The harbor wharf was brightly lit.
Torches were stuck into the wooden pilings of the pier, stretching from the warehouses on the shore all the way to the very front of the dock.
"Hurry! Hurry!"
A sailor with a thick beard stood by the gangplank, gesturing frantically with both hands.
"Get those crates on board too, the ship is about to depart!"
Sailors, shouldering heavy wooden crates, ran back and forth between the pier and the ship's side, panting heavily but not daring to stop.
A large three-masted sailing ship was docked at the outermost berth of the wharf. Half of its sails were already unfurled, the mainsail flapping noisily against the mast as if eager to take flight.
On each side of the ship stood several sailors clad in leather armor, holding crossbows, their eyes scanning the darkness on the shore with vigilance.
Further away, dozens of similar ships were docked at other berths, also brightly lit and bustling with moving figures.
But soon, the sound of galloping hooves came from the direction of the wharf entrance, breaking through the clamor, growing louder and closer like rolling thunder approaching from afar.
The bearded sailor by the gangplank looked up towards the source of the sound.
The torchlight illuminated a grey warhorse, upon whose back crouched a figure in a dark cloak.
The horse ran swiftly, its hooves striking sparks on the stone-paved ground, its mane flowing in the wind like a grey banner.
"Who goes there—" the bearded man began, but his voice caught in his throat.
Because he saw the bow in that person's hand.
It was a longbow, its limbs carved with intricate runes. The bow was fully drawn, the string taut to its limit, emitting a faint hum.
"No... don't..."
The sailors froze in fright, stopping their work.
Someone dropped the crate from their shoulder and raised their hands. The crate hit the ground with a heavy thud, its lid jarred open, spilling several gold coins that rolled out, clinking and spinning in circles on the stone floor.
Nolan did not look at those gold coins.
His gaze passed over the sailors' heads, over the ship's side, and settled on the large ship docked at the berth. His fingers released the bowstring.
The arrow sprang from the bowstring, passing through the glow of the torches, through the terrified gazes of the sailors on the ship's side, and struck the main sail of the first ship.
The sailcloth let out a heavy tearing sound, as if something had ripped a gash across its surface.
A second arrow followed immediately, then a third, a fourth, a fifth...
Arrows flew from the bowstring one after another, tracing invisible trajectories through the air.
The second sail split open, then the third. Fragments of sailcloth danced in the night wind, swirling above the wharf before settling on the water's surface, floating on the dark waves like pieces of white duckweed.
The wharf fell silent.
The sailors stood frozen in place, their expressions caught between terror and confusion.
No one spoke, no one moved. Only the torches crackled in the wind, only the sailcloth fragments gently slapped against the ship's side on the water.
Nolan lowered his bow and reined in his horse.
The warhorse turned in a circle, its hooves making crisp sounds on the stone floor before stopping, standing at the entrance to the pier.
His gaze passed over those sailors, over the ships docked along the shore, and settled on the dark sea in the distance.
A dozen or so ships had already sailed out of the harbor.
Among them was a two-masted sailing ship, smaller than the three docked at the wharf, its sails dark, almost invisible in the night.
It had already passed the breakwater and was moving slowly on the open sea. The wake at its stern shimmered with a dim silvery-white under the moonlight.
Several people stood at the stern.
Light from torches inside the cabin shone through the windows, illuminating their faces, outlining their silhouettes against the darkness.
Simon.
He faced the harbor, towards Nolan on the shore. The firelight flickered on his face, illuminating the curve of his mouth.
It didn't look like a smile, more like a sneer.
Nolan looked at him deeply, knowing he had arrived too late. Even if his arrows could reach that distance, they would be blocked by the Extraordinary professionals or magic formations on the ship.
There was no longer any need to act.
He hung his bow back on the hook beside the saddle. His gaze withdrew from the sea and fell upon the stunned sailors still on the wharf.
"The Storm Fleet, colluding with traitors. The tribunal will judge your crimes later."
"Do not think escape will solve anything."
"Yes, yes... Lord Nolan."
Those people, meeting his gaze as if burned by something, lowered their heads one after another. Some simply squatted down, holding their heads with both hands, shoulders trembling slightly.
Nolan turned his horse around. Its hooves made several crisp clacking sounds on the stone floor before stopping.
He took one last look back at the ships gradually disappearing into the dark seawater, then rode away without looking back.
He knew his feud with the Merchant Alliance was not over yet.
At the very least, that Slime Demon King would not let him off.
...
The Magical Creature Army officially took up residence in Misty Bay Harbor three days later.
For those three days, Misty Bay Harbor resembled not a city, but an anthill that had been poked hard in the middle.
The fire in the Western District burned for a full night before being extinguished, consuming three streets of houses and one warehouse. Thick layers of ash covered the streets, kicking up black dust when stepped on.
The blood in the harbor district was diluted by seawater. Demon corpses were taken away for mass burning, but dark red stains could still be seen in the cracks between the stones.
Especially since the vault doors of most banks had been blown open, leaving only empty shells inside. The gold coins had all been taken by the Storm Fleet.
