"You’re late, the upper echelons of the Alliance are now utterly corrupt, and Pawel is just a leg between Doringger and those guys, but a big leg at that. Quite a few people on the island have taken Pawel’s money and stand with him. It’s not that I don’t want to help you... I respect you greatly, but this isn’t just about Pawel; the brothers in Dead Man Bay have no food to eat; to put it bluntly, at that point, faith means nothing, money is more important."
A merfolk captain warned Ox to be cautious, as Pawel’s death wouldn’t mean much, but once that chain of interest was broken, who would handle the problem of feeding people?
You, Ox, such an incredible figure, naturally disdain dealing in hallucinogenic substances, which would ruin your reputation as a tough guy.
"You really have the nerve to say that, I bet you took his money too, if he’s dead, he’s dead! Are you gonna stay here forever playing the pirate? Not going back to Mirror Sea?"
Another merfolk captain fully supported Ox in chopping down Pawel.
Defeated soldiers, escapees, and former Alliance military personnel forced to leave during the great purge, many had converged in Dead Man Bay.
And this captain, having once been Alliance military himself, naturally supported Ox.
Ox frowned deeply, not worried about the situation here; with so many people following him, including Heroic Level adventurers and his own supporters, killing Pawel was just a matter of physical labor.
What truly worried him was Doringger’s side, having connections with the high-level of the Alliance and wielding great influence strictly speaking, even some small country kings could no longer interfere; could Liszt really handle it?
"You guys in such a secluded place might not know, but my group seized a train."
Ox naturally could ensure the brothers in Dead Man Bay would have food.
The opposing merfolk captain didn’t understand.
Talking about the big picture to him was like mentioning cerebral thrombosis, incomplete prenatal education and an obscure location, tell him about a city gate tower, he hears it as the Emperor growing a heat rash on his face.
"Black Sail now has tens of thousands of Golden Dragons, just my share alone is four thousand."
Ox had personal savings as well, the money from every job over two years, diligently saved up, almost a thousand Golden Dragons.
Ox took out a package, bigger than a human head, lifted one corner, and inside it was even glowing gold, with numerous jewels and pieces of jewelry.
"This is just a part; the money on me is enough for the brothers on the island, worry-free for the next few years about food and drink."
Ox came here with the goal of domination, not just for petty fights.
One captain was overjoyed.
Another immediately changed expression, "General, let’s get to shore first, prepare a bit more, call up the brothers, tomorrow we’ll take Pawel’s dog life."
The three of them came out after concluding their conversation.
Though it was just the rough story and the details weren’t known, Weber’s view of Ox changed, realizing that the dorsal fin was chopped off by Ox himself.
For a merfolk, this was like humans having their legs amputated.
The discussion was evidently a success, and now the three ships were ready to return to Dead Man Bay.
Ox was always sparing with his words.
"Both of them are my men now, don’t worry, proceed to our destination."
He spoke calmly and succinctly, and with the command given, they raised the anchor and set sail.
The pirate below in the Seven Martial Seas was somewhat confounded, Red-Haired, generally referred to as Little Ox, this was no longer about Face Fruit, it was practically a Brainwashing Shield.
"Hmm... Charm at 20 points."
Morison nodded, making a sharp comment.
"Don’t go adding random characteristics to yourself, hey!"
Weber took on the role of a critic.
Iron Soul Island, Departure Coast. Original content can be found at novèlfire.net
"Technically speaking, given that setup, I should be the Commander and you guys should have turned into ship girls already. Get your swimsuits ready, transform into beautiful girls, Azur Lane activate!"
Rein told his subordinate captains, assuming the air of a fleet commander.
It was clearly a mistake for Liszt to bring Rein along, considering it was early spring, and he had underestimated the heat level of the New Continent.
This was like a Werewolf getting allergic in the Great Wetland due to its fur, and then if asked to go into an unexplored tropical jungle, it might just die the next day.
So they made him stay on the coast, managing the continual influx of Gold Seekers and also taking charge of the fleet.
"Goddamn Commander, look after him for me. If he freaks out, just kill him."
Liszt said to one of Taylor’s subordinates.
The struggles of starting Black Sail were real; choices for core members were limited. Meeting Rein was just bad luck.
"Hehe, what if I take Taylor’s people back home to boost their spirits? How would you cope with that?"
Rein spoke in an absurdly vague way.
"Goddamn home, where even furniture boosts the ambiance and speeds up emotional recovery, right?"
Mika held his head with both hands, the meaning clear as day. As a traveling physician, he would definitely have to enter the jungle, but having a beauty like Celeste by his side made the idea of even going to Hell sound fine.
Liszt had already put together a team of a hundred explorers to delve deeper into the New Continent. Too many people would be unmanageable, but a hundred was a moderate number that allowed for flexible separation into smaller teams. If they encountered any impassable terrain, they could use signal flares to regroup using compasses, build ladders and bridges.
All the preparations were in place.
Liszt gave a few instructions to Taylor’s subordinates in a low voice, "Though you’re only rented to us for now, you know how it is with me and Taylor, right? We’re all family here."
He patted one of the men on the shoulder.
The man was speechless, having never met someone so shameless; almost to the point of declaring, "I am Taylor’s son-in-law, what’s Taylor’s is mine."
After checking the explorers’ equipment, tools, and supplies, Liszt and his team set off grandly, needing to catch up with Doringger’s progress.
If there were any natives, they also needed to establish communication first, not fall behind.
They quickly advanced along a previously cleared route; riding horses was out of the question in these rough terrains.
Mika also distributed insect repellent to everyone, unsure what unseen vermin might pop up.
The scent of the group was quite pungent.
As Celeste had said, her team of five were professionals, equipped with quick-draw pens and logbooks, assessing the surrounding environment all along the way with great expertise.
After about ten minutes of walking, Liszt moved closer to the geologist, impressed by the professionalism. The quality of the maps drawn wasn’t just civilian-grade—it bordered on military, with an unreal level of detail.
Noticing Liszt’s gaze, the geologist smiled.
"Our main goal now is to go deeper. The previous Gold Seekers didn’t find any strategic high ground, so let’s not follow their route for now. We need to find a tall mountain to get a good look at the terrain and plan our route forward. Along the way, I’ll also determine sensible construction plans based on the geology we encounter. We can cut down trees to clear a rough path for an easier supply transportation, allowing us to penetrate deeper. Right now, we don’t even know the full size of this island."
The geologist proposed his thoughts—exploration was easy, governance was the hard part.
"Let’s start by looking for higher ground then."
Liszt found this intriguing, deeming such skills prophetic back on the Western Continent.
"We should move faster or we’ll fall behind, boss." Celeste stressed the word "boss" intensely, not allowing Liszt to ponder further, "There are quite a few bugs here; I’ll apply some more repellent just to be safe."
With that, Celeste poured out some insect repellent and applied it directly.
Liszt inwardly praised her professionalism. On this expedition, having Celeste and her team was a blessing—they were highly capable, with Celeste handling matters, and without...