Chapter 11: Third Princess
“The sea breeze has become cold.”
While gazing at the boundless ocean surface, Garcia Wimbledon stroked trough her wind tangled hair, a source of regret could be heard in her voice.
“Because the winter is coming,” she said, looking back at the handsome man behind her and giving him a reply. “Although this is the south, it is not a place in the deep south. Only there people don’t understand what winter is.”
“During the winter our fleet cannot be in the port, the ocean current will hold them down, unable to move a single step. So at this time, they should be at the last voyage.” The woman turned around, “Ryan, how much time passed since the Blacksail Fleet set sail?”
“Two months and four days,” answered the man without hesitation, “if nothing else happens, they will arrive in three days at the Port of Clear Water.”
She laughed, “I hope they can give me a sufficient surprise.”
Ryan looked at the woman in front of him, his heart was filled with emotion. When reflected by the autumn sun, her gray hair had traces of silver; her long and narrows eyes were reseda green, while looking at her you could feel an indescribable sense of oppression. Due staying a long time at the coast, her skin got slightly rough, and was not longer white as all the other women of the royal family, but Ryan did not complain. In his eyes, Garcia had the temperament to cast any beauty into the shade.
And compared to the inbreeding idiots from the Graycastle flock she appeared to be different, instead the daughter of King Wimbledon III was a real genius. She possessed the wisdom and pride of noblewomen, however not like the other nobility, who scrupulously abide by common sense, in this point, she was even a bit like the civilians – breaking away from the ordinary, full of expectations, with an extremely rich spirit of adventure.
Of course, no civilian would have this kind of ability and vision, to join the rank of a duke right away, compared to her even the other aristocracy appeared to lack foresight. Port of Clear Water’s complete trade income, would be reinvested into the fleet construction, no coin was left in their own treasury, the light of the miser’s would not shine far.
“[Hiding the gold royal in the cupboard would be without any meaning, when you didn’t use it, it would be like a stone. Only when you took it out, it could reflect its own value. The point was, to spend it wasn’t equal to lose it, as long as the investment was on the spot, the reward you get, would be far beyond its own investment.] “This auspicious method, Ryan could still deeply remember her saying it to him, it was almost like anointing your head with the purest cream (TN: idiom: enlighten people with perfect wisdom), it easily broke through every inherited concept of his teachings.
Compared to those nobles who were all day saving and an increasing their number of gold royals, Ryan got the feeling this was the true style of a ruler.
So he boldly put his life under Garcia’s command, followed her to Port of Clear Water.
And after they arrived here, Ryan found out, that the third princess was far more than that — she was not only a person of philosophy, further she was a person of action. At the center of her plan was her Blacksail Fleet, and in the path of her ambitions, was no hindrance allowed. Already five years ago, Garcia’s powers had infiltrated Port of Clear Water, organizing and preparing her Blacksail Fleet – and then, her father, Wimbledon III started the strive for the position of the King. In other words, even at the beginning, she had already walked in front of all the other heirs.
“Let’s go back inside the room, the wind is becoming more and more strong,” said Garcia. Her palace was located in the Blue water Port, above the natural harbor. The tower-like building seemed to be a protector stationed by the shore. On the top of the tower was a circular terrace, with an open field of view, it was possible to get a bird’s-eye view from the entire harbor, seeing the coming and going of the merchant ships.
Today, after her five year operation, the business plan in Port of Clear Water had begun to take shape, every six months a barque would be launched. Furthermore she had already obtained the peoples trust. While the third princess seemed to be in good mood, Ryan hesitantly asked out his biggest doubt, which haunted him for months.
“Your Highness, one thing I do not understand,” he shut the door, leaving the roar of the sea breeze outside.
“You may speak on,” she nodded with a smile.
“How could you have foreseen all of this, even before the king had announced the King’s order?” He also thought that it was impossible that her father Wimbledon III had told it to her in advance, but even after carefully thinking this matter over he didn’t come to a conclusion. Everyone knew, that the second prince was the heir the king most valued, the strive for the King’s Order was set up for him. This point could be seen by everyone, since the second prince got the fiefdom of the City of Golden Harvest.
