Soon after Li Ling killed Huo Jiu, the news reached the fleet outside the city. Blood Lion, the third chief, looked utterly grim.
On Northsky Island, the heads of the Merchant Association were equally astonished.
"Huo Jiu is dead?"
"Was it infighting among the pirates, or some master from the wilds robbing another outlaw?"
"What concerns me more is how much wealth that person secretly took from Huo Jiu."
"Pirates value treasure. They divide their plunder on the spot, and even their chief leaders cannot hold back their shares for long. He should have had money on hand. Some hidden master might well have seen that wealth and coveted it."
"Yes, crouching tigers and hidden dragons lurk among the unaffiliated. There are quite a few masters living in seclusion."
"This affair is extremely unusual, but whatever happened, a living person cannot truly vanish without a trace. Watch for developments around town from now on. Keep a close eye on any scattered loot, through both lawful and criminal channels."
"Yes!"
"Besides that, unrest seems to have broken out in the DC District occupied by the pirates. Even Blood Lion voluntarily withdrew to the sea. It is time to repair the grand array, and perhaps even counterattack!"
After their discussion, everyone departed with their respective orders.
Both matters involved Li Ling. He had to help restore the grand array and keep an eye on the Incense Market afterward, watching for incense products stolen by the pirates entering circulation.
He would have to cooperate in tracing their origins and rooting out that person.
Investigate myself?
What else could Li Ling say? Naturally, he agreed without reservation.
Leaving aside his subsequent work repairing the grand array, which gave him no time to concern himself with the pirates, the Blood Shark Bandits naturally refused to