Black Sail
Chapter 117: CXVII. Old Friend from the Martial World

Chapter 117: CXVII. Old Friend from the Martial World

A week had passed.

The situation in Heaven Port had completely stabilized, with nearly two-thirds of the security management fees being collected by Liszt and Qi Li. They only had to wait until the beginning of next month to make their payment, and they were already making a tidy profit.

Liszt had initially planned to give his half of the money to Taylor, but it turned out that his future father-in-law didn’t fancy it at all. Instead, he spent the money on arming his men, which was far better than any cash.

On the second floor of the Black Sail Inn, except for Rein and Shadi, who were guarding the ship, the whole crew was present.

Mika had also been dragged back from the brothel.

There was still no movement from Lostra’s side, and not a trace to be seen on the express ship that had arrived this morning. It was still just adventurers and fugitive uncles—the same old three varieties.

Everyone was anxious, but before the year’s end, they had to pull off the train heist, so they began to lay out their plans.

After careful consideration, Liszt had already made his choice for the crew. Ox and Wolman had to stay behind as venturing into the inland was becoming increasingly arid, which was unsuitable for Ox.

And it was clearly impossible to bring along Wolman, the big guy, to the lands of Aran. Besides, due to the Emperor’s crazy propaganda about conquering the Southern Wetlands, the Sub-dragon people were not only infamous still but, having been defeated, their exploits were repeatedly whipped even in the museum. Their situation in that region was incredibly awkward.

Ignoring Wolman’s astonishing size, it was impossible to bring along this anti-Aran madman. If idle gossip or some Wetland specialty triggered a bout of nostalgia and set him off, forget the plan—their lives wouldn’t be worth a cent. He’d kill as many as he could.

Instead, the main character of this operation was Claude. As an old Aran and a knight who traveled everywhere, he was sure to be extremely well-acquainted with the area.

Liszt had already played matchmaker, and the Baroness was so happy she couldn’t stop smiling. Before, when he introduced a woman to her, she only accepted out of politeness. After all, anyone staying in Heaven Port for too long would slowly lose their common sense. It was worth a try, but what respectable woman wouldn’t want a husband?

Claude was merely in trouble. If he hadn’t been, he was far superior to her previous sickly fiancé—handsome, literate and martial, with an impeccable sense of responsibility. In a place like Heaven Port, not even holding a lantern or pulling down the sun for light would help you find such a man.

In Heaven Port, with its many prostitutes, Claude met an educated, talented, and beautiful woman. The attraction between the two was like lightning striking the earth.

Now, Claude only thought about earning enough money to come back, develop New Heavenly Port, then marry and settle down, like an old general on the stage.

"Wolman and Ox, you two stay behind. Someone must hold the fort here, and General Fen will stay as well, while Haywood, you’re definitely out of the question," Liszt decided. These four would stay home and play it safe.

"Uh..."

Haywood was utterly disheartened. He had been here for many years and only ever mixed around on the shore, never experiencing those splendid landscapes.

"Uh, what uh? Put on your helmet. If you run into Caroso, it’ll be big trouble," Liszt said, exasperated. For this operation, he had scraped together forty Golden Dragons from the coffers of their utility men.

The reason he had Haywood, this kind of utility man, serve as one of the backbones of their team was that Liszt had other thoughts in mind. It functioned as his personal reserve. Everyone watched over the public funds, which were quite limited. This Demon had no other use for money except for food and drink. Intentionally making him join as a placeholder, for Liszt to use as an emergency wallet, it wasn’t considered public money, so he could use it more flexibly.

Additionally, a few days earlier, Liszt had already called for a crew vote. Each key member contributed twenty Golden Dragons for the operation’s military expenses.

Twelve votes in favor, one abstention.

Liszt counted for two votes, and there was an abstention because Archer was nearly dead drunk that day, so swollen-tongued he couldn’t even speak.

Now, with the previous balance added, there were nearly three hundred Golden Dragons in the public funds—more than enough for the operation.

"Stop drinking, you’re like my own brother," Liszt snatched the liquor bottle from Archer. In just a few days, the Zero Returners would be coming, and here he was still drinking?

Morison was eager to try. The people by the sea were all roughshod and unsophisticated. Perhaps the personal escorts of the nobles on the train would be more of a challenge.

"Wild West Outlaw! Let’s roll!"

Rein also proved unreliable. He had returned from guarding the ship, handing everything over to Shadi. After all, the big shot Taylor had already made his move, and now no one dared to touch a Black Sail ship.

"Fuck... This time we’ve got to get the whole second-tier."

The ’second-tier’ Mika referred to was the second-tier minstrels. He still had money, but there was no way he could afford first-tier; they were the ones performing at major festivities. Qili was Mika’s ultimate dream. Having Qili on board meant he could go straight to hell on a horseback if necessary.

Fen knew that without his involvement, the success rate of this operation would drop significantly.

"No, I must go."

Fen had been prepared for a long time.

"You should just stay out of it, watching over things here is more important than anything else."

Liszt understood he must ensure the Dragon Lady was well looked after. The Golden Dragons obtained from the heist could be abandoned if necessary, but the Dragon Lady was a must-have.

"I’ve already asked others to take charge here."

Fen said calmly.

Just as he finished speaking, Dreya gracefully ascended to the second floor, making a showstopping entrance in a black dress, adorned with a precious necklace below her pale neck, and thigh-high laced boots accentuating her long legs. Her blood-red hair was beyond beautiful, and you would be hard-pressed to find a fault in her appearance.

"You’re not suggesting... that she is the one you’ve brought in to take charge?"

Liszt was speechless, General Fen had pulled a fast one again. He had never planned to involve Dreya in the affairs of the Black Sail Inn because he knew all too well how terrifyingly effective she was.

Although the Black Sail wouldn’t become hers outright, if she gained a say in matters, he would be completely consumed by her influence, never emerging from her shadow for the rest of his life.

"Do you have a problem with that? This inn was crowd-funded, after all. You’re simply the majority shareholder, and now I’m getting involved too."

Dreya was not particularly focused on Liszt, instead meticulously assessing the inn’s interior. Now that she was taking charge, it was time for a makeover.

As Liszt watched Dreya surveying the establishment like it was her new home, he swallowed hard, yet it wasn’t a bad idea after all. This woman had taken control of Goria; keeping the Dragon Lady in check would be no challenge for her.

At that moment,

a waiter came with a message. An adventurer was outside, stopped by Old Wei, who claimed to have a letter to deliver.

The letter was anonymous, but the sender had insisted it be delivered directly to the owner of the Black Sail Inn.

Everyone’s heart leaped to their throat, damn it, weren’t spies from the island supposed to keep an eye out for any Lostra agents and report immediately?

Now, shit! The visitor had arrived already, sending a letter first as a courtesy. The handover was imminent.

Even Dreya felt a hint of surprise. She had intended to shatter their wills and turn them into slaves right away; how would she have enough time now?

The group hurried downstairs to the inn’s entrance.

There stood a dusty male adventurer, burly with a full beard, clearly a rough type accustomed to trading at Heaven Port.

"Who’s the boss here? This letter is for him only, and I need a reply."

The male adventurer was blunt.

Liszt didn’t keep him waiting and identified himself.

With all eyes on him, Liszt hurriedly took the letter and began to read it.

It wasn’t just Fen or Dreya who didn’t recognize the script.

Only Liszt did.

It was fucking English.

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