Chapter 173: Allegiance
"Baron!"
Duane halted at the sound of Heck’s shout.
He glanced back in surprise, just in time to see the young captain hurrying toward him.
"My lord!"
Heck came to a stop before Duane, his heart pounding anxiously, perhaps out of fear of being rejected.
"We wish to follow you!"
He dropped to one knee in a pledge of allegiance. After speaking, he raised his head.
"I hope we haven’t missed our chance to accept your earlier invitation?"
Duane was taken aback.
He had only helped them out of their predicament on a whim; it hadn’t been a calculated move to build a certain image of himself in their minds.
He never imagined his actions would make them want to pledge their loyalty to him so suddenly.
Just then, Mackenzie and the others approached, each dropping to one knee to plead their allegiance.
This scene also drew a crowd of onlookers.
Even Moer was a little surprised; it wasn’t a common sight to see someone being pledged fealty to in the middle of the street.
"My invitation to you always stands!"
Of course, he wasn’t going to refuse.
Black Forest Island was in desperate need of captains, and he had been planning to recruit veteran captains from the Silent Shore to come and train people.
He had witnessed the skill of Heck and his men. They were young, and their decision to follow him now was a godsend.
"I need your help, fellas!"
Duane stepped forward, warmly helping the four men to their feet one by one.
He glanced at the surrounding crowd, knew this was a good opportunity to advertise, and so announced in a loud, clear voice:
"Black Forest Island welcomes all who seek a better life!"
"Heck, Mackenzie, Jim, and Barbossa, I make you this promise in front of everyone here today: as long as you serve me faithfully, you will have it all—land, wealth, power, and status!"
The four men exchanged a look, both relieved that Duane had accepted their pledge and secretly overjoyed that he had made his promise so publicly.
They declared in unison, "Thank you, my lord! We will serve you to the best of our abilities!"
"Excellent!"
Duane said with a smile, "Count Kais has gifted me an ocean-going passenger ship. You can meet me at the docks tomorrow morning. It’ll be a perfect opportunity for you to learn how to handle her."
After all, a passenger ship handles differently from a freighter.
The four men were flabbergasted.
A typical ocean-going passenger ship cost at least 1,500 Gold Coins.
What kind of relationship did a Baron have to have with a Count to receive such a grand gift?
’Could it be that the Count has taken a fancy to the Baron, intending to make him his son-in-law?’
It was the only reason the four of them could think of, especially considering the recent rumors about Duane and Natalia that had been circulating throughout the Silent Shore.
As the rumors spread, all sorts of different versions had emerged.
They had long suspected that Duane was no ordinary Baron of the Island, and this only solidified that belief.
This only made their decision to follow him seem all the more brilliant.
Heck and his three companions bid farewell to Duane. After collecting the money they were owed, they all went their separate ways to pack their belongings.
"Housekeeper Moer, if I’m taking these men from the Silent Shore, do I need to apply to the local Civil Servant and get the Count’s permission?"
Moer smiled and shook his head. "The Count has over a million subjects. You can take these few men with you; you don’t need anyone’s permission."
Heck and his men are certainly skilled, but the Silent Shore has no shortage of people who can sail a ship.
Besides, they are freemen. With the Silent Shore’s population being what it is, they are free to go wherever they please.
"Oh, that’s good!"
Duane mused to himself, ’Maybe I should arrange for people to come here and poach some talent from time to time?’
’Or, better yet, increase my influence in the Silent Shore so that people will want to join me of their own accord?’
Afterward, under Moer’s guidance, Duane visited several shops.
An Enchanted Longsword sold for over a hundred Gold Coins, but considering the wear and tear and the eventual depletion of the Enchantment, Duane decided not to buy one.
As for Spell Scrolls, their prices were significantly inflated. While the number of Mages was growing, high-level Mages remained scarce, driving up the cost.
A single Spell Scroll of Blazing Core Burst, a Level 4 Fire Magic, was priced as high as 300 Gold Coins—an exorbitant sum!
However, considering his upcoming exploration of Black Forest Island, Duane gritted his teeth and purchased three Spell Scrolls of Blazing Core Burst.
In addition, he bought six Spell Scrolls of the Flame Burst Technique, a Level 3 Fire Magic.
A total of 1,260 Gold Coins!
Adding the 2,700 Gold Coins Duane had just spent on Magic Potions, he now owed Count Kais a total of 3,960 Gold Coins!
This was a truly enormous debt.
The term was four years, but if any problems arose with his cash flow, he would have no choice but to sell off his territory’s resources.
Insurmountable external debt was one of the reasons for the downfall of many a noble family.
Duane, however, was confident.
After all, he had plenty of valuable assets on hand.
’If worst comes to worst,’ he thought, ’I can sell the improved recipe for Fire Source Beast Bone Soup to Count Kais. That would not only cancel my debt, but also give me a chance to put pressure on the Ugo Calvin Clan.’
That night, a banquet was held at Sea Cliff Castle.
