Black Sail
Chapter 84: LXXXIV. The End of the World

Chapter 84: LXXXIV. The End of the World

The Emperor’s favorite activity was to strip away the right to mint coins and declare the invalidity of such currency every time he conquered a place. The affected currency had to be exchanged into Aran Golden Dragons within a short period. Anyone still holding that currency after the designated time would face a bleak situation at the Northern Realm Elegance Seat.

There was still a vast room for devaluation with metal currency, and its anti-counterfeiting technology was even more preposterous than that of paper bills.

The Divine One-Eyed Brother, who accompanied the Emperor on a military expedition to the Royal Capital and kept a hundred thousand troops from collapsing in hunger for four days, was now not in the military. Instead, he served as the head of the Aran National Bank.

Aran’s authority, overly fierce and aggressive, manifested not just in military expansion but also in a highly dominant currency status.

When a nation’s total imports exceed its exports over a period, it faces devaluation of its currency and reduced purchasing power, a situation called a trade deficit. Conversely, a surplus denotes the opposite.

A trade surplus that’s too high is not desirable either, indicating an over-reliance on the foreign markets.

To address such financial risks and other considerations, it’s essential to have a large foreign currency reserve.

Despite universal detestation for Aran, it was the largest exporter and importer in the Western Continent, and, upon weighing all factors, held a dominant political and economic status.

All nations had to maintain a large reserve of Aran Golden Dragons in foreign exchange, which had become the norm in international settlements, even showing trends of evolving into a universal currency.

The economic ecosystem of Heaven Port, known as the "Pirate Republic," was severely twisted.

Because there were simply no local export goods, pawning off loot didn’t count, being illegal cross-border trade not accounted for by the state, meaning the trade deficit was virtually limitless.

Thus, an endless supply of Golden Dragons was needed as foreign exchange to fend off financial risks and prevent the "republic" from collapsing.

The local currency...

Only Desperadoes.

It also served as a refuge for fugitives and unique life forms from all over the world with no place to call home, with the permanent population being less than a third of the Human Race.

As long as one had money, even aliens were citizens here.

The Cosmic Center.

In ten days,

The SS Fuma Keqing Revenge was nearing Heaven Port.

This enthralling den of gold, a cold frenzy spread, taking root deep within every pirate’s soul.

This was Heaven Port, filled with extreme unease yet exhilarating, like a wanton vixen suggesting... a suffocating play just as you were about to leave.

Extremely dangerous, yet irresistible.

The maritime weather is ever-changing. At this time, a light drizzle was falling, the sky was a leaden gray, and the sea here exhibited a bottomless deep blue. Visibility ahead remained quite high, but broad patches of mist blurred the horizon.

With just an hour or two left on the journey, they would reach the destination of this voyage. Thanks to favorable winds and ocean currents, this return journey was relatively quick.

Fafna and two others, due to a perplexing sense of the unknown, could not stay put in their room and came up to the deck.

As a Madman, Caroso merely accompanied the two, a religious dignitary whose mentality was far beyond that of ordinary people. Even though he had never ventured out to sea, he was not the slightest bit panicked.

Goria, preoccupied with her own thoughts, paced back and forth on the deck. With dwindling time, she had to make a decision quickly.

Fafna, wearing a mask and black robes, found everything peculiar and wouldn’t stop pestering the pirates on deck with endless questions, all wildly imaginative and devoid of logic.

She asked why Black Sail’s sails were off-white, which made no sense. She even wondered if it was possible to lower a small boat to point her towards Heaven; she felt like rowing there herself.

These pirates were utterly bewildered by her. Although frighteningly mature in certain ways, she was still a pure child at heart.

She even wanted to take the helm just for fun, causing Ox’s forehead to bulge with throbbing veins.

"Let me steer for a bit, I’ll just go around in a circle," Fafna insisted, pounding on Ox with her fists.

It caused roughly a smidgen of damage.

Ox was rendered speechless. Was this just a matter of making a round? He finally encountered someone even more annoying than Archer because you could simply drag Archer into the storage room, lock the door, and prevent his drunken frenzy, but there was no way to deal with this adolescent Dragon Lady.

"No."

Ox, sparing with words as gold, coldly refused.

"Stingy."

Fafna mumbled.

Liszt had initially pondered ordering Ox to open up for her, but after careful consideration, he decided against it. Such matters were no joking affair. In other respects, Liszt decided...

To treat this Dragon Lady to the welcome a returning warrior king gets after ten years, finding his sister bullied by white-collar colleagues, lavishing her with affection, and luring her away without mercy.

"Don’t worry, when we reach Heaven Port, I’ll buy you a boat, and then you can sail it wherever you want."

Liszt spoke with extreme generosity. Although a ship like the SS Fuma Keqing Revenge was explosively expensive, buying a ship that could sail to other islands, carrying ten or twenty people, was nothing to him.

"Really?"

Fafna could hardly believe it, nearly forgetting the previous battle and also forgetting Caroso’s warning, which said that each of these guys was an extremely cold-blooded criminal.

This Uncle Huzi seemed pretty decent.

Caroso noticed what was happening here and hurried over.

"When we arrive, someone will come to pick you up, so there’s no time to play."

Caroso seemed to be speaking to Fafna, but actually, he was warning Liszt.

His mindset was entirely different from Goria’s. The power of the Eternal Sect was too terrifying. If things continued like this, the status of the Holy Spirit would be challenged. Caroso was willing to sacrifice everything—dignity, life, and even his conscience.

"Oh."

Fafna said reluctantly.

"Are those people so anxious? Are they already waiting at Heaven Port?"

Liszt knew there was still a good half-month to go, so they could only arrive later, not sooner. He still maintained a serene face.

I’ll just kill everyone, who’s there to receive?

"It’s not that urgent, but rest assured, aside from the privateer certificate promised by the Earl, the intermediary will also bring a hefty reward, which won’t be less than what the Earl has offered."

Caroso had also slightly guessed Liszt’s intentions. Displaying such an attitude at this time was nothing more than trying to extort a bit more, which was understandable.

"That’s really great, I’ll make sure you three feel at home. Before we hand over, you’ll enjoy the best treatment. Once we dock, I’ll arrange for someone to take you to the hotel I run. High standards, waiting for the arrival of esteemed guests."

Liszt and Fen had already discussed how to take action. Swan would find an opportunity to damage the short-range telegraph device when it was nearly time for the handover.

In Heaven Port, there were acquaintances and spies everywhere. How could these outsiders compete with me? They’d get slaughtered as soon as they come ashore.

Liszt also saw that the Dragon Lady obviously had a better relationship with Goria. Once Goria settled in Heaven Port, would this girl leave? By the end of the sixteenth month, they’d celebrate the new year together, becoming one big family.

Caroso was troublesome, a Madman with absolutely no vulnerabilities, who could only be worn down gradually. After resolving the issue with the Lostra’s people and leaving him without hope, he had no choice but to give up and accept the outcome.

These three weren’t familiar with the East Sea Domain at all. Where could they run to?

"What’s that floating in the sea? What’s going on?"

Goria leaned on the ship’s railing, looking down at the water below. This was just too bizarre.

Liszt hurried over.

"Oh, it’s nothing. It’s a normal sight, we’re about to arrive."

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