"The sea breeze is getting colder," Garcia Wimbledon said with a hint of regret, smoothing her wind-tossed hair as she gazed at the boundless ocean.

"Because winter is approaching," a handsome man behind her replied, "Although this place is in the South, it's not the extreme South. Only the Sand People don't understand what winter is."

"Our fleet can't set sail in winter; the ocean currents will make it impossible for them to move an inch. So, this should be the last voyage," the woman turned around. "Farrien, how long has Black Sail been gone?"

"Two months and four days," the man replied without hesitation, "If nothing unexpected happens, they should arrive at Azurewater Port in three days."

Garcia laughed heartily, "I hope they bring me enough surprises."

Farrien Coban looked at the flamboyant woman before him, feeling deeply moved. Her long gray hair reflected a hint of silver in the autumn sun; her eyes were light green with narrow corners, and when she stared at someone, it created an indescribable sense of pressure. Spending so much time by the sea had made her skin slightly rough, not as fair as other royal women, but Farrien didn't mind at all. In his eyes, the aura Garcia possessed was enough to make any beauty pale in comparison.

Unlike the morons produced by inbreeding in Greycastle, the Third Princess of Wimbledon was a true genius. She had the wisdom and pride of a noble, yet she didn't adhere to convention like a noble. In this regard, she was even a bit like a commoner – full of anticipation for breaking the monotony and extremely adventurous.

Of course, no commoner would possess her level of height and vision. Even dukes and marquises seemed short-sighted and greedy in front of her. Being able to invest all the trade revenue of Azurewater Port into the construction of the fleet, without leaving a single coin in her own treasury, was something the misers could never match.

"These gold dragons are meaningless hidden in the cabinet; they are like stones when not in use. Only when you spend them can they realize their own value. The key is that spending it doesn't mean losing it. As long as it's used properly, the returns you get will far exceed its value." – Farrien still deeply remembered her words to him, which shattered his long-held fixed ideas like a thunderclap.

Compared to those royal nobles who spend their days counting how much their savings have increased, Farrien felt this was the demeanor of a ruler.

So, he resolutely joined Garcia's command and followed her to Azurewater Port.

After arriving here, Farrien realized that what the Third Princess had done was far more than that – she not only had ideas but also took action. She formulated the Black Sail Plan around this core and steadily implemented it step by step. As early as five years ago, Garcia had cultivated forces that had infiltrated Azurewater Port, preparing to build the Black Sail Fleet – and at that time, Wimbledon III had not yet proposed the Decree of Royal Contest. In other words, she was already ahead of all the heirs.

"Let's go back inside; the wind is getting stronger," Garcia said, tilting her head. Her palace was located at the southernmost tip of Azurewater Port, above Salmon Bay. This tower-like building was like a watchman stationed on the coast. The top of the tower was a circular terrace with a wide view, overlooking the entire bay and the merchant ships coming and going.

Now, after five years of operation, Azurewater Port's trade had begun to take shape. A three-masted sailing ship was launched from the dock every six months, and he had gained the other party's initial trust. Taking advantage of the Third Princess's good mood, Farrien hesitated and asked the biggest question he had in his mind for the past few months.

"Your Highness, there's something I don't understand," he closed the door, isolating the howling sea wind from the outside.

"Speak," she nodded with a smile.

"Why were you able to foresee all of this before the King issued the Decree of Royal Contest?" He had also guessed whether Wimbledon III had told her in advance, but after careful consideration, he knew this was impossible. Everyone knew that the Second Prince was the heir most valued by the King, and the Decree of Royal Contest was set up for him, which could be seen from the Second Prince's fief, Golden Grain City.

But she guessed all this on her own and started planning five years ago? Gods above, she was only ten years old at that time!

"Foresee?" She looked amused, "Do you think I'm a witch? I don't have that kind of supernatural ability."

"Uh, but..."

"I didn't know my father would come up with such a rotten idea as the Decree of Royal Contest to pave the way for his precious Second Son. In fact, what does having or not having the Decree of Royal Contest have to do with what I'm doing?"

Nothing to do with it? Farrien suddenly realized something and opened his mouth in surprise.

Seeing the incredulous expression on Farrien Coban's face, Garcia smiled, "Does it mean that I have to wait for my father to say that I am qualified to compete for the throne before I have the right to compete? By the same token, can the one who governs the city the best definitely sit on the throne of Greycastle? I thought you would understand when you saw the Black Sail Plan."

So that’s it, Farrien muttered, her fleet wasn't purely built for wealth. This fleet belonging to the Third Princess would raise the black flag in places far from the port after completing trade and rob merchant ships from other cities or countries. Similarly, the Third Princess encouraged her people to sail out to sea and participate in the Black Sail Plan together. She promised that any looted wealth would belong to the shipowner, and Azurewater Port would never tax this profit.

This move brought her huge wealth, so this time she simply ordered the Black Sail Fleet to go straight south to plunder any ships passing through Endless Cape, as well as the Sand People in the South.

And these measures were not just for money. Garcia did not use this looted wealth to build cities or expand land trade; she simply put it back into the shipyard and continued to build more large ships.

In these years, she has gained a large number of experienced sailors, fierce warriors, and the popular support of the people – if she cannot continue to govern, the villains who participated in the plunder will all be sent to the gallows.

"Can the one who governs the city the best definitely sit on the throne of Greycastle?" No, Farrien now knew that the one who could sit on the throne was Garcia Wimbledon, who had many ships and soldiers and could go up the Three Bays River straight to Golden Grain City.

"Did you know that you would be assigned to Azurewater Port?"

"That was an accident, just a bonus in a deal," Garcia shrugged, "I originally thought the Church was fooling me..."

Related to the Church? Seeing that the other party didn't continue, Farrien didn't dare to ask further. But he was clear that even if Garcia didn't come to Azurewater Port, this place would follow her will and continue to move in the direction she hoped.

"Put these aside for now," she poured herself a cup of black tea, "It seems the little trick before failed."

"Ah, yes," Farrien quickly regained his thoughts and replied, "Only Border Town has news, reporting that the pill didn't work. There's no news from other places."

"No news probably means they were killed by my brothers, as expected. They were originally just chess pieces arranged casually, irrelevant to the overall situation, just to pass the waiting time. But..." she changed the subject, "It's normal for other chess pieces to fail, but I didn't expect even Fourth Brother to be safe and sound. To be honest, I'm a little disappointed."

"The Kingfisher said in the secret letter that the pill was indeed swallowed, but..."

"Failure is failure; I don't want to hear explanations," Garcia interrupted, "The Demonic Month is coming soon. Our lovely Prince will go to Longsong Stronghold to take refuge, right? When the demon beasts invade, the stronghold will probably be in chaos for a while. Write a letter to her and let her seize the opportunity. I want to see if the goddess of luck will still stand on Fourth Brother's side this time."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"You can go down," Garcia waved her hand. Just as Farrien was about to take his leave, the Third Princess stopped him again, "Oh, right. I remember that pill was bought from the alchemist Embeeser, right?"

Farrien nodded.

"What did he say at the time? Colorless, odorless, dissolves in water, death is guaranteed upon ingestion, and there's no cure, and it was his latest alchemical achievement?" Garcia yawned, "Hang him."