King
Chapter 737 - 737 30 Off-track Speculation_1

737: Chapter 30, Off-track Speculation_1 737: Chapter 30, Off-track Speculation_1 Returning to the Southeastern Province, Hudson didn’t return to his territory but headed straight to the Berkshire Shipyard.

Seeing is believing.

Although the credibility of the Royal Family was decent, he still needed to inspect the shipyard he had bought at great expense.

After a simple disguise, Hudson adopted the alias “Borden”, posing as an ordinary merchant.

After demonstrating his financial power, he successfully gained permission to visit the shipyard.

Hudson wasn’t knowledgeable about the specifics of the technology, but from the mountainous piles of Iron Oak, the underlying strength of the shipyard was evident.

There were many types of wood suitable for shipbuilding, but very few were suitable for carving Magic Formations.

Iron Oak was one of them.

Due to its extensive distribution in the Alpha Kingdom, it became the main material for shipbuilding.

Of course, the term “extensive distribution” is relative to other varieties of wood, and it isn’t exactly a common tree.

At least in the Salam Mountain Range where Hudson was located, there were no traces of Iron Oak.

Even a hundred and fifty years ago, there were no Iron Oaks in the entire Southeastern Province.

This situation continued until the rise of the Dalton Family, after which it was introduced and cultivated in their own territory.

Without a doubt, trees wouldn’t grow overnight.

It was said that there was a life magic within the Elf Race that hastened the growth of plants and trees, however, that was their core secret, far from Hudson’s reach.

Even if he were to introduce and cultivate it immediately, he would still have to pay the Royal Family for Iron Oak in the coming decades.

Obviously, this was another calculation by Caesar III.

Binding a major noble family for decades with a shipyard on the verge of bankruptcy seemed like a profitable move from any angle.

However, everything has two sides.

If the Royal Family wishes to keep control over the Koslow Clan, they must support their development in maritime trade.

Only when the Koslow Clan’s profits from sea trades are large enough, the “weak point” in their hands will have enough value.

Hudson knew there were risks, but he still decisively jumped into it.

The main reason was that the risks of blindly getting involved in sea trades were too high.

Not to mention wasting money, it would also consume a lot of time.

The best way to shorten this trial period was to find a mentor.

He didn’t hope to earn much money in the short term, as long as he could train a team, it would be strategic success.

Listening to the enthusiastic introduction of the salesperson, Hudson knew that the Berkshire Shipyard was not doing well.

Otherwise, the staff of such monopoly companies wouldn’t feel the need to curb their arrogance.

“Mr.

Borden, look at those huge buildings; they are all docks of our Berkshire Shipyard.

The largest dock can even build a tonnage giant ship.

Of course, this is merely theoretical.

Normally, nobody would be foolish enough to build such a large toy.

If you are engaged in inland river transportation, a cargo ship of five hundred to a thousand tons is almost enough.

Any larger and there would be navigation restrictions.

If you engage in overseas trade, choosing a large ship of two or three thousand tons is sufficient.

Any larger and not only are the manufacturing costs high, but in normal periods there would be no use for such a large space.

Of course, this is just my personal suggestion.

How to choose is entirely up to you.

In short, the mainstream ships on the continent can all be built here, including naval warships.

This catalogue lists the parameters for the types of ships available for selection.

If none of them satisfices you, you can also instruct our designers to design as per your requirements.

However, the fees would increase slightly.”

“Can you sell the warships as well?”

Hudson queried tentatively.

As a landlubber lord, he knew nothing about maritime affairs.

But as a part-time arms dealer, he was well aware that the arms trade was far more lucrative than normal trade.

The only issue was that the arms trade often entwined with politics.

Selling ordinary weapons such as knives, guns, swords, and spears was fine.

Large-scale weapons, like the Magic Crystal Cannon and Magic Crossbow, were not something that could simply be bought with money.

One must have a certain status and qualifications to make the trade.

“In principle, it is not permissible to do so.

However, if Mr.

Borden is truly interested, it is not impossible to make exceptions, which depends on how you trade.

If you walk the aboveboard path, I will report it, and a higher-level manager will contact you.

However, the threshold is high and limitations are plentiful.

If you take the clandestine path, it is much simpler.

As long as you are willing to pay more, we can handle all the subsequent work.

The only issue is that the Magic Crystal Cannon is a bit troublesome.

The Kingdom is too strict in regulating these items, so I cannot guarantee constant availability.

Even if I could get them, the prices would be sky-high.

However, we can replace it with a catapult.

Although its power is definitely not on par with the Magic Crystal Cannon, it is more affordable.”

The salesman’s words gave Hudson a new understanding of the state of the Berkshine Shipyard.

If they were not desperate, they would never sell warships privately.

Although he didn’t know the specific level of the warship, judging from the salesperson’s tone, it seemed anything could be sold as long as the money was enough.

It should be known that before the Orcs’ invasion, it was hard for Hudson to acquire a Magic Crystal Cannon.

And now, people were daring enough to trade them.

He had to admit that the Royal Family’s industry was different.

When it came to business, they were undoubtedly bolder than ordinary people.

Perhaps the Berkshine Shipyard could last till now, not because of the sporadic shipbuilding orders from the outside, but the warships privately ordered by pirates.