This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

However, after that gun ran out of bullets, it became a small ornament displayed on Count Hoffmann's bookshelf.

It's worth mentioning that the time travel process seems to be affected by strong electromagnetic forces, and electronic products such as mobile phones and laptops will be destroyed on the spot the moment they are transported.

So theoretically speaking, if that female doctor really was a professional in this field, and happened to have a handful of rice husk flower seeds in her hand when she traveled through time, then she would indeed be able to resume her old profession here.

Dick, of course, didn't possess anything that could cause endless trouble, but he lied to Hammuradi, claiming he did, and even went so far as to smear Shizuka Marikawa's reputation, portraying her as a femme fatale. He successfully deceived Hammuradi by exploiting the information gap between them.

The other party may not believe it completely, but greed will drive them to take action based on their curiosity.

Dick painted a rosy picture for Hammuradi, saying he had the manpower, the flowers, and the technology, and the first batch of goods was in production, but he lacked shipping and sales channels, so he wanted to make contact with the Fjord pirates.

Dick said he found land transport too slow and didn't want to sell near the door, so he hoped to cooperate with pirates who had ships to transport the goods to the more prosperous south to sell, where he could earn more money.

He previously wiped out bandits and outlaws because their existence threatened his own interests. However, there was a possibility of cooperation between him and the pirates, but he lacked a middleman to act as a go-between. Therefore, he hoped his grandfather could help him.

In return, Dick would provide financial assistance to the Dead Tree Party, or simply hand over the sales entirely to them, allowing him to focus on sourcing the goods.

Dick spoke eloquently, painting a rosy picture of the future, and even the most skeptical Hammuradi couldn't help but be tempted by the astonishing profits.

Furthermore, during the negotiations between the two parties, Hammuradi tentatively indicated that he wanted to upgrade from an intermediary to a middleman, and that Dick could hand over the goods to him while he negotiated with the fjord pirates.

But Dick insisted on a tripartite meeting to clarify the distribution of profits among the three stages of production, transportation, and sales; otherwise, the cooperation would be difficult to proceed.

Dick's well-timed caution did not arouse Hammuradi's suspicion; on the contrary, it made him even more convinced that Dick really had something in his hands!

Chapter 084: Double-crossing

The pirates entrenched in the fjords north of Lagug are a notorious "illegal group" in the northern border of the empire, with connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds. This is because their main business isn't actually robbery, but rather armed smuggling at sea.

The largest and most powerful of these is the Sea Tiger Gang, which reportedly owns more than a dozen sailboats. Their leader, Tiger, calls himself the "King of the North Sea" and runs a highly profitable slave trade.

The Hessian Empire and its surrounding countries permitted the slave trade; it was not illegal, but the royal family would impose heavy taxes on it.

In addition, the empire had many restrictions on the source of slaves. There were three main sources: former commoners who voluntarily sold themselves into slavery, criminals who had committed crimes but were unable to pay compensation, and enemy soldiers and civilians captured in war.

Similarly, becoming a slave trader wasn't something anyone could just do; it required holding an official qualification certificate from the country where the slave trader was located. There was a limit to the total number of certificates one could hold, and many people wanted to become slave traders but didn't have the connections!

Under these restrictions, illegal slave traders found it profitable, and often, licensed and unlicensed slave traders were not competitors but rather colluded to commit crimes.

The Sea Tiger Gang were pirates and slave traders, and they were famous in the industry for always being able to get their hands on high-quality goods like elven slaves. Most of them were sold to the Maple Dew Kingdom, which earned them extremely high profits, making their wealth far beyond what land bandits and outlaws could match.

This made Dick quite curious. The Sea Tiger Gang was always able to acquire elven slaves, yet they were colluding with the Dry Tree Party, a group of elven restorationists. It was a chilling thought!

Using a non-existent drug as bait, Dick tricked Hammuradi into becoming an intermediary, introducing him to a meeting with the pirate alliance in the fjord. Dick stated that he wanted to expand his territory, but Lagug was severely underpopulated, so he wanted to purchase large numbers of cheap and useful slave laborers via pirate ships.

This explanation is not very suspicious, because there are indeed many territories that operate plantations and need a constant supply of slaves.

During this period, Dick talked to his "good grandfather" almost every day, constantly engaging in tug-of-war and probing with him.

