CHAPTER 451: CHAPTER 353: THE DIRECTIONALLY CHALLENGED NAVIGATOR, BREAKING INTO THE DOLDRUMS

Originally, this banker from the Netherland United Bank wore an arrogant expression, looking at everyone with the conceit of "I, a descendant of the Creator; you are all merely servants."

Only when the [Golden Deer] appeared did a modest smile grace his features.

"Hahaha, Mr. Sea Hunter, my friend, the proprietor of Westwind Express, my most esteemed partner, welcome!" he exclaimed, flinging his arms wide and welcoming Byron with a string of exaggerated titles.

Byron also flashed a ’kindly’ smile, then deftly leaped and landed before his partner, giving him a hug.

He didn’t forget to remark, "Mr. Blake, you truly are diligent. I only read the news in the Lighthouse Weekly this morning, yet you managed to arrive here even faster than I did."

Blake puffed out his chest, a hint of arrogance creeping back onto the corners of his mouth as he said smugly, "Of course. No one can match a Remit person’s nose for gold. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have felt an instant connection with you at the online entrepreneurs’ salon on Financial Street, nor would I have quickly struck a partnership with Pioneer Navigation and made a substantial investment in Westwind Express. Especially today, I’ve already smelled the aroma of liquid gold from across the Celestial Orbital Belt, and this sensation is simply too wonderful. Furthermore, our two companies have worked closely together to proactively establish this sole comprehensive service station on the northern side of the Celestial Sphere Circulation. No matter how much others earn from that whaling ground, if they wish to transport their flowing riches back, they’ll all have to pay us a transit and shipping fee."

The two men looked at each other and suddenly burst into "genuine" laughter together: "Hahahaha..."

The island beneath their feet was the very headhunters’ sacred ground where Alfred, ’Blood-Red Whiskey,’ had snatched the No. 12 Crystal Skull, [Polaris God], the last time Silvergold Island emerged.

Nearby, there had once been an archipelago of seven adjacent islands, each home to a varying number of headhunter tribes.

The one Black had initially seized, an island nearly razed by a massacre, was also one of these seven headhunter islands.

Byron and Black had once "chanced to meet" on Financial Street. They unexpectedly broached the subject of development projects in the New Continent and hit it off immediately, soon reaching a partnership agreement.

They acquired all seven islands, which were arranged like the Big Dipper, and, following astrological principles, named it the "Great Bear Archipelago" after the Ursa Major constellation.

Byron vetoed Blake’s nefarious idea to use the indigenous boys and girls to transform this place into an entertainment island catering to adventurers and various touring dignitaries. He also rejected bizarre projects such as "naked dwarves doing math problems" and "cannibal tribe sightseeing tours," which surpassed the limits of an ordinary person’s imagination.

Ultimately, the Great Bear Archipelago was established as a comprehensive complex for logistics, support, entertainment, and military deployment services.

During this period, the Level 5 Ship [Musketeer] and the Level 4 Ship [Flame Rose] were more often stationed here than at Torrent Fortress.

With an Exploration Order issued, this place had become a de facto Baronial exclave.

The 27 mutated Man-Eater Sharks, which had been raised until now, finally detached from the [Golden Deer]’s formation to become the exclusive haulers for Westwind Express.

Because the Doldrums lay just a short distance south into the Celestial Sphere Circulation, traversing them required either hydraulic power or livestock power.

These Man-Eater Sharks, most now exceeding ten meters in length, needed only three to pull a cargo ship.

Merchant and whaling ships lacking the independent capability to navigate the Doldrums would inevitably need to seek assistance from Westwind Express, this public freight company.

Having been raised to such a size, it was time they contributed their strength for Captain Byron and learned to earn their own keep for shark feed. Although they had always been raised in the sea, aside from the corpses of enemies, Boss Byron hadn’t spent a single copper coin on them.

Additionally, on this foray into the Celestial Sphere Circulation, Byron also planned to find the Nautilus swarms and recruit all of them (Chapter 315). He intended to establish a premium logistics service network, "Nautilus Express," offering faster speeds, more secure transport, and naturally, a more premium price.

As news of the "Whale Oil Power Revolution" continued to spread across the seas, Black, on the verge of striking it rich, was inwardly gloating: ’When others are greedy, I am fearful; when others are fearful, I am greedy. Even in the New Continent, even in the perilous overseas Wilderness. As long as one learns to hedge risks, as a banker skilled in investment, I, Stiel Blake, will never incur a loss.’

The [Banker]’s Third-Order professional ability was called [Investment Pact]. Every investment could yield them returns, be it wealth, Spirituality, or transcendent abilities. Personally overseeing an immensely profitable investment case served as their promotion ceremony to the Fourth-Order Heroic rank. "Hoarding rare commodities for a higher price"—this phrase perfectly described the fundamental role of bankers. Only those with a keen eye for identifying quality projects could become the world’s finest bankers.

