Chapter 53: The Secret Struggle
The atmosphere of the negotiation wasn't great, after all, two of the three parties present were pirates. Judging by the expressions of the subordinates behind Redbeard, they were clearly ready to start a firefight at any moment. The subordinates of the Black Sea Empress, Agati, wore similar expressions.
"Terror Island again."
Redbeard's brownish-yellow eyes narrowed, the surrounding temperature began to drop, and it looked like he might turn hostile at any moment.
"Redbeard, although that place is special, it's not worth..."
Before Agati could finish her sentence, Redbeard turned his head and stared at her intently, making the atmosphere even more tense.
"Recently, many people have been searching for Terror Island. Because of that godforsaken island, I've lost over a hundred men."
Redbeard didn't make any demands or conditions; at this moment, he was filled with anger. After all, because of Terror Island, he had nearly a hundred subordinates dead or wounded, and even three of his trusted confidants had betrayed him.
Redbeard could accept casualties among his men, but he couldn't accept betrayal. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to drag those three traitors out and crush their heads one by one.
"30,000 Kingdom Gold Coins."
As soon as Su Xiao finished speaking, Baha suddenly appeared beside him, tossing a large cloth sack to the ground.
With a clatter, gold coins scattered everywhere. One of them rolled to Redbeard's feet, bumping against his boot before toppling over.
The pirates' breathing grew rapid. As pirates, they wouldn't hide their greed.
Redbeard leaned forward slightly, grabbed a handful of gold coins from the ground, examined them for a moment, then clenched his fist. One by one, the coins were crushed flat, squeezing out from between his fingers like mud.
"I have no interest in these. As for Terror Island, 'that thing' can be yours, but..."
As Redbeard spoke, he tossed the lump of gold back to Su Xiao's feet.
"On my ship, three crew members betrayed me. Find them, and I'll give you 'that thing'."
The condition Redbeard set was somewhat tricky. He didn't demand any benefits but instead asked Su Xiao to find three people for him.
Su Xiao felt a slight doubt in his heart. The theme of the negotiation seemed to have "shifted."
"Who doesn't like gold?"
Su Xiao drew the sheathed Dragon-Slaying Flash from his waist, resting it against the gold coins on the ground, his hands crossed on the pommel of the blade.
The tension reached a freezing point. Fair trade had to be established under conditions of equal strength between both parties.
"Who doesn't like gold?"
Redbeard repeated Su Xiao's words, then grinned.
"You're right. Deal."
Redbeard crooked his finger at the subordinates behind him. A one-eyed pirate immediately handed him a bottle of rum.
"This is the liquor from my homeland. I only drink it with friends."
As he spoke, Redbeard tossed the bottle of rum toward Su Xiao. Since Su Xiao had just given him a way to save face, he immediately returned the courtesy.
Redbeard, a maritime overlord who had clawed his way to the top, naturally never expected Su Xiao to actually find those three traitors for him. He was just confirming one thing: whether Su Xiao intended to carve out a territory for himself on the Viking Sea. That was what he urgently needed to know.
After testing the waters, Redbeard was basically certain that Su Xiao wasn't here to seize territory. Su Xiao's remark, "Who doesn't like gold," was clearly giving Redbeard a way out.
Redbeard made a snap decision, stepping onto that ladder of retreat. At the same time, he also schemed against the Black Sea Empress, Agati, because the two of them had previously agreed to join forces with Su Xiao to deal with the Bone Goat, Van Eosi.
The original negotiation plan was that Redbeard could provide the "sea chart" of Terror Island, provided that Su Xiao helped him and Agati deal with the Bone Goat.
But who would have thought that as soon as the negotiation began, Su Xiao would summon the cursed beings. This made Redbeard hesitate. Although he wasn't sure of the exact number of cursed beings, he sensed that these inhuman monsters were not to be trifled with.
