Hidden Crisis

Time flew by, and the years flowed on.

In the blink of an eye, another two months had passed.

By now, Roland had completely grown accustomed to life in the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands. Though it was filled with accidents and dangers, watching his territory gradually get on track filled him with satisfaction.

Since the Armor Crab invasion, Rising Light Island had suffered two more Magical Beast invasions over the past two months.

One had been a Level 3 Magical Beast, the Poison Sting Seahorse, which was also a herd-dwelling Magical Beast. The other had been a High-level Magical Beast, the Storm Eagle, a wind-element Magical Beast.

However, against the heavily guarded Rising Light Island, not only had those two invasions gained nothing, they had instead earned Roland a small fortune.

The value of dozens of Poison Sting Seahorses and the corpse of a High-level Magical Beast, the Storm Eagle, far exceeded that of the Armor Crabs from before.

Although Poison Sting Seahorses were only Level 3 and, like Armor Crabs, were Low-level Magical Beasts, the most valuable parts of their bodies were not merely their magic cores. Their venom sacs contained potent poison that could not only be used to brew potions, but was also used by many archers to coat their arrows. They were worth quite a bit.

With the addition of a High-level Magical Beast, those two invasions had brought Roland an extra income of more than three hundred gold coins.

Meanwhile, Roland's potion trade with Leslie had returned to normal over the past two months, bringing in a surplus of more than a thousand gold coins each month. Of course, after paying the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group's hiring fee, very little remained.

However, including the three thousand gold coins Leslie had previously lent him, Roland still had more than two thousand five hundred gold coins on hand.

At Rising Light Island's dock.

Two months later, the dock still had not been fully completed. Just as it had reached the halfway point, it had been attacked by the Armor Crab swarm.

Before construction could return to its previous pace, it had been attacked again by Poison Sting Seahorses.

Its construction had truly been full of setbacks.

Although Roland found it quite troublesome, there was nothing he could do about the endless waves of Magical Beasts in the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands.

Although the three major powers currently held the dominant position in the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands, the strength of the Magical Beasts in that vast, boundless ocean absolutely could not be ignored.

Not to mention Roland—even Double Gate Island, the base of the Black Knight Pirates, a super pirate group, was often attacked by Magical Beast swarms.

Moreover, the scale of the attacks they faced was nothing like the Low-level Magical Beasts Roland encountered. Any Magical Beasts daring to attack a large island were herds composed of High-level Magical Beasts, and Super Magical Beasts could even be seen among them.

Thus, faced with this situation, Roland could only order O'Neal and Artur to maintain strict defenses and avoid losses as much as possible.

Although the dock could not yet accommodate three-masted merchant ships, the reefs beneath the bay had been cleared away. Therefore, the three three-masted merchant ships could now moor several dozen meters off Rising Light Island's shore. Even if they encountered a Magical Beast attack, they could receive the island's protection.

As the weather gradually warmed, Roland was about to face the major undertaking of clearing land and farming in his territory. However, the number of slaves currently on Rising Light Island was far from sufficient. To avoid affecting the harvest, Fili had brought Roland another full one hundred and fifty slaves on this return voyage.

This time, Roland had purchased one hundred adult male slaves and fifty adult female slaves. In doing so, he had spent all his savings and become penniless again.

And that was only because he had used Leslie's trade channels. Otherwise, the price of this batch of slaves would have risen by at least twenty percent.

Small boats docked one after another, transporting sturdy slaves onto Rising Light Island.

After being away for half a month, Fili hurried over from the merchant ship as soon as he saw Roland.

"Greetings, Apothecary Roland." Fili still maintained his respect for Roland.

"Did everything go smoothly this time?"

Roland had merely asked out of habit, but Fili unexpectedly frowned.

Seeing this, Roland's expression immediately turned serious.

"Reporting to Apothecary Roland, during our return journey, when we passed through the Chaotic Sea Domain, our fleet seemed to have caught the attention of a Pioneer Knight's territory. They followed us for five days before finally leaving."

"Although they did not show any intention of attacking us during that time, I believe they definitely meant us harm," Fili guessed.

"The Chaotic Sea Domain? A Pioneer Knight?"

The Chaotic Sea Domain Fili spoke of was actually the southeastern waters of the Azure Sea Region. More than a hundred small factions had gathered there, fighting year-round and turning the area into a chaotic mess. Over time, it came to be known as the Chaotic Sea Domain.

What Roland had not expected was that, even under the Black Knight Pirates' banner, someone had dared to follow Fili's fleet.

"Can we avoid that sea region on the next voyage?"

