However.

Who to transfer this batch of slave contracts to requires Aiven to carefully consider once again.

Even if limited solely within the Phaletis Kingdom, there are six royal colonies, two owner colonies, and three autonomous colonies, totaling eleven colonies.

No matter which colony, in the less than a hundred years since development, has a huge labor shortage.

Although the Anuma people are inherently lazy, slave owners have long learned how to manage them.

With their robust physiques and strong life force adaptable to various environments, they have always been a hot commodity in the slave market.

If utilized well, they might bring benefits beyond those from the Golden Lion, even exceeding the value of them being enslaved for life!

As for incorporating some of the Anuma into one's privateer fleet?

Hmm, Aiven has never entertained such a dangerous idea...

Apart from these slaves, among the spoils of war.

The second most valuable harvest in Aiven's eyes was not the [Ship's Figurehead: Lucky Gold Coin] installed on the Venus, but that batch of two-masted mixed sail slave transport ships!

Because as the pirate gang grew, the four main battleships in the privateer fleet were already full, and each extra day of having idle personnel was a huge waste.

It's only the cost of the fleet and unable to create value for oneself.

But with this batch of small sailing ships, at least the future main pirate ship issue in one's privateer fleet is resolved.

On the surface, these ships are not worth mentioning compared to the cruisers and battleships in one's hands.

But in the current maritime plundering activities, these faster small warships are the real main force!

Without a captain of the Extraordinary level, relying solely on the power of a single small, fast ship to capture a large merchant ship is indeed challenging, but a wolf pack tactic at sea can be fully adopted.

When the White-headed Eagle was newly established and blocked from sea routes by John Bull.

During the breaking of the naval blockade, initially, only six such heavy cruisers like the "Constitution" were launched.

The main force of privateers was still the small privateer ship, the bregentine-type two-masted mixed sail ship (more advanced than the Cold Crow, which is also two-masted).

It represented the peak of the sail pirate ship design concept before steam ironclads were launched, and like heavy cruisers, it was also specially designed by the White-headed Eagle against John Bull.

The bregentine-type two-masted mixed sail ship usually displaces 210 tons, equipped with one 24-pound cannon and six 6-pound cannons. It just happens to be a two-masted sailboat like these slave transport ships, with square sails on the foremast and fore-and-aft sails on the mainmast.

Its main features include a streamlined V-shaped cross-sectional hull, a deeper draft at the stern, improving stability and speed.

Moreover, sailing this ship is much easier than a typical square-rigged ship, greatly reducing the expertise and number of sailors needed.

These design features represent the most advanced ship design thinking of the time, making the bregentine-type sail ship one of the finest fast sailing ships of the 19th century on Blue Star.

And one can completely remodel on the basis of existing ordinary two-masted sailboats using the "Activated Spiritual Light"!

These are merely two to three hundred ton small ships, and there was never any expectation they could be used for long. Even if remodeling might compromise their structural integrity, it is completely acceptable.

"However, it would be best to have a group of professional craftsmen to help me, otherwise handling eight slave transport ships and one Level 5 ship would be too exhausting."

Thinking of this, Aiven rubbed his chin, and had already found a new owner for the Anuma slaves in his hands.

....

Far Sails Territory.

Tap..tap..tap..

A tall young man in a crisp general's uniform, draped in a cloak and with a gilded command saber at his waist, was led by the Aimoer family's butler into the majestic family castle.

"General, please come in."

The Marquis Yuanfan family still retains their Great Noble traditions.

After initially completing the colonial expansion back then, they rebuilt their military castle on this foundational land, situated within Far Sail City.

Or rather Far Sail City expanded continuously based on this castle.

The main body is a towering five-story fortress-style building built with large blocks of granite.

Featuring a barbican and tall towers as military facilities, it naturally has stables, small armory caverns, training grounds, and all the things a castle should have.

A river, the White Egret River, flows through the city and "just happens" to pass in front of the castle, adding another layer of defense for it.

Although it looks somewhat mismatched with the bustling Far Sail City, it is very necessary in the perilous New Continent.

If not limited by financial resources, the early pioneers would have preferred to build every city like this to guard against the omnipresent dangers.

Normally, a castle serving as a military stronghold would be disappointing in terms of living comfort.

However, Orange Leaf Castle belonging to the Aimoer family is clearly an exception!

As Aiven walked through it, he didn't feel the damp and gloom typical of large military castle buildings, but instead, every step felt like stepping into the breath of spring.

The temperature and humidity, compared with the subtropical climate outside the castle, felt like two different worlds altogether.

And upon completely entering the main building of Orange Leaf Castle, this feeling became even stronger, even making this perceptive wizard a bit anxious.

This feeling stemmed from the rune techniques spread throughout every corner of the castle!

Realizing this, Aiven, with his weathered experience, couldn't help but pause, feeling as if he didn't enter a Great Noble's castle but rather a maliciously booby-trapped Wizard Tower.

'Marquis Yuanfan's family must be harboring a powerful wizard!'

Beside him, the butler of Marquis Yuanfan's family seemed unaware of Aiven's unusual behavior and continued to lead the way ahead.

"General, the Marquis is waiting for you in the guest room!"

"Uh... alright."

If he were a penniless little Wizard in such a place where people wield power like a butcher knife, of course he'd turn and run immediately.

But now, even though his status in the Kingdom compared to the Marquis is quite different, being on the other's territory, the one who should be most concerned about safety should actually be him.

