Black Sail
Chapter 241: CCXLI. Black Sail Trading Company

Chapter 241: CCXLI. Black Sail Trading Company

Mika and Shadi were caught and brought back, and Claude also arrived with his fiancée, about to tie the knot, looking absolutely inseparable.

Upstairs in the inn, the core members of Black Sail were all assembled.

Mo Yutong officially became the organizational structure advisor for Black Sail and was explaining to a group of prenatal education dropouts what a shareholding system was.

Then came the part Rein hated the most.

Even when they operated on a core member system, Rein disliked anything to do with public fund procurement, surpluses, and deficits.

"Ah, just split the money, and that’s that, why make it so complicated? I’ll just agree to all decisions, okay? No matter what it is, I agree, so let’s wrap this up quickly."

Rein expressed his lack of interest in listening anymore, as his significant others were all going back to their homes for a family reunion the next day. He had made plans for today to wrap up the year-end battles.

A line of frustration crossed Mo Yutong’s forehead; this Werewolf was being too abstract.

She suddenly realized she had to throw out some concepts they could understand, and having Liszt in a leading role was essential.

"There are shares that come without voting rights, and those with voting rights..."

She didn’t get to finish.

Swan furrowed his brow; as a regional Staff Chief of the Thief Guild, he had some enterprises under him, too, and he was quite familiar with all this.

Liszt quickly cut her off; you couldn’t just say that kind of thing. After all, everyone present had risked their lives together—who would want to be kicked out of the decision-making circle?

"Look, the money in the cellar is still divided equally under the core member system, and you can still take your share, which is around four to five thousand Golden Dragons. But the old rules were set in stone, with no one allowed to run. You can contribute as much as you wish based on individual needs, owning a certain amount of initial shares, which will determine your future rate of return. Of course, you can also choose not to contribute anything, but then your relationship is akin to being employed rather than a shareholder; you won’t enjoy any decision-making power or returns."

Liszt tried to simplify the logic as much as possible.

Ever since the beginning of the Age of Sail two hundred years ago, the concept of a company existed in the Western Continent. Sea trade was prevalent, and maritime business was extremely risky, often resulting in the destruction of ships and loss of life. Wealthy merchants or nobles, not wanting to risk their lives at sea yet desiring profit, thus the concept of business contracts was born.

Such contracts were established between merchants, nobles, and sailors; the former provided the capital while the latter provided the labor. Profits were shared in an agreed-upon ratio when successful, and in the event of a loss, sailors undertook unlimited liability with their assets and lives, whereas merchants and nobles bore limited liability within the scope of their investment.

This was the origin of so-called limited liability companies.

The relationship between merchants, nobles, and sailors is also similar to that of modern-day venture capitalists and entrepreneurs.

To this day, big companies are still thriving.

The reason why Doringger pays so much attention to various Gold Mining Companies and trading firms is that he wants to be the "group leader" of the New Continent’s ventures.

Swan offered a layman’s explanation.

"It’s like baccarat, but the game isn’t about revealing cards, it’s about fighting. There’s a sure-win strategy: the more you fight, the better cards you will reveal, and you keep winning. Now, it’s time to place the bets."

Swan said as such.

"Now I get it, bet three thousand Golden Dragons."

Rein didn’t think too deeply; just bet and be done with it.

"Understood, all in. We must prepare for the upcoming crisis of the apocalyptic wasteland."

Morison had no idea what to do with so much money; to him, zero copper coins made him financially independent. Couldn’t he just live off of strong-arming his way through meals and inns? With four to five thousand, he would just get run over by a big trailer repeatedly.

"Freakin’ zombie crisis, stop randomly adding to your character, hey!"

Liszt was stunned.

"There’s a question, can others invest, too? People outside of Black Sail?"

Ox asked.

"Right now, it’s the angel round, which has the highest returns, and you have more decision-making power. If you don’t sell, it stays yours. Later, when others come in, although your shares may be diluted, they’re just retail investors. Put it this way, with the little capital Qi Li and Wen Kui are putting in, they’re your two dogs."

This is how Liszt responded.

Mo Yutong gave up. In the end, she still had to follow the pirates’ rules. With this, the Black Sail Trading Company was not exactly a legitimate company anymore, but then again, that was the internal rule to begin with.

From Liszt’s tone, one could see his ambition.

Since there were no powers to restrict him, this was a privileged company. If things went as Liszt wished and he became the Boss of Heaven Port.

If one considered Heaven Port as a small country,

Then this would be a company with a monopoly on trade, able to establish an army, colonial government institutions, issue currency, and sign treaties with other countries.

A political-economic-military complex.

Liszt’s bravado was so convincing that all the key members expressed their desire to buy shares.

"Ah... there’s no rush for that. According to the previous vote, we’ll open the cellar at the end of January, and we’ll still need to discuss our system slowly. In the meantime, everyone can consider it. I’m just introducing the concept for now. Alright, since everyone is here, let’s all get together and make dumplings for the New Year celebration! Let’s get past the New Year first, damn it."

Liszt, in fact, hated dealing with these matters and just wanted to be a hands-off manager, only to be consulted for major decisions.

Next up was the last step to the New Year’s gift!

Unexpectedly, the first to be settled last was Goria; I had to start experimenting rigorously to see if you truly were neodymium copper.

And at that moment, there was an uninvited guest outside the inn.

It was Taylor’s adopted son, who even came with men. Old Wei still blocked them. As a former member of the Gureg Royal Knight Order, he had never botched a task and was reliable.

Liszt realized that with the last day of the year tomorrow, it was impossible to talk business then. Taylor was determined to see him before the year’s end.

"Don’t come down, I’ll go out and take a look myself."

Liszt wasn’t too concerned; Taylor definitely knew he was incredibly wealthy now and wanted to invite him over to his estate.

He went outside the inn alone.

Just as he expected, Taylor’s adopted son was there to invite Liszt over, perhaps on Taylor’s orders, or perhaps nursing a grudge, maybe both.

There was even an implicit threat in his words.

"Captain, my adopted father said he happens to be free today. He’s been busy with the annual meeting, and if you don’t go now, there might not be another opportunity."

Taylor’s son said this, aware that the Skull Club and Twin Group had been wiped out by Liszt, and that he had also formed an alliance with Qi Liwenkui. He probably wasn’t very afraid of Taylor anymore.

But many things are not as simple as whether you and I cooperate. In this world, it’s the winners who take all; having a lot of meat without life to enjoy it is worse than having a little.

"Is that so? But I’m busy too," Liszt had to at least be on equal footing with Taylor, for mutual benefit. He couldn’t be a mere enforcer for him, and he was determined to go after the New Year. But considering Taylor was making an ultimatum, he had to make one as well, "I don’t have time, but please convey a message for me, just three words, ’Huge success.’"

Liszt dangled the bait before Taylor, of course not mentioning specific numbers.

"Go."

Taylor’s son didn’t beat around the bush and wasn’t very respectful to Liszt.

"Hold on, please pass a message to Tani from me, ’You’re welcome to come here for the New Year’s celebration, we’re all family here, no taboos.’"

Liszt went straight for the jugular.

Finally, Taylor’s son couldn’t keep up his act, turning back with a hard glare, but he had no choice but to leave.

Watching as he walked away for good.

Liszt’s company now had a blueprint, and he needed to lure Taylor into it. He didn’t need Taylor’s money; he could contribute... a fleet, perhaps.

Black Sail Trading Company, such a pleasant name to the ear, doesn’t it sound like it has the ambition to rival the Central Plains?

His gaze turned towards the top of Heaven Port, where a giant white-painted castle towered.

Doringger, it was time to move.