Inside a theater in Linden City.
Li Site originally planned to settle matters in Linden City, hand over the gift money to the sheriff, and then leave without looking back. Unexpectedly, he received another order.
The sheriff returned the gift money and told Li Site to stay here for another month. The lord had a big job that needed reliable people.
He was instructed that if Black Sails easily wiped out that casino, they would get this job.
Li Site's first reaction upon hearing this was to refuse outright. A task big enough to be called "major" by those old hands meant that his dozen or so men would all be dragged into trouble.
That was until the sheriff revealed the conditions.
Black Sails was already infamous, seemingly on the rise, but had reached a bottleneck, like walking a tightrope.
Apart from a few infamous pirates from Heaven’s Port with fleets that struck fear across the seas, Li Site was among the upper echelon of pirates in the pyramid.
This meant that while their notorious reputation spread far, they were merely feared as a band of thugs. Their wealth and fame did not match their fearsome image. They were the target of all arrows, rootless as sea marauders, and urgently needed transformation.
If Li Site succeeded in this job, the lord above the sheriff had an old acquaintance. Li Site could go to him and obtain a privateering license. While the identities of the crew wouldn’t be fully legitimized, there would be a cover arrangement, officially getting on the right path.
Even with these terms, Li Site didn’t immediately agree.
He had heard of this so-called old acquaintance. The person's background was very complicated and their dealings quite outrageous. Simply put, he was a descendant of the former Beima royal family’s direct lineage, a well-known protector of the underworld. Going to him meant no one dared to touch you unless they brought an army, which Li Site didn’t have the face for.
The current situation in the Beima Principality was extremely complex, harboring a deep, visceral hatred for the Arlan Empire. Multiple reinforcing factors had pushed their grievances to the limit.
First, the old king was hailed as a hero who resisted Arlan but ultimately died by his own hand after a lost battle, a tragic and heroic end.
Second, the legitimate successor, Philip VI, went to the Arlan capital for peace talks but was forced to cede more territory. He refused outright and died in exile, returning only in a coffin. He was essentially the Chu Huai King of the Western Continent.
The self-sacrificing old king and the weak Philip VI had stirred bloodthirsty rage among the Beima people.
Additionally, there was a currency overhaul with terrifying devaluation overnight that shrunk the wealth of all Beima citizens.
Currency essentially represented government-guaranteed bonds issued in exchange for labor. The state owed you, and within the current environment, these bonds could be freely exchanged for other labor fruits.
Now, this debt had shifted. The Beima Principality’s debt to civilians was now owed to the Arlan Empire, meaning the empire had effectively stolen all the people's money. Everyone was laboring cheaply and shamefully for Arlan.
City residents could barely scrape by with some hard currency, but inland towns were on the verge of collapse.
Except for some old noble houses with remaining strength that still controlled their lands, Beima was becoming a bandit state, rife with marauders. It was a tangled mess. The Beima eastern coast had several ice-free ports for trade with the Far East islands. Many foreigners took risky chances doing business, making chaos worse and the lives of ordinary people miserable.
The current puppet king was an idiot, and the supporters genuinely thought he was important. Li Site was certain he would fall within a few years.
Going to the Beima royal descendant was not the first choice for angel investors but was still an early opportunity in a rising trend. It was indeed a good chance.
Li Site and two companions had just finished discussing the matter.
“That old man still keeps it secret, not saying what the job is. He just wants us to stay here another month.”
Wolman was puzzled. Although the condition was unavoidable, Li Site accepted without asking what the job was, which made him suspicious. Maybe it was a trap to find scapegoats.
“A privateering license is just a verbal promise. I only verbally agreed for now. We’re short on sailors, can’t leave anytime soon. Better to accept it first and talk later.”
Li Site was a pragmatic man. The gift money meant to be delivered wasn’t given, and he had a thirty gold dragon deposit in hand. Not taking that was stupid. Thirty gold dragons were basically free money. This must be a big deal.
“But the longer we stay, the more bounty hunters and navy will become a problem.”
Wolman had no faith in any nobles since the uprising in the marshlands was crushed. These nobles were just suckers. If they got tangled up with them, death was guaranteed. They could never outwit these ruthless and cunning bastards.
“Hah, Kill-brother’s here. Bring a thousand men, we’d each take one, and he’d kill the other nine hundred ninety.”
Li Site spoke casually.
Morrison was noncommittal, thinking, “You really do think highly of me.”
Not far from the theater, Fen rushed over.
Li Site immediately sensed something was wrong.
Fen explained the situation: bounty hunters had targeted Black Sails but had already been cut down by Ox and Ren.
