"In your estimation, Father, what price could this refined sugar fetch?"
Leilin set down the tray of white sugar in his hands and looked at Baron Jonas.
"At least ten times the price of raw sugar! If I weren't worried about attracting backlash and envy from others, I'd say we could even push it to twenty times!"
Baron Jonas closed his eyes for a moment before answering with certainty.
"Then I'll leave the sales channels to you, Father!"
Leilin nodded with a smile.
Once this refined sugar hit the market, the impact would be enormous. And as for how to manage the balance, find backers, yield profits, and build a web of shared interests — how could Leilin possibly compete with the endlessly experienced Baron Jonas in matters of trade?
"I also reviewed the fish floss cans from before — excellent work!"
Baron Jonas looked at his son, his eyes filled with ineffable emotion. "Sigh... you've really given your father quite the problem. Such enormous profits..."
Though he sighed, the smile on the Baron's face was impossible to hide.
This child of his never failed to deliver surprises beyond all expectations.
……
With sufficient manpower and resources, the fish floss and white sugar trade that Leilin had been anticipating finally got into full swing.
Baron Jonas understood perfectly well that no single family could swallow such enormous profits alone. He used these two products to draw in several minor nobles whose fiefs were also overseas, as well as local faction forces he had recently cultivated, yielding a generous portion of the profits to bring them on board and share the backlash together.
And once Faolan Island's refined white sugar flooded the market, the shockwave exceeded even the Baron's imagination.
That pure sweetness was an almost heavenly indulgence that instantly conquered many nobles, driving them to pursue this luxury with abandon.
In the first month alone, profits reached a staggering two thousand gold crores!
The fish floss trade wasn't quite as explosive, but the market response was still very positive. Its convenient, ready-to-eat nature and excellent shelf life won it a devoted following among mercenaries and adventurers, and even some of the Kingdom's military brass had begun showing interest.
The profits in military supplies — need anyone say more?
Riding these two golden express lanes, the entirety of Faolan Island began developing at breakneck speed. Leilin even opened several more production lines just to keep up with the voracious market demand.
And of course, the Crimson Tiger Pirate
Under Leilin's covert direction and with the barbarian pirate crew's assistance, the Crimson Tiger Pirate Crew, led by Isabelle, pulled off several daring raids, ambushing a number of Marquis Louis's merchant vessels.
Meanwhile, Leilin had been sitting on Faolan Island all along, projecting an image of a man secluded from worldly affairs and devoted to quiet cultivation. The barbarian pirate crew was likewise unusually tranquil, leaving their opponents with absolutely no evidence to seize — they could only gnash their teeth in secret and plot their revenge.
In the blink of an eye, nearly a year had passed.
The camp Leilin had previously established had now transformed into a thriving maritime port. Hard blue-gray flagstones paved the ground, stately brick-and-tile buildings rose everywhere, the entire port was laid out with meticulous planning, public order was remarkably good, and not a scrap of litter could be seen on the streets — something utterly unimaginable at other ports.
Filth and squalor were invariably the breeding grounds of disease and plague, and Leilin would never tolerate that.
Moreover, a clean, orderly, well-managed port held incalculable appeal for the maritime merchants of this era.
With fish floss and refined white sugar as two premium export products, the port had become a magnet for gold. Every day, large numbers of vessels docked at the wharves or departed loaded to the brim with cargo. Even at night, laborers toiled ceaselessly, painting a scene of bustling prosperity.
Leilin named this port — "Morningstar Port"! A symbol of a rising star!
Yes! After Morningstar Port was completed, it not only drew in the numerous merchants who had originally frequented Faolan Port, but was also quietly on track to become another major trade center of the outer seas!
Among the outer seas of Danbres, the Bodhi Islands on the surface and the hidden Pirate's Port had previously formed two clearly distinct poles. Now, Morningstar Port was unmistakably emerging as a third pole!
This shift in the grand scheme naturally attracted the attention of more interested parties.
"My lord, the latest intelligence!"
A guard wearing finely crafted chainmail, his bearing steady and composed — clearly a mid-tier warrior of considerable skill — respectfully handed a wax-sealed letter to Jacob.
Jacob opened it hastily, scanned a few lines, and his face changed dramatically.
"I need to deliver this to the young master in person!"