However, looking at the [Sea Hunter] before him, renowned throughout the Bantaan Archipelago, Blake couldn’t help but desire even more. What a pity. While this return isn’t bad, it holds little significance for my Class advancement or for the Remit people’s situation of being wealthy yet powerless. If only one of my investment subjects could successfully overthrow a country, even the smallest duchy. The investment returns from that could give me a hope of reaching the Fourth Order. But who doesn’t know that this mightiest Great Pirate, the [Sea Hunter]—the Great Loyalist and Great Good Man who proclaimed, ’Loyalty, if not absolute, is absolute disloyalty’? He’s the last person one would expect to be an ambitious schemer! And I’ve received reliable information that the Royalist Party and the Earl’s Party in the Hightins Native Land are at loggerheads, and the wedding of George, one of the Tri-Phantom Suns, is imminent. To miss such an opportunity would be too great a pity.

Blake was completely unaware that, by a fluke, he had truly invested in a major rebel who was plotting a restoration. Unfortunately, this rebel, after consuming the Remit Bank’s substantial investment, had never once considered that there would come a day... for repayment. Whether the rebellion succeeded or failed had little to do with Blake.

At this moment, Byron looked at him, his face also sporting a very happy smile. He had a particular fondness for squid, but when facing these Remit people, he was, in fact, similarly filled with "appetite." That such legendary "fat sheep" would one day actively fall into his hands almost made him want to offer thanks for the Creator’s benevolence three times over.

It was well known that the Remit people were wealthy yet unsociable, engaging primarily in usury, and voraciously draining wealth from all sectors in any country they went to. Incidents of them being knifed by their debtors were not uncommon. Castilia, Iris, Hightins... all had done it.

A Segment of Lancaster Family History alone records: "In the year 1272 of the Silver Era, exactly two hundred years ago, Edward I ascended the throne, becoming another King of Hightins. Through his own valor, he earned a series of highly positive titles and epithets such as the [Hammer of Hightins] and the [Conqueror of the Isles]. However, it is seldom mentioned that he was, in fact, also the instigator and executor of the earliest and most comprehensive expulsion of the Remit people from Hightins and the entire East Coast."

In the two hundred years that followed, the kings of various nations who eventually, unable to repay their usurious loans from the Remit people, reluctantly resorted to knifing their creditors, were merely his followers and imitators.

"Knife them, knife them!" was, in fact, a traditional art of the Lancaster Family. Byron felt no psychological burden in doing so. He welcomed all their investments; besides, with the [Sailing Logbook] in his possession, others couldn’t hope to ensnare him with treasures similar to [The First Stock Certificate].

After this exchange with Blake, Byron turned to the company’s elite employees and encouraged them, "The first wave of ocean-going sailing ships is already en route. Everyone must ensure this first campaign is a success. Make Westwind Express an instant sensation. At the year-end review, the branch’s performance ranking will be tied to your individual results. The amount of your bonuses will depend entirely on your performance."

At once, everyone patted their chests and rubbed their fists eagerly.

"Leave it to us, Your Excellency."

"Whether they profit from the whaling ships or not, our ’channel fees’ won’t be short a single copper coin!"

Byron nodded in satisfaction. Without lingering, he bid farewell to the crowd and reboarded his ship.

He then gave instructions to the [Navigator] by his side, "Miss Delia, it’s up to you now."

The girl nodded and clenched her small fists, saying confidently, "Captain, rest assured. As long as I’m not indoors, I absolutely will not get lost."

The words "getting lost" and "[Navigator]" seemed a rather contradictory combination. In fact, this was genuinely a side effect associated with her Lighthouse Sequence [Navigator] Class—a poor sense of direction. Under certain conditions, she would involuntarily get lost. Normally, there was no issue when she was outside, but if she was indoors in a space with two or more rooms, she would lose her sense of direction and become utterly disoriented. Only by resorting to the forbidden knowledge she had studied, [Pendulum Divination Technique], could she overcome this side effect. It was equivalent to needing GPS at home; otherwise, she would most likely be unable to find the restroom.

However, according to her, this side effect had mutated from real-life instances of her getting lost during her Promotion Ceremony. This meant she really had gotten lost in her own home before, and her home was indeed large enough to get lost in!

From her, Byron finally understood what it meant to wake up daily in an 800-square-meter "single" bed and then face the "hardship" of riding a horse to the washroom. The joy of the wealthy was often just that simple, unadorned, and tedious.

He also harbored a suspicion about why his cousin specifically targeted these wealthy families. Perhaps she had grasped life’s true essence at a young age: "Youth doesn’t appreciate a wealthy woman’s worth, mistakenly treasuring a young girl instead." Maybe she secretly aimed to latch onto a wealthy benefactor, live comfortably off them, and cut down her struggle by twenty years. Unfortunately, he had no proof.

HUMMM—!

A line of white light shot out from the Whale Oil Lamp in Delia’s hand, piercing the white mist ahead of the [Golden Deer] and rendering it transparent. A luminous arrow materialized directly in front of the Warship.

Byron gestured grandly, "Set sail!"

The [Golden Deer] led the charge, becoming the first to plunge into the Celestial Orbital Belt.

In the Sailing Logbook, the Decryption Rate for [Secret: Origin of the Blood Rage Plague, Historical Influence 38], which had stalled at 88% after its initial increase, suddenly jumped to 90%.

The closer they got to the New Continent, the more dangerous it would become, but soon Byron would have another chance to draw a First-Class Sacred Relic even more powerful than the [Nation-Destroying Nail]!