830 Spread (1/2)

Malan Port.

This was a common port in Ettoman, with thousands of tons of shipments entering and exiting it every day.

The blue sky was cloudless. On the dock, a tax collector responsible for registration yawned in boredom and rubbed his eyes.

Although it was an ordinary dock, he could collect a considerable amount of mooring and maintenance fees every day. Even the officers of city hall felt envious about it.

It evidently took a lot of effort for him to reach this position.

But it was not yet the peak trading period. The warm afternoon sun dispersed the morning fog and made him feel sleepy.

Suddenly, he stared wide-eyed in a direction.

At the end of the blue ocean, a black dot suddenly appeared.

The black dot was too small. It took a long time for it to drift near the dock, and it turned out to be a crude—wooden raft?

”What the hell!”

The tax collector rubbed his face in a daze and blinked hard, only to confirm that it was indeed an ordinary wooden raft, even inferior to a fishing boat. Furthermore, there was a figure with green hair on the raft.

Thump!

The raft slowly drew near the shore, and a man with a savage appearance stepped onto the dock with a confident and proud expression.

”Hello, sir!”

The tax collector looked at the patrolling soldiers around him and gained some confidence, taking out a pen and paper while approaching him. ”By the king's decree, any ship stopping at the port must be registered. May I know your name, please?”

The laws in Ettoman were still somewhat unreasonable at this time. For instance, in the inland territories, any goods dropped on the road would automatically become the local nobility's possessions!

Thus, some of the nobles intentionally built roads full of pits in order to increase their income.

Of course, such feudal lords had gradually become irrelevant as society developed. They were on the decline compared to the new powers in the ever-changing Ettoman.

And according to the king's laws, any ship that stopped at an Ettoman port had to pay port dues!

To a tax collector who tried to maximize income, was a wooden raft counted as well? Of course it was!

”No problem… My name is Donald!” Donald made a gentleman's bow. Although he looked like a savage now, his aura was incomparable. He added, ”The navigator of Flame and Beauty!”

”Oh! God!” The quill pen in the tax collector's hand dropped onto the ground. ”Goddess bless you! You're still alive?”

”Hmm…” Donald's voice was low. ”Has everyone heard that we encountered pirates?”

”In our port, yes, because your captain chose this port as the final destination and applied for a warehouse in advance. One month after he breached the contract, we learned from the shareholders and creditors who unsuccessfully invested that Flame and Beauty had encountered pirates and all the sailors had died… By the way, the ship was sold for three thousand gold coins at an auction in a pirate port…” the tax collector said everything he knew and appeared to be sorry. ”And… sir, because of your declaration, I'm sorry to inform you that you will need to proceed to the port's security office to be investigated by the security officer and the navy department!”

Based on Donald's clothes and vehicle, the tax collector deduced that he was only a survivor, but he had to go through the necessary procedures.

Deep down, he was sympathetic toward Donald.

It was already incredible to survive the pirates' attack, flee to a deserted island, and make a raft to save himself.

It was a miracle to travel across the ocean on a wooden raft despite the currents and waves!

But unfortunately, the creator of this miracle would receive debts rather than flowers and acclaim after reaching Ettoman.

He clearly remembered that some of the creditors were looking for Donald to get him to pay the debt.

As long as the news spread out, they would not miss it.

And by then, the impoverished Donald would definitely be in an extremely poor situation. Bankruptcy was already the best possible outcome.

”I understand. Thank you for your reminder!” Donald smiled and took out a pearl. ”This is my entry fee and mooring fee. The rest is your tip.”

”Uh… Thank you, sir!”

The tax collector stared at the pearl in his hand.

Even with the advent of the Great Voyage Era, precious items like pearls and agates were still highly valuable.

Furthermore, the tax collector had glanced at Donald's pocket when he opened it and estimated that there were about a hundred pearls inside, each of them with a higher quality than the one in his hand!

”Now, before bringing me to the security office, help me find a hotel. I need to sleep, shower, and have a sumptuous feast!”

Donald smiled confidently, revealing his white teeth.

After becoming an Ocean Warlock, he could obtain any treasure in the ocean. Thus, these debts were nothing to him.

…

Merely three days later, a piece of shocking news spread in Malan Port.

A voyager of Flame and Beauty, who everyone believed to have died at sea, returned to Ettoman half a year after the event!

Moreover, not only did he survive the pirates' attack, but he had also miraculously found a treasure trove of pearls, paying off all his debts at once and becoming a slightly famous plutocrat!