Inner City.
Pirate gangs that fare well often open their own inns and taverns as their lairs, where core mbers can group up and stay, as well as entertain so regular clients.
Qi Li did the sa, and the na of the hotel was the sa as that of his pirate gang, called the Undead.
Liszt pondered that going to soone else’s New Year gathering without bringing a gift would be improper, so he spent three copper coins—a considerable sum—to buy so cheap rum fernted from sugarcane to bring along.
Aran copper coins were also very valuable; without natural disasters, two copper coins could buy three kilograms of potatoes at the market price, thirty silver coins would be enough for a family to scrimp and save for several months, including rent and various expenses, while a Beima Navy sailor’s monthly salary of eight silver coins just barely sufficed for making ends et.
And for a high-order clergy from the Eternal Sect, over a hundred silver coins represented the earnings of a top executive in a publicly listed company.
There was no virtual economy here; money, as a general equivalent, could only be exchanged for tangible goods and commodities, which made the wealthy even more esteed.
Don’t be fooled by Mika’s wild indulgence in brothels, throwing silver coins around with abandon; even his cheapest escapades cost around thirty copper coins, as he aid for quality.
In truth, most of Heaven Port’s offerings were dubious bargains; seven or eight copper coins could buy pleasure.
That’s why the concept of over fifty thousand Golden Dragons was terrifyingly imnse.
A Beima Navy sailor would have to work from the Middle Stone Age to the Industrial Revolution, toiling for hundreds of thousands of years, to earn that much.
The exterior of the Undead Hotel was quite imposing, an establishnt fitting for the island’s prominent figures. Qi Li was once a Great Knight of the old powerful Empire’s Imperial Guard and was very concerned about saving face.
Since they were coming to mooch a al, so of the core mbers had to follow Liszt; besides two super-sized individuals, the Demon and the Connection Emperor, everyone else ca along.
It would have been awkward to bring Archer for serious discussions and thus spoil the harmony.
Except for Claude, who had gone with his fiancée to choose a wedding dress.
"Qi Li has also beco quite the businessman, huh."
Rein shook his head; there wasn’t a hint of New Year celebration outside the hotel, not a single colorful lantern hung up—these people lacked any sense of festivity.
A Beastman around three ters tall was sweeping snow outside, one of Qi Li’s n.
Far from the last life-threatening visit, seeing Liszt, the folks from the Undead were even delighted, greeting him with smiles.
They eagerly invited the honored guests to the executive lounge on the second floor.
The last ti Liszt returned, he collected a protection fee of approximately one hundred and eighty Golden Dragons for an eighth of his territory in three months, which boiled down to about sixty per month.
Now he controlled two-thirds of it, the scale even more frightening; three hundred and thirty Golden Dragons a month, and even if the profits were split between two families, each would still pocket a hundred and sixty-seven.
Despite the impressive sum, it was because the entire island’s protection fee had been entirely consud, leaving only scraps for others.
Not to ntion how courteous Qi Li was to Liszt—if Liszt were to be called "Dad" by him, Liszt would take it in stride.
Upon reaching the executive lounge, the decor had upgraded considerably since before. Qi Li had a fondness for shiny things, using glass and crystal in the decoration.
The Black Sail crew mbers each found places to sit and waived their right to free drinks, angling for a free dinner as well, extravagantly pleased; though they now had plenty of money, freeloading was always a delight.
The signboard girl at the lounge was a pretty Yisu beauty, and Morison imdiately made an explosive proposition.
"How about the two of us have so fun for a while?"
Morison was blunt, carrying a suitcase with him—the Maple Forest, which was a pity to leave unsold, so using it during the festive season was no harm.
The signboard girl forced a smile, she would have agreed had the elf beside her been the one asking.
"It’s just a joke, don’t take it seriously."
Even Qi Li, rarely one to smile, managed to give a slight grin, instructing the bartender to not take it to heart.
Qi Li, with his dark golden curls, could even emit an aura of royalty when in a commanding state, but now being indebted to soone else, he couldn’t stand on ceremony before Liszt. Seeing Liszt carrying the rum, he didn’t say much. These caven of the island were like this, completely understandable.
Fen wasn’t as leisurely as the other core mbers, evaluating Qi Li’s subordinates, the key personnel on his ship, wondering if these people could fight.
