Special Agreement

Temple of the Sea.

Shortly after Soren left, the noblewoman reappeared. She glanced up at the Naga Priestess, whose expression was not pleasant, and asked, "Is it him?"

The Naga Priestess's expression remained somewhat grim, for she had discovered that Soren was like a slippery eel; no matter how she tried to win him over, something was always missing. Sometimes she even felt like she was punching thin air, the impact leaving her internal organs feeling slightly uncomfortable. She glanced indifferently at the alluring noblewoman before her and slowly said, "Not necessarily. This human is too cunning. Unless he completely aligns himself with us, you're just bait laid out before him."

"We have spent too many resources on you. Without our help, your father's territory would have been swallowed up by others long ago."

"Besides."

"Be mindful of your virginity. I've found this to be quite alluring to human men. Until you've decided on someone truly valuable to us, you cannot get too close to any male. Your current task remains to continue expanding your influence, and if necessary, instigate a war among the nobles of the South Coast! Only war can break the existing power blockade and allow us to infiltrate our influence into the human realm!"

The noblewoman's face stiffened slightly, a hint of anger flashing in her eyes, but she still nodded submissively and said, "Yes."

Any woman, being treated like a bargaining chip, would feel resentful. However, her awe of the Temple of the Sea was evident, and it seemed the Temple of the Sea controlled much of her life. This explained why she had no choice but to submit and bow her head under such clearly humiliating words. No one knew what agreement Soren and the Naga Priestess had reached, but judging from the Naga Priestess's current expression, she didn't seem to have gained much of the upper hand.

This made her think more highly of Soren. Being able to use tricks against the Temple of the Sea required confidence and strength.

Soren left the Temple of the Sea.

His expression wasn't much better; it had been ashen ever since he left the temple. He turned and went to the vicinity of the port, then beckoned a pirate over and said in a deep voice, "Bring Adele to see me."

soon.

A Red-Haired Female Pirate in tight-fitting Leather Armor appeared before Soren. She cautiously glanced at Soren expression and then asked, "Sir? What are your orders?"

Soren glanced at her, his face expressionless, and said, "From today onwards, 50% of the profits from the Port Tyler route will be handed over to the Temple of the Sea. You will personally control the smuggling Trade on the Shipwreck Bay route, and you must ensure that no one else can interfere with this route. From now on, whether it's official or clandestine Slave Trade, as long as it crosses the sea, we must have it under our control. Anyone who wants to profit from the Slave Trade must obtain our permission!"

The Slave Trade.

This is the main source of Trade on the South Coast. The land near this coast has many mines, all requiring a large labor force. Hiring Commoner is practically impossible; everyone knows that mines are places of no return. Therefore, the only source of labor is criminals and Slave. Furthermore, the nobles in this region possess a considerable number of manor economies, making Slave, from any perspective, the cheapest form of labor.

Slave was a widespread problem.

This was a situation that even the Deity could not change. In fact, the system of Slave received support and affirmation from many Deity.

Even in Soren's past life memories, the abolition of Slave was delayed until modern history. In this world, it was deeply ingrained and persisted for countless years, almost to the point of being deeply rooted in people's hearts. Most ordinary people longed to own a manor house and land, then buy and own some Slave, living a life where the Slave were responsible for farming and labor, while they themselves lived a leisurely and carefree life. If it weren't for the many kind-hearted people and the fact that some Church strongly abhorred Slave, it would probably have become rampant in the southern regions as well.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Adele, with her long, fiery red hair, nodded and replied, "I'll go arrange the manpower right now."

Soren glanced at her silently, then said, "Do you know a woman Monica? She shares the same surname as you, Isabella, and is the only daughter of an earl."

The Red-Haired Female Pirate hesitated for a moment, then pondered before saying, "Your Excellency, the surname Isabella is found in the south and west. She might be related to my mother, but because of my background, I'm unfamiliar with all these people. My mother seems to have a cousin on the South Coast who holds the title of earl, though his family has long since declined. If she is the earl's only daughter, she should be that cousin of my mother's. That's about all the people with the surname Isabella around the South Coast."

