Above the mage!

Chapter 518 "Blue Flame Dungeon" Settlement (Part 1)
The bone spurs that Baozai had thrown to the ground like a rag doll caused him excruciating pain, but he didn't even have the courage to lift his head. He gritted his teeth, afraid to make a sound.
Many of the high-ranking members of the Crow's Vessel Gang were still burning with rage at the humiliation of their breach of the gate. Some of the hot-tempered ones had even mobilized their internal magical power, preparing to make a move.

Now, seeing Sarah's indifferent expression standing at the door, he immediately softened, backed down, and his anger turned into fear.

what's the situation?
Everyone froze in place, including the owner of the bottle.

"Captain Sarah, what's going on here? What do you mean by this?" The Master clenched his fists, deliberately ignoring Sarah's "impolite" behavior of breaking in, and asked very politely.

Sarah remained calm and pointed to God beside her.

It was only then that the Lord of the Bottle realized that there was a young mage standing next to Sarah.

The fact that the other person looked too young and not strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with Sarah was itself a very strange thing.

"He is our most important ally and my friend. He recently purchased the Siren's Saltwater Elixir at a high price during the Anguish auction."

Sarah spoke directly: "But your people actually colluded with the Layton Mercenary Group to come to his door to cause trouble, wanting to kill him and steal his potions."

"Who gave your Raven Claw Gang the audacity to oppose our Gold Coin Hunters?" Sarah paused, then, without further ado, directly escalated Bone Spike's actions into a conflict between the two factions.

When Zunzhu heard the words "most important ally," his heart skipped a beat, and he knew the situation was not good. After Sarah finished speaking, his headache became even more severe.

"Chief Sarah, this was just the personal action of my subordinate, and it has absolutely nothing to do with our gang."

The leader of the wine vessel immediately attempted to distance himself from the Bone Spikes and the Crow Wine Vessel Gang, while simultaneously adopting a sincere attitude and decisively admitting defeat.
"Of course, he is a member of my Crow's Vessel Secret Gang. It was my fault for not disciplining my subordinate properly, and I am willing to apologize to you!"

"Whether it has anything to do with your Crow's Vessel Gang or not is not for you to decide," Sarah said coldly, showing no mercy whatsoever.

Seeing Sarah's indifferent expression, the owner of the cup was practically cursing under his breath.

What most important ally? How could such a young pretty boy have such great abilities to become an ally of your Gold Coin Hunters?
If he believed that, he would be a fool, not the leader of a gang.

This was clearly just an excuse Sarah came up with on the spot, an excuse to deal with their Crow's Den gang.

The problem is, even if he knew it perfectly well, he had no choice but to admit defeat.

Whether the reasons are valid or not is not important; what matters is who has the stronger fist.

At least, the owner of the bottle doesn't have the courage to turn against Sarah right now.

For all the mages of Black Sails, Davy Jones was an absolute superstar.

The person before me is the one who is most likely to kill David.

Horror!
"Please instruct us, Captain Sarah, what should our Crow's Vessel Gang do to satisfy you and forgive my subordinate's unintentional mistake?"

The owner of the wine vessel gritted his teeth inwardly, but still smiled on the surface.

“This is your business, not mine.” However, Sarah remained indifferent to the owner’s attempts to curry favor, and her attitude did not improve in the slightest.

This arrogant attitude aroused some resentment and humiliation in the hearts of the other high-ranking members of the Crow's Vessel Gang.

They bowed down to David because the pirate king had built his prestige through a century of bloodshed.

Sarah, however, clearly does not yet have this foundation.

Although they were wary of Sarah, seeing is believing, and their fear and apprehension towards her were not as deep as they had imagined.

Even the master of the vessel is the same.

He was about to speak, expressing some of the "tough" attitude of the Crow's Secret Gang.

Just then, a jet-black crow flew in, circling above the council hall and cawing rhythmically.

This is a unique communication code used by the Crow's Gourd Secret Gang, with distinct rhythmic pauses and containing specific intelligence codes.

The Lord of the Bottle had placed spies at many docks in Black Sails City, and the order was to report any movement by the Gold Coin Hunters immediately.

They did the same thing; upon discovering that the Fire Knife had landed at the Ice Anchor Pier, they immediately gathered information and handed it over to Raven for a secret report.

