After taking a week off for the New Year, Dass set out again with his warband and city-state coalition.
It must be said, capturing Yuruicheng was indeed an absolutely correct move.
Because after the fall of Yuruicheng, the downstream cities surrendered almost without resistance.
Dass later found out that it was because they had captured all the major Serpent-man lords and key hostages.
As for these places, it was naturally the sa old routine.
If it was a Beastman city-state, then soone would be selected from the royal families of Daze Village’s various Beastn.
If it was a Serpent-man city-state, then a collaborator would be found among the potential successors to be elevated to power.
By late January, they had already successfully cleared the entire Muscovy River’s main stream basin.
Erging from the rainforest, trees gradually grew sparse, eventually transforming into a terrain reminiscent of a sparse savanna.
Standing aboard the ship, looking to either side, one could see a vast ocean-like expanse of golden dry grass, amid which small clusters of trees stood like isolated islands.
These trees were generally hardwoods, primarily with umbrella-like canopies.
During their journey, they even saw monkeys, lions, tigers, and even elephants.
Dass even saw a griffin in the air once more, flying overhead with a deer dangling from its claws.
However, they arrived at the end of the dry season, with dry riverbeds and various temporary ponds scattered everywhere.
The leading ships had already discovered scattered colonial villages, confirming that the Muscovy River indeed had an independent estuary.
"But it’s about to be the rainy season, and our supplies are almost depleted, so we retreated back to Yuruicheng."
Dass grinned apologetically, saying, "But rest assured, when I returned to the Northern County, Modie had already been planning the second expedition."
"According to the scholars, that estuary should be called Port Ago, a deep-water harbor," Horn continued, "Only, there’s conveniently another fine harbor nearby, so it hasn’t been developed much. Are the colonial villages there mainly Norn people?"
"Yes."
"Then that makes sense."
Dass scratched his head, "Your Highness, we found the estuary, but the problem is from the Northern County to Muscovy River, there’s only a small river navigable.
Besides, it’s only navigable during the rainy season; in the dry season, at most, one can paddle a canoe.
How can we transport such deep-drafting, massive ocean-going ships there?"
Horn curiously touched his head, "Did the sun fry your brains? Ocean-going ships, ocean-going ships, with access to the ocean, why would I transport them from inland?
Besides, we also lack the ability to construct ocean-going ships; we’d need to purchase them from the Falan people or Eagle’s Beak Bay or the Norn people.
If all else fails, the frontier has shipyards for ocean-going vessels, so why not hire local frontier ships and sailors there, wouldn’t that be closer?"
Horn intended to bypass Clove Corridor’s embargo tariffs, either send empty ships or load so low-tax goods.
Empty ships leaving port via sea route to Port Ago north, loading up spices in Yuruicheng and then returning to the frontier.
Directly through Vampire Pirates’ smuggling channels, delivering spices and sugar to eagerly waiting vampires’ mouths.
As for the smuggling issue, for Horn, it wasn’t a problem at all.
You’ve Falan embargoed Blood and Flesh Royal Court, but we Saint Alliance haven’t.
Moreover, our business with Blood and Flesh Royal Court isn’t trading; it’s the Vampire Pirates robbing goods en route to Falan.
However, these Vampire Pirates are quite prestigious—they leave a paynt after robbing.
Regarding how the spices are shipped to Muscovy River, Horn has already dispatched people to survey the water system and plans to expand the river channel in the future and build a canal.
"No need to worry about the ocean-going ships; Windmill region’s Saint Father’s Association has already made arrangents.
The El people’s trade guild has purchased twenty-five ocean-going ships and ship equipnt, ropes from Golden Horn Bay and Eagle’s Claw Bay, and employed five-year accompanying sailors and crew.
The ships are donated by the El people, and the one-ti five-year buyout fee for the sailors and crew is also covered by them, but we have to pay the sailors’ and crew’s wages."
The reason for this, Horn guessed easily enough.
As the Saint Alliance is rising, Leia is waning, the El people begin seeking a new nest.
The El people have stood firmly within the empire for so many years; they’re exceptionally clear-minded.
Don’t put all eggs in one basket, and support whoever wins.
If the El people find no refuge, Charles VIII will surely manipulate them.
Curry favor with Horn, Charles VIII won’t press too hard; at least within the Saint Alliance, the El people have a foothold.
Though the future situation is still unclear, it does no harm to flatter Horn.
Regarding buying ships, they truly offer help in ti of need.
Horn really didn’t have the right channels to purchase ocean-going vessels and ready-made crews in bulk.
Therefore, he wouldn’t reject the El people’s goodwill; it’s a mutually beneficial arrangent.
"I fell into a fixed way of thinking," Dass laughed, patting his head.
Once that topic was over, Horn imdiately inquired about the origin of the green dragon head.
Dass naturally recounted the entire process, including how Yuruicheng was breached and how the dragon head was obtained.
"You’re saying, this dragon head was enshrined in the pyramid a thousand years ago, and still looks like it was just chopped off?"
Horn asked incredulously, could it be that the dragon died from preservatives?
"I can’t believe it either, but in this hot weather, the dragon head hasn’t decayed at all; if it weren’t just a head, I’d almost think it’s still alive."
A dragon head enshrined in a Serpent-man pyramid?
Horn felt the matter wasn’t that simple, but this wasn’t the place to discuss it; he turned his head, just about to call soone to board the carriage.
He saw, under the blazing sun, a group of fierce n wearing Black Snake Bay shirts, on the verge of being sun-stricken, eagerly looking at Horn.
Horn had a loyal assistant holding an umbrella for him, and a wizard used wind-blowing magic to cool Horn down, while the councilors were sunbathing to the point of heatstroke.
"Oh, sorry, sorry." Horn then turned around and stepped forward to et and shake hands with each of these councilors.
Horn refrained from keeping them chatting for long, fearing the councilors might pass out from the sun.
He just accepted their gifts, agreeing to et at the banquet later, then boarded the carriage to leave.
Catherine, Jia Li, and Louise shared one carriage, while Jeanne, Dass, and Horn took another, heading to Moonlight Palace, one before the other.
Drawing the carriage curtains open, letting the outside wind flow in, Horn leaned by the window, gazing out at the plantations beyond the city.
Along the roads paved with crushed stone and gravel, rows of human-height, pointed-top fence walls stood.
Through the gaps, one could see patches of sweet branch forests.
Forrly scattered trees and swamps now transford entirely into sweet branch plantations, filled with neatly structured sweet branch fields.
The dry black and red sweet branch trees tightly stood, striving to reach for the sunlight above, while laborers and slaves in coarse linen clothes were swinging scythes to harvest the sweet branches.
Occasionally, they’d lift their heads, only to gaze lumberingly at the passing convoy.
On one side of the sweet branch fields was a horsepower or water-powered double-roller sweet branch crushing workshop, barrel workshop, and stone-built reservoir system.
In one plantation, the most conspicuous was the main residence with archways at the highest point, surrounded by slave huts made from palm leaves.
Won and children stayed by the huts, scrubbing clay bowls, cooking sweet beans and rice-mashed paste in a large clay pot.
Adding several fresh purple eggs and a few chunks of black sugar, a pot of breakfast and lunch was ready.
Unlike Thousand River Valley, Black Snake Bay still followed a two-al-a-day routine.
Watching the slaves and laborers in and out the fields, Horn lightly drumd his fingers on the carriage window, seemingly deep in thought.
His expression grew increasingly solemn.
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