“The Church, the Governor Mansion, and the Gulf Chamber of Comrce.”
“These three forces are like three ropes twisted together, pulling the big ship of Suo Yu Bay.”
“Sotis they pull in different directions, causing the ship to sway violently; occasionally they pull together, making the ship sail faster.”
“But at least most of the ti, they know that a sunken ship benefits no one, so overall it remains stable.”
“As for people like us squeezed on the deck and in the cabin…”
Paddy grinned, revealing slightly yellow teeth with so gaps.
“Learning to find food in the cracks of the deck, holding tight during the swaying of the ship without getting thrown off; staying away during the rope’s tussle to avoid getting tangled up, that’s our greatest skill.”
Listening to this little rchant’s introduction, Xia Nan had a thoughtful expression on his face.
The power distribution in Suo Yu Bay was now clear.
The Governor Mansion controls order and power, the Church manipulates faith and divine power, while the Gulf Chamber of Comrce handles the economy and trade.
Although these three often have conflicts for various reasons, after all, they are all tied to the sa ship, sharing common interests. After years of integration, no matter how bad it gets, things never beco too unsightly.
Each one has its support, years of rich heritage, making these three organizations collectively occupy almost ninety-five percent of the resources in Suo Yu Bay.
As long as one wants to make a living in this bay port city, contact with them is inevitable.
Even those holess people who barely have enough to eat, if they beg near the chamber’s stores, the generous “gentlen” may casually toss a handful of copper coins, enough for them to live well for a while.
And the relationships with the governor mansion’s patrol guards who maintain street security, and the Church that occasionally distributes supplies, go without saying.
Throughout Suo Yu Bay, relatively speaking, the only ones who might not be that deeply entangled with these three powers are adventurers like Xia Nan, who are less driven by material desires.
Suddenly, as if thinking of sothing, Xia Nan raised his eyebrow and asked Paddy beside him:
“What about the adventurer association? I recall there should be a branch in Suo Yu Bay?”
“What is its role in relation to these three forces?”
Judging from the size and power scope alone, the adventurer association, in comparison to the three powers controlling Suo Yu Bay, is undoubtedly a behemoth crushing them in magnitude.
The Gulf Chamber of Comrce, an organization mainly dealing with coastal economic trade, is negligible;
The Governor Mansion, the local administration of the Sevia Kingdom, wouldn’t even rank, not to ntion calling their King;
As for the Church, it’s a ss of disputes and divine intrigue, and if there were any real conflict, rival “Pagans” would act without the association needing to intervene proactively.
In this situation, despite Suo Yu Bay having a branch of the adventurer association, it is excluded from the main powers, and there’s only one reason:
——It doesn’t care.
It may even have proactively withdrawn from the power struggle.
Recalling the ethos and organizational nature of the association he learned about in River Valley Town, Xia Nan already vaguely had an answer after asking his question.
And Paddy’s response was just as he expected.
“The adventurer association…” The middle-aged man with graying hair showed so caution in his eyes, glanced at Xia Nan’s expression, and carefully chose his words, “Mr. Xia Nan, you surely know more than I do.”
“The association itself has its resource channels, and compared to the interest of the ports, what it cares more about is the developnt and nurturing of adventurers.”
“It basically doesn’t take part in Suo Yu Bay’s conflicts, and when the other three powers touch upon matters related to the adventurer association, they’ll also very carefully keep their distance and reduce contact.”
The adventurer association itself, compared to being an “organization,” is more like so kind of interactive “platform” for adventurers, and this doesn’t change from River Valley Town to Suo Yu Bay.
It rarely actively participates in the local power ga, and it’s impossible for the association’s core mbers to be moved over so irrelevant interests.
Just like before, it simply provides a platform for adventurers active near Suo Yu Bay to take on tasks and earn bounty.
Allowing Xia Nan to breathe a sigh of relief.
He ca to Suo Yu Bay with mainly two purposes:
Trade the [Tide Lure Rod], and search for the [Dream Weaving Corridor] key.
Maybe taking on a few commissions to earn so al money in between.
Being free from being drawn into local power conflicts is naturally for the best.
“Take to the adventurer association first, I want to familiarize myself with the route.”
Seeing Paddy had finished introducing the major forces in Suo Yu Bay, Xia Nan made a tily suggestion.
“Of course!”
The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly, leading Xia Nan and Colin to walk to the other side of the street.
…
The adventurer association branch was located in the Cormorant District, still quite a distance from where Xia Nan and the others were.
Paddy certainly couldn’t just lead the way in silence.
Along the way, he introduced buildings and shops worth ntioning to Xia Nan at the roadside.
“Here is ‘Silver Frost Cellar,’ selling so local vegetables and fruits. If you like cooking yourself, you can shop here, and the prices are quite fair in the Saltwater District. If you co in the morning, the freshness is guaranteed.”
“This side is ‘Sili’s Textile Shop,’ where you’ll find affordable everyday clothing and they also offer customization services. The set I’m wearing is bought from there. If you think the clothing in Cormorant District and White Cliff District stores is too expensive and don’t want to spend that much, you can consider this place.”
“And then…”
Paddy’s speech suddenly paused, and even his steps slowed.
His gaze towards the street carried an inexplicable aning.
Xia Nan followed his gaze.
What greeted him was a three-story building with exquisite and luxurious decoration, yet its functionality was clearly prominent.
The outer wall was brushed with an unknown material in a light pink hue, all the windows were fitted with blurry stained glass, and under the perpetual glow of orange-yellow and dark purple lights from inside, it gave the silhouettes inside a certain unclear ambiguity; the porch was supported by two spiral-carved coral-colored stone pillars, topped with two custom shell-shaped small lanterns; in front, a few voluptuous won with heavy makeup stood inviting guests.
The sign above the main door was pieced together with coral branches, having slight curves, with edges embedded with tiny pearl grains.
Sowhat resembling a kind of artistic font, Xia Nan took a while to barely make out the na of this building:
——”Coral Courtyard.”
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