The councilors and guards spent two days thoroughly cleaning up the demons that had crawled out from the fissure, also killing many lawless individuals who took advantage of the chaos to commit crimes.
Order began to be restored on the third day.
The harbor district reopened, but only a few small coastal vessels shuttled between the docks, transporting grain and vegetables brought in from the countryside.
Barricades on the streets were removed, shops reopened, but business was very slow. Shopkeepers hid behind their counters, cautiously eyeing the patrols passing by on the street.
The patrols were no longer the Merchant Alliance's guards.
Leading the way were several slimes, round and plump, their bodies a light green, translucent like jadeite in the sunlight.
They bounced along, one hop after another, the *squish-squish* sounds carrying far on the stone-paved road, making citizens hide inside their houses and peek out curiously.
And in front of the Merchant Alliance's highest council hall, the flag embroidered with a scale was lowered, replaced by a slime flag.
In the highest office, the fireplace was still burning. The firelight reflected on the oil paintings of former councilors on the walls, illuminating their stern faces, but the person sitting in the chair was different now.
Yano sat at the desk, leaning back in the chair, curiously tracing the carved patterns on the armrests with his fingers.
Two people still stood in front of the desk.
Nolan stood to the left of the long table, his body tense. Samuel stood beside him, his posture much more relaxed.
However, their gazes did not linger on Yano, but settled on his shoulder.
Perched on Yano's shoulder was a slime.
No, it should now be addressed as King Majesty.
Its gel was a deep green, as green as the thickest summer shade, glowing with a warm luster under the fireplace light, like polished jadeite.
It wore a small crown on its head, draped in a red cloak, holding its head high with a kingly dignity.
"Your Majesty, please review. This is the city damage report just compiled." Nolan carefully took out the document report, smoothing it flat on the desk.
At this moment, this Extraordinary professional was as nervous as a child having his homework checked by a teacher, his eyes filled with unease.
Only Samuel patted his shoulder, telling him to relax.
"Let me see."
Chen Yu's gaze shifted from Nolan's face. It bounced down from Yano's shoulder, landing on the desk with a *squish*.
It hopped over to the paper filled with numbers, reading them from beginning to end.
"City Damage Statistics — Forty-seven houses burned in Western District. Two docks and six warehouses damaged in Harbor District. Bank vaults looted. Estimated loss approximately seven hundred thousand gold coins."
"Civilian casualties — One thousand one hundred nineteen dead. Over six thousand six hundred injured."
"Demon cleanup costs, compensation for the wounded, housing reconstruction, total approximately one hundred fifty thousand gold coins."
Chen Yu put its hands on its hips.
"So, you're saying that guy named Simon or whatever, ran off with most of my wealth, injured my subjects, and wrecked my harbor?"
Its voice was soft and sticky, as if someone were speaking from within a pile of cotton. But Nolan did not dare be negligent. He understood clearly what a terrifying Demon King was hidden beneath this harmless exterior.
He stepped forward, right fist pressed against his left chest, giving a slight bow.
"Your Majesty, we have investigated. Those contacting the Caldwell Family were not merchants from the Golden Radiance Valley, but someone who sold their soul to demons."
"They seemed to have planned this in advance, taking advantage of this opportunity to harvest nearly a thousand civilian souls."
Nolan's voice paused. He closed his eyes, mourning the departed for three seconds before opening them again.
"From this day forward, our Merchant Alliance is sworn enemies with demons."
"But please do not misunderstand, Your Majesty. The former commercial kingdom is a thing of the past. Now we are willing to become an organization under the governance of the Slime Kingdom."
Chen Yu crouched on the desk, looking at Nolan. It looked for a while, its body swaying slightly.
"Hmm."
Its gaze shifted from Nolan to another report on the desk.
This was a statistical report sent from the Magical Creature Legion headquarters, much thicker than Nolan's.
The first page listed military organization and personnel numbers — it skipped that. The second page listed grain, material consumption, and captured goods — it skipped that too. It stopped at the third page.
"Merchant Alliance Treasury Inventory — Gold Coins: Three million one hundred seventy-four thousand six hundred twenty-two."
"Silver Coins: Over one million two hundred thirty-eight thousand."
"Various Enchanted Equipment: Over six thousand four hundred pieces."
"Magic Materials, Rare Metals, Gems, Artworks: Equivalent to approximately two million gold coins."
Three million plus gold coins?!
Chen Yu was stunned.
What was he looking at?
The construction cost of a single Floating Fortress, including materials, labor, magic formation setup, and debugging, was about one million gold coins.
Three million meant three Floating Fortresses.
If you added the value of those enchanted equipment and magic materials, maybe two more could be built.
He had farmed for so long in the swamp, smelted ore for so long, and the fortune he had accumulated wasn't even a fraction of the Merchant Alliance Treasury's holdings.
And this was *after* being looted.
Those Storm soldiers had carried away who knows how many crates of gold and silver coins from the vaults. What was loaded on Simon's ship alone was worth at least several million.
If it hadn't been looted... he didn't dare imagine.
