The second day after the welcome banquet.

Aiven and his crew had already taken up the patrol mission, eager to set sail for the continent once more.

Not because they had a particular passion for the job, but because... they had to deliver the last batch of smuggled goods.

Hoo—

Even though they were sailing against the wind from south to north, with the help of the "Ship's Figurehead: Seasonal Wind Goddess," the "Storm Horn" still managed to race at a high speed of 6 knots, arriving at their destination—East Lenz—in less than a day.

This place was originally the first colony established by the East Lenz Company, which was formed by the Royal Family. After reforms, it was directly assigned back to the Royal Family and is now jointly managed by the East Lenz Company and the Governor appointed by the Royal Family.

The message had already been sent in advance via the Seagull.

By the time the "Storm Horn" arrived, the businessman from the East Lenz Company had long been waiting here.

"Captain Aiven! Welcome to the beautiful East Lenz."

Seeing Aiven's arrival, he immediately dashed forward, beaming warmly and shaking hands with him.

"Hello, Mr. Lisos!"

Aiven disembarked with Milan and Gary, while First Mate Borg remained on guard.

Tap...tap...tap...

Behind them were two rows of soldiers carrying wooden crates, filing off the "Storm Horn." These contained the 200 flintlock guns and matching ammunition that Aiven had brought from the Kingdom Mainland.

The two types of smuggled goods carried on the ship.

Industrial textiles, as ordinary goods, had already been sold out in previous colonies, leaving only the most valuable and sought-after military supplies to be dealt with.

Of course, even in this relatively turbulent place, arms trading wasn't something just anyone could do.

Most lucrative endeavors, including firearms trading, are generally monopolized by the Kingdom and major forces with connections.

Ordinary people couldn't even dream of getting involved.

But given Aiven's current status, it wasn't an issue. He had the network, the capital, and was part of the strongest armed force in the New Continent.

If not for considering it his first try and testing the waters, he could have transported even more guns.

Moreover, these guns weren't advanced military-controlled equipment from the army. They were originally "trade firearms"!

Because, in the vast and sparsely populated colonies of the New Continent.

Without a strong government or laws to protect the pioneers' safety, for most ordinary pioneers, the gun in their hand was their only reliable power.

It was also an important strategic resource for trading valuable goods like furs and forming alliances with the Aboriginal Atrean people. It could even circulate as hard currency in this land.

Thus, besides the fine guns for pioneer personal use, a simplified "trade rifle" emerged.

Simple in structure, easy to mass-produce, and relatively cheap to make, these rifles were primarily used in the fur trade in the Northern New Continent, earning the special nickname: "Fur Rifle."

"Please come with me, our Chief of Trade, Mr. Nekado, has been waiting for a long time."

"Alright."

The Navy carrying private goods was practically an open secret; no one would take the risk of offending the entire naval community to scrutinize them, so neither side behaved like smugglers hiding in the open.

In fact, one party was the official manager of this colony.

This businessman from the East Lenz Company, himself a member of an ocean-going fleet, had heard that Aiven had a batch of unsold guns and immediately recommended his company's services to him.

Upon parting, he repeatedly urged Aiven to consider his company, and to his delight, Aiven showed up after just a few days.

Half an hour later.

"A trade with the natives?"

In the luxurious office of the Chief of Trade, Aiven sipped on high-quality coffee from the New Continent, asking with interest.

"That's right! Today happens to be the day for our trade with the Yucatan Tribe. Are you interested?"

Plump Chief Nekado was quite polite to Aiven, not only because of his status as a battleship captain but also in hopes of establishing a good relationship to secure more "stock" from the Navy.

In the current hotly progressing colonial expansion, arms are always in demand.

Moreover, the company's two current competitors, the Northwest Fur Company and the Hudson Bay Company, are both well-established fur companies in the industry with solid backgrounds.

Even a colonial company with the official backing of the Kingdom, like the East Lenz Company, didn't have the strength to completely suppress or usurp their monopolistic positions.

