King
Chapter 663 - 663 2 Maritime Charm_2

663: Chapter 2, Maritime Charm_2 663: Chapter 2, Maritime Charm_2 A classic case of mere posturing, yet everyone fell for it.

If their personal interests weren’t at risk, no one would want to provoke Hudson, a “hedgehog” with little meat to offer.

“Rest assured, Earl Hudson, Kuike Island won’t disappoint you!”

In the midst of easy conversation, the ship had reached the shore.

Led by Earl Piers, Hudson and a host of local nobles stepped ashore.

Despite not having been adrift at sea for long, the moment Hudson stepped onto land, he felt a sense of “security”.

Looking at the bustling docks, the crowd was filled with envy and resentment.

Clearly, the Dalton Family’s display of power had been highly successful.

From the prosperity of the port, it was evident that Kuike Island was lucrative, and this was just the tip of the Dalton Family’s iceberg.

Economic strength may not embody everything, but the economic foundation often determines the superstructure.

Ample financial capability underpins military power.

As it was quite obvious, the Dalton Family, as the longstanding rulers of the Southeastern Province, were not as simple as they appeared.

As they traversed the island, Hudson discovered that Kuike Island was much larger than he had imagined.

The island boasted not only a harbor but also farmland and forests, making it a self-sufficient island.

As a guest, it would have been improper to directly ask about the island’s size, but Hudson could tell from what he had seen so far that at least tens of thousands of people lived on the island, if not more.

Vaguely, Hudson felt he had opened up a new path of development, though it did not seem entirely promising.

Looking at the Dalton Family’s development path, it was clear that the nobles of the Continent of Aslante had extended their reach to the sea, even if their involvement had been constrained for various reasons.

After his brief tour of Kuike Island, Hudson noticed a significant change in the mood of his fellow nobles.

To his surprise, several middle-ranked nobles in the province showed no reaction, evidently being quite familiar with the whole affair.

Seizing an opportune moment, Hudson approached Viscount Orlan and asked: “Viscount, are there many islands like Kuike Island under the control of the Dalton Family?”

His assumption was based solely on the large ship at their feet.

The luxurious magic ship they were currently aboard had a load capacity of over 3,000 tons.

With such freight capacity, it already had the capabilities for long oceanic voyages.

Developing a few nearshore islands would be no problem at all.

“The number of islands under the Dalton Family’s control is indeed considerable.

Most of the islands along the coast of our Southeastern Province are under their control.

However, there are few islands like Kuike Island that have been developed.

Don’t be misled by the plentiful farmland on the island, a storm could wipe it out in an instant.

Sea storms are unpredictable and tend to occur every few years.

When a large storm hits, even the port may need to be rebuilt.

It’s precisely because of this high uncertainty that, though the Dalton Family has been involved in maritime affairs for a long time, their main focus remains on land.

Hudson, I remember your territory is not too far from the sea.

If you just want a share in maritime trade, I reckon there shouldn’t be much of a problem, the Dalton Family will probably give you some face.

However, if you intend to focus on maritime development, you’ve already lost the first-mover advantage.

The cost of such development would be much greater than the difficulty you faced when developing the marshland.

I suggest you take your time.

After all, you’ve got all the time in the world.

You could first develop the marshland and establish a solid foundation.

By then, whether you wish to open a trade route through the Black Stone Mountain Range or establish a maritime trade line, it will be far easier than it is now!”

After hearing Viscount Orlan’s words, Hudson frowned.

How come everyone had caught onto the Koslow Family’s future development strategy so soon?

There was no avoiding this, the marshland development project had been launched several years ago.

By now, hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land had been developed, it was impossible to keep this from the public.

Especially since a little over a year ago, the Koslow Family had acquired a large number of refugees, nearly all of whom were put to work on marshland development, thus exposing their strategy to the world.

“Fear not, Viscount, I understand my position.

The Koslow Family does not even own a single ship, how could we possibly compete with the Dalton Family for the near seas?

“Now, understanding the situation, it’s all about the convenience of sea transportation.

We’re not competing with the Dalton Family for territory, surely they can’t stop my ships from passing!”

Hudson spoke calmly.

Compared to other noble forces, Hudson would rather have the Dalton Family control the coastal areas of the Southeastern Province.

A strategic plot focused on inland, the maritime powerhouse, is always riddled with various hesitations.

As long as they maintain enough deterrence on land, the Dalton Family would not dare to cause trouble at sea.

If it was a purely maritime force, it wouldn’t be so easy to negotiate, and they could directly blockade the sea at the first sign of disagreement.

Perhaps it was the blessing of the Lord of the Dawn, or perhaps it was a good sailing season, but they had smooth sailing all the way, without even a splash of spray.

However, luck runs out eventually.

The day before they were about to reach their destination, the color of the sea suddenly changed.

Suddenly there was a violent storm, the once calm sea surface was now whipped up into huge waves, smashing vehemently against the ship.

Hudson personally witnessed a soldier, who, due to carelessness, was swept into the vast sea by a wave, disappearing in an instant into the vast waters, without even a chance to rescue him.

“A water monster is approaching from the ocean floor, all strongmen join hands to stabilize the ship and prepare to kill the monster!”

A captain with a wealth of experience, shouted loudly to the crowd.

No matter whether they overstepped their boundaries or not, the nobles who had no sailing experience could only blindly follow the orders.

“Maxim, unleash your breath, banish the monsters causing havoc in the ocean depths!”

No sooner had Hudson’s words fallen, a mini version of a giant dragon flew out from behind him, quickly morphing into a huge creature in the air, and then letting out a crisp dragon roar.

It must be admitted, the deterrence of a dragon is extraordinary.

Under the intimidation of the dragon’s might, everyone felt oppressed, as if the air itself was suffocating.

The formerly chaotic sea quickly returned to calm.

The monster that was causing trouble by stirring up waves just moments before, was no longer visible.

Having finished its task, a gloomy Maxim wagged its tail and quickly shrank back to Hudson’s side.

The whole process took less than the time to finish a cup of tea, but the impact it brought was immense.

The soldiers who survived the ordeal couldn’t help exclaiming, “Dragon Knight!

Dragon Knight…”

The nobles accompanying them looked even more astounded.

Their faces showed incredible shock, fortuitous ecstasy of surviving a catastrophe, and full of helplessness…

It really put the nobles in a difficult position, it’s really difficult to choose sides in the Southeastern Province!

The Dalton Family had just shown their strength, everyone had just come to terms with it, then an accident allowed the dragon to exert its power once more.

By actually taking action, they forcefully announced to everyone: the Fourth Dragon Knight of the Continent was right beside them.

Compared to everyone else’s dilemma, Earl Piers on the side looked very calm.

Hudson becoming a Dragon Knight is no secret, and as a potential competitor, he has been prepared for a long time.

Although Dragon Knights are mighty, precisely because of this power, it’s determined that Dragon Knights can’t act casually.

Their greater function is strategic deterrence.

After the little incident, the ship quickly returned to peace.

The only difference was that Maxim’s magnificent appearance provided a lot of conversation for everyone’s leisure time.

As for the sudden appearance of a water monster, no one took it seriously.

Countless creatures live in the vast ocean.

The number of water monsters in the sea is no less than on the Continent of Aslante.

If we meet one, we can only say our luck was bad.

Those who spend a long time at sea inevitably have to deal with water monsters.

Most of the time, everyone coexists peacefully.

After all, neither wood nor iron, which make up the bulk of ships, fall within the diet of water monsters.