Handover

Pero had already prepared all the materials and documents at Red Hat Headquarters. In the afternoon, Jiang Chuan arrived with Sarah and Kendi to take over the affairs.

Kendi was discussing the formation of the Dark Sea Throne's company with Ralph. Pero smiled at Sarah and said, "Miss Sarah, I've heard so much about you. I never expected Bilgewater's most famous bounty hunter to be the second-in-command of the Dark Sea Throne."

Sarah smiled. "You're flattering me, Chief Pero. Those were just small-time ventures. Let's discuss our plans going forward."

Pero nodded. "Chief Roland mentioned a steel mill and an armory. We've already picked out a location beside White Harbor. There used to be several Red Hat warehouses there, but they're vacant now and ready for use. Red Hat has plenty of working capital at the moment, so we can get the steel business up and running."

Sarah nodded. "The Dark Sea Throne will transport the steelmaking equipment, armory equipment, and construction workers over in a while. Do you have enough people on your side?"

"We have no shortage of manpower," Pero said. "We can put our members to work on the construction. Our upper ranks haven't told the people below them about the merger, so that won't be a problem. As for you, Miss Sarah, I can simply announce that I'm handing the position of gang leader over to you. I've already prepared all the paperwork."

Sarah smiled. "I'll review the documents to get a better understanding of everything. For the next couple of days, I'll take my time getting familiar with Red Hat."

Pero nodded. "No problem."

Jiang Chuan stood and beckoned to Pero. The two of them went out onto the balcony, where Jiang Chuan asked, "How much do you know about the World Rune?"

"An old man from Bilgewater told me about the World Rune," Pero replied. "The only information I have is that scroll of maps."

Jiang Chuan shook his head. "The map is incomplete. It only says that the World Rune is somewhere east of Bilgewater; someone tore off the part showing its exact location. And I have a very bad feeling that this World Rune incident will change the balance of power in Bilgewater."

Pero nodded. "The World Rune is a closely guarded secret, but the great mages will definitely know it has appeared. None of them will be easy to deal with."

Jiang Chuan was troubled by the matter too. He had to claim the World Rune himself. Although he could summon heroes, he couldn't control them. They had their own freedom and ideas, and the World Rune was extremely tempting. If it ensnared one of them, the loss would be enormous.

Jiang Chuan had made Kayn transform into a Shadow Assassin so that the high-damage killer could deal with the mages while he went after the World Rune.

Pero frowned. "My teacher and I won't be much help when the time comes. My teacher is a divination mage and doesn't know many combat spells. I only know a handful myself—not enough for a real fight."

"Do mages have shield spells?" Jiang Chuan asked. "How strong are they?"

Pero thought for a moment before answering. "Yes, and there are many kinds. Some are simple shields, and they're not very strong; a few fireballs can usually break them. Advanced shield spells include Stone Shield and Water Shield. Shields formed from special elements are often extremely powerful. Ordinary spells can hardly break through them; you need advanced combat spells to stand against them. Few people know advanced shield spells. Many from the past were never passed down. Mage traditions are almost always handed down by word of mouth. Some mages without disciples write their spells in magical journals, but people don't even know where they died, let alone where to find their journals."

Jiang Chuan thought it over. He had too few ways to attack. His own abilities were no better than an ordinary person's, and all he could do was throw punches and kicks. Even with a gun, it would be difficult to threaten a mage. Fortunately, he had the help of the Siren and the Dark Sea Throne. As long as he planned his tactics well, a full artillery bombardment might give him a chance to obtain the World Rune.

"I understand," Jiang Chuan said. "Go take care of your business."

Jiang Chuan found Ralph and Kendi and told them, "This training is extremely important. We'll use Desert Island Training. No one leaves the island until they meet my standards. You and the First Army will be responsible for keeping an eye on things."

Kendi looked puzzled. "President, Desert Island Training?"

Jiang Chuan nodded. "The First Army will train alongside them. Each First Army soldier will lead six Second Army soldiers. The training will last a month. They won't be able to contact the outside world until it's over."

Ralph frowned. "Isn't that a little extreme?"

Jiang Chuan shook his head. "Remember, the Dark Sea Throne's troops get different treatment from everyone else. They earn one Gold Coin a month and have homes of their own, so we won't have any trouble recruiting soldiers."

Kendi said solemnly, "No problem, President. I guarantee that in a month, you'll see an army of steel."

Kendi and Ralph went off to handle the army's affairs, while Sarah and Pero familiarized themselves with Red Hat's operations. With nothing to do, Jiang Chuan headed to Novia's Tavern. It was nearly evening, and Novia had just gotten up and come down to take care of the place.

Jiang Chuan sat down by the bar and watched the people below sharing their stories with one another. Novia sat behind the counter, polishing a crystal glass as she smiled at him. "You haven't visited in a long time."

Jiang Chuan shrugged. "I've had too much going on lately. The Red Hat merger and affairs on the island both need my attention. I'm desperately short on people, and I'm busy as hell every day."

Novia smiled. "It's been a rare stretch of peace lately. All the gangs are holed up in their hideouts, and no one's causing trouble."

Jiang Chuan smiled. "It's just the calm before the storm. I came to ask you for a favor."

Novia smiled. "I knew you wouldn't come to see me without a reason."

Jiang Chuan shamelessly asked, "Do you know much about the mages in Bilgewater?"

Novia replied, puzzled, "Mages in Bilgewater? Illaoi counts as one. Gangplank has one by his side, and there's Pero. I don't know of any others."

Jiang Chuan took a glass of beer and drank. "I recently came across something unusual. I hired an assassin who could sense magical fluctuations to kill a few targets. The assassin found several mages in hiding. They were weak, but their magical fluctuations were all exactly the same. It's left me wondering."

Novia frowned. "We'll have to investigate to find out what's suspicious or strange about this. On its own, that clue won't be enough to find the target."

Jiang Chuan nodded. "True. Could you keep an ear out for me? For instance, listen for any terrifying stories people talk about in the tavern. You don't need to ask around; just pay attention if someone brings it up."

Novia nodded. "Sure. Plenty of people come here every day to tell stories in exchange for a drink."

Jiang Chuan drank his beer. "By the way, how's the branch doing?"

Novia reclined in her chair. "Pretty well. Someone else is running it, and they've gathered a lot of information."

Jiang Chuan looked at the people in the tavern as he drank his beer. "Without music, it feels like this place has lost its soul."

Novia rolled her eyes at him. "You expect to find musicians in Bilgewater? I'd be impressed if they could even make a lute produce a sound."