Morey

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Morey Perea (also rendered Pereya)
Alias(es)	Son of Celine; Romain's adopted son 91 231
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Perea merchant family; merchant partner and protected ally of Romain's Sigg Town/Origin City 94 219
Occupation/Role	Merchant, caravan operator, trade intermediary, and slave supplier
Status	Active; last seen volunteering as an envoy to Iceland 316
First Appearance	Chapter 8

Background / History

Arrival in Sigg Town

Morey is the son of the renowned great merchant Celine and comes from a branch of the family. Unlike Sigg Town's local merchants, he arrives with several ships, crewmen, and access to high-value commodities such as iron. He recognizes the town's commercial potential even before Romain's reforms make it a viable trading center. 8 10 57

When Romain makes his forceful declaration over Sigg Town, Morey speaks up for the farmers, demonstrating both courage and familiarity with noble customs. He correctly identifies Romain's early policies as deliberate pressure through violence, but remains uncertain what the new lord ultimately intends. 8 10

Morey's visit is initially also a cover for assisting Shasta, a witch searching for a missing girl. He considers Shasta's presence a serious danger to himself and his family, opposing her attempts to act openly in Sigg Town. Nevertheless, he tells Romain about the mountain residents in hopes that the lord's manpower can help locate the girl. 10 11

Trade Partnership with Romain

Romain's need for iron brings Morey into direct business with him. Morey initially offers 450 jin of high-quality iron ingots in exchange for friendship rather than accepting Romain's ruby, having judged Sigg Town to possess major development potential. Romain instead offers trade benefits, including a two-year commercial-tax exemption for future iron deliveries. 16 17

Morey becomes one of Sigg Town's key suppliers, bringing draft cattle, draft horses, and iron ingots while taking maltose for resale. Romain later grants him exclusive rights to distribute the increasingly valuable maltose, refusing to sell it directly to Hoss. 48 58 95

Contract of Friendship

Seeking a safe fallback amid growing instability, Morey formally requests Romain's friendship. His father had judged him “indecisive, unable to achieve great things”; Morey accepts that he is cautious, but considers survival more important than ambition. 93

Their written agreement requires Romain to provide protection, identity assistance, and refuge should Morey face political persecution. In return, Morey must connect Romain with slave merchants and arrange for at least 300 slaves to reach Sigg Town each month; if no intermediary can be found, his own caravan must deliver them. 94

Morey fulfills this difficult obligation repeatedly, including deliveries of more than 600 former Sea Fortress residents and 524 slaves purchased through Scarhead. The arrivals ease Sigg Town's labor shortage and provide craftsmen such as leatherworkers, stonemasons, blacksmiths, and shipwrights. 91 103 119

Family Crisis and Rescue

After the Perea Family is exposed for colluding with witches, Morey's family falls from favor. Celine disappears, and Morey concludes that his siblings have become targets or scapegoats in the aftermath. 225

Morey is trapped in Buck Highland during Grand Duke Armor-Splitting's siege and is eventually captured. Although Romain initially appears indifferent when Hoss reports the crisis, he dispatches a thousand troops under Dick to rescue Morey. Dick's masked force frees him from captivity and brings him to the River Valley as Romain's guest. 209 210 219

Romain gives Morey refuge in Origin City, where many former slaves regard him as Romain's envoy who saved them. Despite the safety offered to him, Morey later chooses to leave and seek out witches, receiving a ship and guards from Romain. By this point, Romain refers to him as his adopted son. 225 226 231

Service to the River Valley

Morey successfully returns with exiled witches and a shipload of sulfur after roughly half a year of searching. His work helps Romain establish contact with witches needed for Origin City's long-term strategy. 250

His experiences make him more decisive than he was during his early dealings with Romain. When the River Valley needs an envoy to pressure the King of Iceland into accepting a wool-trade agreement, Morey volunteers despite the possibility that the mission could get him killed. 316

Appearance

Morey is a handsome young man in his twenties with the bearing and clothing of a well-traveled merchant rather than a local trader. 8

