Shadow Trails in Azeroth

The idea of ​​pirates collecting taxes may sound outrageous, but there are actually traces of it.

Black didn't just want to impose "exorbitant taxes" on a whim, he just imitated the "history" of his home country, Kul Tiras.

The maritime nation has been able to rise rapidly in hundreds of years, build an invincible fleet, and roam the sea, relying on the order established in the golden waters of the South China Sea and the various taxes collected.

Those commercial taxes and colonial taxes bring huge wealth to Kul Tiras every year.

Otherwise, the size of the Ocean Kingdom and their population would not be enough to support the continued strength of the four fleets.

Raising a navy is an "entertainment" that only a strong country can afford.

Just look at Gilneas.

This king is the third richest country in terms of national power among the seven human kingdoms, but their navy is very impressive. It's not just about money.

But money is always the first priority! If you don’t have money, don’t expect to conquer the sea.

After arranging the affairs of the North Sea pirates, Black had a few words with Maim and Eudora.

The Orc was promised two of the six ships in Booty Bay once they were ready.

Coupled with the two ships captured by Maimu with the orc pirates in the previous naval battle, and the pirate ships converted from several small merchant ships under his command, he was able to form his own orc pirate formation.

Maimu was only grateful for this.

He is different from the other captains who have enough to eat and the whole family is not hungry.

He also has the responsibility of supporting the "incompetent brother" in Blackstone Mountain, so Maimu is very eager to have his own fleet.

Ever since the North Sea Pirates incident, Blake has set rules for his subordinates: once a captain has his own fleet, he can sail alone to plunder.

Only one-fourth of the plunder tax had to be paid to the Grand Fleet.

But this also means that they have to "finance themselves".

If you lose the naval battle and lose the ship, you will have no choice but to return to the main fleet and become a captain to make a living.

However, the problem of attrition is not a problem for Maimu. He has the entire "orthodox tribe" as backup behind him, and there is no shortage of sailors who fight bravely.

But Maimu is happy, and the foxman is sad.

"Uuuuuuuu, Captain, my Alpaca is gone, and the Wharton was also beaten so miserably."

Eudora, with her head still bandaged, stood on the stone beside the pier, wagging her big tail and crying sadly. Her ears, which were always upright and full of energy, drooped feebly.

While wiping away tears, he complained to Blake:

"My people's homes are gone. Without those big ships, how can we do business on the sea in the future? I've asked the turtle people, and they don't have those big troll ships anymore.

It might take twenty or thirty years to wait for a few more ships of the Zandalari Golden Fleet to be decommissioned.

Woohoo, I want to find someone to build it, but the shipyard in Booty Bay can't build such a big ship. Wow, the shipbuilders of the Zandalari trolls don't accept orders from outsiders at all.

Woohoo, Captain, what are we going to do next? "

"What should we do? Let's use the boat first."

Blake sighed too.

This is really a troublesome thing that even money can't do.

A ship like the Troll cannot be built by just any shipyard, and it is even more impossible to steal the blueprints from the Zandalari Golden Fleet.

There were at least seven or eight Loa gods watching that damn place, and the watchers couldn't sneak in, and the other assassins even went to kill a few of them. Old Garni also specifically warned him not to go to Dazar'alor to die.

"I will hand over to you all the small boats we have on hand now, which are below the third-class battleship standard. There are about ten boats. These boats are brought into the Turtle Man's ship repair yard. Each boat can carry two Goblin carrier-based aircraft. .

Since the quality is not comparable, we can only make up for it with quantity.

The boat just happens to be convenient for you to do business, and it can also escort you after the Wharton is repaired. "

Blake comforted:

"Didn't you open a Wharton Trading Company in Booty Bay? In a few days, these small ships will be registered under your company's name, and they will be nominally separated from the undead fleet.

After Dean Lanyue and the others come back, go and name this trading company under the name of Nathalas College.

This way you will be cleared at the official level.

When we go to war in the future, you can just do some intelligence work. Like other small fleets, when you do business, pay me a quarter of the tax."

"Captain! This is business! It's not robbery. The money doesn't come in that fast."

After hearing this, Eudora stopped crying or pretending to be pitiful. She stared at Blake and said:

"A quarter of the plunder tax is too much, and I have to spend money to build chambers of commerce in various places. This is a lot of money. Please refer to Booty Bay's business tax. You can pay up to ten one.

