On the island, there were reports given to those residing in a suburban residence.
These people, too, were travel-worn, having just arrived from the mainland, and before they could rest, they heard the report.
Upon hearing the report, the housekeeper instructed his subordinates to closely monitor the people on those two ships and watch where their cargo was being transported.
They simply speculated that these two ships were definitely meant to transport cargo outside the border. Newest update provided by NoveI★Fire.net
Possibly, they would have the goods unloaded, to be transported inland by a convoy of carriages by land people.
Monitoring their movements and transportation routes might be easier to ambush them on land rather than at sea.
The housekeeper, wearing a mask on his face, was also avoiding the assassins. Without any other option and unable to disguise himself in any other way, he could only wear a human skin mask.
Ye Shiqi instructed the crew to watch the cargo, and if anyone tried to board the ship and rob them, kill them without mercy!
She didn’t feel that her actions were particularly brutal, as although there were laws here, it seemed as if those in high positions and those with abilities treated the law as a trivial matter.
Now moving through worldly society, they could hardly care that killing was illegal.
Against ferocious bandits, they could only fight poison with poison!
Ye Shiqi thought about landing first to talk business, to meet the National Guardian General, how to strike a deal with a foreigner or a businessman operating there—all these required negotiations, bringing along the leader and a crew member as a bodyguard.
Ye Shiqi’s disguise was still that of a rich young master, his stature and age apparent despite his clothing.
Ye Shiqi had already discussed with the leader before setting out that the ship’s provisions and goods would be sold here to reduce their travel trouble.
She must go ashore to negotiate, by then the leader would speak with the other party, but the final decision would be hers.
The leader had previously objected to the young master going ashore to negotiate with others. Here, in this mixed company, it was also very dangerous, and if there was something to be done, he could handle it.
Ye Shiqi actually also wanted to release the old housekeeper, who could assist her better in handling matters.
Yet she felt that being so far away from the border, it was improper to release these people earlier than planned.
Ye Shiqi had a vague premonition that they were being followed and might even face mortal danger.
After Ye Haohuan brought his ship ashore, he still hadn’t grasped what the people in the neighboring ship were up to and wanted to go over and feel out their intentions.
He only saw a petite figure dressed like a man, preparing to go ashore with two others.
Ye Haohuan was clueless about what they intended to do, this little child was too cautious, unable to guess what she would do next.
He simply thought she wanted to go ashore, taking people to find a convoy to transport the ship’s cargo outside the border.
With this guess and thought, Ye Haohuan immediately went ashore with two subordinates.
In his plan, once ashore, he would also let the contact person deploy carriages to take the unloaded goods from the ship into the convoy’s carts.
As soon as Ye Shiqi and her two companions stepped ashore, they were surrounded by some people, which included some porters as well as dock-watching merchants.
"Young Master, do you need porters on your ship? Our labor charges are very cheap!"
"Young Master, what cargo do you have on your ship? May I buy it from you? We can negotiate the price!"
All the men were dressed in tattered, wide-legged shorts, barechested.
Those dressed as merchants looked somewhat respectable, with even foreign businessmen among them.
Ye Shiqi noticed that these porters had scarcely any meat on their bodies, seemingly malnourished from hard labor, skinny to the point of being skin and bones.
Among the merchants, there were those with blue eyes, hooked noses, and golden hair, features that identified them as foreigners.
Ye Shiqi knew about some ethnicities from outside the border: they too had deep-set eyes and even high noses, which were merely characteristic of their people and did not make them foreigners.
The language spoken by the laborers and merchants she heard around her was also difficult to communicate in.
For Ye Shiqi, who was visiting this place for the first time, clutching memories from a past life, she could understand a bit of the language spoken by the foreigners, as she had previously gone through education.
Among these merchants, some spoke a language similar to English, others a language resembling French, and still others languages like Japanese or Korean.
Their clothing also displayed the distinct features of different countries, possibly reflecting their ethnic characteristics with varying styles and materials.
The language spoken by the laborers sounded a bit like Hakka, and she could vaguely guess their meaning from their speech.
Some of them spoke in a somewhat unstandard Mandarin.
Ye Shiqi found herself surrounded by a crowd, with her two bodyguards naturally ensuring her safe passage.
"Now we do not need laborers, nor do we wish to trade goods, please make way!"
The leader, fearing someone in the crowd might harm his young master, had his knife in hand, threatening the crowd!
Ye Haohuan, having come ashore, faced such a scene and could not walk alongside Ye Shiqi.
He and his bodyguards were also encircled by a crowd.
Ye Haohuan frowned at the words of these people and gave his bodyguards a look.
The bodyguard who understood said, "Make way – we will call when encouragement is needed and send for merchants when negotiation is required. Do not block our Young Master’s path."
Rarely seen were two large ships, and everyone who emerged was a rich young master; the laborers and merchants knew that these newcomers could prove profitable, so why would they let them go so easily?
At that moment, some other individuals appeared on the dock. They were people associated with the dock boss.
The laborers, who earned their money here, also had to give some of it to the dock boss.
When someone’s boat docked, they naturally had to pay the dock boss.
This was a sort of fee for docking.
Seeing people disembark from the two ships, the dock boss sent someone to collect fees.
"Move aside, move aside, move quickly aside!"
Leading his subordinates, the dock boss arrived, and the laborers and merchants made way for them.
The laborers, having earned money, were obliged to pay the fees; failing to do so meant they could not earn money here next time.
The merchants who came here to do business also had to pay a fee upon concluding a deal; otherwise, they could not trade here.
Ye Shiqi and her two bodyguards, looking at the incoming group, noted their robust and intimidating appearance, and they did not seem like good people.
The leader recognized the boss’s leader and directly waved him over, covertly flashing their organization’s emblem.
The boss had sharp eyes, recognized the leader, and greeted him with clasped hands.
"Brother Ye, it’s been a long time—come have tea with us at our place."
The leader nodded to the boss, and quietly introduced to Ye Shiqi that this dock boss was actually the dock boss of Deep Blue Island and also an informant for the National Protection Army.
They had dealings with the National Protection Army and had to go through this dock boss to meet that General.
"Is that young master over there with you?"
The dock boss then asked the leader.