Chapter 145

“What do you guys think?”

Zhang Heng looked for Billy and Dufresne and told them about Carina, believing that it was unnecessary to this matter from his crew .

“The black market alliance is no secret . I talked to a few of my friends this morning, and they verified everything that Carina told you . She’s right about the alliance taking advantage of us . Before the black market alliance was established, the Sea Lion could usually sell their loot at a third-tier price . Right now, although we aren’t as capable as the old Sea Lion, I know in my heart that we have a huge potential to become one of the strongest pirate crews on this island . In the future, it won’t be a problem for us to sell our loot at a third-tier price . Right now, however, we can only sell them at the lowest price possible . I’m afraid our crew isn’t going to be too happy about this,” said Dufresne .

“First, let’s not talk about old pirates like us . All our recruits chose to join us because we have a corvette, and they saw an opportunity to earn more for themselves . When they find out about selling the loot that they’d they risked their lives to get for a low price; I’m afraid we might not be able to handle them . If we want to grow bigger and stronger, we will need to start thinking about recruiting better pirates from other more powerful crews . But before we can do that, we must make sure that money is not an issue on our ship,” said Billy in the most straightforward way .

“The other pirate crews have started to contact our members . All of them assume that we will not do well in our first voyage and they are trying to convince them to leave us and join them . How much we sell out loot for doesn’t seem to be the only problem we face…”

“…and, I look too young for a captain . I lack experience . To make matters worse, the first thing I did after I became a captain was to recruit a female pirate . Everyone must surely think that I’m just another short-term captain,” said Zhang Heng, filling in what Billy had to say .

“That’s about it . You have to know we all trust you 100% . Not only have you saved our lives, but you also managed to stay calm whenever we are greeted with danger . The journey from Charleston to Nassau was enough to prove that you are more than qualified to become our captain . However, as for others who have not sailed with you before, you can’t blame them for not giving you their full trust . What’s happening right now is unfair to you . Usually, new captains would have more time to prepare for the next voyage and bond with his crew members . ”

“Having a battleship placed us in a position of great advantage . At the same time, it has also dragged us into a great deal of pressure as well . On this island, many are simply waiting for us to turn into a joke . If we fail to acquire a good amount of loot during our first sail, we will start facing the problem of people quitting our ship . Not to mention the difficulty of recruiting new crew after that . ”

……

After an hour and a half, Billy and Dufresne left Zhang Heng’s room, nodding to greet Anne and Carina before they left the house . Carina was still shaken up, having told Zhang Heng everything last night . However, Zhang Heng informed her that he wanted to discuss the matter with his crew members before giving her an answer .

Instead of returning to the hotel, Carina decided that she would stay for the night to get the answers she wanted . That said, Zhang Heng was genuinely impressed by what she had achieved . Since her youth, she was carefree and worried not about her life . Before her father was sentenced to prison, she was no different from the nobles and ladies hailing from the upper-class . She would attend proms, operas, and constantly had hi-tea with her friends .

Last night, she looked for three stools, put them together, and simply slept on it for the whole night . When she woke up the next morning, her neck was sore to say the least . Eventually, she had to spend the entire morning tending to her painful neck . Once Billy and Dufresne left, Carina instantly ran to the first floor, tidying up her messy attire before knocking at Zhang Heng’s door .

“Come in . ”

Carina took a deep breath and entered the room .

Zhang Heng’s study was sparsely decorated . Besides a table, a couple of stools, and a newly made bookshelf, there wasn’t much else . There wasn’t even a single book on the shelf yet . When sunlight poured into the room through the window, it landed on Zhang Heng’s shoulder and colored his hair a bright gold . Zhang Heng was using a parallel ruler on his nautical chart when Carina entered the room . He looked no different from the time when he studied in the library .

Carina was shocked upon entering the room . She had seen countless pirates throughout her stay in Nassau and discovered that most of them were rude and uncultured . Sometimes, it was hard for her to communicate with them properly, but to her greatest surprise, Zhang Heng was unlike the conventional pirate . Through the conversation that they had last night, she noticed that Zhang Heng could be reasoned with and was also extremely observant .

If it were not for the gun that was strapped his chest and the scar from a knife on his arm, Carina found it hard to associate him with the typical pirate .

“The time is set . We will set sail in three days . ”

Zhang Heng’s voice tugged her back to reality . Immediately, Carina’s heart started to thump faster . This island was different than before . There were only a handful of powerful pirate groups left that had not joined the alliance . Most groups on the island were poorly equipped and severely lacked the workforce to match . In other words, it was unlikely that they would be able to acquire anything valuable . If Zhang Heng rejected her offer, her trip to Nassau would be all but wasted . Not only would she stand a chance to lose her father, but her family might become broke as well .

“My helmsman and quartermaster suggested that I should negotiate with the alliance to increase their prices . They don’t believe that you can carry out your promises . They might say yes to you if your father is with your right now, but you have to know that you lack experience . This is something that you have never done before . ”

Zhang Heng’s reply was like a boulder landing on Carina’s heart . Though she had prepared for the worst, she still found it hard to accept that she was seen as a miserable failure . She then slouched on the chair and started to cry her heart out . Two months of effort had brought her nowhere . She thought that the Jackdaw might be able to help her to solve her problem, but it seemed that she was wrong . All she could feel right now was despair .

Of course, Zhang Heng felt sorry for her, though he was left with few other options . Choosing a reliable trading partner was a very delicate decision among all captains . Since Billy and Dufresne placed little hope on Carine, he had to find out for himself if she was really worth his time . To his surprise, though, Carina stopped crying after a minute and lifted her head . There were still tears in her eyes, but the helpless look on her face was gone .

“There must be a way . Is there something else I can do?”

“Yes . If you can prove yourself to my crew, you might be able to get yourself a deal . ”

Zhang Heng then pointed to a mark on his nautical chart .

“Do you know what this place is?”