Could she guess all this on her own, furthermore starting five years ago to layout her plan? God in the last, she was only eighteen years old!
“Foreseen?” She showed a funny look, “do you take me for a witch? I don’t have that kind of capability.”
“Er, but……”
“Furthermore I did not know that my father would declare the strive for the King’s Order, paving the way for his treasured second son. In fact, there exist no connection between the strive for the Kings Order and my plan”
There is no relationship? When Ryan suddenly become aware of this aspect, his mouth grew bigger and bigger.
Seeing the expression of disbelief on Ryan’s face, Garcia smiled. “Don’t tell me I should have waited for my father, to tell me I should fight for the throne, would I have then the ability to fight for the throne? Similarly, will really in the end, the one who govern his town the best sit on the throne of Graycastle? I thought you understood my plan when you saw the Blacksail Fleet.”
So that’s the reason, Ryan murmured, her fleet is not only for the battle of the throne. This fleet belonging to the third princes could change the sails after leaving the port, robing ships from other cities or countries. Similarly, the third princes encouraged the people to go out to the sea, to participate within her Blacksail Fleet. She promised, all the loot would become the property of the ship’s captain, Port of Clear Water would never collect tax toward this profit.
This move would bring her huge wealth, so this time she had simply ordered the Blacksail Fleet to sail straight south, to plunder any ship which passed the endless Cape, as well as the people of the southern Shamin.
And these measures were not just for money. She did not take the plundered wealth to build cities or expand the land trade, she just invested it back into the yard and continued to build more ships.
In the past few years, she won large numbers of experienced sailors, fierce warriors, and embraced the people’s hearts and minds — if she couldn’t continue to govern, all who participate in the plunder of the ships and villages would be sent to the gallows.
“The best in governance of his territory would end on the Throne of Graycastle? ” No, Ryan now knew, to be able to sit on the throne, she would need to posses numerous warships and soldiers, then she could follow the Sanwan River, even reaching and pressure the City of Golden Harvest.
“You knew that you would be assigned to the Port of Clear Water?”
“This, contrary to what one might think was unexpected, a deal to increase the business value of this place,” Garcia shrugged, “originally it was a pay back to the church who tried to fool me… “
Related to the church? Seeing his counterpart haven’t said anything more, Ryan also did not dare to question more. But he knew, even if Garcia did not have come to Port of Clear Water, this place would follow her will, according to her desired direction.
“Put these matters aside,” she poured herself a cup of black tea. “The little trick from before failed.”
“Ah, yes,” Ryan who hurriedly recovered his thoughts, replied, “There are only news from Border town, they reported that the pills had failed. There is no news from the other places.”
“No news should mean they were killed by my brothers, nothing to be surprised about. Originally they were chess pieces who were easily arranged, only used to spend the waiting time. However……” She changed the subject, “other pieces of failure were normal, but I did not think even forth brother would be safe and sound. To tell the truth, I’m a little disappointed.”
“Kingfisher said in the secret message, that the prince certainly ate it, but……”
“Failure is a failure, I don’t want to hear excuses,” Garcia interrupted, “soon it will be the time of the Months of the Demons. Our lovely brother will go searching refuge in Longsong stronghold, right? When the moment arrives that the demon beasts invade, I am afraid that he need to stay for a good time in the stronghold. Write to her, tell her to have a good grasp of this opportunity. I would like to see, if the goddess of fortune will stand on the side of forth again?”
“Yes, your highness.”
“You go on,” Garcia waved her hand, when Ryan was ready to retire, the princess called him back, “ah, yes. I remember that the pill was bought from an alchemist master, right?”
Ryan nodded.
“What did he say back then? The pill would be colorless and tasteless, melts in water, if it enters the mouth it would be incurable, guaranteed deathly, it was his latest alchemical achievements?” Garcia yawned, “hang him.”
