Chapter 208: Outlook
Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Mayor Theodore of Frand Port warmly hosted Quik and his crew at City Hall. Aside from the sailors from the Southern Star, the most active participants at the banquet were a group of merchants.
"The buildings there are tall and grand, even the houses of commoners are beautifully decorated."
"Merchants are highly respected there and have influence over the government."
"People dress well, live comfortably, and are willing to spend money on goods."
Surrounding the four representatives who had toured Angle Bay, everyone eagerly and passionately discussed their experiences in this foreign land.
Based on the descriptions provided by these representatives, Angle Bay had already become a merchant paradise in everyone's minds. Many regretted not being born there.
"I spent a whole day at the docks just counting the number of large merchant ships coming in and out of the port all day. Guess what? There were fifty-five large merchant ships entering and leaving the port that day!"
"Oh, my goodness! What a sight it must have been!"
Upon hearing one representative's account, Mr. Bennett, who made his fortune through shipping, sighed. Compared to this, there were barely a few merchant ships that visited Frand Port in a week. However, with recent efforts by the Municipal Council to support industry and commerce, the port was gradually coming to life, and hopefully, it would become as prosperous as Angle Bay.
"The market in Niceport gathers goods from all over, from specialty products that are hard to store to anything else you can imagine."
A factory owner who had established a porcelain factory asked in surprise, "Even porcelain? We haven't been producing porcelain here for long."
Another representative looked resentful, placing a hand over his mouth and whispered, "Let me tell you something."
Seeing him cautious, everyone leaned in.
The representative whispered, "Porcelain has already appeared in Angle Bay. Our Lord Grayman has quietly started business with Angle Bay, and the Foster family, who also holds a seat in the Angle Bay Alliance Council, is their partner."
"What? So Lord Grayman has already connected with them? Without telling us."
"When I was in Alden Town, I saw a distinctly different merchant caravan. Their attire was completely foreign. Could they be from the Foster family?"
"They must have come overland. That's quite a distance, at least two months round trip. And they had to pass through the territory of the Southern Rebels."
"With the status and influence of the Foster family, even the royal families of various countries have to show some respect. I bet Duke Giles wouldn't dare to trouble the Foster family's merchant caravan unless he doesn't want to do business with our Southern neighbors."
The merchants discussed animatedly, surprised by the established trade connections between Alden and Angle Bay.
The representative continued, "But I've only seen decorative porcelain in the headquarters of a merchant guild. I haven't seen porcelain for sale in the market yet. I imagine it's due to limited overland transport capacity. Once it arrives in Angle Bay, it sells out immediately. The demand exceeds supply. Besides, Earl Grayman's porcelain factory doesn't produce a large quantity."
The excited factory owner exclaimed, "So if I can ship goods to Angle Bay, I'm sure to make a fortune?"
"Of course! The wealth of Angle Bay residents is beyond the reach of us poor souls here. Even the nobles in the Northwest region are barely holding on. Oh! I mean, except for Lord Grayman."
The merchant representatives, who had seen the world outside, were speaking quite candidly. However, their words sparked endless imagination among the merchants, and many began considering investing in the porcelain industry.
"What about salt?"
Salt merchant Gedwyn Toby, under the technical guidance of the Municipal Council, visited several salt drying facilities. His main concern was whether his salt could fetch a good price in Angle Bay.
"The prospects for salt are excellent. Their salt, like ours, is boiled, and it's ridiculously expensive."
"Excellent! Excellent!"
Gedwyn's eyes sparkled as if countless gold coins were about to fall from the sky and hit him on the head.
After eagerly discussing the bright future ahead, the merchants, almost simultaneously, realized they had forgotten the most important issue—the transportation problem.
"How do we transport the goods over there?"
"Naturally, it's using those wind-driven ships invented by Earl Grayman, just like the Hope and Southern Star."
"Although Earl Grayman has expressed intentions to sell such ships to the public, it seems the shipyard's production capacity is not sufficient."
Transporting goods was indeed a headache. Overland routes were out of the question; lacking the influence of the Foster family, they would surely encounter numerous checkpoints along the way.
So the crowd gathered around Shipyard Director Rubin to inquire.
"Director Rubin, what is the current production plan of the shipyard? When can you start accepting orders from civilians?"
Knowing well that the merchants were impatient, Rubin sighed helplessly, "Oh dear, this is really tricky. Currently, we have to prioritize meeting the navy's demand for warships."
Just as the merchants were crestfallen, a voice spoke up.
"We can allocate one dry dock specifically for building civilian ships."
Everyone turned to see that it was Admiral Austin.
The merchants were overjoyed, "Really, Admiral?"
"Of course it's true, but... cough!"
Austin coughed heavily.
"The navy intends to establish a school specializing in teaching navigation knowledge to train a large number of qualified sailors. Of course, it's not just for military purposes; graduates can also find jobs in the civilian sector."
"This is great news!" The merchants praised in unison.
"However, there are concerns about the location and costs of the school..."
"Leave it to us, Admiral Austin. We'll take care of it. It's just a school, after all."
Immediately, someone stepped forward to assure Austin, and others who were a bit slower also chimed in.
"You're all so generous. In appreciation for your generosity, our navy... will allocate a dry dock specifically for constructing merchant ships."
The merchants beamed with joy and raised their glasses to toast Austin.
Meanwhile, Shipyard Director Rubin wiped his sweat with a handkerchief. Allocating a portion of the shipyard's capacity to build civilian merchant ships had already been decided by Earl Grayman. Still, now Admiral Austin was orchestrating this charade.
Austin exchanged cups with the merchants, secretly pleased.
He had previously mentioned the proposal to establish a maritime school to Paul, but at that time, the Municipal Council couldn't allocate much funding. So, the two of them came up with this plan.
He decided to strike while the iron was hot.
"Gentlemen, perhaps you can also pool resources to establish a technical school specifically to train shipbuilding craftsmen!"
To Austin's delight, this proposal once again received unanimous approval from the crowd.
Of course, Shipyard Director Rubin was even more delighted than him.
(End of the Chapter)
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