Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 436 Franchisee

As mentioned earlier, this applies to the Kingdom of Serbia, especially to nobles at the bottom of the social pyramid, such as "Barons".

Nobility titles are not linked to territory.

Take Baron Faro as an example.

Both held the title of "Baron," but compared to the local tyrants in the inland regions, he had neither his own subjects nor the right to control the lives and deaths of ordinary civilians like a local emperor, and his income was far inferior.

On the surface, he owned a rather luxurious three-story mansion in the White Cliff District, and lived a life of luxury, with his own carriage and guards when he went out. He was very respectable, but compared with the barons in the inland areas who lived in towering fortresses and vast manors, with throngs of servants and even bathing in milk, he paled in comparison.

Of course, it's not entirely without its advantages.

After all, one is a remote rural area where you can hardly find any professionals, while the other is an important seaport city in the kingdom with a branch of the Adventurers' Guild. Their living environments are completely different.

On the other hand, although lower-ranking nobles like Baron Faro did not have their own land, their noble status and titles meant that they would not sell their physical labor for gold coins like the laborers at the Broken Wave Wharf.

They typically hold important, highly paid, and powerful positions in the town.

If one has good abilities and a certain degree of ambition, one will smoothly enter the official promotion system of the Governor's Office of Soho Bay from a very high starting point.

If one's abilities are average and one doesn't aspire to climb the corporate ladder, one can generally remain in a well-paid and easy deputy position until retirement.

Baron Faroth belonged to the former category.

Born into a military family and receiving elite education from a young age, his abilities are beyond question. However, due to his less-than-smooth personality, his promotion speed has been relatively slow.

Even so, his status as a "baron" still allowed him to become a chartered officer at the Governor's Office of Barat Bay at the age of forty-two.

The job title alone might not reveal much, but if you list the responsibilities involved, anyone with a certain sensitivity to the official ecosystem can see its value:
1. Responsible for issuing franchises for fishing, mining, salt production, and shipbuilding;

2. Responsible for permitting the expansion of wharf buildings, granting exclusive rights to certain commodities, and issuing temporary permits for the salvage of shipwrecks;
3. Review the qualifications of license applicants, investigate and assess local resource reserves, and set the franchisee's commission rate...

There are many more.

These three points alone are enough to demonstrate the high level of authority of this so-called "license approver".

To put it bluntly, if someone were to harbor even the slightest wicked intentions, given the size and prosperity of Suyu Bay, the amount of money they could make from just this one position would probably be more than the combined wealth of an entire territory held by some wealthy landowners in the inland regions.

This is the origin of Hein's association with Baron Faro.

As a druid of the Coral Society, her philosophy is to maintain the ecological balance of the ocean.

Even though his current strength is average, he is still a level 3 professional and has been assigned by the organization to protect a coral reef located in the southwest of Fish Bay.

At the same time, she is also an adventurer, and because of her spellcasting nature, she holds a near-core position in the team and often needs to go out on missions.

In this situation, it's impossible to live by the sea for extended periods like professional gravediggers who guard the coral reefs.

With this as a premise, through the channels of the three-legged seal, Hein and Baron Faro reached a cooperation agreement.

The Baron's side had their eyes on the Coral Society behind Hein. After all, the more powerful the forces he had to deal with, the more secure he would be as a "franchisee" in his position. It was also an investment in a spellcaster like Hein, hoping to reap the rewards as she grew in the future.
Hein, on the other hand, receives regular financial assistance, which supports her in hiring professionals to guard the coral reef and prevent it from being damaged or polluted on a large scale.

Even the waters where the coral reefs are located have been incorporated into a special operating zone that will never be developed, under the Baron's behind-the-scenes manipulation. This zone enjoys a "fishing moratorium" during certain seasons each year, and restricts the harvesting of corals and prohibits destructive fishing of reef organisms.

Hein was extremely grateful for Baron Faro's help.

At the same time, she was also well aware that if the other party encountered any problems, or even stepped down from the position of "franchisee certifier," his successor... might not be as easy to talk to as the Baron.