Thus, they could only do business honestly.

In this case, arms, as hard currency even more potent than gold, are naturally something to strive for.

Especially with the Kingdom's limited overall transport capacity; the more they could secure here, the less the competition would have.

With good results, one's position could be secured, perhaps even earning a transfer back to the Mainland or a promotion to a high-ranking position.

Otherwise, for a small deal of less than a thousand Golden Lions including shipping, there was no need for the Chief himself to personally get involved.

"Of course, I'm very interested. To be honest, it's my first mission to the New Continent, and I haven't seen what the people living in the wild look like yet."

Exchanging a glance with Milan by his side, Aiven immediately agreed.

Given that he'd have to stay in the New Continent for at least six months, he would inevitably have to interact with the natives.

Aiven had long wanted to see what the "wild" Atrean people, living in tribes in the wild and surviving on farming and hunting, were like.

The small business couldn't catch Chief Nekado's eye, so how could Captain Aiven see it? He was merely looking to adapt to the new environment as quickly as possible. No amount of collected data could compare to seeing it with his own eyes.

Nekado's proposal was indeed a pleasant surprise for Aiven.

Especially as he was approaching the Official Knight Peak and needed to prepare for his future path.

Connecting it with the "Eagle Warrior Training Method" obtained from the First Mate of the "Eagle Spirit," he wondered if the native tribes here had similar Extraordinary inheritance?

Acquiring a few of these unique professional secret scrolls would surely be beneficial for understanding the power of those special tattoos.

Nekado still regarded this as an ordinary outing to strengthen the relationship, unaware that his guest already had different thoughts...

Da-da-da... da-da-da...

The group rode on high-statue horses, accompanied by four cargo-hauling carriages, heading inland.

The burly Chief rode alongside Aiven with great enthusiasm, speaking in a structured and well-referenced manner. If he weren't an administrative official, he'd make a great tour guide.

"I've heard that in the beginning, a single gun could be exchanged for furs piled as high as the gun itself. Tsk, not anymore these days..."

He spoke of the time before the first colonists arrived, when the indigenous people here hadn't invented the wheel or had horses, about the hardships of the pioneers, and about the various specialties and the internal conditions of the natives.

Of course, he also mentioned the horses they were currently riding on, the Solera horses originating from the Ilya Kingdom.

They possessed the spirit of pride and bravery, along with a gentle and personable demeanor, and had a powerful burst of speed and elegant maneuvers.

Most importantly, they were quite pricey, clearly intending to give Aiven a significant gift!

The convoy moved onward, as the tall deciduous broadleaf forests around them grew denser.

According to Nekado.

Although they mainly lived inland, not all native tribes were far from the colonies.

Apart from the Gashna Empire that once lived in the northwestern New Continent and the Azik Empire in the central south, many native tribes in other areas lived a half-nomadic, half-settled life.

In the vast and sparsely populated colonies, the forces of the natives and colonists often intertwined, making it hard to delineate power boundaries.

Moreover, outsiders couldn't imagine.

The Aboriginal Acalian people themselves weren't a monolith; the hatred between tribes was even more intense than towards the colonists. They never formed a consensus nor could they unite their strength.

Even when they got hold of guns, they often turned them on each other first.

Even the so-called empires of Gashna and Azik were more like federations under joint rule, with complex internal factions only nominally recognizing the suzerain's position.

Back when the Hilus landed, the two empires weren't completely broken by force but were exploited by the Hilus people using their internal conflicts, uniting one faction to defeat another, achieving extraordinary victories easily.

Now, in the Northern New Continent where the "Tulip Alliance" is rooted, it's the same.

Numerous tribes exist, with nearly a hundred different languages, implying countless divisions among tribes. Iroquois, Hurons, Mohawks, Oneida People, Onondaga People, Seneca People, and Cayuga People...

Among them, the Iroquois and the Hurons are entrenched blood enemies.

This exactly provided early weaker pioneers with opportunities to navigate and negotiate among them!

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