Bronze Dragon: Tyrant's Road to Conquest

"Ugh, what does this smell like?"

Before the ship even docked, the fishy wind blowing from the harbor made the old sailors on the ship want to vomit, while the younger sailors were already vomiting.

"This is the smell of blood!"

"Bah, it's not like I haven't smelled it before. This is much more disgusting than that smell."

"What do you mean? This is just children's play house."

As the merchant ship docked at the port, the sailors on the ship who had some complaints fell into silence. No one had the courage to speak at this moment, not even the most experienced captain who had traveled all over the world. He had seen many mortals throughout his life. An invisible majestic or strange scene, but I have never seen anything like this before.

The bustling port terminal is still densely populated and orderly at this moment. Workers are coming and going to help unload the cargo of the arriving ships. Wooden piles can be erected on both sides of the road that does not hinder traffic and along the coast of the port. One corpse after another was hung.

Those bloody corpses were also covered with cloth strips full of writing. Sailors with excellent eyesight could see the content on them. They were crimes, such as robbery, rape, and murder.

It was a common practice for noble lords to execute criminals in crowded places and hang their bodies on wooden stands for public display.

But even the most ordinary things can make people frightened when they are numerous enough, not to mention the executions, the miserable corpses, and the wooden frames hanging the corpses, all along the road deep into the city. It stretches with no end in sight and no one knows how much.

These numbing numbers of corpses hung in plain sight in densely populated areas, but passers-by treated them as if they didn't exist. Many people talked and laughed loudly, quite wantonly.

"What's going on here?"

Some sailors couldn't help but murmur to themselves and lowered their voices instinctively.

"That's how it is in a city cleaned by paladin. No matter who they are, even if they are nobles, once they are identified as evil, they can't escape."

"have you seen?"

"No, I just heard about it. Today is the first time I've seen him. When I get back, I can have a good chat with my old friends."

"Don't be stunned, put down the gangway quickly, I'm still waiting to send the goods down!"

Although the businessman was shocked and frightened by the scene in front of him, what he feared most was that he could not sell his goods. This was the biggest disaster. For him, it was more terrifying than death.

At his urging, the docked merchant ship lowered its gangway, and the sailors were not in a hurry to get off the ship. The port in front of them felt strange to them, and no one was in a hurry to have fun.

After waiting for a while, the merchant felt quite strange, because in a normal port, once a merchant ship docks, various gang members will soon come to visit.

These guys have a large amount of labor resources in their hands. As long as the price is negotiated with them, all the cargo on the ship can be unloaded in the shortest possible time.

As for what happens in the process, the merchant has nothing to do with it. He will only pay all the fees after the goods are unloaded.

"I suggest you get off the ship and look for it. Those guys you want to wait for may have been hooked up. They are not within the tolerance of the paladin."

The captain gave advice, and the businessman, who already sensed something was wrong, ignored the danger and went down with a few guards.

After all, there are so many people active below, and there are also a lot of people doing business, but you can't not make money just because of the danger.

"Captain, when do we disembark?"

"Don't worry, we'll leave after that guy finds someone to unload the cargo on the ship. We can just get some information and see what's going on at the port. If it's not right, we'll leave after replenishing the supplies."

The waiting time is long, but this port, which makes even the old sailors feel strange and even frightening, has many novel things that they have never seen before, but few people have the patience to observe them.

"Mr. Smith, we need to check the type and quantity of your goods, and then decide how many dock workers to allocate, and also how much remuneration you need to pay."

Not long after, the businessman, who looked unhappy, brought back several young men who looked like officials.

"Hurry up and check. I don't want to stay here for too long."

"Don't worry, we won't waste any time."

Officials quickly got into the warehouse and began inspecting the goods.

The captain walked towards the businessman who looked very unhappy and asked aloud,

"My friend, has anything unpleasant happened to you?"

"You guessed it right, all the gang members in the city have been cleaned up, and most of them have been arrested."

