Pirate Kingship-Chapter 45 - 44: Brothers Reunite, Selfish Gain (Please Follow)

Byron wasn’t surprised to see this acquaintance; he had anticipated such a meeting upon entering the Golden Palm Trading Company.

But, when money talks, truth remains silent. And it just so happened that he had money!

Like a newly rich man flaunting his wealth, Byron gestured grandly, taking the initiative. "The forbidden ritual I’m planning to hold is just short of four Extraordinary Materials. Isn’t it just 3,200 pounds? I’ll take them all."

Of course, he didn’t want all of them, but in business negotiations, you absolutely cannot reveal your true intentions, especially your most urgent needs. It would only serve to put you at the mercy of others, with no positive effects whatsoever. This matter was too important; success was the only option, failure was not! Being manipulated by a competitor, or having a merchant exploit his weakness, was absolutely not what Byron wanted.

Upon hearing this, Maltz of the Chirping Insect immediately grew agitated. No longer caring about the offense he felt, he stamped his foot and shouted, "No way! I was here first! These people all belong to me! I... I’ll raise the price to 3,300 pounds."

These privateer captains had all come with missions, knowing that something big was about to happen in Iron Anchor Bay, and all were eager to enhance their strength. His "Queen Ant’s Blessing" was based on a simple principle: using the host’s body to cultivate bloodline tapeworms; the stronger the host, the more powerful the tapeworm offspring that were cultivated. He didn’t disdain even the old, weak, sick, and disabled Transcendents. As long as he used their bodies as hosts to cultivate tapeworm larvae, he could quickly create several monstrously strong crew members. This would enable him to shine in the upcoming operation.

And just two days earlier, they had received a message from the privateer ship, the White Crystal. Its captain, West of the Magic Mirror, had mysteriously disappeared after tracking down the Child of the Devil. The other privateer captains were all itching for a chance to capture this big fish themselves.

Now, who didn’t know that within the Kingdom of Hightins, the defeated Lancaster Party had vacated a multitude of noble titles? For these desperadoes from the gray area, this might well be the only chance in their lifetime to turn over a new leaf. No investment was too great! Moreover, with the parliamentary elections approaching, more and more pirate captains were arriving at Iron Anchor Bay, causing prices to soar with demand. Truly, the quick would get and the slow would lose. Having finally encountered these raw materials, how could they easily let them go?

Yet Byron, acting like a stubborn mule, was even more resolute than Maltz, determined to fight him to the bitter end.

"I bid 3,400 pounds! Eight Fingers, pay up!"

Before Eight Fingers could even pull out the large-denomination banknote from his pocket, Maltz of the Chirping Insect also immediately raised his bid.

"3,500 pounds! I bid 3,500 pounds!"

Seeing the joy bloom on the face of the cunning merchant Michal, and Byron, who seemed to have an equally urgent need and wasn’t reluctant to bid even higher, Maltz of the Chirping Insect finally allowed his brain, which had been muddled by anger, to cool down. He began weighing the pros and cons, even taking the initiative to back down.

He quietly used his ability "Mental Sensitivity" on Byron, sincerely communicating on a mental level, "Friend, let’s talk this over. We’ve all come for the raw materials. Why should we compete here and let that greedy merchant Remit benefit for no reason? The time we’re spending here outbidding each other is enough to buy another Squire Level slave from a different dealer."

Byron, long aware of the opponent’s ability to "collude in bidding," was unfazed and maintained his usual impenetrable attitude. "If that’s the case, then hurry up and take your business elsewhere!"

The Chirping Insect’s face stiffened. He probed tentatively, "You must be joking, friend. Just withdraw your bid, and we can discuss terms. We pirates may earn money quickly, but it doesn’t grow on trees. I’ll give you 100 pounds as compensation. How about we stop here?"

A hundred pounds was an astronomical sum for an average family, a clear sign of sincerity.

But it was met only with Byron’s scoff. "That’s hilarious. Do I look like someone short on cash? Is 100 pounds supposed to send a beggar packing?"

Seeing how Byron seemed to have him cornered, the Chirping Insect was so infuriated his teeth itched. If they were outside, he’d certainly have his Chirping Insect open fire with all cannons, sending Byron and his pirate ship to the cold seabed! Here, however, he could only suppress the rage that was reaching its limits. "So, there’s really no room for discussion?"

