Departure

Theus watched the shifting expressions on Jeremiah's face with a hint of amusement; he didn't even need to guess what Jeremiah was imagining. His title as a Count of the Frontier was indeed intimidating, but in truth, the greatest utility of such a title was merely to intimidate.

The Empress tacitly allowed them to use this title to seek benefits, and naturally, the Empire could also logically take a share of the spoils.

However, Theus did not expect to solve all his problems by relying solely on a title.

"Steel and timber are certainly out of the question, at least not openly, but I can procure things that will satisfy you." Theus flipped through the ledger unhurriedly. "Of course, you could also continue collecting your maritime taxes, let me see... fifteen crates of fish? Thirty barrels of sweet ale?"

He shook the ledger with a smile: "You can't even collect much gold rum; you're forced to accept goods as payment."

Jeremiah cast a gloomy glance at the ledger in Theus's hands.

He was right, of course. Castel was a poor place, or rather, all the islands in the Storm Ocean were equally impoverished.

If this place were wealthy enough, why would there be pirates? If one could make a living by honest means, who would be willing to risk their life?

It was precisely this barrenness, coupled with the storms that could descend at any moment to destroy everything, that turned the Storm Ocean into a pirate's paradise.

And the choice Theus gave him... damn it, was that even a choice? It was a blatant threat.

He must be retaliating—retaliating for them making a move in his territory, and for the Tattooed Man dealing with his chief clerk.

Yet, the conditions he offered were ones Gem Bay simply could not refuse. No wonder he was so confident.

Watching Theus's smiling expression, Jeremiah knew he had been dealt a losing hand.

Could Gem Bay refuse those scarce resources? Certainly not. Others might not know, but Jeremiah understood exactly how desperate the pirates' need for ships and armaments had become.

The Black Sail Fleet dominated the Storm Ocean without a rival; they won every battle, yet survival was becoming increasingly difficult, reaching a point where they were struggling to move forward.

Ships were hard to replace, and resources were embargoed by the Empire on the mainland. They were like mice trapped in a pot, forced to watch as the Empress sneered and boiled the water dry.

As long as Theus could produce the resources, Gem Bay would immediately clear a position for him—one higher than his own as a captain.

"What kind of resources are these, and how long until they arrive?" Jeremiah asked dryly.

"You will see when you come to the port in a month."

Jeremiah's face twitched. The other party wouldn't even tell him what the goods were; there was not a shred of sincerity.

But he truly had no other way. He glanced unobtrusively at the Tattooed Man not far away. Although that man had come with him, he only took orders from the Pirate Governor, which was also a form of surveillance over him.

There were many pirate captains; if he ruined this business, the Governor would simply replace him with someone else and send Jeremiah to feed the horse-faced fish.

Jeremiah took a deep breath, unhooked the scabbard of the curved blade at his waist, and placed it solemnly on the table in front of Theus.

This was pirate etiquette. Once an agreement was reached, both sides would exchange an item, and gifting a sidearm signified both solemnity and—a threat.

If the other party failed to fulfill their promise, he, Jeremiah, would hunt this person for the rest of his life until he hung his head from the mast of his ship.

Theus took the curved blade without a care, casually pulled a small, sand-covered seashell from his hair, and handed it over.

An insult—a complete and utter insult!

Jeremiah took a deep breath, thought about it, took another deep breath, grabbed the seashell, said nothing, and turned to leave.

In a month, he would personally bring the fleet to collect the goods... no, starting tonight, he would station men to watch the sea, preventing this damned lord Theus from sneaking back to the mainland.

When the day of delivery arrived, if he couldn't produce the goods, the Black Sail would surely hang his head from the highest mast.

Jeremiah sneered.

If you have the ability, take the whole island and fly away.

On the pier, watching the skiff carrying the two pirates leave the island, Alexei looked at Theus with a complex expression.

Today had completely shattered his impression of this lord.

To be honest, he hadn't dealt with Theus much; previously, Theus had almost entirely left the territory to him, never even appearing outside his manor.

He had assumed this was just an ordinary, useless noble, but he hadn't expected to be so terribly wrong.

Falling out with pirates was easy, but forcing them into a negotiation was no simple task.

Alexei admitted he couldn't have remained so composed under the pressure of the Tattooed Man; even now, the thought of that eerie man gave him lingering fear.

The chips Theus had thrown onto the table also filled him with admiration.

Each of these scarce resources struck precisely at the pirates' weaknesses, forcing the arrogant Jeremiah to choose compromise.

As for whether he could actually produce them, Alexei didn't really care.

Who could say what would happen in a month? With him here, he could obtain some secret help from the Imperial family. Besides, this Count was the illegitimate son of Duke Cohen; he might actually be able to come up with something.

Moreover, since Theus was enfeoffed here, he would inevitably clash with the pirates in the future. Although a month wasn't long, a lot could be done. While he didn't know what trump cards Theus held, Alexei, as a graduate of the Royal Army Academy, would certainly be able to play his part.

Alexei found himself actually admiring this lord.

He had been a hawk at the Army Academy, and he naturally identified with lords who possessed a hardline style of doing things. This Count Theus's methods were very much to his liking.

Indeed, there were no useless Counts of the Frontier; it was his own arrogance that had been at fault.

Wait!

Thinking about it this way, back when Theus sent him to negotiate with the pirates...

Alexei clicked his tongue.

He had originally assumed it was because this lord was too cowardly to show his face.

Now it seemed he had been wildly mistaken; if Theus dared to refuse paying maritime taxes, would he really be afraid to negotiate with pirates?

And that time he thought he understood Theus's intentions and went to deliver money to the pirates...

Alexei gritted his teeth.

Thinking back to how Theus came here in person today, besides getting him out of a tight spot, it was likely also meant as a demonstration for him.

Not only did he not suffer a loss, but he also struck a blow against two pirates and secured another month of leeway.

He felt ashamed; he truly hadn't done well enough, possessing neither the finesse of Theus nor the ability to suppress the pirates with force.

Alexei had climbed from an orphan to a level seven civil servant not just through hard work, but also because of his character—he admitted when he was wrong and corrected his mistakes.

He had indeed performed poorly, and if Theus were to scold him for it, he would have no complaints.

Alexei straightened his posture.

But then, he looked at his lord with some surprise—

Theus handed him a scimitar.