We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 18 Apocalypse Merchant Guild
"Nothing."

Jani said with a smile, "I just wanted to ask, have you raised the money you owe the Duke yet?"

Xia En raised an eyebrow: "Whether I've collected them all or not is none of your business, is it?"

"Why doesn't it matter?"

Jani said righteously, "I have some connection with your father, after all."

"If your shortage isn't too big, I can buy the Black Swan. It's better than giving the Duke the ship and all its crew."

Xia En immediately understood; so she still had her eye on his ship!

So he said coldly, "I have my own way of paying off the money I owe, so you don't need to worry about it."

"Ha ha……"

Jani wasn't surprised. He turned back to the crew on deck with a cold smile and said, "Renat, it seems your former captain isn't very appreciative of you."

"As you can see, I gave him a chance, but he refused it himself."

"Renat?"

Xia En followed his gaze.

This crew member was none other than Renate, the former first mate of the Black Swan, who sported a full beard.

Noticing Shane's gaze, Renate's eyes instinctively darted away.

Jani smiled smugly: "That's right, Renate is now the second mate on my ship."

"Captain Shane, don't be too angry. People strive for higher positions, and water flows downhill. It's only human nature."

Xia En's expression was strange.

To be honest, he wasn't angry at all; in fact, he felt a little amused.

He suddenly felt that the plot seemed familiar. Wasn't this the scene where the blond guy brought his girlfriend, who had been taken away by a cow, to the victim to show off?

The only difference was that he and this "girlfriend" were not familiar with each other at all, so he was naturally unmoved.

"Oh, nothing else?"

"Then I'll leave first."

Considering that Renate might have meant well, Shane decided not to argue with them and prepared to sail into port.

"Captain Shane!"

Renate couldn't help but call out to him, "Why don't you reconsider? Being the Duke's male concubine can really be deadly!"

Clearly, he hadn't considered the possibility of Xia En paying off his debts, which is why he resorted to this desperate measure of trying to find someone to buy the Black Swan to help Xia En get through his crisis.

However, for Xia En now, this good intention is clearly superfluous.

"No need to think about it anymore."

Shane said calmly, "Renat, now that you're Captain Jani's second mate, you should completely sever ties with the Black Swan and stop interfering in my affairs."

Having said that, he ignored the two people on the neighboring ship and steered the Black Swan away.

Renate was somewhat annoyed as he watched his retreating figure.

She was clearly thinking of Xia En's best interests, but not only did he not appreciate it, he also wanted to distance himself from her.
"Captain Shane is young and impetuous. He'll understand how good you are, Renate, once he's learned his lesson."

Jani patted Renate on the shoulder, gloating.

"However, the prerequisite is that he must survive the Duke's favor."

……

……

Duke Island is neither small nor large.

In less than an hour, news of the Black Swan's return to the island spread to those who were interested.

Most people's attitude towards this is to wait and see Shane make a fool of himself.

They agreed to use the Duke's funds to turn their fortunes around, but they've already returned home after only half a month.

For many ships, a voyage can last anywhere from one month to half a year.

How can one earn a fortune of several hundred silver snake coins in just half a month?
Many people probably think that Shane encountered some setback at sea again, so he simply gave up struggling, returned to the island early, and obediently became the Duke's male concubine.

The old butler, Sage Nova, thought so too.

He leisurely straightened his suit, gathered a few of his men, and prepared to take over the Black Swan.

This was a trivial matter that he didn't need to handle personally, but to avoid any unforeseen complications, the old butler decided to take matters into his own hands and send Xia En to the Duke's bed tonight.

However, when we arrived at the dock near the Black Swan...

The old butler noticed that the atmosphere around him seemed a bit strange. The sailors on the dock were gathered around the Black Swan, curiously peering onto the deck.

"Ok?"

The old butler frowned slightly, and just then he saw that Jason, the black man, was also nearby, so he stepped forward, grabbed him, and asked.

"What happened?"

Jason looked somewhat bewildered: "I heard that Shane seems to have... returned with a full load?"

"The deck was filled with his spoils."

"???"

The old butler's eyes widened slightly, and he instinctively denied it, saying, "How could that be?"

"Him? And that Joey who's afraid of water?"

Jason quickly replied, "Yeah, I was wondering the same thing! If you ask me, it's probably just something Shane made up to fool people!"

The old butler composed himself and asked, "Where is Xia Enren?"

"It seems they went to the Federal Inspectorate."

"The Federal Inspectorate?"

The old butler frowned even more deeply.

Every island incorporated into the Seven Seas Federation has a branch of the Federal Inspection Bureau, which is intended to supervise and check the island's governors and has a rather detached position.

In theory, the head of the federal inspectorate and the governor should be on equal footing.

Even a trusted confidant of Duke Nova, such as the old butler, was not allowed to trespass and direct the personnel of the Inspectorate.

"Are they trying to stall for time there?"

The old butler had just had this thought when he saw Xia En walking over from not far away with two men, one tall and one short.

"Mr. Hoover of the Inspectorate?"

"Becas from the Chamber of Commerce! What brings them here?"

A low gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd.

Immediately, people parted to make way for the three people.

These two are both well-known figures on Duke Island, and they rarely appear in places like the docks.

The former is intimidating enough just by the name of the Supervisory Bureau, and the latter is no ordinary person either.

On Duke Island, besides the Bureau of Inspection, there is another organization that is not under the Duke's control.

That is the Apocalypse Merchant Guild, which spans the seven seas!
It is said that the history of the Apocalypse Merchant Guild is even longer than that of the Seven Seas Federation, and can even be traced back to the era before the "Great Flood".

Today, the Apocalypse Chamber of Commerce has permeated every aspect of people's lives and has become an integral part of the Federation.

Previously, Xia En's supplier was also a member of the Apocalypse Merchant Guild.

"Shane actually invited these two?"

"What does he want to do?"

After a moment's hesitation, the old butler took the initiative to go forward, removing his hat to greet him.

"Good day, Mr. Hoover, Mr. Pegasus."

"Good day, Butler Sage."

The tall, thin Hoover gave a nonchalant reply, while the overweight Pegasus beside him simply nodded.

This cold attitude gave the old butler a jolt, a sense of foreboding.

Xia En glanced at the old butler, but pretended not to see him and said indifferently.

"Please board the ship, gentlemen."

Hoover looked at the young captain and reminded him, "I don't need to elaborate on the consequences of mocking an inspector, do I?"

Bekas wiped the sweat from his brow with a silk handkerchief and said with a chuckle, "I hope the big deal you're talking about won't disappoint me."

Xia En chuckled lightly: "Please rest assured, both of you."

They then walked together toward the deck of the Black Swan.

The old butler and Jason quickly followed, and Shane glanced at them but did not stop them.

But as soon as they stepped onto the deck, their eyes widened in surprise...

(End of this chapter)