Black Sail
Chapter 522: CLI. Wheel

Chapter 522: CLI. Wheel

If the noble warlords of Beima were exploiting their peasants to the bone under the Thunder Emperor’s scriptures, then the peasants’ living conditions were only like an ordinary cold. But Mulong was like a trench harboring Ebola.

Morison stared at the woman breastfeeding for quite a while,

He genuinely felt he had been cast into Hell this time.

"Still have to find someone in charge to talk."

Morison naturally had a purpose for finding these townspeople. The militia of Black Sail were here to kill, the outpost just went through a battle and was somewhat damaged, so they needed to find some bricklayers to do hard labor.

He dismissed the pirates behind him. When he used to work as a stand-in for the adventurer’s guild, he wandered around a lot, and some developed areas had breastfeeding rooms in their inns.

It’s best these desperadoes don’t come in to gawk.

Back in the town’s streets, Morison picked up his semi-automatic rifle and fired into the sky, emptying the magazine. He then stated that if no one in charge showed up within three minutes, he would slaughter everyone in the town.

"Oh, this..."

The adjutant was somewhat surprised but did not continue to speak, hindered by the fact that Morison was a senior figure and a founding shareholder. He had been a ship captain before; it was normal to seize ships and kill people. Merchants knew the dangers of the trade in the East Sea, they gambled and knew the risks, so there was nothing to complain about if they died.

If the man with the disfigured face really let his men kill everyone here, it would still be a psychological burden. He would at least need a week of continuous indulgence and a few days of confession to a priest from the Holy Spirit Sect to recover.

Noticing the adjutant’s expression, Morison laughed.

"I’m just scaring these idiots."

Morison only wanted to get things done as soon as possible. His dividends had their uses; he was preparing to pick an isolated island to create a survival base. The East Sea had its own Disneyland.

Five minutes later.

Morison was pleased to be invited to dine at the mayor’s home. After understanding the situation, he found out the mayor had already absconded, and this man was the tribal representative.

Morison didn’t waste words either. According to the regulations, Fen had devised a wartime economic system.

Necessities would bring profit, and a monopoly would bring exorbitant profits. The two combined would give birth to the power to issue currency.

It didn’t necessarily have to be physical money, it could also be scores recorded on paper.

In Fen’s eyes, Mulong’s potential hadn’t been forced out by Uborio.

The problem with the Aran was that it had aspects of a paradise on earth. Many refugees from backward places liked to flee there. Aran’s doughnuts were really delicious. Regardless of how military police treated you, a minimum wage was the golden rule.

Many people were still unwilling to risk everything. Their anger hadn’t been fully provoked, and they held fantasies of being assimilated by Aran.

The Black Sail’s reinforcements, the Lostra Black Gloves, were different from the local resistance army. Different strategies had to be used, abandoning illusions and picking up weapons, joining the all-encompassing underworld game of collecting debts and killing. Sometimes, immediate benefits outweighed long-term goals.

For example, the Emperor. Future documents would surely call him a tyrant, slaughtering people everywhere, but for the Aran people now, he was like a deity descending. This man, Silver Wings. The moral balance of vested interests could be summarized in six words: magnet, Sarilang.

Morison unfolded a folded piece of paper and handed it to the town leader, explaining its content.

In short, Black Sail would not let the occupied people work for free. Scores would be calculated. For example, a day’s labor would earn fifty points, ten points could buy a black bread, a hundred points could buy half a pound of smoked meat.

"That’s about it."

Morison cleaned his ears. Really, Black Sail didn’t care. In the end, they were just using Lostra’s supplies. As long as it wasn’t too excessive, Black Sail could report what they wanted, and Lostra would reimburse. If they didn’t make use of this ultimate sucker, they’d be fools. On the relentless path of salvation, even Su Yizhana was conquered by Lao Li.

"It’s like Aran’s side tickets, but we really can’t refuse, can we?"

The mayor smiled bitterly because these tattooed desperadoes seemed scarier than the Aran militia.

"It’s good that we’ve reached an agreement. You guys, go count the population carefully, youth, elderly, women, separate them by age. From now on, you are in charge here."

Morison told the adjutant. Naturally, he couldn’t stay in the outpost. He needed to advance with the main force and consume the front of the rail, until a delicate balance that could last long was achieved.

