"Master, it's dinner time." Neris had followed him in.
"Yes, did you catch them?" Salin turned back and looked at Neris.
"Zola has already taken them to the south." Neris's voice was so soft that other than Salin, even Ainphent couldn't hear what she said.
Before Salin came, Zola had personally brought people to catch the scouts found in the west of the city. Zola's ability was indeed reassuring, and he brought them back in less than a few hours.
"There's no need for you here. Go and ask where they came from," Ainphent said to Neris. He wasn't sure about Neris's interrogation methods, but he knew that even the Silver Sword Sage had been dealt with by her.
Neris left unwillingly. She still wanted to see what Salin had to say to Helene. She wasn't interested in interrogating captives. In the past, her body needed to grow, and the flesh and blood of the strong were beneficial to her evolution. Now that her evolution requirements were higher, these little captives were useless to her.
Salin was a mage, and he couldn't really be the city lord here. To him, magic cultivation was his first priority. This city hall was where the city lord handled official business. As for who would take this position, he would have to discuss with Rex before deciding.
No matter who would be the city lord, the actual owner of this city was still Salin. After all, the city's initial design was for the mages of Seriger Island to be stationed there. Rex couldn't send someone to manage the city. She only wanted a safe interplanar transportation matrix. As long as this city belonged to Salin, there wouldn't be any conflicts between the two sides. As for the future, when Kushui Prefecture had enough Magic Shooters, they would have the power to build their own transportation matrix.
Helene's heart fluttered when she saw Salin's calm demeanor. If only I could marry this mage. It wouldn't be bad to be his lover … Helene thought to herself, and a slightly infatuated look appeared on her face.
Ainphent saw this and laughed in his heart. However, he didn't point it out, because he was too close to Salin, and his thoughts were different from others. If Salin could settle with the direct descendant of the Williams family, there would be much less competition on his side. If a woman followed a man, she wouldn't put her family first. Even Ainphent had the intention to start his own business. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bet all his savings on Salin.
"Helene, please come with me." Salin didn't notice anything different about Helene. It wasn't that he was slow, but that he had never experienced something like this before.
Elaine followed Sarin and Ainphent to the dining hall on the second floor. The dining hall was used by the city hall. As the city structure had not been completed yet, there were no officials to manage it. The people eating here were all swordsmen from Serrig Island.
The City Hall building occupied a large area and was rectangular in shape. The dining room was in the south, and there were more than 20 windows in a row, all inlaid with cheap glass. However, the glass was not colored, but pure and transparent. It looked like a discarded crystal.
It was already dark. Many of Salin's subordinates had come for dinner, and the dining hall was full of people. As soon as Sarlin entered the dining hall, the noise in the dining hall immediately died down. The swordsmen and mages of Seriger Island stood up and bowed to Sarlin. Ainphent's men already had a mansion, so of course they wouldn't appear here.
Salin nodded and asked everyone to sit down. He wasn't used to this, but he couldn't object.
They walked to the east side of the dining hall. There was a screen that separated them into a single room. Helene looked at the screen. Usually, only Yun Liu would use it. It didn't look new, and it wasn't made locally. It seemed like Salin didn't lack any resources. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent so much effort to transport these daily necessities from so far away.
The chefs in this dining hall were all from Seriger Island. They were originally cooking on the ship, but now that the harbor was frozen, the crew on the ship had moved to land. Only a few stayed on the distant island to take care of the warship.
"Helene, there's nothing good to eat here. Don't mind." Salin was now very polite. He didn't have the domineering aura he had when he first caught Helene. He knew that Helene was in a hurry to return because she wanted to work with him.
The Silence Barrier on the screen activated, and magic isolated the sound in the dining hall. The small room was immediately sealed. No one outside could hear what the three of them were talking about.
"Mage Salin."
Salin smiled and waved his hand. Helene turned around and said, "Salin, Ainphent …"
"Ainphent is my best friend. Helene, I'd like to ask you. Does the Williams family have a ship like yours?"
Helene was taken aback. After a moment of silence, she said, "No." Her ship was given to her by her mother. It came from Yun Liu. The Williams family wasn't good at sea trade. That ship was the only thing they had that could go out to sea. Once the ship sank, her family's status immediately dropped. Salin's words hit her most sensitive spot. Apart from that sea route, she had nothing to negotiate with.
