Rome must fall.

Chapter 371 River Port Trade
After Karsipoppers's reminder, everyone immediately realized that due to the limitations of the cabin and the top board of the strange ship ahead, the enemy could only jump off the ship from the bow and stern. These two places were narrow and upturned, making it difficult to stand firmly after jumping on them, and they would be more likely to become targets for shooting...

"If the crossbow you mentioned is really that powerful, this kind of ship can be used for defense, but it cannot catch up with the enemy ship during an attack and can't play any role." A pirate leader said somewhat stubbornly.

Calcipumpas smiled.

Before he could say anything, Dioscles reminded him, "Fighting on a river is not like fighting on the vast ocean. You see, the Kupa River is only a few dozen meters wide, and seven or eight ships can block it. If the enemy ships want to escape, they can only follow the river. They will either end up far away from their homes and enter the territory of other tribes, or be forced to the water and unable to move."

The pirate was speechless, but his companion looked at the strange ship getting closer and closer with curiosity and asked, "What is this ship trying to do by approaching?"

"This is Knicks' patrol boat. We have entered Knicks' territory." Calsi Pampas responded, then took a deep breath and shouted to the front: "I am Calsi Pampas! I am here to deliver iron ore to you!"

A man wearing a short shirt and shorts and a hood stood at the bow of the patrol boat. He saluted and asked, "Elder Carlos Pampas, why did you come early this time?"

"I received an invitation from your leader. In order to catch the summer festival, I have to set off early." Chalsiphonpas replied.

The Ardei Iron Mine ships iron ore every fifteen days, and each time, the tribes to the west and south of Ardei will send an elder to escort the shipment. Although the iron mine is controlled by the western mountain tribe, the profits are shared by the entire Ardei. In order to migrate to the Sava River, the northern and eastern tribes gave up this right, so the profits were only divided between the western and southern tribes in a 60:40 ratio. The western tribes made more profits, but there was some room for maneuver in the specific transaction process, so Calsipenpas would escort the shipment from time to time, so as to deter the cunning elders in the south from playing tricks.

"I really envy you for being able to go to Ophidilla to attend the Summer Festival. We have responsibilities and cannot go to watch. We can only celebrate here." The man looked regretful, and then he remembered something: "By the way, your great leader Alistarcus just led a team passing by here yesterday, also to attend the Summer Festival."

"Oh." Karsipenpas responded casually without caring.

"How many ships did you bring this time?" the man asked, glancing at the first ship where Chalcipenpas was. Because there were quite a lot of people on this ship, his sharp eyes soon rested on the pirate leaders.

"Same as before, twenty-five."

"These people - I don't think I have seen them before. Are they also members of your tribe?" The man pointed at Agatacus and the others.

"They are friends I met at sea. This time I will take them to see Captain Maximus to discuss important matters with him." Chalcipompas said frankly.

"Elder Carlosipompus, during the summer festival, our tribe will conduct strict inspections throughout the country. To avoid trouble, I suggest that you take them to see Lord Theopompus to issue a certificate." The man said solemnly.

"Okay, thank you for your reminder!" Karsipopas responded seriously.

The man waved his hand, and the sailor standing behind him pushed the wooden plank towards the bottom of the boat. At the same time, the helmsman at the stern turned the rudder, causing the patrol boat to move to the side and out of the channel.

As the fleet continued to move forward and passed by the patrol boat, Agatacus and his companions could see clearly from a close distance that there were several soldiers sitting in the patrol boat's cabin. Some were holding spears, some were holding wooden shields and short swords, and some were holding new weapons, crossbows, which were still strung and aimed at the fleet through the wooden windows. The sharp arrow tips shone with cold light, which made them shudder...

The river port of Snotia has completely changed from when the Nixes first occupied it.

It has more than ten docks, lined up along the river bank of the village, and it looks very busy, with ships constantly coming in and out, mainly traveling to the lower reaches of the Kupa River. Of course, there are also some ships from Aldei. Therefore, there are not only many ships in the port, but also many laborers.

There was an extra-large dock that was specially used to berth large fleets, basically serving the iron and salt fleets coming from Aldea. Therefore, Calcippus and his companions did not need to wait and quickly parked all the ships at the dock.

The dock manager arrived quickly and first respectfully welcomed Chalsipoppas and his party off the ship, then directed the laborers to unload the baskets of iron ore from the ship and load them onto the prepared carts.

