Chapter 141: Naval Affairs
Less than half of the hour Axel had given them had passed.
Every officer had already prepared their report.
Unlike the loose, noisy atmosphere of the previous meeting, the conference room was now almost painfully orderly. The Marines stood in a straight line, backs upright, documents held neatly in both hands as they waited to be called.
Axel accepted the papers one by one.
He read quickly.
Names, ranks, duties, experience, specialties—every piece of information entered his mind after a single glance. By the time the last document reached his hand, he had already memorized all of it and matched each report to the person who submitted it.
Then he began rearranging the assignments.
"You," Axel said, pointing to one officer, "will supervise the iron ore mining on San Faldo."
His finger moved to another.
"You'll be responsible for patrolling the surrounding waters."
Another.
"You'll handle cargo inspections at the port."
Another.
"You'll coordinate with the Sea Train station regarding shipment schedules."
The orders came one after another.
At first, the officers were tense. But as Axel continued, their expressions gradually changed.
The assignments were not random.
They were based on their past experience, strengths, and areas of familiarity. Some people were shifted to posts they had long wanted but never received. Others were moved away from duties they were clearly unsuited for.
No one objected.
On the contrary, several officers began showing approval despite themselves.
Their trust in this young Captain rose another notch.
Then it was Yulia's turn.
Axel skipped him.
Yulia waited for a few breaths.
When Axel continued assigning others as if he had not noticed him at all, Yulia finally spoke.
"Captain, what is my mission?"
Axel looked at him.
"You'll be spared from duty."
The room became quiet.
Axel continued in a considerate tone, "You're getting on in years. We should take care of our elders. Too much work isn't good for your body."
Everyone could tell that was nonsense.
Although Yulia looked older than his actual age, he was still under fifty. He was a seasoned veteran who had served in the Navy for decades and could handle almost any task placed in front of him.
More importantly, Lieutenant Commander Levi was even older than Yulia.
If this was really about caring for the elderly, why had Levi received an assignment?
But after what happened to Barlow, no one dared to step forward and question Axel.
Yulia's smile stiffened only for a moment before returning.
"No, no. I'm still in good health. As I said before, this frail body of mine can still contribute to justice."
He could not possibly remain in the office processing meaningless papers at a time like this.
If he did, not only would his presence in the base slowly fade, but everyone would also see it as him losing to the newly arrived Captain. Even his old subordinates might begin shifting their allegiance.
Axel appeared to think for a moment.
"I remember your report said you're familiar with the surrounding terrain, as well as the internal situation of the island, correct?"
"Yes," Yulia replied at once. "I've served here for more than twenty years. Naturally, I know both the island and the nearby waters well. I believe you can entrust me with maintaining order in the area."
Axel shook his head.
"I have a more important task for you."
A more important task?
Yulia was slightly taken aback.
What task could be more important than maintaining order?
Unless…
A bad feeling rose in his heart.
Axel soon gave him the answer.
"Since you know the terrain so well, my meals will be your responsibility from now on. You'll buy the local specialties for me."
The room froze.
Axel listed them off calmly.
"Remember to get Water Meat from Water 7 and Lobster Risotto from St. Poplar. As for the cost, the base can cover it. Surely a Marine base can afford its Captain's meals."
Everyone stared at him.
They already knew their new Captain was unreasonable and domineering.
But no one had expected him to make Commander Yulia run errands for food.
And he had even openly mentioned using base funds for it.
Yulia's face flushed faintly with shame and anger.
But in the end, he lowered his head.
"Since it is the Captain's order, I will comply."
That reaction surprised everyone.
Even Axel raised an eyebrow.
He had not expected Yulia to actually accept the errand. Even if Yulia refused, no one would have blamed him. After all, anyone could tell this was Axel deliberately making things difficult.
Interesting.
After the tasks were assigned, the officers dispersed and returned to their new posts.
Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
A Marine officer entered Axel's office and saluted.
"Captain Axel, this is the transaction information collected from the surrounding area."
"Good. Put it on my desk."
Axel did not lift his head as he continued reading through another document.
"Yes, sir."
The officer placed the stack of papers on the desk, saluted again with clear respect, then left.
Over the past two weeks, Axel's sharp and efficient handling of the base's affairs had gradually earned the officers' respect.
Not fear.
Respect.
The officers whose duties had been reassigned felt it most strongly. Only after the new system began running did they understand why Axel had placed them where he did. Efficiency had improved. Confusion had decreased. Even patrol schedules and supply management became smoother.
That realization made them admire the young Captain from the heart.
Axel finished processing the document in his hand and let out a quiet sigh.
Things were far more complicated than he had first imagined.
Reading data was easy.
He could glance at a report and extract its useful information almost immediately.
The problem was everything else.
The Marines here were not only responsible for maintaining public order. They also handled disputes on the island, commodity price negotiations, business gatherings, taxes, port matters, shipping schedules, and all kinds of messy affairs that should have belonged to civil officials.
At times, it felt less like commanding a Marine base and more like working as a nanny for the entire region.
Axel tossed aside the documents he had just finished and picked up another stack from the desk.
He flipped through it.
Sure enough.
The same problem again.
The prices were wrong.
He had compared them with the old records Tom had kept. Even accounting for changes over the years and fluctuations in the value of Berries, the current figures were still far too high.
Roughly thirty percent higher than they should have been.
A price increase of that scale would only make sense if there were shortages.
But according to the intelligence Axel had gathered, neither timber nor iron ore was scarce right now.
Quite the opposite.
There was surplus stock.
Then there was only one possibility.
The merchants had colluded to raise prices.
Axel frowned.
How should he deal with them?
Use violence to force compliance?
That would work for a while.
But unless he taught those merchants a lesson they would never forget, the profit margin would be tempting enough for them to repeat the same trick later. The moment his attention shifted, they would raise prices again.
Axel tapped the table lightly.
Then he called for a Marine outside the office.
"Bring Lieutenant Commander Levi here."
"Yes, sir."
A short while later, Levi entered and saluted respectfully.
"Captain Axel, what can I do for you?"
"I'm going out to gather some intelligence," Axel said. "You'll keep watch over the base for now."
Levi was startled.
A trace of happiness rose in his heart.
For Axel to entrust the base to him meant trust.
Still, he answered honestly, "That does not follow normal procedure. Under usual circumstances, Commander Yulia should take charge. His rank is higher than mine."
"Him?"
Axel's tone was flat.
"I don't trust him. Things are already busy enough. Putting him in charge would only make everything more chaotic."
Levi looked confused.
"Commander Yulia has always been neutral. He never favors or suppresses anyone and has always handled matters impartially. I believe he would do a good job."
During this period, Axel had been making Yulia run errands for food, but given Yulia's usual temperament, Levi did not think he would hold a grudge against a young officer over something like that.
Axel glanced at him.
An honest man.
Also an easy man to fool.
That was Axel's evaluation of Levi.
He did not dislike people like that.
"Sometimes," Axel said, "what you see on the surface is not necessarily the truth."
Levi paused.
"What you see on the surface is not necessarily the truth…"
He murmured the words, clearly thinking them over.
Before Levi could reach any conclusion, Axel picked up the wooden sword beside him, stepped onto the windowsill, and jumped out.
By the time Levi reached the window, Axel had already disappeared from sight.
.....
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