Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 350 Longing from Afar
The Bloodsail Gang, having regrouped, was naturally licking its wounds and determined to take revenge. However, the Black Sailfish and Sea Demon Gang, who had finally gotten this golden opportunity, were not about to give their old rivals a chance to breathe.

Although he couldn't go too far due to his former title as the Lord of the West Tower, the covert suppression, belittling, and small-scale attacks continued unabated.

These are all secondary issues. The key problem is that the Blood Sail Gang's reputation has plummeted after its headquarters was raided, and with the relentless encouragement of its peers, it is on the verge of becoming a laughing stock.

Even though Kurze and Blasca took decisive action and managed to stabilize the situation and salvage some of their reputation, they were still overwhelmed and simply didn't have any extra time.

Moreover, even if they wanted revenge, the culprit had already vanished without a trace. What puzzled both sides of the Luscan gang conflict was that the eye of the storm, the fuse and driving force of the entire war, Shining Coin, had disappeared without a trace.

Shining Gold Coin, who had already launched several battles, was already a rising star in Luskan. The subsequent Meteor Disaster shocked everyone. No one expected that the opponent could do such a big thing.

Needless to say, the Bloodsail Gang, the aggrieved victims, were also left speechless, even the Black Sailfish, who were considered the culprits behind the graves.

I told you to test and provoke me, not to behead me!

Surprised but also apprehensive, the Blackfins realized that they knew far too little about this unexpected factor and had underestimated it. Just as they were preparing to win him over and appease him while secretly limiting his division, they discovered that he was nowhere to be found.

It wasn't until the chaos settled that Luscan's major gangs discovered that the Money Gang had been plotting all along, not only clearing out and taking away their data and assets, but also seizing their land.

It turns out that in the days leading up to the incident, the Money Gang's affairs officer, who always liked to conduct business in a flirtatious manner, once again finalized a bizarre deal in the company of dancers.

The counterparty was quite peculiar; it was none other than their victim, Dawm, the leader of the Finger Gang.

The transaction was also bizarre; it wasn't about goods or money, but about the control of the territory.

Upon hearing the terms offered, Dom thought the other party was just toying with him and almost turned to leave, but Lawrence stopped him with a casual remark.

“If you don’t accept it, there are plenty of others who will. Mr. Arden of Maginot will surely not refuse such a good deal.”

Upon hearing this, Dom's eyes widened slightly, but he still managed to remain calm and said:

"If this is what you call rhetoric, then it's absurd. I don't see any credibility in your feud with the Maginot Group."

He was somewhat surprised and uncertain, half probing and half questioning.

"Oh, business is business. Besides, we had a fairly pleasant transaction before. Perhaps it's easier to talk to a regular customer. Mr. Dom, please go ahead. Farewell."

Lawrence stood up, raised his glass to the other person, drank it down in one gulp, and was about to turn and leave.

Dom's pupils contracted sharply, and he could no longer control himself. He slammed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and growled in a suppressed voice:

"It's all fake? You're all working together to frame me?"

The old lecher, straightening his clothes, chuckled softly:
"What is real? What is fake? How can you say for sure? Fighting for territory is real, selling territory is also real, it all depends on how you look at it."

Dom's momentum faltered for a moment; he was genuinely a little confused. But before he could ask any questions, the other person continued speaking.

"You and I both know how we got our gang's status."

“I bought it.”

"Yes, what's the purpose of buying this banner?"

"Make money!" Dom didn't hesitate at all.

"Yes, the top echelons of power have been taken over by the five major gangs. We're just using these pretexts to make money, but whose money are we going to make?"

"Who else could it be? Of course, it's the money from ordinary people and merchants. You wouldn't dare to take money from those high-ranking mages, would you?"

“No.” Lawrence mimicked someone else’s earlier gesture of shaking his index finger, feigning profundity: “They have little money, and it takes them too long to come.”

"So whose money do you want to make?"

"You have money."

"I have money?" Dom felt like laughing out loud. He knew his own worth as a vassal gang.

"Although the storage area cannot compare with the market area, if it were all brought under your control, the profits would be quite substantial."

"So what? I still can't afford it right now." Dom was unusually calm at this moment.

"Besides, what if you change your mind and turn your back on me after taking the money?"

Have you ever heard of credit escrow?

Lawrence's smile was mysterious, yet tinged with a hint of lewdness.

"So, Shining Gold Coins handed over the power to collect management fees on their territory to you?"

Kurzer stared at Dom in disbelief, as if he were looking at a brain-dead goblin who had infiltrated civilized society.

"Half of the storage area can generate seven or eight hundred gold coins a month, which adds up to nearly nine thousand gold coins a year. He only charges you three thousand gold coins. What the hell are you thinking? How can you believe such nonsense, especially when the other party is an enemy!"

The captain, growing angrier with each word, smashed all the wine glasses beside him. Dom, looking utterly miserable, didn't dare to dodge and was hit all over the face, the spilled wine flowing down like blood.

Only after Kurzer had caught his breath did Daum cautiously begin to speak:

"They handed over all the contracts with the merchants to us, and the monthly fees they collected were 30% lower than usual. They also said they wanted to focus their efforts on the Seawolf and the immense potential of ocean salvage, so..."

"So what about the Seawolf?" Kurzer laughed in exasperation.

Dom was speechless.

Fortunately, after a moment of contemplation, Kurzer simply waved for the other party to get lost.

"That warehouse area location?"

"You can leave once you've submitted your share on time."

The board was raised high and then gently lowered. While Dom was clearly surprised, the Bloodsail leader had his own considerations.

The gang is already short of manpower and its power is declining. If we force vassal gangs to join us for this little thing, how can we expect to reverse the decline?

Moreover, this might not necessarily be a bad thing; once he calmed down, Kurzer even smiled a little.

This wasn't because he lost his mind under the weight of the major blow, but rather because he discovered something quite interesting.

His old friend, the black marlin, is probably going to get stuck in this muddy mess.

Meteor disaster, sudden attack on the mage tower, and then disappearance?
Hmph, interesting. Neverwinter, Shining Gold Coins, Veldrin, huh?
The captain narrowed his eyes, putting aside these thoughts for the time being; the important thing right now was to sow discord between his old friend and others.

Those two old friends who made me both happy and resentful.

Thank you, Alukard, for the monthly pass!
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(End of this chapter)