Sold as a Package

Governor Drew brought Arthur to a private box.

"Lord Arthur seems to be in a hurry. Are you short on money lately?"

"Who would ever complain about having more shiny gold coins?"

Arthur casually reached into his money pouch and counted out the gold coins the Theocracy had awarded him right in front of Governor Drew.

"The Old Wood Ship Auction is being held on Rhine Island soon. Without enough gold coins, I won't be able to buy the treasures I want."

That reason convinced Governor Drew.

Many of the lots at the Old Wood Ship Auction came from the New Continent, and some were extraordinary treasures.

Many nobles from the Old Continent would also come to the auction on Rhine Island, making for fierce competition.

Governor Drew asked mildly, "What are you hoping to trade, Lord Arthur?"

Understanding Arthur's urgency, Governor Drew figured he held the upper hand and could squeeze Arthur for a good deal.

Should he squeeze him a little on their first transaction? Not too hard, though, lest it affect their future cooperation.

"A Letter of Marque and my lord's badge."

"Pfft—"

Governor Drew couldn't hold back. Wine spilled onto him, soaking his expensive silk robe.

"Lord Arthur, I hope you can give me a satisfactory explanation. Otherwise, you'll have to pay for this expensive robe."

Arthur paid no mind to his lapse in composure and continued counting the coins.

With his other hand, he took out the Sun Medal, his lord's badge, and the Letter of Marque.

"The Letter of Marque lets you profit from plundering merchant ships while paying only 20% in taxes.

"And with this lord's badge, you get a 10% tax reduction, leaving you with 90% of the profits.

"The Empire's laws protect those profits. It's all perfectly legitimate."

Governor Drew looked furious. Selling a lord's badge right in front of him was practically rubbing the honor of the nobility in the dirt.

"So what?"

Seeing that Governor Drew hadn't understood, Arthur immediately explained:

"If a pirate ship obtains a Letter of Marque, it keeps 80% of its profits.

"When it reaches Rhine Port, it can present this badge of nobility and automatically receive a 10% tax reduction."

"Your Excellency, doesn't that tempt you?"

The fury in Governor Drew's heart flared up, then died down.

As a noble of the Empire and an honorable viscount, he took pride in his status.

That status had also earned him the post of Rhine Governor, along with many privileges.

But Arthur's proposal was quite feasible.

A flicker of doubt appeared in Governor Drew's eyes. "You're an imperial lord, and a pirate's honor is at stake. Don't you care?"

"If this is discovered, the Empire will strip you of every honor you hold and put a huge bounty on your head."

The Tudor Dynasty might have plenty of lords, but their titles couldn't be worthless, reduced to ordinary commodities.

Arthur chuckled and used his other hand to tie off the pouch of coins.

A thousand gold coins. The Church of Light was stingier than he'd imagined. Then again, it made sense; any more coins wouldn't fit in one pouch.

He was still 8,860 gold coins short.

"Sorry, Governor. I'm a pirate."

I'm a pirate. That explained everything to Governor Drew. What a perfectly reasonable excuse.

Arthur was a pirate, and gold coins were everything to him. Pirates were vile creatures who knew nothing of noble honor.

Governor Drew drained his glass of wine and asked in a low voice, "How much are you asking?"

"Ten thousand gold coins!"

"Impossible!"

Governor Drew flatly rejected Arthur's outrageous demand. A thousand gold coins would be enough to drive pirates wild.

A fully equipped carrack cost only around 3,000 gold coins.

Ten thousand gold coins would be enough for Arthur to outfit a large fleet and dominate the coastal waters.

"With a Letter of Marque and a lord's badge, you can secretly assemble a fleet and plunder merchant convoys along the coast.

"Each time, you'll make considerably more than before. If a merchant ship is carrying goods worth 10,000 gold coins, you'll earn an extra 100.

"For Your Excellency, ten thousand gold coins would take only a few more raids to earn back."

Governor Drew chuckled. "A thousand gold coins. I won't pay a single coin more."

Arthur's words tempted Governor Drew, but he knew that if he gave way now, the cost of the deal would only go up.

"Your Excellency, don't forget that you may not be the only one who wants the Letter of Marque and the lord's badge."

Arthur's words made Governor Drew fall silent. He closed his eyes and considered the matter carefully.

Just then, Arthur suddenly heard Mr. Red Grail praying.

"Great Mr. Mansus, thank you for your generosity. Please decipher this Mermaid Book."

In a daze, he saw Mr. Red Grail place a book made of fish skin into [Research].

He had azure-blue hair, faint fish scales at the corners of his eyes, and a lean frame that concealed explosive strength.

Edmund Tides, captain of the Piranha.

A great pirate of the Grand Route in the Mist Sea, he had once plundered a merchant ship of the Xiya Empire carrying goods worth 1,000 gold coins.

[Analyzing: Mermaid Book]

[Ancient Sea Race Language.]

[Analysis countdown: 72 hours]

Ancient Sea Race Language? A Mermaid Book?

It seemed Mr. Red Grail's ancient bloodline came from an ancient mermaid lineage.

Seeing that Lord Arthur's thoughts seemed to have drifted far away, Governor Drew grew a little anxious.

Just as Arthur had said, this combination could bring in a handsome profit.

As Governor of Rhine Island, he had certain privileges. If he understated the value of a merchant convoy's cargo, the profit margin could be enormous.

"Lord Arthur, I'm offering you a very generous deal. I can't go any higher than three thousand gold coins!"

Governor Drew's words brought Arthur back to the conversation.

Arthur looked Governor Drew in the face and said in a low voice, "Five thousand gold coins. Governor Drew, you'd make that back after only a couple more raids."

"Let's each give a little. Four thousand gold coins. If Lord Arthur won't accept, you can look for a more generous buyer."

Arthur smiled and pushed the Letter of Marque and the badge across the table to Governor Drew.

"With this Sun Medal, too, and a clergy member of the Church of Light—possibly—four thousand one hundred gold coins."

Governor Drew's mouth twitched. He had never met a pirate who counted every last coin so precisely.

"Deal."

Arthur had successfully sold everything as a package. He left carrying a heavy chest containing two thousand gold coins and a collection of valuable jewels.

The total was worth about 4,100 gold coins. He was still 4,760 short.

"His last hope rested on Arena. He hoped the young lady had enough gold coins."

As soon as he arrived on Blue Bay Island, Arthur went to visit Miss Arena.

"Lord Arthur, you can't bring any weapons inside!"

The attendant stopped Arthur and indicated that he couldn't bring the chest in, either.

The moment Arthur opened it, he said coldly, "Can I come in now?"

The attendant drew in a sharp breath and immediately stepped aside, bowing at a ninety-degree angle. "Please."