After the cart was fully loaded, the driver drove the cart to a warehouse not far from the dock. Along with the cart went a man each from Chalcympas and the dock manager.

Soon after, another cart stopped at the dock and started loading... Although there were many people busy at the dock, everything was orderly and efficient, and half of the iron ship was emptied in less than half an hour.

Dioscles looked at these tanned, almost naked laborers with only a piece of cloth to cover their bodies, and couldn't help but whispered, "Boss, didn't you say that the Nix tribe had no slaves? What are these people?"

"The Nix tribe does not have slaves, but they do have foreign auxiliaries, which are the captives who were defeated by the Nix people. Unlike slaves, as long as they work hard for the Nix people for a few years, they can become reserve tribesmen and be allocated dozens of acres of land...

Most of these people are foreign auxiliaries, and I recognize several of them. They have worked in our iron mine before. "Karsipampas looked at the busy laborers with a complicated expression and said softly: "These people are not only foreign auxiliaries of Nix, but also our Ardei people." "What?" Dioscles and Nikararedas were shocked.

"There's nothing strange about it." Calsipenpas tried to keep his tone calm. "I've said before that the things made by the Nix people are very popular among our people, but some people have nothing to exchange with them, so they can only come here to help them work in exchange for what they need. The Nix people treat us who come to work quite well, providing free food and shelter, and even treating us when we are sick..."

After hearing this, Nikara Reedas actually replied: "These tribesmen are stupid. It would be better for them to join the Nix tribe directly. This way, they don't have to work so hard and can enjoy many benefits."

"What nonsense! They are Aldi people, how could they join another tribe!" Karsipenpas scolded.

"But aren't we going to join?" Nikala Reedas retorted unconvinced.

“You—” Calsipenpas was speechless for a moment, his mind racing, and then he tried to speak gently: “You have been drifting on the sea for many years, and your feelings for the tribe have faded. Unlike them, they are reluctant to leave the land and tribe where they have lived for generations…”

"Actually, they are still stupid." Nikala Reedas said bluntly: "I now think it would be a good idea to join the Knicks."

Calcipenpas did not argue any more, perhaps deep down he felt that what he said was true.

After a while, the dock manager came over and invited Karsi Pampas and his party to go to the dock management office to rest for a while.

Chalcympas and Themispoulos did not refuse.

Arriving at a wooden house next to the warehouse, the dock manager asked his men to entertain Agatacus and other pirates. He led Chalsipopas and Themispros into the management room, asked them to sit down, and then poured a jar of water for each of them.

Chalsipompus, who was a little thirsty, took a big sip and suddenly widened his eyes in surprise: "Roctius, what did you add to this water?"

The steward named Roctius was obviously familiar with the two men. He smiled and asked, "Is it delicious?"

"It's sweet and a little sour, very good and thirst-quenching!" praised Karsipenpas.

Themispros also asked curiously: "What is this thing that makes the water sweet?"

"This is a new kind of milk water made by our housekeeper, Lady Aconis. It is very popular among the people of Ophidiliya. The food shop in Snotia has just learned how to make it." Roctius introduced: "It is said that a small amount of fermented goat milk is added to the boiled and cooled water to remove the fishy smell. At the same time, some honey is also added!"

"Honey!" Karsi Pampas was a little surprised: "You, the Knicks, can make honey now?!"

"Several members of our tribe used to be slaves who raised bees and collected honey for Roman nobles in Italy. After settling down here, they went to the mountains and forests many times to find beehives and cultivate bee colonies. They were able to produce honey a few years ago.

However, the output is very small and the taste is not very good, because the bee colonies have to search all over the mountains for wild flowers to collect nectar, and most of this honey is bought by Lady Akonis.

Later, the chief approved the establishment of a beekeeping workshop, which was run by these tribesmen, and they were also granted a large piece of land to grow flowers. As a result, more honey was produced and the taste was better. Just last month, the honey was also put on the food stalls in the market and can be sold to the public. "

"Does that mean we can also buy it?" Themispros asked excitedly.

"of course."

The two looked at each other, and Themispros then asked, "How much does honey cost?"

"As far as I know, a box of bees can only produce about 10 kilograms of honey a year. A beekeeping workshop can't produce much honey even after a year of hard work. Therefore, its price is relatively expensive. One kilogram of honey requires 1000 kilograms of iron ore." Rocktius was well prepared and gave the answer without hesitation.

(End of this chapter)