Chapter 390: Simple Pier

The northern reaches of the Ubei region had once been a wilderness of quiet woodlands, but with the arrival of the first construction crews nearly three months past, a slow transformation had begun to ripple across the landscape.

Row upon row of crude shanties had been erected, offering sufficient shelter for the laborers who had come to carve out a port from the coast.

Slightly removed from the perimeter of these makeshift quarters stood a few structures of somewhat finer make, reserved for the overseers of the project.

"My lord, look over there."

Guided by Amon, the master builder in charge of the port's construction, Ronin made his way to the seashore.

Following the direction of Amon's pointing finger, he caught sight of a rudimentary pier being built in the proper fashion toward the north.

At that moment, workers were exerting themselves with earth rammers, driving wooden pilings deep into the seabed, while carpenters joined timber planks to assemble a bridge rising several meters high; once completed, people would be able to board the decks directly from its span.

"Lord Rhys and a few strong swimmers have checked the underwater conditions several times, and everything is clear—no jagged reefs anywhere, and navigating will be entirely trouble-free."

A flash of pride crossed Amon’s face; he had taken a liking to this spot at first glance, and time had proven his judgment to be quite sound.

Before long, Ronin walked beneath the wooden bridge.

Beholding the thick supporting pillars, which a grown man could barely wrap his arms around, he harbored no doubts regarding the structure's load-bearing capacity.

"Lord Amon, how long do you estimate such a rudimentary pier can remain in service?"

"A very long time!"

Amon spoke with absolute certainty. "My lord, though we call it a rudimentary pier, we dared not cut any corners during its construction. Provided it is properly maintained, this pier can last at least seven or eight years! By then, your main port will have long been completed!"

Ronin nodded in silent contemplation.

Even granting that the man might be exaggerating a bit, it should at least last half that time, shouldn't it?

If it proved any shorter, it would be deemed a structural failure, and even if Ronin chose not to pursue the matter, Victorino would surely hold these people accountable.

A nobleman’s gold was not something to be wasted so lightly.

"How much longer do you anticipate it will take to finish this pier?"

Ronin inquired, "I need to arrange for the ships to be dispatched ahead of time."

Amon glanced at the ongoing work and said with a smile, "Seven days at the most and it will be finished; you may make your arrangements in advance, my lord. Although the pier is limited in length and can only berth two ships at once, this area is deep enough to anchor a double-digit fleet of vessels!"

The underlying meaning was clear: Ronin could sail over as many ships as he possessed.

Seven days—sailing all the way from Jiliu Island to this place would probably take just about that long, wouldn't it?

Which meant it was time to notify Carradah and the others to begin their preparations.

"My lord, you have arrived!"

Rhys, who had been leading the naval training, approached them; nowadays, a smile often graced the knight's face, though it was difficult to tell whether it was genuine or forced.

Rhys was inherently a singularly focused man, whose style of execution had always been driven toward perfection.

The thirty sturdy young men recruited from Swamp Town had, after more than a month of his rigorous drilling, entirely overcome their dread of the sea; nearshore diving and leaping into the waves were no longer an issue, and the next step would be the intensive conditioning of their physical endurance.

Now that the Awakening Potion had been brewed by Elrond, Ronin intended to select a few promising lads from the navy, infantry, and archers to cultivate, establishing them as role models to stimulate the potential of the rest.

After inspecting the port, Ronin paid a visit to Jiliu Island to inform Carradah that the rudimentary pier at Ubei Port was nearing completion.

Upon hearing the news, Carradah and his companions were overjoyed.

They were all men possessed of ambition, and remaining stationed on Jiliu Island forever was not their ultimate goal.

Opening the shipping route between the Ubei region and Jiliu Island would be their first step beyond the isolated shores.

In this era, devoid of satellite navigation, one required a wealth of sailing experience to master the currents and reach a destination across the vast, open sea.

Although Captain Vic possessed considerable nautical experience, his voyages had been confined to the Screaming Sea, never venturing past the North Sea toward the south.

Under normal circumstances, trialing a new shipping route would bound to require a period of trial and error.

However, Ronin had already instructed Carlos to familiarize himself with the surrounding waters, intending for the creature to serve as a beacon once the ships set sail, guiding their course in real-time.

By the time Ronin returned to Swamp Castle, it was already the twenty-first of March.

"My lord, a letter arrived from Wushan Castle four days ago. Lord Elrond sent Tom to Ubei Port to inform you, but found that you had already departed."

The moment Ronin stepped inside, Galen the butler reported the news to him.

"What was written in the letter?" Ronin asked.

Galen shook his head. "I do not know, my lord. No one dared open it, and it still lies upon your desk."

Ronin paused, only then recalling that he had indeed never permitted anyone to read his correspondence without authorization.

"It seems I must categorize the mail; letters addressed to me personally can be left unopened, but if they concern other matters, I must allow others to look into them."

Had it been an urgent plea for aid from Wushan Castle, and no action was taken because Ronin was away, it might well be too late by the time he returned.

Ronin went straight to his study, broke the seal of the letter upon his desk, and began to read.

His brow furrowed slightly; the text merely requested that he return to Wushan Castle as soon as he could find the time, yet it failed to specify the exact