There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

Setting up a chamber of commerce hall is also one of my plans.

Hisistan in the northwest is a relatively conservative and lawless territory, but it maintains a relatively closed attitude, hiding in various bases to accumulate strength and slowly advance its technology. It can be said to be a standard neutral force, and it is worth trying to win over.

This time, I forced the caravan to offend the Godslayer Pirate Gang, forcing them to face potential retaliation at any moment. Therefore, a binding agreement based on mutual interests is essential. For every bit of benefit they gain in this Saber Bay, they will have to pay an extra price.

Pay attention.

My obvious goodwill, if conveyed back to the territory through this caravan, will surely prompt them to make contact.

This is the game of hidden chess.

But I wasn't so kind to the loader leader, who was the most unreliable one in this battle.

The fleeing cavalrymen were almost scared out of their wits when the giant spaceship appeared, and they fled desperately into the dense forest. It wasn't until the cigar-shaped spaceship flew away from the planet that they quietly returned to the battlefield under the organization of the mad lord.

But at this moment, the 460th Legion had emerged from the ruins where they were hiding, forming a formation like an iron wall. Leaning on their barbarian broadswords, with their masks pulled low and fully armed, they stood at the front line, exuding a cold killing intent. Their aura was like that of security guards at the entrance of a nightclub, making the privateer cavalry tremble with fear and dare not approach.

"My lord, now that the battle is over, let's discuss the distribution of spoils after the war."

For special reasons, I unexpectedly appeared from the roof of the tavern and spoke with these cowardly bullies under the moonlight.

Before the war ended, we could still be considered allies with shared interests. But after the war, we are the only two powers on the wasteland, and competition between us is inevitable, drastically increasing the risk of battle. If the current Free Trade Zone forces suffer heavy losses, they will inevitably launch an attack to annihilate us.

But now...

"I had no intention of starting any conflict."

I jumped off the tavern roof and said to the dead-faced lord, "If you are also sincere in resolving this issue through negotiation, then come into the tavern alone. We can discuss this in the presence of guests from Hisistan in the northwest. If not, please leave, unless you want this place to become your final resting place!"

After I finished speaking, I walked into the tavern. The steel wall formed by the 460 Legion parted to create a passage, silently expressing its attitude.

Finally, a horse stepped out of the group.

…………

This little-known tavern peace negotiation is what I call the "Saber Bay Peace System".

Unlike other negotiations, the topic of this negotiation was solely the distribution of benefits.

Instead of distinguishing between the dominant and subordinate sides, the two sides tallied all the visible results of the battle, divided them into movable and immovable property, and discussed them openly at the negotiating table.

The loader's leader, according to his needs, took all the prisoners of war, but the lord also demanded that all the addictive substances in the warehouse be taken away to control these heavily addicted guys.

I had absolutely no interest in any dubious drugs like "yayo powder" or "thin pills." These things, common in the wasteland, would only cause trouble if they were to flood the Free Trade Zone, so I simply gave them away. The Free Trade Zone, in turn, seized real estate in Sabre Bay, including buildings and a stranded, decommissioned spaceship.

Subsequently, we divided the supplies again. However, this time it was allocated 50/50 instead of the previous 30/70 split. This was because I considered the current trade surplus; I only needed to expand the scale of trade between the two sides, and the supplies I needed would flow into my hands continuously, while their hoarding would only ruin their own economy.

Following these two points, we discussed how to maintain peace on the wasteland and limited standing forces to prevent unnecessary expansion and preparations for war, which could lead to the rampant spread of aggressive and expansionist ideas and undermine the precious peace on the wasteland. Ultimately, the Loader's Command will reduce the size of the privateer cavalry, and I also guarantee that there will be no expansion under equal circumstances.

I also mentioned that no trade barriers or price manipulation should be set up between free trade zones and loader territories, and all production and circulation of goods must be kept unimpeded, otherwise it would be considered as provoking war.

I could sense the sneer in the mad lord's hastily pieced-together face.

Because he needs to go back to recuperate and replenish his supplies from me, and also to deal with the prisoners he captured this time, this is a respite they must strive for.

But this guy still doesn't understand that the infiltration of intangible capital is more thorough and more ruthless than direct plunder...

In short, the content of this system in my vision is not important, but this method of transforming military hegemony into the expansion of commercial capital is undoubtedly a path to peaceful coexistence in this wasteland where there is neither morality nor order.

