Black Sail
Chapter 285: CCLXXXV. Fleet Contract

Chapter 285: CCLXXXV. Fleet Contract

It was completely a case of being led by the nose; barely aware of how it happened, she had followed Tani to the secluded balcony where they were now alone.

In the night, a delicate snow began to drift down again. Above the distant sea, the night sky was clear of clouds, allowing dimly visible, unnamed large celestial bodies of azure and dark red to peek through.

A layer of hoarfrost had settled on the iron railing. She was wearing a double-breasted coat, and once outside, her hands and the area beneath her eyes had turned a bit red from the cold; subconsciously, she blew heat onto her hands.

Suddenly, Tani snapped back to reality, berating herself for foolishly bringing him to such a cold place.

"Let’s go somewhere else," Tani said with a hint of apology, awkwardly brushing off the snow on Liszt’s leather armor.

Liszt hadn’t had the chance to remove his leather armor after going out to cut someone down during the day.

It was as if he remembered something, and Liszt paused for a moment.

"No need, let’s stay here if you have something to say."

Liszt was afraid that Tani would take him into a room and start playing games directly, especially since Dreya was on the island, guaranteeing them a full meal at every turn. Liszt knew how to prioritize and didn’t want to risk losing a lot over something trivial.

Tani took a deep breath, unsure of how to begin speaking.

When she had returned earlier in the year, she had found Flado completely transformed, a stranger to her in many ways. Plus, having received news of his death, her emotions were incredibly complex.

Tani was originally planning to gloss over it with a few simple words, but she couldn’t stop the members of Black Sail from talking—for Flado had died a terrible death.

As the daughter of the East Sea’s fence magnate, her family environment was different from ordinary people’s. Now that her brother’s man was also dead, and she couldn’t understand the motivations that had driven this turn of events. Flado was lacking nothing. Whatever Taylor could give, he would; they were all family after all, yet Flado schemed with outsiders, harboring malicious intentions.

Tani didn’t even know whether she should be grieving or how she should feel.

Liszt could sense Tani’s predicament and mostly guessed what she was thinking. Taylor was a man of notable standing who could quickly turn the page on mental changes, but his daughter wasn’t someone involved with the Triad Gang, nor did she have the temperament to be indifferent to life and death.

"Flado was a courageous man and didn’t beg for mercy when he died. Indeed, he had taken a dark path, but that doesn’t entirely negate the years that came before. Now that some time has passed, build a ceremonial tomb for him. He’ll know that you have forgiven him from heaven," Liszt settled for comforting Tani with these thoughts, rather than concerning himself with whether such cavemen had tombs or not. After all, it was more important for the living to maintain their mental health.

"Um..."

Tani finally came to terms with it, not caring whether this man had a family or not; she had no intention of letting go.

She pressed herself firmly against Liszt, her arms locking around him.

Only then did Liszt realize that Tani, having been in Aran, had grown up quite a bit. Ah, the Western Continent didn’t have the concept of underwires in bras.

"You two seem quite cozy, don’t you?"

Dreya appeared out of nowhere on a corner of the balcony, her expression cold as ice. She was wearing a luxurious fur garment made of an unidentified black Magic Beast, and her long, blood-red hair, slightly curled at the edges, was quite striking.

They were caught in the act.

Tani had never met her before and jolted in fright, clinging even tighter to Liszt, impossible to pull apart.

Dreya’s brows furrowed slightly. Only what she gave to Liszt was truly his; what she did not, Liszt had no right to take.

Liszt felt as though he was trapped in Hell; damn it, it was over! That mad woman would turn him into a well-oiled machine.

Dreya had planned to drag Liszt back with her, intending to leave the island for a while, and now she stumbled upon this scene. Given the setting, naturally, this woman was one of Liszt’s old flames.

Meanwhile, at the banquet scene—

What shocked Taylor was that among all the diners, the one who could eat the most wasn’t the Merfolk or Black Big, but a silver-haired girl who appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen.

She outpaced dozens.

"Mind your table manners."

