Chapter 185: A Bountiful Harvest

“If we treat those pirates as forced laborers, won’t people criticize us?” Knight Val was unsure.

“Those pirates are our loot. How we handle them is up to us. What do others have to say?” George said angrily. “Our Bolerum Territory suffered such huge losses. Should they be responsible for compensation? If we start this, those guys might just get greedy. I say the biggest loot is those pirate ships! Tell me, how many did we capture?”

“Except for one that had its mast shot off and couldn’t reach the shore, and another that turned back to escape when it realized the situation, we captured a total of 11 pirate ships. One of them was likely a three-masted main warship from the Southern Tuteker region, probably taken by pirates led by Cliff about three years ago. The rest were mostly two-masted patrol ships or cargo ships that had been converted.” Hearing this, Knight Val’s face also showed a rare smile.

“Calculating this, the price of this batch of sailing ships must have exceeded 100,000 Gold Coins! But what we can actually exchange for in our Territory is hard to say. After all, our Bolerum Territory doesn’t need so many sea ships in such a short time!” Suddenly, a sharp light appeared in George’s eyes.

“If you want to use these ships to exchange for supplies or plan to sell them, George, it might not be that easy in the short term.” Knight Val’s face slowly calmed down. “Because of the previous battle, those sailing ships all had some damage. The most severely damaged one was hit by three blasts of the Red Dragon’s breath. It’s lucky it’s still floating on the surface. Who knows how long it will take to repair it! And as you worried, many of the original owners of these ships probably want to buy them back at a low price. How to deal with them is also a problem. They are like flies. Although they are not very harmful, they are extremely annoying.”

George’s eyes rolled around, and then he said quite confidently, “How could we give them these ships at a low price! If they are repaired, they must be at least 80% of the market price. Of course, before that, our Bolerum Territory’s shipyards should practice first! Once we repair this batch of sailing ships, the skills of the craftsmen in our Territory will surely improve significantly!”

“With your words, George, I feel much more at ease. Sometimes you have to eat the whole meal yourself. As for the rumors about using pirates as forced laborers, leave them all to me! At least within the Nohan Kingdom, there will be absolutely no problem!” Saying this, Knight Val opened his mouth and showed eight teeth.

It seemed that some of George’s previous concessions made to consider the big picture were not quite to Knight Val’s liking. Or perhaps for people in this world, George often seemed too cautious. Of course, some people might think he was a bit weak.

Suddenly remembering something, George emphasized, “Do not mix those pirates with ordinary punished laborers. Manage them separately. Give those pirates a possible way out. Set a daily workload. Those who consistently exceed the quota will get rewards. This will force those pirates to work hard and effectively reduce the probability of their rebellion and escape. Those who are not physically fit will slowly die of exhaustion and be thoroughly eliminated. Anyway, according to current standards, these guys should have been hanged already. For them, living this long is already a gain.”

“So this works too!” Knight Val rubbed his chin and thought for a while, then said somewhat uncertainly, “But at the beginning, they might not notice. But after a long time, those pirates will definitely know the trick. Then the possibility of them organizing a rebellion will be much higher. If you just need to supplement the lack of labor in a short time, this is indeed a good method. As for the rest who meet the previous standards, as long as we gradually increase their new workload later, not many will be left soon. But if you want to use them for a long time, George, you will have to find another way!”

Knight Val had a point, and George fell into thought again.

“So it seems we can only come up with a detailed reward and punishment management system. Each pirate will be assigned a fixed amount of work. Only by completing these tasks can they eat. If they fail, they will be punished. Then, according to the regulations, as long as they consistently exceed the quota for a certain period, they will get a chance for promotion, moving from laborers to low-level managers.” George made some slight modifications to his original proposal.

“Do you want to use the pirates to control the pirates?” Knight Val asked back with a hint of doubt.

“You are absolutely right! After selecting enough managers, each group leader must watch over their own members and prevent them from escaping. As long as no one dies, it’s fine, and they can get immediate medical care. But if one escapes, the group leader will be immediately removed from office and punished, and also whipped. Moreover, besides the guards, each group must compete fiercely for labor results. The best performers can continue to improve, while the worst performers will have their group leaders punished, and even demoted back to laborers to work hard alongside the lower-level staff.” George quickly explained his idea.

