Trade War

Under the cover of night, Kayn and Pyke hunted down those on the list one by one. One was the Bloody Harbor Ghost, a terrifying legend of Bilgewater; the other, a Shadow Order Disciple skilled in Dark Magic. Both were masters of assassination! Kayn had already found several Mages tonight, and the accumulation of energy had accelerated his progress.

But Kayn knew things were far from simple. The magical fluctuations emanating from these Mages were all similar, as if absorbed by a single person. This struck Kayn as very strange. Although the magical energy felt incredibly satisfying, Kayn didn't lose himself in the pleasure. A few hours later, the mission was nearly complete. Kayn and Pyke's skills were extraordinary; these targets were no different from mere chickens and dogs before them.

After the mission, Kayn and Pyke met at the docks. Kayn said, "I think there's something strange about this. The magic on those Mages is identical, as if it's all from one person!"

Pyke frowned. "There's such a thing?"

Kayn rested his massive scythe on his back. "We'll leave the brain-racking to Roland. We should go. The mission is done."

Pyke and Kayn returned to the First Army's camp. Kayn vanished into the shadows a few streets away from the camp. They quietly returned to Jiang Chuan's office.

Jiang Chuan was about to go to sleep when he saw Kayn emerge from the shadows. Pyke also materialized from the mist. Seeing them return unharmed, he smiled. "You completed the mission just a few hours after I returned to camp. As expected of the best Assassins! Were there any unexpected issues with this mission?"

Kayn replied, "No unexpected issues, but there was one very strange thing."

Jiang Chuan asked curiously, "Strange thing?"

Kayn nodded. "I found four Mages. The magical fluctuations on all four of them were identical. This struck me as very strange. Every Mage's magical fluctuation is different. It's impossible for four Mages in the world to have identical magical fluctuations! This is a very strange matter."

Jiang Chuan asked, puzzled, "Is there anyone who can imitate another's magical fluctuations?"

Kayn chuckled dismissively. "Anyone who can imitate another's magical fluctuations is a master Mage. Those masters are all old men with white beards. And even if there were young ones, it's impossible for four of them to appear at once."

Pyke said, "I didn't encounter any major problems on my end. I also felt a chill down my spine while killing those people, as if someone was watching me. It was very uncomfortable."

Jiang Chuan frowned and pondered for a moment. "We have no leads right now. We can only investigate slowly. It's getting late, let's rest."

Jiang Chuan dispelled Pyke's summoning, and Pyke returned to the deep sea. Kayn shrugged and merged into Jiang Chuan's shadow.

After washing up, Jiang Chuan lay down in bed and slept. The next day, Jiang Chuan woke up early. Kendi had already started the routine morning drills with the First Army. After a brief word with Kendi, Jiang Chuan prepared to return to the island.

Upon returning to Bloodfang Island, Jiang Chuan found Sarah. Sarah was sitting in her office handling the island's daily affairs. Jiang Chuan sat in a chair and smiled at Sarah. "Are you getting used to life on the island?"

Sarah looked up at Jiang Chuan. "It's alright, I guess. Just a bit too much free time."

Jiang Chuan smiled mysteriously. "You won't be bored for long."

Sarah brushed back her Fiery Red Hair. "What good assignment are you going to give me now?"

Jiang Chuan said, "The Red Hat is now the Second Army of the Dark Sea Throne. I need you to help me manage the Red Hat. Island affairs and the steel business will be handled by Laurie. The Red Hat will also sell steel provided by the island. With both Merchant Guilds selling steel, we can disrupt the market."

Sarah put down her documents. "Manage the Red Hat? That sounds interesting. When will my plan be implemented?"

Jiang Chuan shook his head. "Not yet. Huck has already started paying attention to the Dark Sea Throne. We must deal with Huck first before implementing the plan. This will give us some room to maneuver."

Sarah asked, "What about the Dark Sea Throne?"

Jiang Chuan looked at the Bilgewater map behind him. "This time, the Dark Sea Throne will expand its scale, increasing to seven hundred people forming a company. They will secretly remove those Nails for you. Island affairs are on track. We just need to build the Steel Mill and the Armory. A steady stream of weapons and money will enter our pockets. And what do those who want to profit from the chaos need? Higher quality blades, or better Firearms and Explosives. We have what they need, and we will be invincible."

Sarah smiled. "Trade war? Where did you get these ideas? After the chaos broke out, we massively increased prices. If they didn't buy from us, they'd be eliminated by others. If they did buy, we could use the profits to arm ourselves. This way, they'd grow poorer and poorer, and we'd grow richer and richer, leaping to the upper echelons of Bilgewater. But what if someone uses weapons bought from us to attack us?"

Jiang Chuan said dismissively, "I'll start developing new weapons, much better than these. Those are just obsolete items. We won't sell all our weapons; we'll just sell a few outdated ones. Besides, we can completely move our base of operations to the Siren."

Sarah clapped her hands. "I thought you were going to conquer Bilgewater through sheer force. This bloodless method is new to me. All previous struggles involved killing each other, and even if you gained a position, you could be overthrown by successors. Your method maximizes the preservation of strength. It's a brilliant strategy."

Jiang Chuan smiled. "There's nothing extraordinary about it. This is just a setup. If we want to overthrow Gangplank and take charge ourselves, we have to use a few tricks. That's the general plan. I'm going to see how the Siren's refit is going."

Jiang Chuan arrived at the dock. A Silver Warship with a distinctly modern appearance floated quietly on the water. The Siren no longer resembled its former self. Its sleek hull and spacious deck all exuded the beauty of modern technology.

Jiang Chuan found Noah, who was directing the work, and asked, "How's the refit coming along?"

Noah looked at the blueprints and replied, "The refit is complete. Six cannons and one Fortress Cannon have been installed on board. The six cannons have been modified according to your specifications. The Fortress Cannon is mounted at the bow, increasing the firing range. We can now accurately hit targets within two thousand meters. Twelve spots have been reserved, and the rest is almost done."

Jiang Chuan looked at the warship before him and smiled. "Excellent. In a couple of days, you'll receive a large number of personnel. I'll give you blueprints for a few weapons. You'll lead the mass production. The main focus right now is still on manufacturing military supplies. You'll have to work hard for a while. The Steel Mill and Armory on Red Hat's side are also under construction. Once the Machine Tools are moved over, production can begin."

Noah nodded. "No problem. I'm already very satisfied to be able to build a warship like this."

Jiang Chuan patted Noah's shoulder. "This is just the beginning. In the future, you'll see humans soaring through the skies!"

Noah waved his hand and smiled. "I won't be able to experience that. But now, no ship can catch up to the Siren's speed, and its firepower is the strongest among all ships in Bilgewater!"