Chapter 11: Third Princess
“The sea breeze has become cold.”
While gazing at the boundless ocean surface, Garcia Wimbledon stroked trough her wind tangled hair, a source of regret could be heard in her voice.
“Because the winter is coming,” she said, looking back at the handsome man behind her and giving him a reply. “Although this is the south, it is not a place in the deep south. Only there people don’t understand what winter is.”
“During the winter our fleet cannot be in the port, the ocean current will hold them down, unable to move a single step. So at this time, they should be at the last voyage.” The woman turned around, “Ryan, how much time passed since the Blacksail Fleet set sail?”
“Two months and four days,” answered the man without hesitation, “if nothing else happens, they will arrive in three days at the Port of Clear Water.”
She laughed, “I hope they can give me a sufficient surprise.”
Ryan looked at the woman in front of him, his heart was filled with emotion. When reflected by the autumn sun, her gray hair had traces of silver; her long and narrows eyes were reseda green, while looking at her you could feel an indescribable sense of oppression. Due staying a long time at the coast, her skin got slightly rough, and was not longer white as all the other women of the royal family, but Ryan did not complain. In his eyes, Garcia had the temperament to cast any beauty into the shade.
And compared to the inbreeding idiots from the Graycastle flock she appeared to be different, instead the daughter of King Wimbledon III was a real genius. She possessed the wisdom and pride of noblewomen, however not like the other nobility, who scrupulously abide by common sense, in this point, she was even a bit like the civilians – breaking away from the ordinary, full of expectations, with an extremely rich spirit of adventure.
Of course, no civilian would have this kind of ability and vision, to join the rank of a duke right away, compared to her even the other aristocracy appeared to lack foresight. Port of Clear Water’s complete trade income, would be reinvested into the fleet construction, no coin was left in their own treasury, the light of the miser’s would not shine far.
“[Hiding the gold royal in the cupboard would be without any meaning, when you didn’t use it, it would be like a stone. Only when you took it out, it could reflect its own value. The point was, to spend it wasn’t equal to lose it, as long as the investment was on the spot, the reward you get, would be far beyond its own investment.] “This auspicious method, Ryan could still deeply remember her saying it to him, it was almost like anointing your head with the purest cream (TN: idiom: enlighten people with perfect wisdom), it easily broke through every inherited concept of his teachings.
Compared to those nobles who were all day saving and an increasing their number of gold royals, Ryan got the feeling this was the true style of a ruler.
So he boldly put his life under Garcia’s command, followed her to Port of Clear Water.
And after they arrived here, Ryan found out, that the third princess was far more than that — she was not only a person of philosophy, further she was a person of action. At the center of her plan was her Blacksail Fleet, and in the path of her ambitions, was no hindrance allowed. Already five years ago, Garcia’s powers had infiltrated Port of Clear Water, organizing and preparing her Blacksail Fleet – and then, her father, Wimbledon III started the strive for the position of the King. In other words, even at the beginning, she had already walked in front of all the other heirs.
“Let’s go back inside the room, the wind is becoming more and more strong,” said Garcia. Her palace was located in the Blue water Port, above the natural harbor. The tower-like building seemed to be a protector stationed by the shore. On the top of the tower was a circular terrace, with an open field of view, it was possible to get a bird’s-eye view from the entire harbor, seeing the coming and going of the merchant ships.
Today, after her five year operation, the business plan in Port of Clear Water had begun to take shape, every six months a barque would be launched. Furthermore she had already obtained the peoples trust. While the third princess seemed to be in good mood, Ryan hesitantly asked out his biggest doubt, which haunted him for months.
“Your Highness, one thing I do not understand,” he shut the door, leaving the roar of the sea breeze outside.
“You may speak on,” she nodded with a smile.
“How could you have foreseen all of this, even before the king had announced the King’s order?” He also thought that it was impossible that her father Wimbledon III had told it to her in advance, but even after carefully thinking this matter over he didn’t come to a conclusion. Everyone knew, that the second prince was the heir the king most valued, the strive for the King’s Order was set up for him. This point could be seen by everyone, since the second prince got the fiefdom of the City of Golden Harvest.
