CHAPTER 1724: CHAPTER 40 THE FIRST SHIP

"Stay on the ship and at least get familiar with one ship technology before I come back!" Tang Zheng glared at Fang Zhiwen. He had been too kind, letting the white, rich, and beautiful woman get increasingly unruly, always causing trouble.

Fang Zhiwen was about to speak again when Yin Shangwu walked over and slapped her across the face.

"You hit me?" The white, rich, and beautiful woman was furious and raised her hand to hit back.

Yin Shangwu didn’t waste words, and with a backhand, slapped her again, this time with great force, cracking the corner of Fang Zhiwen’s mouth and causing her to stumble a few steps.

"Tang Zheng, she hit me!" The white, rich, and beautiful woman knew she couldn’t beat Yin Shangwu, so she quickly sought help from Tang Zheng, thinking she had more seniority than the black long straight-haired lady.

"Sister Shangwu, she is yours to handle." After Tang Zheng gave his instructions, he found a piece of cloth, wrapped up the Pirate Captain’s head, and sprinted to the ship’s side, leaping off.

"Don’t blame Tang Zheng. With your personality, you’re bound to die." Yin Shangwu looked at Fang Zhiwen coolly, showing no concern for the hatred in her eyes.

"Tang Zheng is too much of a soft-hearted person. Why worry about her, she’s doomed anyway." Jiang Xiuming spat on the deck, looked at the seagulls soaring in the sky, and sighed. "In this game, the number of people who can survive is very few. Just do your best!"

"I won’t die; I still have to capture the Silver Trojan." Dong Zixuan, ignorant and fearless, rebutted Jiang Xiuming.

Making his way through the bustling streets, Tang Zheng first went to the Town Hall, the place to claim bounties.

"You killed a pirate? Come in with me!" A female Secretary sized up Tang Zheng a few times, registered his name, and then led him to see the Police Chief.

In the corridor on the fifth floor, Tang Zheng waited for a full ten minutes and still didn’t see the female Secretary leave the office. Just as he hesitated about barging in, hurried moaning came from inside.

"Damn!"

Since he was preparing to become a pirate, who cared about the law? Tang Zheng approached the door and kicked it open.

Bang, the wooden door shattered, wood chips flying, accompanied by a man’s angry curses and a woman’s screams.

"Who are you?" The Mayor was utterly shocked that someone dared to barge into his office, left staring with eyes wide and mouth agape.

The female Secretary, clothes disheveled, screamed when she saw Tang Zheng enter, pushing the Mayor aside to quickly tidy her clothes.

"Get out." The Mayor’s face turned iron blue, shouting angrily at Tang Zheng.

Tang Zheng threw the cloth-wrapped head at the Mayor’s chest, scrutinized him, and with that pile of fat, he knew there was no real strength.

"What is this?" The Mayor hadn’t heard the Secretary’s report and, seeing her enter, couldn’t wait to push her down.

"A head!"

Hearing Tang Zheng’s words, the Mayor instinctively opened the bundle and saw the lifeless head staring back, causing his legs to give out as he sat on the ground.

"Hurry up and pay me the bounty, I’m busy!" Tang Zheng pulled out a dagger, casually grooming his nails with a sinister smile. "You aren’t going to say there’s no money, are you?"

The Mayor had intended to say there wasn’t any, but seeing Tang Zheng’s demeanor, he changed his tune immediately.

"There is! Take him to complete the procedures and get the money!" The Mayor yelled at the Secretary.

"No need, I’ll just wait here."

Tang Zheng let the Secretary leave, not wasting the waiting time, using the dagger to press against the Mayor’s chin, inquiring about intelligence regarding this world.

How to make money in the Age of Sail? Certainly by being a Sea Merchant, but this business took too much time; a single trade route could take months.

Tang Zheng didn’t believe the Trojan would let them play for so long, so the remaining option was naturally to become a pirate—lying in wait on the trade routes, seizing those fully loaded sea ships for a big profit.

"Do you have a map of the Sea Merchant trade routes?" Tang Zheng poked the Mayor’s belly with the dagger, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

"Yes, but those are just general routes!" The Mayor sensed something was wrong; could this guy be an emerging pirate leader?

"Don’t worry, I’m planning to kill pirates and protect those Sea Merchants. We won’t do anything illegal." Tang Zheng smiled as urgent footsteps echoed from outside—it was the Soldiers arriving.

The Mayor hadn’t spoken yet when he felt the dagger press harder into his stomach.

"You know what to do, right?" Tang Zheng had no qualms about creating a hole in him.

"Get out quickly, he’s my guest." The Mayor yelled.

The Soldiers armed with firearms looked at each other but didn’t dare to ask more questions, retreating.

"Remember to close the door." Tang Zheng’s calm demeanor even started to terrify the Mayor.

"What do you want?" The Mayor decided to negotiate, aiming to save his life first.

"Wouldn’t those Pirate Captain skulls bring you prestige?" Tang Zheng asked. "Don’t rush to deny it; aren’t those capable of sea trade Great Merchants? Once the dangers on the trade routes are cleared, they’ll surely be grateful to you, right?"