By the end of the year, it would be impossible to complete Mulong given the massive workload of tunneling through Kelor Highlands. It would take at least six months, meaning by the end of October, and now it was mid-July. In these three months, it was crucial that Crocodile Island did not surpass Drifting City.

Of course,

If Lao Li had other plans, it would be to counterattack the Aran Army’s rear and hit Black Rock City.

Morison took out the communicator given to him by Fen. He had brought it from Heaven Port. Mo Yutong had developed it; its effective range wasn’t long, just six hundred miles, but it allowed for instant communication, transmitting simple messages.

This palm-sized device, similar to the equipment Caroso had used last year for contacting Fafna, had a dial and meter. Each notch on the dial represented a different signal: support, retreat, hold the fort, all clear. Though misunderstandings might still arise, this was the best they had for now.

Perhaps next year they could develop a device like a pager, sending instant messages, only to be scammed for eight thousand bucks in online dating and coming to Heaven Port to ask Lao Li for justice.

After sending a message to Fen.

But Fen didn’t immediately respond. Morris was waiting too, to see if any support was needed elsewhere. Liszt was leading one team, Shadi and Yakai Chiyoko were leading another, and because Archer was so unreliable, his team was mixed with Nashano’s mercenaries, letting the mercenary leader come up with ideas.

With nothing to do, Morison started chatting with the mayor.

"I saw a woman and a baby earlier, could it be the child of an Aran?"

Morison went straight to the point.

Back when he roamed Beima’s East Coast, he often heard Beima people talking about past events. In essence, the military discipline of the Aran’s Thief Army was extremely poor. After conquering cities, the long years of killing had dulled any other feelings, retaining only instincts for reproduction and slaughter.

So Morison asked such a question. Of course, the East Sea pirates were naturally of a lower quality, but not as bad as the Thief Army. Pirates, being in the lowest tier of the social despise chain, had a different mindset from normal people, fearing and respecting women. True losers, thinking they must rob and get money first before having a sex life, believing women would scorn them otherwise.

The situation in the trenches was even sadder.

"You’re talking about Asiya, right? No, that’s her husband’s child."

"Where is her man?"

"He went to fight with Uborio’s officers."

"I see."

Hopefully, he hadn’t been sent to the Kelor Highlands. That place was a cripple’s hell. His mother would rather have clear soup with buckwheat noodles, it would be better if he were dead, at least ending her yearning.

Morison was speechless. He actually wanted to indirectly ask other questions, now he was straightforward. Was the Aran Army still as corrupt as it was decades ago?

The mayor gave a negative answer.

"I heard that ever since the Battle of Beima Giant Wall, the acting chairman Augustus of the Aran Military Committee has disciplined them. Though they wouldn’t resort to force, they would also hire young women to drink with them, paying them money. Uncooperative girls could get beaten up too."

The mayor suddenly showed some guilt, which Morison picked up on, but didn’t comment.

Clearly, resources were scarce, probably still had to bid for them.

"Don’t worry, we are the East Sea Righteous, we have the highest discipline in the world."

Morison looked at the dial on the communicator, everyone else had finished their tasks, no issues, the first layer of the detection chain outside Drifting City had been reclaimed.

It was time for him to return to the base.

An outpost with a complement of thirty to fifty men was enough, but considering they were fighting regular forces, the casualty ratio was unreasonable. Morison had brought over a hundred men to guard this place.

Just as he finished speaking,

A pirate’s voice came from outside.

"Oh hey, I must immediately start a dreamlike exotic romance with a beauty from Mulong."

The room instantly fell silent. The pirate’s tone was lewd.

Morison was extremely embarrassed, black lines forming on his forehead.

Fortunately, the adjutant quickly intervened.

Fen’s considerations were very comprehensive, winning popular support meant winning the world, and he naturally wanted things to remain the same. Pirates would find their own entertainment when disembarking, but the situation was different now.

Black Sail was an external reinforcement invited by Lostra, an ally of the resistance, and such things were strictly forbidden.

Violation of orders, though not punishable by death, as they were brothers from the East Sea, still required self-mutilation to atone and resignation.

"I told you."

Morison finally relaxed a lot, almost made a fool of himself.