Chapter 333 Sea Fortress
"Father, do you think there will be any trouble if I take this island for myself?"
Although he already had an idea in his mind, to be on the safe side, Gerves still had to ask Gandalf. After all, old nobles like Gandalf understood the ins and outs best.
"As long as you don't publicize it, there won't be any problem. Although these islands on the coast of the principality still belong to the king in name, the king doesn't look down on such islands."
Gandalf gave Gervis the answer quickly without thinking, but then Gandalf asked again curiously.
"Little Gervis, you want to develop this island? This is not cost-effective. There is still so much land in your territory that has not been developed. What do you want this island for!"
Gandalf looked up and looked around. The area of this pirate island was not small, nor was it a deserted island. The forest was dense and lush, but the only way to travel to the land was by ship, which was very inconvenient. After all, there were very few ships in this world.
It would be more practical to organize serfs to reclaim wasteland and dig canals in the territory, and cultivate more acres of farmland instead of spending this time on it.
"Haha, father, I'm just saying that. I don't even know if there is fresh water on this island! I just want to build a manor here and come here to play when I have time!"
What Gandalf said made sense. The world was not short of land, but of population. The land utilization rate in the territory of Gervis was less than 10%, and other places were completely overgrown with weeds and trees. Therefore, it was completely useless to spend energy on developing this island.
But Gandalf didn't understand Gervase's situation. The main reason why Gervase wanted to develop the island was that he had too many secrets.
Gervis wanted to transfer here all the things that could not be seen by the public or needed to be kept secret, such as wine making, saltpeter boiling, and the miners who came from the Lanny territory.
If this island had not been discovered late, Gervis would have planned to plant grape vines from outside the space on it.
Another point is that there are orcs invading Gervis's territory every year. If he builds up this island, he can then develop life on the island in the future. In this way, even if the orcs attack, the trade in his territory will not come to a complete standstill.
"So that's how it is. Then there's no problem! Little Gervis, you're still young, so don't build things just for fun! It's a waste of money and labor. You should learn how to accumulate wealth!"
Gandalf heard Gervase's explanation very reasonable. The nobles really liked to build manors, and this island had a beautiful environment and was really a great place for leisure and entertainment.
"Father, don't worry! I know!"
Gervis almost vomited blood. Did he look like an extravagant nobleman? However, his excuse was to build a manor, so he could only make the promise obediently.
In this world, lords have complete autonomy over their territories, so even the smallest baron is a local emperor. With such power, it is inevitable that some lords become inflated and enjoy it to the fullest.
Originally, there was nothing wrong with the nobles enjoying themselves, but enjoying luxury and building magnificent manors all required huge amounts of money to support them. What would happen when the lord's money was spent and he could not pay out?
The only option left is to exploit the serfs. The serfs are already poor, and if they continue to be exploited, even the most docile serfs will rebel when they have no way to survive. Although the serfs' resistance will never have a good result, the lord will not have a good ending either, and will also be punished by the feudal lord, it's just a matter of how severe the punishment will be.
"Father, let's go back first!"
Gervis originally wanted to explore the entire island, but unfortunately it was already late. If he didn't go back, he would probably have to sail at night. There were no searchlights in this world, and sailing at night was very dangerous.
Anyway, the island has been occupied now, so Gervis is not in a hurry. He can explore the island after the revenge plan is completed.
…
Next, Gervis ordered his men to escort the pirates on the beach back to the ship. He even took away the beer and other items left by the pirates on the beach. He did not drink the beer himself, but he could give it to his men.
After being busy for nearly half an hour, Gervis finally led a total of 15 ships towards Storm Territory.
Standing at the bow, Gervis looked towards the island reluctantly. Although the island was not large in area, it could be used as his secret base. If possible, Gervis would like to build it into a sea fortress.
"My Lord, this island belongs to you now. You should give it a name!"
