After the annual meeting concluded, Vig followed his usual habit and granted himself a long vacation. Aside from essential state affairs, he stayed inside the palace reading, savoring this rare period of peace and quiet.
One day, Helgi came to see him, requesting to purchase twin-masted square-rigged ships.
The royal navy was currently understaffed. Vig closed his book, hesitated for a moment, then agreed to sell three new ships.
"Developing new territory requires massive investment," Vig said. "Do you have enough money?"
"Enough," Helgi replied. "I've saved over nine hundred pounds, and I persuaded a group of merchants to invest as well. We've raised 1,500 pounds in total. If everything goes smoothly, we should produce our first batch of sugar within two years."
Having achieved his goal, Helgi put on his coat and departed.
With the ships secured, the next task was hiring captains and sailors. Braving wind and snow, Helgi went to the southern maritime academy to observe the students' classes.
Compared to oared longships and cogs, twin-masted square-rigged ships had greater cargo capacity and better seaworthiness, but they were far more complex to operate. As stellar navigation and nautical charts became more widespread, the demands placed on captains grew steadily higher.
At present, the maritime academy was divided into a shipbuilding department and a navigation department. The navigation department mainly admitted two types of students:
The first were youths with no prior sailing experience. They paid no tuition. These students spent two years at the academy completing basic training, then served five years aboard ships as cadet officers.
Cadet officers were classified as "officers in training," clearly distinct from commissioned officers. During their apprenticeship, they followed the captain's orders and learned helmsmanship, sail and rigging management, and how to keep navigational logs.
After completing the apprenticeship, they had to pass an officer qualification exam. If successful, they underwent one additional year of advanced training before being commissioned as naval ensigns.
The second group consisted of adults who paid their own tuition. Most already had some sailing experience and required shorter training. Helgi intended to recruit sailors from among them.
When classes ended, Helgi entered the classroom. The students recognized him as the Minister of Maritime Affairs and a renowned navigator. Hearing that he was forming a fleet, most realized an opportunity had arrived and eagerly requested to join.
"Thank you for your trust," Helgi said. "Come to my house tomorrow at eight in the morning for interviews. I'll assign positions based on ability. I guarantee generous pay, with bonus profit shares for each voyage."
Enduring increasingly fierce wind and snow, Helgi returned to his residence, where Horsa and about twenty investors were gathered in the sitting room, idly discussing what to name the various islands.
He cleared his throat, cutting short the pointless chatter.
"His Majesty has agreed to sell us three ocean-going sailing ships. Adult students from the maritime academy are also willing to join the fleet. They'll come tomorrow for interviews."
With two major problems solved at once, the investors grew enthusiastic, convinced that the Canary Sugar Company had a bright future. Only Horsa remained calm. He stepped closer and asked quietly:
"Instead of recruiting from the academy, why not bring in veterans from the royal navy?"
"That would violate regulations," Helgi replied. "The royal fleet is short on manpower. His Majesty would never allow a large number of sailors to retire at the same time."
In Helgi's view, Vig's recognition of his comital title and the sale of three twin-masted ships already reflected years of familial goodwill. Pushing further would only erode that bond, reducing it to a mere lord-vassal relationship.
In early March, as the North Sea gradually calmed, Helgi bade farewell to his family and led three brand-new ocean-going ships out of the harbor.
Each ship carried forty sailors and sixty passengers, including investors and sugar-company workers. The holds were packed with supplies.
Their route matched the previous year's journey, stopping briefly at Gijón in Asturias before rounding the southwestern coast of Iberia.
"Count, that's my hometown ahead."
Gálogos signaled the fleet to anchor near an abandoned fishing village. He had everyone change into local clothing before leading them to a nearby sugar plantation along the coast.
The plantation lay in a river valley. To ensure adequate water supply, the Moors had constructed an intricate irrigation system, giving them agricultural techniques far superior to those of Western Europe.
It was early spring. The climate was warm and humid. Hundreds of laborers were busy in the fields, cutting sugarcane into stalk segments, placing them into furrows, covering them with soil, and guiding water through the channels to irrigate them.
"When I was young, my parents urged me to work on a plantation," Gálogos said. "But I couldn't stand such a dull, repetitive life. That's why I ran off to sea."
After rambling on for a while, Gálogos told the others to wait. He approached an overseer inspecting the fields, spoke with him briefly, then followed him toward the plantation manor.
The manor stood on elevated ground, featuring Persian-style arcades and courtyards. Pomegranates, roses, mint, and various exotic flowers—whose names even Gálogos didn't know—filled the grounds.
After a short wait, he met the estate steward. Following more than ten minutes of bargaining, they struck a deal.
"That's it? Just like that?"
Helgi stared at the cart piled with sugarcane and the five laborers following Gálogos, scarcely believing how smoothly things had gone.
He picked up a stalk of sugarcane and examined it carefully before asking, "They just let workers go and sold us a full cart of cane? Aren't they worried we'll become competitors?"
"The plantation belongs to a noble who serves year-round at the court in Córdoba," Gálogos replied. "The estate is fully managed by the steward. He's greedy and doesn't care about competition. If you're willing to pay more, you can buy even more sugarcane."
Helgi rubbed his itchy eyes. Seizing the rare opportunity, he took out another heavy bag of silver and had Gálogos purchase additional sugarcane, along with roses, pomegranates, citrus trees, and grapevines.
Moments later, Gálogos returned.
"The steward agreed. He asked if you need anything else—such as women."
"Our cargo space is limited," Helgi said. "Not this time. Tell him I'll seek his help again if I need anything later."
Afterward, Helgi nervously escorted ten wagons back to the fishing village, loaded the horses and sugarcane into the ships, and set sail as quickly as possible.
With prior experience, the return voyage took only eight days. When the investors finally saw the Canary Islands with their own eyes, their lingering doubts vanished.
After landing, Helgi went to the temporary camp on a nearby hillside. The previous year, he had deliberately left behind twenty marines. Over the past six months, one had died from eating wild fruit, and four had been killed by natives.
"Natives?"
Horsa and the other investors erupted at once. "You never mentioned that!"
Helgi's patience wore thin.
"I only stayed a few days last time and didn't encounter the locals. And what are you panicking for? We brought plenty of armor and crossbows. Dealing with them won't be a problem."
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