"Mm!" The Mayor nodded, knowing that because of those pirates, merchants had lost a lot of goods and pressured him daily to order the pirate purge.

"That’s great. You provide the information, and I’ll kill them for you, how about it?" Tang Zheng coaxed, "Don’t worry, I’ll stay behind the scenes. Besides the bounty, I want nothing more; all the fame is yours."

The mayor quickly assessed the feasibility of this plan.

"Give it a try, you won’t lose anything anyway?" Tang Zheng shrugged his shoulders.

The mayor nodded and handed over the intelligence on those great merchants.

The female secretary acted swiftly this time, bringing the bounty in less than five minutes.

It was a large leather suitcase filled with crisp new banknotes exuding the smell of ink.

"Well then, Mr. Mayor, here’s to our successful collaboration!" Tang Zheng checked the bounty amount, took a stack, and stuffed it into the female secretary’s *** before leaving with the suitcase.

"Shall we send soldiers to capture him?" The female secretary spoke to the mayor, but her eyes involuntarily glanced at the banknotes on her chest, "So generous, I can buy a few new outfits."

"No need." The mayor hesitated for a moment and then gave up. The other party was so confident, he must have a trump card. "Come, lie on the table."

After the shock, the mayor was ready to release some tension.

"Damn old fool." The female secretary lifted her skirt, lay on the office table, and fantasized that the handsome young man who had just left was standing behind her.

The mayor hadn’t even begun when the already broken door was kicked open once again.

"Whew, such high spirits." The Buddha Bead Man, whom Yu Deye had once seen on a cruise ship, whistled frivolously, throwing a blood-dripping skull onto the office table, "Please settle the bounty, I’m in a hurry, make it quick."

This time, the female secretary was experienced and dashed out immediately.

"Looks like someone beat me to it, could you describe his appearance?" the Buddha Bead Man sat on the sofa, gesturing for the mayor to sit, "Oh, and please, a cup of red tea."

The mayor took out a handkerchief, continuously wiping his sweat. Although this white man always smiled, he was much more terrifying than that young man before, exuding a murderous aura as if he could pull out firearms at any moment and blow off his head.

Ten minutes later, the Buddha Bead Man left, and the mayor collapsed to the ground. He found that his back was completely soaked, and his mood and ability to enjoy the female secretary were scared away.

Tang Zheng stepped into the tavern, immediately hit by a chaotic wave of noise and the smell of alcohol, causing him to frown as he disliked such places.

More than a dozen rough-looking guys scrutinized Tang Zheng, then their eyes fell greedily on his suitcase like a wolf that sensed blood.

"Is it possible to buy information here?"

Tang Zheng ordered a beer, and when the waitress came over, he generously handed her a large-denomination banknote. Being new to the area, he had to rely on this method to pry open the locals’ mouths, of course, this way of lavish spending also inevitably attracted covetous glances.

"The third man to the left of the bar, see him? He’s an information dealer." The waitress pointed with a smile, and because he tipped well, she added, "But be careful, he’s also a part-time pirate."

"Thanks. If I want to find some bold and ruthless sailors, where should I go?" Tang Zheng looked at the information dealer.

The waitress’s mouth formed an ’O’ shape, clearly guessing the subtext of Tang Zheng’s words, but she wasn’t afraid, knowing the pirates wouldn’t dare blatantly cause trouble in the city.

"Right here, as long as you’re willing to pay." The waitress lowered her voice and left hurriedly, not wanting to associate with pirates.

"Where can I buy a sea ship?" Tang Zheng sat beside the man and inquired directly, "Price is not an issue."

"Do you know the rules?" The man gave Tang Zheng a sideways glance, pondering his background, but in the next moment, a hand grabbed his hair and slammed his head onto the bar.

Bang, the man’s forehead immediately broke open, blood seeping out.

Crash, more than a dozen people stood up, glaring viciously at Tang Zheng, clearly showing the man had companions.

"I hate wasting time, three minutes. If you don’t tell me all the information I want, you’ll die." Tang Zheng pulled the man’s head up, "Don’t rush to refuse; think carefully. Even if they avenge you afterward and kill me, what use will it be to you if you’re already dead?"

The man initially wanted to refuse, but Tang Zheng’s words changed his mind. Yes, as long as he’s alive, he can seek revenge anytime.

"If you want to buy a ship, go to the shipyard. As long as you have money, you can buy anything!"

Bang, Tang Zheng slammed the man’s head on the bar again.

"I don’t like being played, so you have one more chance." Tang Zheng asked again, "So, where can I buy a sea ship, one with plenty of muzzles?"

Some people approached, but stopped under Tang Zheng’s cold gaze.

"This guy is definitely a fierce bandit."

"Another new pirate? The pirate world is getting increasingly chaotic."

"I like this kind of power; pirates have to be lawless."

"An old man, he has a ship!" the man hurriedly spoke, frightened by the beating.