The Rise of an Evil Family

No System, no female characters, focused on political intrigue and finance.

In the Age of Sail, in the port town of Wharton in the Clotias Empire, a young servant named Jared dreams of the boundless ocean. He often goes down to the docks to listen to old sailor Brody tell tales of seafaring adventures. One day, his younger brother, Shishim, rushes to tell him that Brody’s merchant ship has returned to port. Jared immediately hurries to the exchange.

There, Jared watches Brody pitch mysterious New World spices to a merchant named Clodo. Inspired, he comes up with the idea of “marine insurance”: collect premiums from shipowners and compensate the families of sailors or cargo owners if a ship is lost at sea. Brody and Captain Nova are skeptical at first, but Jared wins them over with his detailed plan. They decide to work together and establish the “Ocean Alliance Insurance Company,” charging rates based on the risks of each route.

That evening, Jared gets so caught up in their discussion that he forgets his duty to buy bread for a banquet, narrowly escaping a severe punishment from the steward, Bru. In a moment of desperation, he uses Brody’s spices to improve ordinary bread, unexpectedly making the banquet a huge success. The marquis recognizes the spices’ value and secretly orders Jared to investigate Brody’s suppliers so he can monopolize the trade. He also promises to let Jared join the ocean-going fleet currently being assembled.

Jared faces a dilemma: he yearns to go to sea and fulfill his dream, but doesn’t want to betray Brody, who is like family to him. Steward Bru advises him to “buy time and maneuver,” finding a balance between loyalty and what is right. The story ends with Jared wrestling with his conscience, hinting that this ordinary man is about to face a major choice amid the tides of a changing age.