1452 Sweet Revenge

15 lumber vessels to the left, 18 to the right.

Both fleets seemed similar and could be mistaken as being under the same rule if not for the crest engraved on the ships.

One fleet from the Morg Arts Society and another from the Medical society.

Engaging very close to one another, the main ships from both fleets inched in until the space between them was only a jump away.

The decks were filled with hot-blooded men who looked glistening underneath the boiling sun.

"Make way!"

On both ships, an open path was created.

And the leaders stepped out of the cabins above deck level and headed down the open stairway with straight backs.

Din. Din. Din. Din. Din.~

Their boots stumped the slightly creaky wooden floors.

Their light shirts, tied-up hairdos, and swords hanging on their sides greatly contrasted the many bare-chested men on the decks.

The sun was hazy and disturbing, causing many to squint severally.

The men moved along the open path until they stood face to face.

The lead Captain of the fleet and the main society members all gathered to face one another.

"Sir, Marcus Perquo... Number one on the Art society list. Your works are legendary, and even some monarchs can't afford your time. It is a pleasure seeing the greatest Painter, Poet, and Sculptor of our time."

"Sir, Benvolio Higgins. Number 17 on the list of all Medical society members. You created a remedy for Wolf poison and several others. Your contributions are many. And your knowledge is vast. Many pray to have you visit their times just once, even if they aren't ill."

Both men give praise to one another.

It's not that they knew everyone in the many societies in Morgany.

No... They just knew the top 50 people in every society off the bat.

In these turbulent times, knowing talents was important. Information was what they lived by.

Who knows if one day they would make these talents grateful to them, hence winning allies or friends?

Morgany was united against outsiders. But amongst themselves, competition to get to the top of the list was brutal.

Every 2~3 years, the list changes, and newcomers fight their way up.

The top ten, top 50, top 100~500 are published in the open.

The whole process was more or less akin to how scholars get accepted after passing the exams.

Officials would visit the home of the top 500, making the knowledge public to many and celebrating the birth of a genius.

And depending on the position on the list, there would be a reward.

Of course, for Morgany, only the top 5 were given monetary rewards, scholarships for the next 7 years, and a chance to personally pick a teacher to worship.

In this world, people study till they age and die.

Scholars, astronomers, and everyone else studied and mastered more than 4 professions, if not more.

How can one have just 1 profession? That was laziness!

To study was to acquire wealth, prestige, and fame.

Poisons were created constantly, technology was ever-changing, art was changing based on client needs and research, agriculture was going, looking for solutions from disasters, be it man-made or not, was always present and even studying military tactics, swordsmanship, undergoing training and all the rest were a form of learning.

One never stopped learning.

That was what they in medieval times relied on.

So a 7 years scholarship wasn't long.

Some have been in the medical society for 30 years now... Though they were now taken as teachers or elders.

Again, if one doesn't contribute to their various Morg societies, they might be swept under the rug of the many upcoming talents.

That was why the list of the top 500 was constantly changing.

.

Following the top 5, the next 20 would be given money depending on their rank. They would also get picked by the teachers as pupils and scholarships for the next 5 years.

And the next 50 after that would be given scholarships for the next 3 years of their education and 3 chances to enter the forbidden libraries.

It can be said that the top 5 and those above these 50 also have these opportunities too.

And lastly, those below these groups would get a year scholarship and a few more opportunities, and a 1-year tax-free period for their direct families.

So if one's father is a farmer or even a merchant, as the rules stated, for this period, they wouldn't be asked to give the 4-seasonal taxes.

So with all these benefits, who wouldn't want to do their best in Morgany?

Morgany had mastered the ability to motivate and keep its people faithful to them.

The top 500 from every society would get celebrated in this manner, whether they're from the Structural (Building) & Technological society or even The food/Agricultural society.

Whether one hates Morgany or not, they had to admit that their organizational skills were outstanding.

So it only made it smear that they should stand at the top of the food chain.

And though celebrating 500 from each society seems like a lot, it truly wasn't.

One shouldn't forget that these 500 are a total of all 5 Morg empires.

Additionally, the various societies have hundreds and thousands of people in them from all 3 empires.

The societies had their headquarters and branch academies in various Capitals, cities, and towns.

It was similar to knighthood, with many entering the knighthood academy, having a vast population.

Nonetheless, entering the academies didn't mean one would be in the many societies.

There were various requirements that one had to meet before one could apply.

And only after acceptance would they get transferred to the genius sections of each academy.

The genius sections were another codename for the society members.

The genius sectors alone took up half the space of the academies and headquarters.

Only society members could grace these places.

And the best of the best hidden guards and men trained in the secret Morg skills were left on guard.

Again, only upon first acceptance would one get the scholarship opportunity.

For rewards like that, even if they continuously kept the spot at the top of the list, they won't get another 7, 5, or 3 years of scholarship.

However, the reward might be replaced by something else.

Sometimes more money is rewarded other times. And depending on whether one was in the top 5 or not, they should get massive galleys of ships customized and made for them.

Some smart people on the top have already amassed 12 giant ships, creating their forces.

Ships were expensive.

So do you know how happy they were to get high-end ships from Morgany?

Some got a chance to join the T.O.E.P.

Others were given titles and so on.

Bottom line, Morgany's rewards made the rest of the world envious.

Which other continent has such a collective benefit plan? (Cough~... Baymard.)

I mean, they weren't asking for shops and whatnot. The scholarships alone were enough to make many struggling peasants from other continents weep.

No wonder they say the peasants in Morgany were a higher grade and far well off than others around the world.

It's because of all this that even the Morg peasants would never think of betraying Morgany.

Please! They were already in heaven. So why risk it?

They even hated foreigners being in Morgany for long.

If they noticed a foreigner, they would subconsciously keep watch on the person, wondering when they would leave.

And if they stayed too long, many would report the matter.

It can be said that the Morg ancestors had done too good of a job at laying Morgany's foundation.

.

"Sir Marcus, everyone... why don't we have some refreshments?"

"Hmmm... A little feast would be nice." Marcus replied while walking on the plank towards Benvolio's ship.

He could jump from this distance.

But why break a sweat in this already hot weather?

Up the stairs, the duo went straight into Benvolio's cabin.

Already, the duo knew they would travel to Baymard together. So why not get acquainted?

"You heard them; bring out the rum!"

The men on deck were quick to pass the word to the other ships.

They wouldn't go crazy on the feast.

Rum and good food were all they needed.

It wasn't too long that Benvolio's fleet had left one of Deiferus' Coastal cities.

So they still had a ton of apples and newly bought food supplies.

Apples could last over close to 2 months before rotting—a good source of water and juiciness on the high seas.

With grains, carrots, and a few more ingredients, they began to prepare for the feast.

But while preparations were in ace, their various leaders were now gathered together for a little meeting.

Heh.

A vicious glint flashed through Marcus's eyes when thinking about Baymard.

Almost a little over 3 years back, he was mercilessly distracted and thrown out of Baymard when demanding that they sporadic the formulas for their pens, paper, and other items.

He vowed to get revenge.

And now, he was back!

But one shouldn't think these 15 ships were all Morgany had sent him with.

There should be another 100 ships waiting for them up ahead, just out around the path between the general waters and Pyno's.

Good...

This time Baymard was dead!