Black Sail
Chapter 82: LXXXII. New Heavenly Port

Chapter 82: LXXXII. New Heavenly Port

In the castle dungeon.

The marines brought Liszt and another to their destination.

Through the iron bars, his face seemed far more aged than it had years ago.

The image that had left an imprint on Liszt’s deepest memories was of Hened in his late prime, still a formidable fighter.

Now, his beard and mustache were white, wrinkles forming at the corners of his eyes, but the coarse prison uniform could not hide his tall frame and robust muscles, faintly showing the valor of his youth.

"Bro, do you remember me?"

Liszt asked tentatively, having his own methods even if Hened couldn’t recall.

"I don’t know any nobodies."

Hened sneered, unsure of what game the admiral was playing.

"It’s me... Ten years ago, during the riot at the Northern Prison, I’m the one who used the Corrosive Potion to set you free."

Liszt continued trying.

"There was such an incident."

Hened stood up, his face approaching the bars.

"You recognize me, right?"

Liszt was confident.

"No, there were too many people then, seeing small fish is not surprising, could have been anyone."

Hened had long forgotten Liszt, let alone recognized his greatly changed appearance.

"Alright, no more nonsense, I can get you out, but you must agree to one condition."

Liszt sighed deeply; it seemed his brother was unreliable after all.

Hened did not respond; he was resolute in his decision to die.

The best end for a pirate, naturally like everyone else, was to retire and live out the remainder of one’s days peacefully until death. Besides that,

the best way was to sink along with his ship.

Then there was being sent to the gallows.

Hened had lost his former power, his old associates had also fallen, and now truly being in his twilight years, it was time for him to die.

"No way, bro, I spent sixty-six Golden Dragons to save you, and this is your reaction?"

Liszt didn’t know what to say; the man was completely indifferent.

"My mind is made up, your money is wasted."

Hened coldly rejected him.

"Is that so," Liszt went silent for a while, and after choosing his words carefully, added, "I am setting up shop in Heaven Port, I need someone reputable for backing, I think you are suitable, no need for violence, just help me watch the shop."

"You’re a pirate, yet you can come and go from this castle?"

Hened finally showed some interest.

"Not just this castle? My people can roam freely, even in the Emperor’s wife’s bedroom."

Liszt tossed a Bounty Order of his crew into the cell.

"Do you want to die stifled here or board the ship of a new era, the choice is yours in this instant. The admiral hasn’t given me much time, I must decide quickly."

Liszt figured if this didn’t work, the sixty-six Golden Dragons might as well be considered lost.

Two hours later.

Hened was brought aboard the ship.

His identity was kept secret from the ordinary crew members for now, and he was given a private room.

If these pirates got drunk in Heaven Port and recklessly spread word, drawing the attention of powerful figures to his plans, they would need to be ruthily nipped in the bud.

On the SS Fuma Keqing Revenge, at the port.

The sky was nearing dusk.

Inside the navigation room.

Rein, Morison, Wolman, and others were playing cards.

There were many rules on the ship, one of which was the prohibition of gambling.

The reason is simple, betting money earned with your life on your partners is strictly taboo—it could cause disputes or even lead to mutual killings at worst.

What happens after getting off the ship doesn’t matter; risking your own life is your own business.

But for the core members, that doesn’t apply.

Bet however you want to bet.

"How come you brought a man back?"

Archer was drunk as a skunk, and with the ship docked, he was off cooking duty, fending for himself, enjoying a bit of a holiday.

"It’s Hened, the Turbid River Dragon."

Liszt said calmly.

The card players all looked over at once, and Claude, who had come back for some water, spat it out. When Claude was little, his parents would scare him with stories of Hened, saying Hened would come and gobble him up to stop his nighttime crying.

However, later on, the Emperor, who could calm even fierce men’s crying, had Hened dealt with simply, using his underlings.

At twenty-six, the Emperor was granting fiefs throughout the realm; still quite young and in his prime, it was his time to exert his power.

"Shit, why bring that kind of person aboard?"

Only Morison remained calm; although famous, that fame was past—it was now the era for their own generation to rise.

"I want to take over New Heavenly Port!"

Liszt declared gravely.

Everyone except Claude was taken aback, Rein choked on his smoke and started coughing hard, and even Archer sobered up.

"You... haven’t gone mad, have you?"

Wolman scratched at his newly grown scales, resigned to the fact that Liszt had completely lost it—first detaining the Dragon, then bringing Hened aboard, and now aiming to mess with New Heavenly Port.

"Who’s in favor and who’s against?"

Liszt reckoned Ox and Fen would be on his side without question; Swan, too, being ambitious, and Shadi and Mika as original partners.

"I don’t care."

Morison was only concerned with the current card game.

On board, they also had playing cards, with a variety of games to play. The only difference was that in their deck, cards across the river depicted the Holy Spirits of the Holy Spirit Church, and the ghost cards were represented by the thirteen main goddesses of the spirits, Tai Chu and the End Saint Spirit, also known as the Master of Destiny.

To boost sales, card merchants had launched many styles: historical Benevolent King edition, Cult Madman edition, adventurer celebrity edition, and Minstrel risqué edition. There was nothing they couldn’t print.

They were playing a game akin to Golden Flower, with pairs, straights, flushes, and bombs, also known as catching chickens; slowly raising the stakes, the game depended on luck as well as psychological strategy—those who faltered might fold despite having strong cards, while those with weak cards could bluff their way to the end.

"The Dragon’s aboard now, there’s nothing else for it but to keep at it, to continue. I’m betting five silver coins blind."

Rein, the typical gambling addict, kept his cards hidden till the end.

The others spoke no further; after all, everyone on the ship was tightly under Liszt’s control. Ever since Swan committed with the Oath of Loyalty that night, new rules were established—Liszt could do whatever he wanted, and no one could escape. They were destined to languish at death’s door, tragic figures found dead in the streets, their bodies exposed in the wilderness, slowly unraveling the truth about the pirates.

Liszt remained silent; this was unlike any of his usual tasks. It required multiple mediations and struggles; it was a long-term grand strategy that needed to be meticulously orchestrated.

This couldn’t be done in a short while; even if everything calculated perfectly and went smoothly, it would take one to two years at minimum, sooner rather than later.

"Taking over New Heavenly Port... would Goria let me join?"

Mika, also playing cards, muttered as he took a drag on his cigarette. He had already spent forty silver coins to bring back a high-class Minstrel from the outskirts.

"Can’t you have a bit of ambition?" Liszt was exasperated, "Besides, who cares what I think? What era is it? There are no arranged marriages now, it’s all about free love."

Mika suddenly looked miserable, moaning lengthily.

"Would anyone really want to be a pirate’s girlfriend?"

Mika fell into despair, realizing an eternal truth after seeking women too often: the ancient saying about keeping oneself clean was right, fair, and piercingly accurate.

"Physical pleasure can never compare to sincere companionship."

Mika... great despair.

"Truly worthy of connecting with immortals, sublime! Damn!"

Liszt was astonished.

"It must be sublimely elevated."

Morison uttered, and then went all-in against Wolman in their card game.

However, Morison’s straight got battered by Wolman’s flush.

"If you have sincere companionship, wouldn’t that just get you crushed repeatedly?"

Morison lost two Golden Dragons in that round.