Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start

Although Baron Hamet, who had gone to survey Wubei Territory, had not yet returned, the cooperation between Ronin and Vitorino could already be finalized.

Vitorino had initially been skeptical of Ronin’s proposal, but now the other party had transformed into the Lord of Rapids Island, and Rapids Island’s location was excellent.

Having been the Lord of Sharp Horn City for many years, he was not without insight. He vaguely suspected this might be His Majesty the King’s way of using the Wushan Clan to counterbalance Screaming Island.

As this suspicion took root, Vitorino naturally grew more and more interested in cooperating with Ronin.

This might be the Dennis Clan’s opportunity to grow, and he had to seize it.

After a round of discussions, the terms of their cooperation could be summarized into three main points:

First, he needed the Dennis Clan to provide enough artisans and specialists to build him a temporary dock and, eventually, a formal port.

Second, he needed the Dennis Clan to train and provide him with experienced captains, sailors, and other relevant personnel.

Finally, Ronin needed the Dennis Clan to build a shipyard on Rapids Island. He had no desire to keep buying warships and cargo ships from the Earl of Scream Island Clan.

The Dennis Clan was quite proficient in these areas, so Viscount Vitorino had no objections to the three proposed terms.

However, the two disagreed on the method of cooperation.

Ronin had originally intended a “buyout” arrangement, such as paying them a certain amount of Gold Coins to handle these matters for him.

But their asking price made him balk—

The port construction would cost three hundred thousand Gold Coins, while building the shipyard and handling the transfer and training for shipbuilding technology would cost eight hundred thousand Gold Coins.

On top of that, Ronin would also have to pay the workers’ wages and provide them with food and lodging.

Vitorino did say that Ronin would only need to pay a deposit of three hundred thousand upfront, with the rest to be paid in installments plus interest.

But Ronin was still daunted by such exorbitant fees.

Fortunately, there was a second option for their cooperation.

Vitorino could provide all of the above for free. Ronin would only need to provide food and lodging for the workers.

The condition was that after the port and shipyard in Wubei Territory were built, Sharp Horn City could participate in their subsequent management and permanently take a fifty-percent share of the profits.

This was an arrangement Ronin could accept.

After all, the investment could be shared, and besides, he was completely in the dark about port management and would need to bring in professionals anyway.

However, he had a major issue with the proposed profit split.

While Sharp Horn City’s help and support were certainly important, everything was being built upon the foundation Ronin had provided.

Both Wubei Territory and Rapids Island were his domains.

Furthermore, he was very confident in the future prosperity of the Wubei port. If he was right, Vitorino taking a permanent fifty-percent share of the profits was simply too much!

After several difficult rounds of negotiations over the next two days, the two parties finally reached an agreement.

Ronin would concede thirty percent of the port’s profits;

He would only give ten percent of the profits from the shipyard and shipbuilding on Rapids Island.

They also agreed that Ronin would have absolute control over all matters, what is commonly known as veto power.

Vitorino was clearly not very satisfied with this outcome.

However, seeing that Ronin was fully prepared to go it alone without his support, he had no choice but to agree so as not to miss the opportunity.

The good news was that while the investment was large, the returns should be substantial if it succeeded.

If they could truly suppress Screaming Island in the future, just as Ronin said, and protect the ships from Dennis Port, then such an investment was completely acceptable for Sharp Horn City.

As for Ronin’s veto power, Vitorino wasn’t particularly concerned.

After all, the port and shipyard were on someone else’s land, so controlling them would be difficult. It was better to focus on making money than to waste energy on a futile struggle for control.

Once the cooperation was finalized and the contract signed, Vitorino immediately took action. Surveyors were already dispatched to Wubei Territory, and the next step was to recruit workers.

Meanwhile, Ronin needed to determine the port’s construction site and then organize the manpower to build accommodations for the workers.

If all went well, a new city would rise there in the future.

After leaving Sharp Horn City, Ronin and his two companions were escorted by Melonika to Wushan Castle.

The bodyguard had successfully completed his mission and could now focus on adapting to his new Meteor Level strength.

Lurans was extremely pleased with his grandson’s accomplishments. After expressing his concern, he also asked about the construction plans for Rapids Island.

Ronin held nothing back, telling him about the cooperation with Viscount Vitorino.

“Cooperating with Sharp Horn City is indeed a wise move.”

It was now November, and the temperature was gradually dropping. Compared to last winter, Lurans seemed to feel the cold more this year and had already wrapped himself tightly in a woolen blanket.

“Cooperation is the only way to achieve a win-win, after all.”

Ronin said with a smile, “If I tried to develop it all by myself, starting everything from scratch, I might eventually succeed, but it would take a much longer time. By attracting others to invest in my Wubei Territory, the returns will come much faster.”

Lurans nodded and cautioned, “A win-win cooperation is all well and good, but don’t let your guard down and allow them to usurp your authority.”

“I understand.”

Lurans looked at his eldest grandson and couldn’t help but sigh. “It’s a pity, but there’s a limit to how much I can help you with matters in the Screaming Sea. How you contend with the Fleming Clan will be up to you.”

Giving the Fifth Knight Order to Ronin was likely the greatest military support he could provide. Anything else he could offer was quite limited.

Perhaps after he died, the massive amount of Gold Coins spent each year to alleviate the pain of the Soul-Devouring Surge would be freed up. Then, Wushan Castle should be able to form more Knight Orders.

However, the one who would inherit the title of Marquis was Wiggin, and he wouldn’t necessarily support Ronin the way Lurans did.

’Perhaps I need to transfer more resources to Ronin before I die.’

While Lurans was thinking this, he didn’t forget to add a word of caution:

“I must remind you, the Fleming Clan’s ancestors included a Magic Master. As a Magic Family, their heritage runs deep. They don’t lack for Magic Energy Cannons or Magic Weapons. You must not provoke a conflict unless you are absolutely certain of victory.”

Ronin nodded gravely. He couldn’t agree more.

Fortunately, he was currently following a strategy of lying low and biding his time, so there would be no open conflict for now.

“You can leave all of this to me, Grandpa. You just need to focus on resting and taking care of yourself. There’s still a long road ahead.”

Hearing this, Lurans let out a hearty laugh. He knew his time was short.

“Didn’t you just mention that you plan to develop a city near the port? Do you have any plans drawn up?”

Ronin scratched his head. “It’s just a concept for now; I don’t have any concrete plans yet. However, I’m very confident in Wubei Territory’s development. In the future, this city will at least be on par with Horn Bay.”

“That’s a major city.”

Lurans was also looking forward to Ronin establishing such a new city. “Planning a major city must be done carefully. When the time comes, I’ll have your father provide you with a team of city planners to assist you.”

“Thank you, Grandpa!” Ronin said, filled with gratitude.

Although Ronin didn’t know much about urban planning, he had his own ideas.

He wasn’t aiming to rival a modern city, but he wanted to make breakthroughs in details like spatial layout, land use, drainage design, and sewage treatment, giving the city a fresh, new feel.

However, this was a long-term project that would require discussion and implementation one step at a time.

After a brief stay at Wushan Castle, Ronin went to the back mountain, climbed aboard Carlos, and flew directly to Wubei Territory, leaving the Cloud Stepper for Tom and David to bring back.

The trip had taken nearly two months from start to finish. Now that he was back in his territory, it was time to see what he had gained.