When someone asked, the businessman immediately began to vomit his bitterness and talk about the unpleasantness he had just experienced.

"Although these guys are greedy and hateful, as long as you give them enough money, they will help you get things done as quickly as possible. But without them now, I have to go and talk to those mud-legged people in person. You know what those guys do to me?" What price are you offering?”

"what price?"

"The lowest price I've been offered for a clay leg is fifty copper coins, fifty copper coins a day, Goddess of Wealth, these greedy rats..."

The businessman cursed in a low voice, but he didn't know what he thought of. He quickly shut up, and then looked around cautiously.

"Fifty copper coins, that's a lot."

The captain nodded thoughtfully. The price was nothing to a seafarer, but to the poor people working hard, it was a sky-high price.

"The most shameless guy even opened his mouth to ask me for eighty copper coins. He is simply crazy."

The fat on the businessman's face was trembling, and he looked extremely angry.

It's not his first time doing business. In a big port like Punolando, a dock worker can get about ten copper coins for a day's work. In some small ports, half of that is possible.

But now, these mud-legged people have increased the already relatively high price five times, or even close to ten times. This is simply cutting his flesh with a knife.

"How dare they ask for such a high price?"

A sailor came over and asked curiously.

"I heard that it was a labor protection decree issued by the newly appointed lord. In order to protect human rights and other things, the minimum daily wage is 50 copper coins."

Businessmen can be said to be gnashing their teeth.

"Human rights? Minimum daily wage?"

The sailors looked at each other, and even the captain couldn't help but look surprised at this moment. This is a new thing that no one has heard of.

"Have any of you heard of it?"

"No, it's the first time we've met."

"I've heard that the Metal Dragon Clan is kind, but I didn't expect them to be..."

The fear of alien rulers suddenly dissipated a lot when hearing this news.

Some sailors have been to nearly a hundred cities and ports, but they have never seen the ruler of any city issue such a decree.

"If this is true, then I want to stay here."

Some sailors couldn't help but said.

The sailing life is exciting, but it is a struggle against the sea. If you are not careful, you will be buried in the belly of the fish. Even if there are generous rewards, if there is a chance to escape, you will not miss it too much.

People who work as coolies at the port can earn forty-eight copper coins a day. With their ability, they will definitely be able to earn the most. The most important thing is that the lords here will legislate to protect them. This is the most important thing.

"I have some ideas, but I'll go down and take a look first."

"Let's go, let's get off the boat and take a look."

The sailors on the ship could no longer hold back, and even the captain himself was ready to move at this moment. But he still had to wait until the cargo on the ship was unloaded before leaving.

"Mr. Smith, we have completed the inspection. How long can you accept to unload this batch of goods?"

The young man holding a pile of papers in his hands had a modest and decent smile on his face.

"Of course the sooner the better, but can we discuss the price again?"

The businessman came to the young man and took out a bulging leather bag with ease. With a slight shake of his palm, he could hear the crisp and pleasant sound of metal collision.

"What do you want to do?"

The crew members who were watching the excitement saw that the young man who had a gentle smile on his face just now was like an angry lion, slapping away the skin bag that the businessman wanted to stuff into his arms.

The shiny silver coins scattered on the deck, blooming with an alluring brilliance, but the few young people who boarded the ship didn't even take a look, they just stared at the bewildered businessman with a horrifying look.

"me……"

The businessman who had used the same method to please countless small dock officials was a little at a loss. He, who was eloquent, also became stammering at this moment.

"Do you know what a crime it is to bribe an official?"

A young man sneered.

"The minimum penalty is ten years' imprisonment and the maximum penalty is hanging."

Another young man added.

When the businessman heard this, a look of confusion suddenly appeared on his face. Since giving benefits to officials has always been considered a crime, he had never heard of such a thing.

"This is not a bribe for you, this is a reward prepared by Mr. Smith for the laborers."

The captain on the side couldn't stand it anymore and opened his mouth to come to the rescue.

