Black Sail
Chapter 178: CLXXVIII. Planetary Devastation

Chapter 178: CLXXVIII. Planetary Devastation

In Yunxi City.

Liszt escorted Sharon back to the church, of course, considering his status, he couldn’t take her all the way to the door.

Under the illumination of a street lamp, at a secluded corner where few people passed by.

Both of them stopped in unspoken agreement.

Beside them flowed a small river within the city, arching bridges built over it, and with over a month to go before the new year, there were already children playing with fireworks on the bridge, products similar to sparklers.

Time was pressing down, he was about to embark on a big venture soon, and Sharon couldn’t follow him on that adventure, let alone return to Heaven Port.

Indeed, it was safest within the Eternal Sect.

"Do you still remember that Christmas? Your first year after you had just come to California."

Sharon’s memories floated back.

"How could I forget, that night at Griffiths right? Unforgettable, vivid as if it were yesterday, one could say it was the best Christmas gift."

Liszt chuckled.

It was an event of even greater weight than the ferris wheel, held at the Griffiths Observatory, which housed a film screening hall. He and Sharon had sneaked into the backstage, during the screening of an astronomical documentary, when they consummated their union akin to a visit to the elusive and mythical Wushan.

"That’s good, I don’t know what to say right now."

Sharon was overcome with mixed emotions, looking at the children on the bridge. If she hadn’t skipped class that day to take Liszt to the underground lab, none of this would have happened.

"Then don’t say anything. You should be careful from now on, stay within the church quarter as much as possible, don’t go out unless necessary. I’m not sure if I can take out those five guys, even if they run away, the focus will still be on me. You’ll be much safer, especially since you’re with the Eternal Sect... Watch out for Marcus, he’s a powerful man. If he can protect you, those five will pose no threat for a while."

Liszt said as such, as Marcus’s Priestly rank was already high, and now he had risen even higher, possibly to something akin to a Saint Heir, the so-called "Dragon Lord’s True Prophecy" - truly wonderful.

Sharon also learned of Liszt’s deeds on the East Shore; Marcus was actually killed by... Liszt.

He even bore the horrendous scars on his shoulders from where Marcus had stabbed him, had it not been for Liszt’s years of fighting and formidable strength, he would have met his end.

Although Liszt told her that Black Sail came to Aran merely for wealth, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to mobilize so many people; using others to do one’s dirty work was taboo.

But Sharon still felt that the whole affair was impulsive.

"My rank is only below Priests now, and once I have the requisite experience, I could become a Priest too. Then I would have the chance to approach Marcus and inquire about the ’True Prophecy’."

Sharon lingered, reluctant to leave. She still wanted to talk more with Liszt, but returning to the Church Court would mean solitude.

"You have more than one path ahead. By the middle of next year, or perhaps by the end of the year, I will send you a letter, and then I’ll take you to Heaven Port."

Liszt spoke frankly.

Sharon smiled wryly, the boss of Heaven Port was no ordinary figure after all, a dominant force in the underworld, with black market dealings stretching to Aran.

The most typical were the trafficking scams, selling the idea of high-paying jobs on the East Shore of the Beima Duchy as the bait, luring many, only to then be bound and brought straight to Heaven Port, forced into hard labor. The Constitutional Guards often posted warnings, telling people not to be fooled.

The Great Wetland, Heaven Port, some of the most chaotic places in the world.

"Or maybe..."

Sharon hesitated for a moment but still didn’t say what she wanted to; fleeing far away was not realistic. With those people’s intelligence networks, hiding was impossible.

"I’m leaving."

Liszt realized it was better not to linger on thoughts, this heist could mean death for him.

But the Observatory on the Ferris Wheel, the Double Sky War God, how could they give Liszt the chance to show off and be decisive.

The passionate farewell began.

A little girl licking a lollipop passed by and was awestruck by the sight.

"Remember to shave off your beard."

Sharon lightly wiped her mouth with her thumb, no longer coy, and strode away decisively, secretly making a decision he knew nothing about.