Although Hammuradi was greedy, his caution was unquestionable. He repeatedly asked to "visit" Dick's plantation and pharmaceutical factory, but Dick refused each time.

In order to prevent the other party from doubting the authenticity, Dick actually got a small "sample" for Hammuradi to take to his "knowledgeable people" for evaluation.

Dick obtained this small sample packet by chance three years ago.

At the time, he was still studying at the magic academy, where there was an elective course that taught summoning magic. During the class that day, the teacher who was demonstrating summoned a pale-faced Mexican man from North America. Within minutes of being summoned, the man's expression changed drastically; he convulsed, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed to the ground dead, shocking many students present. None of them had ever seen such a gruesome and bizarre death.

To determine the cause of death, the academy conducted an autopsy. Dick had a vague idea of ​​what was going on; the man was likely a drug dealer's "mule." So he secretly bribed the professor in charge of the autopsy and obtained some of the "anatomical specimens," thinking they might come in handy later.

So Hammuradi got the sample and took it back to Yitzhak for evaluation. The other party only smelled it and said with a look of excitement... This stuff is of very high quality!

And so, Hammuradi was completely ensnared, agreeing to act as the middleman. The two sides arranged to meet at the edge of the dangerous Black Forest, where Dick finally met the Sea Tiger Gang members, who introduced themselves as "Warren."

It's worth mentioning that as soon as the two met, Dick sensed that Warren was hostile towards him, and his gaze was gloomy and fierce, as if he had met an enemy.

Upon learning that the other party was the second-in-command of the Sea Tiger Gang, Dick remembered that the leader of the Blood Wolf Gang, whom he had previously wiped out, had mentioned that he had a cousin who was the second-in-command of the Sea Tiger Gang.

Dick thought to himself, "This Tiger Gang sent someone to negotiate, and it doesn't seem like they're very sincere."

And just as Dick had expected, the second-in-command, Warren, showed no respect for Dick. He said that business was possible, but he disagreed with Dick's proposal to split the overall profits equally, insisting that the Sea Tiger Gang should take the lion's share.

Dick listened with a smile, then turned and left without saying anything.

Seeing this, Hammuradi quickly stepped forward and pulled him back.

"Dick, what's wrong with you...?"

"Grandpa, this man isn't sincere; he's trying to scam us!"

"Take it or leave it. If you're so capable, go and get your own boat to transport it!"

Warren was still being sarcastic, with an expression that suggested he had Dick completely under his control.

In fact, Dick currently doesn't have the exact whereabouts of the Sea Tiger Gang's fleet, which is why he wants to use Hammuradi as bait. But this doesn't mean he'll have to beg the other party to do business with him during negotiations.

Sometimes, being too weak in attitude can make you seem very suspicious.

So the first negotiation ended hastily and unhappily, leaving Hammuradi, the middleman, in a dilemma.

Not long after Dick returned to the castle, the sisters Kasumi and Ayane reported that they had tracked Warren and his companions to the riverbank, where they boarded a longboat and sailed downstream to sea.

Belfast, who had been waiting nearby, immediately launched an attack in its ship-like form and is currently tailing the enemy to see if it can find the location of the Sea Tiger Gang's stronghold.

As a ship girl, Belfast's combat power at sea is beyond doubt. Even if the sailors of the pirate longship rowed their oars until they were smoking, they still couldn't outrun Belfast, who could run at 33 knots.

But this was, after all, a lone operation, with Belfast without any teammates to support her, so Dick was very worried that something unexpected might happen.

If Dick weren't already short of high-grade magic stones, he would have loved to summon one or two more groups of ship girls so he would have a "fleet" at his disposal.

But just then, the magic communication board on the table lit up. Dick answered the call, and Hammuradi's slightly apologetic voice came from the other end.

“Grandson, don’t take today’s events too seriously. The Sea Tiger Gang’s crude and uncouth pirates always ask for exorbitant prices first. I just didn’t expect them to disregard even the dignity of our Dry Tree Gang. I will go and negotiate properly with their leader, Tiger.”

“I understand all of that. I have absolute, one thousand percent trust in you, Grandpa.”

"I'm really happy that you trust me so much."

"Oh, by the way, Grandpa, your grandson's magic training has recently hit a bottleneck. I wonder if you have any high-grade magic stones? Could you lend me twenty or thirty for emergency use? Once I've finished my work and have the money, I'll definitely pay you back double!"

