I Ascend to the Divine Throne through Arcane Means

Even the Bodichi Navy stationed at Danerluo Port belonged to those nobles. Simply relying on Ivor and Grace, along with their limited subordinates, could hardly maintain normal control over the city. Lis naturally had expectations that the port's operations would definitely be affected after those nobles took away wealth and manpower, but the impact should not be significant. After all, Danerluo Port was there, and its position in the Treasure Pearl Sea was irreplaceable. The nobles could at most take away those from the guild who were Extraordinary Professionals and high-ranking guild executives, but naturally, most people could not be taken. These people were the fundamental force of Danerluo Port's maritime trade. As long as they were there, it would not be difficult for Mora to reorganize those maritime trades through the White Dove Chamber of Commerce. Moreover, from what Ivor had said, they had already taken measures, and when Lis had entered Danerluo Port, he naturally observed that the operation order of the port docks was very normal. The traffic of ships was still numerous, without being affected much. So, what did this guy want to say? "And then?" Lis nodded, continuing to ask. Ivor pursed his lips, and spoke gravely, "Just a few days ago, some of the noble families that had left earlier sent representatives to unite and seek a deal with me." "Essentially, they want me and Grace to cooperate with them, to serve the upcoming Lord or Governor for the Feis Kingdom while secretly preserving their previous interests in Danerluo Port. For this, they are even willing to cede some of their interests to us two." "Since you were not here, we did not know how to report to you, so we just... dragged it out." Ivor said somewhat sheepishly, unable to help his previous temptation, but he had not dared to agree right away. Although he made excuses for himself and Grace, he did not hide anything about the entire affair. Now, in this situation, trying to hide would be suicidal; it was better to be frank. The Duke Kane in front of him did not seem to be a man of narrow-mindedness. "This matter..." Lis nodded, playing with Risa's delicate and slender pale fingers in his hand, thinking rapidly in his mind. He had no doubt about Ivor's words, and though he clearly saw Ivor's little scheming, he did not intend to delve into it. This was no threat to Lis, and anyway, everyone had their schemes. After today's events, Ivor would surely give up those unnecessary ideas and work for him honestly. For Lis, those Bodici Nobles wanting to return was actually a good thing. After all, Danerluo Port was an extremely important commercial port, and Lis's White Dove Chamber of Commerce alone could not support the entire trade of the port. Merchant caravans from various parts of the eastern Fanor continent brought different products to Danerluo Port for sale and purchased specialties from other regions to take back. Ships from other regions brought a rich variety of goods for sale at the port, Similarly using the profits to buy enough local specialties to take back to their homelands. And the guilds and merchants at Danerluo Port provided intermediation and other services to make profit. The entire maritime trading process was already quite detailed, but ultimately, it was an extremely cumbersome process that required countless people to participate. Lis did not want, nor could he possibly swallow, the entire port's trade himself; a monopolistic situation would not only give Lis indigestion but also deprive Danerluo Port of its vigorous vitality, causing it to gradually decline. Lis encouraged all guilds and merchants to trade at Danerluo Port and make profits. Even players could participate in this process, as he had mentioned in the task commissioned by the Lord. Thus, Lis did not mind the idea of the former noble families wanting to return. But the premise of all this was "legal and regulated"! Both nobles and merchants are greedy — this is an undeniable fact. Just like during the era of the Boditch Kingdom, the guilds secretly controlled by those nobles had earned profits that could be called exorbitant, but rarely or never paid a penny of taxes to the Boditch Kingdom. The taxes in Danerluo Port were collected from guilds, travelers, and merchant ships from other countries, even though, Danerluo Port's taxation was still valued by the King of Bodici. And those guilds of the Bodici Nobles occupied most of the intermediary trade of the goods; they were the main contributors to Danerluo Port's commercial trade. And now, those nobles who had returned, thinking of bribing Ivor and Grace, naturally intended to evade taxes as before, and even engage in some underhanded dealings. This behavior, for Lis, was akin to undermining his own foundation! After pondering momentarily, Lis looked at Ivor and said, "I understand, Ivor, you've done well!" "Since that's the case, take me to meet these people now." Ivor was somewhat surprised; he had thought Lis would punish him, but he hadn't expected Lis would want to meet the representatives of those noble families. Grace gently tugged at Ivor, who then realized what was happening and promptly stood up, respectfully saying, "Yes, Duke." ... "What's the situation? Wasn't that Ivor hesitating all along? Why has he suddenly come over?" Dressed in a lavish gown, Rolando Linton complained, his four or five gemstone rings waving in the air. He had just been informed by a servant, and was so caught up in the excitement that he nearly deflated on the spot. "Rolando, you better clean your face properly." Bernal Bayne glanced at the kiss marks on Rolando's face and shook his head. This guy, still acting like this, really thinks he is still the Duke he once was? Thinks this place is still the Danerluo Port they once controlled together? Even without the title of Danerluo Port Guardian, Ivor is still a Gold-level Mage, deserving of the due respect. They had come here to negotiate a deal, even willing to offer Ivor and Grace a considerably ample profit. With the Kingdom of Feis defeating the Kingdom of Bodich and occupying the entire Kingdom's territory, there would inevitably be a shortage of manpower. And gold-level professionals like Ivor and Grace, with their clear backgrounds, would surely be on the recruitment list of the Kingdom of Feis. It was even very likely that they would continue to control Danerluo Port. The previous peculiar movements of the Feis military outside Danerluo Port seemed to confirm their judgment as well. This was also why these people, stripped of their noble titles, had come together wanting to trade with Ivor and Grace. In this deal, Rolando and Bernal were the leaders among the various representatives of the Old Nobles, as could be seen from the gold-level guards by their sides. The Kingdom of Bodich was quite peculiar. In kingdoms like Feis or Dillon, most extraordinary powers were held in the hands of the Royal Family. But the Kingdom of Bodich was different; most powers were constantly eroding the kingdom's foundation within many noble families. And when faced with the invasion of the Kingdom of Feis, these noble families' first reaction was not to band together to resist but to shrink their power and prepare to flee. It was really because their reckless actions had made the entire Bodich Royal Family too weak to even think of resisting. But even so, the gold-level guards by Rolando and Bernal's sides were indeed the core strength of their families; even the Duke Families could not cultivate many gold-level professionals. "We've already promised them so much benefit, what more is there to discuss?" Rolando casually wiped his cheek and said with an indifferent smile. "If all else fails, we can just manipulate things and get rid of them, then deal directly with the new representatives sent over by the Kingdom of Feis." "I don't believe there's someone who would not like Gold Coins." Bernal shook his head, too lazy to say more. If not for the considerable strength of the Linton Family, he wouldn't have wanted to say another word to such an arrogant fool who couldn't read the situation. Hopefully, everything goes smoothly this time!