Black Sail
Chapter 121: CXXI. Exposed

Chapter 121: CXXI. Exposed

Ben was a professional and a member of the first tier of the Thieves Guild.

He had seen, tasted, and played with a wide range of experiences, so much so that second- and third-tier nobles wouldn’t dare to challenge him.

Having frequented the underworld of the Western Continent for many years, he had seen all sorts of peculiar items, cultural treasures, ancient Curse Artifacts, genuine relics from the Ancient Era to treasures forged by contemporary Divine Craftsmen, including the Fierce Sun Halberds of the former generals of the Winter Country and Leviathan, the Sword of the legendary Demon Hunters and even the fabled Junlin Sword during a transaction.

He had kidnapped a variety of rare intelligent species for ransom before, including young Behemoths, Druids, and Forest Elves.

But he had never seen a scene like this one before.

The method of identifying dragons had been lost to time, but Ben could be certain that this girl wasn’t hatched from a dragon egg; that was just a creation of Magicians from the Ancient Era.

Because Ben himself once handled a fossilized Dragon Egg, which some magicians needed as dead matter for their Array Seals and Magic Techniques.

The girl’s exquisite aura, her silver hair that cascaded like a river of stars, the enchanting glimmer of the Dragon Scales under her gemstone eyes, and a pair of Dragon Horns that contained terrifying energy fluctuations—all attested to her identity, like a peerless treasure, seemingly not of this mortal plane.

Ben had no idea what was going on.

Was this the goods?

Those people from Lostra had come here not to exchange a Stele but a living Dragon?

He suddenly began to think back to Black Sail First Mate Fen’s previous position—could it be that he hadn’t left the Magic Energy Industrial Committee after all and was instead lying in wait at Heaven Port as a mole, maintaining contacts in secret?

Maybe it was someone else, an unknown Captain and the man with the helmet; Black Sail had the backing of a major force.

At any rate, Ben couldn’t believe that a small pirate gang like Black Sail, with such a wide range of operations, would dare engage in transactions deemed too risky even for the Royal Families of small countries, like trafficking Netherworld Steles or dragons.

Black Sail was surely a major underworld force.

Inside the private room at Twin Bar,

Ben was so shocked he was speechless, his linguistic abilities briefly lost.

Caroso didn’t think the reaction was an overreaction; even knowing what the transaction entailed, the first sight of it was still bound to shock.

"So, my mission ends here, and I hope you will take her back soon to contribute to the overthrow of the Emperor and the eradication of the Eternal Sect. The Holy Spirit Church will also regularly check on Fafna’s condition. If she receives unfair treatment... Although the Eternal Sect is currently flourishing, we are still the most widely distributed and longest-established sect in the Western Continent, indeed, the entire world."

Caroso said his piece, and his life on the run came to an end. The Holy Spirit Church’s influence in Lostra was not to be taken lightly; its nobles couldn’t ignore it. Given the far-reaching implications of this matter, it wasn’t just the Holy Spirit Church that was exerting effort, but there were also anti-imperialist insiders within Aran, along with many from outside its borders, including Lostra, pulling the strings; otherwise, the Church would have taken custody directly instead of handing it over to Lostra.

Next, he planned to sail back to the Western Continent to guide the followers of the Gion Kingdom, who had been turned into political tools, back to the right path.

Ben, as a professional,

managed to regain composure, restoring his ability to think and speak.

He knew one thing for certain.

He could get back on land now.

Who in their right mind would do the Thieves Guild’s dirty work? If it weren’t for his youthful recklessness, relying on his own skills and making some small mistakes—such as killing a Duke and sleeping with his wife, leading to a Warrant from the Cross Alliance—would he have ended up in this situation?

The Emperor had deep ties with dragons, having conducted a dragon slaying martial event.

Offering such an item to the Emperor would be like climbing to the skies in a single step. He might even be directly inducted into the Imperial Guard.

Situated in the power center of the most powerful Empire, even if he became a traitor to the Thieves Guild, Diaz’s reach couldn’t possibly extend that far.

Fafna was still childlike at heart; realizing she’d have to part with them, she became uneasy, and a glint of tears appeared in her eyes.

"Very well, I will make sure to bring her back to Lostra and treat her well, ensuring she lacks nothing."

Ben realized he had to act quickly, whisking the girl away on a direct ship to Aran Imperial City,

He took his hands off the ten Purple Crystals and stood up.

