Kingdombuilding: All My Inventions Are Novelty

On the vast sea, three galleons were slicing through the waves.

After gaining valuable information from the British man, they planned to take him to a colony in exchange for the crops they needed, corn, peanuts, and potatoes.

"Are you pirates from the Eldorian Empire?"

The British man had woken up and come on deck. After examining the ship, he was shocked to find that it looked a lot like their own warships, maybe even better designed.

He couldn’t figure it out and asked the translator, Harold.

Harold was one of the few translators trained personally by Simon. In fact, not long after establishing the Oxford Academy, Simon had started preparing translators, and Harold was the best among them.

There were two other translators on the other ships. All three had once been poor scholars from Brambleford.

Harold had learned that the British man’s name was Tammy, a first mate of a British sailing cruiser. According to Tammy, Britain was fighting other European powers like the Dutch, Portuguese, and French over overseas colonies.

Their worst enemy was the Dutch; they were already at war, and naval battles were common whenever their ships met at sea.

"No, we’re not pirates. We are the fleet of Prince Simon of the Eldorian Empire." Harold said firmly.

"That can’t be. I’ve seen Eldorian Empire merchants’ ships before. You couldn’t possibly have ships like these, especially ones with so many cannons. And you’re even using cast iron cannons!" Tammy shook his head.

Harold picked up on an important detail in Tammy’s words. "You’ve met merchants from the Eldorian Empire?"

"Of course. Your merchants often trade porcelain and silk for our silver. Those items are very popular in our country." Tammy replied.

Harold frowned and repeated Tammy’s words to Desmond.

"His Highness said he never heard of Western merchants trading in our empire when he was in Eldora. Ask Tammy where exactly their merchants do business in the Eldorian Empire."

Harold translated Desmond’s question and got Tammy’s reply:

"I’ve heard of Oak Town. I don’t know much, but Dutch merchants often trade with your people there. Our fleet once docked in Sharlton, and we tried to send envoys to your capital to speak with your king about trade. But local officials stole the gifts meant for your king, and our envoys were treated unfairly. After that, we stopped coming. The Dutch took over the route."

"Oak Town? That’s Prince Vaelric’s territory." Harold translated. Desmond’s brow furrowed.

"Could it be that Prince Vaelric has been secretly doing business with the Dutch this whole time?" Harold asked hesitantly.

"It’s possible. The Fletcher family’s banks are everywhere in the Eldorian Empire. Where else would they get so much silver? And the Fletcher family is loyal to Prince Vaelric. Maybe he knows everything but chose to keep it secret for profit." Desmond replied.

Prince Vaelric had a strong influence in the south. Hiding something like this wouldn’t be hard for him. Besides, most people in the empire didn’t care about Westerners. The nobles in Eldora only saw them as savages.

"If that’s true, wouldn’t Prince Vaelric know about guns and cannons too?" Harold asked.

Desmond fell silent. "Ask him."

Harold turned back to Tammy and continued the conversation. But Tammy avoided the topic.

Still, from Tammy’s eyes, Harold could tell he was hiding something.

"Captain, this Brit isn’t telling the truth. He’s hiding something." Harold said.

Desmond frowned. "If we force him, we might not get the crops His Highness wants. But if we don’t ask, we may never uncover the shady deals between the Dutch and Prince Vaelric."

"I think we shouldn’t push him now. Let’s report this to His Highness when we return. Also, we’ve seen plenty of the Fletcher merchant ships during our journey, that’s already proof." Harold suggested.

Desmond nodded slowly. "His Highness said Westerners can’t be trusted. Even if we take him to shore, we might not get what we want. Look how he stares at our galleons, with greed in his eyes. I fear we’ll be welcomed not by gratitude, but by a fleet of warships."

Harold remembered Simon’s warning clearly: Westerners are all pirates.

"In that case, I have a plan., Harold whispered his idea to Desmond.

Desmond nodded. "Let’s do it. Are they pirates? Then we’ll be even more ruthless. Take down our navy flags, raise the pirate flag we captured."

Harold smiled and quickly ordered the crew to hoist the black flag.

When Tammy saw the pirate flag flying, his face turned pale. He nervously asked. "Didn’t you say you’re not pirates?"

"We weren’t. But now we are, Mr. Tammy. I think you’d better start answering our questions honestly. Otherwise, we’ll throw you into the sea."

Tammy trembled. He knew one could negotiate with a navy, but with pirates? There was no reasoning.

"Alright, alright! I’ll talk! In the beginning, the Dutch were fooled by Prince Vaelric. But later they realized he wasn’t the actual ruler of your empire. They protested, but Prince Vaelric offered them special trade rights. The Dutch also knew your empire had several powerful princes, and Prince Vaelric was one of the strongest. So, they decided to support him. They even sold him lots of old-style matchlock guns."

"Matchlock guns?" Harold frowned even more.

"Prince Vaelric also wanted their cannons, but the Dutch weren’t stupid. If Prince Vaelric got cannons, he could mount them on ships. The Dutch are struggling to maintain their overseas fleet; they can’t afford to give up their last advantage."

After finishing, Tammy cautiously added. "Britain also wants to support a prince in your empire for trade. If you’re really from a prince’s fleet, I can help make introductions. Trust me, Great Britain will defeat the Dutch soon. This would be a wise choice."

The ocean waves slammed against the sides of the giant galleons. Strong winds howled around them.

In the distance, a dark cloud was approaching; a storm was on the way.

"Tch! Our prince doesn’t need support from scheming people like you!"

The translator’s words made Desmond spit in disgust.

The truth was now clear: Prince Vaelric had become a lackey of the Dutch. No wonder he had been acting more arrogant in recent years; he had foreign support behind him.

"What now?" The translator asked Desmond.

"Stick to the plan. Have his people trade for him. Both the Dutch and the British are no good."

Looking at the sea, now dark under the clouds, Desmond felt heavy-hearted. Everything matched what Simon had taught them in the academy.

The Western powers were already pushing their influence into the Eldorian Empire. According to Tammy, flintlock rifles were already standard in the West, and sailing warships roamed the entire world.

In contrast, the Dutch had already given matchlock guns to Prince Vaelric’s territory. That was serious enough to deal a fatal blow to Prince Vaelric in court.

With a sigh, Desmond looked at the map, hoping Prince Simon had already started producing flintlocks in Brambleford.

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