Chapter 124: No Business Without Deceit

"Mr., here is the bounty for the Bloodeye, minus a ten percent handling fee, plus the Bloodeye's phantom beast and seven Mist Octopuses, totaling 1.67 million, which has been deposited into an anonymous account. Here is your Wealth Goddess Bank savings card—usable directly in any faction that uses Wealth Goddess currency. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

The bounty hunter guild clerk handed Feng Xue a card-like anonymous instrument, along with a string of account numbers; Feng Xue had Little Xiao Lingdang, disguised as an auxiliary AI, verify the amount, then immediately changed the password.

Although the compensation offered was far higher than Feng Xue had expected (Note ①), he did not show it immediately; he merely wore an expression of "more or less as I anticipated" and said to the clerk:

"My ship needs a major overhaul. Do you have any dockyard recommendations?"

"Of course. The bounty hunter guild operates its own dockyard. While its technical capabilities can't match the Landseekers' Association, its security and confidentiality are unmatched. If you only need modifications or a basic vessel, we are unquestionably the best value."

Seeing there was another job, the clerk's face lit up with genuine delight; as he explained the pros and cons of the dockyards, he activated his personal terminal and pulled up a table for Feng Xue to view.

Before going ashore, Feng Xue had already inquired with Little Xiao Lingdang about this information; he chose the bounty hunter guild precisely for this dockyard. Among the three major factions, the Landseekers were the earliest established—since the Sea God's apocalypse, all who sought the Earth God have been Landseekers.

Under pressure from the Sea People, they scoured ruins everywhere, arming themselves with relics of the previous civilization, yet their ultimate goal has always been the Earth God.

To achieve this goal, the Landseekers exchange information and resources, which gave rise to the Landseekers Association.

Though the Sea People constantly hunted them down, the myriad problems caused by land scarcity always drove countless others to embark on the quest for the Earth God; Landseekers could not be exterminated, could not be wiped out—even if every last one vanished, new recruits would soon take up the journey again.

As for the Pirate Alliance, its true name should be the "Pirate Retirement and Reemployment Alliance." Though becoming a pirate requires courage to survive, as pirates grow older, accumulate enough wealth, or suffer irreversible injuries, many begin to consider retirement—but as anyone who understands knows, quitting the life is impossible without sufficient backing.

Some smarter pirates, while still capable of fighting, established a pirate alliance, seized several islands, hoisted pirate flags, and provided refuge for retiring pirates to settle. Over time, this snowball grew into a major power. Since Landseekers were often branded as pirates by the Sea People, they were, in a sense, also beneficiaries of this system, and thus tacitly accepted the Pirate Alliance's growth, even offering minor assistance.

As for the bounty hunter guild, it is the weakest and least united of the three, yet still somewhat "legal." Though they survive by capturing Landseekers and pirates, their primary motivation is money—and to earn money, one must learn to compromise.

Moreover, many who pose as bounty hunters are in fact Landseekers by day and pirates by night; the relationships among the three organizations are thus extremely complex, ultimately forming the strange equilibrium of today's seas: Landseekers, pirates, and bounty hunters constantly fight each other, yet the three organizations maintain surprisingly good relations.

And their respective shops each have their own characteristics.

The Landseekers' shops have no flaws—they possess immense technical prowess, backed by vast knowledge of pre-civilization technology, but their only drawback is price.

The pirates' shops mostly deal in fencing stolen goods and appraisals; though they have dockyards, they emphasize functionality over quality. The workers are mostly retired pirate shipwrights—technically skilled enough to have survived to retirement, but only capable of basic repairs. Still, their used ships are plentiful, mostly seized from other factions, refurbished, and resold—if your eye is sharp, you might score a bargain.

The bounty hunter guild's shops, by contrast, are balanced. Because the guild possesses the "legal" status, it can procure supplies from the Seven Archipelagos and even the Sea People, giving it the widest variety of goods—even "phantom divine beasts," the true phantom beasts with nanite activation rates above 98% as mentioned by Salar, are sold there. Their dockyard is known for transparent pricing; under limited funds, it is unquestionably the best choice for anyone making a living on the sea.

…

"Customer, for your request, I have two proposals…" At the dockyard recommended by the bounty hunter guild, a shipwright listened to Feng Xue's requirements, frowned slightly, then continued:

"A self-weight over one hundred tons isn't an issue—most sea vessels exceed that. But modifying the cargo hold is a major undertaking. Rather than overhauling this old hulk, I recommend you buy a new vessel outright and mount this 'relic' onto it—you might even gain speed."

"What's the second option?" Feng Xue, somewhat intrigued by the shipwright's words, turned to look at the Silver Sail, as if organizing his thoughts, then said:

"Sell this ship whole, then buy a new one from the Landseekers."

Seeing Feng Xue might misunderstand, he added quickly:

"I'm not joking. As the former flagship of the Black Feather Pirate Crew, this ship carries a premium. Selling it whole to the bounty hunter guild is far more profitable than dismantling it."

"This silver sail, aside from its autopilot, has only one ability: Storm Sailing. Its acceleration function cannot be fully utilized without a specialized vessel—and specialized vessels don't require the hassle of replacing masts. Sold separately, it's worth at most two million."

"The wooden hull itself is based on a standard sailing warship, with the lower decks converted into slave holds. Twenty thousand is a lucky price."

"But sold whole as a pirate flagship, three point five million is achievable—and if you find a wealthy collector fond of pirate ships, four million is possible."

Listening to the shipwright's explanation, Feng Xue lightly tapped his wristwatch; after receiving a confirming reply from Little Xiao Lingdang, he said:

"If I want a new ship with autopilot, self-weight over one hundred tons, full living facilities, and capable of sailing all ocean regions, how much would it cost?"

"If speed isn't a concern, you can buy a small 'house-ship.' The price is around 4.5 million, with a top speed of 80 km/h. Aside from not being able to fly in storms, its overall performance surpasses the Silver Sail, and it can extract energy directly from seawater. Purchase includes a full smart-home system. What do you think?" The shipwright rattled off the "menu items" without pause; Feng Xue rolled his eyes inwardly:

"I think you're pricing me based on how much cash I have!"

(End of Chapter)