Black Sail
Chapter 392: XXVII. Weirdo and Stranger

Chapter 392: XXVII. Weirdo and Stranger

Six days later.

The fleet had already sailed away from the island.

Black Sail had allocated five Golden Dragons from public funds for Asenxiuo’s burial costs, an amount not considered large; it was just enough for the coffin and the burial site’s material and labor costs.

This rotten man, whose own cat had gnawed at his corpse, had no direct connection to Black Sail; he was just an old boss from forty or fifty years ago, and a token gesture was all that was needed.

Buried in Heaven Port, one could say his soul had returned to its place of origin.

Over the past decade, the undeveloped regions of the island had become a chaotic graveyard for pirates; there were plenty of people to accompany him.

For people like Mika who grew up by the coast, pirates of Hened’s notorious reputation were the horror stories they often heard as children.

During Hened’s days, Asenxiuo was the bogeyman elders used to scare the children with threats like "if you’re not good, you’ll be thrown into a pot, boiled, and eaten."

It seems that the older generation held a special sentiment; now, Hened, serving as an honorary shareholder of Black Sail and enjoying quarterly dividends, as well as holding a significant position on the island, surprisingly dug into his own pocket to add a touch of grandeur to the funeral. An expert team dressed all in black sent off the deceased with an eighteen-ritual salute, a gesture difficult to comprehend.

But this had nothing to do with the fleet that had already set sail.

Of course, Liszt had no time to attend any damn funeral. The fleet’s position was quickly approaching Kersuna Island, still his favorite place to dock and resupply.

The route from Heaven Port to Londen City was U-shaped, with Kersuna Island located at the lower left corner of the U.

This journey was even farther than the previous trip to the Aran Capital. The route to the Monges Southern Wetland roughly resembled an inverted L-shape, passing Kersuna Island, and heading straight to the South Sea.

After reaching the South Sea, the fleet had to travel even further left, then turn sharply upwards, entering the Narrow Sea, also known as the Inner Sea or Golden Waters, the most prosperous maritime trade region in the world.

Trade with the Far East Islands was certainly important, but the Far East was an entirely separate world from the Western Continent. In Wan Country, great leaders were abundant, the competition short but spectacular, on an endless ladder of turmoil with only one season; you might reach master level, but never the rank of king.

The key factors determining the grand strategies often weren’t manpower, firepower, or even any particular ideology, but geography. The disperse Far East islands were beyond external influence, and even the Emperor, after achieving temporary victories, kept retreating, unable to penetrate further. If he did manage to break through, he would have to be called a Divine Emperor; the geography determined that the Far East could only ever be in such a state.

If the Far East was united, the throughput of the East Sea would far exceed that of the Narrow Sea.

Yet Wan Country’s matchmaking mechanism was excellent, the game balance was well-maintained; not once had there been talk of shared prosperity. In essence, if you don’t let me be happy, then I won’t let you celebrate your New Year; if I can’t drive a Range Rover, then neither can you.

Wars in the Far East were very traditional; once a spark ignites, it’s total war.

On the other hand, wars on the Western Continent had become somewhat modernized. "I’ll impose tariffs to sanction you." "My land is rich in resources, I fear no fortress, just raise the tariffs; continue doing so, and I’ll just buy and subsidize your exports, eh? Shall I shake you down? I too can shake you down!"

It hadn’t modernized to the point of non-alignment movements, but occasionally one or two non-aggression pacts would emerge.

Regardless of how the wars were fought, money still needed to be made, and goods still needed to be shipped across the Narrow Sea. Under the influence of the longstanding powers of the Western Continent, the Narrow Sea Golden Waters remained open for business, and no one dared to completely upset the celestial balance with concepts of territorial waters. At most, territorial waters might extend for about a hundred nautical miles, with the rest being the high seas, where privateering certificates were ubiquitous.

In this churningly lucrative Red Sea, pirates even became disciplined and standardized, highly skilled and efficient. Disparate pirate gangs struggled to survive; the Triad Gang had become rigidly hierarchical, all pledging allegiance to professional "security companies." Those with ambition headed for the East Sea, where there was a locational advantage.

