Black Sail
Chapter 38: XXXVIII. Crewmate Voting

Chapter 38: XXXVIII. Crewmate Voting

The navigation room, a middle-aged recreational center for chess and card games.

Apart from Archer, everyone was present.

"Now we have about forty people on the ship, and Claude has over twenty more with high combat abilities from the regular army, all trained at the Aran Military Academy, roughly sixty people. The ideal number is between one hundred fifty to two hundred, so we’re still far off," Liszt urged the matter of recruitment, as they must recruit enough people within ten days no matter what.

The SS Fuma Keqing Revenge was among the largest of the medium-sized fast ships, almost crossing the threshold into a large ship category. Consequently, it required substantially more crew than the standard fast ships, which are manned by eighty to one hundred people.

"Claude... the Aran Knight, if they’re all coming in a group of over twenty, then we also don’t have to worry about others who were already in a group. We can just hire anyone through agencies to keep the balance among them on the ship," Ox suggested. He had been opposed to mass recruitment aboard the ship, but since he had already opened this door, there was no need to bring it up again. Thus, seeing that the eight were decent enough today, he took them in.

"Right, all that doesn’t matter anymore. With us here, we can calm even the biggest waves. What’s most crucial now is the matter with the Earl," Fen had already informed them that another thousand Golden Dragons would be delivered.

The killing intent in the room was palpable, knowing that they were about to embark on a life-threatening venture. This wasn’t about robbing loot to sell to middlemen for profit; it was a net income of a solid thousand Golden Dragons.

"If I could get it on with Goria just once, even dying wouldn’t be so bad. To be a lascivious ghost and die alongside a bigwig, my life as Mika would be considered worthwhile," Mika said with utterly no ambition.

"The woman hasn’t even arrived, and you haven’t even seen what she looks like. Just the hype from adventurers, and you’re already keen on it. What will happen when she actually arrives?" Shadi really didn’t know how Mika would attempt to cozy up to her once the Moon Wheel Knight boarded the ship. After all, she was a Heroic Level adventurer who could pick any man she wanted; the chance she’d fancy you was slim to none.

"I’m the Captain, so I should be the one," Liszt said solemnly.

"Sorry, but this is the one thing I can’t compromise on. We should initiate a crew vote, and I cast my vote for myself," Mika stated with a cold tone and deadly seriousness, showing no sign of joking.

"Heh, voting isn’t for deciding such idiotic matters. See anyone taking you seriously?" Liszt scoffed, unimpressed.

"I cast my vote for myself," Morison chimed in with a stone-faced tactical remark.

"I also cast my vote for myself," Rein said, equally stern-faced.

Liszt was stunned. You guys are serious? Heh, think you can outplay me? Before we set sail, I’m the Captain, and I have two votes.

Aside from Fen and Ox abstaining, everyone cast their vote for themselves.

Liszt was flabbergasted. Wolman still had this in mind? Do you want to get someone killed?

"Besides, the hell are you meddling in this for?" Liszt turned to Haywood, who had the guts to cast a vote for himself. It was a huge feat of courage; on the entire Western Continent, only I dared to take you in, otherwise, those from the Church Court would’ve taken you for their vile rituals long ago, and yet you dare turn on me.

"Uh... just trying it out," Haywood said calmly.

Only Shadi had yet to vote.

"I’ll vote for Mika, so it’s two against two, with the Captain and Ship’s Doctor deadlocked. By the rules, the outcome is withheld," Shadi sneered twice, adding, "It’s all about skill."

A ripple of surprise ran through the crowd.

Shadi’s charm, capable of enticing the Emperor’s daughter and contributing to Black Sail’s hold over the Western Continent, was undeniably a form of cheating.

Fen gestured for silence and said, "Now that we’ve decided on the overall strategic form of combat with Goria and the content of the competition, I have some clue about the main person we’re escorting."

"Just with two guards, you can tell who it is?"

Ox was more concerned about the Heavenly Punisher, Caroso. The Moon Wheel Knight was a hired hand and of no consequence; the Holy Spirit Church was a religious force spread far and wide, with a terrifyingly large base. It wasn’t a small sect one could easily pinpoint; he had no clue whatsoever.

"I don’t know who exactly, but it’s definitely someone who can pose a threat to the Emperor. Everyone knows that the old King Beima died in a city on the East Shore. I made some inquiries, and one of the nobles who failed to come to his aid at that time, an Earl with whom we’ve done business, was among them,"

Fen revealed his deduction.

"So you’re saying the reason the Earl is helping someone flee by sea is so that the kingdom can be restored?"

Rein neither affirmed nor denied. These nobles were sly, opening secret ports, smuggling, dodging tariffs – short of selling hallucinogens, did they still have such noble sentiments?

"How do you figure?"

Liszt asked.

"The Moon Wheel Knight seems to be hired, but that’s not the case. Her home is in Catanian, by the Narrow Sea, which the Emperor wiped out more than ten years ago. That small country didn’t even have the rights of a functioning state; it was just a place to build relay stations and became part of the Aran Official Road."

Fen had an excellent memory; the adventurer’s guild newspapers were filled with gossip and scandals of famous adventurers. It was hard to forget even if he wanted to, seeing it every now and then.

"And the Emperor allows other religious forces into Aran. Among them, the Holy Spirit Church has the greatest influence. The Emperor seems to promote the Aran National Church, claiming to embrace all gods, but the reality is different. He wants to weaken the power of the Aran National Church. However, it backfired, hence the currently complex situation within Aran. Between the Holy Spirit Church, the Aran National Church, and the Emperor, each is against the other two. Since this person is being escorted by the Church Court and also meets the criterion of being a threat to the Emperor, it’s clear that... it’s not necessarily about having the status; it’s also possible that they possess some great Strength, perhaps some kind of Holy Spirit apostle or something,"

Fen added.

"Damn, no wonder you’re General Fen, strategizing within cabin walls, victorious from miles away,"

Rein felt that made a lot of sense upon hearing it.

"So what you mean is, it’s very likely an Aran official coming to Lavender Town?"

Liszt seemed to grasp the core argument of Fen’s speech.

"How about I go to Lavender Town as backup?" Wolman volunteered, feeling uncomfortable without killing Aranese for a day.

"No, you’re too conspicuous. The goal isn’t to kill but to get the person out. The opposition is also Aranese... Claude is a skilled man, capable of becoming a core member. Since the opposition is Aranese too, let’s leave it to Claude. It will be a final break, a way for him to deliver his Oath of Loyalty and bring him aboard,"

Liszt suggested, the ten Golden Dragons they’d spent would then be put to good use, as those people were still waiting for him at the Dream Blue Hotel.

"We can let Claude go first to assess the situation, but we still need two people to go. Goria and Caroso know they’re looking for pirates to take them out to sea, and have warrants with our portraits. When they get there and find none of our people, errors will occur."

Fen assessed.

"Anyway, we still have ten days, so there’s time to deliberate. With such a long time, there’s bound to be other twists; we must be ready to adapt."

Ox believed that being someone important, there would surely be signs in Londen City in the coming days.

"We’re like birds in a cage, fish in a net – if this mission succeeds, we’ll be birds in the sky, fish in the sea, free of constraints."

Liszt began the classic reiteration.

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