Now that she has heard the rumors of the Baron's daughter being abducted, she cannot possibly remain indifferent.

Is the information accurate?

Hein suddenly stopped and asked Xia Nan with a serious expression.

“There shouldn’t be any mistake.” Xia Nan nodded. “I learned about this from Hera of the Three-Legged Sea Dog. The relevant commission has now been posted on the mission wall in the association’s hall.”

"It's not certain that he was actually attacked by someone, but the disappearance of his daughter is definitely true."

Upon hearing this, a deep anxiety appeared on Hein's pale face, and she turned away as if she were about to return to the association to find out the details of the mission.

But the next second, she suddenly hesitated.

He frowned and gritted his teeth, then stomped his foot and caught up with Xia Nan in a few steps, continuing in the original direction, but his pace was noticeably faster.

"I need to go back to the tavern and explain the situation to the captain and the others. After all, this was an unplanned accident, and acting alone could easily lead to unexpected problems."

She then offered her explanation as if talking to herself.

Xia Nan did not comment on this, his expression remaining ambiguous.

He naturally wouldn't get involved in this incident.

Hein was just a trader he had just met, not even a friend; he had only met the Baron and his daughter once and hadn't spoken a word to them, and he only learned of the name "Baron Faro" later through other people.

Although the 500 gold intelligence fee commissioned by the association was quite eye-catching, and Xia Nan did indeed need sufficient funds to forge equipment and repair the pirate ship, his savings of more than 3,000 gold coins were probably enough to avoid being too embarrassed. Right now, the most important thing was to wait for Hera to introduce her to his channels so that he could gain the opportunity to participate in the "Moon Tide Feast".

Unless something more tempting than gold coins exists, he will mainly take a wait-and-see approach to the "disappearance of the baron's daughter" incident and will not rashly join in.

With these thoughts in mind, Xia Nan continued walking, returning to the Three-Legged Sea Dog Tavern with the other party.

But unexpectedly, after walking for only two or three minutes, he suddenly saw several familiar figures on the street.

And with a brief burst of noise, they disappeared into the shadows of the nearby alley.

He paused, raising an eyebrow slightly.

……

……

Jerry felt that today was quite unlucky.

He knew that he used to be just a small-time hoodlum, and even though he had the nickname "Bloody-Nosed Rat," it was only because of his past embarrassing experiences, not because of any glorious deeds worth telling.

But things are different now.

To some extent, I have now become a member of the Horned Shark Gang.

Even though he hasn't been introduced to each of the gang members yet, he recently risked his life to keep watch for those gang leaders and has already received their promises.

Once this matter is completely over, he will truly become a member of the Horned Shark Gang.

No one dared to look down on him anymore!

As for the possibility that I might have been scammed...

On the one hand, Jerry didn't think those big shots in the Hornfish Gang had any reason to deceive a small-time hoodlum like him.
On the other hand, if he really was lying to her, he could have just kicked her to the curb afterward, so why would he give her something like that as a reward?

Thinking of this, a wistful smile unconsciously appeared on Jerry's face, and his right hand subconsciously reached for his waist.

Feeling the cold, hard touch on his fingertips, it was as if his bright future was also gathering there.

Unfortunately, although he considered himself a member of the Horned Shark Gang.

But the vendors in the saltwater area didn't seem to recognize him. He was unlucky to have gone to that general store selling "salmon roe" and "sturgeon roe" that morning; he hadn't done his research beforehand and didn't know the owner had a professional-level adventurer friend there.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly, probably didn't offend anyone, and slipped away fast.

However, the two henchmen following behind didn't seem to understand the situation, and even after I explained, they still looked skeptical.

Jerry wanted to find an opportunity to prove his abilities so that others wouldn't look down on him.

Right now, it seems, is the time.

"boom!"

A small but hard fist slammed into his abdomen with a dull thud.

"what!!!"

The thin, middle-aged man groaned in pain, leaning forward and struggling instinctively, but was pinned to the wall by two large hands and unable to move.

"Please, sir... I'll never do it again!"

