From sailboats to star destroyers (Source: Web)

Chapter 69 Planting Flags in the Black Market

A faint smile finally appeared on Miao Meng's lips, hidden beneath his cloak. "Come out, Fortune."

At his summons, the massive shadow of the ship instantly solidified behind him, bringing an immense sense of oppression.

At the same time, a chilling will originating from the soul, making Redbeard's bones tremble, coiled around him like invisible chains.

Miao Meng did not know the Soul-Binding Spell, but the undead crew of the "Fortune" had the special ability to touch souls, sense them, and even "scroll through" soul fragments in a clumsy way.

The process? It probably won't be pleasant for the target. The result? Most likely, he'll become an idiot.

But it doesn't matter. The cases Blackbeard has accumulated are enough to make him die within 10 minutes. Even if he doesn't get the information on the location of the treasure, the torture alone is enough to make him suffer unbearably.

Redbeard instantly understood the terrifying intention contained within that cold will—an ending more horrifying than death itself.

"Don't even think about it!"

He let out a desperate scream, his body bursting with its last strength as he shoved aside his men who were trying to stop him, and without hesitation, he flipped over the ship's side and plunged headfirst into the icy, bone-chilling sea.

The moment he entered the water, a strange talisman carved from black bone in his hand flickered with an eerie light—this was his life-saving backup plan, a one-time short-range random teleportation spell.

However, another figure was faster and more silent than him.

Like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, Count Bartholomew appeared ghost-like in mid-air outside the ship's side, the Bloodhowl.

His withered, pale finger pointed at the spot where the red beard had entered the water.

There was no overwhelming black mist and skeletal phantoms like when Redbeard released his power; instead, there was only a cone-shaped beam of light, condensed to its extreme, almost pure black, and as fast as lightning, which precisely pierced the back of Redbeard's head before it was completely submerged in the water.

"Ugh—!" Redbeard's body stiffened abruptly, as if an invisible icicle had pierced his soul.

All the light in his eyes vanished instantly, leaving only the most primal, uncontrollable, and overwhelming fear stemming from his very life instincts.

His whole body was spasming, and he completely forgot even the instinctive action of paddling to escape. Like a heavy, tattered sack, he sank straight down into the deep sea.

Miao Meng strode across the waves as if walking on flat ground, grabbed the red-bearded man by the back of his collar, and pulled him out of the sea like a dead fish, dragging him back to the dock at Chenmao Bay.

Under the watchful eyes of countless horrified men, Miao Meng personally hung the once arrogant pirate captain atop the tallest and most conspicuous thick flagpole in the harbor.

Redbeard's limbs were limp, his eyes were vacant, and saliva was dripping uncontrollably. Only his body was still twitching slightly in a nervous manner—the aftereffects of the fear spell and the damage to his soul from the forced impact had rendered him completely useless.

Next came the negotiations with the various factions in Anchor Bay. Miao Meng showed little interest in this, leaving it entirely to Count Bartholomew, a man well-versed in this area who had just intimidated everyone with his swift and decisive actions.

In the black market, force is the key to entry; the core is the division of profits.

This place is a complex web of connections, with pirates being only one part, along with smugglers, intelligence brokers, receivers of stolen goods, and the shadowy figures of certain kingdoms or nobles operating behind the scenes.

The Count of Black sat at the negotiating table, his pale fingers tapping lightly on the rough surface, producing a slow, steady tapping sound.

His voice was deep and cold, each word like a blade tempered with ice, precisely cutting into the other person's bottom line.

No words are needed; the sight of Redbeard swaying in the wind on the flagpole is the most powerful bargaining chip.

The negotiations were lengthy and intense, covering a wide range of issues including the distribution of benefits, security guarantees, intelligence sharing, and the supply of materials.

Ultimately, a pact of pirate-style compromise was reached: the newly established force would receive 30% of the monthly net profits from the Anchor Bay black market, and, of course, would be renamed the "Fear Pirates" under the name of Count Bartholomew, with Miao Meng remaining behind the scenes.

This reward wasn't all in shiny gold coins; it was mostly paid in the form of various scarce resources (such as food, rum, weapons, and alchemy materials) and priority access to key intelligence.

Even so, the guaranteed monthly value is still over 5000 Galtiran gold coins.

However, the Axe Guards who maintain order in this area also have to pay their salaries from this 30% of the revenue.

Miao Meng did not use his knighthood.

A continental nobleman openly planted his flag in the infamous pirate black market.

This is tantamount to declaring war on the entire Kingdom of Senist and even the surrounding forces, which will bring endless trouble and spying.

The Black Earl's "Fear Pirate Crew" banner, along with the pirate noble reputation bonus that came with the "Black Knight" title that Miao Meng obtained in the "Sailing Road" dungeon, became the best cover.

It was enough to establish itself in the chaotic world of pirates and make those shadowy forces think twice before taking action.

The dust has settled, and half a month has quietly passed since Miao Meng first arrived at Chenmao Bay.

Including the preparation time, a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Standing at the window of the newly built, somewhat rudimentary "Fear Pirates" stronghold, Miao Meng gazed at the surging sea.

"It's time to return to the main world."

Besides collecting the pre-ordered magnets, lamps, and other key materials for lighthouse construction, the most important thing is that the monthly "West Limit City" instance has reached its cooldown period.

Thinking about the time difference between the Western Limit City instance and the main world, plus the time difference between the Galtiran continent and the main world, Miao Meng felt a headache coming on.

Although both have a time ratio far exceeding that of normal instances, their ratio to the main world is 1:15, meaning that the two worlds are actually in a 1:1 time ratio.

If we were to launch an attack on the city lord's manor where the Black Earl is located, it would take at least a week, until the Black Earl leaves the manor.

Moreover, the last time he defeated the Black Earl, it was thanks to favorable timing, location, and people. Now, even though his strength has indeed improved a lot, he also has the First Mate formed from the remnant soul of the Black Earl.

However, Miao Meng was still somewhat apprehensive about facing the Black Earl in his prime. It wouldn't be easy to quickly defeat him.

While pondering how to get off to a better start in Xixian City, Miao Meng quickly ordered various supplies in the main world.

He also took the opportunity to sell a few of the gadgets he made through the Investigation Bureau's channels. It's only fair that things go back and forth; otherwise, it would be too disrespectful to buy things only through this channel.

Of course, Miao Meng didn't have the time to oversee the sale of his props; he simply entrusted the matter to the liaison officer assigned by the Investigation Bureau.

He then immediately switched to another instance, entering "Ice-Free Port: Night of the Dead," and, according to his newly conceived plan, quietly flew into the manor to begin making arrangements.

This time, he didn't intend to let the Black Earl leave the manor successfully, because if he did, the collection in the city lord's mansion would definitely be moved out, so he had to strike first.

If they can even get an extra Soul Crystal before the Black Earl successfully creates the Sword of Wind.