Black Sail
Chapter 263: CCLXIII. Emperor Skill

Chapter 263: CCLXIII. Emperor Skill

The Heavenly Port Inner City CBD, illuminated by bright lights, is a territory under Doringger. Grand high-rises glistened splendidly, and the streets lit dimly by fluorite neon lights. Brothels, casinos, and Leaf Stores enveloped the central plaza, making it a veritable resort destination.

Refuge-seeking tycoons, novelty-seeking nobles, and excitement-seeking magnates all lived life in a blur here, until they were bled dry.

Doringger even made sure the area was cleaned regularly, with someone diligently clearing snow from the Doringger sculpture within the grand fountain daily.

Liszt and his entourage happened to pass by this place on their way back.

Liszt stared at the Boss’s statue in the center of the fountain while pulling out a cigarette to smoke.

"Damn, that’s terrifying."

Liszt deeply inhaled, unmoved by the others around him. But Old Beden had been watching him intently—the man who had slain a sea monster, exuding an overwhelmingly terrifying presence.

Many Magic Beasts frequented the waters near Heavenly Port, but none were considered sea monsters, which could drag massive ships hundreds of meters into the sea.

Whether it was a squid or some other monster that was beaten to death with fists, damn, when the time comes, they’d probably have to call upon General Fen to put it on the Stele, or use poison or something.

"Brother Li, you really were fierce just now; your presence was as formidable as that monster’s."

A Captain, promised employment by Liszt, flattered him, hoping with Liszt’s backing he could also taste the fruits of the New Continent.

"Stop, I’m hardly a Boss yet."

Liszt misunderstood the remark and felt somewhat elated, quite pleased with himself. He adjusted his cuffs, putting on the airs of a Boss, pretending to look profound, a man with dominion over the world.

Shadi was speechless, wondering if Liszt was still pretending? If he kept this up, he might as well play the role of Emperor. The others were watching too.

Taylor and another influential figure wore complex expressions, pondering deeply.

"The matter isn’t completely resolved yet. Doringger might have the representatives stay overnight and use some means to continue entrapping them."

Taylor had planned to ride on Liszt’s coattails to maintain a ’one ultra, three greats’ power structure. However, Liszt’s scheming ran too deep, and Taylor was having trouble keeping up with the game, now fully committed to fighting alongside him.

Liszt waved his hand dismissively.

"My people are top-tier talents."

Liszt was well-prepared; Ben and Swan were still in the castle. Ben was responsible for finding Doringger’s weaknesses, while Swan had another important task.

He had prepared envelopes beforehand.

[For business cooperation, please contact the Black Sail Inn, Black Sail Trading Company, at Heavenly Port Inner City.]

Liszt wanted Swan to use his skills to plant these in the garments of the representatives while they slept at night, ensuring they would discover them come morning.

In terms of influence, he and Doringger were merely on par, both capable of moving people with words alone. Suffering a verbal loss sometimes didn’t really mean losing.

Doringger stayed in a castle, well-defended by his fortress. Where could Liszt invade?

But I can confront Doringger, I can bring in many Captains, so why can’t I enter the castle? I come and go as I please.

This way, the representatives would surely be terrified to their core. Even if they didn’t fear for themselves, they would suspect that Doringger has a traitor in his midst, and consider themselves doomed.

The art was complete.

Liszt explained his strategy to the two bosses, who listened as if hearing a tale. Liszt’s rise to this point was not without reason, but future issues would be dealt with in the future; failing to cooperate now would only get them crushed by Doringger.

The two bosses left one after another, showing no particular favors towards Liszt. After all, none could afford to be without the other, and Doringger wouldn’t dare to act rashly in the short term. If he strained himself, how would he face external threats?

Today’s achievements weren’t solely crafted by Liszt’s strategies; Shadi contributed as well, and Wolman conducted strategic analysis.

Wolman, often referred to as Little Zhuge.

Could you imagine such phrases coming from a three-meter tall Black Big?

With external enemies/traders present, Wolman termed the current situation as mutual boosting for self-importance, a macro-level view of balance among three powers, a stable state unlikely to erupt into conflict anytime soon.

This was truly a masterstroke.

"Wait, I think it’s better to hand this over to you."

