Recruiting Jack

Women dressed to the nines were everywhere, ranging from teenagers to women in their forties and fifties. As long as they were paid, they would do anything.

Quite a few people even found a corner by the street and got straight to business.

The ground was covered in filth and mud, and not a single pirate or prostitute passing by was clean.

Although Yang Mu had drifted at sea for more than ten days, he remained impeccably tidy. He wore a tailored suit beneath a trench coat and carried a gentleman's cane, utterly out of place among the surrounding pirates.

Yet no pirate dared provoke him. Anyone who could set foot on this island dressed like that had to be far more vicious than pirate lackeys like them. After all, maintaining elegance at sea came at a steep cost.

What was more, two figures completely shrouded in black robes followed Yang Mu. Judging from the bulges beneath their robes, the guards even wore armor underneath.

Yang Mu paid no attention to his surroundings. Compared to the slave quarters where he had slept when he first arrived in this world, this place was already quite decent.

Besides, the entire island was not filthy and chaotic. As he walked farther inward, both the surroundings and the women on the streets visibly improved in quality.

When Yang Mu chose a tavern and entered, aside from being especially lively, its interior was no worse than Plank Harbor.

To pirates, a tavern was a multifunctional establishment that combined entertainment, intelligence exchanges, trade, recruitment, and more.

Yang Mu's purpose in coming here was simple: eat, buy a ship, and recruit sailors.

At sea, one would not starve to death, but eating well was impossible. So after sitting down, he directly ordered a hot steak, a large vegetable salad, and a glass of fruit juice.

This was practically the meal every pirate sailor ordered after coming ashore. Fresh vegetables and fruit were luxuries at sea; aside from the first few days after setting sail, they were basically impossible to obtain afterward.

"Ha!"

Yang Mu drained the last of his juice and let out a long breath. Only those who had truly sailed the seas, especially in this era, could understand the happiness of that moment.

After eating and drinking his fill, Yang Mu went to the bar, ordered a glass of rum, and began talking with the tavern owner.

From the owner, he learned that a two-masted sailing ship cost three thousand Gold Shields. Recruiting capable sailors cost two Gold Shields per person, and a two-masted sailing ship required twenty sailors to operate perfectly.

Clearly, Yang Mu's mere five hundred Gold Shields were not enough. So after asking where the largest nearby casino was, he treated the owner to the rum he had ordered, then got up and left.

If you could not shield your mental power and the game's difficulty had not reached the level of the Poincaré Conjecture, then you had better not gamble with a Mage.

Even without cheating, a Mage could calculate you into bankruptcy.

Bang! Crack! A flintlock pistol was pressed against Yang Mu's head. This was already the fifteenth pirate to lose everything after gambling against Yang Mu, and this one was even a pirate Captain.

"You cheated! You rigged it!!!"

"Hehehe, a bet was a bet. Catch a thief with the goods, catch adultery in the act. Without evidence, I'll take this as a provocation against Barrel Daddy."

Yang Mu was not flustered in the slightest. Barrel Daddy was the founder of this Pirate Island and its keeper of order. Everyone knew pirates were creatures without order; without a powerful pirate to suppress them, they could easily start slaughtering one another over the smallest matter.

For example, if not for his fear of Barrel Daddy, the flintlock pistol pressed against Yang Mu's head would have already fired.

"Kid, just you wait."

After snarling those words, the pirate Captain stormed off. Yang Mu, meanwhile, cheerfully gathered up every Gold Shield on the man's table.

A huge pile of Gold Shields had already accumulated before him, numbering no fewer than three thousand.

In this casino, gamblers were not limited to betting against the house. They could gamble against one another as well, though as with every casino, the house took a cut.

In order not to offend the house, the most influential pirate force on the island, and avoid affecting his later purchase of a ship and recruitment of sailors, Yang Mu chose to gamble against other patrons.

That way, he won the gamblers' money while giving the casino a generous cut. Everyone was happy.

"Hey! Is there any Captain who wants these Gold Shields? If not, I'll be leaving."

Yang Mu spread his arms and provocatively addressed the crowd, but no one was willing to gamble against him anymore, even though more than three thousand Gold Shields was an enormous temptation.

No matter how much money was at stake, it was useless if there was no chance of winning.

Seeing that no one was willing to gamble with him any longer, he could only regretfully gather up the Gold Shields and leave. There were many Silver Jesters among them, enough to fill a large bag.

After leaving the casino, Yang Mu headed to the tavern. It operated around the clock. He placed a huge pile of Gold Shields directly on the bar and told the tavern owner to prepare the best two-masted sailing ship and twenty sailors for him.

Everyone around him stared, because few people did things this way. Transactions were usually conducted in private, since such behavior easily attracted greedy eyes.

The tavern owner was a plump middle-aged man. Like most people here, he had savage scars on his face, proving that he had retired from piracy. Only extremely renowned pirates could successfully retire into this profession.

"Sir, sometimes you need to keep a low profile. Please leave through here. Consider it thanks for that glass of rum yesterday."

With that, he handed Yang Mu a contract. Whoever held this contract could come on the agreed date and complete the transaction. This was the rule among pirates.

Only the strongest pirates, pirates capable of protecting their own property, were qualified to become Captains. This counted as a test.

The plump owner opened the entrance behind the bar and gestured for Yang Mu to leave through the back door. As he had said, this was his thanks for Yang Mu's rum last night. It had been a long time since anyone had treated him to a drink.

"Thank you for your help, Old Jack. If—if—you ever want to race across the sea again, to possess a pirate's freedom once more, to stand at the pinnacle of all pirates, or even rule these seas, then I'll save a first mate's position for you."

With that, Yang Mu left with the parchment scroll.

A burst of laughter rose from the tavern, mocking Yang Mu for overestimating himself.

Only Old Jack watched Yang Mu leave in silence for a long while. In the end, he shook his head. He was no longer young. Although he thought highly of Yang Mu, an invitation after only two meetings was not enough to move him.

Yang Mu had yet to show him the ability to make him disregard everything and follow him back out to sea, to explore endless secrets.