Chapter 15: The Golden Waterway

Gate’s merchant ship, the “Marta,” once again served as Komer’s vessel, though this time with many more passengers. After Komer’s earnest persuasion and passionate appeals, Eve and her group finally agreed to follow him back to the Caucasus first, stay there for a while to see the scenery, and then decide on their next move. Fortunately, the issue regarding the Catania River route had been resolved successfully—the right to navigate from the upper reaches of the Catania River to the Caucasus was now in their hands. Traveling from the Caucasus to Luxembourg and further upstream areas would become straightforward. What used to take over a month by land route could now be accomplished in just three to five days, which finally helped Eve, who had been hesitant, make up her mind.

Before Komer left Luxembourg, half of the rights to use 30 medium-sized ships and 20 large ships for one year, agreed upon with the Jellyfish Clan, had already been sold by Komer. Shipowners from Luxembourg acquired eight of them, while shipowners and merchants from the upper regions and cities along the Catania River outside Luxembourg received ten such rights. Adding the eleven rights already promised to Maxim, Thomas, and Dou Lvtai, along with the “Marta” schooner, only 20 rights remained for merchants and shipowners in the Caucasus—most of them for medium-sized ships, with only three for large ships. But Komer wasn’t concerned. Although Bahomon and Mardan had already opened their ports, there weren’t many merchants involved in shipping in the Caucasus itself. Twenty ship rights were more than enough, especially considering that once this route was opened, the shipping industry in the Caucasus might face great opportunities for development.

After Maxim hosted a celebratory banquet for Komer’s group in the name of the Grand Duchy of Rosenburg, they were finally able to set sail home satisfied. This time, they didn’t have to endure a long land journey, avoiding much hardship. Starting from Luxembourg Port and going downstream, if everything went well, they could land in Bahomon, the Caucasus, in five days.

“The Marta” became a witness to this ice-breaking journey. As the shipowner and merchant, Gate’s intelligence was undoubtedly admirable. While Komer was busy negotiating shipping rights with merchants and shipowners from all directions, he was already busy purchasing large quantities of food to stockpile, preparing for trade with the Caucasus. It was clear that once the Catania River route was opened, the vast market of the Caucasus would be accessible to the upper and middle reaches of the river. If they could seize the opportunity to take advantage of the huge price differences in food and various necessities between the two regions, they would reap enormous profits.

When Komer and his party set sail from Luxembourg Port aboard “The Marta,” the ship was already loaded with so much food and liquor that the waterline was less than ten centimeters above the safety limit. Only two tiny cabins were left for Komer and his group, and even Gate didn’t reserve a cabin for himself. He preferred to sleep with the enthusiastic sailors at the bow, where the ship was also packed with cargo, rather than seek short-term comfort at the expense of potential profits. The ship’s heavy load made Komer doubt its safety, especially since there were several women on board who couldn’t swim. If the ship sank due to excessive weight, this successful journey would turn into a tragic one. After much persuasion, Gate finally added some floating wooden rings to both sides of the ship as an auxiliary means to increase buoyancy, though this would slow down the ship’s speed. Fortunately, there was no need for speed on this journey, so it wasn’t a problem.

“The Marta” glided smoothly across the water. The Catania River had abundant water and a fast flow, but its broad expanse and steady, even currents made it an ideal golden waterway, spanning the entire central part of the Azure Continent. Warm sea breezes from the Midland Ocean blew upstream along the river mouth all year round, reaching as far as the Nibea region in the upper reaches of the Catania River. These breezes brought abundant rainfall to the areas along the river, nourishing the land on both banks and keeping the river’s water level stable throughout the year, free from the seasonal fluctuations common in other rivers. Whether going with or against the current, these two opposing natural forces made the Catania River a dream waterway for merchants and shipowners. Unfortunately, this waterway was limited to the upper and middle reaches of the river. The dominance and brutality of the Jellyfish People had turned the lower reaches into stagnant waters. Although shipping was highly developed in the upper and middle reaches, the Caucasus in the lower reaches never benefited from that prosperity.

The sails of the schooner were tightly wrapped up. Unless an emergency stop was needed, with such calm water currents, the crew didn’t have to worry much—only the helmsman needed to keep an eye on the river surface. In fact, before official navigation began, there were hardly any ships on the river at all. The jellyfish people rarely crossed the Catania River with their rafts, so most of the time the helmsman was idle as well.

The warm sunlight shone on the deck, making people drowsy. The river breeze at noon had also weakened considerably, but it still felt refreshing when it blew across the face. Komer leaned against the food pack, gazing up at the blue sky and white clouds. The slight sweetness from the reed stems in his mouth brought a series of images to his mind. His mood at that moment was as sweet as those reed stems, indescribably pleasant. There were over 300 species of reeds in the Great Swamp Region, and this sweet reed was said to be the most important. Not only could the juice extracted from its stems be refined into reed sugar, but the stems could also be used to weave the grass products favored by the jellyfish people.

Eve eventually gave in to the pressure of her companions’ survival and agreed to his suggestion. Komer felt a bit despicable—using lies and threats just to gain support and stay with the woman he liked. But in truth, both Komer and Eve knew that aside from Komer’s desire for them to go to the Caucasus, many of the possibilities he listed weren’t entirely hypothetical. Mercenary groups like the Night Angel Mercenaries might have some reputation in the underworld, but they were insignificant to nations. The reason they allowed Eve’s group to flee here was mainly due to an overestimation of their strength, along with fear that more people would pay attention to the matter or even discover the truth. Once Eve’s group stepped out of the Northern Alliance’s influence zone, into neutral territory, or even to those other ethnic nations in the south that had little connection with the Northern Alliance countries, they could act without restraint.