Fen took out a Compass that had been used in Wind Breath Canyon, belonging to Caroso, to give to Taylor. This would allow them to quickly rally their forces in an emergency.

Taylor, however, was disdainful but instead summoned an attendant to hand another Compass to Liszt, saying to contact him if needed.

Liszt accepted the situation with mixed feelings. Although he was the main force today, if he really executed Doringger, those two big shots might not support him as the leader.

To put it bluntly, his current power was merely like a pirate version of the eighteen warlords; seemingly an alliance, but actually quite scattered. He still needed to micromanage.

Tani waved at Liszt and left with Taylor. Liszt was important, but Taylor was facing a crisis and needed support.

"What exactly did you do before?"

Qi Li remembered that during the previous banquet, Liszt’s mental fortitude was incredibly strong.

Mental fortitude and fear of death are two different things. It’s normal for some people to act recklessly in the heat of the moment when blood rushes to their head.

Yet, in such a high-pressure environment, to directly face that kind of man and still keep face, not acting like a petty hooligan but rather playing high-end mental games with clear logic and watertight speech, such people were extremely rare and mentally terrifying.

"How many times have I told you, I am a university graduate. I have a very high level of education, hardly anyone on the island can compare."

Liszt took a deep drag from his cigarette.

Qi Li didn’t believe it at all; were there university graduates who got ahead by blowing their tops?

The two big shots were not very stable.

But Qi Li and Wen Kui had to stabilize, along with seventy or eighty other captains.

The number of captains at Heavenly Port was far more than what Liszt currently had; otherwise, they couldn’t support such a large scale on the island. There were also many miscellaneous groups and some deeply hidden players; who knows what they were thinking, whether they were watching or simply giving up. After all, the island was full of half-assed, crappy people, mostly just getting by with cut corners, dealing in shady goods, living in small houses, eating meat every ten days or half a month.

The power dynamics on the island were also intricate; some people bought ships to dock here but didn’t engage in piracy. There were plenty of shady and filthy middlemen, including small-scale platforms for hiring assassins and slave trading happening here.

With the advancement of great maritime voyages and Magic Energy Industry and the presence of numerous races, nationalism was prevalent, and the concept of family and country was deeply ingrained. Slave trade had been abolished hundreds of years ago and was forbidden by law.

But private slavery was not uncommon; there were those who bought wives and slave labor.

However, these businesses weren’t profitable in the current environment; those who were doing well on the island looked down on them.

Qi Li and Wen Kui took their leave one after another.

"Wait, I’m not done talking yet."

Liszt was well aware that there were many independent merchants and residents on the island; this sector was very important.

"No more protection money, same as the other captains, it’s a hiring system. But you two are powerful, I’ll hire you to explore the New Continent; a guaranteed two hundred twenty Golden Dragons a month, paid by me. Of course, the things you obtain aren’t given to me. I’ll buy them."

Liszt took a drag from his cigarette and spoke calmly.

Wen Kui, direct and frank, understood what this meant.

"Damn, Liszt, you’re really playing emperor here."

Wen Kui could intuitively feel that Liszt was up to no good; his scheming was chilling yet irresistible, and after some deep thought, it even seemed honorable.

Qi Li chuckled bitterly. Having once been a Great Knight of the Imperial Guard, he was framed by scoundrels and knew all too well how dark the court intrigue could be.

He simply wasn’t skilled enough and got kicked out of the game.

This time, he had to be up to the task.

"I understand your point, I’ll follow your lead."

Fen had originally given a Compass to Taylor, but Qi Li took it and left without looking back.

"Damn, I’ll call you ’Brother,’ okay, Brother Li is freaking awesome..."

Wen Kui felt somewhat displeased and followed Qi Li at a distance.

Liszt then instructed the remaining captains one by one, hiring had already begun; they couldn’t be fence-sitters. On January 15, they could come directly to him to get an advance on half a month’s salary, then start working.

Liszt had other plans in mind.

Securing internal stability before repelling external threats wasn’t always right.

Sometimes.

You must repel external threats first before securing internal stability.

Only then could the fifty thousand Golden Dragons in the cellar be moved, the Black Sail Trading Company be established, and he command respect, his words surpassing all key members.

This was... Emperor Skill.

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