Super Mothership
Starfall City.
“Lord Gold Fang, here is your pirate group's procurement list for this purchase. Please have a look!” Drake respectfully handed over the documents in his hands.
“Mm!” Gold Fang looked thoroughly pleased, clearly enjoying being addressed as "Lord."
In the past, even though he was the leader of the Gold Fang Pirate Group, he was merely an ordinary customer in Drake's eyes. Now, whenever he appeared, he received VIP treatment.
This was the power of money!
Of course, more importantly, Gold Fang now had someone like the Ghost Captain backing him.
Thanks to his lavish spending, Gold Fang had become one of the most sought-after big spenders in Starfall City. He was even beginning to enjoy his role as a senior procurement manager.
Not long ago, Nie Yun had painted an even bigger vision for him, and Gold Fang's enthusiasm for work had reached unprecedented heights. He handled every task with utmost diligence.
As he carefully reviewed the procurement list, Gold Fang suddenly frowned.
“Hm? Something's not right. I can understand the weapons and equipment, but why have the prices of ores and daily necessities gone up so much as well? Drake, don't tell me you're taking advantage of the Gold Coin Pirate Group's size to fleece me?”
Having survived in this region for many years, Gold Fang knew the prices of various goods in the Shattered Star Region like the back of his hand.
Take ores, for example. Since pirates generally had weak industrial foundations, raw materials like these had never been in high demand.
Whenever pirates looted such materials, they usually dumped them onto the market in large quantities, keeping raw material prices relatively low.
Yet on Drake's list, nearly every item had increased in price by twenty to thirty percent.
“Oh, Lord Gold Fang, you're really wronging me! The prices on this list are absolutely market prices, and I've already given you a ten percent discount!”
“You know how things have been lately. Black Sail, Dragonrider, and several other major pirate groups have been fighting nonstop. They're forming alliances and attacking one another, and nearly half the pirate groups in the Shattered Star Region have been dragged into it.”
“Those involved are buying weapons and stockpiling supplies, while those staying out of it are terrified and hiding at home. At a time like this, who dares go out raiding?”
“Supply has gone down, demand has gone up—of course prices are shooting through the roof!” Drake explained bitterly.
So that was the reason...
Gold Fang's anger eased somewhat.
The situation in the Shattered Star Region had become extremely chaotic recently. No one knew how long the war would last, so rising prices were understandable.
Still, once prices rose, procurement costs became difficult to control.
Especially since this order was enormous. The total value was approaching one hundred million credits, the largest order to date.
And according to the boss's special instructions, the purchase was being made entirely on credit. The high interest alone significantly increased the overall cost.
According to Nie Yun, the financial backer behind the pirate group had encountered some temporary difficulties and needed time to free up funds. Therefore, this transaction would be completed through a collateralized loan arrangement, with the collateral naturally being the Ghost Pirate Group itself.
The Gold Coin Pirate Group already operated a loan-sharking business, and with collateral of equivalent value, there was no reason to reject a major client like the Ghost Pirate Group requesting delayed payment.
Given their strength, they weren't worried about anyone defaulting.
Under normal circumstances, large purchases like this should have waited for market conditions to improve, but the boss had issued strict orders that all the supplies had to be purchased before the end of the day.
Gold Fang felt utterly helpless.
Looks like this month's KPI is doomed...
“Damn it! These big shots have too much free time. Instead of hunting for fat sheep, all they do is fight each other. Fine, keep fighting—hopefully they all kill each other!” Gold Fang cursed with an ugly expression.
“Sigh! That's what happens when gods fight and mortals suffer. What can little people like us do? The Shattered Star Region is too dangerous. Better to make enough money and retire early.” Drake sighed sympathetically.
“Retire? Stop being modest. I heard you're a senior agent of the Gold Coin Pirate Group now. You're making a fortune, aren't you? Can you really bear to retire?” Gold Fang laughed.
“What senior agent? Business may have grown, but the people above take a huge cut!” Drake waved his hands hurriedly.
Then he glanced around before leaning in and lowering his voice mysteriously.
“For people like us, we're just running errands and risking our lives for the big shots above. No matter how hard we work, we barely make a living. If you really want to get rich, you need a windfall!”
Gold Fang's eyelids twitched.
He looked up at Drake.
“A windfall?”
What kind of windfall could a procurement manager make?
There was only one possibility...
“Impossible! I'm absolutely loyal to Captain-sama! You're asking me to take kickbacks? Do I look like that kind of person?” Gold Fang rejected the suggestion righteously.
Drake froze.
The sheer "aura of integrity" Gold Fang displayed genuinely shocked him.
Was this really the Gold Fang he knew?
Every time this guy came to buy something in the past, he never left without pocketing a kickback.
Gold Fang was helpless too.
