Robbing the robbers
Fifteen minutes later.
Laokeli, the owner of Flower of the Plateau and also a "Judge," returned to the Banquet Hall, which was decorated in a daze and was no less luxurious than that of a great nobleman.
Seated at the head of the long table, surrounded by seven or eight beautiful women of different styles, Colonel Holmes casually asked, "What's going on? Is someone causing trouble downstairs?"
He is the highest-ranking commander of the Loen Military on the Dilinus Island, and he also has a strong faith in Storm and a good relationship with the church.
Perhaps it can also be said like this:
In the eyes of the Dilinus Island, he was the true ruler of this land.
The words had barely left his mouth.
A young man in a naval Lieutenant Colonel commander's uniform stood up from his seat:
"Then I'll go take care of it."
"Uh, no, no one's causing trouble," Laokeli quickly denied.
He glanced apologetically at the young Lieutenant Colonel, then looked around at the other senior officers accompanied by beautiful women before turning his gaze to Colonel Holmes:
"A Great Pirate wants to talk business with me."
"My subordinates didn't dare to make the decision, so they came to me."
"I see. Well, then go and take care of what you need to do." Colonel Holmes immediately lost interest in asking any further questions.
Great Pirate and small Pirate alike, in the face of a well-organized army, could only flee in disarray. They've been arrogant for so many years because they rely on the sea.
However, their good days are coming to an end.
Once the Kingdom's armored fleet reaches a certain size, they will be the first to die.
The other officers remained silent, but their demeanor and expressions clearly conveyed the same meaning as Colonel Holmes.
Some started inviting their female companions and colleagues to play cards, some enjoyed fine wine and food served by their female companions, and some led their female companions to Small Room.
"..."
"If I could handle it, I would have made the decision on the spot. Why would I have come back?" Laokeli cursed inwardly, unsure whether to leave or stay.
Colonel Holmes frowned slightly:
"Is there anything else?"
"Uh, no, but about what I was talking about earlier," Laokeli said, forcing a smile, "It requires a large sum of money, and I'm afraid you'll have to agree."
While the Flower of the Plateau's ability certainly played a part in making it the largest brothel on the Dilinus Island, it wasn't the key factor.
An even more important reason was that his father, who had abandoned him years ago, later learned by chance that he had an illegitimate son. With the idea of continuing the family bloodline, he introduced Colonel Holmes to him, asking this colleague to take care of him and providing initial financial support.
Of course, such favors cannot be taken without the exchange of benefits.
Every year, 50% of the profits from Flower of the Plateau" go to active-duty high-ranking military officers like Colonel Holmes, while 40% goes to his irresponsible father.
Only the remaining ten percent belongs to you.
In other words, Laokeli is at most a minor shareholder who has been brought to the forefront.
A large sum of money? Colonel Holmes gave a playful look:
How much money?
Other officers who overheard the conversation also cast approving glances their way. Of course, many more exchanged similar teasing or joking remarks as they would with their superiors.
Laokeli pretended not to notice the looks in their eyes and whispered:
"A conservative estimate is at least 30,000 to 40,000 pounds."
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"This is roughly equivalent to Flower of the Plateau's profits for a year and a half."
Upon hearing the announced number, a Lieutenant Colonel couldn't help but spit out the red wine in his mouth, but no one cared about his lapse in composure at the moment, because they weren't much better off themselves.
Colonel Holmes for a moment, waved for the woman in the room to leave temporarily, took a deep breath, and revealed a solemn expression:
Tell me more.
Seeing the important figures he usually looked up to, all visibly intimidated, Laokeli couldn't help but feel a secret sense of satisfaction at his successful revenge.
He immediately recounted the details of the transaction in detail.
Apart from heavy breathing, the Banquet Hall was deathly silent. This Laokeli lasted for ten minutes before someone broke it.
The speaker was Colonel Holmes.
His face was expressionless, and his eyes seemed somewhat wooden.
"Bloodblade" Savi with Bounty of 8,700 pounds? "Giant" Goliath with Bounty of 6,300 pounds? "Iron Hand" Sagu with Bounty of 4,100 pounds?"
"And their Pirate?"
"And the ' Blackthorn ' ship from the ' Twilight Pirate Group '?"
After speaking, he remained silent for more than ten seconds, turned his head to look at his colleagues and subordinates, and finally fixed his gaze on Laokeli's face:
Can the authenticity of this message be confirmed?
"As far as I know, the ' Golden Dream ' was spotted in another sea area just two days ago. It's impossible for it to have returned so quickly. It couldn't have been ' Flower Bow Tie ' who did it all by herself, could it?"
"I don't know, but he's the one who came forward," Laokeli replied shrewdly. "And I can't think of any reason why he would play us for a fool."
"Perhaps because the ironclad fleet almost surrounded the ' Golden Dream,' he wanted to avenge his captain?" someone thought to themselves.
As soon as he finished speaking, his colleague couldn't help but roll his eyes:
"First of all, very few people know about our relationship with this place. He probably approached us because of our great reputation and the possibility of cooperation."
"Secondly, he's now a true Great Pirate, why would he risk exposing his identity here just to play a joke on us?"
"Would we be foolish enough to pay upfront for such a large transaction?"
Colonel Holmes raised his hand to stop his subordinate from continuing and asked, "Is ' Flower Bow Tie ' Jodson still here?"
Laokeli shook his head and said:
"No, he left when my men came up."
"However, he left Note under his glass with an address on it, saying that if we were interested in making a deal, we should send a letter there."
Colonel Holmes nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and then made his decision:
"Send a message there."
Tell "Flower Bow Tie" that he can exchange 70% of the Bounty Amount on those Pirate ' heads for his money, in cash.
"As for the ' Blackthorn,' I'd offer a maximum of ten thousand pounds."
"Yes." Laokeli bowed slightly, turned, and left the Banquet Hall. At this moment, Colonel Holmes looked around and then at his subordinates:
"Take my warrant and have five squads of 100 men surround that area. If anyone gets close, immediately apprehend them and interrogate them about the whereabouts of ' Flower Bow Tie '."
The Lieutenant Colonel colonel immediately stood up and, with a strong voice, accepted the order:
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, in another Dimension.
Lorry, somewhat speechless after witnessing the whole thing, planned to enter the Colonel's dream later and have a good chat with him.
They want the goods, but don't want to pay for them, and they even plan to take the seller's money too!
Who are these people? They're so despicable! Luckily, I was smart enough to prepare in advance and left a fake address to test their attitude.
The negotiations dragged on for two full days.
Even after Colonel Holmes hid deep within the military camp and enlisted the protection of a "Mandated Punishers," he still woke up to find the Note with the "Flower Bow Tie."
Left with no other choice, he reluctantly accepted the bargain: the Pirate ' Bounty would be increased by 10%, and the Blackthorn would be worth 12,000 pounds.