Warlord: King of All Clans

“We are learning Whale,” Siks explained, took another breath, then submerged her dog-head into the sea, soundlessly barking and frantically blowing bubbles underwater.

Freya was different; she held her breath and remained still, her mouth open.

Only ripples could be seen spreading around her in the water.

After playing for a while, Quintus reopened his closed eyes, "The tide is rising, we must leave."

Freya surfaced abruptly, disappointed, "So soon?"

"The water here is too dirty, we don't like it."

"Goodbye."

Looking out, Leo saw that the sea around Aski Harbor was not murky; in fact, it was clear and blue.

But for the whales that swam from the deep sea, such water was still repulsive and foul-smelling.

As the morning tide slowly rose, the stranded whales regained their freedom and began to slowly retreat into the sea, spouting water columns and singing songs of gratitude.

Such sounds were inaudible to ordinary people, but faintly discernible to transcendents.

Gwen watched as the whales slowly submerged into the sea and disappeared completely, sighing, "Whale visits to the harbor don't have a fixed date, but historical records suggest it happens about once a decade. Who knows when we'll see them again."

Freya said confidently, "Quintus said the whales' voices can travel across the entire ocean. Next time they come, they'll tell me in advance!"

Leo was curious, "Gwen, how do you know so much?"

Gwen smiled, "My family are shareholders in the Imperial Capital Merchant Guild, mainly responsible for trade with the Archipelago Free State. I often came here to play when I was a child."

Well, these days, family lineage is what matters most. Few of those who become Rose Knights or Queen's Guards have simple backgrounds.

While they were moving barnacles, a group of goblin and merman sailors wearing pirate hats and wielding scimitars surrounded them menacingly, "Outsiders! Put down our barnacles!"

Leo now faced such encounters with no emotional reaction, even feeling like laughing, "What do you mean 'yours'? We harvested these."

"Only locals can harvest barnacles! You outsiders aren't qualified!"

Leo was speechless. As a harbor city, Aski Harbor was full of people, a mixed bag. There weren't many locals at all; everyone was an outsider.

Too lazy to argue, he said to Gwen and Sia, "Beat them up, just don't kill anyone."

The two Rose Knights didn't draw their swords, striding forward with their long legs, ready to teach these ignorant little dwarves a lesson.

At this moment, Siks jumped out, "How dare you try to steal my treasures!"

She drew her short sword and performed a set of smooth and flowing swordsmanship, dazzling their eyes.

While they were still dazed, Siks pulled out a revolver and shot the headman's pirate hat off his head.

The group of imp-like pirate sailors scattered like frightened birds.

Looking at the mountain of barnacles, Leo had an idea, "Could these good things be farmed?"

Gwen said, "They can't survive. Demonized barnacles are creatures near deep-sea magic stone mines and can only survive with abundant magic power. Otherwise, they can only attach to whales and survive on their flesh and excrement. No coastal fishery has such conditions."

Sure enough, the harvested demonized barnacles, even kept in seawater, all died within two days.

Fortunately, the harbor had merchants and workshops specializing in handling such goods. The barnacle meat would be dried and processed, while the shells would be sent to magic stone workshops for sealing in magic-sealing warehouses to slow down the dissipation of magic power.

Magic stone is the mineralized version of magic crystal, containing magic power equivalent to one-thousandth to one-ten-thousandth of a magic crystal.

It sounds like little, but it is the only fuel for alchemical airships, magic furnaces, and various large-scale alchemical devices, as important as coal in industrial society.

Fresh demonized barnacles cost less than one gold coin each, but the quantity made up for it.

Many people who harvested barnacles for a day and a night earned dozens of gold coins, more than they would earn from ten years of fishing.

And the professional teams harvested ship after ship.

Freya and Siks also made a fortune and were counting their money together.

Leo, Gwen, and Sia gave all the barnacles they collected to them.

Due to the sudden incident of the whales entering the harbor, Leo waited two more days before receiving news from Spring.

A shipyard in the Shipbuilding Association was willing to move to Olenick and become Leo's vassal.

This was a shipyard with complete technology for manufacturing large seagoing vessels, but with the decline of the Atlantis Empire, shipbuilding orders from the Archipelago Free State had sharply decreased, and this veteran shipyard was gradually unable to support the family's craftsmen.

The shipyards in the Archipelago Free State were family businesses. A goblin craftsman family could have thousands of members, parents, siblings, wives, and children, all working in the same shipyard.

Once there were no orders, they would sit idle and eat their savings, and life would be difficult for everyone.

The Archipelago Free State did not have a strong government, but was governed jointly by various craftsman families, tycoon bosses, and merchant association owners who formed a council.

The family head of this shipyard was also a councilor. In the Empire, that would be one of the hereditary nobles. There was no problem in saying that he was a vassal of Leo.

Besides the high salary he offered, the main reason they were willing to follow Leo was Virgil's reputation in the Archipelago Free State.

If such a master craftsman was willing to work for Leo, what hesitation did these senior and intermediate shipwrights have?

Leo had originally planned to grit his teeth and have all five hundred goblin craftsmen go to the Imperial Capital through the portal, then return to Riverbend and go to Olenick.

But now he saw that they had a family of thousands, with large and small baggage, and many tools and equipment that could not be left behind. The portal fee to the Imperial Capital alone would be as high as ten thousand gold coins, which even Leo was reluctant to spend.

Moreover, with so many people, it was not easy to cut in line casually. Even if you had money, you might not be able to buy a ticket.

But it was also unsafe to go to Olenick by sea, as the entire eastern sea was controlled by the Brutus family.

Once they discovered the relationship between this craftsman family and him, they would never let them reach Olenick safely.

Just as he was in trouble, Virgil suggested, "If you can't go to Olenick, you can go to the Imperial Capital first. You can take a ship north from here, there is a direct inland river route to the Imperial Capital, and then pass through the Midgard portal to reach Riverbend."

"Moreover, the entire goblin family is relocating, with piles of baggage and many tools and equipment that cannot be left behind. Taking a boat is the most cost-effective."

Leo had no other choice but to nod, "Then that's what we'll do. I'll personally lead the team and take a boat back to the Imperial Capital. You and Gwen go back through the portal first and call a team of Pegasus Knights to escort the ship."

"Yes, Earl!"

The Archipelago Free State was tens of thousands of miles away from Riverbend, but there were two portals connected through the Imperial Capital, the journey was only half a day. Soon, Will brought another nine Pegasus Knights to Aski Harbor.

Once the goblin craftsman family was ready, the entire team boarded three large ships and set off from Aski Harbor, first heading to the Holy Light City on the southern coast.

From here, going upstream from the mouth of the Oran Ciby River, you can reach the Southern Imperial Capital.