Chapter 441: Chapter 345: These Are Two Different Matters

"Captain, are we really going to be transporting things for those goblins?"

On deck, the first mate stood behind Byron Lark with a pained expression. The other sailors worked silently, their faces ashen. They were completely quiet, as if awaiting their deaths, showing none of the joy one would expect from finally escaping the Nightmare Forest.

"Sigh," Captain Byron let out a long sigh. "You think I want to? What else could I have done in that situation?"

He turned to look at his first mate. "Every time that goblin leader smiled at me, I saw those sharp teeth and felt like he wanted to eat me. If I hadn’t agreed, he probably would have rolled out a few large iron pots right in front of us."

"But they’re goblins," the first mate said, troubled.

"I know they’re goblins. Yangjiao Town has plenty of Adventurers, and the town watch patrols every day. If anyone finds out we’re shipping cargo for goblins, they might just arrest us and send us to the gallows." Captain Byron covered his face with his hands. "But if I hadn’t agreed, we’d probably be cooked by now."

"What if... after we get back, we don’t fulfill..."

"Not fulfill the agreement?" Byron rubbed his cheeks with both hands. "You think that goblin didn’t consider that? What do you think that cup of whatever we drank before we left was?"

"You mean that cup of... wine?"

"Right," Byron nodded. "That ’Green Bragi.’ It tasted very astringent and only had a hint of alcohol. You didn’t really think it was wine, did you?"

"Didn’t he say it was to celebrate our first cooperation?" The first mate frowned, unconsciously raising a hand to his mouth.

"There was definitely something in it. I don’t know if it was poison or what, but I’d wager we’ll drop dead if we don’t complete the job on time." Byron shook his head and sighed again. "And dying from poison would be the good outcome. Imagine if we ended up covered in itchy pustules. That’d be a fate worse than death."

"BLECH." Hearing the captain’s words, the first mate immediately started sticking his fingers down his throat, trying to vomit something up.

"Don’t bother. It’s not that easy to throw up." Byron glanced at the first mate, stopping him. "I’ve already tried."

"Captain, what... what do we do?" The first mate lowered his hand, his face now visibly pale.

"Let’s just go back and see. We’ll transport this one shipment for them. Hopefully, once this is done, we can cut all ties with the goblins." Byron turned to look at the deck. Many of the sailors were watching him furtively, but they would quickly look away in fear the moment their eyes met.

"Go and tell every man," Byron instructed his first mate again, "no one is to breathe a word about this transport contract. Don’t let anyone else find out. If word gets out, we’re all finished."

"I know, Captain." The first mate nodded grimly.

"Go on. We’ll be at the Yangjiao Town docks soon." Captain Byron sent the first mate away and gazed out at the distant Darren River. He deeply regretted accepting the Holy Order Army’s commission. If he hadn’t been so greedy, he never would have gotten into this mess. ’So much for the ’invincible’ Holy Order Army and the ’great power of the Church,’’ he thought bitterly. ’A bunch of useless fools. They couldn’t even beat a group of goblins, and now I have to risk my own cargo ship because of them.’

’The good thing is, we just have to sail along the Darren River. The round trip should be fast,’ he muttered to himself. ’I wonder how much I’ll make from this. It won’t be a total loss, will it?’

After saying this, Byron suddenly gave himself a light slap across the face. ’What am I thinking? These are goblins. They’ll probably try to pay me with rotten leaves and broken rocks. This is definitely going to be a loss.’

At this, he frowned, his thoughts drifting to Yangjiao Town. ’The goblins have cargo waiting at the docks... That means someone has already established contact with them and placed a large order. Who could it be?’

Yangjiao Town was unusually prosperous right now. The docks were bustling with ships, and he’d heard that many artisans had come to town looking for work. ’Was it... the ’White Shell’ trading company?’

Byron muttered to himself, and then his eyes shot wide open. ’No way.’

’The White Shell trading company... is doing business with goblins.’

...

"Do you really trust that... captain?" Agatha asked without looking up, her head bowed as she studied the Holy Order Armor on the table.

"I wouldn’t say I trust him," Shire said, taking a sip of tea. "It’s just a test. I saw a good opportunity. By defeating the Holy Order Army, I could temporarily intimidate the captain and his sailors, and then coax them into transporting goods for me."

"The tribe has gotten very large now, and our consumption of all kinds of supplies is huge. Just relying on Mary and the Teleportation Gate isn’t enough; she’s overwhelmed. If she spent all her time transporting things through the gate, she wouldn’t be able to get anything else done."

"That’s true." Agatha picked up a magnifying glass and leaned in to get a closer look at a circle of Runes carved into the Armor.

"Besides, this captain is a good candidate," Shire said, smiling as he held his teacup. "He dared to accept the Holy Order Army’s commission to enter the forest, which shows he’s a greedy fellow. If this transport agreement is completed successfully, he should be able to calculate the costs and profits for himself. By then, he’ll likely have a change of heart."

"Aren’t you afraid they’ll betray you and ruin your arrangements in Yangjiao Town?" Agatha turned to look at Shire. After all, the "Drink Undying" Alchemy Workshop was, at least in name, partially hers.

"It would be a lie to say I’m not worried," Shire said with a slight smirk. "But this is a step we have to take. Sooner or later, we have to take it."

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