Chapter Ten, A Deal with Novia

Jiang Chuan followed Novia to the basement beneath the tavern. Novia pulled off her disguise, revealing a young woman about Jiang Chuan's age. Novia was actually around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, graceful, exceptionally beautiful, tall, and slender, with dignified and elegant manners. Jiang Chuan was stunned, not realizing Novia was so pretty under her disguise, and was momentarily lost in thought.

Novia poured Jiang Chuan a glass of water and asked with a smile, "How did you see through my disguise?"

Jiang Chuan took the water and replied with a laugh, "The tattoo. I'm very familiar with the Black Rose's symbol."

Novia looked at Jiang Chuan, puzzled, and said, "Have you encountered Black Rose members before?"

Jiang Chuan's face darkened. "I have."

Back then, Jiang Chuan had wanted to visit the Black Rose territory to meet girls, as there were many of them. But after trying, he was beaten black and blue by top players who weren't even ranked, who were carrying weaker players. In the Black Rose territory, any unranked player could be a king from another region. That's why Jiang Chuan was very familiar with the Black Rose's symbol.

Novia smiled at Jiang Chuan. "You said you know the leader of the Black Rose? Even the high-ranking members of the organization don't know who the leader is. Do you?"

Jiang Chuan smiled. "I have over ninety percent certainty about who the Pale Witch is, and I can find her."

Jiang Chuan's words stirred up a storm in Novia's heart. She had only overheard the name "Pale Witch" in conversations among high-ranking members. Yet, the man before her not only knew who the Pale Witch was but could also find her! This was the wish of everyone in the organization. If she could just catch a glimpse of the Pale Witch, her life would be complete.

Jiang Chuan smiled. "Honestly, I'd like to cooperate with the Black Rose. After all, you're arguably the most well-informed organization in this world. We could achieve a lot through cooperation. What do you think?"

Novia shook her head. "I'm only responsible for managing the Bilgewater area. I can help you in Bilgewater, but I don't know if there are any other Black Rose members in Bilgewater."

Jiang Chuan smiled at Novia. "If you can help me unify Bilgewater, then you'll be the only Black Rose in all of Bilgewater. Even if the Pale Witch comes, she won't be able to change my decision."

Novia exclaimed in surprise, "You want to unify Bilgewater!"

Jiang Chuan took a sip of water and said calmly, "This is just the first step. I must have Bilgewater under my control. That will not change."

Novia: "Do you want to be the Pirate King?"

Jiang Chuan blurted out impulsively, "Do you want to be the Pirate King's Woman?"

Novia chuckled. "Pirate King? That sounds nice. As for being the Pirate King's Woman? It's not impossible to consider."

Are girls in the Western world this open? Jiang Chuan shook his head and said seriously, "What I need is a complete city, a city centered around me, not a pirate leader."

Novia laughed. "Gangplank will probably be the first to disagree. Unifying Bilgewater will be very difficult. Bilgewater has always been populated by outlaws or criminals who fled here from other countries. They'll probably be the first to stand up."

Jiang Chuan smiled dismissively. "No nation was ever established without bloodshed. You probably know this better than I do."

Novia looked at Jiang Chuan and smiled. "Then how will you deal with Gangplank?"

Jiang Chuan said calmly, "He won't last much longer. What we need to discuss now is cooperation. How about this: I'll provide you with excellent weapons, or help you clear out any Black Rose members. You help me gather all information about Miss Fortune in Bilgewater. What do you think?"

Novia shook her head. "No. While gathering information isn't difficult, it's hard to avoid leaving traces. If other Black Rose members find out, I'll be in trouble."

Jiang Chuan smiled. "I've thought about that. You could move your base to Bloodfang Island."

Novia looked confused. "Wouldn't that be even more obvious?"

Jiang Chuan shook his head and said, "I'm not asking you to give up your current tavern. I just want you to open a branch on Bloodfang Island. You can even hold a grand opening ceremony and announce that you'll be opening more branches elsewhere in the future. This will expand your reach and serve as an excellent cover. When the new taverns open, you can use the excuse of overseeing them to travel between the two locations. I'll fund all future branches. How about we split the profits fifty-fifty?"

Novia tilted her head, looking at Jiang Chuan with her big, watery eyes. "Hmm, that sounds good. Let's do it. I'm really curious about who you are."

Jiang Chuan said, "Hasn't anyone told you not to be curious about a man?"

Novia chuckled and asked, "Why?"

Jiang Chuan smiled but didn't reply.

Novia then disguised herself again and walked out of the basement with Jiang Chuan.

Jiang Chuan said to Novia, "There are only a little over seven hundred people on Bloodfang Island right now. Although the food left by the Bloodfang Gang can last a long time, and we still have plenty of gold, there shouldn't be any major problems recently. The sooner the branch opens, the better. As for the defense of Bloodfang Island, I'll handle it."

Novia smiled. "Don't worry, I'll start collecting information on Miss Fortune for you."

Jiang Chuan chuckled. "Then I can rest easy. We'll have a good partnership."

Jiang Chuan had many reasons for asking Novia to open a tavern on Bloodfang Island. In this era, taverns were the fastest places to spread information. Jiang Chuan planned to have Novia open taverns one by one across Bilgewater, creating an invisible net to surround the area. Controlling the flow of information in a region would make things much easier. Whether it was shaping public opinion or spreading rumors, it could harm enemies without a fight. Jiang Chuan wouldn't pass up such an important method. With the first branch opening on Bloodfang Island, he would need a large number of workers when he started building factories, and the tavern could also serve as a recruitment point.

As dusk approached, Jiang Chuan returned to Bloodfang Island and looked at the ruins before him. His brow furrowed deeply. Without craftsmen, the construction of Bloodfang Island was just empty talk. Houses and city walls were urgent projects.

"Fortunately, the blacksmith shop on the island is still intact. Otherwise, we wouldn't even be able to build a Steam Engine tomorrow."

Jiang Chuan had also notified Old Jack to come to Bloodfang Island, but Old Jack was unwilling to come. The medical clinic had too many miscellaneous items, making them difficult to move. Jiang Chuan had no choice but to give up. Laurie had also led his men to transport the gunpowder, firearms, and gold to the island.

Jiang Chuan went to the mess hall. As soon as he sat down, Edmund approached him with a notebook. "Guild Leader, I've tallied them up. Most of these children are local street urchins. Some are orphans whose parents were killed when their merchant ships were robbed by the Bloodfang Gang. But there are exceptions."

Jiang Chuan: "Oh? What exceptions? Tell me."

Edmund flipped open the notebook. "More than ten children are from a merchant ship. The merchant ship came from Demacia. They still remember their parents or home addresses. One of them is even from the Crownguard Family."

This piqued Jiang Chuan's interest. It was well known that Demacia was rich in mineral resources and had vast forests. There were numerous ore veins within Demacia. Jiang Chuan would undoubtedly have to cooperate with Demacia in the future. It would be best to establish a connection now.