This system was, in short, the “use the pirates to control the pirates” that Knight Val mentioned. Give some pirates hope so they can work honestly, then use a few pirates to watch over the majority. These pirate group leaders who finally climbed up, having barely escaped that unfortunate life, will surely watch over their former companions even more strictly. Because only by working hard and squeezing them can they maintain their position. Only by pleasing the managers in the construction site can they continue to maintain their lives.

Knight Val nodded: “This looks like a way, at least to some extent.”

“Of course, doing this can wear down the original wildness of those pirates to the maximum extent. Long-term high-intensity physical labor will also make them numb. Eventually, some truly honest people will appear among those pirates. If appropriate, one or two can be pardoned each year to become Territory citizens. Over time, those pirates will naturally accept their fate.” George finally threw out the ultimate trump card of this plan. This was like the method of boiling a frog in warm water, step by step, eventually forming a big net to tightly bind those original pirates.

But this was just a plan. What effect it would have specifically still depended on the implementation. It might really turn into a tragedy where the ideal is full and the reality is bony! After all, a horseshoe nail could affect the rise and fall of a kingdom. Any slip-up in the management process might cause George’s plan to fail completely.

Suddenly realizing he had forgotten something earlier, George immediately added, “However, it needs to be noted that the craftsmen on the pirate ships should not be mixed with ordinary pirates. Set a standard for their assessment. If they pass, they won’t need to go to places like the Quarry. Wasting talent is a shameful act, but they must still work under supervision.”

“This point was already thought of by the civil officials in the Territory. Before, they had already separated those craftsmen from ordinary pirates for imprisonment.” Knight Val teased George instead. “And I also have a surprise for you!”

“A surprise?” George was now completely puzzled. “Could it be something like a pirate treasure map? Knight Val, you don’t really have that idea, do you? That kind of thing is not very reliable!”

The so-called pirate treasure was often a plot in novels of the “Chivalrous Knight Legend” series. Of course, it could also be called a cold joke. Did anyone really think that those sneaky scum could eat the fleet transporting gold?

This was not a knight novel. Would Dragons be stupid enough to squat in their own nests waiting for a Knight’s charge? The goods pirates stole could not be exchanged for even a single coin without those greedy brokers.

No pirate did not curse those greedy rogues in their dreams. But without them, pirates would just be a group of trash drifting on the sea waiting to die. Not to mention cheap items like cloth, wood, and iron ingots. Even the small amount of spices and jewelry could not be exchanged for food to fill their stomachs or wine to quench their thirst.

“George, do you think I still need to read those knight novels? But your father, my Liege Lord Viscount Bolerum, seems to have a certain liking for them!” Knight Val said with a mischievous smile.

But what he said was also a fact. His own experience was a legend. Of course, there was no need to read some imagined things. As for Viscount Bolerum’s certain hobby, it was indeed somewhat unflattering among Knights.

“Alright! Mr. Val, stop beating around the bush! Just tell me directly.” George immediately showed an expression that he really wanted to know.

The mighty Knight Val certainly would not just submit because of George’s actions. But he seemed to have just laughed to tease George a bit. So he took the opportunity to give the answer: “It is Spellcasters. We found Spellcasters on every pirate ship. Of course, two of them successfully escaped our control. Now, exactly ten are captured. Among them, the strongest is a Mage who has just entered the Red Iron Rank. The rest include three Mages and six Sorcerers. Currently, these guys are all locked in special cells, personally guarded by my father. We will do our best to minimize all possible potential risks.”

‘Spellcasters? A few Sorcerers are fine. Although they use bloodline power and are rare, they often have extreme personalities and like to do as they please, so it is possible for them to mix with pirates. But a Mage of the Red Iron Rank, while not exactly rare, requires a lot of funds and a stable learning environment to reach. Him appearing among pirates is already a very strange thing. Plus the large number of Spellcasters, it’s almost as if the words “there is a conspiracy behind this” were written on his face.’ After thinking for a while, George was almost scared by this situation. Especially since there had been the precedent of the Barbarians invading from the south, and this time the acceptance had been relatively smooth.

Then George immediately realized the value of these few people: “So! Have you found any breakthrough from them?”

“In fact, they were also hired. According to their story, these guys also received this contract at a mage gathering called ‘Night of Dia’. You should know that even the consumption of low-level Mages is not small. And their method of making money is vastly different from high-level Mages. It seems that because the price was good and they had bodyguards accompanying them, they started preparing after signing the Magic Contract. Similarly, those few Gray Rock Rank bodyguards also signed contracts using similar methods.” Knight Val’s implication was that although there were clues, they were quite unclear and absolutely required further investigation.