Gervis found that it was a waste of talent for Lille to be a pirate. This pirate captain really had the potential to be a lackey. Seeing that Gervis had ideas about the island, Lille immediately mentioned it to Gervis carefully.
"No, I'm not going to name it yet. I will name it after I really explore it! After all, as a noble aristocrat, I have to do things with a sense of ceremony!"
Gervis retracted his gaze, looked at Lille, and shook his head at Lille in a resounding voice.
Under Lille's awe-inspiring gaze, Gervis walked into the captain's room. Now that everything was settled, he could have a good rest.
In fact, Lill didn't know that Gervis also wanted to give the island a name, but naming was Gervis's weak point. He felt that he needed to think carefully for a few days. Even Alice asked Gervis about the name of the Golden Castle. As a noble, why was he so outstanding?
…
Because they were traveling in a straight line, it took the ship less than an hour for Gervis and his companions to reach the beach of Storm Territory again.
The ship dropped anchor more than a hundred meters outside the beach, and then Gervis and others took a small boat and were the first to land.
However, what happened next gave Gervis a headache. Not only did they capture 10 ships, but they also discovered an island. Gervis should be considered to have had a great harvest and should be very happy.
But when the serfs that were continuously transported from the ships arrived at the shore, Gervis felt a headache.
These serfs were all young women, more than 150 of them. When they knew they had left the pirates' lair, they all started crying.
Even the guards' persuasion was useless. They were obviously frightened to the extreme. Hundreds of people cried together. It was the first time that Gervis had seen such a strange sight.
"Father, if I ask their families to take these women back, will their lords pay me for it?"
Gervase rubbed his head and looked at Gandalf.
"Little Gervis, I'm afraid your idea is going to fail! Their families are probably all dead!"
Gandalf said to Gervase with some reluctance.
"I heard from Baron Quick that when the pirates plundered the village, they basically killed all the men, women, and children in the village, so there would be no one to claim them."
"As for their lords, if they were young and strong men, they would pay you to redeem them, but since you are all women, there is probably no hope!"
Gandalf's meaning was very clear. Gervase now had two options: either sell these women to slave traders or arrange for them himself.
Most nobles would choose the first option when faced with such a situation, selling the slaves in exchange for compensation, so Gandalf said on the island that Gervis had made a profit.
In this world, it is not shameful to sell captives to slave traders, just like selling captured serfs and soldiers from enemy countries to slave traders. Although these women were brought back from pirates, it is almost the same.
Hearing Gandalf's words, Gervis did not answer Gandalf immediately, but instead set his eyes on Leer who was always cautious a few meters away.
"Sir, that was all done by the Third Chief Qiaode and his men. None of us participated! You can ask the others. We have been staying on the boat the whole time. Even if I wanted to join in, no one would be willing to take us!"
Without Gervis saying anything, Lille knew what Gervis's look meant, and he immediately knelt on the ground and trembled in fear.
What he said was indeed true. Being able to go ashore and plunder the villages was a lucrative job and it was not their turn at all. When they were on the boat, they were envious for several days.
After hearing what Lil said, the fierceness in Gervis' eyes subsided.
Although he is not the "world police" of this world, if Lille and others really participated in the massacre of women, children and young children, he would never use these people. At the very least, he would really treat these people as coolies, the kind that are even more miserable than slaves.
"Then take him back and place him there first. I'll think of a solution! I'll make arrangements after this matter is over!"
Gervis could not sell these women to slave traders. After all, he was not short of the money. Besides, these women were poor people whose families were killed by pirates. If he did so, he would be no different from a pirate.
Just as it was about to get dark, all the supplies and personnel had been unloaded, and Gervis then led everyone slowly towards the castle.
Gervis did not leave anyone on each ship, but only left 10 people on the shore to be on duty.
Wright and others came to Storm Territory on purpose this time, otherwise, there would be no ships passing by the coast of Gervis all year round, so there would be no fear of being stolen!
Thanks to "book friend 20181113102838344" for the reward!!!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
