Chapter 217: Tim's Journey (1)

Fifty kilometers outside Kumlinge lay Snowscale Island.

Ten years ago, Snowscale Island had been a wild place infested with vipers and prowling beasts. Yet because its terrain was flat, its soil fertile, and its location close to Kumlinge, observers from the monster expeditionary army had marked it on a list of agricultural islands worthy of development.

Consequently, the dangerous beasts on Snowscale Island were cleared out entirely by the even fiercer monster army, leaving behind a safe little island for the incoming logistics personnel to develop.

Because their previous living environment had been harsh, the former chieftain of the Snowscale Clan eagerly answered the call of White Castle, making them the first fish-man clan to relocate to this agricultural island. The nameless little island was thus named after them.

Having the naming rights snatched away by the fish-men left the Troglodyte Tribe, who had arrived just one day late, heartbroken yet utterly helpless.

And so, under the arrangement of White Castle, the fish-man clan and the Troglodyte Tribe—who otherwise would have had nothing to do with one another—became neighbors.

The fish-men of the Snowscale Clan established a new settlement in the coastal area—Snowscale Village—and vigorously developed marine aquaculture, becoming one of the many agricultural production bases of White Castle.

Time proved just how wise the previous chieftain's decision had been.

With a safe environment and ample food, the Snowscale Clan continued to grow and flourish. Within a mere few years, their population surged threefold. It wasn't until White Castle issued a notice requiring all excess fish roe to be handed over to the organization that the Snowscale Clan's population growth rate was gradually brought under control.

Even so, the remaining population was more than enough for Snowscale Village to be upgraded into Snowscale Town.

Later on, White Castle issued a series of other directives, including monogamy, a talent-testing system, and much more.

In short, ever since the Snowscale Clan submitted to White Castle, the lives of the Snowscale fish-men had undergone a radical transformation.

Thus, the fish-men of the Snowscale Clan lived in peace under the protection of White Castle for ten full years. The price was thirty percent of their annual harvest. According to the village chief, who had returned after attending pre-job training at White Scale City, this practice was called taxation.

Because of his great strength, Tim Snowscale worked as a part-time dock porter, and every year he loaded the tax goods of Snowscale Town onto the ships of the tax-collecting detachment.

At first, Tim did not understand what taxes were, and he did not dare ask.

After all, the weapons in the hands of the fish-men who came to collect taxes gleamed brightly and were terrifyingly intimidating. Moreover, they brought along giant turtles the size of five fish-men put together, which were said to be called Bronze-Backed Alligator Turtles.

Later, after he was forced to learn how to read and write, along with some basic knowledge, Tim roughly understood the meaning of taxes.

Taxes were the necessary material foundation used to support the fish-man army of White Castle and protect the people so they could live in peace and contentment.

Erm... at least, that was the explanation given by the teacher who taught the fish-man commoners.

In Tim's own understanding, however, it was just protection money.

This year, Tim Snowscale hauled bundles of air-dried sea fish and kelp onto the ship just as he always did, then collected his wages from the foreman on the dock. A full day of this work earned him three silver coins, which was enough to support his family for a week.

Today was a bit different, however. Just as Tim collected his pay from the foreman and prepared to leave, the foreman—Uncle Tassi—called out to him.

"Tim, would you be willing to make a trip with the transport team? They're hiring porters, and they're offering a high price: five silver coins a day."

"Ah? Five! I'm willing! Yes, of course I am."

Hearing that it paid five silver coins a day, Tim nodded repeatedly. After all, work wasn't always available at the docks, and earning even a single silver coin a day was far more lucrative than staying home to farm.

"But I need to go back and tell Lisan. If I just disappear, she'll worry."

The foreman waved a large hand.

"I'll tell her for you when I head back, lest the transport team leave without you. Plenty of people are scrambling for such a good opportunity. If I had your strength, I'd go myself. Besides, I heard this transport team is heading to the new capital of Kumlinge. I really envy you."

Even as ignorant as Tim was, he had heard the rumors about the new capital. Now that he actually had a chance to see it with his own eyes, excitement immediately surged within him.

"Then thank you, Uncle Tassi!"

Tim scampered eagerly up the wooden plank leaning against the ship's hull and leaped onto the deck.

On the deck, a fish-man soldier holding a longspear saw the bulky fish-man sprinting over and hurried to intercept him.

"Hey! What is your business here?!"

Tim stopped immediately, looked at the spear-wielding soldier, and flashed an ingratiating smile.

"Oh, Milord, I heard from Uncle Tassi that you're hiring porters here."

The soldier looked Tim up and down, thinking to himself that this bulky fellow would certainly make a qualified porter, and pointed toward the cabin.

"Go find Captain Moni in there. You're a lucky bastard—if one of our fish-man sailors hadn't gotten drunk in the middle of the night and tumbled into the sea without a trace, this job wouldn't have fallen to you."

Following the soldier's directions, Tim reached the captain's cabin, pushed the ajar door open, and walked directly inside. Seeing a one-eyed gnoll sitting in a chair, he was instantly struck dumb by the gnoll's dashing appearance.

There sat a tall gnoll with a ring of red fur around his neck, dressed in a red-and-blue captain's uniform and wearing a captain's hat along with a skull eyepatch. An aura of natural authority washed over him.

The gnoll captain, Moni Redmane, was in the midst of calculating their total food supplies when suddenly a bulky fish-man pushed the door open, barged right in, and stood there staring at him in a daze.

Had this fellow seriously never seen a gnoll before?!

Moni couldn't help but frown. Leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms to look at the fish-man, he spoke in a somewhat displeased tone.

"Strange fish-man, what is your business here?"

Tim snapped out of his daze and stammered in a panic.

"You... you must be Captain Moni? I heard your ship needs porters."

Moni looked the fish-man up and down, arriving at the exact same conclusion as the soldier.

"Yes, we do indeed need a porter. Once we reach Kumlinge, we need to move supplies onto the backs of the Bronze-Backed Alligator Turtles and transport them to the new capital's construction site. The pay is five silver coins a day."

"On the return trip, we can drop you off at the Snowscale Town dock, or we can carry you to the waters near Snowscale Island so you can swim back yourself. If you agree, sign this contract."

The gnoll drew a standard contract from a drawer and handed it to the fish-man.

Tim picked up the contract. Thanks to White Castle making it compulsory for every resident to learn basic literacy, he had no trouble understanding a black-and-white contract.

The gnoll captain, Moni, waited patiently. As a retired senior military officer who had transitioned to the Logistics Department to serve as a ship captain, he had at least that much patience.

Before long, the fish-man finished reading the contract.

"No problem! I'll sign!"

Tim picked up the quill from the desk and signed his name at the bottom of the contract.

The gnoll captain put the contract away, placed it back into the drawer, stood up, and shook hands with the fish-man.

"Welcome aboard the Cuttlefish!"

PS: Recommending a book, I Really Am Immortal.

(End of chapter)