“Damn, assassins this fast? We really made a name for ourselves.” Li Site paused, then added, “It’s fine, just small fry, we can handle them. By the way, has Sven come around yet?”
Fen nodded. He thought it was time to confront the crew about the issue.
“That’s good. Whether he comes around or not, he has to. If not for your face, I would’ve chopped him up already. Tonight’s triple good fortune; we have to prepare some strong dishes.”
Li Site’s tone was serious.
“Triple good fortune?”
Fen was intrigued. The casino heist’s great haul was one fortune. For the rest of the crew, Sven’s secret was another. What was the third?
Li Site mentioned the privateering license and the Beima royal descendant.
Fen’s poker face revealed nothing, but after a few seconds, he said, “Two and a half fortunes, I guess.”
Li Site caught the implication. Since no decision had been made yet, he planned to talk to Fen privately later.
“Sven? What’s up with the thief?”
Morrison asked casually.
“His skills are obvious even to a blind man. He’s about to pay a deposit, right?”
Wolman guessed. Pirates weren’t playing house. Boarding wasn’t just a word. Ordinary sailors were one thing, but core members had to pledge allegiance—either by stripping a noble of honor or paying money. Sven had been dodging since joining. If it weren’t for Fen’s recommendation, he’d have been cut up long ago. After more than two months with no sign, many on the ship were unhappy.
Li Site almost spat blood. The crew was made up of old hands from everywhere. They might lack culture but had insight towering seven or eight floors high. They had long seen through it.
“You two don’t worry for now. It’s a good thing. Open the champagne.”
Li Site led his group back to the ship.
The sky was already dimming.
At the massive sea erosion cliff cave, Secret Port.
The water shimmered. A pier, only a meter above sea level, had faint torches stuck into wooden pillars for light. Over ten ships were docked in the cave, some smuggling ships of Linden City nobles, others less clean.
Among them was Li Site’s ship, the Fumark Vengeance.
It was named to complement the “Frost Cuckoo’s Bloodsong.”
The Fumark Vengeance was forty-six meters long, with a displacement of 480 tons, but the cave was dark, and the ship’s oil lamps were unlit. Only the torchlight illuminated a corner.
Many fierce-looking people stood on the pier, including pirates and smuggling ship guards, but they all parted ways when seeing Li Site’s group.
A man named Archer guarded their ship. In the past two days, he had killed several reckless people. His skills were extraordinary, probably unbeatable even by a gold-level adventurer. The ship’s doctor was more approachable. After some inquiries, they learned this was the recently notorious Black Sails Pirate Crew that had killed the family of Blue Bay Port’s lord—a desperate group among desperados.
Four of them climbed the gangplank and reached the deck of the Fumark Vengeance.
Before seeing them, their voices were heard.
“Welcome back, General Kill, my proudest faith.”
The werewolf’s distinctive hoarse voice was unmistakable.
“Wait!” Morrison suddenly shouted, startling several people playing cards by lantern light on the deck. He then added, “Clear as day... I forgot, tears are flowing for no reason.”
“Wait!” Li Site also shouted, adding, “I vaguely remember... forgot, and something powerful... forgot.”
Then the three of them sang together:
“Drive the enemies away, kill all the navy.”
They grabbed their wine cups from the table and downed the liquor. They lit the ship’s main oil lamp, then danced wildly around the mast like shamans, singing pirate songs from the East Coast.
“Brothers from all sides join in ~ bring your curved blades ~ back the firearms ~ no need to hide on the guillotine ~ share the bounty ~ you and me ~ risk your life and get rich.”
Since today was payout day, the three had entered a frenzy.
Fen was again acting like a madman, as if performing a musical at the theater. The real show was yet to come. Some people might die tonight. Sven had stolen something terrifying from the Thieves’ Guild.
He ignored the three fools. Everyone had to be present tonight. After searching the deck, those who had gone out on errands had returned. Archer was drunk as usual, flushed and oblivious to the world. Li Site called him a “wine immortal.”
A low-ranking demon, Haywood, was playing cards with Sven and Shadi.
One person was missing.
“Where’s the doctor?”
Because of his horrifying appearance, Haywood never took off his helmet.
Haywood, with blood-red skin, answered.
“At the brothel again?”
Last time when someone was cut, he was at the brothel. The time before that, when Shadi was ambushed at Heaven’s Port, he was at the brothel. The time before that, when the Blue Bay Port lord’s family was killed, he was at the local brothel.
In Li Site’s words, he was a 9-1 dominator, a connecting king.
Fen was utterly convinced and could only wait for his return.
Tonight would decide the fate of the Black Sails Pirate Crew. Neither the privateering license nor Sven’s secret were small matters.
The consequences were profound. This was not some petty hijacking or killing. This time, they were playing for real.