Chapter 8: Royal Trading Company
Hades didn't need to do anything yet, merely understand it; that was still a bit far off for him.
What he truly needed to care about was the kingdom's development; this was his future foundation.
Having lived two lives, and unable to reform the kingdom's regime for the time being, what Hades valued most was commercial trade, political dealings with other kingdoms, and the development of technology.
Politically, Hades didn't need to give guidance. Commercial trade alone was enough for many kingdoms to grow close to the Kronos Kingdom.
The Kronos Kingdom possessed strong economic strength and owned ten adult Island Turtles exceeding ten thousand meters.
In this era where prices hadn't skyrocketed yet, just raising one Island Turtle required two billion Walker annually, which translated to four billion Beli.
Walker was the Kronos Kingdom's local currency, issued uniformly by the Royal Bank. Thanks to the vast silver mine within the kingdom, Walker was directly linked to silver and circulated only within the kingdom and a few closely cooperating kingdoms.
Outside, Beli was still used for the most part.
The World Government didn't interfere with this. Many powerful countries had their own currencies to avoid being economically restricted by the World Government, as long as Beli remained the mainstream currency.
These Island Turtles could freely cross seas, pass through the Calm Belt, travel to the Four Seas, traverse storms, and weren't afraid of Sea Kings.
Each time, they could carry a large amount of resources and products unique to the Kronos Kingdom and the New World to the Four Seas, engaging in trade with various kingdoms in the Four Seas.
Every Island Turtle was a mobile Trade Island. Besides the trade relationships with those kingdoms, each time they arrived in the Four Seas, they attracted countless merchants to the island to do business.
Travelers from various parts of the Great Sea also came to the island to purchase goods from all over the World.
The shell of the Island Turtle carried a Small Town. Just the rent from the Shop in the Small Town was enough for the Kronos Kingdom to make a huge profit.
After returning from the Four Seas, the Island Turtles also transported a large amount of supplies from the Four Seas back to the New World and sold them in the New World.
Looking across the entire World, only the Kronos Kingdom did this.
It wasn't that other powers didn't have this capability, but rather that they didn't have the necessity.
The Kronos Kingdom was located in the New World and had this need.
As for the countries in the Four Seas and the First Half of the Grand Line, using merchant ships for transportation was sufficient.
In this era, the Great Sea was still relatively stable, unlike the turbulent future.
Furthermore, the cost of raising Island Turtles wasn't something ordinary powers could bear. The annual cost of raising one Island Turtle was enough to buy a kingdom.
This didn't even include the investment before the Island Turtles reached adulthood.
Moreover, there was the risk of being plundered, requiring the kingdom to possess strong military power.
However, it wasn't as dangerous as one might imagine. The Island Turtles' routes were relatively safe, staying close to kingdoms that had trade relations with the Kronos Kingdom.
At the same time, they also hired the Marines from the Four Seas for protection.
With enormous hiring capital, the Governors of the Four Seas wouldn't refuse.
Therefore, the one hostile to the Marines was the Pirate "\"Death God\" Ye Ge", never the Kronos Kingdom.
After all, the Kronos Kingdom could be said to be the benefactor of the Four Seas Marines.
Not many people knew Jaeger's true identity, and the Kronos Kingdom had never publicly revealed it.
At the very least, most people wouldn't imagine that "\"Death God\" Ye Ge" would be the Crown Prince of a kingdom; at most, they'd think the Kronos Kingdom was Jaeger's birthplace.
Therefore, in the eyes of outsiders, there would be no reason for the Marines to attack the Kronos Kingdom.
The Kronos Kingdom possessed a special technique that allowed them to tame Island Turtles, control them to dive into the sea, and create sealed spaces inside the Island Turtles' bodies, eliminating worries about seawater intrusion and cargo damage.
An extra-large Glass Dome could cover the entire Small Town, preventing the Small Town from being eroded by seawater.
The most cutting-edge glass products in the World came from the Kronos Kingdom, possessing top-tier technology and materials, making them difficult even for cannonballs to break.
They could provide protection when encountering danger, and then dive directly into the sea to escape.