"I don't think so. Even if they build it in Lianyungang, it'll take two to three years." Salin was now very knowledgeable about shipbuilding. An ordinary small boat would take a few months to build. Those long-distance ships were close to two hundred meters long. It would be fast if they could build them in two to three years. Of course, if they were to use magic to build them, the speed would increase rapidly. The cost would also increase by a few hundred times. No one could afford it.
Helene's expression was gloomy. She had raised money again, and even borrowed a large sum from her mother. She wanted to get a ship from Salin so that she could go out to sea the next spring. That way, she could make up for her losses. Otherwise, her family would no longer support her in this venture.
But Salin seemed to want Ainphent to join in. Since when did the Williams family agree to work with the Clyde family?
"Helene." Ainphent no longer looked as cold as usual. He smiled at Helene and called out.
"What is it!" Helene immediately pulled a long face. She hadn't forgotten what had happened when she was young. Ainphent had nearly broken her teeth.
"Salin's meaning is very simple. You can do this alone without the family's power. That sea route wasn't established by your family, right? "
Helene was shocked. It wasn't that she hadn't thought of what Ainphent said, but it wasn't very possible. Without her family's backing, she could easily be eaten up by other factions. The sea route was indeed discovered by her, and the rights were in her hands. But she could only take the risk with the swordsmen and funds provided by her family.
You want me to betray my family! At this thought, Helene's eyebrows shot up. She immediately pressed her hand on the hilt of her short sword. Qin Yin was indeed a hot-blooded person. Helene couldn't tolerate such provocation even in the face of two fifth-rank mages.
Ainphent shrugged. "What are you talking about? You're going to marry sooner or later. Is marrying someone a betrayal of the family?"
Helene's face turned red again. Salin said, "Let's work together. You'll provide the sea route, which counts as two shares. Ainphent will provide the manpower, which counts as two shares. I'll provide the ship and escort, which counts as six shares. Don't be unwilling. I'll have to give away half of these six shares. This city doesn't belong to me alone. "
Ainphent struck while the iron was hot. "Helene, you have to think this through. By next spring, the people from the Bitter Water Prefecture will enter this city in large numbers. It'll be difficult for you to split the shares. I'm the same. We have to provide the manpower and money now. If it's too late, Salin doesn't lack it. "
Helene frowned, calculating in her heart. If she could get twenty percent, it would be more than what she could get from the family. But she still asked, "Salin, since you'll have manpower by spring, why do you still want to count it this way?"
"This city doesn't belong to me alone, but this business can be mine alone. I can use three warships … "Salin couldn't suppress his annoyance at this point. Rex had left with a warship. He'd agreed to let the warship return first, but it had disappeared without a trace. But if something had happened to Rex, the Qinyin Empire would have long been in chaos. It was just that he didn't know what kind of trouble had forced him to bring the magicians and swordsmen of Seriger Island.
"Three warships!" Helene was truly shocked. She'd thought that Salin had large merchant ships that could be modified into exploration ships. She didn't expect him to have warships. The defense of warships surpassed that of exploration ships. Even when sailing in the northern seas, as long as they didn't hit an iceberg, ordinary ice could be broken.
"Yes, but I don't have enough manpower. At least one of the three warships needs to be left behind to temporarily protect the harbor. But I only have the manpower for one warship. The people Ainphent brought are all his personal forces, and can be separated from the Clyde Family. If you agree, this business will belong to the three of us. "
"Is there any special request?" Helene didn't believe there was such a good thing.
"You've seen my city. It's just been built, so for the next five years, the capital and manpower will be split between the two of you every time we go out to sea. After five years, the three of us will share equally."
Seeing Helene hesitate, Ainphent said, "You only need to provide the shipping route for the first year."
Salin nodded and said, "And after three years, I'll have more ships. This business can be expanded."
Helene thought that Salin wanted sixty percent. It seemed like a lot, but Salin was offering warships. She wouldn't be able to get that no matter what. After five years, everyone would share the cost equally. She definitely wouldn't be at a disadvantage. But if she left the family to manage this alone, the family would probably be furious, right?
"Helene, I can promise you that you'll get the same amount of trade as Ainphent from the Williams Family. I'll take special care of the other two families."
Helene was immediately relieved when she heard Salin's promise. Her family would be satisfied if they could get a large share of this city's trade.
"Alright, we …"
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