The ability to maintain a relative balance and absolute gap between the strong and the weak during peace talks, while preventing new forces from emerging from the void and ruins, is a very valuable practice.

At least we no longer have to worry about new savages suddenly wielding their swords on the edge of the world.

Chapter 476 The Ship of Theseus

Following our negotiations, which were driven by our own ulterior motives, Sabre Bay quickly transformed into a bustling market. Countless looted supplies were unearthed from underground warehouses and scattered all over the ground. They were then counted, packed into boxes, and categorized, waiting to be transported away and stored.

Why does the leader of the loaders prefer to maintain this false peace rather than fight?

I understand, and so does the mad lord. We've seen this kind of thing countless times. All I can say is, those who know, know; those who don't, I won't explain further. After all, it's enough for you to know. Think about it carefully. Don't ask me what happened; the interests involved are too great. Explaining wouldn't benefit either of us. Just pretend you don't know. All I can say is that things are very complicated here…

Hmm, is this technique of talking for so long and still saying nothing at all... the art of speaking?

Well, actually, it's because our two factions are like two hungry wolves who rarely cooperate for survival, having just killed the massive buffalo of Sabre Bay. Even if neither side wants to coexist, they are more inclined to have a good meal and heal their wounds before fighting, rather than fighting to the death on empty stomachs and ending up dead in the wild.

That wasn't the worst part. What was even worse was that while the two sides were fighting, a pack of hyenas suddenly appeared in the distance, rushed up and devoured the bison, and then tore our two families to pieces.

With the pirates gone and me having no interest in expanding my territory, this is a perfect opportunity for the mad lord to expand his domain. Since there are still so many places to occupy, why bother fighting me to the death?

Therefore, this so-called "Saber Bay Peace System" is merely a temporary truce and a prolonged standoff, which is more conducive to maintaining local hegemony...

"Sir, you don't need to worry about things here. You can go to the spaceship and check on the situation! It seems the commander has run into some trouble."

The 460th Legion was working up a sweat, but they were incredibly energetic.

Not only them, but even the seemingly unruly privateer cavalrymen wore sleepwalking smiles as they jumped off their usually cherished warhorses, strapped goods to their backs, and then wobbled away towards the city gates.

These guys are quite pitiful. I heard that ever since I caused a ruckus in the territory, their treatment has taken a sharp turn for the worse. In order to deal with pirate attacks and keep the warhorses strong, the soybeans and wheat in their rations are all fed to the warhorses, while they can only drink bran porridge with black bread.

This victory finally gave them hope of having enough to eat.

"Alright, Sixth Brother! You and Lion keep an eye on things here. If there's any bargaining involved, let Four-Legged Chicken handle it. I'm rooting for you two!"

In high spirits, I put aside what was happening here and headed towards the spaceship at the port, ready to examine this biggest gain!

…………

Every step I took closer to the port, I noticed that the spaceship in front of me seemed to be severely damaged.

I don't know much about the Star Alliance they're talking about, but the severely damaged solar panels and ship components on the surface of the spaceship were all exposed to the air, like a terrible wound.

These shocking collisions could not possibly have been caused by a traffic accident in the asteroid belt.

The traces of violent melting on the spacecraft's deck and the marks of emergency repairs with special foam materials indicate that it had engaged in a fierce space battle.

The plasma cannon barrage just now shook off half of the ship's already crumbling top hull, melted the other half, and softened the entire muzzle into a suspicious shape, making one exclaim: "You can even drive on this broken road! You've got some serious skills!"

As I approached the hatch on the belly of the spaceship, I found Eaton and his men frowning and helplessly staring at a tightly closed hatch.

"What's going on?" I pushed through the crowd and found Eaton.

"Sir, the pirates seem to have locked the door. We don't have access rights and can't open the hatch to enter the spaceship!"

The spaceship's cabin was completely empty. There should have been some small, manned landing craft, but they had disappeared, likely destroyed or lost in battle long ago.

"Can't open it? Have you tried everything?" I asked.

Eaton nodded and said, "We've tried fingerprints, sound waves, iris scans, and all sorts of other methods, but the spaceship seems to be remotely locked by pirates using a password. We can't even find a way to crack it. Sir, if there's no other way, could we consider using explosives?"

……blasting?

This wrecked ship is only decent as an empty shell. If you stuff more firecrackers inside, do you believe the spaceship will explode on the spot?!