Therefore, Redbeard decisively changed his negotiation approach. Recently, other participants in the Overlord Battle had been coming to cause trouble for Redbeard, even bribing three of his subordinates to obtain the location of Terror Island.
Using this incident, Redbeard made a relatively cautious probe, asking Su Xiao to find the three traitors. In reality, Redbeard's true intention wasn't that at all; he just wanted to determine whether Su Xiao would join the maritime struggle for supremacy.
After confirming this, Redbeard suddenly changed his stance. After stepping onto the "ladder" Su Xiao had given him, he not only preserved his dignity as a great pirate but also gained a large sum of gold coins.
Not only that, but Redbeard also chose to side with Su Xiao. This maritime overlord's way of doing things was that when others gave him face, he immediately returned the favor with his homeland's rum, adding that this liquor was only shared with friends.
"Redbeard."
Agati spoke with a smile, showing no signs of anger. But in her heart, she was already imagining tearing Redbeard's head off and stomping it under her feet.
"Black Sea King, do you have any objections to our negotiation?"
Redbeard glanced sideways at Agati.
"Objections? How could I? I'm just a middleman."
Of course, Agati wouldn't have any objections. If she turned hostile now, Su Xiao and Redbeard would join forces to deal with her, and that was no joke.
Whether it was Redbeard or Agati, both had climbed to their current positions by being cunning as foxes and ruthless characters. In this negotiation, no one actually lost. Su Xiao got the location of Terror Island, Agati got the Ancient God's right arm, and Redbeard got a pile of gold coins.
"This is the 'sea chart' pointing to Terror Island. Within 15 years, which is this cycle, there's only this one copy."
Redbeard pulled a black scroll from his bosom. Its texture was remarkably similar to parchment.
"Within 15 years, there's only this one chance. I, Redbeard Ignati, sincerely admire your choice. Back then... I backed down."
Redbeard stood up and walked over to Su Xiao, looking as if he intended to personally hand the sea chart to him.
Seeing this, Su Xiao felt a slight doubt in his heart. He reached out and took hold of the sea chart, and a notification from Reincarnation Paradise appeared.
[Notification: The Hunter has obtained the Raging Sea Soul Trial.]
[Raging Sea Soul Trial]
Origin: Viking Sea · Terror Island (Unique)
Quality: Holy Spirit Rank
Category: Scroll/Trial Item
Durability: 1/1
Usage Prerequisite: Willpower 83 points or above, Soul Strength 100 points or above.
Equipment Effect 1: Upon arriving at Terror Island, the Hunter can use this proof to undergo the 'Raging Sea Soul Trial.'
Rating: 972 points (Holy Spirit Rank item rating is 700~1000 points)
Introduction: This is a trial for the brave. Within 15 years, there is only one chance.
Selling Price: Soul Coins (Seventh Rank) × 35.
...
Seeing the attributes of the [Raging Sea Soul Trial], the doubt in Su Xiao's mind was resolved. It was why finding the location of Terror Island was so difficult.
Now it seemed that finding Terror Island's location wasn't too hard. What was truly difficult to obtain was the [Raging Sea Soul Trial].
As for why this situation occurred, it was entirely because Agati had been meddling. She knew that Su Xiao only wanted the coordinates of Terror Island, but she conveyed to Redbeard that Su Xiao wanted the [Raging Sea Soul Trial].
Agati had miscalculated. From the very beginning of the negotiation, Su Xiao had vaguely sensed something was off and decisively took out 30,000 gold coins, since these coins would lose their value once he left the Viking Sea.
In reality, Su Xiao wasn't here to find some soul trial at all. He only needed the coordinates of Terror Island.
Unfortunately, if he said that out loud, Redbeard wouldn't believe him. In Redbeard's eyes, Su Xiao was a powerhouse pursuing strength, and his goal was naturally the [Raging Sea Soul Trial]. How could he have made such a big commotion just for the coordinates of Terror Island? If it weren't for this secret meeting today, by tomorrow evening, a full-scale naval battle between several major forces might have broken out.