Just this makes me feel bad.

This year's profits are estimated to be gone, and all will have to be lost.

Why don't you give us a tax exemption when our foxes sank a flagship for the great cause of the fleet. "

Seeing Eudora's cute eyes widened with traces of tears still remaining after crying, even though the stinky pirate's heart was as stone, he sighed helplessly.

He reached out and touched Eudora's furry head and said:

"Okay, I'll give you tax exemption for the first year, but don't tell anyone else."

"Great!"

The cunning fox captain immediately jumped up and slapped Blake on the face with his furry little paws.

Then he whistled enthusiastically, summoned his hyena mount, and ran towards the caravan where his tribe gathered to announce the good news.

"Every one of them is a weirdo. Who did they learn from?"

Blake complained harshly.

Then when he turned around, he saw the giant magician Zalak rubbing his hands and the skinny boy Kanrisade with an expectant look on his face. The two magicians stared at the captain with expectant eyes, which made Black feel upset.

"What's the matter with you?"

The pirate asked impatiently.

"Well, Captain, we are your direct descendants."

Zarak said in a flattering tone:

"We warlocks are not as ambitious as those pirates who want our own fleet. We will follow you. If you ask us to go east, we will never go west."

"That's right."

The skinny boy also said:

"But we warlocks also want to follow you to swim the sea. It would be too embarrassing if we don't have a ship belonging to us.

This is not to say that we care about face or anything.

The main reason is that the warlock faction of Narthalas College has also begun to recruit apprentices. When the new students enroll in September, we will have to pick up people from various places. We can't go there in a pirate ship, right? "

"Kanrisade is right."

Zarak added:

"Our foundation is weak now, so we can't compete with the mages in terms of appearance, but if we can have a ship dedicated to the magicians and decorate it well, it will be more honorable to sail out.

Aren't there six ships over at Booty Bay?

You gave two to Maimu. How about allocating one of the remaining four to us?

Although Xie Yan went out to perform a mission, he was not there for the time being. But I believe he must think so too! "

"You spend your own money to modify it!"

Blake rolled his eyes, turned around and left without saying a word.

The two guys behind him suddenly became happy, discussed in low voices, and went to their respective apprentices to ask for money.

This is a ship that was brought just for the sake of the warlock faction. Do the mentors have to spend their own money to repair the ship?

These warlock apprentices have also robbed a lot of money in Dalaran. Now it is time to contribute and contribute to the development of the warlock school.

Although he was very angry at his incompetent subordinates, Blake was still in a good mood after he calmed down.

He walked all the way to the large watchtower where the warlocks temporarily lived. The pirates he encountered stood respectfully and fearfully on the roadside, paying tribute to their great and evil commander.

Even though yesterday's naval battle left the Immortal Fleet injured, and including the wounded, it lost almost half of its people, this was a rare and glorious victory in the Endless Sea where pirates defeated a national fleet.

There are very few pirates capable of such great deeds.

Their commander has accomplished what most pirate captains cannot do. It is no exaggeration to say that the young Black has already joined the ranks of the legendary pirates of the Endless Sea.

It is an honor for these stinking pirates to follow such a pirate commander!

When passing by the tavern by the pier, Blake shouted into the tavern at the top of his lungs:

"Bring out all the wine barrels today, open them up and drink as much as you can! I'm treating you! You incompetent losers, let's have a good time for our victory!"

"Long live Captain Black!"

The next moment, the entire tavern and the surrounding streets suddenly heard howling and screaming, and some pirates walking on the street ran towards the tavern.

Good guy, today the penniless commander suffered a rare hemorrhage.

There are not many opportunities for this kind of harvesting. You must drink him to death.

It's best to drink the evil pirate commander out of business!

But these pathetic bastards don't know that all the drinks on Tol Barad are provided by the Albatross Chamber of Commerce in Kul Tiras.

That is Black's own business. Every batch of drinks delivered is paid for by the Immortal Fleet. In other words, this is a business game where the left hand plays the right hand.

They may have made a small profit today, but Black definitely didn't lose.

The more they drink, the more the stinky pirates make.

"If I keep drinking like this, I will become a multimillionaire in ten years."

Blake smiled proudly and said:

"Drink, drink, you are happy and I am happy too."

