Parasitism

Holy Water Bar, at the end of the second-floor corridor, in a luxuriously decorated office.

The intelligence broker and Bar Owner, "Black Scorpion," leaned back in his leather chair, leisurely sipping a glass of blood-red wine.

The bright Gas Lamp illuminated his sinister face, revealing a dark, menacing, claw-like giant scorpion tattoo through the open collar of his shirt.

A burly man sat on a long Long Sofa not far away.

His skin tone was similar to "Black Scorpion's," both being a dark bronze color. His loose clothes couldn't hide his bulging muscles, which were stretched high.

At that moment, the burly man held a thick Cigar between his large, fan-like hands, squinting his eyes in enjoyment, and puffs of smoke billowed from his thick lips.

Suddenly, a light knock followed by two heavy knocks sounded on the door:

"Tap, tap tap."

The burly man glanced at the "Black Scorpion" behind the desk and said in a deep voice:

"Come in."

As soon as he finished speaking, with a creak, Hogg pushed open the door, bowing and scraping, and greeted the figure behind the desk respectfully, "Boss."

After speaking, he glanced at the figure Long Sofa, whose gaze was almost level with his own, and swallowed hard.

"Lord Tego." After greeting him, he looked back at "Black Scorpion" and said with barely suppressed excitement:

"Boss, I've found a great opportunity to make a fortune!"

The "Black Scorpion" behind the desk smiled, placed his wine glass on the table, and asked in a gentle tone, "What good opportunity? Tell me about it."

Upon hearing this, "Troll" Tego, Long Sofa, also looked over curiously.

Hogg, not daring to keep them in suspense, took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice:

"Danitz is in our bar."

As an intelligence broker, "Black Scorpion" was no stranger to wanted posters at sea and quickly realized who his subordinates were referring to:

"Flames" Danitz, a subordinate of "Vice Admiral Iceberg," Pirate wanted by various governments and churches, with Bounty exceeding 100,000 Verl D'Or.

After thinking for a moment, he picked up the glass of red wine and took a small sip, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his narrow eyes:

"The 'good opportunity' you're referring to is us secretly killing Danitz and then using his head to exchange for the Bounty with the Navy?" Hogg nodded emphatically. "Yes."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a series of tapping sounds coming from the direction of his desk. He immediately shut his mouth, not daring to make a sound.

Tap, tap, tap... The noise stopped, and "Black Scorpion" suddenly looked up:

"Please explain the specifics."

"Yes." Sensing that his boss was interested, Hogg was secretly delighted and quickly recounted what had happened downstairs:

"Danitz worked here for a few years and knows me. He wants to buy information from you, so he contacted me first, hoping I could provide assistance?"

Before he could finish speaking, "Black Scorpion" interrupted him:

"What kind of intelligence?"

Hogg answered without hesitation, "Their purpose is the same as the group from a few days ago; they want to ask you about the legend of the Ghost Ship."

"Black Scorpion" pondered for a few seconds, then his expression suddenly changed slightly:

"Madness!

"Think about it carefully. Someone who makes a name for themselves at sea wouldn't be brainless, would they? Since he spent several years in Norga, he should know about the Intis Navy's decades-long failure to find the Ghost Ship. If he wasn't confident, why would he come back? In my opinion, ' Vice Admiral Iceberg ' is probably here too, maybe even on the island right now. Aren't they always fond of calling themselves 'treasure Hunter '?"

He paused briefly, picked up his wine glass, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window behind his desk, gazed at the Crimson Moon outside, and quickly weighed the pros and cons:

"Of course, this is Norga."

"With my connections, I don't necessarily need to be wary of an outsider, even if she is a famous Pirate Admiral across the Five Seas."

"But it's not worth offending ' Vice Admiral Iceberg ' for 100,000 Verl D'Or."

Hogg glanced cautiously at his boss's back and whispered, "But it's not just 100,000 Verl D'Or; Danitz has an accomplice."

He said the man's name was Jodson.

The words had barely left his mouth when "Black Scorpion" whirled around, his gaze intense. "' Flower Bow Tie ' Jodson? The one with the 360,000 Verl D'Or Bounty?"

"Are you sure?"

Hogg stammered, "That's what Danitz said, so it must be true."

"Black Scorpion" remained silent, but an uncontrollable glint of greed appeared on his face.

100,000 Verl D'Or might not be worth it for me to make an enemy of "Vice Admiral Iceberg" and use my connections to invite helpers at a considerable cost. But 460,000 Verl D'Or... The thought flashed through his mind. He remained silent for seven or eight seconds with a blank expression, then suddenly tilted his head back and drank the red wine in his glass.

He looked at the "Troll" Tego, who was exhaling clouds of smoke, and gave him an inquiring look.

Tego grinned, his deep voice making the surrounding air buzz. "Given the chance to strike first, I should be able to take that guy down."

That guy was undoubtedly referring to "Flower Bow Tie" Jodson.

Given their close relationship, they often don't need to say a word; a glance or a gesture is enough for them to guess what the other wants to say.

"Black Scorpion" hesitated for a moment, frowning as he said, "Forget it, let's not take the risk. Let's think of a safer way."

A hint of regret flashed in Tego's eyes, but he quickly shrugged his broad shoulders indifferently. "You're the boss, you call the shots."

"Phew!"

He took a deep drag on his Cigar, and a large cloud of smoke quickly filled the air.

Without disturbing "Black Scorpion," who was concentrating on his thoughts, Tego gestured with his chin toward another person. "You're a ruthless guy, betraying your friend so readily."

"Ahem..." Hogg chuckled awkwardly, explaining, "He and I are hardly friends; we just knew each other before."

Tego made no attempt to hide his contempt, scoffed, and ignored him. The office quickly fell silent.

After a moment, "Black Scorpion" said in a deep voice:

"First, it was a group of Beyonder of unknown origin, and then it was the Pirate crew of ' Vice Admiral Iceberg.' It seems that Norga's Ghost Ship is not just a simple legend."

"However, this gives us the perfect opportunity to kill Jodson and Danitz and pin their deaths on those Beyonder."

As he spoke, he strode to his desk, tore off two sticky notes, scribbled a few lines with his pen, and then looked up at the other two people:

"Take my letter to the governor's mansion and hire an army."

"Understood!" Hogg suppressed his excitement, took a few steps forward, took the note, folded it carefully as if it were a treasure, and stuffed it into his pocket.

"I know... Take your letter back to your old home in the west and borrow soldiers from those chiefs." Tego chuckled and got up to walk towards his desk.

As he spoke, he reached out his large, fan-like hand to "Black Scorpion".

Then, to Hogg's astonishment, his right hand swiftly snapped, breaking "Black Scorpion's" neck with a crack.

"You, you..." Hogg's legs went weak, he almost fell, his teeth chattering so much he could barely speak, as he watched a large shadow loom over him.

Meanwhile, at table number 16 on the first floor of the Holy Water Bar, Lorry glanced at the local youth at the next table who were muttering in Norgar Language about which brothel girl was the most enthusiastic, then picked up his "Sun Holy Water" and took a sip.

His lips curled slightly upward as he said to Danitz:

"Let's go back to sleep."