Byron saw that the fire had been stoked sufficiently; pushing further could backfire. So, he pretended to be troubled and said, "Everyone here is a person of status. If I were to leave empty-handed after quarreling with you, what would my subordinates think of me? What would these slaves, recently purchased to replenish my crew, think of me? You should understand, right?"

The Chirping Insect’s eyes lit up. He immediately realized the crux of the matter and, without a second thought, readily seized the offered way out, nodding vigorously. "Fine, I’ll do you this favor. Let’s be friends. First Mate, give him the money. Leave that half-dead, gasping fellow for this captain."

He stuffed the payment into Michal’s hand, snatched the keys, and left with the three Transcendents who were clearly more likely to survive, turning his back. He left behind only the Oath Knight—who looked like he could breathe his last at any moment and was the least valuable of the lot—for Byron.

Byron, unceremoniously, threw the money at Michal, grabbed the keys, unlocked the shackles on the Oath Knight, and took ownership of him.

Michal, the cunning merchant who received the money, was indifferent to their attitudes. Having two parties compete and drive up the price was an unexpected bonus. Anyone capable of becoming a pirate captain was no fool. An overall premium of 300 pounds on this transaction was already quite good.

It was only after cautiously placing the Oath Knight on a stretcher, with Eight Fingers and Gus personally carrying him, that Byron finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Most people’s natures lean towards compromise and moderation. ’If you start by telling someone that a room is too dark and must have a skylight installed, they will definitely not allow it. But if you suggest tearing the roof off, they will come running to compromise, willing to install a skylight.’ In psychology, this is called: the Door-in-the-Face technique.

If Byron had directly named a specific one of the four, it would certainly have aroused the suspicion of the crafty slave merchant Michal and the old pirate, the Chirping Insect, leading to complications. By starting with an outrageous demand—a proposal the Chirping Insect couldn’t possibly accept—and then conceding slightly, the Chirping Insect himself would propose the ’open a skylight’ solution. This allowed Byron to achieve his objective smoothly without major issues.

Only after the dust had settled did he realize he had been too tense; his palms and back were soaked with cold sweat.

Turning to look at the Oath Knight’s grievous wounds, he took his intact hand and whispered in a voice only he could hear, "It’s okay now, Bruh... We’re going home."

Although their true home was no longer reachable, home is wherever family is, be it a palace or a hut.

Without a doubt, this miserably afflicted Oath Knight was one of the few family members Byron had in this world.

—Guardian Knight "Iron Wall" Bruh.

He could hardly reconcile the barely human figure before him with the solemn, serious Guardian Knight he remembered—one whose smile carried a hint of simple honesty. If it weren’t for the fact that the two had grown up together, so familiar that they didn’t need to identify each other by appearance or stature, he wouldn’t have been able to recognize him at a glance, especially through the Lawbreaker Stone cage that blocked the Power of Law.

"Take care, guest! You’re welcome to visit again!"

Byron turned and gave Michal, who was grinning, revealing a gold tooth, and waving warmly at him, a long, hard look. Byron could naturally see what the slave merchant had deduced from the injuries. Bruh, known as "Iron Wall," had clearly endured an extremely brutal interrogation and fight, barely escaping with his life.

At that moment, Byron was extremely grateful for the first trait of Historical Reviser:

"I. Your Anchoring becomes more stable. Entities with an Anchoring connection to you will also be more likely to be swept up with you into the vortex of history, encountering various unknowns and secrets."

For those with stable lives, this might be a disaster. But for those already deeply mired in the vortex, it wouldn’t necessarily make their lives any worse. While the Golden Palm Trading Company hadn’t played a glorious role in this, without them, the two brothers wouldn’t have reunited so quickly. Byron decided to consider them even.

As soon as he stepped out of the trading house, he poured a bottle of Azure Blood Spring down Bruh’s throat, temporarily stabilizing his condition. But he knew that conventional magic potions could, at best, keep Bruh alive but couldn’t restore him to his former state.

However, the Forbidden Knowledge: Blood Brew that Byron possessed was most adept at... benefiting oneself at others’ expense!

Watching the back of Maltz of the Chirping Insect in the distance, Byron whispered to himself, "The Blood of Metamorphosis brewed from ordinary people is useless, but that from a Transcendent will definitely work! The York Family may not be able to enter Iron Anchor Bay, so this debt will be settled with you York hunting dogs first. I remember the York Family has nearly two hundred privateer ships in total. Whatever your purpose here, such a large... blood bank... I’ll gladly accept it."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel