We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 20 New and Old

The port, with salvage boats docked at the shore.

A female captain, who was at least two meters tall, caught sight of the Black Swan not far away and spoke to the hook-nosed man beside her.

"Little Fried, the Black Swan has returned to port. I remember... you were a sailor on that ship before, weren't you?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, that ship will be incorporated into His Excellency the Duke's fleet today."

Upon hearing this, Fried, who was wiping his sailor's knife, paused, then said as if he didn't care at all.

"That's right, so what?"

"Ha, little Fried, you're really not being frank."

The female captain chuckled and said, "Who was that guy who was muttering about the Black Swan and the old captain when he was drunk earlier?"

Fried's expression stiffened, then he sighed and said, "I follow a respectable old captain, not that young and reckless current captain."

"So, the Black Swan is no longer related to me."

That's truly regrettable.

The female captain said, "It's that captain's loss that he couldn't keep such an excellent sailor like you."

Just then, a sailor walked back to the deck from the shore and winked at Fried.

"Hey, Fried! Your predecessor made quite a splash on the island!"

"What news?"

"You know Blood Wolf Hansen, right? His bounty was taken by Shane!"

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this news, Fried paused, then hesitated and asked, "You mean, Blood Wolf Hansen and his Blood Wolf were killed by Shane?"

"Whether he killed him or not is unknown, but Shane did bring back Blood Wolf Hansen's head, along with a ship full of spoils!"

The sailor's face was full of amazement: "You have no idea, we've made three or four trips just to transport the spoils from the ships."

"Now Xia En is truly rich! Not only can he pay off his debts, he can even buy a house on the island!"

His voice was almost overflowing with envy.

For sailors like them who make a living at sea, their greatest wish is to buy their own house on the island so they won't have to risk their lives to go out to sea anymore.

"..."

Fried remained silent.

He found it hard to connect the "annihilation of the Blood Wolf Pirates" with the cowardly and weak Xia En he remembered.

Is it possible that just one trip to sea is enough to cause such a big change in a person?
Fried looked at the familiar Black Swan not far away, remaining silent for a long time, his heart filled with complex emotions.

……

……

On the deck of a fishing boat.

Jani also heard the news from the sailors, and his expression immediately darkened.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

The sailor retorted, "It's true! Mr. Hoover has already sent the bounty to the Black Swan!"

“Mr. Hoover…”

Upon hearing this name, Jani lost all hope, and his face turned pale.

On Duke Island, ships are bound by the laws of the Seven Seas Federation, maintaining a certain degree of order.

However, the law has always had limited binding force on the powerful.

In the Seven Seas Federation, there is even a saying that "the secret path is above the law."

Moreover, even if everything is peaceful on the island, what if we encounter the Black Swan at sea?
If Xia En could sink the Blood Wolf, wouldn't dealing with his small fishing boat be a piece of cake?

Thinking about this, Jani felt a pang of regret.

Why are you being so foul-mouthed?
I just had to tease him a couple of times!
What if Xia En takes revenge on me in the future?
On the other side, Renate looked dazed, still unable to recover from the shock of the news.

Only then did he understand why Xia En had seemed so indifferent before.

Faced with this record, his previous performance was undoubtedly laughable, like that of a clown.

"If I were still on the Black Swan, perhaps I would have a share of those rich spoils?"

"pity……"

Renate sighed inwardly, feeling a slight pang of regret for leaving the Black Swan for the first time.

…………

Xia En was completely unaware of the thoughts and feelings of these "veteran sailors".

To be precise, he didn't care at all.

From the day these crew members left the Black Swan, they were destined to be strangers.

At this moment, Shane was busy putting the finishing touches on the sale of the spoils.

"Captain Shane, there are a total of 3 gold dragon coins and 20 silver snake coins. Please count them."

With a greasy smile on his face, Pegasus handed the money bag to Shane.

When Xia En opened the money bag, he saw three gleaming gold dragon coins lying peacefully inside.

Compared to them, the silver snake coins next to them suddenly appeared dull and lackluster.

Becas's purchase price was actually slightly lower than the market price. He could probably make a profit by reselling it. However, only merchants from the Apocalypse Merchant Guild could afford to buy so many goods at once.

Moreover, based on Xia En's experience in his previous life, to maintain a good cooperative relationship, everyone needs to have something to eat.

Therefore, a slight loss is acceptable.

Even so, 320 silver snake coins were still a huge sum of money.

With the cash and bounty money collected previously, he can not only pay off his debts but also save up about 300 silver snake coins.

One trip to sea transformed him from being heavily in debt to having some assets.

Making money is awesome!

Shaen was in a good mood and smiled, "Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Pegasus."

"Not hard, not hard."

Bekas, true to his businessman nature, said, "Captain Shane, if you ever have similar business opportunities in the future, don't forget me."

"Definitely, definitely. It would be a pleasure to cooperate with you."

"Pleasant to work with."

After shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, Pegasus quickly took his leave.

After thinking for a moment, Shane took out 30 silver snake coins from another money bag and handed them to Joey beside him.

Joey was taken aback: "Captain, what's this?"

Xia Enwen said gently, "Take it, this is the reward you deserve."

Although Joey boarded his ship for personal reasons, Xia En had come to accept her after spending these days together.

Joey also played a significant role when facing the Blood Wolf's pursuit earlier.

Shane is the captain, not the slave owner who captured Paru, so rewarding him based on his merits is still very important.

Looking at the gleaming silver snake coins before him, Joey was speechless for a moment.

This was the first time she had ever seen so many silver snake coins that belonged to her.

In the past, whether working in a restaurant or as a sailor on a ship, being cheated out of wages was commonplace for Joey.

She was deeply moved: "Captain, thank you."

At the same time, Joey was also a little curious. Captain Shane was clearly so capable, yet he was so generous.

What were the sailors thinking that led them to voluntarily leave the Black Swan?

Could it be... that his brain has broken down?
Unaware of her thoughts, Xia En skillfully painted a rosy picture: "As long as you work hard on the Black Swan, you'll only earn more in the future!"

"With money, you'll be one step closer to your goal of going home."

Joey's eyes shone with anticipation: "I will try my best!"

Xia En grinned.

This young girl is much easier to please than those seasoned, jaded office workers.

He continued, "Now you can use this money to spend. I suggest you get a new outfit and buy some new gear."

"After all, you are also a crew member of the Black Swan, representing the face of the entire ship and the captain."

"The captain's dignity..."

Joey hesitated for a moment, then nodded emphatically as if he had made up his mind.

"Okay, I understand!"

(End of this chapter)