Volume 1: Raging Waves City Chapter 60 The Pirates' Dilemma
Before Luke could finish his words, Lady Tasia's momentum faded.
As a sea tribe, the Nagas regard the ocean as their pasture. For a very long time, sailboats made by land creatures have been the prey of the Nagas.
At that time... they easily caught up with the sailboats that were sailing on the wind in the sea.
They could dodge artillery and crossbow fire underwater and attack the vulnerable bottom of the ship. If the people on the ship did not want the ship to sink, they had to pay tribute to the Naga tribe.
During those long years, the Naga tribe controlled the shipping routes and lived a very comfortable life.
But over the past hundred years, the mainland has entered a period of cultural renaissance and industrial revolution.
The annual ocean trade volume continues to break the historical record of the previous year, and wealth has made all countries on the continent realize the importance of sea power.
Ocean competition has been particularly fierce in recent decades.
The launching of new ships set off a new wave of great navigation.
The Naga tribe, who believed themselves to be the masters of the ocean, discovered at this time...
Chasing steam turbine-powered ships is no longer as easy as it used to be.
Even if you catch up with them, you can't just dive under the boat, or you will be washed into the propeller by the current and cut into pieces.
Even if someone is skilled and brave enough to crawl to the bottom of the ship, he is still powerless against the metal hull.
Instead, the land creatures drove the new ships into the sea where the Nagas lived. They used fishing nets and crossbows to capture Nagas and slaughtered or sold them.
Fishbone Island is the settlement of the Naga people ruled by Lady Tasya. The harsh living environment makes their lives increasingly difficult.
In the past, they were able to obtain supplies from the land only through cooperation with the Mad Axe Party. This was why Lady Tashia immediately brought people to support them when she heard that the giant tree had died.
Now that the Mad Axe Party has been absorbed , cooperating with the Secret Intelligence Bureau is the only way out for Fishbone Island.
However, Mrs. Tashia did not expect that Inspector Meteorite knew so much about the situation of the Naga people.
This deprived her of any bargaining chips.
Facing Luke, Lady Tasia had to lower her posture again: "Dear Inspector Meteorite. Fishbone Island is not only home to my people, but also to many desperate people. We lack medicine, food, wood, iron... and even clean water.
Everything is missing.
If you can provide us with these things, Fishbone Island will surely become your most trusted friend on the sea."
Luke said meaningfully: "I can provide you with all these things, and I can also let the dock under my control provide you with a certain degree of safety and shelter.
But I don’t think those things are what you need most.”
"What do you think we need most?" asked Mrs. Tassia.
"Ship and identity!"
"Inspector, I'm sorry I can't understand your meaning."
Luke picked up the glass and took a big gulp of beer, then continued to cut his steak and eat.
“The ship should be easy to understand. I know you have four sailboats, but they are all old sailboats from decades ago.
Too backward! You will soon find that your current ship cannot even catch up with the slowest merchant ship.
I now have four cargo ships, powered by steam engines and sails. They are in very new condition, and their structures are the mainstream design of the past decade. It is not difficult to convert them to steam engines. With ten more guns, they can be used as armed merchant ships.
Interested?
"have!"
When Mrs. Tassia heard that Luke had a ship to sell, her eyes lit up.
She knew that her ship was backward and could not catch up with the steam-powered sailing ships. As the number of pure sailing merchant ships on the sea decreased, it was becoming increasingly difficult to do "business" at sea.
She also wanted to buy a new steam-powered ship, but had no way to do so.
The shipbuilding schedules of major shipyards are very full and they will not accept orders of unknown origin.
Even the Axe Madmen can't do anything about it.
Now the Secret Service wants to sell four steam-engine sailing ships, you must buy them!
Luke looked at Mrs. Tasia who was showing an eagerness, and asked with a smile: "I'll sell it to you... Can you use the steam engine wheel?
If the boat breaks down, can it be repaired?
?
Seeing Mrs. Tashia's face full of question marks, Luke laughed and quickly took a sip of wine to wash the food in his mouth into his stomach.
"Ahem... Ahem. Steam turbines and sails are two completely different ship propulsion systems. Even if I sell these four steam-sail merchant ships to you, you won't be able to sail out of the port.
Even if you can sail out of the port, if your ship is damaged, your Fishbone Island cannot repair it.
If you want to solve this problem, it involves the identity I mentioned. "
Mrs. Tashia said sincerely, "Please give me some advice, Chief Inspector."
“This era is changing very fast, and with the land blockade against you, you are seriously out of touch with this era.
An island cannot provide the maintenance parts needed for a steamship, and you can't even find a stable source of fuel.
In the near future, even if the old-fashioned pirates are not wiped out, they will destroy themselves.
Fishbone Island wants to survive, it can't just buy some supplies from me. If you want to survive, you must keep up with the times..."
“How to keep up with the times?”
"Leave the island and come to the open land!"
Tashia immediately became a little excited: "No, it's impossible, Naga belongs to the ocean, I will never give up my territory!"
Luke tapped the plate with a knife, reminding Tasia to calm down: "You are uneducated and can't understand my metaphor. I compared your living environment to an isolated island, not asking you to abandon Fishbone Island and migrate to the land.
You should be able to see the changes on land. About twenty years ago, the Cape District was still an important urban area in Raging Wave City, but since it was isolated, it has been declining into this state.
The Cape District is an isolated island to Nutao City. The situation on Fishbone Island is the same as that in the Cape District, and even more serious than here.
I have a plan to change the current situation of the Cape District and restore its former prosperity and wealth. You should also think about changing the plight of Fishbone Island. You can consider giving up your identity as a pirate and let Fishbone Island "connect" to the Cape District.
You have the land, and you can keep up with the development of the new era; we have the ocean, and we have safe and convenient shipping routes. "
Luke's words were very attractive and convincing to Mrs. Tashia.
As pirates, they could most feel the rapid changes on land.
Moreover, with the development of ships, all countries have stepped up their crackdown on pirates. The speed of updating ships in the hands of pirates is slow, and it is common to hear that pirates are robbed but then robbed.
With fewer and fewer counterparts at sea, the demise of traditional pirates is actually imminent.
"Inspector, you are right. Fishbone Island does not have the ability to maintain a steam-powered sailing ship, and even the fuel cannot be guaranteed. We need a safe land stop to connect with the civilized world, but we are wanted pirates. Even if we are willing to give up our pirate identities, I am afraid that the imperial law will not let us go."
"The law of the Empire sits before you," Luke said.
