Capítulo 49: Merchants' Difficulties

The port is bustling with human activities. The traffic at the port can be said to be congested as many merchant ships are waiting to dock at the port. At present, all the docks are being occupied by the merchant ship. The dock workers tirelessly under the scorching sun to unload the cargo from the merchant ship. It then will be transported to the warehouse.

They need to move fast and be careful at the same time as it can take days to unload the cargo from one ship.

One of the supervisors at the port shouts at them "Hurry up! Move faster!" He works at one of many logistics companies that are responsible for moving merchants' goods to the entire county. Logistics companies have gained a lot of profits in the past few months thanks to the sudden increase in merchant ships at the port.

"This supervisor is so irritating. Why doesn't he come here and do it by himself?", said one of the workers.

"Ha ha ha. There is no way he can lift the goods with his skinny body," replied another worker that was slightly older than him. He then asked, "You must be new here, right?"

"Yeah...", replied the new worker named Peter.

"Then let me tell you that the supervisor is a boss' nephew. That's why he is so haughty."

"How long have you been working here?", Peter asked.

Oliver replied, "Five years"

"You didn't think of finding another job? The pay here is so low", Peter complained

"Ha ha ha. Of course not. I love this job. One day I am going to surpass my mentor and become the king of dock workers", said Oliver with a playful and joking tone.

Peter stared at him like he saw a crazy person. He opens his mouth, "I see...That's a nice dream to have."

"Why are you here if you are complaining about wages? asked Oliver.

Peter says, "I just work here temporarily. There is no way I will spend the rest of my life as a dock worker."

"I see...", Oliver replied while looking left and right. His hand grabs a bolt of fabric from the bulk of goods and passes it to another man who is on his way to the warehouse. The port is bustled with activities for others to notice his actions.

[A/N: 1 bolt equal to 100 yards (91.44 meters) long strip of fabric]

Peter's eyes are wide open. He immediately asked, "What are you doing?"

Oliver smiled, "Taking my payment."

"Is this why you are working as a dock worker?"

"Yes. Do you think I am content with a meager pay as a dock worker?"

"Are you not afraid of me telling the supervisor?"

"Ha ha ha", Oliver laughed. He stared at Peter and said, "Do that and I will drag you with me. Do you think that haughty supervisor is gonna believe a mere dock worker like you?"

The pay as dock workers is very low but there are people who are still seeking a job as dock workers. This is because the goods they stole from the cargo are worth several times higher than their wage. The practice has become so rampant that the merchant can only hope they are not the unlucky ones.

The port at Caushilbo itself was not built to accommodate many ships and people. The surge in the number of ships at the port started right after the Cerdeauxia imposed its blockade. It causes the merchant to waste a lot of their time waiting at the sea to dock. Not only that, but the security in the port also has declined significantly. The Bagyarosia merchants have no choice but to keep using the only port available in the north, the Caushilbo Port.

The merchants have been complaining for a while in the tavern near the town square about their long wait to dock at the port.

"My ship is finally docked after two days of waiting on the sea," said Taylor. He mainly sells grains with Lepsaria Kingdom but his business is taking a hit right now due to the blockade.

"How lucky. I spent nearly five days on the sea. Thankfully my cargo doesn't have any grains or food except for some tools and salt. If not, I couldn't imagine just how many losses I have to take." grumbled Conrad.

Bill, the most knowledgeable and has a wide range of contact informs them of his latest news. "I heard that Dale who always traded with the Ingnynes Kingdom brought many local fruits with him back to sell here but ended up with a total loss. His fruits were all spoiled."

"Why did he do that? Isn't that kind of a stupid move?", Conrad asked.

"I guess he tries to make big money by importing the fruit here. You know right that merchants from Ingnynes have already stopped coming here.", Bill makes his deduction.

Due to the long waiting time, foreign merchants have begun to stop coming to Caushilbo Port. They would rather lose their market in Bagyarosia than waste time waiting on the sea.

For merchants, time is money.

Now, many foreign merchants from the east are trading with Cerdeauxia which is closer to them. The Cerdeauxia merchants resell it back to Bagyarosia at a high price. As a result, many imported products especially non-grain products like tools, ore, salt, spice and textile saw an increase in price.

Bagyarosia people can only accept their fates as a living cost keeps increasing. They are powerless to do anything. Many Bagyarosia merchants have closed down their businesses, bought some land and become a farmer instead. Their available wealth was not enough to take a loss in terms of goods or safety.

Taylor said, "The merchants stop coming not solely because of the waiting time but because of the safety. Tell me how many merchant ships have been sunk by those pirates?"

Two decades ago, the number of pirates roaming the north sea gradually increased. Going to the Caushilbo Port has posed a safety threat to merchant ships, especially to Bagyarosia ships.

"I am telling you, it is not pirates but Barlia. They tried to block our access to the sea. Our merchant ships are the ones they usually attack. Foreign ships rarely had any loss", Bill made his own reasoning.

"It is a reasonable guess. Since we lost Makerton Island to Barlia, our northern coast has never been peaceful. The pirates suddenly come out of nowhere and start raiding our merchants. Due to this, we begin to rely on Cerdeauxia ports to go to sea." Conrad finds Bill's reasoning sound logical.

"Can't the kingdom do something? What about our navy? I don't think I will continue to become a merchant if things keep going like this. Trading by land is much more expensive and time-consuming.", Taylor asked.

Bill looks at Taylor, "Our navy is crap. It has been declining as Barlia keeps attacking our naval base a hundred years ago. They do not simply raid our base, they hunt down and kill our old and experienced shipbuilders."

Taylor dumbfounded. "So now, our fate depends on this upcoming war."

"Not our fate but the nation's fate." Conrad corrected Taylor's words. He continues, "To be honest, I hope that kid just surrenders himself to Cerdeauxia and just dies for our sake."

"Ha ha ha ha. Exactly, a small sacrifice for a greater good." Bill agreed with Conrad. If not for that kid, their business will be a lot more prosperous. To think that the entire nation was affected by one kid is truly baffling.

Taylor speaks in a low voice. He reminds them, "You idiot. You will get into trouble if someone hears you."

Bill sneered, "Who cares if he is a noble or not? Go and ask others. Many people want him to die and end this blockade."

Conrad agreed, "True. The bankrupt merchant is probably holding a grudge toward that brat right now. He is the reason for their bankruptcy."