• Bronze skin from traveling year-round. 8
• Dark-brown eyes. 231
• Usually wears well-tailored long robes. 8
• Operates several merchant ships and travels with crews and guards. 57 92

Personality

Morey is cautious, pragmatic, and highly conscious of risk. He often hesitates before making dangerous commitments, preferring a lower but safer profit over an uncertain opportunity. This disposition is the basis of Celine's unfavorable assessment of him, but it also enables Morey to survive in an increasingly unstable political landscape. 93 96

He is a capable merchant with a strong instinct for market conditions, transport capacity, and long-term investment. He recognizes both the value of Romain's developments and the danger posed by disrupting established salt and iron markets. 49 59 132

Morey's caution does not make him cowardly. He repeatedly maintains the difficult slave-supply agreement, works with dangerous figures such as Scarhead, and eventually leaves Origin City's safety to seek the witches. His later willingness to act as Romain's envoy to Iceland marks a clear growth in confidence and resolve. 103 119 231 316

Though initially uncomfortable around witches because of the danger they bring to his business and family, he later describes them as “pitiable people” after witnessing the consequences of the Papacy's persecution. 11 225

Abilities & Skills

Commerce and Logistics

Morey manages merchant ships, crewmen, trade routes, and access to major commodities. He uses his network to obtain livestock, iron, salt markets, slave traders, and rare personnel for Romain's territory. 48 58 91 119

• Secured iron ingots during shortages affecting Sigg Town's blacksmithing operations. 58 59
• Distributed Romain's maltose under an exclusive agreement. 95 96
• Established contact with Scarhead and arranged slave shipments paid for in salt. 103
• Delivered exiled witches and sulfur to Origin City after an extended search. 250
• Understands when market saturation requires cutting prices to move stock. 132

Archery

Morey is a formidable archer. When Scarhead's ship is threatened, Morey's arrow frightens the former pirate enough that he abandons a potential confrontation rather than risk retaliation. 103

• His demonstrated skill reinforces the reputation of his lineage. 103
• Scarhead associates Morey's bloodline with the Grand Dukes of the Black Iron Kingdom. 103

Equipment / Assets

• Merchant fleet, including at least seven ships during his early Sigg Town dealings. 57
• Merchant crews and private escorts inherited from his father. 92
• Trade goods including iron ingots, draft livestock, maltose, salt, slaves, sulfur, and other cargo. 48 58 91 250
• A ship and guards supplied by Romain for his witch-search mission. 231

Relationships

• Romain Armor-Splitting — Business partner, contractual protector, rescuer, and later adoptive father. Their relationship begins through iron trading and develops into a mutual-protection alliance. 16 94 219 231
• Celine Perea — Father and renowned great merchant. Celine's judgment that Morey is indecisive drives Morey to prove he can act decisively. 8 93
• Hoss Perea — Younger half-brother and commercial rival. Hoss envies Morey's maltose monopoly and later becomes dependent on him after the Perea Family's collapse. 95 96 320
• Shasta — Witch whom Morey transports and assists despite considering her presence dangerously disruptive. She later pressures him to shelter her and her companions aboard his ship. 10 11 132
• Scarhead — Former pirate and slave trader hired through Morey's arrangements to transport slaves to Sigg Town. 103
• Daken — Fellow merchant connected to Origin Manor; Morey compares his own ability to obtain a ship and guards favorably with Daken's prolonged service. 226

Notable Quotes

“I hope to gain your friendship.” 93

“Father, I will not disgrace this life motto you gave me! If it's about determination, I won't lose to anyone!” 231

“Your Highness, I happen to be very familiar with Iceland as well. I will not fail this mission.” 316

Trivia

• Morey's early merchant visit to Sigg Town is partly a cover for Shasta's search for a missing witch. 10
• He believes Romain's territory is a refuge capable of protecting him even from wider political turmoil. 94
• Former slaves brought through his network mistakenly regard him as an envoy sent by Romain to rescue them. 225
• His father values Hoss more highly, while Morey is initially dismissed as too hesitant to accomplish great things. 93 96