Black Sail
Chapter 307: CCCVII. Dragon Calamity

Chapter 307: CCCVII. Dragon Calamity

Celeste was somewhat moved and hesitated to order the arrest of Liszt.

This man was more than just having a Dragon in his hands.

Based solely on Liszt being a leader in the Triad Gang, it was clear he wouldn’t have access to this kind of intelligence. Moreover, he mentioned having connections in Pedan, which pretty much confirmed it.

She couldn’t help but speculate with her espionage mindset.

The pirates of the North Sea, those bay dwellers, always reasoned things out. Offer them some benefits, a few coins, and they would calm down.

They were just a minor irritation, while the East Sea had always been the true thorn in the side of the Western Continent.

Out of reach here, interests were entangled and complicated. Even more so, with Doringger, a ruling hawk, in command, once the ironclad warships appeared, the East Sea could no longer be considered remote from the Emperor. If a fleet approached, they would bombard the most troublesome ones first.

And who would be the most troublesome? Naturally, it was Doringger.

Liszt was suddenly stirring up trouble. They claimed it was money from a train robbery, but was that truly the case?

Someone might be backing him from behind.

It could be the Pedan Kingdom, already eyeing the East Sea’s rich pickings, supporting Liszt as a puppet. Necromancers weren’t exactly pleasant. Fen had once been part of Pedan’s Upper Three Flags, perhaps trying to make amends for past actions.

Celeste had completely strategized herself and, for the time being, decided not to make a move on Liszt. If she could infiltrate deep within and unravel the network behind him, it might be just as valuable as capturing the Dragon Lady.

She signaled to her subordinates in code to stand down for now.

"Okay, according to you, after acquiring the iron fleet, I could become a Duke on some island. That’s perfect since I’ve grown tired of being an adventurer. My people feel the same and would be honored to join your company."

Celeste took off her gloves, ready for a handshake to signal the agreement.

In reality, it wasn’t about Liszt being a puppet for Pedan. With the identity of the Heavenly Father of the Atomic Heart Church, it was yet to be seen who would control whom.

"Most welcome."

Liszt was overjoyed, finally not thwarted by a bad omen, and prepared to savor the touch of this Elf girl’s hand.

Mika, having drunk too much, came out to relieve himself and rushed over in a hurry.

"There’s a big problem."

Mika said to Liszt.

Interrupting the exchange of palm to palm between the two.

Liszt was stunned.

"What problem?"

Liszt asked.

"Eh, it hasn’t happened yet, not yet."

Mika pondered. His reputation had already been ruined by Shadi, and he probably wouldn’t stand a chance with Celeste, but if he couldn’t have her, he didn’t want others to have her either.

He immediately let out a hearty and happy laugh.

Liszt truly felt the urge to smack someone.

Three days later, January 20th, early morning.

In ancient times, pure love was extinct. In more recent ancient times, marriage vanished. The era of togetherness had gone up in smoke, and the time of mutual support was destined to sink...

What had happened to this world?

Who would listen to the historical truths buried in the river of time?

Bars were busy with antics a thousand miles away, hospitals had been performing abortions for a hundred years.

Nature was as impartial as it was ruthless.

Even the Immortal Emperor had been exercising his power last night.

In reality, Liszt and his company had greatly underestimated the energetic Gold Seekers on the island.

They were making their way toward the Central Temple on Iron Soul Island. According to the rough map sketched by Celeste’s subordinates, they should reach the Central Temple by noon today.

The deeper they went, the more evident signs of civilization became. Along the way, they even came across several small village ruins or, more accurately, settlements.

However, due to the passage of time, they were nothing but weathered remnants and broken walls, covered in ferns, bushes, and vines, barely recognizable.

The terrain became increasingly flat, with open plains all around. Even the woods had sparsely distributed trees, allowing them to move faster.

In one of the settlement ruins, Black Sail and his crew set up camp, and many extraordinarily gifted Gold Seekers had already arrived.

