Packaged for Sale

Governor Drew led Arthur into a private box.

"Lord Arthur seems quite anxious. Is there a pressing need for money lately?"

"Who would ever turn away shiny gold coins?"

Arthur casually reached into his money pouch and began counting the gold coin reward granted by the Church of Light right in front of Governor Drew.

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

This reason convinced Governor Drew.

The items at the Old Wood Ship Auction included many goods from the New Continent, as well as rare treasures involving the supernatural.

Many nobles from the Old Continent would also flock to the Rhine Island auction, making the competition incredibly fierce.

Governor Drew asked indifferently, "What is it that Lord Arthur wishes to trade?"

Understanding Arthur's urgency, Governor Drew felt he held the upper hand and could squeeze a hefty profit out of him.

Should I squeeze him a little for this first trade? Not too hard, though, lest it affect our future cooperation.

"A Letter of Marque, and my noble badge."

"Pfft—"

Governor Drew couldn't help himself; wine splashed onto his person, soaking his expensive silk robe.

"Lord Arthur, I hope you can provide a perfect explanation, otherwise you shall be the one compensating me for this expensive robe."

Arthur ignored his loss of composure and continued counting his gold coins.

With his other hand, he produced the Sun Medal, his noble badge, and the Letter of Marque.

"The Letter of Marque allows one to plunder merchant ships, with only a 20% tax to be paid.

But if you add this noble badge, that's a 10% tax exemption, meaning 90% of the profits are kept.

These 90% of the profits are protected by imperial law—it's all perfectly legitimate."

Governor Drew's expression turned ugly. Selling a noble badge right in front of him was like taking the honor of the nobility and grinding it into the dirt.

"And so what?"

Seeing that Governor Drew didn't grasp his meaning, Arthur immediately explained:

"If a pirate ship obtains a Letter of Marque, the total yield is eighty percent.

Upon arriving at Rhine Port, by flashing this badge representing a noble, the tax is automatically reduced by another 10%."

"Governor, are you not tempted?"

Governor Drew's inner rage flared up, then extinguished.

As a noble of the empire, a high-ranking Viscount, he took pride in his status.

This status had brought him the position of Governor of Rhine and allowed him to enjoy many conveniences.

However, Arthur's proposal was highly feasible.

A trace of doubt appeared in Governor Drew's eyes as he asked Arthur, "An imperial noble, the honor of a pirate—do you not care about such things?"

"Once such a matter is discovered, the empire will absolutely strip you of all your honors and place a massive bounty on your head."

The nobility of the Tudor Dynasty might be widespread, but it could never be allowed to lose its value and become a common commodity.

Arthur chuckled, pulled his other hand away, and tightened the drawstring of his gold coin pouch.

One thousand gold coins; the Church of Light was stingier than he had imagined. Then again, he supposed that made sense—any more gold than that wouldn't fit in a single bag.

He was still short eight thousand eight hundred and sixty gold coins.

"My apologies, Governor, but I am a pirate."

I am a pirate. That answered all of Governor Drew's confusion; what a reasonable excuse.

Arthur was a pirate; gold was everything, and a base pirate would not understand the honor of the nobility.

Governor Drew drained his wine glass in one gulp and asked in a deep voice, "What is your asking price?"

"Ten thousand gold coins!"

"Impossible!"

Governor Drew decisively rejected Arthur's outrageous demand. One thousand gold coins were enough to drive a pirate mad.

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

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

"With the Letter of Marque and the noble badge, you can privately assemble a fleet to plunder coastal merchant caravans.

Every single haul will yield significantly more than before. If a merchant ship's cargo is worth 10,000 gold coins, you would gain an extra 100 gold coins. Ten thousand gold coins for you, Governor, is nothing more than a few extra raids."

Governor Drew chuckled and said, "1,000 gold coins. I won't pay a single coin more."

Arthur's words had tempted Governor Drew, but he knew that if he gave in now, it would only drive up the cost of the trade.

"Governor, do not forget that the Letter of Marque and the Lordship Badge are likely coveted by more than just you."

His words caused Governor Drew to fall silent, closing his eyes to ponder carefully.

At this moment, Arthur suddenly heard the prayer of Mr. Red Grail.

"Great Mr. Mansus, I thank you for your generosity; please decipher this Mermaid Book."

In a trance, he saw Mr. Red Grail place a book bound in fish skin into [Research].

Azure hair, faint fish scales at the corners of his eyes, and a lean frame concealing explosive power.

The captain of the Piranha, Edmond Tide.

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

[Parsing in progress: Mermaid Book]

[Ancient Sea-folk language.]

[Parsing countdown: 72 hours]

An ancient Sea-folk language? The Mermaid Book?

It seems Mr. Red Grail's ancient bloodline is that of the ancient merfolk.

Seeing Lord Arthur's thoughts seemingly drifting far away, a trace of anxiety rose in Governor Drew's heart.

Just as Arthur had said, this combination of items could bring in significant benefits.

As the governor of Rhine Island, he possessed certain privileges; by appropriately lowering the declared value of merchant caravan goods, the profit margin would be extremely substantial.

"Lord Arthur, I am acting with the utmost sincerity—three thousand gold coins, and not a single coin more!"

Governor Drew's words pulled Arthur's thoughts back.

His gaze landed on Governor Drew's face as he said in a deep voice, "5,000 gold coins. Governor Drew, you only need to take action twice more to earn back this amount."

"Let us both take a step back: 4,000 gold coins. If Lord Arthur does not agree to this trade, you may seek a more generous buyer."

Arthur smiled and pushed the Letter of Marque and the badge on the table toward Governor Drew.

"Add this Sun Medal—belonging to a suspected member of the Church of Light—and it is 4,100 gold coins."

Governor Drew's mouth twitched; it was his first time encountering a pirate who calculated gold coins in such detail.

"Deal."

Having successfully sold the items as a package, Arthur carried a heavy chest containing two thousand gold coins and jewelry of considerable value.

The total value was approximately 4,100 gold coins, leaving him still short by 4,760 gold coins.

"My final hope can only rest on Arena; I hope this young lady has enough gold coins."

Upon arriving at Blue Bay Island, Arthur immediately went to visit Miss Arena.

"Lord Arthur, you cannot carry any weapons!"

An attendant blocked Arthur, gesturing that his chest could not be brought inside.

The moment Arthur opened the chest, he said coldly, "Is this acceptable now?"

The attendant gasped, decisively stepping aside and bowing ninety degrees: "Please."