"In my early years, I knew the hardships of being a pirate, holding a garden of dreams close to my heart.

Who could rival me in the dominance of the East Sea, to become the Boss is to ascend to immortality.

Sacrificing Mika with a heart still as water, turning around to cleanse with an even firmer intent.

This morning, the troops reached Duguli, manipulating people, ghosts, and even the heavens."

Rein, embracing the beauty in his arms with wine flowing down his throat, was struck by a poetic inspiration.

"What a crude poem…"

The pianist pinched him angrily, yet her demeanor hinted at coyness.

This filled Rein with determination, his build, his stature, his style, not to mention Chernobyl—he would venture there all the same.

"Your two friends haven't returned for quite a while?"

The lead singer, as Chuan Che played with her hair, noted it was about time they arrived. All the sisters came out together; if someone was missing tonight, it would cause a rift in the group, binding sales was a must—worried that the tiger-man and the iron face did not plan to stay overnight.

"A small issue, might be something, let's ignore them. Folks from the East Sea are all a bit crazy."

Chuan Che, a bit drunk, spoke more than he should have; that's more like it, Heaven Port wasn't for the faint of heart. He preferred the scent of the perfume on the lead singer.

The lead singer, with her vast experiences, toured everywhere, having seen all kinds of people.

Recently, Chuan Che must have been dealing in shady dealings, one of which involved Ghost Eye Mad Blade, once famous, and Rein, who moved treasure maps around the Western Continent.

Up close, and with their defenses down from drinking, though other sisters didn't notice, she recognized them.

But that wasn't important; until September, during the Continent Martial Arts Competition, Aran's management would be lax, actively encouraging consumption from other regions. Officials from other old strong nations obviously wouldn't show Aran any respect, but it was those merchants from all over the world who were the main source of the betting draws.

However, these merchants were of a grey nature on the Western Continent, and many from the underworld frequented the Sky Inn.

"I'm worried if they leave, what will happen with the remaining two sisters, if we don't meet our targets, we might be kicked out, replaced by newcomers."

The lead singer lamented, indeed it was true. Beauty was abundant in the Cloud Palace, just package some second-tier musicians, and a whole new batch of newcomers would board.

"I'll take on three then," Chuan Che said nonchalantly, realizing it was time to get to business, he cut straight to the chase, "Name a price."

The lead singer held up three delicate fingers.

Three hundred was impossible; that would be a huge cut even for the Great Nobles with fiefs, it had to be thirty, that's the price of an apartment with living quarters and a kitchen in a second-tier city in Aran.

"All together?"

Chuan Che asked tentatively.

The lead singer shook her head, tracing Chuan Che's palm.

Chuan Che knew the price was sky-high, had not expected it to be this exorbitant; damn, it was as if it was diamond-studded. Such a VIP character as himself, on his off days, would struggle to get thirty a week.

These women actually couldn't earn that much; the establishment was sure to take a large cut.

"The smell of alcohol is strong on you; you all stay in separate accommodations, right? There are baths inside. Until we disembark, you won't mind if I scrounge a lunch from you, right?"

Seeing his slight hesitation, the lead singer's hands provocatively rested on Chuan Che's shoulders, the shimmer in her eyeshadow dazzling, and her attire and makeup made her seem to glow.

Chuan Che couldn't hold back anymore.

The atmosphere built up to this, among these enchantresses, he simply couldn't keep a stern face to negotiate.

The negotiation was concluded, it was an agreement.

Two o'clock in the morning.

Apart from Chuan Che, righteously one against three for promotional purposes by Cloud Palace, the rest were at the imperial capital duels, winner takes the crown.

Inside the accommodation floors of Cloud Palace, it was eerily quiet, only dimly lit by the track lights.

This place flew in the sky, no need for patrolmen; walking around while others were handling serious matters would just be inviting trouble.

Prompted by Saleret, Swan pondered. If the Royal Court truly got furious, even ten Black Sails couldn't withstand them.

They could only buy time for Heaven Port and Mulong. For Fafna's sake, the Holy Spirit Church would also station at Heaven Port and share the fragments of the Netherworld Stele. With Lostra involved, acting as Lostra's glove and representative east of the Narrow Sea. If they really wanted to take down Black Sail, it wouldn't be just a sweep as before—it would be war-level, requiring Aran to open a new front.

Swan had no doubts about Fen's talents, as well as Mo Yutong, deeply involved with the Atomic Heart Church, a woman standing at the pinnacle of the era's cognition. Supported by the integrated heroes of the East Sea, they could make the East Sea ten times more prosperous than during the Doringger era.

The Emperor had once been defeated in the Far East, and by that time, even if the Alan Royal Court was truly furious, they had to think twice before deciding whether it was worth expending resources to conquer such a barren ghost place.

Originally, as the second favored of Alan, the Beima Duchy was frequently urged by the Emperor to station troops in Heaven Port, but the foolish King did not comply with the Emperor.

Now, the Beima Duchy was in chaos, Mr. Chai and the current King were actively challenging each other. If Mr. Chai were victorious and reinstated the Kingdom Era, through the line of the Count of Londen, the East Shore would also become an ally of the Black Sail.