Could she guess all this on her own, furthermore starting five years ago to layout her plan? God in the last, she was only eighteen years old!
“Foreseen?” She showed a funny look, “do you take me for a witch? I don’t have that kind of capability.”
“Er, but……”
“Furthermore I did not know that my father would declare the strive for the King’s Order, paving the way for his treasured second son. In fact, there exist no connection between the strive for the Kings Order and my plan”
There is no relationship? When Ryan suddenly become aware of this aspect, his mouth grew bigger and bigger.
Seeing the expression of disbelief on Ryan’s face, Garcia smiled. “Don’t tell me I should have waited for my father, to tell me I should fight for the throne, would I have then the ability to fight for the throne? Similarly, will really in the end, the one who govern his town the best sit on the throne of Graycastle? I thought you understood my plan when you saw the Blacksail Fleet.”
So that’s the reason, Ryan murmured, her fleet is not only for the battle of the throne. This fleet belonging to the third princes could change the sails after leaving the port, robing ships from other cities or countries. Similarly, the third princes encouraged the people to go out to the sea, to participate within her Blacksail Fleet. She promised, all the loot would become the property of the ship’s captain, Port of Clear Water would never collect tax toward this profit.
This move would bring her huge wealth, so this time she had simply ordered the Blacksail Fleet to sail straight south, to plunder any ship which passed the endless Cape, as well as the people of the southern Shamin.
And these measures were not just for money. She did not take the plundered wealth to build cities or expand the land trade, she just invested it back into the yard and continued to build more ships.
In the past few years, she won large numbers of experienced sailors, fierce warriors, and embraced the people’s hearts and minds — if she couldn’t continue to govern, all who participate in the plunder of the ships and villages would be sent to the gallows.
“The best in governance of his territory would end on the Throne of Graycastle? ” No, Ryan now knew, to be able to sit on the throne, she would need to posses numerous warships and soldiers, then she could follow the Sanwan River, even reaching and pressure the City of Golden Harvest.
“You knew that you would be assigned to the Port of Clear Water?”
“This, contrary to what one might think was unexpected, a deal to increase the business value of this place,” Garcia shrugged, “originally it was a pay back to the church who tried to fool me… “
Related to the church? Seeing his counterpart haven’t said anything more, Ryan also did not dare to question more. But he knew, even if Garcia did not have come to Port of Clear Water, this place would follow her will, according to her desired direction.
“Put these matters aside,” she poured herself a cup of black tea. “The little trick from before failed.”
“Ah, yes,” Ryan who hurriedly recovered his thoughts, replied, “There are only news from Border town, they reported that the pills had failed. There is no news from the other places.”
“No news should mean they were killed by my brothers, nothing to be surprised about. Originally they were chess pieces who were easily arranged, only used to spend the waiting time. However……” She changed the subject, “other pieces of failure were normal, but I did not think even forth brother would be safe and sound. To tell the truth, I’m a little disappointed.”
“Kingfisher said in the secret message, that the prince certainly ate it, but……”
“Failure is a failure, I don’t want to hear excuses,” Garcia interrupted, “soon it will be the time of the Months of the Demons. Our lovely brother will go searching refuge in Longsong stronghold, right? When the moment arrives that the demon beasts invade, I am afraid that he need to stay for a good time in the stronghold. Write to her, tell her to have a good grasp of this opportunity. I would like to see, if the goddess of fortune will stand on the side of forth again?”
“Yes, your highness.”
“You go on,” Garcia waved her hand, when Ryan was ready to retire, the princess called him back, “ah, yes. I remember that the pill was bought from an alchemist master, right?”
Ryan nodded.
“What did he say back then? The pill would be colorless and tasteless, melts in water, if it enters the mouth it would be incurable, guaranteed deathly, it was his latest alchemical achievements?” Garcia yawned, “hang him.”