Jerry stood still as he heard the pleading voice of a thin man.

His right fist was still throbbing slightly, but he felt no discomfort at the moment.

This wonderful feeling of being above others, which he had never experienced before, made this petty hoodlum who had spent his childhood in the maze-like alleys of the Saltwater District feel as if his feet were off the ground and he was floating on clouds.

It was only at this moment that he truly felt the reality of making it big.

His facial muscles were tense as he tried to appear serious and authoritative, but the unconscious smile that crept onto his lips due to his overly excited state of mind made Jerry's face appear stiff and distorted.

hum-

A cold light gleamed.

Suddenly, he pulled out a small, exquisite dagger from his waist. It was entirely silver-white, with an extremely strange shape, as if it were made of a single piece of steel.

He took a sudden step forward.

While signaling to his two henchmen to press down harder to prevent the other man from resisting, he used his index finger to press the blade against the middle-aged man's cheek.

He deliberately lowered his voice, mimicking the mannerisms of the "tough guys" he had seen before.

She stared into the man's terrified eyes and moved her face closer.

"I'll only give you three days."

"What if the safety fund hasn't been raised by then..."

Jerry exerted a slight force with his right hand, and the sharp tip of the knife pierced the skin on the man's cheek almost instantly.

Bright red, viscous blood slowly dripped from the wound.

Clearly, even Jerry himself hadn't expected the dagger he received as a reward from the Horned Shark Gang to be so sharp; his pupils instinctively contracted the moment blood gushed out.

But the next second, the terrified wails of the thin man in front of him, and the desperate, haphazard promises made just to survive, gave him an indescribable sense of superiority.

At that moment, it was as if he had become a powerful figure who could decide the fate of others at will.

"I...I will definitely hand it in!"

"My lord... please, please!"

Fortunately, I still retained my rationality.

He usually only does petty theft and other small-time thievery; if you really asked Jerry to kill someone, he wouldn't have the guts.

Right now, I'm just here to collect the deposit, scare the other side, and show off in front of my two underlings. That's enough.

"Humph!"

He snorted coldly and removed the small, oddly shaped dagger from the man's face.

He waved coldly to his two burly henchmen beside him, signaling them to let go.

"Get lost."

The thin, middle-aged man almost collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. He haphazardly rubbed the back of his hand against his side, which was throbbing with pain, leaving half of his face bloodshot.

Although it was just a minor external injury, it looked quite gruesome.

Upon hearing Jerry's voice, the man didn't even dare to turn his head. He scrambled and crawled away towards the other exit of the alley.

Watching the other person's disheveled figure, Jerry felt an overwhelming sense of excitement and satisfaction.

Just a few days ago, who would have thought that "Bloody-nosed Rat" Jerry would have such a day?

The frustration that had been building up inside me immediately eased.

"Let's go!" He waved his hand, displaying a very generous demeanor. "Come drink with me, it's on me... it'll all be on the tab of our Horned Shark Gang!"

Seeing this, although they could all see Jerry's embarrassment, his two henchmen also chimed in with cheers.

Jerry looked satisfied. Taking advantage of the two's inattention, he turned around and, with a pained expression, wiped the bloodstains remaining on the surface of the strange short blade in his hand with his shirt.

Then he turned back and led the two of them toward the exit of the alleyway.

call--

A cold wind blew through the dimly lit, narrow alleyway.

A familiar, chilling feeling suddenly surged up from my spine, and I shivered violently, goosebumps rising all over my body.

Jerry instinctively stopped in his tracks.

"hiss……"

A terrifying scream echoed between the two walls.

Suddenly, a smooth, delicate, and icy sensation came from my ankle, climbing upwards.

He could even vaguely feel the tiny scales rubbing against the surface of his skin, and the undulation of the muscles within them.

He seemed to freeze in place, standing motionless.

Cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

A pair of frightened and terrified eyes stared blankly ahead.

There, accompanied by the sound of metal fabric rubbing together and approaching footsteps, two figures gradually became clear from the depths of the shadows.

(End of this chapter)