"I am afraid not. Taking a detour would require passing through waters controlled by the Mandy Family, which would be even more dangerous." Fili shook his head.

After all, their merchant ships flew the Black Knight Pirates' flag. Entering waters controlled by the Mandy Family would be nothing less than a direct provocation.

At those words, Roland's face darkened. Given his current wealth, every transaction with Leslie was crucial. He simply could not afford any losses.

However, the Chaotic Sea Domain lay between Rising Light Island and Highland City, making it a route that could not be bypassed at all.

The previous two smooth transactions had made Roland naively believe that even in the Chaotic Sea Domain, they could travel unimpeded under the Black Knight Pirates' banner. But the news Fili brought back today cast a shadow over Roland's heart.

"Can we notify the Black Knight Pirates and have them escort us?" Roland's eyes shifted as he suddenly thought of an idea.

"That... is possible, but we would have to pay an additional fee, and it would not be cheap." Fili spoke quietly.

Seeing Fili's expression, Roland immediately understood that the fee was likely beyond what he could afford.

"Then the Black Knight Pirates have no solution for this kind of situation?" Roland was somewhat dissatisfied.

"Before a merchant convoy under Black Knight protection is actually attacked, the Black Knight Pirates generally will not intervene." Seeing Roland's displeasure, Fili explained even more cautiously.

Roland could only feel helpless at those words.

In truth, Roland could understand the Black Knight Pirates' approach. Before anyone had made a move, if they marched in force to demand an explanation, it would undoubtedly provoke public outrage. Even the Black Knight Pirates could not possibly stand alone against all the factions in the Azure Sea Region.

But understanding was one thing. Since his own merchant ships were involved, Roland naturally hoped the Black Knight Pirates could do more.

After a long silence, Roland still could not think of any good solution. The power he held was far too limited; he had no ability to escort his merchant ships. He could only place his hopes on the Black Knight Pirates' reputation, trusting that it might deter some of those with greedy intentions.

"Since that is the case, avoid that Pioneer Knight's territory on the next return voyage." Roland sighed and instructed Fili.

"Understood, Apothecary Roland. I will be careful on the next return voyage."

Fili's assurance slowly eased Roland's worries, and he then turned his gaze toward the shiploads of slaves.

Over the past three months, of the one hundred slaves who had followed Roland to the territory, only eighty-five remained. Ten had died at the claws of the Armor Crabs, two had been killed by wild beasts on the island while clearing land, and three had died at the hands of the Storm Eagle.

Although the losses pained Roland, based on Leslie's earlier introduction, his losses should have been far lower than those of other Pioneer Knights.

After all, no Pioneer Knight would hire a mercenary group of more than a hundred people to protect their territory during the earliest stages of development. A monthly expense of one thousand gold coins was difficult even for a minor noble to bear, let alone a Pioneer Knight.

Thus, compared to the others, Roland was fairly satisfied. If only his own territory had suffered losses, he would certainly have felt terrible. But everyone had suffered losses, and their losses were even greater than his, which made Roland feel much more at ease.

As the small boats docked one after another, all one hundred and fifty slaves soon gathered on the shore of Rising Light Island.

With those one hundred and fifty slaves, the population of Roland's territory had now doubled.

"Steward James, take them to be assigned housing and let them rest. They can begin work tomorrow." Seeing that the sturdy slaves all appeared healthy, Roland was quite satisfied and gave instructions to James at his side.

"Understood." James first gave a slight bow, then his expression hardened and his attitude completely changed. He shouted at the cowering group of slaves, "You damned pigs! The great Apothecary Roland has granted you a day of rest. Why are you not hurrying to express your gratitude?"

"Thank you, my lord!" At the sight of James holding a whip, the eyes of the hundred-plus slaves filled with terror. They hurriedly dropped to their knees and shouted toward Roland.

"Go." Roland waved his hand. He had no desire to say much to slaves; he merely needed them to work hard.

After arranging the slaves, Roland did not immediately return to brewing potions. Instead, he headed to a larger wooden house behind the residential area.

The three-story wooden house was home to Roland's future Mage Regiment, though they were pitifully weak at present.

Over the past two months, eight of the twelve half-grown children, including Ryan, had received magical enlightenment under Alice's instruction. In other words, they had successfully cultivated the Meditation Method and could absorb the power of potions to strengthen themselves.

The other four had still failed to cultivate the Meditation Method. Roland had no good solution for that situation. Only those who cultivated the Meditation Method could absorb the power of potions; otherwise, even if they consumed potions, they would have no effect.