Black sail

Chapter 648 XXVIII. Darkness vs. Darkness vs. Darkness

Hotel prices in the capitals of First World countries are already high, and the tourism industry is further stimulated during the Continental Martial Arts Tournament, causing prices to rise even higher.

Swan's residence was located very close to the Imperial Arena, and even with his low-key style, the mid-to-low-end inn he stayed at cost thirty-five silver coins a night.

The Nightingale Cloak had many uses; in the darkness, Swann felt as if he had truly received Noctunar's blessing, and his body felt incredibly light.

Tigers and humans each have their own strengths and weaknesses as thieves. The former can better carry out stealth theft and assassination by relying on their light bodies and adaptability to terrain, while the latter can better infiltrate and obtain intelligence by using disguise.

Swan has a disadvantage in disguise. With his hair covering his body, he can only disguise himself as a member of his own race or a similar-looking race. It would be very difficult for him to disguise himself as a human.

"Nightingale" has solved this problem to some extent. It can not only make clothes, but also transform into a material that looks like skin and clings to the body. You only need to focus on the disguise of the head.

Inside the hotel room.

Swan now looks like a native blond Aran, and his thief's toolbox contains several clay masks, so he can change his face at any time.

On the table were two machines: one was a radio used inside Black Sail, and the other was a radio bought at a high price from a department store in the capital.

Now that Black Sail wants to expand, Black Sail Trading Company has changed its public name to "Donghai International" and is using this name to aggressively enter Xiahai.

This radio costs seven hundred silver coins. It was developed by the new industrial zone of the capital city and is a newly introduced product for civilian use. It was also promoted during the Continental Martial Arts Tournament.

Swan had previously served as the regional chief of staff for the Thieves' Guild and managed brothels and casinos. He was very good with numbers. Heaven's Port also developed this kind of thing, but the technology was expensive and it did not contain any magical energy industry. In Lister's words, it had control over the means of production.

I bought it from a department store. The price was probably inflated, and it was a new product with a discount. It's just that the appearance is more delicate and compact than the Tianguogang self-developed product. The black sail product looks thick, durable and rather rugged.

While listening to the martial arts competition broadcast, he kept watch in front of the radio. He had a mission to complete, as he was the only point of communication between the capital and headquarters. He could only sleep halfway through his nights.

This former high-ranking thief guild enforcer was just a kidnapped tool; if he disobeyed, he was killed, and no one expected him to do anything.

"In the end, did Kaden win...?"

Although Swan had anticipated this, he was still quite nervous when things actually developed to this point. From now on, Rashomon has been going on for less than 24 hours, within a day.

Four spots in the round of 16 have already been decided.

The fifth match is against a guy who came out of the Northern Great Prison and got indulgences by fighting. He used to be a gangster and had a long-standing reputation. He was called "The Abyss Exile," which means that this guy is not human, but a devil who just got out of prison.

His opponent also had a ridiculously cool name: the Scourge of God.

They're all people with strange and grotesque faces; it's like gods fighting.

Salert will have to wait until the ninth game.

At that moment, the radio received a message from the heart of the Principality of Muron.

Swan kept his voice down to avoid being overheard. Even though his disguised face was a little stiff, his facial expression was extremely interesting after hearing what Li Si Te said. His lips twitched and his eyelids twitched wildly.

Lostra is now the protector of Donghai International. Considering diplomatic relations, it is not appropriate for official media to report on Aran's sensitive content. The photos of the Black Sail core members posing with Zote's corpse will be sent to private media and officially published in tomorrow's evening paper.

Li Siter has truly gone mad. His current actions resemble those of attention-seeking serial killers who contact newspapers to issue murder announcements. "Who I'm going to kill is none of your business. I'm just going to kill people. First, I'll drop a bombshell to cause panic and scare you all to death."

During the Continental Martial Arts Tournament, the Adventurers' Guild's newspapers, filled with exaggerated and sensational stories, siphoned off a significant portion of the traffic from Aran's official media. People who enjoy entertainment love sensational stories, even if they are somewhat untrue.

The Adventurers' Newspaper will stop at nothing to get more traffic; it will publish anything that isn't completely baseless, and its editors are all hardcore ruthless individuals.

"So what exactly do I need to say to those people who work in the news? I need their exact words, word for word. I'll just repeat it to them once."

Swan glanced at the clock; it was 7:30. The martial arts competition would end around 9:00. During this special period, the people at the news agency were working overtime, and there was definitely someone who could break the news now, but time was of the essence.

After a short delay.

Lister understood Swann's concerns and revealed all the key points, including the information that could be made public, thus placing all the blame on Salette.

From now on, Sallet will be the royal court's henchman, and Black Sails will be the villains. But it doesn't matter, your blood relatives are on the island, and based on my observations over this period, Sallet is a sensible person.

I had spoken with Salert before. If he really succeeds, the Emperor will appreciate him and give him an official position. It's a testament to his strength. He won't need to return to Heaven's Port. Having connections in the court will make things easier.

In the midst of laughter and conversation, the Abyss Exile in the broadcast defeated the Scourge of God, but because he was a convict, he didn't kill his opponent and pretended to be a nice guy.

"No... Holy crap! Are we really going to do this? I... tsk, but Salert is at the duel site right now, and we can't contact him. He's already carrying a very serious murder charge, and after the private fight, the royal army is keeping a tight grip on things. With something this big going on, are we sure we shouldn't let him know?"

Even Swann, who is usually very composed, couldn't hold back anymore. It's not as simple as saying that Li Si Te is brave or mentally ill. This guy who likes to take on bad jobs and has self-destructive tendencies also has a bit of a performative personality. This may not be the most correct approach, but it's definitely the approach that gets the most comments.

[No need to communicate. Salet is a know-it-all; he knows what to do. There are too many variables tomorrow; we can't afford to let Diaz turn the tables on us.]

Swan was speechless. Lister's tone was indifferent. He thought they were talking about what to have for dinner. Who knows, tomorrow might be World War I. Are you crazy?
"No, I'm just confirming this one last time, just one last time, do we really want to do this?"

Swann couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up. If he was going to do it, he had to go to the Adventurers' Guild in the city right now and find those idiot editors to start a spotlight interview.

The reason Kaden had to discuss this with the Emperor on September 9th was to bypass all his ministers and maximize his own interests; a face-to-face meeting was essential.

But once you reach the round of 16, this rule can be temporarily set aside, because those who make it to the round of 16 are practically guaranteed to meet the Emperor tomorrow, no doubt about it.

We need to act quickly; the Thieves' Guild might be up to something too.

Absolutely true. Just go for it! I'll take care of everything, even if the sky falls.

"Damn... I'm afraid I won't be able to go anywhere else for the time being after I became the whistleblower."

[It's alright, you can stay in Aran. Currently, Dugerli is the main business for Heavenly Port in Aran, and Wollman is in charge of distribution channels in the Great Wetlands. But in the future, the Aran market won't be entirely focused on art; general goods will also need to be dumped outside of Dugerli. Aux and the Mirror Sea Aerospace Association have reached an agreement that all foreign trade between the Far East and Mirror Sea will be transshipped through Heavenly Port. Add to that our self-developed products, and it'll be faster than a money-printing machine, you understand?]

"good good good good."

After sending the message, Swan immediately hid the wireless device in a secret compartment in his locker. This thing was evidence; he might be treated as a spy, so he had to keep it well hidden.

After checking the thief's toolbox, all the equipment, and his livelihood, and finding everything in order, he steadied his breathing, left the inn, and hailed a chocobo taxi to head to the Adventurers' Guild.

(End of this chapter)