Sarah acted too quickly. After dealing with Mage Luke and Case, she headed straight for the Raven Cocktail Gang's headquarters, which caused the report to arrive a beat late.

The owner of the wine vessel twitched his ears slightly, deciphering the crow's cry into a corresponding message in his mind:

The Fire Knife...mast...David's body...sky lantern...

As the last syllable fell, the master of the vessel trembled violently, and his face beneath the bronze mask turned deathly pale.

it is true!
Davy Jones is really dead!

He died at Sarah's hands, and his body was hung on the mast of the Fire Knife as a "sky lantern" to intimidate the entire city!
This news was like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing all the "toughness" and wishful thinking in the owner's heart.

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing, and upon closer inspection, he realized that the enchanted gun Sarah held in her right hand was neither the [Good Fortune] nor the [Misfortune] he knew.

The dragon scale patterns covering the gun and the shimmering topaz gems clearly belong to Davy Jones's nameless, ferocious enchanted gun!
Everything was clear.

Sarah's indifference and "arrogance" stemmed from her strength and her record of killing David.

The master's gaze swept over the trembling bone spurs on the ground, then looked at Sarah, who stood indifferently at the door, and God, who watched the show with amusement. He knew that he had to back down today.

“Chief Sarah, I’m willing to offer 35% of our gang’s total annual income, or 100,000 Golden Bird Coins, as compensation. Would that appease you?” The leader of the wine vessel gritted his teeth and said with a pained expression.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the high-ranking members of the Crow's Vessel Secret Gang in the council hall all changed slightly.

Income is not profit. Gangs also need to pay huge costs every year, including rewards and compensation for gang members, principal for purchasing smuggled goods, equipment wear and tear, etc.

Ultimately, the profit obtained is only between half and 35% of the revenue.

Offering 100,000 gold coin as compensation would essentially mean that a year's work had been for nothing.

Of course, it is impossible to verify whether the total annual income of the Crow's Gourd Secret Gang was only over 300,000 Golden Bird Coins.

Even though the owner of the bottle had already suffered such a "heavy loss," Sarah remained completely unmoved.

"It's just a mere 100,000 Golden Bird Coins. You think you can settle this with such a small amount of money?"

The vessel owner was able to accept that it hadn't worked out this time.

Because this was exactly what he had expected.

Negotiations, negotiations, naturally take time and patience; it's impossible to reveal your bottom line right away.

In fact, this is still two steps away from his bottom line. But he still has to keep up the act.

The owner of the vessel "deliberately" gritted his teeth, trying his best to show his struggle and hesitation. After a moment, he spoke in an extremely dry voice:

“Captain Sarah, our Crow's Den Gang currently has three large docks under our control. If you need them, I can give you one of them!”

These words sound like a sacrifice, but the master of the vessel had already made his plans.

Of these three docks, one was a declining gang's property that was annexed by Bloodsail after they submitted to David, and its foundation was already unstable.

Sending one away now would show great sincerity without causing serious damage, and could even leverage Sarah's influence to stabilize the other two core docks.

“Apart from the Bloodsail Pirates’ Bloodsail Dock, I’m not interested in any other docks.” Sarah shook her head again, her face indifferent.

Bloodsail Wharf is the undisputed largest wharf in Black Sails City, handling half of the city's total merchant ship traffic.

Once she has Bloodsail Wharf in her hands, why would she care about a wharf belonging to the Crow Jar Gang?
Even at this point, Sarah showed no emotion whatsoever, but the Master's heart had already sunk.

But the arrow is on the string and must be fired.

Left with no other choice, the leader of the bottle had to lay all his cards on the table: "Captain Sarah, our gang has four properties in the Upper City. The Gold Coin Hunters have been stationed on Ash Isle and have not acquired any properties in Black Sails City. I think you might need them."

These four properties are the foundation of the Crow's Secret Gang in the Upper City, providing not only stable income but also proof of status and prestige.

When he said those words, the owner of the bottle felt as if a piece of his flesh had been ripped out.

Even a layman can see how sincere this is.

“I have heard about the businesses of your Crow Jar Secret Gang in the Upper City, but I know that running these businesses requires a lot of professional manpower. My hunter group is not large to begin with, and the members are good at fighting but not good at running businesses, so we don’t have that need right now.”

Sarah's repeated rejections made the Master of the Bottle deeply realize what it meant to have a miserable life.

