"Find a good ratio of salt to water, so it can be replicated in a controlled environment," Lucian ordered Lorano, "temperature range in which they survive, how often they have to be fed, and if they can be bred."
Lorano nodded his head, then asked through gestures about what to do with his current research regarding the ship's structure and the materials that could be used to create a lighter and more spacious hull for it. His two assistants were not enough.
"I'll get you some assistants that failed the Academy's entrance exams. They should be able to at least follow simple instructions," Lucian promised him.
"Weren't we supposed to sail west?" Leaf covered his mouth, whispering to Fishbone.
Fishbone sighed helplessly, "Give Boss a chance to enjoy some free time in the waters and this happens..."
They thought Lucian was going for a swim to relax a bit and cool off from the sun, but it turned out to be a fishing trip for new ideas instead.
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The group was supposed to go on a trial voyage after lunch, so Jax and Cansan went to check on the missing manpower, wondering what was taking them so long.
Their Boss's no wasting time habits had rubbed off on them. They were irritated at the fact that they had to fetch the guys themselves.
Cansan was ready to negotiate a huge discount, to make up for the delay, but it turned out to be not necessary.
They returned to Lucian with even more irritated expressions, "Boss, someone poached them right under our noses by offering them a better deal."
"Who was it?" Lucian asked, looking over the dock to see if there were any suspicious people or ships lurking about.
"It's that old geezer's son with BIG connections in the merchant guild, the one who made fun of you when you were registering your ONLY ONE ship," Jax huffed, getting easily annoyed, "What was his name again? Son of a..."
The group called him various colorful words, none of them being his real name.
"Could it be the reason why the merchant guild rejected my offer at a partnership?" Lucian lifted his head in thoughts, looking at the sky above, at the white clouds that were moving slowly with the wind, the seagulls that were flying above the ocean.
"A noble who has a better reputation in ship making and sea traveling does sound better than an upstart who had just entered the market," Lucian thought aloud, trying not to take it personally.
That's just how business was done. He couldn't be petty about it like his subordinates were.
His share in the South Alliance trade was solid enough for the merchant guild not to try and screw him over.
They also knew that if he tried to limit his exports from the South Alliance as revenge, it would be a pain in his neck and cost him a fortune to circumnavigate the problem.
They weren't afraid to refuse his offer, but they weren't foolish to intentionally antagonize him. They were just trying to get a bigger share of the cake by cutting out the middleman, or in this case, with a cheaper middleman.
"What do we do? Sailors are extremely hard to come by, especially ones that are not aligned with the naval fleet, or any of the existing guilds," Cansan rubbed the bridge of his nose when he saw others' expressions, "Most fishermen don't have any experience with large ships and long travels."
"WAR TO THE SON OF A BITCH! DOWN WITH THE TRAITOROUS SAILOSERS!" Jax yelled and the rest of the Vices from the south raised their fists to cheer him on. They acted like they were ready to go down with the ship, "Boss is the iron knight now, he will make them regret it!"
"We wait," Lucian said, stopping Jax's outburst, and then he turned to address his Vices directly, "I'm in no rush to reach Varia Kingdom. If someone else wants to be there first, good for us."
He continued, "They might be better sailors but not better traders. Return to your old posts and in the meantime, observe the competition and focus on making sure that our people won't be lured away by a bigger fish."
Cansan and Lorano nodded, feeling relieved. They were scared that Lucian would make them sail on their own and get into a war with the merchant guild or the nobles.
The southern men, though, looked disappointed. Lucian's decision wasn't alpha enough to satisfy their desire to see a fight. They wanted a fight. Blood needed to be shed.
It was hard to believe that they used to be at the bottom of the food chain not so long ago. Forgetting how badly violence had affected them, they wanted to be the ones to deliver it now that they had a chance.
"What about the contract of loyalty they signed? Should we not enforce it?" Roland asked, concerned, "If we don't, there might be rumors that our contract is just for show and has no weight behind it, which will make us look weak."
They were terrified of looking weak, and of being seen as a bunch of nobodies. Getting bullied was a real fear they lived through.
"Why do you think they switched sides so readily? Nobody hires traitors, right? So why would they do it?" Lucian asked them, "Unless they were threatened to do so, and had no choice but to obey. A debt is also a good leverage. Let's look for the good in people and not assume the worst first."
"Ugh, too bright," Jax covered his eyes with the back of his hand, cringing, "You're shining like the sun. Turn it down a notch. No need to blind us."
Lucian chuckled, "You know how it is. You get a new fancy suit and can't stop showing off in it," he was referring to his new iron knight rank.
The southern Vices calmed down a bit from their rage, trying to match Lucian's attitude towards the situation.