555 A New Legend (1/2)
One day later.
Below the cliffs at the stronghold, massive iron gates sealed the entrance to the covert port. The nonstop banging of steel came from behind the huge iron gates.
The constant roaring of machines could be heard. Noises from the operations of mechanical cutting axes and hydraulic presses filled the air.
Then shrieks rang out.
”Mr. Ye! Help me, Mr. Ye! Help!” Igor cried out as he rushed forward, threw himself at Ye Qingxuan's feet and clutched his thigh. ”Save my child, quick! Those a*holes, those barbarians are trying to take my boat apart!”
Ye Qingxuan, who had just entered, looked up in utter confusion and saw that the secret port had become almost unrecognizable, with metallic tower cranes and scaffolding everywhere.
The port had been transformed into a huge workshop.
At the center of attention, lying on a high platform erected in the water, held by layers of steel cables was Igor's ship. It was factory-fresh and had just completed its maiden voyage. It hadn't even been given a name yet…
”So much progress has been made?” Ye Qingxuan coughed awkwardly and looked at the embarrassed Carol beside him. Carol stared upwards at the ceiling, as if he was expecting to see a flower there.
Ye Qingxuan sighed and patted Igor's shoulder, saying, ”Captain, get up from the ground first. We can talk about it slowly.”
Boom! A loud bang interrupted him. Igor screamed in sorrow as if his parents had just passed away. The whites of his eyes showed as he almost fainted. Behind them, the ship that had been mounted on the platform was completely broken into two parts under the operation of an engineer.
Half an hour later…
”Your ship was almost broken by the time it sailed here anyway,” comforted Ye Qingxuan.
He handed a cup of hot tea to Igor, who buried his face in his hands, sobbing all the while. Igor squatted on the stairs with a blanket draped over him, tearfully watching his ship being dismembered. He looked as if he had nothing left to live for.
”After all, it's a merchant ship. It has already been incredibly lucky to kill the Mountain of Nomadism. Surely you can't be hoping that it can still be sailed after that? The keel is almost broken, three and a half out of the four engines have exploded, even the front deck has a big hole burnt in it... You see, it's beyond salvation.”
”And whose fault is it?!” Igor wept, ”I've been saving up money my whole freaking life, and finally I could afford a ship! Do you think it's easy for me? My dream of cleaning up my name, gone in smoke! I've been counting on its expeditions at sea to earn me a noble title...”
Ye Qingxuan sighed. ”Okay, don't act like a little girl, Mr. Igor. How are there so many grievances between us? Who was the one who rushed to the sea of darkness without another thought upon seeing my check?
”I couldn't possibly have forced you to sail here, could I? I know that this ship is very important to you, but there really is no other way at the moment... You have two choices.”
”Which two?” came Igor's reply. His face lit up immediately, wiped away his tears, and glared at Ye Qingxuan with bloodshot eyes. He was almost back to his old self who haggled over every penny. He contemplated taking out his portable calculator to start discussing reparations.
”My apologies, but first of all I have some bad news for you,” said Ye Qingxuan. He raised his brows and continued, ”The deposit I paid you is actually the last of my money, so don't expect to get even one more cent from my impoverished Church account.”
”F*ck!” Igor was furious and he leaped up. ”Then what about the balance payment! The balance payment!”
”Why such impatience?” Ye Qingxuan picked his nose, looking like a scoundrel, and said, ”When I save Anglo and restore its glory, we will be able to take anything we want from the entire national treasury, won't we? Even giving you ten times the payment would be a piece of cake... This is venture capital. Venture capital, my dear sir. You have to take the risk before you get the returns.”
Igor's face turned purple with rage, and he pointed at Ye Qingxuan, totally rendered speechless.
”You have already boarded this pirate ship [1], Mr. Igor, so from now on don't complain that you want out, nor ask for a refund.” Ye Qingxuan patted his shoulder, a calm look on his face, and said, ”Come, sit down, let's have a proper talk about your two choices.”
Igor glared at him for a long time and finally managed to squeeze out a word, ”Speak!”
”The first option…” Ye Qingxuan held up a finger and said, ”We have expropriated your ship. You have nothing to do with everything here from now on. In the name of Holmes, I promise you that a smuggling route from the city of the Cloud Tower will be handed over to you after the reclamation of Avalon, and only you alone will be allowed to operate it.
”Next, the only thing you need to do is to find a gentleman like me, who is willing to loan you money. Perhaps at a usury rate, and you can start recruiting men for your fleet.
”Think about it. The trade between the East and the West annually, the silk route that flows with black gold… Even if you only earn one hundred-thousandth of the total amount, it is enough for you to become rich overnight. If you are willing to buy enough government bonds, you'll definitely be able to find a country that is willing to help you register as an aristocrat of the Holy City, not to mention mere noble titles.
”Between your last name and your first name, you will be able to add the esteemed middle name of 'Feng', and you can bid farewell to your lowly life of the past and become a distinguished aristocrat. ”
Dead silence…
Igor swallowed dryly and stared at Ye Qingxuan with wide eyes which were almost turning red as he envisioned what Ye Qingxuan had described. ”You… Are you serious?”
”Provided that I can succeed, of course.” Ye Qingxuan shrugged like a rascal, but the look in his eyes was devoid of any jest. ”But one can say the returns are a hundred times the risks, don't you think so?”
Igor almost agreed immediately on impulse, but he couldn't shake his gut feeling, which was like an earthworm burrowing its way through his mind, sending shivers down his spine. It was as if a flame was burning him.
He started to speak but was shocked by the hoarseness of his own voice. ”Then... What about the second option?” he asked.
”The second option?” Ye Qingxuan smiled, and it was an exceptionally pleasant smile, like a predator when food was being delivered to its plate, holding cutlery in both hands.
He reached out and patted Igor on the shoulder. ”Mr. Igor, you are an excellent captain. Even among the pirates in the Illusion Islands, you are one of the best. The fighter of the anger waves, it's a really good name, I like it,” he said.
Igor was stunned for a moment, then felt a pang of fear in his heart. He asked, ”How do you know this?”
”Fear not,” came the reply. Ye Qingxuan pointed to his brain and said, ”You have to believe me on this, I really didn't do it on purpose. Although I am a musician of the School of Mind, and one of the best at that. I never intended to spy on other people's thoughts for fun.
”However, when my perception threads were connected to your mind, your mental defenses with loopholes everywhere were really not of much use. One minor careless mistake on my part was enough for me to see everything…”
Upon hearing that, Igor looked as if he had just f*cked a dog, but Ye Qingxuan remained smiling, full of enthusiasm.
Ye Qingxuan continued, ”You have plenty of combat experience and are loyal in terms of character, Mr. Igor, and I find that particularly satisfying. Plus, you have another 80 brave, obedient young men who are tired of working as pirates and want to turn over a new leaf like you. Coincidentally, I can offer a new job for all of you here; a perfect job that you have never even dreamed of. ”