"Set out immediately. Head to the Bodhi Islands and find someone!"
Leilin Farell noticed that
"Who?" Karen's heart skipped a beat. Did the master have other arrangements on the enemy's side? Did this mean the beginning of him losing trust in her? The moment the thought of being discarded crossed her mind, Karen's body began to tremble involuntarily.
This reaction secretly amused Leilin Farell.
"Find Viscount Dim. Reveal your identity to him honestly, and tell him that I'm willing to form an alliance with him — even help him take the seat of Marquis!"
Leilin Farell spoke with a cold smile, like a demon.
"Viscount Dim?" Karen was stunned, and even involuntarily raised her head. She had heard countless times about the Faolan Family's affairs after joining Leilin Farell's ranks — how could she not know that this man was the mastermind coveting the Faolan Family's territory?
Moreover, the Crimson Tiger Pirates' greatest enemy at the very start had been this very viscount. Why the sudden desire for peace?
"Carry out the order!" Leilin Farell waved his hand. Karen bowed respectfully, and her figure vanished into the darkness.
"This is politics… The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Even if you were fighting to the death yesterday, wishing you could tear each other apart, you still have to join hands against a common foe…"
Although the spies planted in the Bodhi Islands could only relay the most basic information, Leilin Farell could still glean a great deal from it — for instance, the discord between Marquis Louis and Viscount Dim, as well as the outstanding performance of the legitimate son William.
Based on Leilin Farell's understanding of human nature, if he reached out to the other party now, the chances of success exceeded fifty percent!
That was a significant opportunity. Well worth attempting.
Besides, even if he failed, there was no real loss, was there?
…
Several days later. After much deliberation, the Priest of Coins, Zona, finally accepted Leilin Farell's conditions and agreed to sign the pact.
In exchange for three years of cooperation and the protection of the Faolan Family, she obtained the sugar purification technology from Leilin Farell.
Both parties in this transaction were quite satisfied. As for the exact profits and losses, that likely wouldn't become clear until a long time had passed.
Once all these matters were settled, a resplendent temple rose up at Morningstar Port.
Since Zona had no shortage of money, this spendthrift woman was practically hurling gold coins to speed up construction — and naturally, the results were astonishing.
In less than ten days, the main structure of the temple had already taken shape. This speed was several times faster than when Leilin Farell had built the City Hall!
Of course, the priests deserved no small part of the credit. Their divine spells regenerated simply through daily devout prayers, so they weren't afraid of depleting them and generously applied them to the construction. It made Leilin Farell rather envious.
On the day the temple was completed, Zona personally conducted a prayer session and even managed to bring down divine grace from the Goddess of Wealth.
Although the deity's incarnation did not appear, the temporary blessings of fortune, eloquence, and rapid calculation bestowed upon all the believers in the port were more than enough for this lot to make a fortune in the time to come.
Of course, that feeling of divine grace as vast as the sea and divine might as oppressive as a prison also left an extremely deep impression on Leilin Farell.
The Goddess of Wealth was still only a lesser deity in terms of power — essentially on par with an eighth-level existence in the
This might partly be due to fighting on her home turf. But the shock it delivered to Leilin Farell was still immense.
When the power of faith combined with one's own rules, such a terrifying qualitative transformation could occur. It gave Leilin Farell a great deal of inspiration.
Among the crowd, however, a few discordant voices emerged.
The priest of the God of Suffering said nothing. His faith catered to the lower classes — slaves, laborers, farmers and the like — who couldn't care less about a merchant's goddess. In fact, the total value of all their worldly possessions probably wouldn't equal a single gold crown!
But for Tabris, the bishop of the God of Knowledge here, the arrival of the Goddess of Wealth's priests represented an enormous challenge!
Though he still sent someone over with congratulations, he gave Baron Jonas a cold shoulder.
Regarding this, Leilin Farell and Baron Jonas both chose to pay it no mind.
As the local representative of secular authority, there were certain key interests on which one simply could not yield — not for anything.
Leilin Farell stayed here a while longer. Once the fish floss technology had been fully transferred and everything at Morningstar Port had returned to normal, he used seclusion as a pretext and retreated straight into his laboratory.
In truth, what he intended to do had never been a secret among the family's upper echelons. Baron Jonas even personally helped him cover for him.
The azure sea. Sea breezes carrying the clean scent of moisture and salt.
A dark figure hurtled through the air, sending ripples cascading across the water's surface.
Not far off on the horizon, a massive pirate fleet lay anchored in silence. From the flagpole flew a terrifying pirate flag — a crimson background upon which a dagger and a skull danced together!