Stepping out of the room, two rows of elite warriors immediately fell in behind Jacob. They carried an air of iron discipline, and a faint glow even flickered in the depths of their eyes — veteran warriors who had awakened their battle qi, every one of them.
Leaving the City Hall, Jacob mounted a magnificent black destrier. Though as the Municipal Security Officer he had a carriage at his disposal, a warrior's habits made him prefer to ride on horseback.
Gazing back at the imposing, opulent City Hall, the ranks of mid-tier warriors behind him, and the mixture of reverence and eager deference in the eyes of passersby on the road, Jacob felt a brief moment of daze.
"Everything... is truly different now!"
Jacob murmured a quiet sigh. With sufficient wealth in hand, Baron Jonas and Leilin had not acted like the mainland nobles — hoarding gold coins in their cellars like greedy dragons. Quite the opposite. Beyond expanding production lines and building Morningstar Port, the far-sighted Baron Jonas had invested virtually every ounce of revenue into strengthening the Faolan Family's power.
Enormous quantities of refined chainmail and tempered steel longswords replaced the guards' former leather armor and iron-tipped wooden spears. They had even recruited a large number of professional warriors — while high-ranking professionals above level fifteen were unlikely to join, other mid-tier professionals, especially melee-focused warriors, simply could not refuse the conditions the Baron offered.
Some professionals had even grown to love the environment so deeply after serving for a time that they relocated their families and became free citizens of Morningstar Port. Leilin welcomed this with open arms, offering generous promotions and benefits, which in turn created a virtuous cycle that steadily strengthened the forces under his command.
As far as Jacob knew, professionals above level ten had already pledged themselves to Leilin. Had it not been for his years of loyal service since childhood alongside the Baron, his own position would surely have been taken by someone else long ago.
Even so, a deep sense of crisis lingered persistently in Jacob's heart.
"I have to train harder. I can feel it — the bottleneck that's plagued me for years, I'll break through it this time for sure!"
With the Faolan Family's income on the rise, veterans like Jacob had naturally benefited as well. Salaries had been raised to impressive levels, and Jacob was keenly aware of his own shortcomings. He used the extra funds to hire scholars for private lessons and sought guidance from numerous formidable warriors.
He had now reached the peak of a seventh-level warrior, just one step short of the eighth level.
After the horse galloped out of the port, the surroundings gave way to freshly cultivated wheat fields. Lush green wheat brimming with vitality filled the view, and the air instantly turned fresh and clean, prompting Jacob to take several deep breaths.
Tilling these fields were tenant farmers and peasants originally from the Faolan Family's lands, liberated slaves, and even the families of pirates.
Leilin had issued a special decree: any slave who worked diligently could earn free citizen status after a set number of years, along with ten acres of farmland. After paying three years of taxes, they could apply to the City Hall to purchase the land at a very low price, becoming true independent farmers.
This policy drove hordes of slaves to work desperately, all for the chance at free citizen status.
Leilin understood well that no matter how human society changed, class would endure forever. Maintaining mobility between classes and giving those at the bottom hope of advancement — that was the only way to keep an organization and a regime vibrant.
Once past the wheat fields, the security patrols intensified sharply.
Jacob even sensed the covert watchful eyes of rangers, rogues, and perhaps even assassins lurking in the shadows.
An industrial zone appeared at the end of the road — this was where the fish floss and white sugar were produced.
After securing the first wave of trade revenue, Leilin had relocated the production lines here, freeing up space at the port while also making secrecy and management far easier.
As trade profits continued to expand, the security classification of this area grew ever stricter.
Leilin and his mentor,
But as long as the staggering profits from the trade persisted, such reckless probing would never cease.
Leilin's villa stood right beside the factory district. He was never one to deny himself comfort. The villa occupied an impressive plot of land, and he had even relocated the entire household staff from the original estate — grooms and all. The Claire sisters, naturally, were among them.
After encountering two patrol squads, each led by a tenth-level warrior, Jacob finally reached Leilin.
Leilin had already celebrated his sixteenth birthday, and he looked even more mature now. His golden curly hair shone like sunlight, his eyes were as deep as the sea, and every inch of his physique was perfectly sculpted, radiating a sense of harmonious balance. In short, his appearance was precisely the image of an ideal gentleman that noble young ladies dreamed of.
The Claire sisters nearby were lost in a daze of admiration, barely even noticing Jacob's arrival.