Female adventurers at the bottom of the hierarchy were half selling, half traveling beings. In this desolate place, Mika had no choice, and last night, he managed to find a relatively good-looking female adventurer for the night.

My street woman refreshes every week, so as a pirate, who wouldn’t seek out a prostitute? I huddle in the chaos of the East Sea and call on them.

Mika was commonly referred to as "Pimp Supreme."

Liszt’s grand troop, although advantageous on the outskirts and not having to detour through complex terrain—they could build ladders and bridges, meant only for quick passage over turbulent waters and temporary by nature—not using permanent fixtures.

But their speed slowed down inland, not as swift as those who traveled in smaller groups.

"Uh..."

Liszt was speechless, the exploration a grand failure. Any fierce treasure was likely sneakily taken by Gold Seekers.

But it didn’t matter. Without his or Doringger’s permission, no ship could appear on the routes between Heaven Port and Iron Soul Island.

Whatever they found, they either had to hide on the island for life or hand it to himself or Doringger.

And anything that belonged to Doringger essentially belonged to him—why not just rob him directly? What’s there to discuss?

Black Sail and his men also inquired with the Gold Seekers for any new discoveries. In an attempt to ingratiate themselves with the local power brokers, the questioned Gold Seekers were forthcoming with any information.

These guys didn’t know about the Central Temple—that’s the gap between having professionals and not.

There was also a colossal discovery.

Twenty li ahead in an open stretch of land, there were enormous claw marks and a shocking amount of charred remains. Some of the higher-ranking adventurers and Gold Seekers speculated that these were traces of a dragon. They warned other adventurers not to venture deeper.

"Dragon?"

Liszt was greatly shaken. He had been around for ten years and had only seen Fafna, but in these past few months, she behaved more like a gentle fool.

She hadn’t given Liszt the thrill he desired. Now, had he really come across a... dragon?

According to Dreya, that mad woman, she had lived two to three hundred years and had only seen a few. If you were to calculate that, the average person could encounter one in a lifetime.

Now it seemed to happen twice.

Impossible, right?

"What?"

Celeste too found it hard to believe. They were, after all, the Dragon Seeking Team. Seeing Liszt’s expression, she feared it wasn’t the one under his command. She quickly asked, "The claw marks, how big were they?"

"About three meters wide, larger than a person. I heard some older adventurers saying that it would take a Hall-level adventurer and a Dragon Slayer Team to take it down. The dragon calamities on the Western Continent were resolved by such people. Five years ago, a Red Dragon, several tens of meters long, appeared in Ji Weng and was slain that way. Alternatively, it could be handled by national agencies..."

The Gold Seeker glanced at Liszt.

The current situation was that the entire Gold Seeker community was intimidated by the potentially existent or nonexistent dragon. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to go in the direction of the Central Temple; they were just scared to do so.

Liszt and Doringger, as the nominal owners of Iron Soul Island, might they be able to handle the dragon, relying on this Triad Gang? A wave of unease spread among the Gold Seekers community.

The deepest places indeed held great secrets, but they were currently out of reach. No one dared venture further, fearing they might awaken the slumbering beast.

The Gold Seekers within the settlement ruins were abuzz with discussions.

"It’s strange, how did the Emperor slay dragons back in the day... Those creatures ten li long, were they really dragons?"

"Well, I have a Magician friend who once had the luck to read a replica of a book called ’Dragon Origin.’ It’s said there are three types of dragons: magical creations, True Dragons, and Ancient Dragons. The ones the Emperor might have slain are probably not as simple as Silver Dragons, but rather extremely ancient beings."

"Hush... don’t speak of the Alan Royal Court’s affairs."

The adventurers dared not go further for the moment, so they explored the surroundings. It was said some had found sand gold and were ecstatic, as if they could survive a fall from a five-story building.

"Damn it..."

Liszt didn’t know whether to proceed. He looked at Haywood, thinking that Brother Hai might not be able to handle a dragon either.

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