The Xister Kingdom's Spy Operation I

Summer of 1678, Vela Northern Frontier.

A horse-drawn carriage was traveling on a smooth and wide rammed earth road. The road showed signs of recent use and appeared to have been built not long ago.

However, the road was not empty; it was full of pedestrians and vehicles, but it was very orderly. Those moving forward kept to the right, and although there was a constant flow of people, it did not appear congested.

The horses pulling the carriage, guided by the coachman, moved steadily forward with the flow of people and vehicles. It was a typical passenger carriage, with a dozen or so people sitting in the open carriage, some dozing off and others admiring the scenery.

One of the weathered-looking middle-aged men, seeing the crowd around him, seemed somewhat anxious and called out to the driver, "Master, how much longer until we reach Northwind City?"

Will we arrive before dark?

"Sir, you can rest assured."

There's a checkpoint ahead, but once you pass it, the crowds thin out, and the carriage will be able to travel faster.

Moreover, my carriage is the fastest and most reliable intercity carriage in all of North York County; it will definitely deliver you before dark!

After hearing the coachman's reply, the male passenger returned to his seat, but he seemed restless and anxious.

At this moment, an elderly man sitting opposite him said to the middle-aged man, "Hello, sir, you're probably not from the Northlands, are you?"

You're from the Xister Kingdom, aren't you?

The businessman was taken aback and quickly replied in a low voice, "How did you figure that out, sir?"

I am indeed not from the Vela Northlands, but a merchant from the Xister Kingdom.

The middle-aged man wondered how anyone could still tell where he came from when he changed his clothes and even his accent after getting ashore, all while adopting Vela style.

The old man opposite him smiled and replied, "Actually, it's really hard to tell from your attire, and you don't have the accent of the Xister Kingdom."

But since I'm a shipwright, I used to work at the docks in Sunset City. I've had a lot of contact with merchant ships from the Xister Kingdom and chatted with the crew members.

The way you asked me questions just now was very similar to the crew members of the Xister Kingdom I've met. Plus, you were sitting in the sun and not sweating much, which confirmed my suspicions.

The people of the Scorching Sun Islands are much more heat-resistant than we Vela people!

The middle-aged man was taken aback. He looked around and noticed that all the passengers sitting in the same row under the sun were sweating profusely, while he was hardly sweating at all.

He hadn't expected that the old man would discover his identity in such a way; this old man was no ordinary person after all!

However, he had considered this matter beforehand and made some preparations, so he quickly followed the old man's words. "I didn't expect the old man to be so knowledgeable, that you actually saw through me!"

Upon hearing this praise, the old man opposite him laughed and continued, "That's to be expected!"

I have indeed seen too many foreigners, and your skin tone is quite dark, which is obviously from years of sun exposure.

"You're here in Vela this time for business, right?"

The middle-aged man quickly nodded. "I came to the Vela Northlands this time to purchase a batch of cowhides."

As you know, the Xister Kingdom is located on the main island of the Scorching Sun Islands. Although cattle are raised on the island, it is an island climate, so the number of cattle is small and the quality of the hides is not good.

Cowhide is very expensive where I live. I'm planning to buy a batch of cowhides here in Vela, hoping to make at least a 50% profit.

However, I am just a small business owner and can't do business with large caravans.

This time, I had to do everything myself to find goods in Vela.

This time I plan to go to Northwind City to check out the largest trading center in the entire Vela Northlands and see what the prices of cowhide are like there.

If the price is right, I'll buy a batch here and take it back.

The old man nodded after listening. "You've done your homework very well. The market in Northwind City is one of the best in the entire Northlands."

However, I have a suggestion for you: if you want to buy the cheapest cowhide, you can't just look in Northwind City; you have to continue north.

The old man began to show off his knowledge. "Because of the development in recent years, the entire Northlands has expanded northward by a lot of land. In addition, the main branch of the Iron Birch Family left North York County, which has reduced the population of North York County a lot. Originally, the economic and trade activities of the Northlands were all migrating northward."

Although Northwind City is still considered a rare large city in the Northlands, in terms of developed commerce and population concentration, Woodfort City should now rank first, and it is also closer to the grasslands.

Go to the Duke Golden Sunflower's Two Rivers County; you should be able to buy cowhide there for much cheaper!

Anyway, you're just a small-time merchant. For those of you doing small-scale business, cheaper sources of goods are the best. You shouldn't care about the distance of the journey, right?