The Alan Royal Court certainly did not dare to act rashly, even if Liszt had violated the imperial laws, they could only slowly strategize.

Zahak and Bartlan, for the time being, would be spared. These two truly desired to assassinate Liszt to tap into the wealth of the East Sea and incidentally gain a promotion.

And Zahak was already considered a defeated subordinate, and although it was unclear why Morison had let him off, he was not a concern.

Saleret was like a ghost, watching by the staircase, unsure if Swan could succeed.

Swan had already bypassed the security gate here; the doors to the lodging rooms could only be unlocked with a Magic Crystal Card, and the interior circuitry was complex.

Yet for an old thief like Swan, this was no obstacle. He used a specially made Anti-Magic Metal Card, which caused the internal magic power circuits to collapse, completely de-energizing it and preventing any alarms from being triggered.

Saleret had been guarding beside the staircase for seven or eight minutes, closely monitoring any slight movement but growing more anxious the longer he waited—could the Tiger-man really handle it?

Right then, Swan emerged, soundlessly closing the door behind him. Not even the latch made a sound, a testament to his exceptional skills.

He gestured to Saleret that he had succeeded.

The two returned to their own lodging room to talk.

"How long until he dies?"

"He's not very old and could survive a day or two, dying off the ship at the earliest, or by the day after tomorrow at the latest."

Although he was in a deep sleep at the time, Swan had still drugged him to ensure he would not awaken soon, then administered a slow-acting neurotoxin that his body could barely metabolize, ultimately leading to death by heart failure.

"Are you talking about that Zahak, the disciple of the Sword King, that Zahak?"

Saleret double-checked, since there were quite a few who shared the same name.

"Yes, otherwise his loss in Londen City meant he would never rise again. The Navy officials hold the right to this appointment, and with his death, even a delay of ten days or half a month would occur, when a new officer arrives to tender bids, and another cycle of bidding starts, possibly delaying even longer."

Swan would continue to carry out assassinations, even masquerading as an anti-imperialist, to make the Royal Court suspect each other whether someone was helping Liszt resolve the issue.

"It's odd Morison didn't kill him. I actually know some stories about this guy."

Saleret, who had crossed paths with Morison, knew how difficult the disfigured face was to deal with. He also knew what kind of person Liszt was, hence he advised Swan not to kill him, since he could be very useful, perhaps even earning them a connection to Heaven Port.

"Really?"

Swan listened attentively.

"Joining the Imperial Guard is an unparalleled honor, not to mention the deeper impact on the entire family. It allows face-to-face interaction with the Emperor. I remember vividly, over ten years ago, in the year 1274 of the Aran Calendar, the Alan Army breached the great barrier, King Philip V of Beima self-mutilated as an apology, and his body was found by three Officers. One of these Officers is now an Army General, one was Zahak's father, and another was Netherflame."

"Netherflame? Black Sword Netherflame?"

Swan was familiar with this name, a figure infamous for his entirely black Sword, meddling in everything except personnel matters. Rein's nemesis seemed to serve under him, though over the years, that deputy leader might have been promoted.

"Yes, that one. Both men earned great military honors in that battle, and there happened to be a vacancy in the Imperial Guard. Netherflame used some shady tactics, involving a woman from the Beima Royal Family, claiming that Zahak's father had coerced her, violating military discipline—not to report him, though. At that time, the Emperor had not been in power for long, and there were plenty of military scribes involved; no one cared about this issue. Basically, he just tarnished his reputation to suppress him and enter the Imperial Guard. Zahak's father, who had a family, demanded a duel with Netherflame to prove his innocence, and ended up beheaded."

"That intense, huh? If we're talking about the Aran Calendar, this year would be 1293, almost nineteen years ago. You remember it so clearly?"

"I was present. You know the adventurer's guild is a platform that pays taxes to local governments. During wartime, to protect the interests of the guild and ensure proper accounting during the change of power, the guild had me and a few others keep watch, fearing the Alan Army might rob them. It happened in a tavern affiliated with the Beima Northern Guild; I watched Zahak's father beheaded by Black Sword Netherflame."

Saleret got lost in his memories.

Swan was speechless; this was indisputable, he really had been there. Just last year, a boastful Constitutional Soldier Vice Admiral, who had wanted a complete trade embargo in Londen City, also had such a past.

"Sorry for disturbing your spirits. Rein is a hard man, and now I'm the only core member of Black Sail left. I have to act this way."

Swan felt somewhat apologetic to Saleret; those women were indeed top-notch, even by the Tiger-man's standards, but tonight was not the time.

"No need to apologize for that. It's just a foolish plaything. Call me if anything happens."

After saying that, Saleret went back to his room to sleep.

Swan was silent; Saleret was indeed touched by some psychological aberrations. He had nowhere to go, so he followed Liszt, mainly because his sister might be implicated by enemies back inland, and it was better to let her stay in Heaven Port.

After the Navy official's death, they would definitely appoint someone new. Intelligence traffickers dare not inquire about official appointments, but it was possible to contact old friends from the streets for information.

One down, more to follow.

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