But from this point, it can also be seen. Although the mastermind was still cautious, their methods still seemed a bit immature. Of course, the time, money, and energy required for continued investigation were not small.

“Investigate! Must investigate to the end. Although we now have the biggest suspect target, we cannot rule out other possibilities before key evidence appears. If there are other hostile elements, letting them hide in the dark like this will have a greater impact on us.” As George spoke, he clenched his right fist and waved it continuously. It was as if he were giving a speech.

“After this, the investigation matters must be decided by you, George. You should better discuss the specific arrangements with Lord Viscount before making any arrangements. After all, he is more familiar with the ins and outs of the Duchy and the issues abroad. Now we must first decide on the arrangement for those few Spellcasters. It is not a good idea to always send a Knight to watch them!” Knight Val pointed out the question that needed an immediate answer.

I don’t know when it started, but Knight Val and they tried to seek George’s opinion on these matters as much as possible. Originally, such a big matter should have required the approval of Viscount Bolerum. And Knight Val specifically reminded George to discuss with the Viscount, which seemed to have a special meaning. For issues abroad, Knight Val should have had more say.

George immediately pointed out the core of this issue: “Are there any Nobles among those Spellcasters?”

“If they are really of Noble birth now, they probably wouldn’t have taken that task. There might be members with Noble bloodlines, perhaps with titles several generations ago. But now, legally speaking, they are all Commoners.” Knight Val shrugged helplessly.

The handling of these Mages was a not-so-small problem in front of George. If they were Nobles, demanding ransom according to the rules of war would be the simplest and most feasible way, of course, that road was blocked.

And spending a Bronze Rank Great Knight to guard them for a long time was an extreme waste of resources. If ordinary people were used to guard them, it could not guarantee that they would not escape control under those bizarre spells.

Whether to release them as they are or execute them on the spot, both George and Knight Val were very reluctant.

George frowned and tentatively proposed such a plan: “How about using a Contract to force them to serve us? Of course, we must add a certain term or a cap on the value they create for our Territory. This way, they probably won’t resist too strongly.”

“If there are no other ways, use this one! I will discuss the Contract issues with Laurel Botfish and give you a specific reply. After all, as a Mage himself, he understands the thoughts and bottom lines of those Spellcasters better. I hope to increase the possibility of signing. After all, I don’t want you to use a Lower Plane Contract.” Knight Val’s expression seemed a bit disappointed. This method must have also occurred to him before! It seemed he was looking forward to George bringing him more surprises.

The so-called Lower Plane Contract was a magical contract guaranteed by Devils. The reason it was mentioned was that ordinary Magic Contracts often required both parties to be non-resistant to sign successfully. At least when signing the Contract, both parties must be willing. The Lower Plane Contract had no such restrictions. But from Knight Val’s identity, as a deadly enemy of the Lower Plane, he would absolutely not want to see George using such a Contract.

And Mr. Laurel Botfish was the high-level Prophet among Knight Val’s Retainers. This was not those mystical prophets, but researchers specializing in prophecy among Mages. Earlier, Knight Val was able to catch those two big fish, thanks to his magical support. Otherwise, on such a vast ice plain, trying to find those two Nobles of the Kingdom of Lucia among more than 100,000 people was like looking for a needle in a haystack!

“Even in the most desperate situation, I will never get involved with those Devils.” George’s words were clearly meant to ease Knight Val’s mind.

After dealing with the main business, Knight Val entered the mode of criticizing Hiren again. According to him, Hiren seemed to have really taken the action of putting Barbarians on the city walls before. For this behavior, George strongly condemned it. At the same time, he actively supported Knight Val’s criticism of Hiren. On such major issues of right and wrong, George could not defend Hiren. Otherwise, Knight Val’s target of criticism would not be just Hiren.

The following days continued, and George still practiced day and night to improve himself. Later, he also got more news about the Territory from Knight Val.

Besides the number of soldiers who died before, 45 Commoners also lost their lives. The direct property loss was between 11,000 and 13,000 Gold Coins. The indirect part was about 4,000 to 5,000 Gold Coins. Whether it was a loss or a profit depended on the angle from which George looked at it.