The witch thought I am a Demon God-Chapter 543 - 317 Fish? Fishing? Foolish? Prison?_1
Lord Ivita had been persistently refusing Governor Rolof’s invitation for seven consecutive days.
Throughout these seven days, he had gradually gotten a grip on his entire territory, having met face-to-face with most of the landlords within three viscount territories and five independent baron and eight knight territories within his realm.
Internally, he had initially solidified his rule.
The territories on Cross Island were precarious; most of their knight and baron posts were either vacant or occupied by defiant local despots.
However, under the feudal system, titles can overlap. Therefore, Lord Ivita currently holds the titles of Viscount for three territories, Baron for five territories, and Knight for eight territories.
He can hardly count on the few remaining knights within these three Viscount territories; at most, he hopes they can contribute to their defensive battles.
Chino Kennedy was the one who offered a surprise to Lord Ivita. Uncharacteristically, he had abstained from drinking for seven days and began to take his duties seriously. Word had it that he seemed as though he had been possessed by a demon to anyone who knew him.
His friends, who regularly gambled and threw around allegations with him, conspired to drag him to church for an exorcism, just so he could resume drinking and gambling.
This incident came to Ivita’s knowledge because the local priests in the church were in collusion with the local authorities.
The church authority did not necessarily collide with Lordship. Particularly in areas where the church is dependent on the lord, the latter can leverage the divine power to fortify him.
Thus, the local priests, immediately upon hearing about this, reported to their new superior lord to ingratiate themselves with him.
Ivita’s advice to the priests was, keep observing and let it take its course.
Next, Chino Kennedy took a drastic step by falling out with his rowdy friends, thereby cutting off his back door.
Besides, the Iron Mountain Knight informed Lord Ivita that Chino Kennedy has extraordinary innate gifts as a knight, superior even to the top Iron Mountain Knight; it was just that he used to indulge in self-deprecation and lacked decent resources.
Nevertheless, on Cross Island, no one had much in the way of knight resources.
Uncannily, there was no alien flora on Cross Island!
The pirates could only rob knight resources.
On the streets of Maple Town, the town mayor had come out in advance to welcome Lord Ivita, the Governor, and other prestigious families.
Mayor Jackson, now an old man, was continually sweating and kept observing his superior, Ivita’s countenance. More importantly, in addition to welcoming Lord Ivita, he also had to greet dozens of leaders of various size powerhouses that Governor Rolof had invited to the sunken ship harbor.
This necessitated Mayor Jackson to seek approval from Ivita before uttering every word.
Mayor Jackson, an old man now, was particularly apprehensive of Governor Rolof and other pirates, as he had lived through the most ruthless era of pirates invading the island during his childhood. Ironically, he found Lord Ivita, a mainland, more comfortable.
Meanwhile, a contemptuous Governor Rolof was observing this old mayor with an amused grin. He had scant respect for those who had spent their entire life farming. In his view, the quickest way to amass wealth in this world is through plundering, not the insipid method of earning it.
He considered the old mayor as a lamb, ready for slaughter, hence treated the latter with subtle mockery.
Lord Ivita suddenly spoke to Old Mayor Jackson, "You don’t need to look at me every time you speak. Rolof is just an ordinary man; don’t feel too pressured in his presence."
Rolof’s face stifled. He almost forgot that he was in the lair of this ruthless murderer who specialized in exterminating pirates and smugglers.
Governor Rolof responded self-deprecatingly, "Compared to you, my lord, I’m merely a small pirate."
Lord Ivita sarcastically responded, "Is there any small pirate who can call a gathering of several dozens of house powers in my small town at his command? I just wonder why you chose to hold the meeting here in my town."
Governor Rolof replied, "Mr. Ivita, today I have invited most of the renowned pirate and smuggler families from the Sunken Ship Harbor (Giant Port). Their relationships are complicated, with scores to settle and favors to return. Thus, it is not appropriate to host the meeting in anyone’s territory. Therefore, I thought of your place. Moreover, seeing that this event is so grand, hosting it successfully will also greatly boost your reputation."
Lord Ivita simply smiled and said no further, leaving no clues for the Governor to guess his intentions.
Old Mayor Jackson looked at Lord Ivita and felt more confident about him.
Taking advantage of the situation, Jackson said to Lord Ivita, "Sir, I have arranged for your meeting to take place in the town church."
"Maple Town is very prosperous, it’s a famous market on Cross Island. I’m afraid..."
Ivita raised an eyebrow, pirates holding a meeting inside a church?
Even he felt a bit fearful of divine punishment.
Ivita said, "I have brought Fourth Generation Vampire Wilson, the Iron Mountain Knight, and the high-ranking Hearthstone Witch, as well as 200 professional personnel, and 1,000 troops. Rest assured, nobody dares to mess around in my wealth-producing town."
Governor Rolof’s mouth hung open slightly, he didn’t expect Ivita to have accepted the Valji Family’s influence so quickly.
This speed was just too fast.
Mayor Jackson felt a momentary straightening of his spine, he even had the illusion that he had grown taller again.
His eyes became more confident when looking at the Governor.
Ivita suggested to the Governor, "Since you’re here, let’s take a stroll around the market."
Governor Rolof revealed an awkward smile. "Of course, you’re the owner here, whatever you say goes. I, as the guest, should listen to the host’s arrangements, plus I am not familiar with the routes here."
...
On the market of Maple Town, there were still many shops on both sides of the streets.
From fruits like apples, to special varieties of rice, tomatoes, and other grains and vegetables, as well as leather clothes and such, this place was a commercial center for all the nearby towns, villages, and territories.
Because it’s a naturally formed commercial center, even after decades of rough management by pirates, it still managed to survive toughly.
Governor Rolof stopped at a jewelry shop that sold trinkets. He eyed a silver ring, wanting to gift it to one of his lovers. Meanwhile, Ivita was surprised to find a fish shop next to this jewelry shop.
Ivita walked in, finding all the fish placed in clay pots filled with clear water, each one lively. But, the shop owner’s eyes were full of evasion when looking at him.
Ivita picked up a green fish, and suddenly another well-dressed young man walked into the fish shop.
Upon seeing Ivita, the young man said, "Lord Ivita, please don’t eat or harm the poor fish in your hand. Because it’s related to your desire to expand your territory."
"I request that you buy all the fish here, and in return, you will get the territory you want."
Ivita turned his head towards him in confusion.
"How do you know what I’m thinking?"
"I want to expand my territory?"
The peculiar young man gave a deep bow to Ivita. "Please help me, buy all the fish here. I don’t need to guess your thoughts because your subordinate, Wilson, has been trying to trigger conflict with the neighbors recently."
"Anyone with clear eyes can see that you seem to want to go further."
Ivita squinted his eyes.
He wanted to gain the understanding of the law, which was necessary to advance to Great Wizard. Yet the knowledge of the law could only be acquired from an Earl Level territory.
But who was this young man?
Why did he want him to buy all the fish in this fish shop?
And he was asked not to harm them, or eat them? It seemed like this guy had been observing him all the time.
Ivita covertly locked eyes with the Hearthstone Witch, the two shared a meaningful glance, both harboring ill intentions.
