Black Sail
Chapter 267: CCLXVII. Dead Man Bay

Chapter 267: CCLXVII. Dead Man Bay

It was past midnight on January 2nd, strictly speaking, it was already the 3rd.

The meeting was still ongoing.

Wolman’s proposal had been accepted, and after preparations, on January 8th, they would head to the Great Wetland aboard the Dawn Breaker, expecting to return in mid-February.

Four hundred Golden Dragons were allocated for purchasing supplies and recruiting personnel.

Wolman was officially promoted to the rank of Captain of the Dawn Breaker, and he had a few days to recruit troops and buy horses on the island, gathering a hundred crew members capable of sailing to the Great Wetland.

He was recruiting not just any riff-raff; Wolman was originally a rebel commander himself and expressed his desire to bring some of his former comrades to the cause, all respectable individuals in the Great Wetland.

In the past, Liszt would have hesitated, as Wolman turning his own into a rebel stronghold would surely cause trouble.

But now it was different; Liszt was practically the boss of Heaven Port and could hold his own; no matter how many came.

The newly-promoted captain also acquired a more prestigious title.

"From now on, you will be the overall supervisor for the Monges Southern Wetland. I’ll leave the affairs of that region entirely up to you. In addition, we now have a stake in the New Continent. Doringger wouldn’t dare to cause trouble openly. Now that the representatives of the major companies have been intimidated and left, he can’t handle it alone. We need to transport some goods from the New Continent into the Great Wetland via Aran; this is a vital route."

Liszt placed high hopes on Wolman; despite his tough and startling appearance, he was undoubtedly among the most intelligent in the company. He could handle it.

"Alright, sharpening the axe won’t delay the work of chopping wood. If we want to turn the Great Wetland into the best trade route into the interior, having Murphys block us could be problematic. It’s easy to bring in small volumes of drugs, liquids, and sugars, but it’s a different story for minerals or artifacts from ancient civilizations, Murphys will inevitably obstruct. I will contact my former brothers, kill off some Aran administrators in the Great Wetland to provoke internal chaos. Once people are brought back, eliminate Doringger under the authority of the ruler of Heaven Port and establish connections with the existing rebel forces in the Great Wetland to facilitate transportation."

Wolman had grand ambitions and hoped to leverage the advantages of this route to strengthen the still-active rebel organization and gradually erode Murphys.

Of course, it was not possible to confront Murphys directly; Wolman was no longer the hot-headed youth.

Many in the Great Wetland, like him before, had gone abroad to study and returned to rebel, clamoring to completely expel Aran’s influence and then kill Murphys.

It wasn’t that simple. The Monges Wetland had its own national conditions; if it really turned violent again, Murphys would easily convince the Emperor to intervene.

Aran siphoned off an untold sum from the Great Wetland each year, he would surely intervene.

Murphys certainly needed to die, but not immediately; his death would only lead to another "Benevolent King" exploiting his people.

Instead, the relationship between him and Aran needed to deteriorate gradually, such as by torturing Aran military instructors in the wetlands to provoke public outrage and return the Great Wetland to its infamous state.

This was also the first step in Wolman’s long-term strategy.

He shared these plans out loud.

"Now that we’ve formed a company and gone public, we must expand quickly. I’ll also seek some investment from old financiers in the wetland zones. Didn’t you say you had contacts on the Red Tree Bay Shore? I’ll visit to hear her thoughts too."

Wolman was meticulous.

"Leading by a wide margin."

Rein looked up at Wolman with new respect.

"On the edge of the Mirror Sea, there’s a place called Dead Man Bay, also a pirate port, but much smaller than Heaven Port. Doringger’s influence has spread there as well, backing a mermaid leader who pays tribute to Doringger every month. I too will need to requisition a ship, the Daffodil. Since Wolman needs only four hundred, I’ll need the same, but I’ll also bring people."

Ox was a saint.

After spending over two years on board, aside from initially investing some money in real estate in Heaven Port, he had saved everything else. "I wish to hire the Heroic Level adventurers you bring back, Gawain, Weber, Morison if they are available. I will dominate Dead Man Bay."

Ox spoke with great consequence.

Mirror Sea was countless miles from the Western Continent and even Heaven Port was somewhat distant. Its horizontal coordinates ran parallel to the Southern Continent, while its vertical coordinates were to the southeast of the East Sea.

