Texas Defense War

By the time the news, along with that chest of treasure dug up from the pirates' hidden cache, had made its way through Eilat and across Sinai to Lothar in Alexandria, a full week had passed since Captain Hog left the Red Sea to open up a new sea route.

"This Hog has learned to act first and report afterward."

Hog could relay messages through Anna's communication crest before contacting him. Lothar had said not to use that method unless necessary, after all; Anna was not one of their own, and she was busy with her own affairs.

And Hog's matter happened to fall right between "necessary" and "unnecessary."

Lothar frowned. "Opening a new sea route isn't impossible, but Hog says in his letter that he wants to become a 'proper merchant.' I don't think that'll work out."

At this time, although most of eastern Africa was inhabited by ignorant natives, there were also several relatively "civilized" states, such as the slaveholding city-states of Kilwa, Mombasa, and Mogadishu, founded by Zoroastrian immigrants, including Saracens and Persians.

These city-states reaped enormous profits by selling slaves, forcing Black people to mine gold, and hunting ivory.

Though Lothar did not think much of these powers, their presence meant it would not be easy for Captain Hog to earn his first fortune through legitimate business. Ivory and gold were monopolized by them, and once conflict broke out, a battle would be inevitable.

"You're worried Hog will suffer a loss?"

"When would he ever willingly suffer a loss? Maybe the next time we receive a letter from him, he'll already have conquered those city-states established by the Zoroastrian immigrants and founded himself a pirate kingdom."

Though Lothar joked about it, he truly hoped Captain Hog could pull this off.

Now that he controlled Egypt and