ATPnovel Chapter 75 Rules, Paths to Wealth, and Foreign Women
Chapter 75 Rules, Paths to Wealth, and Foreign Women
"Your shipping routes, my ports. I'll handle your sales and security in North America, and you'll be responsible for bringing me the goods I need from the Caribbean and South America, such as sugar, tobacco, and coffee beans."
"If necessary, it could also be something the British don't want us to have."
Silence fell in the study once again.
The muscles of Isabella's five subordinates, which had been tense, were now somewhat relaxed.
They didn't understand the complicated business jargon, but they understood the word "cooperation." They looked at Isabella, awaiting her decision.
Isabella's heart was beating very fast.
She was a smuggler, a pirate queen, but at the end of the day, she was a businesswoman.
All her risks were for profit. But the solution proposed by this Easterner almost perfectly solved all her problems.
A stable, efficient, and secure North American sales channel is something many Caribbean smugglers dream of.
With this, she no longer had to fight wits with those greedy and unreliable local buyers every time, worrying about being cheated or betrayed by the authorities.
But she was naturally suspicious, and the sea taught her that behind easy promises often lies a deadly trap.
"Why should I believe you?" Isabella asked the most crucial question.
She needs a guarantee, a tangible guarantee.
Li Wei seemed to have anticipated that she would ask this question.
He didn't say anything more, but simply nodded to Fiona.
Fiona took a folded document from her desk drawer, walked over to Isabella, and gently placed it on the coffee table beside her.
"Miss Captain, this is the deposit!"
Isabella glanced at Fiona suspiciously before reaching for the document.
The document was on fine parchment, with a detailed nautical chart drawn in fluent English, stretching from Boston Harbor all the way to the Bahamas in the south.
On the nautical chart, shipping routes were marked in red ink, with densely packed tiny characters recording the date and time next to them.
"The Royal Navy frigate HMS Victory departs from Boston Harbor on the 7th, 17th, and 27th of each month, patrolling south along the coastline, and is expected to arrive in the waters off Long Island the following morning..."
"The 'Vigilant' fast sailing ship is responsible for anti-smuggling operations between Rhodes Island and Nantucket Island. The evacuation time is every Wednesday at midnight, and the handover point is..."
Even seemingly insignificant details, such as the captain of the frigate "Vigilance" liking to drink at night and the conflict between the first mate and quartermaster on the "Dreadnought," were clearly marked in small print.
Isabella's breathing became rapid as she read line by line, her expression changing accordingly.
This is not an ordinary nautical chart; it is a detailed timetable of the Royal Navy's patrol and deployment along the North American colonies! It is accurate to the name, route, rotation time, and weak points of each capital warship.
Having this intelligence is like having a safe pass right under the nose of the Royal Navy!
Its value far exceeds ten or even a hundred times that of the rum on her ship!
"This is the deposit for our first collaboration," Li Wei's voice rang out at the opportune moment. "With it, your journey home will be much safer."
Isabella abruptly raised her head, staring at the unfathomable Eastern man before her, her heart filled with turbulent emotions.
She finally understood what kind of being she was facing.
This Easterner not only controlled Boston's underground order, but his tentacles even reached into the British Empire's most prized naval system.
Isabella carefully folded the intelligence report and tucked it away close to her body. This action clearly indicated her stance.
"This is just a deposit," Li Wei's voice rang out at the opportune moment.
"If our partnership goes smoothly, you'll receive an updated report every month. Plus, I can provide you with a safe harbor, reliable warehouses, and the fastest movers in all of Boston."
"You just need to sail the ship to the berth I designate, and I'll handle the rest. You'll receive your payment within three days, not a penny less."
"What do I need to ship?"
"In the beginning, it'll be the same things you're familiar with: rum, syrup, tobacco, and all sorts of daily necessities."
"But I need you to bring something back for me."
"What?"
Li Wei did not answer directly, but looked at Seamus standing to the side.
Seamus understood, took something out from under the wooden table beside him, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Isabella.
It was a French Chalville rifle.
