Chapter 158 - Annes House (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Zhang Heng was unsurprised that the black-market alliance started to panic after knowing that the Jackdaw’s first voyage was a victory. When they found out that Zhang Heng had been working alongside Carina to sell off all his loot, they instantly knew that they had lost the right to negotiate with him. Naturally, they would want to look for a way to solve their problem.

Frazer was right about the Jackdaw needing time to grow. At the same time, this applied to the newly born black-market alliance as well. Redmond and Malcolm were both black-market merchants that wanted to make the maximum profit they could from the pirates. All these while, they were hoping to establish some sort of order in Nassau to end the chaotic trading era. Through a series of carefully executed plans, they managed to convince enough people to support them. Right now, most of the influential pirate crews were on their side. At the same time, some went against them.

What they were doing right now had gone against a long-standing principle of Nassau, one that its people held dearly to their hearts. This principle was the spirit of adventure. Many small-time pirates were unhappy with the current proposal offered by the black-market alliance. As compared to the organized black-market alliance, these were considered a leaderless group of weaklings with no sense of camaraderie, and therefore, were no threat to the alliance. Once the black-market alliance crossed the unstable period, these small-time pirates would be left with no option but to accept whatever deal that the alliance threw at them.

With Zhang Heng’s success, all of them saw a ray of new hope. The Jackdaw was the only pirate crew that had elected to not partner up with the black-market alliance. Things were no longer just a problem between the Jackdaw and the black-market alliance.

This was both a good and bad thing for Zhang Heng. Whether he liked it or not, he and the Jackdaw had become the center of attention in Nassau. They had eyes on them at any given time of the day. Hence, both parties could only solve this problem through legal channels. Undeniably, Zhang Heng would benefit more than the black-market alliance if they managed to solve their grievances. As long as the Jackdaw was growing, the black-market alliance would continue to be under enormous pressure. To Zhang Heng’s surprise, Malcolm from the black-market alliance looked for him sooner than he expected.

“I just did a quick check. A banquet will be held at Terrance’s mansion in six days. Malcolm has invited some of the most powerful individuals on this island. That would include celebrated captains and wealthy landowners. Malcolm apparently organized the banquet as a thank-you for their continuous support of the black-market alliance. This banquet should be safe for you to go.”

As the helmsman of the Jackdaw, Billy did everything he could to make sure that the ship and her captain wouldn’t be taken advantage of. Once Zhang Heng received the invitation, Billy proceeded to investigate the matter, telling him about his findings the next morning.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done,” said Zhang Heng,

Anne yawned as she sleepily came downstairs after Billy left the house.

“Are you planning to attend the banquet?”

“Yes. Malcolm wants to know what kind of person I am. At the same time, I want to know what exactly the black-market alliance is planning as well.”

“Ah… I have seriously no idea what goes on in that mind of yours. If it were to be me, I would just kill all the enemies that stand in my way. Why waste time and reason with them

As she went on, Anne walked to the dining table and spread some jam on a piece of bread.

“I wish it was that simple. Hey, let’s not talk about this. Did you manage to find a house that you like?”

“Harry scouted the area for me, and guess what? I’ve finally found a house that perfectly matches what I want! It’s very near to the harbor, and two restaurants located on the next street are only a 15-minute walk away. They are even open at night. There’s even an empty plot of land behind the house where I can practice my fencing skills. The house costs only 200 silver pesos. Harry said he can help me lower the price even more. I’m planning to buy the house this very afternoon if the price is right.”

“Congrats!”

Zhang Heng knew that buying her own property meant a lot to her. The reason why she ran away from her wealthy family was that she wanted to pursue freedom. Throughout her childhood, she had always witnessed her mother slogging like a maid for her father. After that, she swore to never rely on the mercy others like her mother had done her whole life. That was also why she was adamant about giving half of her loot to Zhang Heng, not wanting to owe him anything.