"The Church, the Governor's Residence, and the Bay Trade Association."
"These three forces are like three ropes twisted into one cable, pulling the great ship that is Barracuda Bay."
"Sometimes they pull in different directions, and the ship rocks badly. Once in a while, their strength goes the same way, and the ship runs a little faster."
"But at least most of the time, they all know that if the ship sinks, it won't do anyone any good, so overall, it's still fairly steady."
"As for people like us, squeezed onto the deck and down in the cabins—"
Paddy grinned, revealing teeth that were a little chipped and faintly yellowed.
"Learning to find food in the cracks between the planks, holding on tight when the ship sways so you don't get thrown off, and keeping your distance when the cables are straining against each other so you don't get tangled up—that's the greatest skill of all."
Listening to this small merchant's introduction, Xia Nan's face took on a thoughtful look.
The distribution of power in Barracuda Bay was now clear.
The Governor's Residence controlled order and authority, The Church manipulated faith and divine power, and the Bay Trade Association held the economy and trade in its grasp.
Although the three often came into conflict for all sorts of reasons, they were, after all, tied to the same ship and shared common interests. After countless years of adjustment, no matter what happened, things would never become too ugly.
With their own pillars of support and the deep foundations they had accumulated over many years, these three organizations together occupied almost ninety-five percent of all resources in Barracuda Bay.
As long as one wanted to make a living in this bay's port city, contact with them was unavoidable.
Even for those vagrants