Creamy Truffle Cod Roll

Arthur arrived at the so-called noble restaurant and said in a loud voice, "Prepare a private room; I have urgent matters to discuss with Governor Drew."

"What is your signature dish here?"

The restaurant waiter carried a wooden board, upon which lines of small text were written in Latin on ordinary paper.

In the most prominent spot, a line was written in striking ink: Cream Truffle Cod Roll.

"Two orders of Cream Truffle Cod Rolls, plus two glasses of sherry. Have them ready as soon as possible."

Governor Drew, his brows furrowed into a knot, arrived at the restaurant with his navy and sat down opposite Arthur.

His temper was exceptionally volatile; with the vault having been robbed, he was currently searching every corner of Rhine Island.

Arthur's invitation left him puzzled and further irritated—was there something that couldn't be said directly, rather than wasting his time at a restaurant?!

"Does Governor Drew believe he can catch the Sky Thief who robbed the vault?"

"Or does Governor Drew think that someone capable of infiltrating the vault without the guards noticing the slightest thing would be discovered by naval soldiers?"

Governor Drew frowned, scrutinizing Arthur: "What exactly are you trying to say, Lord Arthur!"

"If this is just meaningless drivel, this Governor must return to searching for the thief."

He knew Arthur's words held merit, but currently, there was no other solution besides searching Rhine Island.

The restaurant's chef, Antonio, personally brought over the prepared Cream Truffle Cod Rolls, accompanied by an excellent sherry.

Arthur picked up his knife and fork, cut off a piece of the cod roll, and ate it; the blend of cream and truffle combined with the fatty aroma of the cod exploded in his mouth.

So, the food of the Age of Navigation wasn't just hardtack that was difficult to swallow.

Governor Drew had no appetite; he didn't even touch his cutlery, waiting for Arthur's next words.

"The vault on Rhine Island contains tax revenue collected from merchant ships across the region, which must be transported to Fog City every month."

"Governor Drew must be anxious about the tax issue. Such a massive amount of wealth is held by only two groups on the high seas."

Arthur sipped his sherry unhurriedly, beginning to guide Governor Drew toward a different approach.

Governor Drew tapped the table: "Passing merchant ships? No! Rhine Island cannot plunder merchant ships on a large scale!"

Even if the navy were disguised as pirates to raid merchant ships, it would be difficult to convert the cargo into a large sum of gold coins in a short time.

Whether there were even enough merchant ships to plunder was another matter entirely.

"Merchant ships? No! I am referring to pirates."

"Pirates?"

Governor Drew was just about to say "those wretches," but then he thought of the pirates' ships, cannons, and the merchant vessels they had raided.

The famous great pirates possessed inventories and accumulations that amounted to no small fortune.

Governor Drew sat up straight, cut off a piece of the Cream Truffle Cod Roll, and asked about Arthur's plan:

"The cunning of pirates far exceeds your imagination. How can we defeat enough of them?"

If he could annihilate enough pirates, the salvaged spoils, combined with the merit, would minimize the impact of the vault robbery case, and his position would remain unshaken.

Except for... Governor Drew sighed softly.

"A very simple method: I will use my identity as a pirate to call upon other pirates to gather together."

"And the reason?"

Governor Drew felt Arthur was being whimsical; pirates who had received royal commissions were, in essence, already nobles.

Sailing the high seas, they had to follow the rules of the nobility and could not plunder the merchant ships of their own nation.

Other pirates would never trust "Lord" Arthur!

Arthur raised his glass, clinked it with Governor Drew's, and gave him a convincing reason:

"Governor Drew's vault was robbed, and it contained a precious treasure; I need this treasure."

"If we can find the Sky Thief, the gold coins he stole will likewise be our spoils."

Governor Drew said softly: "I will send men to spread the word that a piece of contraband was lost from the vault."

"Merely gathering the pirates together, I fear, will not achieve the goal I desire. Chasing pirates on the high seas... is very difficult."

The most headache-inducing aspect of suppressing pirates was that they would flee aimlessly.

For instance, Rosen, captain of the Giant Catfish Pirate Crew, had drifted from the coastal waters of the Xiya Empire to those of the Tudor Dynasty.

The Rhine Island fleet possessed a total of twelve warships, including two Carrack-class flagships.

To surround and annihilate pirates on the high seas, this number was completely insufficient.

"What if they deliver themselves to our doorstep?"

"Oh!?"

Governor Drew looked at Arthur; if the pirates delivered themselves to their doorstep, they could rely on the navy's warship configuration and the placement of coastal cannons.

Countless pirates have gone to the sea, never to return.

"Is Lord Arthur joking? Why on earth would pirates attack Rhine Island!

With eighty coastal cannons alone, it is extremely difficult to break through the blockade of gunfire without a sufficient number of ships to surround the island."

Arthur's hand trembled slightly, a drop of wine falling onto the tabletop, and he used his finger to draw a "?" in the spilled liquid.

He lowered his voice and said, "What if Governor Drew, under pressure, is forced to dispatch the fleet to hunt down the roaming Sky Thief?"

"Rhine Island's defenses would be left empty, and the merchant ships docked here, along with the goods in the warehouses, would represent a staggering fortune."

Governor Drew pondered silently; pirates could not resist such a temptation, and the navy was currently protecting the merchant ships' normal routes.

If the navy were absent, Rhine Island would become a succulent cod roll, its accumulated wealth and immense reputation acting as the bait.

The pirates would absolutely be tempted.

He looked at the question mark Arthur had drawn; dispatching the main force away from Rhine Island, then tailing the pirates when they attacked.

With the defensive firepower of the coastal cannons, combined with the island's ground troops, they could hold out for a period of time.

Once Eisen led the main fleet back, the pincer maneuver would ensure that at most a small fraction of the pirates could escape.

But the main force would be completely annihilated! The pirates' banners would be transformed into medals for Governor Drew!

"Why?"

Governor Drew remained cautious; the plan was highly feasible, but the slightest carelessness could allow the pirates to successfully land.

The losses would be immeasurable, and he could hardly imagine the price he would have to pay.

He needed to know Arthur's motive; this plan was clearly not a whim, but something premeditated and carefully plotted.

Arthur had long since prepared a perfect excuse, saying, "The Governor knows very well where my title comes from."

"My relationship with the Church of Light is currently very strained; I have become a noble of the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets, yet I remain an outsider to the nobility."

"A distinguished feat of merit would give me the confidence to head to Fog City and formally become a peer of the Empire."

Governor Drew's lips curled; he was very satisfied with Arthur's answer.

No one could refuse the status of a noble in the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets—it meant not just money and wealth, but a position that stood above the masses.

Even in the Royal Navy, the most outstanding fleets and generals were all nobles.

"A very delicious cream truffle cod roll; the chef at this restaurant has excellent skills."

Governor Drew smiled, using his knife and fork to bring the cod roll to his mouth, shifting the conversation to the taste of the restaurant's food.

"The cream truffle cod is quite good; I hope the upcoming feast will be just as fresh and delicious."

Arthur raised his glass of sherry, clinking it against Governor Drew's Grail, the splashing wine droplets brimming with anticipation.