Chapter 518: Their Ship is Nice
This was not the first time that Zhang Daye and his group had paid entry fees. As a law-abiding tour group, they mostly followed the rules.
On a good note, they'd even tip the port guards a small fee as a token of their appreciation for their troubleshooting. However, the Drum Kingdom's entry fees were the most outrageous they'd ever seen, practically preying on the merchant and tourist ships passing through.
Zhang Da did not get angry for the time being. Since Doruton was quite polite, he made a note of it first and would decide what to do after seeing the situation after entering the country.
Under the guidance of the soldiers, the Amber
A soldier pointed to a village not far away and said, "That's Big Horn Village. If you want to rest and sightsee, you can go there first."
"Okay, thank you." Zhang Da and his companions got off the boat and walked towards Dahaojiao Village.
Everyone was wearing thick winter clothes, even Carew had wrapped himself in a blanket, but Tom was the only one who changed into his ski gear with excitement after seeing the vast snowfield.
Tom was very cold and was wearing a cotton jacket and scarf, but he threw away the cotton jacket as he stepped on the skis and picked up the ski poles.
Starting, accelerating, avoiding obstacles, moving in an S-shape around the tree, jumping when encountering a small slope, rotating 180 degrees and landing to move backwards... Tom performed all kinds of fancy skiing moves in the cold wind , with happiness written all over his face.
Weiwei praised: "Tom is really amazing!"
"Even professional skiers can't compare to Tom. That's what Misaka said, and she's looking forward to trying it herself."
Misaka Sister looked at Zhang Tatsuya, and seemed to be trying hard to make an expectant expression.
Zhang Da also said, "When Tom comes back, ask him to get you some ski equipment and teach you."
Perona and Wendy also joined in cheering and clapping for Tom.
Tom happily bowed to his companions and expressed his gratitude for their support.
But the next second he hit the tree with a bang, and the snow on the branches fell down and buried Tom.
A pair of conspicuous big eyes appeared in the snow and blinked innocently.
…
"Amber Tour Group? What is that?" King Wapol of the Drum Kingdom picked up a table and stuffed it into his mouth.
Wapol is about the same height as Doruton, but his body is more sideways, which makes him look very short.
The reason why his body shape has become like this is probably related to his devil fruit ability. As a 'devourer' who has eaten the Swallow-Swallow Fruit, Wapol is eating all the time and dares to eat anything.
Just like now, his mouth suddenly grew bigger as he approached the table, and he bit off two table legs and nearly one-third of the table top in one bite, chewing with a crunching sound.
"Pfft... it's so disgusting!" Wapol spat out a few mouthfuls of wood residue and said to himself, not caring whether Doluton was reporting to him or not, "Let's go to the 'grilled house' tonight! I remember the house in Cocowit Town tastes the best!"
Jace, the Drum Kingdom's staff officer, said, "If that's your request, of course there's no problem, Your Majesty Wapol."
Doruton's expression looked ugly. The so-called "roasting the house" was to set fire to the civilians' houses. When the house was on fire, Wapol used his ability to eat the house bite by bite.
Sometimes he would feel that the house was too burnt, so he would continue to "bake" the next one until he was satisfied.
As for the original residents living there, Wapol didn't care about them, because everything in the Drum Kingdom belonged to him, including a few houses.
Doruton had tried to dissuade him, but his colleagues, Chief of Staff Jace and Officer Cromalimon, were very indulgent towards the king. If Doruton spoke too much, he might be arrested and imprisoned by the two of them.
Once imprisoned, he would be unable to do anything and could be executed at any time. Doluton also had his own mission - the deceased old king was relatively normal and had done Doluton a favor. He hoped that Doluton could assist Wapol in revitalizing the Drum Kingdom.
It’s a pity that Wapol doesn’t like Doruton, but only likes Jace and Cromalimon who obey him in everything.
Moreover, disobeying the king's order was a heavy burden for someone like Doluton who grew up under royal power. All he could do was rescue the residents before the king ordered people to set fire, and then provide some help to those residents within the scope of his authority.
Based on Doruton's understanding of Wapol, it was useless to persuade him directly, so he could only think of other ways to divert his attention and make him forget about it.
Just as Doruton was about to say something, the official Kromalimon reminded him, "Your Majesty, the amber tour group that Doruton mentioned is worthy of your attention."
"Hmm? I seem to have heard this name somewhere..." Wapol tried to use his rarely used brain, but the attempt failed: "So, what ?"
As he spoke, Wapol took out another long sword and bit off the blade with a snapping sound.
Cromalimon said, "The Amber Travel Group is a bounty hunter group that has become active in the past one or two years. They have captured many pirates and have even collaborated with the navy. You can often see news about them in the newspapers."
"What does that have to do with me?" Wapol then remembered that he might have seen this name while eating in the newspaper. "Oh, by the way, Doruton, have they paid the entry fee?"
"It's been paid in full." Doruton, relieved to see Wapol's attention diverted, continued, "They said they were here for a trip, but someone got sick along the way and wanted to see a doctor. I wonder if it would be convenient for you to have 'Doctor 20' treat them."
"Looking for a doctor?" Wapol put the hilt of his sword in his mouth and mumbled, "You must be joking. Doctor 20 is my personal assistant. How can I help them casually?"
"Your Majesty, I think you can let 'Doctor 20' take action, but you can increase the consultation fee a bit." Staff Officer Jace made a suggestion. Since they are willing to pay such a high entry fee, this Amber Tour Group must be very rich or the patients are very sick. It would be a shame not to take the opportunity to make a fortune.
Doruton breathed a sigh of relief. Raising the consultation fee should n't be ; at least the patient could be cured. Given Jace's style, this was barely acceptable.
However, Wapol was not very interested. What's the point of making money? He was not short of money. Raising the entry fee was just to make things difficult for the ships passing by. Anyway, no one dared to resist, whether they were merchants, tourists, or people seeking medical treatment. Watching those people swallow their anger and accept their bad luck was much more fun than making money.
Jace continued, "You can raise the consultation fee to a very high level. If they can't afford it, you can use something else to pay for it. Their ship looks delicious, and the exotic animals on it are also good..."
"How can this be!" Doluton expressed his objection immediately. He felt that angering the Amber Travel Group was not a good choice.
"Why not?" Jace didn't care. As an advisor, it was his responsibility to find ways to increase the kingdom's income. He had already tried very hard to arouse the king's interest.
He can come up with such a perfect idea that can both satisfy the king's interests and increase financial revenue. Is there a better adviser than him in the world?
