The First Legendary Beast Master

Chapter 1957 They're Still Searching

All over the region, the word was spreading that the Valalan League was looking for Rue, and any other survivors of the Gathuzan Clan.

Nobody really bought that they were all guilty of the outlandish list of crimes that the League accused them of, but there was a rather substantial bounty attached to their names, or for information on members who were not known to have survived.

Which was mostly lower ranking Immortals that were deemed beneath their notice during the battle.

That news came back to the Darklight Host with the next ships to enter the harbour.

"Lord Karl, greetings. I hear that you have prepared a shipment especially for us," the Captain of the newly arrived merchant fleet, a young Elven woman with especially long ears tanned to bright blue at the tips, greeted him.

"Indeed. We were hoping to make it a regular thing, perhaps with a contracted Captain to run dedicated routes for us.

There has been some interest from Clans beyond the port cities to obtain a steady supply of goods."

The Captain laughed. "You know that the Blue Elves have their own connections and agreements. But I suppose that we can make some sort of arrangement if you have a preferred captain.

Hopefully it's not because I'm young. I will have you know that I proved myself in battle, like every other Captain."

Karl smiled at her. "I'm aware of the process. I have a few of the youngsters here training to become fishing boat Captains once they have the basics down. But it was more about making a predictable point of contact, so that I don't have to argue prices with every ship that comes through, and so that customers further inland get a shot at the items."

The Captain stayed silent for a moment as she calculated what Karl's proposition was likely leading to.

"I think that we can arrange something. If they come to the port cities, we can arrange a presale of a portion of the goods to them, before anything goes to the docks.

But by fleet law, that sort of agreement must go through the Council.

We can take our cut, but dealing with Clans that have no access to the sea involves passing goods through the territory of other Clans who do, and that means treaties or open shore trade points that need to be arranged."

Karl hadn't thought about that part. Of course the free ports still had someone in charge of them. So, the people who couldn't get his stuff at auction likely also couldn't get free access to the docks to go pick it up.

"Ah, I see my oversight now. Perhaps it would be easier to ask the Captains to notify a few inland Clans that have made larger purchases from the Darklight Host in the past when they arrive at port?"

The Captain smiled. An arrangement that brought customers from the Darklight Host to her ship, willing to pay a premium to get their hands on the good stuff before it went to auction?

She would take that deal, and she didn't need to ask anyone's permission, as it would all be up to the Clans themselves to work out how to get to her on time. If they could, they could. If not, someone else would come buy it, or she would put it to auction.

While they talked, one of the Lycans working the dock came over with a note in his hand.

"Here, take this as well. It's a list of Clans that have high value past dealings with the Blackwood Pack. They're inland Clans, but they have money, and no decent craftsmen of their own.

If you're near them, you'll score some easy sales."

Normally, that would be information that the Guild wanted to keep to themselves, but the Darklight Host didn't have the manpower or time to be sending someone around like a travelling merchant to peddle their goods.

With the limitations on portal range in this world, the Clans would have to simply get to the nearest port when there was a ship there. The rest would be up to their luck, but the advance notice that the goods they wanted were arriving would give them an advantage.

Nobody knew what a Blue Elven fleet would be hauling when they arrived, unless they had paid for a shipment in advance.

So, insider knowledge was a valuable commodity of its own.

"Let me show you what we've got this time, and then I will offer you the same deal that the last Captains took for the raw materials they brought."

The Captain smiled. She had been hoping that he would say that. The discount this time would not break her, and the separate space that the Darklight Host had made had already saved one of their ships more than it cost when they were boarded by tax collectors looking for a reason to charge excessively high import duties.

They had been seeing too much of that lately. Inspectors who wanted to tax the whole ship's cargo instead of only what came ashore.

Carefully considering her words, the Captain spoke. "I will gladly accept that offer. And I will offer you a piece of information.

There is some sort of instability all along the southern coast that has them desperate for resources and money. We haven't determined what it is yet, but the merchant caravans have been spreading news of checkpoints, and our fleets have seen more boardings looking to collect far more than the proper import duties.

We think that they might be gearing up for a major war, or that there was a disaster inland that cost many of the clans their accumulated wealth."

Karl nodded. "I have heard similar things from other customers during the recruitment event. But not to that extent. Do you know how widespread it is? Will it affect the ability to use the port auctions?"

The Captain made a noncommittal gesture. "I don't know about the auctions, but it's the entire southern coast, and some of the east. The ports closest to you, and around this peninsula from the New Home past Almeixei, seem to be the only ones not participating."