Chapter 085: The Prototype of the Navy

"I'm starting to understand why the 'dead tree party' couldn't grow."

Inside the castle office, looking at the whole box of high-grade magic stones he had just received, Dick tried his best to keep a straight face, but the corners of his mouth still unconsciously turned up slightly.

His adoptive grandfather is actually a really nice person!

In truth, through their interactions over this period, Dick had gradually come to understand Hammuradi's character. While possessing high combat skills, he was cautious and cunning, yet his rigid arrogance made him seem somewhat slow-witted. This gave Dick reason to suspect that Hammuradi's suspicious nature might stem from PTSD caused by suffering too many losses!

Twenty high-grade magic stones alone, worth twenty thousand gold coins.

The amount of money wasn't a huge sum, but it wasn't a small amount either. The key issue was that high-grade magic stones were strategic resources controlled by the Empire, and often there was no market for them even if you had the money. Yet, after being persuaded by Dick, Hammuradi actually handed them over without hesitation.

Although the Dead Tree Party had declined, it still had some wealth. This made Dick somewhat expectant, wondering how much good stuff he could get from the other side before things came to a head.

Dick could tell that Hammuradi really wanted to win him over, after all, the value he had shown was tempting enough. As the governor of a fiefdom, he governed a vast territory rich in resources, had many Earth elites and Saint-level experts by his side, and also had "a way to make a lot of money".

It was precisely because of these tempting conditions that Hammuradi, a remnant of the elven race, could selectively disregard the issue of bloodline and address Dick as "good grandson" with great affection!

Having obtained these twenty high-grade magic stones, Dick was almost impatient to use them, and his purpose was very clear: he wanted ship girls to enhance his own naval combat power.

Since twenty magic stones can be used for two draws, he took out ten for one draw and saved the other ten for later.

The ceremony was quickly prepared. Dick silently repeated "I want ship girls" in his mind, and then skillfully poured magic power into the magic circle. In the soft white light, two tall figures quickly appeared.

However, when the light faded and Dick saw the true faces of his two new companions, his face darkened.

These two ship girls are Ding'an, a transport ship from the Eastern Empire, and Kashino, a transport ship from the Sakura Empire. Both of them are characterized by their large breasts and ample capacity, but neither of them are the combat-type ship girls that Dick currently needs.

After being summoned, Kashino's reaction was full of innocent dazedness. She looked around with a confused expression, then her eyes met those of Shizuka Marikawa, who had come to join in the fun. The two busty girls silently stared at each other for a moment, then, as if judging from their auras that they belonged to the same kind, they both revealed silly smiles and waved to each other in a friendly manner.

Ding'an, on the other hand, was clearly more intelligent and quick-witted. She looked around at this unfamiliar place and finally fixed her gaze on Dick, concluding that he was the "person in charge" here.

So she stepped forward, bowed gracefully to Dick in a "Graceful" gesture, and then spoke.

"You must be the commander. It's an honor to meet you. I am Ding'an, a transport ship belonging to Donghuang. Please take care of me in the future! I came in a hurry and didn't bring a gift. Please forgive me."

"Ah~!? Is this little brother the Commander? Um... I, my name is Kashino, my hobby is soaking in hot springs, and my height and weight are..."

Upon hearing Ding An address Dick as Commander, Kashino belatedly remembered to introduce himself, but ended up rambling on with a bunch of strange personal information.

Goodness, a bust size of 120! She's tied for first place with Lucoa right from the start.

Both ship girls are transport ships, belonging to the logistics support unit. Their combat capability isn't nonexistent, but it's better than nothing. Sending them to support Belfast would be a good outcome if they don't cause trouble or become a hindrance.

Dick was unwilling, but he didn't vent his resentment on his two new companions. Instead, he turned to look at the box containing the magic stone in Rita's hand, his expression solemn as if he were about to make a very difficult decision.

"Master, please don't get carried away."

"Just one more time!"

Dick ultimately couldn't resist using the other ten Philosopher's Stones as well.

The main reason is that after his previous secluded cultivation, Dick's magical cultivation has reached the ceiling of the advanced level. This is thanks to the blessing of the Winter God, which gave Dick spiritual veins throughout his body, so his improvement in cultivation far exceeds that of others, the effect being like having a "triple experience" buff.