Thus, after a moment of hesitation, Aiven confidently walked inside.

Passing through the hall that, though not overly luxurious, was rich with artistic ambience and historical depth.

On the top floor of the castle, in the guest chamber belonging to the Marquis, he met one of the most powerful individuals in the entire Kingdom Colony, the Governor of Far Sail Territory, Great Knight Marquis Duke Amor.

"Good day, Governor!"

"Welcome to Far Sail Territory, General Aiven, please take a seat."

Standing by the window with a distant view of the dock area, where the Marquis was engaged in slave dealings on behalf of the East Lenz Company, he turned around with a smile to invite Aiven to sit on the sofa opposite him.

As a Great Knight with an average lifespan of up to 150 years, the Marquis appeared very youthful, dressed in simple noble attire, showing no airs even toward a young person like Aiven, who was about the age of his daughter.

He even personally poured him a cup of red tea brought by the butler and, with Aiven expressing surprised thanks, smiled and said:

"Within this period, your Excellency has accomplished several major tasks in the 'Golden Sea,' inspiring a large number of young people to join the ranks of Privateers.

It is said that even armed merchant ships without privateering permits, after plundering Hilus's goods at sea, can be declared legal as long as they are willing to pay taxes to the Maritime Court without exception.

A trend has already surged across the entire New Continent, leaving those domineering Hilus people troubled. Hehehe..."

As the manager of the Kingdom's bridgehead deep in the Golden Sea, and the closest territory to the Hilus people, the Marquis naturally endured considerable grievances from those individuals he had to engage with.

Perhaps due to Aiven's identity, he was already regarded as a peer by the Marquis.

Even though they had only exchanged correspondence twice before, this was their first meeting, yet there was no trace of the deep, imposing dignity that belonged to a Great Noble and Colony Governor before outsiders.

At this moment, there was even a slight hint of schadenfreude, adding a touch of intimacy.

"Your Excellency flatters me, it's merely because the notion of Hilus people being the sole supremacists hasn't changed overnight.

They can't possibly remain indifferent to the situation's continuation; the Overlord's strength is still not to be underestimated, and we must remain vigilant against Hilus's countermeasures.

It may not be long before they react, with Tulip, Sak, and Atlant as the primary forces, inevitably bearing the brunt."

"Oh?"

The Marquis's expression turned somewhat peculiar. In his position, he certainly understood the famously rising star Aiven better than outsiders, even possessing a copy of the "Overlord Disqualification Plan."

At this moment, he hadn't anticipated that such a young person, who had accomplished so much, should have been content, yet maintained such a clear head.

Evidently, his rise from a beleaguered noble offspring to where he stood was by no means a mere stroke of luck.

"Regardless, due to your Excellency's series of actions, even our shipyard business has prospered.

Even without this batch of slaves, as discussed in previous correspondence, requiring skilled artisans to assist in refitting privateer ships is entirely feasible; if the dock isn't sufficient, we can provide one.

Honestly, most of the orders we've received lately are for small privateer ships. How you wish to modify them, our artisans have considerable experience."

Among the eleven colonies of Phaletis, Far Sail Territory and Fordmon have the most developed shipbuilding and shipping industry, and in the New Continent's eastern region occupied by Phaletis, there happens to be a wide distribution of white oak very suitable for shipbuilding.

Though inferior to the iron oak in Treasure Tree Bay, a specialty of the Southern Continent, used for building Level 2 and Level 1 Battleships, and even possessing extraordinary materials for forging Legendary Battleships.

It's perfectly sufficient for building cruisers and even low-level battleships.

At this point, the Marquis was quite generous, not even mentioning the cost of additional timber.

"Is that so?"

Listening to the Marquis recount the current state of the colony's shipbuilding industry, Aiven suddenly had an idea.

Just like previously rallying a large number of "aspiring young men" to join the privateering cause, the advancement of privateering tools will undoubtedly boost the success rate of plundering and the efficiency of the "Blood Loss Plan."

Purely relying on the paper version of the "Overlord Disqualification Plan" he had already secured a quasi-general rank and the freedom to command vast resources at will.

If the plan, under his guidance, progresses swiftly, subsequent benefits would be inexhaustible.

While he doesn't aspire to divide land in the New Continent like the noble clans Amor and Pine, restoring the Galliot family's prosperity to its heyday should be entirely achievable.

Even though Anita and he are making great strides along the extraordinary path, no new members may emerge in the short term, but only by building their own foundation will they no longer be drifting like floating duckweed.

Black Stone Town, Leopold, Sunken Ship Port, although meaningful to him and his sister, are ultimately not "home"....

Compared to that, a privateer ship design proposal is nothing.

The Kingdom's every achievement during the execution of the plan bears his credit; no need to entirely mind short-term gains and losses.

Every single investment today, will yield a hundredfold, thousandfold return in the future, as long as... he's strong enough!

Thus, placing down the ceramic teacup, he said to the Marquis, "Are you interested in faster and stronger new-type privateer ships?"

Relying on shipbuilding as a fundamental economic pillar, the Marquis immediately got intrigued:

"Oh? Are you speaking of the Galliot-type Cruiser that the Kingdom has secretly started building?"

Aiven smiled slightly:

"Regrettably not. But in the universally participated privateering endeavor, perhaps its significance will be even greater, who knows!"

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