Ocean Trade

Powell spotted another problem. "But, my lord, if the ocean-going fleet goes to the Scorching Sun Islands to buy slaves, it won't have enough cargo capacity for ocean trade. That means our trade with the Southern Kingdoms will have to be delayed."

Victor waved it off. "Then let it be delayed. The nobles of the Southern Kingdoms haven't been playing fair in the last couple of trades. Barter is fine, but they keep passing off inferior goods as quality ones, and they drag their feet when it's time to pay cash.

"Some of them even tried sending pirates after our fleet. If Sodoma hadn't been quick to react last time, we would have suffered heavy losses. Delaying this trade will show them where we stand. As long as we complete the transaction before the contract expires, it doesn't matter."

Powell nodded. As the head of the administration, he had seen plenty of trade reports from Raphael at the Commerce Department. Returns from the ocean-going fleet's voyages to the Southern Kingdoms had fallen sharply this year. Profits had nearly halved, a far cry from the boom when they first opened the route.

In Victor's second year back from the kingdom proper, the new sailing ships built by the shipyards of Two Rivers Territory had finally met the territory's requirements for ocean trade. They could stay at sea longer, and with them, the territory's fleet could finally sail past the East Sea Alliance to trade farther south on the continent.

In June 1637, Captain Jack personally led a naval escort and trading fleet south to chart the route. The fleet numbered more than thirty ships and, including the navy, over five thousand people. Laden with goods from Two Rivers Territory, it spent more than nine months on the voyage and did not