However, breaking through ranks requires more than just training level, especially from high-rank to saint-rank, where mental state is more important than cultivation level. So it is at times like this that Dick needs to be clear-headed, to draw his sword when necessary, and not to create an obstacle in his mind.

So, in his second all-or-nothing construction, Dick added the keyword "powerful" to his prayers. Two figures quickly emerged from the light of the magic circle, but this time the shadows looked rather strange. At first glance, they didn't seem humanoid, and they were writhing eerily.

Dick subconsciously squinted to see more clearly, and then he saw a thick, azure tentacle suddenly emerge from the light, wrap around him with lightning speed, and forcibly drag him away.

"Holy crap! What is this? Waaaaah..."

Because the incident happened so suddenly, and no one expected that the summoned Servant would attack the summoner without warning as soon as it arrived, even Rita's reaction was a beat too slow, and she was unable to block the lightning-fast tentacles in time.

At this moment, the light in the magic circle dissipated, and everyone saw in the center of the magic circle two black-haired beauties surrounded by huge octopus tentacles. The taller one had two golden antlers on her head, one long and one short. Dick was being held in her arms, his face buried between her high, white breasts, and he could only make painful (?) whimpering sounds.

Meanwhile, another woman with red eyes wearing a captain's hat drew her Fisher sword from her waist and shouted fiercely.

"Robbery! Hand over all the treasure!"

"If you don't have any treasure, you can give us this cute little brother. This little guy's body... is quite nice, isn't it? (rubbing)"

"Golden Deer, we're robbing you here, be serious!"

Seeing that the two tentacle women had immediately become robbers and taken Dick hostage, Rita had already activated her battle form and was holding a scythe in her hand.

Fortunately, Ding'an quickly stepped between the two sides, raising his hand to signal everyone to calm down.

"Everyone, please don't attack yet. Is there some misunderstanding here? You two are ship girls too, right? How could you attack the commander right away?"

"Commander?" x2

Upon hearing Ding An's words, the two tentacle women followed the direction of her finger and looked at Dick, who was still struggling. With his mouth covered by face wash, he was unable to speak at the moment.

So the woman called "Golden Deer" loosened her grip on him a little, allowing Dick to catch his breath and breathe freely.

After carefully examining Dick for a moment, Jinlu pulled him into her arms again, several large tentacles wrapping around him and holding him even tighter than before, before declaring without further ado.

"I don't care, this child is now my collectible!"

Chapter 086: Task Force

"I have a question. I've only been gone for a few days, how did the house become like this?"

Inside the office, Belfast, returning from her reconnaissance mission, found four new faces in the room, two of whom were old acquaintances. Meanwhile, Dick, who was tightly entangled by the tentacle-wielding ship girl Golden Deer, gave Belfast an awkward yet polite smile.

"Thank you for your hard work, Belfast. How is it going?"

After accepting the hot tea offered by Ding'an, Belfast did not rush to inquire about the situation of her new companions. Instead, she immediately began reporting on her work, telling Dick about her tracking and surveillance activities over the past few days.

Belfast's pursuit of Warren's speedboat went smoothly at first. Belfast skillfully controlled the distance between them, ensuring that she could always visually observe the target ship's sails and masts while using the surging waves as cover to keep the enemy from seeing her.

Belfast followed and tracked the pirate ship for a day and a night, as it sailed out of the fjord and into the open sea, before mysteriously disappearing into a thick fog.

"Lost them?"

"I'm sorry, I did lose track of the target. That thick fog was very unusual. As soon as I entered, the radar and sonar stopped working, and my sense of direction became disordered. So I made my own judgment and stopped tracking the target."

"You did the right thing; caution is the right thing to do."

Based on Belfast's description, Dick deduced that the Sea Tiger Gang must possess magical items capable of creating dense fog, or even more advanced artifacts. Belfast's timely evacuation was of paramount importance.

After recounting the reconnaissance, Belfast inquired about her new companions and learned that Dick had tricked Hammuradi into giving him twenty high-level magic stones. In order to find her helpers, he had chosen the "ship girl" attribute for both summons, but his luck wasn't very good.

The two transport ship girls are not very strong in combat, but Ding An is very smart, good at resource allocation and has a great talent for business. Therefore, she was chosen by Hong Yu Zhi Tong and wanted to recruit her to work in the merchant guild. Kashino is a bit of a ditz and is easily confused. Only her superhuman strength is passable.