Declining nobility?

It is indeed a very good investment, and it is also easy to manage.

Soren nodded slightly and said, "Go. Your focus should be on the Slave Trade; you must ensure that this line is kept in our hands."

Adele nodded slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Your Excellency... you value the Slave Trade so much, are you planning to use Slave to expand overseas?... I'm not questioning your decision, just curiously speculating!..."

As she finished speaking, a hint of awe appeared on her face.

Soren looked slightly surprised, but he didn't reply. He simply said in a deep voice, "Just focus on your own business. You'll see in time."

Slave are the cheapest form of labor and the easiest group of people to satisfy.

They had been driven to despair by life. If given a glimmer of hope, a right to survive, and a yearning for freedom, they would become a very useful asset. Soren needed not only their labor force but also them as a foundation. Overseas population relocation was difficult, the continent was not yet in complete chaos, and attracting Pathfinder Adventurer was too risky. Slave were a crucial part of Soren's plan.

Soren walked in the direction of where he lived.

Adele Isabella remained where she was, gazing intently in the direction Soren had left. The longer she knew him, the more she felt he harbored grand ambitions, for he had so easily relinquished a large portion of the pirates' profits. A man willing to give up so much must be after something far more valuable.

What does this man really want?

She was actually somewhat excited, with an eagerness to learn about his plans.

Unfortunately, she could only keep it deeply hidden in her mind.

Soren returned to his dwelling.

As soon as he entered the room, a petite figure rushed towards him and clung to him. Vivian wrapped her arms around his neck and twisted and turned, saying in a cheerful voice, "Brother's finally back! I was so bored all by myself!..."

Soren smiled, picked her up, and placed her on the edge of the bed.

Then he sat down, his expression somewhat serious, and said, "Vivian? How have you been lately? Are you feeling unwell? Why did you call yourself the Fear Witch Lillian last time?"

The little girl visibly stiffened for a moment, then her eyes flickered before she whispered, "I... I'm alright!... But I remembered a lot of things!... Including Lillian's knowledge!... And then I learned a lot of Spell, and became more powerful than before!..."

"Hmm!... Will my brother dislike Vivian because of this?...?"

At this point, the little girl's expression suddenly became somewhat pitiful.

Soren felt a pang of heartache watching her, so he bent down and kissed her forehead, then said, "Silly girl!... I will always be by your side!..."

Is that really the case?

Soren's heart skipped a beat, and he secretly wondered, "If I hadn't arrived, and Soren had died like this, would Vivian have become Lillian?"

"Hopefully, this won't leave her with any hidden dangers!"

"No!"

"I must find a way to eliminate the other Fear God Child and then completely erase the Demon Lord of Fear's consciousness! Otherwise, as long as his consciousness remains, it will be an invisible hidden danger. Even I, when fighting against the Demon Lord of Fear Demon Lord of Fear God's consciousness, might be affected, let alone Vivian."

Soren seemed to be deep in thought.

The little girl looked a little awkward, but she still sat obediently beside her.

Come a little while later.

Soren seemed to remember something and said in a deep voice, "Vivian! I have a way to check your health. You might feel a little unwell. Would you like to try?"

The little girl looked a little confused, but still nodded obediently.

Soren gave a slight smile.

Then a glint appeared in his eyes, a look that seemed to make Vivian feel uncomfortable, as if her entire body was exposed to her brother's gaze, a look of subtle repulsion and shyness.

A row of documents appeared:

"Should we perform a data scan of the target?!..."

"Notice!"

"This target is extremely powerful and dangerous!... It may be hostile!... Data scanning requires 16,000 Slaughter Experience points!..."

"Would you like to scan?!..."

It actually requires so much Slaughter Experience?

Although Soren felt a pang of regret, after looking at his nearly 70,000 points of Slaughter Experience he had accumulated, he silently chose to confirm. He needed to know the extent to which Vivian had been enhanced, and whether Vivian had been influenced by the will of the Demon Lord of Fear. Slaughter Experience could be earned again later; Vivian's safety was far more important to Soren.

...(To be continued~^~)