This was his bottom line, the best he could offer. If Sarah didn't even like this, what else could he offer?
"Chief Sarah, please be frank. What exactly do you want our gang to do to let this matter go?" At this point, how could he not see that Sarah's purpose was clear, and that he had not played right into her hands all along?

Sarah had been waiting for the leader of the Crow Cage Gang to speak first. A cold, sharp smile curved her lips as she glanced at all the high-ranking members of the Crow Cage Gang present and slowly began to speak:
"I heard that you guys used to be David's undercover agents, working for Bloodsail and providing intelligence support."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed drastically, and they exchanged uneasy glances.

Only the master's face was covered by a raven mask, so his expression was not visible, but it was probably not much different.

“Captain Sarah, David is ruthless and unreasonable. Back then, he used force to coerce our Crow Jar Secret Gang into submission, leaving us with no choice.” At this point, the Jar Master stopped pretending to be confused.

"Now that Davy Jones is dead at your hands, we are incredibly grateful and hope to take this opportunity to restore our independence and regain our freedom."

"Please feel free to make your request. The Crow's Den Gang will do its best to meet your needs, as a token of our gratitude for freeing us from David's clutches."

"Do you think I'm a reasonable person?" Sarah interrupted Zunzhu before he could finish speaking.

Her voice suddenly turned cold, and the [Topaz Annihilator] moved slightly in response.

An undisguised murderous aura spread like a tide, instantly freezing the air in the council chamber, and everyone unconsciously held their breath.

Her purpose in coming here was simple: to take control of the Crow's Vein Gang, just like David had.

Killing David is only the first step. To truly control Black Sails City, Bloodsail's assets must be taken over quickly.

These require precise intelligence support.

As David's "black glove," the Crow's Gauntlet Gang knew everything about Bloodsail.

Only by relying on their power can she quickly take over the vast assets left by the Bloodsail Pirates and truly fill the power vacuum left by Davy Jones.

This was a strategy devised by the "Gold Coin Hunters" on the Fireblade.

In particular, their hunter group has been engaged in bounty hunting for many years and has almost no foothold in Black Sails City.

If Sarah wants to rule this place, she might be able to keep the situation in check for a while with her strength and the fame of killing David, but it would be difficult to maintain it for long.

To maintain a dominant position in the long term, one must have the support of local forces at least in the early stages.

This is like a high-ranking official who was parachuted in from ancient times in Gaode's previous life. In order to secure his position, he had to find a way to gain the support of the local prominent families.

Sarah, however, was not so gentle. What she wanted to do was not to gain the support of the local noble families, but to directly take them over and make them her own.

Under normal circumstances, this will not work.

Because the balance of power cannot be achieved by force, everyone must act within the bounds of the rules.

But this is the City of Black Sails, a city of lawlessness and sin!

Sarah was still figuring out what excuse to use to force the Crow's Den to submit.

As soon as they landed in Black Sails City, they encountered the Gaode incident, in which the Crow's Secret Gang happened to be involved.

A ready-made excuse was offered to Sarah, so she readily accepted it.

"Commander Sarah, this matter is of great importance. Could we discuss it internally and then give you a reply?" The Master of the Bottle struggled with his thoughts.

He certainly hoped that the Crow's Gourd Secret Gang could take this opportunity to become independent, escape its vassal status, and stop having to act at the beck and call of others.

On the other hand, he was indeed wary of Sarah's strength.

His gaze, hidden beneath the raven mask, swept over the high-ranking officials beside him.

The clenched fists of the pro-war mages betrayed their resentment, yet they helplessly lowered their heads; the high-ranking members of the pro-peace faction, on the other hand, had shifting eyes, clearly leaning towards compromise.

“There’s nothing to discuss. If you agree now, I can promise that as long as I’m still in Black Sails City, your Raven Cocks Club will be the largest gang in Black Sails City.” Sarah saw the struggle of the Raven Cocks Club’s leaders and added fuel to the fire.

Seeing this, the Lord of the Bottle knew that Sarah would not give up until she achieved her goal.

"Chief Sarah, the Crow's Den is willing to serve you." He sighed inwardly, his body hunching over considerably.

During the years that the Crow's Secret Gang was under his control, it twice submitted to others, losing all face and dignity.

But there was nothing he could do!
David and Sarah are figures that only appear once every few centuries, yet he happened to run into them one after another.

Can you blame him?
(End of this chapter)