With this dark happiness, the pirate strolled all the way to the large watchtower. The once dilapidated watchtower has now been repaired and turned into a five-story spire fortress.

The lower three floors are used for teaching, and the upper two floors are used for the study of warlock magic and the rest of the instructors.

But now, there are no warlocks here, and the tower has been closed for several days. There are snake people patrolling the surrounding area, and no one else is allowed to approach.

It seems like something important is going on in the tower.

Black handed his wolf and bear to the loyal hunter Atumen who was guarding the bottom of the tower, and asked the high-level hunter to take his pets out for a walk.

By the way, I'll make breakfast, catch a few rabbits or something.

He entered the tower with the croaking little fish-man, and saw Natalie, the ship's doctor in black robe, who was eating.

The latter looked a little tired, and the dark circles under his eyes were so obvious.

During the previous battle of Dalaran and the naval battle, Natalie, the important combat force of the Nagfar, had not appeared because she stayed here and was doing a very important thing.

"You look tired, maybe you need a rest."

Blake said something, put his flagon next to the ship's doctor, and said:

"Want a few sips to cheer you up?"

"No, consuming alcohol will affect the accuracy of spell casting."

Natalie cut the meat on the plate and put it into her mouth with a fork gracefully. While chewing the meat, she said to Blake:

"The mental charm of your 'guest' has almost been dispelled. She still needs a few days of observation. She has been very cooperative and has been asking to see you."

"Well, am I here?"

Blake glanced above his head and said:

"Thank you for your hard work these days."

"Okay."

Natalie shrugged and replied:

"It's better to treat illnesses and save people here than to go out to fight with you. It's not that I hate fighting, but I am a priest after all. It makes me feel happy to do something to save souls occasionally."

"Ah, then I have good news for you, my dear Ms. Ship's Doctor."

Blake showed a malicious smile and said to Natalie:

"After this naval battle, our side is full of wounded soldiers, but no great priest is willing to come to treat the pirates, so the recovery of those wounded soldiers depends on you and Warwick.

You will be very busy next. I believe that saving souls in this way will keep you in a happy mood.

Also, I'm going to Kul Tiras in a while. Do you want to go with me? Just treat it as a trip at official expense, to relax or something. "

"sure."

Natalie brushed her hair and said:

"I'm very interested in priests of the sea like the Tide Sage. Call me when you set off. Now go see your guest. She should have just woken up.

By the way, don't scare her too much.

She had just been dispelled of the charm spell and was now very weak and could not withstand threats. "

"learn."

Blake nodded, led the little fish man up the stairs to the fourth floor of the tower, knocked politely on the door, and then pushed the door open and went in.

He saw a blonde girl in a white dress, sitting by the window with her back to him, holding a gem comb in her hand and combing her waist-length hair.

This scene gave the pirate a strong sense of déjà vu.

He seemed to have heard this story when he was a child.

It tells the story of a long-haired princess who was imprisoned in a high tower by an evil witch, waiting for her prince to come and save her.

Um.

This is truly an evil tower.

The person in front of me is indeed a princess.

He does have the status of a prince.

The black-robed ship's doctor downstairs is a shadow priest, who probably qualifies as a "witch".

So, is this actually a real-life version of the Rapunzel fairy tale?

"Hello, Calia."

Black reached out and took off his red eye patch, moved his neck, and politely said to the eldest princess of Lordaeron who put down her comb in front of her:

"Are you still used to living here?"

"For a girl who has just escaped a years-long nightmare, there is no place more comforting than a warlock's tower surrounded by a band of pirates.

My prince. "

There was a bit of "thorn" in Caliya's words, and she turned her head to look at Blake with a bit of anger.

The stinky pirate shrugged and said:

"You were supposed to be here, haven't you forgotten? Before I became a pirate, Dai Lin and your father had already started discussing our engagement.

If it hadn't been for what happened in the past few years, you would already be my wife.

But fate is so unpredictable.

We finally met.

But it was under such circumstances. "

"So, the reason you went to such trouble to bring me here is because you treat me like your wife? Is it because of this that you want to save me from the terrible servitude of Deathwing? "

Caliya blinked and asked.

"no."

Blake's eyes lingered on Calia's excessively high chest for a moment, and he said duplicitously:

"You're not my type."

"But if thinking this way makes you happy, then just be happy."