You should apologize to the people of the whole country!

"If you can't open the door, try a different approach..."

I stared speechlessly at these idiots, then pointed in shock at the ship's hull overhead and said, "This wrecked ship is leaking from all sides, and the whole house has collapsed with only one door standing, and you're actually trying to pull out your key to open it?!"

I stormed out and, using the mottled hull of the spaceship, skillfully climbed onto the roof. I quickly found a crack, large enough for a child to pass through.

"You all wait here, I'll go check if there are any traps!"

In such a location, I unceremoniously seized the charred gap in the atmosphere, easily broke off a fragment, enlarged the gap, and effortlessly created a path through it.

...This spaceship is already a waste, so I guess I should just give up!

Adhering to the principle that a thief should never leave empty-handed, I still crawled into the spaceship like a tomb raider, cut through the complex internal cable wiring, climbed out from a ventilation duct, and stepped into this dark and silent space.

The air inside was stifling, as if the ventilation system had long since stopped working when the ship was decommissioned. The isolation hatches on both sides hadn't been closed in time, and the distinctive uniforms and weapons of the Hiron Mercenary Group were scattered around, with a faint smell of blood in the air.

This should be the area where the wounded soldiers are stationed. They were in such a hurry to move them that they only closed the outermost hatch.

I went to the cockpit and checked the spacecraft's instrument panel, finding that it was still relying on backup power for basic lighting. I pressed the emergency button, and the cockpit lights immediately came on, but the malfunction indicators on the spacecraft were flashing a bright red light, the energy fuel gauge was already empty, and many of the cables connecting the control interfaces had been manually torn off and were completely destroyed.

Under such circumstances, the difficulty of repairing it is no less than rebuilding a spaceship.

Is there really a way to repair this ship? Even if I could repair it, would it still be the same ship it was before?

"Damn it, these guys scuttled the ship and wouldn't leave me a thing! Damn pirates! If I ever run into you again, I'll smash your glasses in!"

I roared as I strode out of the cabin, my voice echoing through the middle deck and creating a series of reverberations!

"Save us..."

"Help us, please!"

"Who's outside? Come quick..."

Suddenly, some dark voices echoed in the spaceship, so low they were almost imperceptible, yet they relentlessly conveyed a distress call.

Holy crap, is this ship haunted?

My first reaction was that not only did I fail in my hijacking attempt, but I also ended up with a ghost ship! This is such a huge emotional blow! How am I supposed to have fun after this? What's the difference between this and robbing someone and ending up with an urn of ashes?

But after thinking it over, I finally remembered that the pirates in the tavern had mentioned that a group of slaves had come to their territory, but we searched all over Sabre Bay and found nothing.

...Could it be on this ship?

I followed the sound and searched around, finally hearing the calls clearly behind a locked cabin door.

After forcibly breaking open the sealed hatch, I finally entered the lower deck of the spaceship and saw a group of small, huddled figures in the darkness, huddled together like animals trapped in a cage, hiding in the darkness, making faint calls.

"Who are you people?" I asked.

The light seeping down from above seemed to sting their eyes, forcing them to back away and hide in the familiar darkness.

In the darkness, a trembling voice echoed from the lower deck, "Please save us... kind people... whoever you are..."

Chapter 477 Everyone Has Turned Evil

In the end, I smashed open the metal door of the ship's cabin and led the Reverse Lightning Legion into the lower cabin to rescue the slaves imprisoned there.

This was a last resort.

Although I really want to keep this spaceship, hoping that one day it can be repaired and restored, so that I can have a little hope of returning to space and back to the ranch.

However, with this obstructive door in the way, exploration inside is impossible. Given the technological level of this wasteland, it will probably be another hundred years before they can even touch the edge of space technology. By then, the spaceship will probably be almost completely oxidized.

"Tear it down! Tear it all down! Take the metal off and melt it down to make weapons! Move the furniture back and put it in the house for our own use! Pry up all the equipment and go back to the free trade zone to plug it in and figure out how to use it! Don't worry about wall decorations, floor tiles, cables, water pipes, or electrical parts, tear it all down and bring it back!"

I stood on the shore, hands on my hips, my face contorted with rage as I roared at the Reverse Lightning Legion soldiers, pointing at that evil spaceship with a furious expression.

The soldiers behind Eaton also looked constipated.