After listening to the old man's words, the middle-aged businessman quickly nodded and said, "You understand us small businessmen. It's normal for us to travel hundreds of miles to earn a few more words."

Thank you so much for showing me, a small businessman who knows nothing about this place, the right path.

Well then, when we get to Northwind City, I'd like to treat you to some drinks to properly thank you!

The old man waved his hand. "Forget it, you don't earn much money, you don't need to treat me."

It's a rare opportunity to meet you today. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I know the entire Vela Northlands very well.

Seeing the old man's reaction, it was clear he knew quite a bit. The merchant quickly continued to inquire, wanting to learn more about the situation in the Vela Northlands and, incidentally, to look for business opportunities.

He did learn quite a bit from the old man, but he didn't discover any good opportunities.

The merchant then asked if he could make money in Vela by selling dried seafood from the Xister Kingdom.

Unexpectedly, the old man directly rejected his idea. "We in the Vela Northlands also have a coastline, whether it's Two Rivers County or North York County."

The things you're talking about have been produced and sold in the Two Rivers County for a long time.

The waters of the Two Rivers County are not far from the Broken Ice Sea, where the seafood grows slowly and has a rich flavor. Dried goods made from this seafood are more popular than those from the Xister Kingdom and are now best-selling products in the Vela Region.

It's too late for you to start this kind of business now!

The two then had a pleasant conversation in the car, engaging in in-depth discussions about commodity trade.

Since the army of the Raine Kingdom occupied the East Sea Alliance, the merchants of the entire Xister Kingdom have found that business is becoming increasingly difficult.

Vela is exceptionally rich in resources, capable of producing all sorts of goods and reselling local specialties from the Raine Kingdom. The merchant guilds of the Xister Kingdom simply cannot compete with it.

In recent years, many of the merchant guilds of the Xister Kingdom, which originally focused on trade, have suffered heavy losses.

Now, affected by the sharp decline in trade volume, the tax revenue of the Xister Kingdom has also dropped significantly.

Meanwhile, the Xister Kingdom also had to suppress numerous rebellions within its borders, and the resulting decrease in tax revenue had a particularly significant impact.

With the Xister Kingdom frequently engaged in battles at the front lines, supplies and pay for the troops could not keep up, causing significant trouble for the Xister Kingdom.

Left with no other option, the Xister Royal House could only try to send their merchant fleet engaged in long-distance trade further south in an attempt to recoup their losses in this region.

Unfortunately, the ocean-going fleet of the Xister Kingdom was far inferior to that of Vela's fleet in terms of both range and speed.

This also meant they were unable to compete with Vela in the southern part of the mainland, and they were still unable to recover their losses.

It was under these circumstances that the Xister Royal House came up with a solution.

That is to find a way to replicate Vela's shipbuilding technology, so that the Xister Kingdom's naval fleet can travel to more distant places to trade goods.

However, some basic technologies can be learned and imitated, such as ship hull structures, but not the core technologies, especially Steam Engine Technology.

This small merchant was a spy sent by the Spy Organization of the Xister Kingdom, but he wasn't there to gather intelligence.

Instead, they were ordered by their superiors to obtain Steam Engine from the Vela Region and bring Steam Engine back to the Xister Kingdom Xister Kingdom the shipyards wanted to replicate Vela's Steam Paddle Steamer.

For this matter, the Spy Organization of the Xister Kingdom sent out many people, but although Vela could purchase a certain number of Steam Engine, most of them were outdated products. They were not only low in horsepower but also not very durable and could not provide power to the ships at all.

To purchase a more advanced, more powerful model, one must be a high-ranking noble of the Vela, or obtain a franchise license from the Duke Golden Sunflower and the Duke Iron Birch.

These two points were far too difficult for the Spy Organization of the Xister Kingdom.

Therefore, the Spy Group of the Xister Kingdom made meticulous preparations and devised a plan.

After some time of effort, they found a way in: there was a Steam Engine repair Workshop inside Northwind City, where some high-performance Steam Engine could be repaired.

The Xister Kingdom's Spy Organization plans to steal a high-performance Steam Engine that is under repair from this Workshop.

This seemingly small-time merchant, who had come to purchase cowhides, was actually one of the spies involved in the operation.

The spies involved in this operation, like him, concealed their identities in various ways and gathered in Northwind City.

Finally, before Sun, the carriage arrived safely in Northwind City. After bidding farewell to the old man, the merchant immediately went to the meeting point.

Once there, he successfully made contact with his companions; the entire action team was already present.