On the day after his arrival at the Sorbet Kingdom, Pablo decided to explore the island himself.
He left Marco, Shigo, and so n at the port to guard the ship. He took only two of his n with him, ordering them to stay back and not draw attention.
He began his tour in the northern half of the kingdom.
Here, things were good. The buildings were beautiful, painted in light colors, with shiny glass windows. The streets were clean, paved with smooth stones. Pablo saw no garbage in the roads, no unpleasant slls. People wore clean clothes, walking with confident steps. Children played in small gardens. Shops were open, goods displayed attractively.
It was the best area Pablo had seen since coming to this world.
Here, in the north, the rich lived. Security existed. Order was clear.
Pablo was not surprised. He knew what was happening in this kingdom.
He stopped at a food vendor on a busy street corner. He bought a piece of bread with cheese and began eating while standing. The vendor was a man in his fifties, his face full, his smile constant.
"Stranger?" asked the vendor.
"New to the island." Pablo replied quietly.
"Work? Tourism?"
"Tourism."
He took a bite of his bread. Then he asked:
"Is Sorbet big? How many people live here?"
The vendor shook his head. "We are not a big kingdom. The population is about eighty thousand. About fifty thousand live here in the north... and the rest... in the south."
"And the army?"
"Six thousand soldiers. All of them in the north as well. The south doesn't need an army..." He laughed a small laugh. "No one there has anything worth protecting."
Pablo nodded. "What is the island known for?"
"Herbs." said the vendor, his eyes shining. "Rare herbs. Used for dicine. Very expensive. I assure you, without these herbs, we would not be able to pay the Heavenly Tribute. And we would not have been able to join the World Governnt."
The Heavenly Tribute. Pablo knew this term well. The money that mber states of the World Governnt pay for protection. And the thing that allowed a small kingdom like this to join the governnt was the presence of so rare, expensive herbs.
Pablo thanked the vendor. He left so coins on the table. And continued on his way.
After hours of wandering in the north, Pablo decided to see the southern half.
He didn't need a map. It was enough to walk south.
The scene changed gradually.
The paved streets disappeared, replaced by dirt roads full of holes. The beautiful buildings turned into modest wooden huts. The windows had no glass, only openings covered with pieces of worn cloth.
Security here was non-existent. Pablo saw no soldiers in the streets. No police. Just ordinary people.
The houses were dilapidated, walls cracked, roofs full of holes. The sll was different. The sll of dirt, sweat, and dry herbs.
And the strangest thing...
n and won of advanced age were working in the fields. Their backs were bent. Their hands wrinkled. So could barely walk, yet they still worked. They planted. Harvested. Carried crops.
Pablo stood on a small hill overlooking one of the fields. He saw an old man carrying a heavy basket on his back. He was about to fall under its weight.
This was the south. This was the true face of Sorbet.
He didn't say anything. He just stood. Watched.
He knew this would happen. But seeing it with his own eyes was different.
---
Pablo returned to the port in the evening. The sun was beginning to set. His n were waiting for him.
He called Marco and Shigo to the side of the ship.
"We will all stay here. No one returns to Naraka."
Marco looked at him. "How long will we stay?"
"We will spend a long ti here. I will send a ssage to Arthur and Ido to inform them."
"And what about the family in Naraka?"
"Arthur and Ido are running things. They are capable. If anything urgent happens, I will send one of you."
Marco nodded. "What is our plan here?"
Pablo looked toward the south.
"First: I want a headquarters for us. A safe place in the forest. Send the n to look for a suitable location."
"This is not a short visit. This is the beginning of our presence in Sorbet."
"And what will we do here?" asked Shigo.
"Initially, we will look for a source of inco. Anything. Trade. Protection. Herbs. We need a foothold in this kingdom. If we want to stay here, we must have a real presence."
Shigo added nothing. He just nodded.
Pablo gave his orders. So n went into the forest to look for a suitable location for a temporary headquarters. Others began unloading supplies and weapons from the ship. The rest dispersed under Pablo's orders, searching for sothing useful.
Everyone on board "The Black Wind" would stay. The ship would not return to Naraka until Pablo ordered it.
---
That night, Pablo sat alone in his small cabin on the ship. He was thinking.
On the table in front of him was a map of Sorbet. He was looking at the south.
He knew that ti was not on his side.
He had about a year. Maybe a little more.
In about a year, King Bekori would announce his decision to turn the southerners into slaves. He would try to reduce the value of the Heavenly Tribute by reducing the number of free citizens.
Then, the Revolutionary Army would intervene. They would free the slaves. They would save whoever they could. And they would overthrow the king.
And most importantly, Kuma and Jinny would join them.
If that happened, Pablo would lose everything. He would not be able to convince Kuma and Jinny to join him after they beca part of the Revolutionary Army. The revolutionaries would have beaten him to it.
If he wanted Kuma and Jinny, he had to move quickly. He had to be stronger than King Bekori.
He had about a year.
To build a force that could challenge an army of six thousand soldiers.
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