Black Sail
Chapter 225: CCXXV. Malicious Scheme

Chapter 225: CCXXV. Malicious Scheme

In Taylor’s office.

It was certain that the leaders of the Twin Group and the Skull Club, including Taylor and others like Doringger, would inevitably get involved with the Black Sail’s affairs.

The protection money was a strong incentive Doringger provided for all pirates under him. It wasn’t that he treated his people merely as tools; he also allowed them to levy taxes on refugees, as long as it wasn’t excessive.

It was like sharing a cake among everyone.

However, Liszt and Qi Li broke the rules, taking for themselves what Doringger had distributed.

It was like in a company team-building event where the big boss provides a significant sum to boost employee initiative, but Liszt took the money for himself.

That was the gist of it.

Normally, the big boss would hold someone accountable, but there had been another situation. It was Liszt’s ability to "eat," but for fairness, it was still necessary to compete to see who performed better, and to whom the money should go.

Although Taylor didn’t know the exact agreement Liszt had with these bigwigs, offending everyone could only be suppressed temporarily.

Now, as the three-month agreement came to an end, it was time to respectfully welcome the Skull and Twin Groups back into position.

They came to Taylor for a single sentence.

Officially, they talked about performance, but it could also mean directly delivering a Golden Dragon.

The business operations of the Twin Group and Skull Club differed; although they also seized merchant ships, they were expanding local services. The Skull Club supplied hallucinatory substances wholesale to the entire east of the Western Continent, which wasn’t a small investment.

"I don’t know how much Liszt can produce, but here’s a little something from me, also considered as a New Year’s gift for Master Taylor."

Jeremy, the boss of the Skull Club, with his hair in braids and heavy bags under his eyes, had his subordinate bring out a wooden box and open it.

Inside were all glittering Golden Dragons, no fewer than three hundred pieces. The elder of the Twin Group also presented tribute money, amounting to just over two hundred.

This was quite substantial; as the stakes grew higher, it was essential to seize the opportunity.

"I wonder how much Liszt can bring out."

It was clear what Jeremy meant; delaying further would mean that the islanders had become accustomed to the low protection fees, and Liszt’s position would become unshakeable. They needed to act swiftly and decisively before officially expanding to the New Continent.

However, Taylor’s silent demeanor was like a stark rebuke to both of them.

You bring out money, but it’s like carving a big chunk of flesh from your own body. This level isn’t enough to make waves yet. It’s not that they weren’t formidable, but the island’s chessboard had no room for small plays anymore; a terrifying storm was brewing.

"Keep the money for yourselves, but you might also go and ask the other two representatives what they think,"

Taylor said diplomatically but had made his position clear.

Jeremy and the elder from the Twin Group were angry but did not dare to show it. Taylor was decidedly siding with Liszt now, perhaps bewitched by some spell Liszt cast, or maybe this idea of competing based on performance was even proposed by him.

"We understand."

Jeremy closed the box and stood up, adding, "Still, we wish Master Taylor a prosperous New Year; we’ll take our leave."

Two minutes later,

The visitors had left Taylor’s manor.

Taylor pulled out an invitation from a drawer, sent by none other than Doringger himself.

The invitation was incredibly exquisite, even the engraved text was gilded.

It invited Taylor on January 2nd to a banquet at the castle, a private gathering where not only the top powerhouses but also representatives from various Gold Mining Companies would attend.

For immense profit, these representatives surely wouldn’t go back for the New Year celebrations.

The choice of January 2nd was culturally deliberate, as hosting outsiders on the first day of the year was taboo unless the relations were incredibly close.

"Getting old, how many years has it been?"

Taylor asked his daughter.

"It was the year 1293."

Tani was helping him organize his bookshelf, purely for show, as she had never read them; the covers were all covered in dust.

"Aran has stayed too long, and it’s not good. I was asking about the Gregorian calendar, the one commonly used."

"The Holy Spirit Calendar, you mean? It’s the year 2690."

Tani answered calmly.

"That’s really ominous. I heard an astrologer say that every nine hundred years, there’s a major disaster. I don’t know if it’s true or not. The once glorious Holy Principle Church..."

"On New Year’s, can we avoid mentioning such ominous names?"

Tani somewhat rebelliously scolded her father.

"You’re right. How are things with Liszt?"

"Nothing much."

"It still depends on you; I won’t force you. That boy was just a second-rate pirate before, but things are a bit different now."

Taylor was also undecided, stroking Tani’s hair. Liszt indeed had money, but he wasn’t the type to settle down and do business. There would definitely be more to his train robbery, and now he was more dangerous than ever, always on the verge of losing control. Doringger surely knew that Liszt had brought the Turbid River Dragon out, and by generation, Hened was still Doringger’s senior.

Perhaps it was best to see what Doringger No. 2 thought, and keeping a respectful distance from Liszt might be wise.

Damn, that kid hadn’t even come over to check in, causing some anxiety.

Meanwhile, outside the manor.

Jeremy’s face was as somber as still water, given the unprecedented changes at Heaven Port. Without a powerful backer, it was tough to survive.

But he couldn’t just sit around and wait for death.

The Skull Club didn’t care about holidays or not. Jeremy could give up three months’ earnings, but he couldn’t give up many years or even a decade’s earnings.

By now, they had completely fallen out, and it was time to take action.

Jeremy called over a subordinate, pressing his hand on his head.

"Have you heard back about the matter I asked you to look into?"

"We couldn’t find any information about Liszt’s family, nor any household registration information. He might have been born in a war-torn country, only a small country in the Southern Continent has his marriage registration with a woman."

"It’s strange, this man seems to have only been alive for seven years. Since we can’t find any kin, we’ll have to act against someone close to him, that vampire."

Jeremy lit a homemade cigarette, different from ordinary tobacco, containing some kind of Mulberry plant material.

"Boss, are you sure?"

This subordinate’s eyes were dull. The island was a place of extraordinary talents, and although that vampire rarely showed up, everyone knew about the incident four years ago. The castle in the Eastern Inner City was where an empress lived during the Emperor’s eastern campaign. After Doringger took over, it became his property, later sold to a bigwig seeking refuge. However, the vampire didn’t buy it from anyone; he ousted the original owner and lived there for many years.

He was no small fry, the kind you avoid if you encounter.

"Everything has a weakness."

Jeremy rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a remarkably shining stone, the size of a fingernail lid, dazzling to the eyes, known as a sunstone.

"Just one obviously won’t do the trick. That vampire seems to be a daywalker, a high-level Bloodline. A friend recently gave me a lot of these things, dozens of them, just in time to be used."

Jeremy already had a plan, and the best time to act was now.

Using others to kill, a taboo for pirate gangs.

Jeremy couldn’t fully deploy his subordinates either.

For family matters, and since it’s New Year’s, taking advantage of the timing, the chances of an all-out battle were less likely. Hard confrontation was risky for Jeremy, but using that vampire to lure Liszt alone and chop him down was the plan.

Under Black Sail’s internal strife, they wouldn’t pose a threat naturally.

"Seize the opportunity, bring that vampire over when he’s alone, but it’s best to deceive, let the ship’s magician turn these stones into an Array, lure Liszt over, and then kill him."