mainland, this kind of territory that is isolated on the sea and has a large number of trouble-loving savage races that may go to war at any time is often regarded as the edge of civilization, so the nobles here are called pioneer nobles. The land area owned by them is often several times or even ten times that of the inland nobles of the same level.

As for Lawrence, that was an exception. It belonged to the kind of territory that only the duke could obtain even in the wild territory by chance, and it could not be copied. Under normal circumstances, the largest territory an earl can obtain in this area is 6,000 to 7,000 square kilometers.

Because it was the first time they met, this meeting, as the first contact between the two parties, only talked about some very superficial things, most of which were courtesy greetings.

According to the information collected before coming here, the lord's ancestor was the most powerful chief of the island at first, and he chose to join the other party after meeting the last emperor of the ancient empire known as the Senate and the people. Thus became the Viscount of the nascent Elysion Empire.

After becoming the nobles of the empire, most of these aborigines who were enshrined as nobles quickly integrated into the noble system of the Elysion Empire. At least Lawrence could see the obvious signs of mixed blood from the viscount in front of him.

In addition, according to the information Lawrence inquired during this time. This viscount is not just a lord. Many people in his family have been integrated into all aspects of the Elysion Empire. It can be regarded as a small but relatively influential party in the political arena of the empire. strength.

So before Lawrence checked his profile, he thought that he should be a good dancer, usually a kind and approachable person. After meeting now, Lawrence felt that his previous judgment was more accurate and there was nothing wrong with it. The viscount, who looked a bit general, introduced the surrounding situation to Lawrence very kindly.

Especially when he knew that Lawrence had been building on his own island since he came here, the viscount reminded Lawrence very seriously: "Lord August, I think you should join the Star Customs Customs Union as soon as possible. area, because only then can you buy and sell various products at a reasonable price.”

"The Star Customs Customs Union, what kind of organization is that?" Lawrence asked curiously. "Is it a customs union between the countries of the New World?"

"Yes." Viscount Nicosia nodded and said, "This is a trade agreement signed between us and a series of islands located in the far east of the Sea of ​​Stars."

Through the viscount's narration, Lawrence also began to understand what this so-called customs union is all about: it is not just a customs union in the literal sense, but a cooperation composed of outlying islands in the Sea of ​​Stars and Far Sea. organize.

The islands in the Sea of ​​Stars are different from those close to the New World. Because there are many extraordinary creatures in the sea, the cost of sea transportation in this world's sea is much higher than that of the world in Lawrence's previous life. At the same time, the management cost of those islands is much higher.

In this case, these outlying islands are all semi-independent entities except those with important locations or key resources. They only belong to certain countries in name, but they are actually autonomous.

But in this way, it is often difficult to get support from the home country when something happens. Therefore, if the people on these islands want to survive, they need to report to the regiment to keep warm, which is why the Star Customs Customs Union Zone was established.