It served as both a farewell for Duane and an opportunity for Count Kais to introduce him to two people.
The first was Baron Cruz Gavin, the father of his business partner, Derek.
Cruz would be responsible for establishing the Messenger Passage between Black Forest Island and the Silent Shore.
The process would require one to two months at sea and was no easy task.
Duane took the opportunity to thank him profusely.
The other was Baron Jick Buchanan, the father of his business partner, Zelina.
He would be leading a fleet to Black Forest Island to escort all the prisoners to the Silent Shore for imprisonment.
This task was originally supposed to be handled by Sharp’s father, Knight Marles Knight.
Unfortunately, the man had already led his fleet to the Flowing Silver Fjord.
Since Duane was a business partner to the children of both Barons, the parties were not complete strangers.
During their conversation, he earned high praise from them for his intelligence, strength, and exceptional talent.
All in all, it was a very lively and pleasant banquet.
After the banquet ended, Natalia stopped Duane on his way back to rest.
"Duane, will you be coming back in February?"
She was wearing a different style of gown today, though it was still mostly sky-blue. It seemed she was quite fond of the color.
Her personal bodyguard, Eleanor, followed a short distance behind.
"I might,"
Duane replied, turning to face her. "But I can’t say for sure. After all, my presence for what comes next will have little impact on the final outcome."
Although he was the person at the center of it all, the matter had been taken over by the King. It was perfectly acceptable for him to appoint a representative to attend in his place.
Upon hearing his noncommittal answer, a look of disappointment flickered in Natalia’s eyes.
She drew a little closer. "I heard from my father that there was an assassination attempt on you in the Royal Capital. You must be careful!"
Duane laughed and teased, "I didn’t realize you were so worried about me, chasing me down just to tell me to be safe."
Natalia’s face flushed red. She let out a small, displeased "hmph," raised her chin slightly, and said emphatically:
"I’m just worried my key partner might die before the Time Closet has even officially opened."
’Her expression made it obvious she was being dishonest.’
’Even though Duane had never been in a relationship before he transmigrated, he’d had girls confess to him because he was a star student.’
’He knew that his series of actions had surely left a good impression on the girl before him.’
’Honestly, whether it was her character, talent, or appearance, Natalia was an incredibly high-quality choice for a partner.’
’What’s more, marrying her would also mean winning the support of the Kennedy Clan.’
’It was just that... the three words "win her hand" were easy to say, but meeting the requirements was another matter entirely.’
’Take the sons of the Kennedy Clan’s vassals, for example. Didn’t they all admire Natalia?’
’But the gap in their status was so great that they didn’t dare to cross the line in the slightest.’
’The same was true for Duane.’
’Although he might seem extraordinary now, at the end of the day, he was just a Baron whose territory had yet to flourish.’
’Count Kais favored him and was willing to give him generous gifts only because he stood to gain a great deal from their association.’
’To have the Count marry his daughter to Duane? That was impossible.’
’As for pursuing some kind of secret romance, that was equally unsuitable and would most likely end in failure.’
’Duane had no desire to become another Simone, fleeing from one place to another with children in tow.’
’Of course, this didn’t mean he had completely ruled out the possibility of developing a relationship with Natalia.’
’He was a Transmigrator, so the concept of a class divide didn’t run as deep for him.’
’The key was, he had absolute confidence in his future.’
’So, it was best to just let things take their natural course.’
"Thank you for your concern, Natalia. Don’t worry, not even a Celestial Tier Warrior assassin could kill me."
Natalia smiled, her large eyes curving into crescents, completely devoid of her usual aloofness.
"I didn’t think you were one for tall tales."
Duane shrugged. He was telling the truth.
"In another month or two, a Messenger Passage will be established between Black Forest Island and the Silent Shore. When you miss me, you can just write me a letter."
Natalia’s face immediately flushed red, but she deliberately put on a serious expression and said,
"You shouldn’t say things like that. If I write to you, it will only be to discuss business."
As she spoke, she took a small, exquisitely bound book from her pocket. "This is for you."
"What is this?"
Duane took it, puzzled. ’Is it a Spell Model?’ he wondered.
’No, that’s not right. She doesn’t even know I’m a Mage.’
"The Knight and the Countess’s..."
Duane was rendered speechless. "You read these kinds of books?"
Natalia laughed. "I get bored sometimes, so I read them."
"I’m not interested in this sort of thing."
Despite what he said, Duane still tucked the small book into his pocket.
Natalia explained, "The messengers will use encrypted codes for their dispatches. This is the codebook I prepared for our Time Closet."
She said it was prepared for the Time Closet, but in reality, she had only given one to Duane.
Duane suddenly understood. So messages weren’t written in plaintext.
’It made sense,’ he thought. ’This was a good way to reduce the risk of the messages being compromised.’
"So how does it work?"
Duane asked, "I mean, how do I decipher your secret letters?"
Natalia gave a proud little smile and stepped forward. "That’s the easy part. I’m sure you’ll pick it up right away."