"Which family are you from?" Salin changed the topic. He wasn't threatening her; he really didn't need a captive. This woman had suddenly appeared at the harbor with over a hundred people. Even if she wasn't targeting him, she must have her secrets. That was the benefit of having her close at hand.
Salin never thought of helping this woman for free. To a mage, everything came with a price.
The woman hesitated and didn't reply. She looked at Salin stubbornly. Salin chuckled. He took a cup of tea from Nelis and drank it slowly. After being with Rex for a long time, some habits were formed. His behavior wasn't imitated, but formed naturally.
Those in high positions wouldn't care about what the people below them thought. They naturally did what they liked, and it had nothing to do with others.
The woman's aura was stolen by Salin. She knew this mage wouldn't give her any preferential treatment. She could only lower herself and say, "My name is … Helene Williams."
"Oh?" Salin was suddenly interested in this woman. She was actually from the Williams family. However, her name was clearly in the style of Cloud Flow. People of Qin Yin wouldn't let a woman use that name. It didn't sound dignified, especially to nobles. Salin wasn't a noble and hadn't studied family genealogy, but he knew that this woman was definitely a descendant of a marriage between the Williams family and a certain family in Cloud Flow.
Although the Williams family was powerful, the highest noble title was only an earl. For Helene to obtain a noble title herself, she probably had a lot of power in the family.
Salin knew that it was very difficult to obtain a noble title in Qin Yin. Even if it couldn't be inherited, His Majesty the Emperor rarely bestowed it to anyone. The upper and lower houses kept each other in check. They always tried their best to reduce the number of noble titles controlled by each other. This made noble titles extremely popular in Qin Yin.
"The Williams family is considered powerful. Why would they let a delicate person like you come to the north to suffer?" Salin said slowly and went straight to the heart of the matter. What was she here for?
"This is a family matter. Forgive me for not being able to answer." Helene was ready to risk it all. She didn't believe this young mage would really kill her. After all, she was also from a large family. Helping her would give her more benefits.
"If the Williams Family wants to travel to the North often, I advise you to tell me, lest you cut off this source of income in the future. I am a Magician and a merchant. All I know now is that you must have obtained some benefits in the North. If I didn't know what the benefits were, I would've cut off the route to the north. No one would've gained anything, do you understand? "
Salin was now in a strong position and did not want to have a heart-to-heart talk with this noblewoman. He was also too lazy to use any conversational skills. After the city was built, he would definitely learn from Alchemy City and control the northern sea route. The northern sea route was very quiet. Only less than half a year of the year would there be merchants from Scotia traveling to Lianyun City.
The current season clearly wasn't the best for sailing. Helene's appearance at this time was definitely not a tourist. Salin really wanted to know what other benefits there were at sea in this season in the north that could make an important figure of the Williams family personally take the risk.
"You have to be reasonable!" Yi Lian said angrily with a pale face. She did not expect such a noble looking mage to be so unscrupulous.
"I'm already very reasonable. I'm building a city here with the royal family's authorization. I can control the surrounding hundreds of miles of sea. I don't care how you came here before, but if you want to pass through here in the future, you have to ask for my permission. Now that your ship is gone and your subordinates are about to freeze to death, do you want my help without paying a price? "
Yi Lian was angry. The young mage's words were very reasonable, but his attitude was a little high and mighty. It was difficult for her, who had never been bullied since she was young, to accept it.
"Don't you want the Williams Family's friendship?"
"How can there be friendship in business? Perhaps we can be friends, but it has nothing to do with your family. I've always been like this, "Salin replied with a smile. He was also speaking the truth. For example, in the business with the Clyde Family, he could give benefits to Eni, but not Eni's family. There was a difference.
"Who wants to be friends with you!" Yi Lian thought Salin was teasing her and became even angrier.
"Look, you're rejecting the friendship of a great Magician, but you're blaming me for not wanting the Williams Family's favor. Aren't we doing the same thing? "Salin said very patiently. He was building a city here, and if he only relied on farming, there would be no income. It would be good enough if he could feed the surrounding immigrants. If he wanted to develop, he had to be like Alchemy City, doing business, a unique business.
In the beginning, he could rely on the Magicians on Seriger Island, but doing business was not something that could be solved by Magicians. He still needed the help of the Empire's families that were good at business.
This Yi Lian was weak, and seemed to be only at the level of a high-level swordsman. Her position in the family was probably not low, and Salin wanted to cooperate with her in some way. He could not give all the benefits of this city to the Clyde Family.
