Black Sail
Chapter 299: CCXCIX. Newcomer

Chapter 299: CCXCIX. Newcomer

Days at sea were immensely boring.

The date had come to January 15.

The year had already ended, and everything had returned to normal.

In the ordinary East Sea Domain, ordinary people were chopped until their souls left their bodies, frenziedly wrestling in ordinary battles.

The Black Sail’s Gold Seeker transport ship was also about to reach its destination.

The deck was filled with Gold Seekers, all with faces full of excitement, gazing ahead at the sea, their excitement fermenting in the jostling crowd.

With grey faces and slightly ragged clothes patched here and there, their eyes were filled with longing and desire, wishing to be the first to discern the outline of the island.

There were some Gold Seekers like Celeste’s group, ranked second in priority.

These people were powerful, and even on the densely packed deck, each had their own separate area.

Celeste’s group was killing two birds with one stone, not only seeking dragons but also gathering intelligence about the New Continent.

The selection from the national agencies was definitely reliable; apart from combat personnel, there were also experts proficient in history and archaeology.

The long journey, without washing her hair, had made Celeste’s short black hair slightly greasy, but that did not bother her.

"After disembarking, the main objective is to find Liszt, try to stay close to them, gain their trust, understand?"

Celeste calmly issued her command, curious to see what kind of person overshadowed Doringger in prestige.

Twenty minutes later.

A loud-voiced Gold Seeker startled everyone on the deck!

"New Continent!"

He had spotted the faint outline of land on the horizon, which stretched endlessly on both sides, truly a large island that could be called a New Continent.

Hence a bunch of cheeky fellows almost leaned out over the ship’s rail.

"If I make my fortune here, I’ll go back home to get married."

"Get married my ass, I want to buy all the gift products from this year’s goddesses!"

"That’s so lame! If you make a fortune, why still buy gift products? Aim higher, man!"

"We are pests; we are pests."

Suddenly, the deck was extremely noisy, with Zor, Beastmen, Dwarfs, and Yisu people, a dizzying scene.

Celeste sighed, looking at how happy these guys were, not knowing how they would die later.

This location’s vertical coordinates were lower than Heaven Port, but higher than Kersuna Island; it wasn’t hot in early spring, but it was no longer cold either, and the Gold Seekers were taking off their warm jackets.

The closer they got to Iron Soul Island, it seemed there was nothing particularly strange; aside from mountains there were trees, and aside from trees there were mountains. One might need to venture deeper to discover something new.

Before even disembarking, the Gold Seekers had all started grabbing their tools: machetes for clearing paths through the jungle, firearms for self-defense, and weapons they were skilled at using.

Finally, they neared a coast dotted with scattered driftwood.

This coast, named Departure Coast by Doringger, after he had taken command of the Iron Soul Pirate Group, "naturally" led to many events.

Nearby in the sea were moored a large fleet, specifically Liszt and others’ ships, including ten ships with sail battleships grandly docked together, a formidable sight.

As for the patrol boats, they will keep cruising the surrounding waters. They are small in size and fast in speed; they can react quickly if any outsiders arrive.

The Gold Seeker transport ships also docked at the shore.

The jungle by the coast had been cleared to the point of becoming bare, with only tree stumps remaining and weeds all cleared away. Many simple wooden huts built from local materials and several tough leather tents were set up as temporary bases.

Due to some trade companies being scared off by Liszt, it was supposed to be foreign companies setting up camps along the coast, with supply ships coming continuously to sell supplies to Gold Seekers.

Forget about that happening anytime soon; the supplies had to be bought either from Liszt or Doringger, or else they’d starve to death on the island.

Of course, there were naturally some seasoned guys with remarkable survival skills in the wild, where protein is six times that of beef. "See this native? Remove the head and you can eat it," they’d say.

Such characters naturally didn’t need to buy supplies.

As soon as they landed, the Gold Seekers, who stuck together in groups, shouted and disembarked the ships. No one dared to venture into the East Sea alone; at the very least, they came in a group of three to five.

The third-ranking Gold Seeker quickly gathered information about any developed trails and precautions to take around the encampments on the coast.

It must be said that although the East Sea was full of scumbags, the Old Western Continent People were not like that. Some came from wealthy households or were bastards, or had a relative who was a lord – born in Rome.

They weren’t here just for the money but out of a spirit of exploration, with cheerful smiles, elegant postures, dust on their faces and greasy hair, yet still exuded charm, accompanied by several attendants just for enjoyment.

They freely shared maps and necessary cautions openly. The island hadn’t revealed any Magic Beasts yet, but one should still watch out for some poisonous creatures.

One cheerful young master even considerately pointed out some insects in the guidebook for a few Gold Seekers and even threw in a few bottles of Antidote.

Witnessing all this almost brought Liszt to tears; damn the cruelty of fate, he had traveled from Earth to bring advanced academic knowledge, to help Third World countries and promote friendly interdimensional exchanges. Yet here he was, playing the role of a damn pirate.

After they were brought ashore, the Gold Seekers got busy preparing, and Bolt shot off like a bullet into the woods, unable to even grab a hot spoonful of soup, after quickly grabbing a machete to clear the path.

The second-place Gold Seekers were a bit more prepared. These adventure groups had held a meeting to gather additional supplies from the ashore encampments before they set off.

Celeste and her party’s main target was still Liszt, searching for him at the Bay Shore among the rows of makeshift wooden huts that were about thirty in number.

Liszt was easy to find, puffing on a cigarette while pointing out plans for the area with Taylor’s people.

"In the future, this place should be transformed into not just an outpost but, after stabilization, a vacation resort with functional buildings everywhere. Build a hotel here, another hotel there, targeting the pain points of diverse tiers of customers, with both high-end rooms and barely adequate rooms for one night. We could also set up some piers, maybe even a... seafront restaurant! Turn this place into a tourist destination! Can you handle it? If not, just outsource it, and we’ll both pump cash into this and make it thrive!"

Liszt, full of spirit, thought of himself as Columbus, often referred to as Little Liszt. He planned to create artificial attractions, sell stories, and attract Lords from around the world to spend their Gold Coins here.

Celeste and her team spotted their target and prepared to approach, but other second-place Gold Seekers got there first.

Liszt and Doringger had an intense rivalry, both influential talkers, and since no one knew where Doringger currently was, naturally, they came to cozy up to Liszt.

"Boss, thriving business, eh?"

One of the Gold-level Adventure Group leaders was quite the sycophant.

"It’s all thanks to everyone’s support,"

Liszt replied, not really wanting to interact with these Little Kamis, but social pleasantries had to be maintained.

Celeste, speechless, felt that getting involved now would make her look foolish. She needed to create some noise to catch his attention.

She signaled an aide to start promoting, highlighting their core selling point.

"I hold an advanced degree in history, with research experience in all sorts of rare and bizarre items. If you come across mud sculptures or crafts, don’t throw them away. I offer free appraisal services, responsible for purchasing, and will give you a satisfactory price,"

A staff member loudly advertised.

Not just an advanced degree in history—Lostra was among the top researchers with guaranteed postgraduate placements.

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