Captain, Your Turn to Bid

"You're going to go all out and kill anyone who threatens you just because you're 'weak'?"

Captain Bloodhand found the logic of that statement deeply flawed.

If this necromancer, who appeared to be no older than ten, was truly considered weak, then what were his fallen pirates?

Especially the ogres, any one of whom could easily take down a squad of fully armed human warriors.

It was important to remember that over two hundred elite pirates were enough to capture a small town or fortress.

Yet, here they were, all easily killed by poison and necromantic magic.

"Wait!"

Seeing the magic ring begin to flash with a chilling red light, Harlett, forcing himself to act, shouted loudly.

He wasn't like his subordinates, fools who didn't even know what magical items were.

Judging by the intense magical fluctuations, if the spell within the ring was released, he was likely in grave danger.

"Oh? Do you have any last words?"

Zuo Si paused his activation of the Ring of Chain Fireball and looked up at the other man, curious to see how this pirate captain intended to save his own life.

As the suffocating magical fluctuations subsided, Harlett instantly breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead and cheeks with his sleeve. He forced a calm tone as he spoke, "You said earlier that you attacked us because you were too weak to negotiate or parley while ensuring your own safety. But now, my pirates are almost all dead, and I've sustained considerable injuries. Theoretically, I'm no longer a threat to you, am I?"

"So?"

Zuo Si blinked, not understanding what the other man was trying to say.

Or rather, as a transmigrator, his way of thinking and values were fundamentally different from the native inhabitants of the magical world.

This issue had been quite apparent when they were in the Floating City Tower.

"So you should capture me, not kill me. Don't forget, I am Captain Bloodhand, and I can pay a large ransom for my life and freedom."

Harlett directly provided a reason not to kill him.

After all, in this world, no one would refuse money.

When someone could be exchanged for a hefty ransom, any monster with a modicum of intelligence wouldn't kill them so readily.

The pirate captain believed that as soon as the other party heard his offer, he would definitely accept the deal.

"How much ransom are you willing to pay? And in what form?"

After a moment of thought, Zuo Si was clearly tempted.

As everyone knew, learning magic was an incredibly expensive endeavor.

To say nothing of the astronomical sums required just to purchase books, spell components, scrolls, gemstones, specialized paper, and magical ink.

Not to mention the astonishing cost of building a mage tower.

According to the statistics of the Archlich Astar, the cost to train a child with no magical aptitude into a qualified Level 1 mage was approximately 6,000 to 10,000 gold coins.

If the apprenticeship alone was this terrifying, one could only imagine the expenses after becoming a formal mage.

Therefore, if Zuo Si wanted to establish a relatively safe stronghold in Faerun, he needed a vast amount of money to ensure he could acquire all sorts of necessities.

"One hundred thousand Dante gold coins minted by the Amn Empire! Or an equivalent value in magical items and gemstones! You can choose to complete the transaction at any coastal port from Baldur's Gate to Caledon."

To save his own life, Harlett was going all out, offering an irresistible high price.

He understood that money could be earned again, but once life was lost, nothing remained.

One hundred thousand gold coins?!

The pirate captain's wealth surprised Zuo Si.

Just as he was about to accept the terms, Bernard, a merchant who had been hiding in the bushes for a long time, suddenly rushed out and shouted excitedly, "Esteemed Mage! Please do not agree!

All the merchant guilds in Athkatla once jointly offered a bounty.

Whoever could bring back the head of Captain Bloodhand, Harlett, would receive a reward of a full sixty thousand gold coins.

The government departments also offered a bounty of approximately twenty thousand gold coins.

That made a total of eighty thousand!

This means that if you kill him and take his head, you can legally and legitimately earn eighty thousand gold coins without paying an extra copper in taxes.

Not only that, but you would also gain a resounding reputation, and the friendship of the entire City of Gold's officials and major merchants.

Furthermore, if you hand him over to me for disposal, I am willing to personally cover the remaining twenty thousand gold coin difference."

Hearing these words that struck at his core, Harlett's eyes immediately turned red, his gaze towards the young merchant filled with rage and killing intent.

He found it hard to believe that the captive who had been kneeling before him trembling just a short while ago would now dare to jump out and cause trouble.

Compared to the pirate captain's interesting reaction, Zuo Si remained calm, speaking in a slightly playful tone, "Ah! It seems there's a new bidder.

His offer is clearly much higher than yours.

Especially the friendship of the officials and major merchants of Amn's capital, Athkatla, which you can never provide.

However, I am a fair person and am willing to give you another chance to re-bid.

Come on, Captain, it's your turn to increase the offer."

How can one sell something for a high price?

The answer, of course, is to find two bidders who are filled with animosity towards each other.

The young merchant Bernard clearly harbored deep resentment for the pirate captain who had nearly ruined his life.

His sudden appearance to interrupt the transaction was the best proof of this.

Therefore, if Harlett didn't want to fall into the hands of his enemy, he had to offer a higher price.

The ransom's value had to be clearly far beyond one hundred thousand gold coins, plus the friendship of the City of Gold's officials and its great merchants.

For Zuo Si, the more fiercely the two fought and the deeper their hatred, the more advantageous it was for him.

"I'll pay one hundred and thirty thousand gold coins!" Harlett gritted his teeth and added another thirty thousand.

It was evident that this price was already causing him considerable pain.

After all, typically, successfully raiding a merchant ship and selling it off, along with its cargo, vessel, and captives, would only yield around twenty to thirty thousand gold coins.

One-third of that would be distributed as rewards to the pirates who participated in the operation;

One-third would cover the daily maintenance costs for the ship, weapons, and armor, as well as expenses for food, alcohol, and fresh water;

The final third would then go into the captain's private coffers.

One hundred and thirty thousand gold coins was already about one-eighth to one-sixth of Harlett's accumulated wealth over the years.

Furthermore, he still needed to prepare funds to ransom back his meticulously crafted pirate ship, along with all his magical equipment and weapons.

The cost of the latter was no less than the former.

In addition to all this, upon regaining his freedom, he would inevitably have to deal with the slave traders in Caledon.

For example, he would have to spend a considerable amount of money to purchase hobgoblin, half-orcs, and ogre slaves as crew members, ensuring that he wouldn't be ambushed by rivals once he returned to the sea.

All in all, his assets would likely be halved.

"I'll add another twenty thousand!"

Bernard, undoubtedly noticing the pirate captain's increasingly grim expression, decisively chose to continue bidding.

Of course, this wasn't because he had truly lost his mind to hatred.

Quite the opposite!

This young, astute merchant was using this method to retaliate, forcing Harlett to deplete more of his fortune to pay the ransom.

Harlett also realized this and immediately glared at Bernard, barely suppressing the urge to rush over and kill him, demanding, "You bastard! What exactly do you want? Are you planning to fight me until one of us dies?"

"No, Captain Bloodhand, sir. I simply want an answer from you. Who sold you the route information? Give me his or her name, and I will stop opposing you," the merchant stated his condition with a serious expression.

If the mole wasn't found, Bernard couldn't even imagine how many similar situations he would encounter in his future business dealings.

After all, hiring assassins was incredibly easy in Faerun, a land teeming with monsters, bandits, cults, and beasts.

And there's the saying that a thief can be on guard for a thousand days, but how can one guard against a thief for a thousand days?