Black Sail
Chapter 277: CCLXXVII. April Battle

Chapter 277: CCLXXVII. April Battle

Liszt was uncertain about how much clout Ox had in Dead Man Bay or how many Merfolk he could rally; siege and territorial acquisition called for maximum support, even if Brother Sha went, it still wouldn’t be reassuraning.

The capacity of Dead Man Bay was of course significantly smaller than Heaven Port. However, it was still a regional harbor, and being worn down by a war of attrition would be a major operational disaster.

He arranged for the five newly arrived Heroic Level adventurers to bolster the situation.

Damn, counting Gawain and Weber as well, it seemed they had a force akin to the Seven Martial Seas.

Heroic Level was quite formidable, allowing one to move freely between nations, only overshadowed by the insanely powerful Brother Hai, who could obliterate anything instantly.

Certainly, one could not show partiality; fairness was essential. Although Wolman’s area was not highly dangerous, appearances still had to be maintained, so all at Honor Level had to join in.

Moreover, Qi Li and Wen Kui had invested, although investing money meant they were in it together as grasshoppers tied on a string, if they could contribute, they still had to.

An initial trial operation had to be carried out. Letting the two contribute manpower to the Great Wetland to tear an opening first was essential for Liszt to lead the power management. Once accustomed, commanding them in killings would be manageable.

Since they were also shareholders on the same entrepreneurial journey, it was not too much to ask. He also didn’t want the investment in Golden Dragons to vanish as bubbles on the company’s accounts.

This was no Ponzi scheme. Every quarter Liszt would distribute profits to all investing shareholders, ensuring a stable and long-term distribution of benefits and continual consolidation and expansion. Only thus could they aspire to conquer the Central Plains.

"Violet, Nishi, you two ladies are truly beautiful. I understand a bit about pulse diagnosis and can check whether you have any hidden injuries from your years of adventuring."

Mika couldn’t help wanting to taste what adventurers were like.

The Female Archer, Violet, with her wild and supple legs, had Mika’s heart racing, thrilling to the point of raising flags.

And the Female Mage, Nishi, naturally enchanting with a fetching beauty mark on the corner of her mouth, brought his flag to flutter at full mast.

"That really is disgusting."

Violet waved off, completely numb. The extortion attempt had been a massive fail, and now she ended up being roped into working too?

"Check me out."

Nishi handed her soft hand to Mika, who immediately grasped it. Soon, her fingers were tracing lines on his palm.

Mika swallowed his saliva. This woman, she was a total fatal attraction!

Fen felt something was still not quite right. How could these people be so easily taken in? He inquired about the situation from Liszt.

"Diaz sent a threat letter, they also know I will absolutely not compromise. After January 25th, we will be completely isolated."

Liszt said he wasn’t worried, which was definitely a lie. Diaz was more wretched than a damn dog, an outright orphan achieving zero success in the game of finding his family; you might as well give it a shot too.

Undoubtedly the most foul organization on the Western Continent.

Fen took the letter for a glance. It was worse than any scenario he could have imagined. Diaz was not planning to rely solely on force anymore. The loss of rationality was clear; he planned to strike on all fronts.

If they didn’t receive the goods by January 25th, the news would break out everywhere, and Doringger would be aware within a few days. Then, it would be the perfect time for him to turn against his own people.

Initially, Fen thought Liszt’s strategy was very successful. The longer it dragged on, the higher their winning chance since Black Sail did have cards to play against Doringger. However, other preparations were necessary to harness the advantage of fifty thousand Golden Dragons.

Now, the situation had completely changed, completely disrupting the plan.

Dragging it out only handed control to others. The original plan, revolving around the New Continent, would have taken at least one to two years or at most half a year to complete, but was drastically brought forward.

If they didn’t explain the stakes painfully now, it would be too late.

"How so?"

Fen probed Liszt’s attitude to gauge if he was ready to fight. They could fight anytime, even possibly charge right now.

After consuming nearly twenty Red Crystals, Fafna’s growth had been immensely exaggerated.

According to her, the wingspan was about eighteen meters by now.

The first few Red Crystals had helped her grow to about ten meters, but as time went on, the growth became more difficult. Now, a single Red Crystal could enhance her size by less than half a meter, a seemingly bottomless pit.

They noticed both persons watching them.

"Hehe."

Fafna, drinking milk with foam around her mouth, was completely oblivious to what was happening.

Fen did not mind, for if it was a Dragon, it would naturally be impervious to spears and swords, its claws like sharp blades, its scales like steel armor, and its Dragon Breath devastating everything. Surely, it was no feeble and foolish creature.

When their people joined the fight, how could Qi Liwenkui and the others not follow? If Black Sail were annihilated, the stable state would be disrupted, and a great purge would immediately turn on you.

Both Taylor and another big shot would not sit idly by, waiting for the current alliance to dissolve, only to be conquered one by one afterward.

Mo Yutong and Izumi were also present. Using Stele’s words, not to mention Doringger, even the Emperor would be killed on your behalf.

"How else can it be put, we must start earlier, but there’s no rush."

After some thought, Liszt feigned calm. He had no business with reputable companies, but there was plenty of business with murderers. Doringger wasn’t stupid; he would surely intervene to keep him within controllable bounds.

He had to move quickly with Wolman and Ox.

He asked Swan to summon Caroso.

Caroso reported that the letter had been sent, and the high-ranking officials identifying Fafna’s true body should arrive by early February at the latest, given the remoteness of this location.

"Let’s set it for the end of April, at the start of summer, that will be Doringger’s end."

Liszt had no intention of confronting Doringger just yet. He had to admit the gap between them and sought to bridge it through various subtle manipulations.

"Stick to the original plan; do what we need to do. By then, when Doringger decentralizes power and collaborates with external officials and merchants, we will ally with external pirates and criminal forces. Of course, we’ll also execute some sabotage."

Liszt planned to gradually weaken Doringger’s influence before considering engaging in actual combat.

Right now, internal unity was crucial; they couldn’t afford Doringger exploiting any openings or being able to recruit traitors to his side.

He would certainly also poach people from Doringger’s side.

Liszt had already decided what major roles Qi Li and Wen Kui would play. Doringger was acting as the tax collector for four fishing island territories.

He was selling fish, right?

Qi Liwenkui needn’t do anything else, just intimidate the fishing boats and rob the seafood merchants there.

Doringger was surely pushing those fishermen to the limit; they must be saved!

And with so many adventurers hunting sea beasts in the surrounding waters, that business also needed disruption. Stop killing sea beasts; I’ll hire you directly for a stable job, leading you to the pinnacles of life.

The New Continent especially needed severe sabotage. Setting sail on the 15th wasn’t feasible anymore. Once Wolman and Ox departed on the 8th, he himself must also visit the New Continent.

The plan was to wreak havoc, overwhelming you until you were at your wits’ end, then cutting you down; what more is there to say?

Claude had been away recently, busy with preparations for the wedding on the 7th.

Claude wanted everything to be simple, fearful of any issues. The Baron’s fiancée couldn’t argue and had agreed, but now she wasn’t just the Baron’s fiancée; she was Claude’s wife.

Of course, Liszt would not exploit such a situation. Since it was to be simple, it would be simple, yet they would not invite outsiders. However, they needed to ensure the presentation was impeccable; it must be magnificent, their own people certainly needed to be there.

After the wedding, he too would head to the New Continent for a look.

Ben, unaffected, had been trapped here by Fen’s spell, forced to bide his time a while longer, his mind filled with things that could sway the direction of the world.