Wasn't he tempted by extra money?
Of course he was!
The problem was, who was his superior?
The Mechanical Clan!
Their mathematical abilities were terrifying. Every figure had to be accurate to eight decimal places.
Trying to manipulate procurement prices?
That was practically a death wish.
Though shocked, Drake quickly recovered and put on a smile again.
“Hehe! That's not what I meant. On the contrary, not only will I not raise the prices, I can even reduce them by another ten percent. You'll look extremely good in front of your boss.”
“What?” Gold Fang was stunned.
Another ten percent discount?
When had the Gold Coin Pirate Group ever become so generous?
There was no such thing as a free lunch...
Narrowing his eyes, Gold Fang asked warily, “What exactly are you after?”
“Simple. One of the higher-ups in the Gold Coin Pirate Group would like to buy a piece of information from you...” Drake smiled as he pointed upward, then slowly pushed a crystal card toward Gold Fang.
The moment Gold Fang saw the crystal card, his breathing became noticeably heavier.
Exquisitely crafted, the card reflected brilliant colors under the lights, dazzling and beautiful, radiating the intoxicating scent of money.
An anonymous card issued by the Imperial Bank, redeemable for cash at any bank within the Empire.
“There's three million inside. Lord Gold Fang, all you have to do is move your lips a little. You'll be set for life. Loyalty is important, of course, but people also need to think about themselves, don't they?” Drake whispered.
His voice sounded like the whisper of a devil.
Gulp!
Feeling the wonderful texture of the crystal card in his hand, Gold Fang swallowed.
The words of refusal reached his lips...
Yet somehow he couldn't say them.
“Ahem! If Lord Gold Fang finds this difficult, then pretend I never said anything. Let's forget the whole matter!” Seeing no response, Drake reached out as if to take the card back.
But when he pulled—
It didn't move...
Drake: “...”
Ten minutes later, watching Gold Fang flee like a guilty thief, Drake curled his lips with a mixture of contempt and envy.
He took out his communicator and quickly dialed a number.
“Lord Golden Dagger! The matter you instructed me to handle has been completed...”
...
Core Area of the Gold Coin Pirate Group Base.
“The Unity of All Things Society?”
Setting down his communicator, the plump middle-aged man frowned slightly.
Golden Dagger, leader of the Gold Coin Pirate Group and the man known as the richest person in the Shattered Star Region, fell into deep thought.
For the Ghost Captain, whose background was mysterious and who seemed to be backed by an equally mysterious financial sponsor, the Gold Coin Pirate Group—the largest intelligence broker in Starfall City—had naturally developed a strong interest.
One reason was the astonishing speed at which the Ghost Captain's forces had expanded.
More importantly, he was very likely connected to the Mechanical Clan.
And intelligence related to the Mechanical Clan was always considered top priority.
Yet within the Wolf Empire, there seemed to be no organization known as the Unity of All Things Society.
The Mechanical Clan was far away. To establish influence within the Wolf Empire, they would undoubtedly need support from a major internal faction.
So...
Who exactly was colluding with the Mechanical Clan?
As he pondered, Golden Dagger's communicator rang again.
The moment he saw the specially encrypted number, his expression became serious.
He immediately answered.
Soon, a blurry figure appeared.
“Your Highness!” Golden Dagger bowed respectfully.
“Mm. What are the results of the investigation I assigned to you?” The voice was filled with authority.
“Reporting to Your Highness, we have made progress! There is a ninety percent chance those two are surviving remnants. They concealed themselves very well before, but recently they have begun to reveal a few traces.”
“Is that so... Truly persistent cockroaches. In that case, you know what to do.” The voice was cold.
“Yes, Your Highness. I understand! In fact, even without my intervention, they probably won't last much longer. We have Lord Chloros's brilliant plan to thank for that!”
“I don't care about the process. I only want results.”
“Yes!”
Hearing the impatience in the speaker's voice, a fine layer of sweat appeared on Golden Dagger's forehead.
“Your Highness! I also have another piece of information.”
“Oh? What information?”
“Recently, a mysterious figure has risen within the Shattered Star Region. He goes by the title Ghost Captain...”
...
Some time later, beyond a distant starfield...
“Heh! My foolish brother.”
“Even after being dead for so many years, you're still causing me trouble.”
“But it ends here...”
“The Unity of All Things Society?”
“Just listen to that name. It sounds incredibly authoritarian!”
“Could this be the work of Fourth Brother or Eighth Brother?”
“Even the Mechanical Clan has gotten involved...”
“What a troublesome group of people.”
“Are they targeting the Shattered Star Region because of those two remnants?”
“Or because of that secret treasure...?”
The soft murmur was carried away by the wind, taking with it countless secrets of the universe...
TL Note- Secrets..
Next
Comments
Post a Comment