Black Sail
Chapter 76: LXXVI. The Plan Works

Chapter 76: LXXVI. The Plan Works

Liszt had already ordered the others not to harass Goria anymore, because Goria was a lesbian, which would only repel her.

He himself no longer insisted; from now on, everything would focus on Dragon Lady, and she had to be lured over.

"Tomorrow we’ll reach the transfer station, and you can take your girl ashore for a bath or something. It’s quite inconvenient for women at sea, but of course, that’s limited to pirate ships. If it were a passenger ship, it would be much more comfortable."

Liszt was looking for a topic of conversation.

The SS Fuma Keqing Revenge was U-shaped around Heaven Port, during which they would pass by a trade island located on the continent’s plate populated by Yisu people, which meant they had covered almost half the distance.

It was hard to imagine the extent to which the Emperor had been fierce; he had treated Heaven Port as a stronghold in his attempt to conquer the Far East Islands and had successfully subjugated several countries as bridgeheads—it was as if Divine Weapons had descended.

"Transfer station, huh... There might be ambushes by Aran people."

Wolman appeared out of nowhere, his large body blocking out the light.

"Another bit of good luck, huh?"

Morison, sharpening his knife with a whetstone, said with a not-quite-smiling face.

"Little sis, big brother knows you like women. Can’t big brother change, huh?"

Rein joked crudely.

Shadi was silently showing off beside them, presenting his good looks, waiting for Goria to be straightened out naturally so that he could get her into bed.

Liszt was exasperated. Although the intensity of the harassment had reduced, who wouldn’t prefer to have dealings with a beautiful woman rather than calling brother to a bunch of low EQ fugitives with scars and bullet holes all over their bodies?

Goria suddenly felt somewhat guilty. Although these pirates were more shameless than the next, she realized over time that they actually didn’t plunder the coastal villages.

Looking at their Bounty Orders, there was no crime listed for harrying villages; the other charges seemed horrific, like murdering entire families, but those appeared to be Cult members.

Most pirates survive by preying on lightly-guarded merchant ships and looting homes—these were the safest methods.

Yet this crew had a rare bottom line. By the standards of an adventurer, although they were not good people, they were not utterly devoid of conscience either.

She had thought that being pirates, they could harm others without restraint, using them and then discarding them, but it turned out not to be the case.

Those involved in this matter rarely met with good ends; they might be able to live a dream life for a while on their earnings, but it would just be like having a last meal before execution.

Even though she had escaped to safety for now, at least for a few months, there would certainly be someone who would come looking for her again.

She was motivated by her hatred for the Emperor, thinking her life was worth sacrificing, while Caroso did it out of belief, to counter the ever-expanding Eternal Sect.

And these people... were kept in the dark.

Suddenly, Goria felt a pang of sadness.

Because she had no idea at all.

Liszt only dealt in reality, only in big money—how much could you squeeze out of a pauper?

Liszt also planned to kill all those brought by Lostra, get Dragon Lady aboard, and then hunker down in Heaven Port for a good half a year.

It was too frightening out there now—Bounty Hunters, the Navy, Thief Guild, Aran, and soon Lostra too—it was a modern replay of the ancient Battle of Gaixia, the dirge of the defeated.

Only the Cosmic Center, Heaven Port, was forever home.

"Gentlemen, could you step aside? I’m discussing serious matters with this lady."

Liszt spoke earnestly; indeed, it was serious business now.

"You’re exploiting me under the guise of Captain, a seat at the Gulag for you."

Rein remembered the term.

"Goddamn Gulag, do you even know what the Gulag is?"

Liszt was agitated.

Rein of course knew that every time Liszt met those landlords or nobles, he would come with the same sentiment.

"Anyway, a single seat at the noble’s table."

Rein believed Liszt intended to monopolize Goria all for himself, which was a total breach of shipboard rules. Women were common, but Goria was not, and this was the one thing that could not be compromised on, or else a crew vote for impeachment would be initiated.

Liszt was at a loss for words and took the opportunity to send for Claude, whose knighthood money had also been received, and it was about time he officially took up his post.

"What’s the matter?"

Claude rushed over without delay, not daring to loaf, as he had boarded the pirate ship and shared the loot, with no way back now.

Liszt, to cater to the emotions of the other key members, did not tell Claude about the gemstone and the stele, as it was unreasonable for an outsider to enjoy the fruits immediately upon arrival. If he, the captain, didn’t understand that much, then he might as well not be the captain. He needed to wait at least another half a year or eight months’ time. The matter of the Dragon, however, was something he could mention, because Claude had contributed his strength and protected the injured crew, which was convincing to everyone.

"Starting today, Rein’s position as Boatswain is revoked, and you will take over as Boatswain."

Liszt guessed that Rein would not object, as Rein was someone who liked to skive and slack off, but he was still somewhat uncertain since everyone wanted to have more say on the ship.

"Fucking awesome! Dismiss the sailor too, please. I’d like to be a shipwright with Shadi or help Wolman manage the warehouse."

Rein looked at Liszt with eyes full of desire, having long been tired of doing this damn job. Morison, Wolman, Shadi, these three were the most damnably carefree on the ship.

"No, you are still the sailor. All riggers and winch operators are under your jurisdiction."

Liszt was embarrassed, knowing Rein lacked ambition, but damn it, how could he be this unambitious? Originally Rein held two jobs, but the Boatswain was nominal at best; he never once exercised the pirates or resolved any crew conflicts, let alone listened to the sailors’ hardships. Did Rein ever have time for that?

But Rein did handle the sailor’s tasks smoothly and would continue to do so.

Although Wolman and Ox both had war experience, the races of these two monsters were different from humans. Even though the pirate crew consisted of a haphazard mix of various races, humans still accounted for half. Claude was the most suitable for training, and if they could train one hundred Claudes, wouldn’t that be a profitable venture?

"So, it’s the same with or without the title?"

Rein was speechless.

"You really know your stuff, don’t you?"

Liszt immediately announced the news on the deck. The saying goes, ’Fear not the officials but their delegates.’ All the pirates cast friendly glances at their new direct superior, and some of the more cheerful ones even mockingly imitated the navy’s salute.

"Boatswain... What exactly do I have to do?"

Claude asked somewhat confusedly, as he had never done the job before.

"All day-to-day logistics for the crew, and occasionally you can handle combat training. You can say it’s busy work, or you can say it’s easy. You were quite the big shot before; I believe in your ability."

Liszt patted Claude on the shoulder. With a single transaction earning over eighty Golden Dragons, Claude, although new to piracy and still adjusting, had already got the hang of it.

"I’ll give it a try."

Claude responded calmly.

Liszt understood, people who don’t make promises or speak too confidently are often somewhat capable.

Liszt went to great efforts to drive away all the tough hombres that were swarming around Goria; it was exasperating.

"You do have quite the captainly air about you."

Although Goria had listened to Liszt boast these past few days, whether it was his one-on-one with Marcus at the secret port or being able to lead such a group, he had real skill.

Liszt planned to return to Heaven Port, marry a waitress from his own shop, and leave Goria behind. Only then could he control Dragon Lady.

Through their recent heart-to-hearts, he now knew that Goria had nowhere to go once this job was done.

"Seriously, once we get to Heaven Port, I’ll be your matchmaker and introduce you to a good girl to work for me. How about that?"

Liszt hinted sideways.

"Heh, you’d have to introduce at least two."

Goria responded offhandedly.

Liszt, with his plans plain to see, was doing just that, slowly eroding her psychological defenses.