Black Sail
Chapter 220: CCXX. Making Enemies Everywhere

Chapter 220: CCXX. Making Enemies Everywhere

Several months ago.

"You are trapped by your obsession and cannot touch the pinnacle.

I am the same, unworthy of being called the Sword King.

The true master of swordsmanship doesn’t need a sword, for no one is their enemy."

The Sword King had said this to Zahak.

Now.

Sword Platform.

A waterfall in the mountains on the outskirts of the Imperial City.

"It’s done!"

Zahak’s sword swept across, and the flowing water seemed to freeze, but it only lasted for a moment, then vanished in an instant.

Still, it was a massive breakthrough.

Yisu Girl Jin Mier was clapping excitedly at the side, almost rushing over to embrace him.

During the New Year period.

The Sword King had been invited out by a friend.

During this time, Zahak had been practicing his swordsmanship at the Sword Platform, neglecting sleep and food. Just now, he seemed to have understood the Sword King’s words.

A sword blade is just iron with edges on both sides, the same goes for any weapon.

In that moment, he seemed to have reached that state, his mind emptied and merged with everything, perceiving all changes in their trajectories.

He even stopped the waterfall for an instant.

Jin Mier, on the other hand, was gathering intelligence everywhere, as Zahak continuously tried to get back into the center of power.

But he believed the Sword King was wrong.

In this world, there’s nothing a sword cannot cut; the only consideration is whether it’s fast enough.

"Any new information? Any vacancies?"

Zahak was just one opportunity away from proving himself again; he needed to get into the Imperial Guard, not to protect the Emperor.

The Emperor didn’t need anyone’s protection; he just wanted to have access to the Black Sword Netherflame.

Jin Mier hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should tell him, but missing this chance might mean no more good luck.

"Don’t hold back from me."

"Alright... The trial operation of the passenger train was robbed. Although the news is being suppressed, preparations are being made to resolve the matter, requesting someone familiar with the East Sea Domain."

"Who would dare do such a thing? The train... were nobles the target?"

"Yes, those horse bandits are not from Aran."

"Isn’t this perfect? Although last time I returned in defeat, this time is a perfect chance for redemption."

Jin Mier didn’t know that this was also the work of the Black Sail, and that piece of information was even more tightly sealed.

Meanwhile.

In a city in the southern part of Aran.

The temporary residence inside the adventurer’s guild.

High-ranking adventurers can directly sleep within the guild, and the environment is quite nice.

Whether Honor Level or Heroic Level, it means you can sign a contract with the guild and become an official employee. The guild will prioritize the best resources for you, and also help handle some internal affairs.

But everyone understands one thing: who would really be an adventurer? Once you sign, you can’t shake off that identity for life, and you’re completely disconnected from the nobles. Even if the material treatment is rich, who wants to work licking blood off the knife’s edge for a lifetime? When you’re old and no longer useful, you’re done for.

It’s better to go through the official channels, find Great Nobles, transition from being a Guest to a Knight, and then have something to hope for when old age comes.

Only a small fraction of adventurers or adventure groups choose to sign.

But signing isn’t useless either; if you mix up to Hall-level adventurers and become a legend, minstrels and musicians will sing of your deeds and you’ll be the badass of the skies.

But how many are at the Hall level?

And those who’ve worked their way up from the bottom layer of adventurers, they only play for real.

Pushed to the limit, a deity might also have a great awakening, comprehend the way at Dragon Field, and become a true deity.

Adventurers are not all righteous; there are plenty of rotten individuals among them.

Gawain had such a group of friends.

Taking advantage of their Heroic Level adventurer status, they mingled among various nations, ready to take on any dirty or cruel job; as long as there was money involved, they would even double as robbers and assassins—no evil act was beneath them.

As long as they weren’t caught, it wasn’t considered a crime.

Four individuals had received letters from Gawain just over a month ago, but curiously, Gawain later told them to withdraw, claiming that the situation had changed.

Given the recent uproar over the great train robbery and those foreign pirates, even a little bit of thought using one’s knees would suggest that something was fishy.

Various circles started calling friends and discussing countermeasures. Just as they heard significant news from Heaven Port about a newly discovered zone in an uncharted area on the map, they took this chance to go and take a look.

The pirates from abroad, as luck would have it, had their den right in Heaven Port.

"What’s the rush on the road, we’re not even past the New Year yet."

"Idiot, if you wait until after the New Year, the moment will have passed; you absolutely must reach Heaven Port by the end of January. Just pick any brothel along the way, find a prostitute, have a good meal, and consider it your New Year’s celebration."

"What an ingenious idea!"

Inside the guild’s temporary residence, a group of fearsome high-level adventurers—magicians, warriors, archers, and gunmen—chatted and laughed merrily; they’d just found an easy mark.

Gawain’s letters would certainly never reach their hands.

Gawain would meet them in person or see their corpses before he could get a reply from them, or perhaps they would all be taken aboard by Liszt.

In a Thief Guild outpost relatively closer to the East Sea Domain, within a complex sewer system, lay a secret hideout.

The thick stone brick walls were extremely old-fashioned, and the lighting was provided by sodium lamps, a new technology involving steam and electrical discharge.

During the New Year period, it was a time of great harvest for the Thief Guild.

Be it cheating at gambling establishments, extorting nobles, or various other ventures, they reaped rewards from all sectors.

They even became highwaymen, preying upon foreign workers returning home for the holidays—stripping them of all their hard-earned money.

The regional Staff Chief here, Swan, was previously of this rank.

The Staff Chief beamed at the sight of the soaring income, wishing it could be New Year’s every day.

"Ah, this is boring, making money is too easy, too boring."

He lay back in his rocking chair feigning sips from his cup.

But just then.

A thief came in, handing over a letter that had arrived from Nora Island, White Port, Silver Tree Street number 111.

This postage mark was no small matter.

It could very well be a personal letter from Diaz.

The Staff Chief panicked, sweating profusely. He thought to himself, was I speaking too loudly to have called this upon myself?

He opened the letter and, sure enough, it was unmistakably sent by Diaz.

No one knew who Diaz was; he could be a farmer, a bar waiter, unknown whether male or female, but always anonymously orchestrating everything.

Diaz, not having received a reply from Ben for a long time, realized that something must have gone wrong.

Now he could no longer just try to steal back the items himself; he had to use every means possible to intimidate Liszt.

The Thief Guild’s intelligence network was extensive. They already knew that the one who robbed the train was Liszt.

This made things a lot easier.

Diaz planned to pressure Black Sail comprehensively and even discuss handing them over directly with the Boss of Heaven Port.

In any case, he had to cut off all of Liszt’s lifelines.

There was also the most crucial point—he had to scare Liszt. While the Aran officials planned to turn a blind eye and hide the situation, Diaz planned differently.

Diaz could make Liszt’s life a living hell by spreading the news about Black Sail’s train robbery. His capabilities ensured he could do so.

In time, the officials of the Aran Army, due to public pressure, might have to capture those pirates and be relentless against Black Sail. Liszt would have to figure out what to do.

All means had to be employed.

There needed to be economic sanctions too. Diaz was intent on completely crushing Black Sail, letting this Staff Chief spread the word that anyone daring to do business with Liszt was opposing the Thief Guild.

They had to force Liszt to hand over the Stele himself.

If worse came to worst, they could even call upon the Netherworld Envoy. In any case, they couldn’t let this matter rest.

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