One of the most curious regions in the world, aside from the domain of the High Elves in the Ancient Divine Continent, was the Mirror Sea. It was said that the surface of the sea was as clear as a mirror, hence its name, reflecting the sky and also known as the Sky Sea.

There were not only Merfolk but many other strange races as well.

Many daring adventurers would venture to the Mirror Sea to capture mermaids, different from Siren Sea Demons. They were sentient creatures, genuine mermaids, fetching as much as two hundred Golden Dragons on the black market.

With the advancement of the Magic Energy Industry, this type of "human trafficking" became prohibited in various countries. However, it could not deter rich nobles with money to burn who, undeterred, still ventured to the Mirror Sea on risky expeditions.

The Mirror Sea also hosted many nations, but being in the underwater world, they had strong cohesion and formed the Mirror Sea Alliance. They repelled foreign intruders fiercely and were extremely xenophobic, treating any discovered humans as poachers, who were brutally slaughtered on the spot.

Internally, they were unified against outsiders but amongst themselves, they fought even more fiercely. According to Ox, where he had stationed once, more than three thousand people died every day, turning the shallow waters bright crimson.

Dead Man Bay probably lay at the confluence of the East Sea and the Mirror Sea. It was the exit point for wholesale criminals from the Mirror Sea. Merfolk who committed crimes or soldiers who deserted the front lines all mixed together here.

Ox had initially planned to stake a claim on Dead Man Bay and then strike back into the Mirror Sea. With his prestige, no one questioned his authority, but the place was already claimed by one of Doringger’s henchmen.

Considering Ox’s influence, to grasp the leading position, he was expelled from Dead Man Bay summarizing it in three sentences: scarce resources, cramped land, how could a True Dragon find peace there?

Ox wasn’t an ungrateful person. He came to Heaven Port, but joining Doringger’s ranks was out of interest. He needed to enter the Circle of Angels, a force where he could speak up.

After hearing about Liszt leading the anti-money laundering campaign, he came by a twist of fate.

"Far beyond the lead!"

Rein was greatly shocked, as the words Ox used meant "to dominate."

Liszt was deeply aware of the economic value of Dead Man Bay. Although trade between Mirror Sea and the outside world was scarce, it wasn’t non-existent, some Mirror Sea specialties were highly valuable.

Dead Man Bay was just the enclave of Ox’s race, dedicated to their own affairs.

Liszt pondered, although he didn’t know exactly what crime Ox had committed, his fin was chopped off, making him a Level 1 war criminal of the Mirror Sea Alliance.

Yet if he were to return to the Mirror Sea and achieve his goals, attaining status and promoting trade, the specialties of the Mirror Sea flowing through his hands towards the Western Continent would truly make him as rich as a nation.

Putting aside long-term matters and speaking of immediate benefits, if he could indeed dominate Dead Man Bay, his combat power would surely surge, adding yet another point from which to strike back.

Considering everything fully, having previously met Doringger, who was no ordinary person, rather intimidatingly powerful, Liszt had to consider his fallback plan if Doringger turned him into a fool.

"This statement is incorrect, the current model is as follows."

Establishing a company was for rapid expansion and efficient utilization of resources. "Gawain, Weber, I formally hire you as security consultants for Black Sail Trading Company with a base salary of twenty Golden Dragons per month. This is the minimum, and you’ll follow the projects. The project manager will allocate additional compensation from his funds based on the situation. So, Second Officer, you’re now also a project manager, and Gawain and Weber are members of the company for you to use. Now, let’s begin voting for the Dead Man Bay project."

Liszt believed that this formality was necessary, as formalities have their disadvantages and advantages, but of course, he was in favor.

All subsequently passed.

The Great Wetland Project, the Dead Man Bay Project, had already been allocated funding.

Gawain had no objections. Twenty Golden Dragons a month, honestly not too shabby since it was money for doing nothing. Although it might not look sufficient to him, there was extra compensation, and it was almost the same as killing people in Great Wetland, yet his mind began to see things differently. Now, looking at these pirates full of life and color, there seemed to be a promising future indeed.

"Security consultant, sounds freakin’ awesome, damn."

Weber’s excitement at the Flame Scholars Promotion was becoming unbearable.