However, currently the Floating Fortress was still in the construction phase. Even engine verification hadn't started yet. Whether it could actually fly was still unknown.
Hundreds of blueprints had been drawn, over a dozen models made, but the actual prototype was still squatting at the bottom of the drydock construction pit, with only the foundation built.
Three million gold coins sounded like a lot, but only when this money was actually moved from the treasury, transported to the shipyard, and turned into obsidian, mithril, and magic crystals would it count.
And this was just the money in the treasury.
The Merchant Alliance was less a kingdom and more a merchant guild.
What the treasury held was just the wealth on paper — the taxes, tariffs, and trade concession fees the councilors paid annually.
The real wealth wasn't here; it was beneath the mansions of those merchants.
The wealth accumulated by those noble merchant families over generations — gold coins piled in family vaults, silver ingots hidden in cellars, gems locked in safes... the sum of these figures was probably far greater than the gold coins in the treasury.
But then, this money wasn't easy to touch at the moment.
He couldn't just barge into those merchants' mansions, pry open their vaults, and carry the money away.
Doing so wasn't impossible, but it would mean completely losing the trust of the citizens of this land, and the kingdom's credibility would plummet to rock bottom.
At that point, everyone would live in fear, resistance would be constant, and the money he'd spend governing order might even exceed what he could seize from raiding merchant mansions.
He had just had Nolan announce the Merchant Alliance would become an organization under the Slime Kingdom. Turning around and ransacking their homes... ahem... would be a bit impolite.
He needed to think of some clever methods, preferably ones that would make them willingly take out their money and even feel grateful to him.
It thought for a moment, couldn't come up with anything, and decided to shelve the thought for now.
Its gaze returned to Nolan.
"How many Extraordinary professionals like you are left in the Merchant Alliance? Mercenaries don't count."
Nolan lowered his head in thought, running through a mental list.
"Your Majesty, the scope of 'mercenaries' you mentioned is quite broad. Even Samuel could be considered a mage hired by the Merchant Alliance."
"If we count those who haven't left the Alliance, there are three remaining. Adding the two captured, that makes five."
Chen Yu's body swayed slightly.
Five Extraordinary professionals.
Not bad. At least some were willing to stay.
"After this busy period, find a time. I want to meet them."
Nolan gave a slight bow.
"As you command, Your Majesty."
He straightened up, remained silent for a moment as if hesitating about something, then spoke.
"Your Majesty, the matter of the negotiations..."
He didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear.
The negotiations concluded two days ago.
Samuel led the Envoy Delegation to the Gold Lionheart Fortress and negotiated with the Slime Kingdom's ministers for two full days.
The negotiation process wasn't smooth. Several times it nearly broke down, but finally, through Samuel's mediation, an agreement was reached.
He heard the Slime Kingdom originally had a crow minister, sharp-tongued and sarcastic, but fortunately it wasn't present, otherwise the negotiations might have been even worse.
The agreement wasn't lengthy, but each clause was written clearly.
The Merchant Alliance's merchants would not be purged, their property would not be confiscated, they would not be driven from their homes.
But as the price, the Misty Bay Harbor Trade Alliance would lose all administrative power, downgraded from a commercial kingdom to a commercial organization.
Their army would be disbanded, their council closed, their flag lowered from the flagpole.
The Merchant Alliance would pay a sufficient monthly administrative transition tax to the Slime Kingdom, to be used during the transition period. Only after the Slime Kingdom fully controlled this land and restored order here would the administrative transition tax be canceled, reverting to normal taxation.
This tax was no small amount. Divided among each merchant guild, it would be enough to make them wince in pain for years.
But this was also the price they had to pay as the defeated side.
As for when "full control" was achieved, when "order was restored," that depended on the mood of that slime.
The tax was heavy, but better than losing their lives.
These merchants understood perfectly well. Who knew if these magical creatures crawling out of the swamp were civilized or not?
If they got angry and threw everyone into the sea to feed the fish, there wouldn't even be a place to cry.
Chen Yu crouched on the desk, its body swaying.
"Of course it counts."
It bounced over from the desk, landing in front of Nolan.
"However, after order is restored, I will send slimes here to establish an academy. All merchants and nobles, and their children, must enter the academy to study the kingdom's laws, striving to become law-abiding good citizens."
Yano quietly reminded from the side.
"Boss, don't forget to ask them for the ransom."
Chen Yu's body jiggled, as if reminded of something.
"Right, the ransom."
It puffed out its chest, making its body as round and full as possible, trying to appear as dignified as it could.
"Don't forget to pay the ransom. It's mandatory."
"The captured soldiers are fine. After the legion is disbanded, they will return to their hometowns. When the kingdom needs them in the future, they will be summoned again."
For some reason, a great wave of relief washed over Nolan's heart.
Perhaps it was the psychological comfort of knowing his soldiers were still alive and safe, or perhaps he felt the Slime King was merciful enough that the outcome wasn't as bad as he had imagined.
It was like a person walking a very long road, walking for a long time, growing very tired, finally seeing a door ahead with light shining from within.
He bent at the waist, right fist pressed against his left chest, and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."