Isabella's pupils contracted sharply as she finally understood what the other person meant by "something the British don't want us to have."
This Easterner was smuggling war.
"The Black Dragon Chamber of Commerce needs to expand its security forces." Li Wei's tone was as calm as if he were discussing a timber deal.
"And French goods are of good quality and inexpensive. I believe that with the captain's connections in the Caribbean, finding a stable source of goods shouldn't be difficult."
Silence fell in the study once again.
Isabella felt like she was making a deal with the devil.
But the price offered by this devil was far too tempting.
"Deal. Okay, I agree." She said readily. "My ship can transport your goods. But..."
She changed the subject, and the cunning and valor that belonged to a pirate queen returned to her face.
"I also have a condition."
"Speaking."
"I don't just transport goods, I sell them too. I need a place of my own in Boston. A warehouse, an office, and the freedom to be undisturbed by anyone."
She stared at Levi, "I, Isabella, will not be anyone's vassal, but only an equal partner."
This is her bottom line, and also her test.
She wanted to see just how magnanimous this Easterner really was.
Upon hearing this, Li Wei not only didn't get angry, but instead laughed.
"Of course. At the easternmost part of the dock area, near the estuary, there is a row of abandoned warehouses that originally belonged to a Dutch businessman, but he went bankrupt."
"That location is the best and most secluded, allowing for direct unloading from the sea without going through the main shipping lanes. Tomorrow, Fiona will take you to complete the land title transfer procedures."
"Consider it... a gift from the Black Dragon Merchant Guild to our new partner."
Isabella was completely stunned. She had anticipated that Levi would try to negotiate or propose even more demanding additional conditions.
She never expected that the other party would agree so easily, and even give her a generous gift as a bonus.
She suddenly realized that all her previous tests and maneuvers seemed utterly ridiculous in the face of this man. His vision and perspective were far superior to hers.
What he wanted was not to control a ship or a smuggler; he wanted to open up a golden shipping route to the Caribbean.
"Deal!" Isabella stood up, choosing not to shake hands but instead raising her wine glass.
"For the sake of our future business."
Li Wei also picked up the cup of tea in front of him that had remained untouched.
"For the sake of our future business."
He substituted tea for wine, lightly clinking his glass against Isabella's in mid-air.
A potentially bloody conflict transformed into a brand new business alliance in this study filled with the aroma of tea and wine.
Isabella, accompanied by her men, swaggered out of the manor's main gate.
Finn had already received orders to wait at the door and personally escort them back to the dock.
Watching Isabella's departing figure from her study, Levi gave new instructions to Seamus beside him.
"Have someone tow away the barge blocking the channel. Also, inform the dock that starting tomorrow, the 'Viper' is a distinguished guest of our Black Dragon Chamber of Commerce, and all supplies they need will be provided at the best prices."
"Yes, sir."
When only Levi and Fiona remained in the study, Fiona, who had been tidying up the tea set, finally spoke.
"Sir, is she reliable? Pirates are a bunch of untrustworthy people."
"She'll be reliable. A smart businesswoman never betrays profit."
"But giving her that land at Pier 7 would be too costly for us. Besides, someone like her is very difficult to control."
"Fiona, sometimes the best way to control a wild horse is not with reins, but by giving it a wider field of grassland."
Li Wei sat down again and poured himself a cup of tea that had cooled slightly.
"She is a sharp knife, placed in the Caribbean, capable of cutting open a sea route for us to the south. As for the cost... the cost will always be borne by the consumer. The value she creates for us will far exceed that of a warehouse."
He finished his tea, stood up, and walked to the huge map on the wall.
His finger followed the route Isabella had taken, heading south, across the Bahamas, and finally stopping on a rich but chaotic island.
Havana, Cuba.
"Fiona".
"Yes, sir."
"Send another letter to Captain Isabella. Tell her I need one more thing." Levi tapped the map lightly with his finger.
"I want the best Cuban cigars. Also, please give my regards to the Governor of Havana, and tell him that I have a new friend in Boston and look forward to establishing trade relations with him."