Security companies protected their ships and plundered others’, acting as white gloves for various nations.

Where there was chaos, order would emerge. In places beyond the reach of national governments, Triad Gang filled the void of power.

Today, the Narrow Sea had become a haven for various privileged Triad Gang backed by powerful countries, which to the uninitiated, might seem like some sort of sweatshop factory glove.

The Narrow Sea was so-called in comparison to other seas; it was actually quite vast. If one were to draw comparisons with Earth’s seas, its average width would surpass that of the Atlantic, and due to its length, its total area could even rival the Pacific Ocean. The sea wasn’t strictly an inverted T-shape, either; it extended into many tributaries, cleaving the massive Western Continent into numerous countries.

Without the Narrow Sea, the Emperor might have completely dominated the continent by now.

Golden Palm Port in the Mulong Duchy was located at the upper-left corner of the Narrow Sea, and the central territory of the Mulong Duchy was a strategic route by land for the Aran Rail to connect to the other side of the Narrow Sea, stretching west towards the Green Oasis Country Wadina.

At this moment.

The Black Sail Fleet was sailing with the wind, cutting through the waves. The closer they got to the Southern Continent, the hotter the climate became. Even winter in this region was sweltering, let alone summer.

Rein, who grew up on Chenfeng Plateau, detested this kind of climate the most. He was vigorously cutting his own hair with sweeping blows, but driven by his irritable nature, the result was uneven; some areas were overcorrected and trimmed too short, turning them into bald patches.

Rein didn’t care anyway; once he was at sea he was the type who disliked bathing.

He naturally didn’t like lounging in the sun deck; he preferred staying cool inside the navigation room. He was no longer needed in the role of a sailor, so playing was just right for him, as he played a board game produced by a Lostra card game company with Morison and others.

"If we don’t enter the Narrow Sea and just keep going, we could reach Ancient Divine Continent."

Shadi was rolling the dice for a check; Ancient Divine Continent, Zone 51 which was more suited for constitutions of the Western Continent. You’d think that no one lived there, but according to the ancient covenants, other races were forbidden to enter, or they’d be killed on sight. Not a single adventurer who’d clamored for an expedition there had returned.

If you say people are alive, it’s currently quite difficult to find a High Elf; it’s as if they’ve already gone extinct.

"Why don’t you take a ship and go take a look? With the way you look, you could definitely slip by undetected."

Mika was making such a suggestion since Shadi was sometimes mistaken for a High Elf.

"Not a chance; High Elves glow. Can you glow, Shadi?"

Morison said with disdain.

"Fuck, you talk as though you’ve seen one."

Rein put down his card, his interest piqued. This guy with the disfigured face was always like a walking riddle, no serious stuff, just a bunch of bizarre news. Encountering him was like undertaking a wacky stranger mission in Grand Theft Auto.

It was more like everyone at the Black Sail was a wacky stranger.

Morison gave a grin that did not reach his eyes. It wasn’t as simple as having seen one.

"Of course, when I saw them, they were having a raggedy orgy party."

Morison hadn’t finished speaking.

Mika spewed out a mouthful of drink. A goddamn orgy party? Why did you always have to say such explosive words? It completely destroyed his sacred image of High Elves.

"You’ve ruined my life..."

Mika looked grim.

"Ah?"

How Morison loved that phrase.

"Like when I’m connecting with Qili, she would say the reason she’s so beautiful is that she’s a High Elf who’s still a virgin, but because she loves me so much, she’s willing to give up her first night."

Mika was already giggling foolishly.

Morison was shocked. Sexual fantasy being so detailed, nobody understood indulging in such fantasies better than him.

"What about Liszt?"

Goria entered the room. They were about to land, and she was ready to tell Liszt some instructions ordered by Dreya.

"In the captain’s room, he might be praying to the Second Lord. The Second Lord keeps the East Sea in check, not sure if it can keep the Narrow Sea in check though."

Shadi sighed.

The check was a huge failure; his character was eaten by a female zombie.

Goria was speechless. These pirates were just as nerdy as those college bookworms from inland, playing games meant for kids.

She had to go find Liszt now.

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