When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 993 Plans for the Musk River and Trade
After a week's rest for the New Year, Darth led his warband and the allied forces of the city-states on another expedition.

It must be said that capturing Yurui City was indeed an absolutely correct move.

After the fall of Yurui City, the downstream cities surrendered with almost no resistance.

Das later learned that this was because they had captured all the snake-man lords, big and small, as well as key hostages.

For these places, things remain the same as always.

If it is a city-state of beastmen, the appointment will be made from among the royal families of the beastmen of Dazexiang.

If it is a Serpent City-State, then find collaborators among potential successors to help them rise to power.

By late January, they had successfully opened up the entire main stream basin of the Musk River.

Emerging from the rainforest, the trees gradually thin out, eventually transforming into a terrain resembling savanna.

Standing on the sailing ship, looking to both sides, you can see the endless golden hay like a sea, and a dozen or so trees scattered like islands in the hay to form a small grove.

These trees are generally arborescent, mainly with umbrella-shaped crowns.

During the voyage, you can even see monkeys, lions, tigers, and even elephants.

Das even saw a griffin in the air again, a griffin flying by carrying a fawn in its beak.

However, when Das and his crew arrived, it was already the end of the dry season, and everywhere there were dried-up riverbeds and temporary ponds of all sizes.

The leading ships have spotted scattered colonial villages, confirming that the Musk River does indeed have an independent outlet to the sea.

"However, the rainy season is coming soon, and our supplies are almost exhausted, so we have retreated to Yurui City."

Das grinned sheepishly, "But don't worry, when I returned to the Northern County, Mudiay was already planning a second expedition."

“According to the scholars, that outlet to the sea should be called Argo Port, a deep-water port,” Horn continued. “However, there happens to be another good port nearby, so it hasn’t been developed much. Were the colonial villages there mainly inhabited by Norn?”

"Correct."

"That's right."

Das scratched his head: "Your Majesty, we have found the outlet to the sea, but the problem is that there is only one small river navigable from the Northern County to the Musk River."

Moreover, navigation is only possible during the rainy season; during the dry season, people can only row canoes at most.

How are we supposed to transport such a large, deep-draft ocean-going vessel over there?

Horn touched his head curiously: "Did the sun make you stupid? Sea ships, sea ships, if there's a sea, why would I need to transport them from the inland?"

Besides, we don't have the ability to build ships; we need to buy them from the Farrans, Eaglehorn, or Norn.

Even if all else fails, there are shipyards in the settlements; why not just hire local ships and sailors? Wouldn't that be even closer?

Horn wanted to bypass the embargo tariffs on the Lilac Corridor, but he could sail through empty or with some low-tariff goods.

The empty ship departs from the port by sea, heads north to Argo Port, loads up spices in Yurui City, and then returns to the settlement.

They used the vampires' smuggling channels to deliver spices and sugar to the hungry vampires.

As for the issue of smuggling, it was not a problem for Horn at all.

It was you, Fran, who imposed an embargo on the Royal Court of Flesh and Blood, but my Holy Alliance did not.

Besides, we didn't make a deal with the Flesh and Blood Kingdom; our goods were hijacked by vampire pirates while being transported to Fran.

However, these vampire pirates were surprisingly well-mannered; after robbing the goods, they even knew to leave the payment behind.

As for how the spices will be transported to the Musk River, Horn has already sent people to survey the waterways, and in the future, the river can be widened and a canal can be built.

"You don't need to worry about the sea vessel; the Church of Our Fathers at Windmill Land has already made arrangements for us."

The Eldian merchant guild purchased twenty-five ships and ship equipment from Golden Horn Bay and Eagle's Foot Bay, and also hired a five-year contract of seamen and sailors.

The ship was donated to us by the Els, and they also paid for the five-year buyout for the sailors and crew. However, we have to pay their wages.

Horn could easily guess the reason for this. The Holy Alliance rose to power, Leia declined, and the Elians began searching for new hideouts.

The El people have been able to stand firm in the empire for so many years because they have a very clear understanding of the situation.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket; they'll help whoever wins.

If the Els have nowhere to go, they will surely be at the mercy of Charles VIII.

Having appeased Horn, Charles VIII dared not push too far, at least giving the Eldians a foothold in the Holy Alliance.

Although the situation is still unclear, it wouldn't hurt to curry favor with Horn.

In the matter of buying a boat, they were indeed a timely help.

Horn didn't really have any suitable channels to purchase large quantities of ships and ready-made crew members.

Therefore, he would not refuse the El's overtures; it was simply a matter of mutual benefit.

“That’s just my way of thinking,” Dass said, slapping his forehead with a laugh.

After finishing that topic, Horn immediately asked about the origin of the green dragon head.

Das naturally recounted the entire process, including how he breached Jade City and how he obtained the dragon head.

"You mean, this dragon head was enshrined in the pyramid a thousand years ago, and it still looks as if it was just cut off?"

Horn asked incredulously, "Did this dragon die from eating preservatives?"

"I can't believe it either, but in this hot weather, the dragon head is not rotten at all. If it weren't just a single head, I would almost think it was still alive."

Is a dragon head enshrined inside the pyramid of the snake people?
Horn sensed that things weren't so simple, but this wasn't the place to talk. He turned around, about to call people to get in the car.

But under the scorching sun, a group of fierce-looking men wearing Black Snake Bay shirts, almost fainting from the heat, stared longingly at Horn.

Horn had a loyal son holding an umbrella for him, and a wizard used a wind spell to cool him down, while the councilors were left to suffer from heatstroke under the sun.

"Oh, sorry, sorry." Horn then turned around and walked forward to greet and shake hands with each of the councilors.

Horn didn't keep them chatting for too long, afraid that the councilors would get sunburned.

He simply accepted their gifts, made an appointment to meet again at the banquet later, and then got into his car and left.

Catherine, Carrie, and Lourdes rode in one carriage, while Jeanne, Das, and Horn rode in another, one after the other, heading towards the Moon Palace.

He lifted the carriage curtain to let the wind in, and Horn leaned against the window, gazing out at the plantations beyond the city.

Along the road paved with gravel and sand, tall, pointed fences have been erected.

Through the gaps, one could see patches of sweet twig groves.

The sparse trees and swamps have now been completely transformed into sweet twig plantations, with neat fields of sweet twigs scattered throughout.

Sweetgum trees with black trunks and red branches stand close together, trying their best to reach the sunlight at the top. Laborers and slaves dressed in coarse linen clothes are swinging sickles to cut down the sweetgum branches.

Occasionally they would look up, only to numbly glance at the passing convoy.

On one side of the sweet twig field are the animal- or water-powered double-roller sweet twig pressing workshop, the barrel-making workshop, and the stone-built water storage system.

Within a plantation, the most prominent feature is the main house with its arcade at the highest point, surrounded by slave sheds made of palm leaves.

Women and children stayed by the shed washing earthenware bowls and cooking a paste made of sweet beans and rice cakes in a large earthenware pot.

Drop in a few bright red purple eggs and a few pieces of brown sugar, and a pot of brunch is ready.

Unlike Thousand River Valley, Black Snake Bay still provides two meals a day.

Looking at the slaves and laborers in the fields, Horn tapped his fingers lightly on the car window, as if he was thinking about something.

His expression grew increasingly serious.

(End of this chapter)