"Yes, yes, that's right, this is the reward I am prepared to pay for hiring laborers."

The frightened businessman nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice. He did not expect that the behavior required at various docks and ports would actually be punishable by death here.

"You gave me too much, I don't need these."

The leading young man glanced at the silver coins scattered on the ground, and his tone softened a little.

"We will send thirty workers for you, and they will work for you for eight hours until sunset. You need to be responsible for their lunch and dinner, and the food must contain meat, oil, and meat.

After lunch, you must give them at least one hour of rest time. If you need to let them continue working after eight hours of working time, you need to pay at least three times the hourly wage.

If they don't want to, you are not allowed to do anything coercive and they must finish all work before sunset at the latest..."

This time, not only the merchants, but also the many crew members who were joining in the fun stared wide-eyed. Immediately, some sailors couldn't help but ask,

"The one-hour break is counted separately..."

"Why do we need to count it separately? The reason why we are tired and need to rest is not because we work too much. Of course, this is also included in the eight hours."

"What about meal time?"

"It also counts within eight hours."

"I have to pay at least forty-eight copper coins, but I can only let a bitch work for me for eight hours. I also have to pay for them to eat and rest. This is impossible. There are no such rules anywhere in the world!"

The businessman who was frightened just now couldn't help but roar. He couldn't accept such a thing.

“Now, it’s available in Punolando.”

The young people stared coldly at the angry businessman, and the coldness contained in them made him calm down. The lingering smell of blood in the port reminded him,

"One last warning to you, businessman, watch your words. If you dare to insult workers again, you will face a minimum fine of one thousand gold coins."

"I……"

Businessman Smith was once again stunned. Since entering Punolando, everything he encountered has impacted his outlook and cognition.

Not only the businessmen, but the sailors on the side were also shocked beyond measure at this moment. Whispering voices sounded,

"I want to go down and move the boxes."

"I want to go too. If you really think about it, in the same time, they seem to have made more money than us. We spent more than three months on the sea and only got five gold coins."

"Don't talk nonsense if you haven't studied mathematics. One gold coin can be exchanged for twenty silver coins or two thousand copper coins. How can they make more than us?"

"But they don't have to worry about wind and waves on the shore, and they have meat for two meals and a prescribed rest period."

The sailors fell silent immediately. As soon as they landed, they ate and drank to vent their anger. The main reason was that the living conditions at sea were too difficult.

"If you are not satisfied with the law, you can leave here. Punolando does not welcome businessmen like you who do not respect your own kind."

The young official responsible for docking with merchant ships docking at the port said coldly.

"How dare you go out to do business even if you don't have money?"

"It's not that he has no money, he's just stingy."

Several young people communicated in a low voice, but the sound spread throughout the ship, and anyone could hear it. Smith's face turned blue and white, and then he gritted his teeth.

"I am willing to pay so that I can comply with your lord's decrees."

Although he was insulted, for a businessman, face is nothing. What matters is whether he can make money. If he leaves the port like this, his losses will be immeasurable.

"Don't have any extra thoughts. Have you seen the corpses hanging below? There are many dishonest businessmen like you among them, and they also think they are superior to others."

The young man gave another warning, and the businessman calmed down completely.

"I'm a stupid person, I was just impulsive..."

The port officials had no patience to talk nonsense with him and left the merchant ship one after another. At this time, one of his guards had picked up all the silver coins scattered on the deck and asked the question he was holding in his heart.

"Sir, if you give less than half of the benefits you provide, you can meet the requirements of the labor protection laws and hire workers to unload all the cargo on the ship. Why do you have to spend more money to please those officials? "

Obviously you can do things legally and compliantly by spending less money, but why does the master look so unhappy?

He couldn't figure it out or understand it.

"You ask such a question, so you can only be my guard, not like me."

The businessman glanced at the guard and didn't even bother to explain.

Will definitely update on time tomorrow