It wasn't that no one had thought about targeting the Island Turtles, but simply that they couldn't do it.
And such technology was the foundation for the Kronos Kingdom to conduct trade in the Four Seas.
Trade Partner Kingdoms were the first layer of insurance, and the Four Seas Marines were the second layer.
This second layer of insurance alone was difficult to break. The power of the Four Seas Marines at that time was not comparable to what it would be in the future.
The Governors of each sea area were regional viceroys, holding the rank of Vice Admiral, with power and status comparable to a Marine Admiral.
The Four Seas faction also held significant influence within Marine Headquarters.
The Marines were the undisputed hegemon of this Great Sea. While this might have been somewhat denied in the New World at that time, it was certainly true in the Four Seas.
Furthermore, the third layer of protection was the Kronos Kingdom's Elite Unit guarding the Island Turtles. Each unit had three Commanders, possessing strength no less than a Marine Rear Admiral.
Just as the Four Seas were the foundation of the Marines, their vast population base could continuously provide reserve forces for the Marines. The fact that the vast majority of the Marines' high-level experts came from the Four Seas illustrated this point.
The Kronos Kingdom was a large population country and could cultivate talent more efficiently and specifically compared to the Marines.
Among the Kronos Kingdom's three million strong Army, there were only six Generals ranked below Great General Zoffy, while there were a full thirty-two Commanders.
The war with the World Government didn't affect the Kronos Kingdom's trade with the Four Seas; it only had a slight impact on the New World, but not a significant one.
War could actually promote the overall strength of the Kingdom Army.
Thanks to the war, the kingdom's investment in military budget and "\"Underworld Prison\"" had greatly increased. Pressure bred motivation.
In recent years, aside from top-tier combatants, the overall strength of the Kronos Kingdom had actually been increasing.
The kingdom had five major Royal Trading Companies, all belonging to the Tartaros Royal Family. Most industries within the kingdom were also affiliated with the five major Royal Trading Companies; only these five had the capability.
Furthermore, many powers in the New World also cooperated with the Kronos Kingdom's five major Royal Trading Companies. They also needed to utilize the Kronos Kingdom's unique channels to transport goods.
Although the World Government's Red Port could also be used, the danger was too high in the pirate-infested New World. Pirates roaming the Great Sea were often reckless.
The First Half of the Grand Line also lay in between.
The World Government's "\"Toll Fee\"" was also much higher than the Kronos Kingdom's transportation fee.
Rather than being bled dry by the World Government, it was better to align with the Kronos Kingdom, which had long-standing reputation.
What's more, going directly to the Four Seas via the Kronos Kingdom's route saved an unknown amount of time and was many times safer.
The Kronos Kingdom could be said to be the link connecting many powers in the New World with the Four Seas, containing enormous interests.
If the World Government were to truly get serious, they wouldn't stand by and do nothing, because the Kronos Kingdom was the core of this Interest Group.
However, the Kronos Kingdom was not significantly affected, and its foundation and rule were not shaken in the slightest, so they didn't get involved.
However, there were quite a few people secretly causing trouble for the World Government; many "\"unexpected\"" losses came from them.
There were many people who dared to act against the World Government. In this Great Sea, there were plenty of ways to distance oneself and prevent information leaks.
They just needed to push the blame onto the Kronos Kingdom; after all, the Kronos Kingdom was doing similar things.
Among them, the First Royal Trading Company managed trade with the New World, while the other four Royal Trading Companies were responsible for trade in the Four Seas.
Excluding costs, the annual interests generated were enormous.
Besides earning a large amount of Beli, they also exchanged for countless supplies scarce in the Kronos Kingdom, supporting the Kronos Kingdom's development.
At the same time, the First Royal Trading Company conducted trade with other powers in the New World using the supplies obtained from the Four Seas, flowing into the Black Market and the Underground World.
Therefore, the Kronos Kingdom possessed great influence throughout the World. Every Trade Partner Kingdom was a potential ally of the Kronos Kingdom.
The kingdom also frequently sent Officials to visit and exchange with these kingdoms, strengthening relationships.
(end of chapter)