Chapter 161

Chapter 161: Order

Before the banquet began, Billy introduced some of the captains and businessmen that he knew to Zhang Heng . Pirates usually preferred to keep everything to themselves, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t social animals . All too often, they would employ the assistance of trusted pirate crews if they encountered targets that they could not handle alone . No harm would be done by getting to know more people .

All the pirates attending the banquet were part of the black-market alliance . They were just trading partners and had nothing against the Jackdaw . As long as Zhang Heng did not stop them from getting rich, they didn’t care who he worked with . Half an hour later, almost all the guests had arrived . Still, Malcolm, the host, was not here .

After a while, the butler from the entrance came onto the stage .

“Before the banquet begins, Mr . Malcom has prepared you a simple performance . I hope you will enjoy it . ”

The butler then rang his bell once again . This time, two men were being sent out to the stage . Instantly, the atmosphere grew tense . Both of them were topless, with only a pair of boxers on them . Their hands and feet were cuffed, and they had bulging muscles as hard as steel . They gave off the impression of wild animals that had just come out of the forest . A few female audiences could not help but let out screams of fear . A group of guards escorted these men and were shoved onto the stage at gunpoint . After that, the guards uncuffed them, with the others closely watching and ready to open fire if something went wrong .

“This is not your first stint . You should know the rules better than anyone else . I’m not going to waste my breath here . Kill your opponents in the given time, and you will live to see tomorrow . Otherwise…”

The butler then drew his gun and shot a black servant that was pouring wine for the audience . Her blood splattered all over the place, and she soon stopped breathing . The butler then calmly kept away his gun as if nothing had happened . Two other black servants trembled in fear when they saw the butler, signaling them to move the body out and clean the blood on the floor .

“I don’t wish for that to happen to either of you . After all, Mr . Malcom spent a lot of money to purchase you two . You are warriors; beasts! I don’t think your dignity would allow you to be put down by a gun, right? So, I need the two of you to bring some happiness to our guests down there!”

After that, the butler left the stage . The two black muscular men glared at each other before pouncing on each other without hesitation . The guests were lit with excitement, with the pirates noisily clanking the dinnerware to hype up the atmosphere . Even the plump businessmen were eager to watch the fight from the front row with their women . Many centuries had passed, but humans still had a liking for gladiator fights like this . In the modern world, such barbarism had become a rarity . In the 18th century, the blacks were often forced to participate in these brutal genocides to entertain the whites .

In the era, black people were nothing more but commodities . The moment a person’s humanity was reduced to such lows, it was evident that people enjoyed such a degree of barbarism, all the more without the pressure of the standards of modern society .

“Order . Isn’t that a good thing?”

Suddenly, Zhang heard someone talking behind him .

“Without order, those men on the stage would still be living in some tiny village in Africa . They would be fighting with spears over some worthless women . There would be no audience to witness that . Right now, they can put their muscular bodies and fighting skills to good use by entertaining us . ”

The person talking Zhang Heng was a slender and lanky middle-aged man wearing a suit . He stared at the stage, serious and unmoving .

“Everything I said applies to other black slaves as well . Before slave traders captured them, they were living in utter chaos . Their only purpose in life was to fight for food and territory . They were no different than wild, senseless beasts from the jungle . One should never let such masculinity go to waste . ”

“As for now, the slaves are sold to the New World . We have designed a reward and punishment system for them . We even assigned them different jobs based on their capabilities . Some are assigned to the fields and some to the mines . And then some… are assigned to entertain us . We have freed them from the agony of looking for food . We have found a true purpose for their bodies . In return, they help us to earn quite a bit of money . Isn’t that the true meaning of order?”

“You are talking about your wealth, right? I think they would prefer to look for food than living like this,” scoffed Anne .

As they talked, the fight on the stage had reached its climax . The black slave with a scar on his face was dominating the fight . He jumped up and pushed his opponent to the ground without mercy . After that, he started to punch his head nonstop . The audience had become bored with the sound of cracking bones . However, when blood was finally spilled, the spectators roared into a round of applause .

“They are just items to me . I’m using my property to bring me more wealth . There’s nothing wrong with that . But, the black-market alliance is different . It’s all about partnership . We need you guys to bring me more loot, and you guys need me to sell them for you . You see . Our relationship is a mutual one .

“Even the pirates that dislike us can’t deny this fact as well . The existence of a black-market alliance has created a stable income for many of them . This is what order can bring to Nassau .

“I know what you are about to say . In every situation that has an order, the rules always favor the stronger side . Like in Nassau, for instance, the black-market alliance is willing to offer a higher price to the captains because they are dominant enough to bring home more loot to their flock .

“Before the black-market alliance, the black-market merchants had been doing the same thing . They would offer bigger bonuses to the more powerful captains . This was an unwritten rule . We simply made it official in Nassau . As for our previous negotiation, you must know that we weren’t trying to make your life difficult . ”