The Crimson Tiger Pirates! A pirate crew that had risen to prominence across the entire coastline in recent times, their strength rivaling that of the three established powers that preceded them.
Rumor had it that the crew's leader — the Crimson Witch — was a demon from the Abyss who even liked to bathe in the blood of her enemies. Her fearsome reputation was enough to silence a crying child on the outer seas.
But at this moment, the rumored "Crimson Witch," Leilin Farell's cousin Isabelle, stood on the deck with the other pirate officers, as if awaiting their true leader.
"Good work!"
Amid the howling wind, Leilin Farell's figure descended slowly. He first nodded in acknowledgment to his pirate subordinates, then caught sight of his cousin.
His brows furrowed slightly.
Thanks to the abundant flesh-and-blood offerings, Isabelle's power had advanced rapidly. She was now approaching the fifteenth level — a high-ranking professional — and served as Leilin Farell's foremost enforcer.
But at the same time, her demonic transformation had grown increasingly severe.
Though her appearance was still human, she periodically radiated an ice-cold aura of "keep your distance," carrying a terrifying evil presence that could render anyone with weak willpower unconscious.
Even the most savage pirates didn't dare to stay near Isabelle.
"According to your earlier plan, all our people have been deployed!"
Isabelle seemed oblivious to the fearful gazes of those around her and walked over to Leilin Farell.
"You've done well!" Leilin Farell took Isabelle's small hand. Though it was ice-cold, it still held the faint warmth of a living person.
"Ronald, to the captain's cabin. I need to hear your recent report!"
Leilin Farell then turned to one of his subordinates. Ronald immediately bowed respectfully in acknowledgment.
Among all the pirate captains, Ronald had the best foundation and even a measure of command ability. Leilin Farell valued him highly, and his status had gradually surpassed that of One-Eyed Dragon and the others, making him the top talent under Leilin Farell after Isabelle.
Of course, Leilin Farell hadn't neglected his old comrades either. He had given each of them a ship and several dozen pirates, promoting them to mid-level captains. They were quite imposing now, though with their rise in status, their thoughts seemed to have shifted somewhat.
Once the pirates on deck had tactfully taken their leave, Leilin Farell asked Isabelle in a low voice, "Your demonic transformation — if you make up your mind now, I still have a way to purge it. But if the transformation completes, you'll likely be cast straight into the Abyss, with no possibility of your soul being saved…"
Isabelle gathered her long hair. It was only in front of Leilin Farell that she would make such a girlish gesture.
"If I give up this power, what will I have left to take revenge on my enemies? I swore an oath! As long as I draw breath for even one more day, I will comfort the spirits of our family with the blood of our enemies…"
Seeing that Isabelle had said this much, Leilin Farell could only fall into a heavy silence.
He had a bit of a headache. This cousin of his had exactly this kind of temperament — stubbornly resilient to the point of being exasperating.
"Fine! After this battle is over, we'll essentially have nothing left to do. There will be plenty of time then to think about how to resolve this… Hopefully it won't be too late…"
Leilin Farell gazed at the distant horizon, where a mass of dark clouds was slowly gathering. A storm was approaching.
"My blade has long been thirsting for blood…"
Isabelle stood behind Leilin Farell, like a valkyrie.
…
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
In one hand, Viscount Dim clutched an empty rum bottle. He cursed and swore as he groped for the bedroom door handle.
As for the maids? He had long since screamed them away.
"Someday! Someday, all of you who look down on me and humiliate me will pay the price!"
Thinking of the contemptuous looks in his servants' eyes recently, Viscount Dim's mood only soured further.
"Hm? Who — didn't I tell you all to get the hell…"
Dim's voice cut off abruptly. The figure standing in his bedroom was not a maid as he had imagined, but a thief.
"The Crimson Tiger Pirates send their greetings!"
The thief's voice was sweet and pleasing, and her figure was quite attractive as well.
Dim instinctively looked her over, then his face changed dramatically, and most of his drunkenness evaporated.
The Crimson Tiger! Weren't they his enemies?
"Heh heh… You've come for my life, haven't you?"
Dim stumbled back several steps, inwardly cursing. If this had been at his father's or William's residence, the intruder would have been chopped to pieces before they even got close. It was only at the estate of an overlooked second son like himself that an assassin could slip in and out with such ease.
But if he could buy a little time, the guards would realize something was wrong and rush over immediately.
"No. We've come to help you. Tell me — do you want to become Marquis?"
The devil's temptation rolled off Karen's lips.
"Marquis?"
Dim's expression shifted. He slammed the door shut, his face turning dark in an instant.