Herald of Steel

Chapter 1363 Crimson Sword Pirates (Part-4)

Alexander was well aware that hiring the pirates and building his navy were not mutually exclusive.

He could use them both- just for different purposes.

Or even together if he should wish, such as bolstering each other's numbers in the event of a battle.

"I see. So you wish to both guard my ships and destroy my competition." Alexander at last chimed with a light nod, not showing any real objection to this arrangement.

Although he was pro free trade, Alexander was also not averse to kicking his enemies in the nuts if he could.

But before accepting the pirate captain's demand, he wanted to clear a few more things.

"Captain Vidian, if I hire you, how much can I expect to get from your plunders?"

Alexander wanted to get an idea of the rate of return on his investment.

"Last year we made the family about one and a half million wesas milord." Vidiyan stated in an almost memorized tone, "I can promise a similar amount in a few years."

This was about 15 million ropals, which to Alexander was frankly....

"That low? I thought being pirates was good business," The man made no attempt to hide his surprise, or more than that, his disappointment, "Did the Heeats not let you plunder much? Or is the slave trade not going well?"

Now don't get me wrong- 15 million ropals was an astronomical sum in any sense of the word. A large city like Zanzan used to produce only 10 million ropals in taxes before Alexander took over.

It was just that given the number of ships Vidiyan wielded, and the rich 'clientele' he served, Alexander thought the returns would be far more luxurious.

While seeing Alexander's genuine surprise, the captain first let an understanding, almost self depreciating smile, "Hehe, it seems my lord is not aware of our true state. Yes, most only see the enormous booty we catch, not the costs."

No one liked to be called poor, and especially not so blatantly to their face.

But it seemed the Crimson pirates were not as flashy as their captain's getup might suggest, as the man confirmed,

"What we make is normal, my lord. Actually last year we made more than the average. Typically the average pirate our size makes about 1 million wesas a year."

"Hmmm..." Alexander gave a small hum hearing this, understanding piracy was not the money making machine he thought it was.

It was clear there were obstacles and risks.

So Alexander curiously posed,

"Then Captain Vidiyan, if you do not mind, could you tell me how you made that money? And your various costs?"

"Of course!" The thick beard slightly swayed at the glad nod,

Now granted it might be harder to sell stolen goods and the quality might be slightly lower due to some incurred damage but slashing the price a third to half.... this was too much.

And thus as the pirate captain slumped back and slightly heaved out his frustration, Alexander asked this very question.

"These fences... take so much! You are actually okay with it?"

"Hehehe, this is the going rate, my lord. Everywhere it is the same," The 'poor' man solemnly shook his head, then revealed,

"Actually almost every reputable fence has a noble or even a few nobles backing him. So as much we pirates hate it... there is nothing we can do."

This let Alexander guess that these pirates might be contractually obligated to sell to these 'designated' fences or the like.

As for why this arrangement by the nobles,

"So they take half your loot at the very beginning and then buy the other half at half the price. Heh!" Alexander frankly sneered, revealing the ploy.

"....." The pirate captain responded to this with only a helpless sneer of his own

.Such were the shackles of being a pirate, even the freest of man were bound by something.

But then Alexander made the obvious ask,

"So if you are dissatisfied, why not sell the goods in the open market? There are so many cities and port towns around the Central Sea. I do not believe you cannot find a single merchant to trade with?"

This was obviously impossible.

These greedy businessmen would do anything, even if it was morbidly evil if it meant there was a chance to make a profit.

And needless to say, buying these stolen goods and re selling them should have been quite profitable.

The Crimson Pirate captain also agreed with Alexander on that, heavily nodding,

"Of course we can. Many free pirates do exactly that. But these are usually small time pirates dealing in small numbers. To trade in bulk.... traders who are willing to work with pirates so openly are rare."

"And there are also very few neutral ports that are friendly to us pirates. Most would rather hang us the moment we get on land. You see, most lords do not like us, pirates, on their fief, hehehe.

Let us say no to piracy! Don't take part in a crime! Don't patronize thieves!

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