The Clyde Family and the Williams Family were competitors in business. Salin wanted to see both families enter the city, and this was the situation that Salin wanted to see.
"Sir Magician, can you let my people go ashore first, they …"
Even though Yi Lian was well-educated and might not be better than Salin when it came to business, her people were now hovering on the edge of life and death. Her family's merchant ship had sunk, and many people had died. If the rest of them died, her parents would be implicated. Under such circumstances, no matter how smart she was, she could not win against Salin.
"My name is Salin, Salin Metatlin."
"It's you?" Yi Lian's eyes widened in surprise, as if she had heard of Salin's name before.
Salin touched his face, and looked at Yi Lian in surprise. He asked, "Why? Am I famous? "
"Two years ago, when I was in the capital, I heard of you. You are in charge of the business between Princess Rex and the Clyde Family. Of course I know. "
Salin smiled and did not reply. Yi Lian said helplessly, "Since you are Magician Salin, you will not lie to me. Let my people go ashore first. My people are here, and they can't run away. Whatever you want, we can talk about it. "
"So, the Williams Family does have long-term business in the North?"
"Yes."
"Alright, Neris, ask them to arrange for Yi Lian's people to go ashore, and give them some tents. Prepare some food. "
When Yi Lian saw the beautiful woman beside Salin stand up and walk past her, she did not know why, but her heart wavered. Neris's appearance was extremely charming. Her hair was now a bit green, and her green eyes were like a lake in early spring, rippling with light.
Yi Lian tried hard to calm her heart, thinking, With such a beautiful woman by Salin's side, he probably won't have any designs on me, right? She had heard that Princess Rex was a beauty. No wonder he looked at her like a merchant looking at his goods, without the fiery gaze he was used to.
Salin was also studying Yi Lian. Yi Lian was dressed as a man, and looked more valiant, without a hint of charm. She had a pair of blue eyes, not the usual deep blue of the people of Qin Yin, but light like the few people of Cloud Flow City. Her eyebrows had been trimmed, and they were similar to Silva's, clear and sharp like a knife. Yi Lian's nose was also straighter than most women of Qin Yin, and she looked a little better when she was dressed as a man.
She can be considered a beauty, Salin thought.
Sensing the change in Salin's gaze, Yi Lian felt much more comfortable. Salin's gaze was originally emotionless, which made her very uncomfortable. It was like the feeling of encountering a powerful demon wolf in the wilderness, and being stared at by it. That demon wolf wasn't hungry, so it didn't attack her. But that pair of eyes was clearly analyzing where she could bite.
Humans looked at humans, and magical beasts looked at humans. It was completely different. This Mage called Salin was very dangerous. Yi Lian felt an uncontrollable power from Salin.
Salin didn't feel it himself, but after becoming a fifth-rank Mage, he could control the elements more freely. He still didn't know that living in danger for a long time had caused complicated changes in his temperament. Yi Lian was considered good. After all, she was someone who had seen the world, and her mental fortitude was stronger. If ordinary people were to be stared at by him like that, they probably wouldn't even dare to raise their heads.
So when he said that he didn't need captives, Yi Lian didn't think he was joking, but treated it as a serious matter. In Yi Lian's heart, she had already positioned Salin as a rather abnormal Mage.
Now that Salin's eyes had a hint of appreciation, Yi Lian keenly sensed it and heaved a sigh of relief.
Salin was also very satisfied with his method. With just a few simple words, he had shattered Yi Lian's hard outer shell. Now, he could talk about the Williams Family's business. He had three warships and enough sailors. He was already qualified to join the business.
He wasn't afraid that the Williams Family wouldn't agree. After all, it was impossible for the Williams Family to have warships. If they wanted to continue doing business in the north, they would have to cooperate with him. In Salin's heart, merchants were easier to deal with. As long as he left enough profits for the Williams Family, he would be able to get a share.
"Now you can tell me, what business does the Williams Family have in the north?"
Yi Lian didn't hesitate this time. She saw that the power Salin possessed here was equivalent to the combined power of two cities in the family. She still didn't know that Salin already had three warships, and two of them would return next spring at the latest. There was also one hidden on a nearby island.
"In the north of the Myers Continent, there is the Frozen Sea. Huge icebergs drift there all year round, and ordinary ships can't sail there. That sea is extremely large, and there are also many islands. It is said that further north, there is a continent completely covered in ice and snow. The Frozen Sea is the most ideal place to hunt magical beasts in the sea. There are often large magical beasts floating on the icebergs. They move slowly on land, and as long as you have a Whale Hunting Crossbow, you will be able to reap great rewards. "
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