Liszt watched her turn the corner and disappear, his gaze growing increasingly melancholic. He, too, wished for a peaceful life in some place, but he could no longer walk away.

Captain, sometimes your status isn’t so high, in the profit-driven society of pirates, with no loyalty, only reality.

"You make me money, I call you ’daddy’. If you screw up, you hang from the mast."

"What were you guys just doing?"

The little girl asked, sucking on her candy with a milky voice.

Liszt turned his head back.

"If you keep staring, I’ll sell you off to Heaven Port, where people specialize in eating kids."

Liszt teased her.

The little girl wasn’t scared at all, just foolishly grinning.

He couldn’t help but sigh at how low the Aran people’s guard was, how peaceful their lives were, that a child would actually walk around the streets alone, looking to be only seven or eight years old.

Liszt took a deep breath.

From Sharon, he had learned the names of those classmates who had been killed by Mu Ran.

One of them was Hispanic, and he had gotten along quite well with Liszt, often going to bars to pick up girls.

Having escaped together from the big prison, sharing adversities, Mu Ran was truly a heartless bastard, uncommon in his evil; Liszt swore he must be killed.

Half an hour later.

Liszt rode his horse back to the farm.

The atmosphere on the farm was already somewhat grim, every pirate eager and rubbing their hands in anticipation.

There was also the temporary training by Claude, practicing combat in the grass, prepping for the task of taking down the train security guards.

When he returned to the cottage.

He found that Shadi was actually doing needlework.

"Huh? You actually have this kind of skill?"

This was the first time Liszt had seen such a thing in all these years, real needlework, with Shadi using some garish, patterned fabrics to make face masks.

In the lawless land, there was no need to hide one’s face deeply, for with Aran’s information forces, the crime syndicate being Black Sail would eventually be found out.

But the longer they could stay hidden, the better, and since they were going for robbery, face masks were still necessary.

"It’s just a small thing."

Shadi just finished the task and stood up, stretching lazily.

"Why are you a man? It would be so good if you were a woman, to please the brothers."

Mika snorted as he finished changing Weber’s bandages. Weber had already woken up but was still groggy, having been given a dose of sedatives. Weber could be considered an adventurer superman. Initially, it seemed like he would need at least twenty days of recovery, but now he was nearly fifty percent healed, his wounds healing swiftly.

Shadi twitched his eyelid.

Liszt furrowed his brows in thought.

"Actually, there might be a play here. Remember the plan I mentioned back in Londen City? You seduce the Emperor’s daughter, sit on the Aran throne, and then I kill you, and I become the Emperor."

Liszt thought it was quite feasible.

"There’s no chance for Shadi; you go ahead and use the He Transmutes Freedom Method."

Mika believed that kind of woman was too proud, ordinary methods wouldn’t work, brainwashing was necessary.

At that moment, Fen came up from the basement, and two pirates lifted the sleeping Izumi, taking her upstairs to rest properly.

"Did you get anything out of her?"

Liszt lit up a cigarette and started smoking, since she was taken upstairs, there must be a result.

"Nothing important, we’ll go over tomorrow to set up the explosives ahead of time, after inspecting the speed and confirming it’s on that track, we can make our move on the thirteenth."

Fen pressed down on his monocle.

The newspapers had already announced that the trial operation would have five trips; even the last two were like the Duguli art exhibition, where civilians could draw lots to participate.

The third trip’s departure date was on the thirteenth, just four days away.

The first trip was for the Royal relatives from Imperial City to Chenxi Port; the second trip was for senior military officials returning from Chenxi Port.

They had fully considered the situation of the Aran army and the Constitutional forces strutting around.

The third trip couldn’t be better.

"So, now with everything in place... it’s time to turn the tables on those goddamn bastards and their masters."

Bang!

Liszt slammed an axe into the map on the table, precisely cutting into the track drawn by Fen, with the blade passing through five centimeters of wood and poking out from underneath.