"Who is this?"
Fen saw so unfamiliar faces, among which one was sowhat recognizable.
"I forgot to tell you guys, the Captain of the Wave Suppression Pirate Group, Wen Kui, also ca over today to discuss so cooperation."
Qi Li had anticipated this situation; today was not rely a simple group New Year gathering.
At Heaven Port, two enterprises stood above the Pirate Gangs.
One was Iron Soul, and the other had a solid na, Wave Suppression.
It wasn’t just pirates from the Western Continent who ca here, the Far East Islands were also close by, and Wen Kui’s crew were all Far Easterners too.
The man nad Wen Kui, standing about one ter ninety tall, with blue hair and eyes, bore a scar that ran from his forehead, across his left eye, down to his chin—intensely intimidating.
Although called the Far East Islands, there wasn’t much of what you’d call Li Si’s ’East culture’ there, only that so countries shared broadly similar architectural styles and customs. The Wan Country was filled with many ethnic states, constantly in a state of violent turmoil.
However, Wen Kui’s weapon was also a Willow Leaf Blade, similar to the one Shadi used to carry, and he dressed simply in a cotton shirt and lantern trousers, not fanciful at all.
"He’s also a Far Easterner; you guys should be able to get along."
Qi Li said to Li Si.
Li Si was speechless. He bragged about being from the Far East of the Far East, but that wasn’t true; he wasn’t from that region. The only thing he could relate to were singers.
The Far East was truly a place of outstanding people and spirit. The terrain was too complex, consisting of many fragnted large islands—too fragnted to even be called islands, each as big as a province, but shattered.
If things weren’t going well for here, I’d start eyeing my neighbor’s turf. If everyone’s not doing well, then no one in the entire Far East should expect to have it easy. Screw it, let’s ignore that and get on with so action.
Also, since they’re all islands with secluded and closed-off terrain, they tend to be exclusionary. Fights break out rcilessly, turning enemies into non-humans to be slaughtered, perpetually in a state of savage chaos.
Compared to such a rugged place, the Beima Duchy—a nation of bandits—seed like Heaven on earth.
The Emperor once had dreams because conquering that land ant not knowing what for—perhaps he mainly wanted to achieve an even more fearso feat than the Overlord from two thousand years ago, the complete conquest of the world.
Regrettably, he was an Emperor, not a godly Emperor. After initial victory and enduring for a while, he eventually returned defeated. Going against the heavens is unsustainable.
"I know you. You’ve been quite arrogant lately."
Wen Kui’s gaze landed on Li Si.
"Oh?"
Li Si was intrigued. Was this guy trying to challenge him? Wen Kui indeed had so capability; in the past, Li Si might have given him so respect, but now...
Qi Li was about to clear up the misunderstanding. The reason Wen Kui was so enterprising was typical of pirates. To be a pirate Captain, one needed Intelligence, but not too much of it.
Their kind of pirate gangs mainly depended on the Captain’s martial virtues to keep the subordinates in line, not much in the way of rules,
"The Captain of the Iron Soul Pirate Group has recently beco a favorite of Doringger, and with the upheaval of the continent’s situation due to last year’s events, I think I cannot keep on like this any longer. I’ve heard that next year’s tax will be reduced again. Fuck Doringger’s mother—I won’t let him enjoy the New Year if I’m not happy. You’re pretty smart and good at underhanded tactics, right? Got any ideas?"
Wen Kui prided himself on being straightforward.
Li Si was dumbfounded. Dude, you can’t just say things like that—I wouldn’t dare to clash with Doringger, but you’re truly fearless.
Fen was also profoundly shocked; this guy was too much.
The shrewder ones were also startled. As expected of a business-minded Captain, he casually ntioned the things we wouldn’t dare to.
Wen Kui was just jealous of the Iron Soul Pirate Group, feeling that it couldn’t go on like this. He had a lot of n on board who needed feeding, all wanted fugitives unable to stay in decent places, full of worry and anxiety.
"I’ll call you Brother Wen. Impressive! Since we’ve opened up, I’ve got an idea."
An idea had dawned on Li Si. Both Qi Li and Wen Kui serving him alone—could his luck get any better?
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