Beneath the Red Dragon

The sky was yet to brighten, the light over the sea was hazy, and the massive ships were bathed in the damp and cold mist hovering above the waters, with the distant sound of the sailors striking the clappers echoing through.

In the captain’s cabin of the "Dragon Roar," Nedru quietly smoked the tobacco sold by the Golden Empire, the thick white smoke swirling around.

On the cabin wall behind him hung a painting of a giant dragon roaring amidst clouds over the sea, vividly colored and lifelike, a masterpiece carefully crafted by a master painter.

Industries connected to the Golden Empire, or the civilized realms with ties, are more or less being influenced by its culture. The worship and cultural research surrounding giant dragons has even begun to flourish among the pirates at sea.

However, Nedru is not blindly worshipping those dragons; it’s merely an expression of goodwill towards the Empire, bought from a great painter due to his long-standing dealings with the Golden Empire.

In the actions of some high-ranking individuals, there is always a purpose present, and it’s rarely a matter of pure preference.

Although Nedru doesn’t qualify as any high-ranking existence, within his fleet, he is undoubtedly the sovereign.

The former great pirate puffed on his tobacco leaves, and with uplifted spirits, began pondering the scale to which his fleet should expand in the following year.

He wondered whether he should employ those ’Mentat’ apprentices from the Golden Empire to help plan and manage the future of his fleet.

While he indeed possesses this inclination, the newly emergent ’Mentat’ stewards within the Golden Empire represent an exceedingly noble profession.

Even someone as affluent as Nedru, a grand shipmaster, must resolutely spend a considerable fortune to employ a ’Mentat’ apprentice from the Empire’s related institutions.

The "Dragon Roar" annually pays hefty sums to the mercenaries of the Golden Empire, alongside substantial interest to the Empire’s shipyard, weighing down heavily on this former great pirate.

This main ship originally belonged to the third-generation products of the Golden Empire shipyard, an expensively constructed yet immensely powerful vessel.

Though equipped with a mast, it functions merely as a contingency for unforeseen circumstances. The true propulsion of this giant ship comes from a steam and magic energy hybrid engine developed by the Magic Research Institute.

Only this powerful dual-engine can provide enough power to enable the eighty-meter-long, eighteen-meter-wide great ship to navigate across the Sea of Fury to the west.

Such a gigantic vessel is far larger than the main ships of merchant fleets in the Northern Border South Countries, relying on the newly established sea routes from the Golden Empire, traveling between the Western Continent and the Golden Empire.

Each journey delivers processed fur goods, tea, salt, grain, and assorted military ironware to the Western Continent, bringing back slaves, gold, magic specialties, and magic gemstone concentrate, as well as specialties from the Vampire Country, the Dark Nest Realm, the Elf Kingdom, and the Dwarf Kingdom. This cycle has persisted for several years.

For both the Golden Empire’s trade guilds and similar merchant fleets like Nedru’s, this new sea route has already become a wealth road comparable to the golden road.

Under the guidance of the Golden Empire’s abandonment of old colonialism for new colonial economic and capitalistic ideas, the internal economic forces of the Empire are extending their shadowy tendrils towards neighboring allies.

However, the maritime route also holds immense risks; unlike the mature golden sea routes, the voyage between the Western Continent and the Golden Empire is far riskier.

Not only because the Golden Empire’s reign has yet to expand along the West Sea Coast, but also due to the whirlpools of storms and sea monsters and pirates.

Yet some petty pirates dare not obstruct Nedru’s trade fleet; not just due to Nedru’s former insider status, but also due to the veteran guardians he employed.

Nedru tapped his pipe, opened the window, letting the cold sea breeze dispel the smoke within the room, while the lively noise from the luxurious main ship’s hall reached his ears.

Nedru grinned, opened the door, and headed toward the hall upstairs.

The hall was brightly lit, already adorned with the Moonlight from the Golden Empire, besides the furnace blazing to dispel the maritime chill.

An eyepatch-wearing one-eyed old soldier lay sprawled alone before the furnace, the substantial armchair coaxing the veteran into a warm slumber.

This retired soldier from the Golden Empire’s legion was a warrior of past glory.

Such veterans are in high demand within the trade guild; even without undertaking any tasks, merely staying within the fleet brings numerous conveniences.

Not only does their presence reduce the harsh demands from customs during negotiations, but even when faced with threats near the shore, these veterans can exert their energy, potentially summoning aid from the Imperial Navy fleet that may be patrolling the seas.

Such rules, not quite unwritten rules, afford the Empire’s retired soldiers a high standing and revered reputation.

Nedru, being among the first batch of elders to purchase the Golden Empire’s ’Redemption Scroll,’ could rely on recommendations to employ the Empire’s retired veterans.

Otherwise, these retired soldiers are seldom moved by mere wealth.

Additionally, these veterans have the duty of overseeing behaviors that swear fealty to Empire pirates. Should old pirate practices resurface, the Empire performs purges to maintain the Golden Empire’s reputation.