Shuangfan City is a seaport city ranked in the middle of the southern city-states. Although the southern city-states are mostly seaside cities due to the terrain, Shuangfan City is famous for its deep water among the many ports. Therefore, although it is not close to the Pearl Islands and takes four or five days more than the nearest city, it is also an important departure port and the home port of many large and medium-sized caravans. Another advantage here is that it is close to the Half Moon Forest and has an abundant supply of wood. The long-term accumulated wood reserves have allowed it to have many docks and shipyards.
Jerez is one of the owners of one of the shipyards. He just switched from being a sea merchant to running a shipyard. In his early years, he saved some money by sailing. After middle age, he no longer wanted to risk his life on the sea, but he couldn't give up his feelings for ships, so he took some people and went ashore to build a shipyard.
He was a newcomer in the shipbuilding industry. Although his family was wealthy and the shipyard he built was good, he had a hard time because of its remote location and few customers. Not to mention that the shipyard owners in the city were suppressing his business, which made his life even more miserable.
Since the beginning of autumn this year, he has only completed the business of one fishing boat, and other than that, he has not received any big business. Seeing the empty dock and the workers he hired waiting for wages every day to fill their stomachs, he was anxious, but had no good solution.
The owner of a nearby shipyard, Jovito, had come to his house several times to discuss buying his shipyard at a low price, but Jerez refused. He always hoped that there would be a chance to turn the tide and help the shipyard get through this difficult time.
However, the last time Hovito left, he said to him, "There are already enough shipyards in Twin Sails City. If we add one more, we will have less food to eat. Do you think there will be any chances? No, you are now like a ship with a broken keel. It is only a matter of time before you are smashed by the waves."
Jerez knew that if he hadn't had a group of brave brothers, those people would have jumped on him and eaten him. But now, they were like watching a tiger struggling in a trap, waiting for it to run out of strength so they could go up and kill it.
Still, Jerez refused to give up. He still wore his sailor's hat and wandered around the big market in Shuangfan City with a few old brothers, hoping to find a good opportunity.
Day after day, all he waited for was disappointment, until one day, a middleman, whom he was relatively familiar with, came to him with two men and women in cloaks.
The middleman said evasively, "Jerez, you have to know that I am taking a risk in bringing you this business. Those people have already said that we are not allowed to bring you any customers. However, I see that you have been wandering around here for more than ten days... Even if I am soft-hearted, I will say so."
Heres immediately took out two silver moons from his pocket and put them in the middleman's hand. The silver moon coins of the southern city-state were smaller than the silver spears of the kingdom and the silver feathers of the empire, but two silver moons were still a lot of money. The middleman quickly put the silver moons in his pocket, patted Heres on the shoulder, and left quickly.
"He wasn't planning to introduce the business to you. If I hadn't insisted on finding a shipyard with a quiet location, little business, and decent craftsmanship, he would have taken me to another place." The man who spoke sounded very young. He pulled back his hood a little, revealing a very handsome face. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Crete, and this is my partner Katarina."
Herez looked to the side. Half of the woman's face was hidden in the hat, but she looked very young. She had green hair, and even in the cloak, her figure was well-proportioned and very agile.
The man was not carrying any weapon, but the woman had a short sword hanging from her waist. Herrez was a man who had seen the world. These two people looked extraordinary, and the power behind them was probably very extraordinary.
He smiled and nodded, saying, "Anyway, he brought two distinguished guests here, so I have to accept his favor. This is also the rule of doing business."
Crete smiled and said, "Mr. Herrez does seem to be a man who follows the rules."
"Why do you say that?" asked Herrera.
"I heard from the middleman that your business here is being squeezed out. This is not surprising. We have dealt with other shipyards before, and I know what kind of people they are. It is normal for them to squeeze you out. But today I saw that you and your subordinates are very skilled. If you go to their door, I am afraid that most of the shipyards will be in trouble. But you didn't use this advantage, but instead competed with them within the rules and regulations of doing business. I admire you a little bit."
Heres looked at Crete deeply, and then said: "There are rules in the sea and rules on the shore. You must abide by the rules wherever you are, otherwise, you will not end well."
Crete nodded and said, "Very good. We like to do business with people who abide by the rules. Let's go to your dock and take a look, and then we can talk about the details of the business."
"Of course, my shipyard is new and big, and can build all kinds of ships. Except for its remote location, there is no way other old factories are definitely better than mine." Herrez introduced with effort.
Jerez didn't have a carriage, so he wanted to rent a car in the city to take the two guests there. Unexpectedly, the guests asked to walk with him. So he had to escort the guests to the dock with a few old brothers.
After walking a few steps, Herrez found that the two people walked very briskly. The young man seemed to have a faint magical power lingering on his body, and the woman was obviously a martial arts master. Herrez himself was a mid-level warrior, but these two young men and women in their early twenties put a lot of pressure on him. Therefore, he became more suspicious of the identities of the two people.
The docks of Jerez are outside the city walls. You need to walk over a hill and walk for another half an hour along the coastline to reach them. There are docks and shipyards lined up along the way, and white sails are dotted on the sea from far to near. It is already evening, and the sun hanging low in the sky casts scattered spots of light on the sea. Crete and Catalina are attracted by this beautiful scenery, and secretly sigh that the weather in the port city is very different from that in the inland city.
Jerez also relaxed a little and said, "This is the sea, a combination of beauty and cruelty. However, even so, it is still like a beauty, always wanting people to conquer it." (To be continued)