Edmund's Selfish Motives

Edmund's words stunned the Hashim brothers, especially the nonchalant expressions on the faces of the sailors around them, including Bertley, which further enhanced Edmund's persuasiveness.

Although Hashim was young, he had spent three years in Bene's castle, experiencing both the ups and downs of life, and had developed a certain level of judgment. He could sense that Edmund was not lying; at least Edmund did not seem to care much about that Lord Benn.

"Are you really the navy of the Raine Kingdom?"

Hashim wanted to confirm this. He had spent time in a noble castle, and although he hadn't learned much, he had gained a lot of knowledge. He knew that there were many nobles and territories in the land he was in, all of which were under the jurisdiction of the Grand Duchy of Vera. Across the sea was the Raine Kingdom, a country that was many times more powerful than the Grand Duchy of Vera.

When Hashim first jumped overboard from the fishing boat to escape, he thought the fleet was a pirate or merchant ship from somewhere.

In the eyes of these fishermen, there is no difference between the two. Pirates can be merchants, and merchants can be pirates. The difference is what they want to use to do business.

However, after he was captured by Bertley and his men, he realized that these people were probably not pirates. After being captured and taken to the Leiban, he met Edmund and Hashim knew that these people were indeed not pirates. Edmund was obviously a nobleman, which made Hasim feel a bit rebellious.

But Edmund's words struck a chord with him. He truly harbored hatred for that Lord Benn, who not only deceived, fooled, and abused him, but also nearly caused his family's ruin.

While recovering from his injuries, Hashim had planned to take revenge on Lord Benn after he recovered. However, Hashim's family members persevered and survived despite the hardships. The family had a glimmer of hope, which forced Hashim to suppress his hatred and obediently follow his brother to fish.

But whether it was luck or misfortune this time, they ventured to more distant waters in search of a larger catch, only to encounter Edmund's fleet.

Edmund's original intention was to lead this fleet to attack the noble territories in the western part of the duchy, forcing the Western nobles' armies to return from the front lines. After learning about Hashim's past, he believed that Hashim was an excellent candidate to be a guide.

Given Hashim's excellent physical condition, Edmund was interested in taking him on as his subordinate, which is why Edmund spoke so frankly.

As for Lord Benn, unfortunately, most of the nobles in the duchy are their enemies, not to mention that Edmund harbors a secret ambition.

Edmund secured command of the force this time through family connections. Edmund had his own ambitions. Although the Dragon Blood Orchid Family had gained a lot from the rise of the Kingdom Navy, becoming a noble family of Count, Edmund was still ambitious.

However, there are too many nobles in the Raine Kingdom, and the entire noble system is also very bloated. It is difficult for newly promoted nobles to obtain more fiefdoms. As Count family, the Dragon Blood Orchid Family only has a total territory of more than 2,000 square kilometers, most of which is the wealth accumulated during the viscount period.

This is also a common problem among nobles within the Kingdom Navy system. Most newly enfeoffed nobles have small and remote territories, which leads to them being discriminated against by the old-school nobles within the Kingdom. A baron's territory of only a hundred square kilometers is indeed too small.

That's why the Kingdom Navy is so keen on expanding its territory, whether it's seizing the coastal territories of those duchies in the Chaos Lands or finding safe routes through the Tears of God Inland Sea.

However, thanks to the initial investment, the Kingdom Navy has made a breakthrough in the Chaos Lands, occupying several coastal areas. This has not only helped them gain status within the Kingdom, but also benefited the nobles within the Kingdom Navy. Edmund's family, for example, received a piece of land of more than 200 square kilometers, which made Edmund's father Count Dragonblood, extremely happy.

But Edmund felt that wasn't enough. After learning about the situation in the Grand Duchy of Vera, he discovered that even the lowest-ranking baron here had at least two or three hundred square kilometers of territory, several times that of the nobles in the kingdom, not to mention the Count of the Grand Duchy, whose families could easily have tens of thousands of square kilometers of territory.

He then conceived the idea of acquiring a territory in the Grand Duchy of Vera, and this time he came to carry out this idea. Western nobles of the Grand Duchy, such as Ben, were not only his enemies, but also prey that could help him acquire territory.

That's why he dared to make this promise to Hashim: as long as Hashim was willing to help, he could do whatever he wanted with that Lord Benn.