Wolman, though he too used his hands to eat, found Fafna’s behavior overly brash. She grabbed at the food with either hand, so fast it almost rivaled a rubber machine gun.

Fafna’s cheeks were stuffed bulging on both sides, and in just a moment, she had probably polished off several dozen pounds of roasted ribs, her face smeared with grease.

"Don’t be such an asshole and disgrace your pretty face at this banquet!"

Shadi had nearly reached her limit. How could she return to the Western Continent and look down on others? How could she return to Summer Sunset Island and observe people with a chin held high if she associated with these barbarians?

Not only meat, Fafna would even crunch the bones together, something Taylor had never seen such a fierce girl do in his entire life. Was she even human?

Liszt seemed to be preoccupied with something. Fen glanced around and didn’t spot him, which was just as well. Some matters weren’t convenient for Liszt to discuss, and given his ambiguous relationship with Tani, he might not have had the heart to.

"Mr. Tai, please."

Fen stood up, inviting Taylor to talk business.

Taylor had lost his appetite. He hadn’t touched his food but still made a show of wiping his mouth with silk. Fen followed him to the office. Taylor already had his strategy; he would never invest cash.

Having experienced today’s events, he was acutely aware of his age and the best route was to hold onto most of his cash and powers that nobody could usurp. As for the fighting and killing, he would leave that to Liszt.

The two left the feast.

As soon as they were gone, the atmosphere on the scene heated up even further. Taylor, as the big boss, had subordinates who were always a bit restrained, but now they let loose completely.

Mingling with the Black Sail people.

Five minutes later.

In Taylor’s office.

"Wait, use other things as a substitute... I don’t understand what you mean. You might think this is some pirate trade, but that’s a big mistake. It’s not just the East Sea. The reason we defined it as a company is that, in the future... we plan to go further inland, to be listed for financing in various countries. Only cash can be used for settlements; otherwise, we can’t count the shares."

Fen thought this negotiation would be difficult. Although Liszt’s rescue had favored Taylor, he certainly wouldn’t just hand over all his assets, would he?

Taylor hadn’t expected Liszt’s ambition to be so great, but then again, it had already been apparent when he had come to take the train—the ambition to finance in the inland and not content being just the King of the East Sea, but aiming to be the Emperor.

"You indeed haven’t understood. My fleet, previously managed by Flado, is now without him since he is dead. I haven’t found a suitable replacement yet. The thing I’m offering as a substitute is my fleet."

Taylor would never throw his cash into the mix. Unlike Liszt and his group, the foundation of the Cross Alliance was clean. Although not like Doringger, who could revive any condemned criminal he chose or whitewash any criminal gang.

At least there were no issues on his end.

With cash and trusted guards, even if Liszt failed, he would have a way out. Although past enemies might come calling, that was a concern for another day; at least for the short term, he could be safe.

Fen’s expression was solemn; Taylor certainly wouldn’t just hand over his grand fleet.

"What are your terms? Tell me."

There was much to handle, so Fen took out his notepad, jotted down some notes, and would have to discuss further with Liszt.

"The fleet, I’m renting it to you, not all of it, but half: the sail battleships, escort ships, and various other vessels, a total of fifteen ships. We’ll say a thousand Gold Dragons per month; that’s not too much, right? I’ll also invest a thousand Gold Dragons each month."

Taylor obviously hoped for a quick resolution. Though he didn’t know what game Liszt wanted to play, he might also need time to prepare. But delays breed complications.

Fen pondered for a while; having the ships was not enough. "And... your men?"

Recruiting so many from the island at this point would take too long. It wasn’t reliable.

"You can hire them, but that’s your problem now. The rules on the island have changed. Doringger has given his warning and prohibited the pirates from plundering the merchant ships. I’ve lost my business; those men are idle."

Taylor took a swig of strong liquor, in truth still mulling over the day’s events, wondering when exactly he had erred, forcing him to this reluctant path—such is the unpredictability of life.

"I understand you now. I’ll go back and discuss with Liszt. I’ll personally do everything I can to push this through."

Fen made his decision. Given the current situation, this was far more reliable than pouring in cash.

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