Chapter 129 Your boat is great, it belongs to me now

Off the coast of Castres.

Jeremiah was standing at the bow, holding a small brass telescope in his hand, looking around intently.

"Everything seems normal, but why do I always have a bad feeling in my heart?"

He had just returned from Gem Bay, and the process of getting the letter of authorization was extremely smooth. He had just finished talking to his superiors about the letter of authorization when he dropped it down. It was said that several forces in the Pirate King's Court were fighting each other to the death recently, and a peripheral pirate captain like him would only be wooed.

In addition, he successfully obtained nitroglycerin from Castel, and Jeremiah felt that his future was bright.

Perhaps he could become a big pirate in the future, with a fleet of dozens of ships under his command, instead of just the Black Pearl now.

Thinking of this, Jeremiah was a little excited. He patted the mast happily and said, "Don't worry, even if I become a big pirate, I will let you be the flagship."

The boat had been on the sea for many years and was an old maid, but it was definitely strong and durable, Jeremiah had confidence in it.

"Captain, Castel Island is just ahead. The weather is good today. We will be there in another hour."

Jeremiah glanced at the sails. Sailing is a technical job that requires the cooperation of skilled sailors to keep a boat moving. And if one wants to cross the ocean, an experienced captain like him is indispensable.

This is also the value of a captain: a pirate captain may not be the best fighter, but he must be able to bring the entire ship back from storms and battles.

Jeremiah smiled with satisfaction. There were not many excellent captains like him.

Not long after, Castel arrived, and Jeremiah ordered the sailors to stop the pirate ship directly at the port.

In the past, he had to stay farther away to prevent the lord of the island from suddenly turning against him. Now that the two sides have formed an alliance, Jeremiah is relieved.

How could such a big ship be lost?

Arriving at the port, Jeremiah handed the sheriff who came up to register to the first mate, and then swaggered towards Hughes's manor.

It was already morning and there were hardly any people on the island. Instead, the factory in the distance was quite busy. Jeremiah picked up a fried fish from a roadside stall, stuffed it into his mouth, threw down a few coins and walked away.

The fried fish on this island is so good that he wants to stay here and eat it all the time.

Walking to the gate of the manor and wiping the grease on his hands on his clothes, Jeremiah was led by Connor into the study.

There were quite a few people queuing up, but Jeremiah was taken in directly.

As soon as he entered the room, Hughes came up to him and brought him a cup of tea.

"Jeremiah, you came at the perfect time."

After a while, Jeremiah's face turned pale, while Hughes, who was sitting behind the desk, looked at him with a smile.

"You mean, you want my boat?"

"No, no, no, it's just a lease."

Lease? It sounds like a synonym for robbery. Jeremiah is a pirate, don't try to trick him with this.

So Jeremiah slammed the table and stood up suddenly.

"Do you know how important the Black Pearl is to me? She is everything to me! Go and take a look. It has only been launched a few days ago. It is a brand new ship. How dare you want to take it away from me? Impossible, absolutely impossible, no matter how much money you offer!"

"I even went to get five authorization letters for you. Do you know how much effort I put in? The Pirate King's Court almost skinned me alive. I gave up all the benefits you gave me!"

"And you're still planning to take my ship. This really makes me feel cold!"

Jeremiah snorted coldly and stared at Hughes, but did not move a step.

He was not lying. To a pirate captain, nothing was more important than his pirate ship. With a ship, he could form a team, and no matter what kind of losses he suffered, he would have hope of making a comeback.

If you lose your boat, getting back on board depends on luck, as not everyone can happen to encounter an empty boat.

——But that was a long time ago.

There are not many fat sheep to rob in the Storm Ocean now. After the coastal Principality of Tis was destroyed by the Empire, the Queen almost gave up maritime trade in order to blockade the Gem Bay. Pirates do roam the entire Storm Ocean, but they can only make a living by collecting maritime taxes.

And Jeremiah. If it was the Jeremiah before, he might not be able to accept it, but now, Jeremiah can represent the Pirate Court to be stationed in Castel. He doesn't have much spare time to go out to sea to plunder, let alone make a lot of money.

It costs money to maintain a ship, and it also costs money to keep a group of sailors. If they can't make money, the pirates will divide the money and disband on the spot. Countless pirate groups have gradually disappeared, leaving only the increasingly dilapidated empty ships.

The golden age of pirates has long passed, and the entire Gem Bay is just barely surviving.

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Now, as long as you have money, you have ships, people, and everything. The problem is that you don’t have money.

Jeremiah is a pirate captain. He was a little confused at first, but he recently realized that the Black Pearl can no longer carry him further. He needs to board a bigger ship, even if it means giving up his past.

The Castel is just a bigger ship.

Jeremiah's tone softened, his eyes were no longer aggressive, and his hand dropped from the scimitar at his waist.

"But then again, we are friends."

He sat back in his chair and said in a low voice: "I am willing to help my friend."

"I think you have some misunderstandings."

Hughes pulled a piece of paper out of the file but didn't hand it over.

——It’s no use handing it over. Jeremiah can’t read.

"I plan to hire your ship. You can choose to share profits or take a fixed income. No matter what you choose, you can withdraw at any time. You can go out to sea with the ship - after all, I don't have any new people who are qualified to be the captain."

Can I quit at any time? Can I still go out to sea with the ship?

Jeremiah blinked. Did he hear it right? What was the difference between this and asking him to help haul cargo? Although the pirate ship was different from the cargo ship in shape, it still had a large cargo hold - they also needed to carry the spoils.

If that's the case, then the contract is quite loose. Jeremiah narrowed his eyes.

Hughes naturally knew what the other party was thinking. He put the contract on the table and said, "Of course there are some other requirements. You need to train our sailors and teach them how to steer the ship, read the charts, and use the sextant. In addition, you need to protect the cargo. I don't think anyone would mess with pirates in the Storm Ocean."

"I don't quite understand. If you need seamen, why don't you just hire them? If you need, I can help you hire some sailors. They are all experienced and won't cost much."

(End of this chapter)