Goria clenched Fafna’s hand tightly, feeling her fear from the trembling within her palm; damn it, why haven’t Liszt and the others made their move yet?

Even if they had to detain Caroso afterward.

Caroso suddenly became suspicious; he felt that something was wrong with this conversation, with many details instilling an unsettling feeling in him.

"Where will you be placing her?" he asked. By agreement, Fafna was to be settled in the Lostra Royal Hunting Ground, in the undisturbed Qunqing Mountain Range, with plenty of wild animals as food—after all, the appetite of a grown Dragon was substantial.

All participants from inside Aran, members of the Holy Spirit Church, and everyone initially involved in the plan could visit, as this Dragon belonged to a multi-party alliance—no single party could monopolize her.

If Lostra went back on their word, he wouldn’t hesitate to leak this, providing the Emperor with a pretext to launch a military response.

Ben’s eyes flashed.

"Of course, back to Lostra, although the situation may change as this matter must remain confidential," he said calmly.

"No, where did you place it,"

Caroso kept asking.

Ben harbored a murderous intent. He hadn’t expected that instead of handing over the Stele, how could he possibly answer such a question? This could have been resolved peacefully, but they’re asking for their own demise.

His hand had already reached behind his back, unseen by the three, as he flung out two cards with force.

Despicable to the extreme.

With an extremely tricky semi-circular trajectory, they aimed for the throats of Goria and Caroso.

Bang!

Bang!

Two daggers flew down from above and embedded themselves into the two cards.

Swan had been hiding above on the rafters all along.

The plan was for Dreya to cast a spell on him, taking control and making him go berserk with murderous intent, then for Swan to block the attack and unveil the "ugly face" of the Lostra people.

But Dreya hadn’t yet cast her spell. How had he already become murderous with such low tactics... This technique... he must be from the Thief Guild!

But that mattered little now, the bigger picture was more important.

Swan jumped down from the rafters.

"He’s trying to silence you."

Swan said to Caroso.

Goria quickly shielded Fafna, while Caroso also instantly prepared for combat.

Ben’s eyelid twitched; it was Swan, the traitor.

From one misjudgment, he had fallen into a mental trap, becoming like a bird caged, unable to escape even if he sprouted wings.

Bang!

A Special Large Sword pierced through the wall as if it was nothing, thrusting towards Ben’s back.

Ben agilely flipped over, standing on the great sword. What terrifying strength, what was happening?

Following the broken opening in the wall, he stylishly cut through, creating a large fissure, breaking through the wall to an open area which was critical.

Outside the bar in the back alley.

Ben stood there dumbstruck, damn it all to hell.

Aside from Mika and Archer who weren’t there, the whole Black Sail crew of villains had arrived. The sheer presence of Ox and Wolman was oppressively overwhelming.

Next to them, Ben looked nearly like a dwarf.

"The spell failed?"

Liszt asked Dreya, this vibrant person showing no signs of being under control.

"He has an item that breaks magic power. If it’s not a close-range cast, it won’t work."

Dreya replied.

Liszt racked his brain. What was going on? But there was only one thing to do now, capture him first; everyone’s here. Forget about any spy elite, who could withstand the righteous mob? Even Marcus, the remnant poison from the previous Witch Hunting Secret Department, couldn’t stand it, so who do you think you are?

Ben made a split-second decision.

Escape first, barging in now would be courting death. These fierce faces were all hardened criminals from the Warrants.

The architecture in the Inner City was quite elaborate, with many tall buildings.

Using his hands and feet, Ben climbed the exterior of a building, moving as quickly as a flash of shadow, incredibly agile. In an instant, he broke free from the encirclement, reaching halfway up the building, nearly at the roof.

"Dammit, he knows parkour!"

Liszt was astounded.

Shadi immediately gave chase, her toes lightly touching the edge of the wall, enabling her to climb up the wall at a ninety-degree angle. Swan followed out of the bar right behind her.

Thus, an incredibly strange scene appeared in the Inner City. The commotion drew the attention of pedestrians on the streets. Those with a simple lifestyle quickly gathered to watch, a group of people moving along rooftops and walls as if it were a spectacle added to their meal.

"Don’t come over here, just stabilize Goria and the others."

Liszt naturally wouldn’t let his wife do the exhausting work.

He led the remaining members from the ground, chasing after the man. If the news got out, it might as well have been better to give them the Dragon Lady; if it leaked, they were all doomed.