Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 394: Change of Strategy

Chapter 394: Change of Strategy

The once-perilous routes that that Yarzat's merchant ships took , filled with supplies for the Romelian Armada, finally found respite with the arrival of the ten ships Lord Caius had dispatched to guard them . 

Of course, this newfound security came at a cost, which was bore from them, apart naturally from the lowered price they were forced to sell the grain, there was also the problem of time.

Where once merchants could set out individually as soon as their holds were packed, eager to collect payment and prepare for their next voyage, the protection of the fleet introduced strict schedules. Now, convoys departed only on designated dates, carefully timed to allow the warships to escort the flotilla to the besieged isle and return for the next group. These intervals, spaced by necessity, meant fewer trips and, consequently, reduced profits for the merchants.

Despite this limitation, the trade-off was clear. Though they could no longer dictate their own pace, the guarantee of safety outweighed the loss. No longer did they have to gamble with their livelihoods—or their lives—against the ever-present threat of pirates or enemy ships. Their cargo reached its destination intact, and they returned with their vessels unscathed, as lone pirate ships steered clear from them as soon as they caught sight of Romelian ships.

The grumbling among the merchants was minimal, tempered by the relief of no longer sailing with the specter of destruction looming over them. After all, even reduced profits were far better than facing the potential of losing everything, including their own lives, to the cruel whims of the sea and those that thrived on it.