The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 545: Volume 13: Sea Rain and Heavenly Wind - 15: Golden Waterway

Chapter 545: Volume 13: Sea Rain and Heavenly Wind Chapter 15: Golden Waterway

Gate’s "Marta" merchant ship once again became the vessel for Komer and his party, but this time there were many more passengers.

After Komer’s earnest persuasion and enthusiastic appeal, Eve’s group finally agreed to follow Komer back to Caucasus first. They would stay in Caucasus for a period of time to take in the local scenery before deciding on their next course of action.

Fortunately, the issue of the Catania River waterway rights had been satisfactorily resolved, the middle and upper reaches of the Catania River to Caucasus’ waterway rights had been secured in hand. The previously over a month-long land detour was now just a three to five days direct sail to the destination. This also made Eve, who had been hesitating, finally make up her mind.

Before Komer left Luxembourg, half of the thirty medium-sized ships and twenty-large sized ships’ waterway rights, which had been agreed upon with the Jellyfish Clan for the first year, had already been sold. Eight of those rights were acquired by shipowners from Luxembourg, while shipowners and traders from the cities and countries upstream of the Catania River outside of Luxembourg obtained ten. Adding to this the eleven promised to Maxim, Thomas, and the Dolomites, as well as Gate’s "Marta" double masted sailing ship, only twenty rights were left for the traders and shipowners of Caucasus, and most of those were for medium-sized ships, with just three large ship rights remaining.

However, Komer was not concerned. Although Bahomon and Mattdam had already opened their ports, the truth was that there weren’t many local merchants in Caucasus involved in shipping. Having twenty ship rights was already more than enough, and that was considering the possibility that the shipping industry in Caucasus might face major development opportunities once this route was formally opened.

After a celebratory banquet was held for Komer and his party by Maxim on behalf of the Rosenborg Duchy, they were finally able to set sail for home contentedly, not having to endure the lengthy land journey and its many hardships. From the Luxembourg port, downstream, if the voyage went smoothly, they could land in Bahomon, Caucasus, in five days.

The "Marta" became the witness to this ice-breaking journey. As the shipowner and merchant, Gate’s acumen was undoubtedly admirable. While Komer was busy negotiating the price of shipping rights with traders and shipowners from all over, Gate was already busily stocking up on food, preparing for trade with Caucasus.

Everyone knew that once the Catania River waterway opened, the vast market of Caucasus would undoubtedly open up to the middle and upper reaches of the Catania River. If one could take the lead in exploiting the significant price difference between food and various daily necessities between the two regions, then what awaited would be astronomical profits.

When Komer and his party set sail on the "Marta" from the port of Luxembourg, the ship, heavily laden with food and alcohol, was so burdened that the waterline was less than ten centimeters from the warning line. The available space for Komer and his party was down to a pitiful two cabins, and even Gate did not reserve a cabin for himself. He preferred to sleep with the excited sailors at the cargo-filled bow, rather than indulge in momentary comfort and miss out on earning money.

The merchant ship was so loaded down that Komer had serious doubts about its safety. There were several women onboard who couldn’t swim, and if the ship were to sink due to being overloaded, the successful voyage would turn into a tragedy. After much persuasion, Gate finally added some buoyant wooden rings to the sides of the ship, a measure to increase buoyancy, though it would affect the speed of the ship. However, as this journey wasn’t rushed, it was not a cause for concern.

The Marta floated smoothly downstream. The Catania River had an abundant water level and a fast flow, but as it ran across the entire central region of the Blue Continent, the river was quite wide and the current steady and even, truly an ideal Golden Waterway.

The warm sea breeze from the Mediterranean blew upstream along the river mouth all year round, penetrating deep into the Nebuchadnezzar region upstream, bringing abundant rainfall to the riverside areas, nourishing the land on both sides, and ensuring that the water level of the Catania River remained stable year-round, with none of the usual river’s seasonal fluctuations. Rowing with the current but against the wind, or with the wind but against the current, these two opposing natural forces made the Catania River a waterway that traders and shipowners had long dreamed of.

It was only a pity that this waterway had been limited to the middle and upper reaches of the Catania River until then, with the arrogance and savagery of the Jellyfish People making the middle and lower reaches of the river a stagnant pool. Although shipping was extremely developed in the middle and upper reaches, Caucasus, situated downstream, had never been able to enjoy the prosperity brought about by it.

The sails of the double masted sailing ship were tightly furled, and unless there was an urgent need to stop the ship, there was no need for the crew to worry; just the helmsman keeping an eye on the river was enough. In fact, as there were no other ships on the river before the official opening, the Jellyfish Clan’s rafts rarely crossed the Catania River, so most of the time, even the helmsman had little to do.

With the warm sunshine spilling onto the ship’s deck, it was so cozy that it made one drowsy. The midday river breeze had also slackened, the touch of which seemed rather refreshing. Leaning against a food package, Komer gazed up at the blue sky and white clouds, the chewed reed stalk in his mouth bringing a hint of sweetness. A succession of images flashed through his brain, making the mood as sweet as the taste in his mouth. There were over three hundred species of reeds in the Great Swamp region, and this particular sweet reed was said to be the most important. Not only could its stalks be processed to produce sugar cane, but its stems could also be used to craft the grass-woven products that the Jellyfish People so loved.

Ultimately, Eve was pressured by the survival needs of her companions into agreeing with his suggestion. Komer felt somewhat dishonorable for having used deceitful intimidation to gain a group of allies, for the desire to stay with the woman he liked. But in truth, both Komer and Eve were well aware that the possibilities he had listed, aside from their hope that they would go to Caucasus, were not entirely hypothetical.

Groups like the Dark Night Angel Mercenary Group might have some reputation on the streets, but for a country, they were just too inconsequential. The only reason Eve’s group had managed to flee this far was partly due to the underestimation of their abilities, but mainly due to the fear of drawing more attention to this matter and the possible revelation of the truth, which was the main concern. Once Eve’s group stepped out of the Northern Alliance’s influence zone, into the neutral areas or even to the south, towards other racial countries with little connection to the Northern League, they would be able to act without restraint.

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