At the new dock on Krus Island.
Odys explained to Edwina, "At first, no one thought much of it. As far as they were concerned, I'd paid to build this port, so it was my property and had little to do with them.
"But what they just witnessed changed that. Seeing something so magnificent filled them with pride. They believe they played a part in building it."
Edwina paused. "You're planning to give the port to the residents here..."
Halfway through, realization struck. "You're cultivating their Collective Consciousness, aren't you?"
At the phrase "Collective Consciousness," the relevant knowledge surfaced in Odys's mind. It was a concept proposed by Emperor Roselle, also known as "National Consciousness" or "State Consciousness."
Broadly speaking, it meant giving people a clear sense of their nation and state, then fostering pride in both. That made it easier to organize them and helped them understand whom they should be loyal to—and who their enemies were.
Odys only smiled, and Edwina knew her guess had been more or less right.
She found the thought rather strange: a pirate was cultivating Collective Consciousness among a group of natives!
It sounded downright fantastical.
Odys did not pursue the subject. Instead, he waved to the Argo, signaling for it to enter Moon Bay.
The Argo and the Golden Dream became the first ships to sail into the port.
After the two Pirate Admirals gave their crews leave to roam freely, Odys took Edwina onto the streets of Port Town.
Gesturing to the broad road, Odys said, "The streets weren't always this wide. This place used to look like any ordinary pirate town, with buildings scattered all over and alleys that twisted every which way.
"Fortunately, the buildings were wooden. With enough hands, moving them was relatively easy.
"So I gave the