# Chapter 29: The Importance of Sustainable Development
Fuland readily agreed to the price of 30,000 Demon Sea gold coins, which showed just how substantial his wealth was.
As for temporarily changing the price, Baha was capable of doing such a thing. The reason he didn't was that he didn't want to completely offend Fuland, this source of wealth.
Even a Black Curse Crow could instantly kill Fuland, but this vice president of the Lijin Bank couldn't be killed so easily. Killing him would mean becoming enemies with numerous high-ranking empire officials and Royal Navy commanders.
Fuland himself was well aware of this, but he didn't resort to threats, because he knew that the people on this vicious ship would dare to do anything.
"So this is the legendary Doom Number? My life hasn't been lived in vain."
Fuland let out a self-deprecating laugh, then his expression turned troubled.
"This…"
Fuland looked at Baha, momentarily unsure how to address him.
"Baha."
"Hello Baha, I wonder if I could meet your captain?"
"You may."
No sooner had Baha spoken than the door to the captain's cabin opened. Fuland straightened his attire, walked past the two rows of Curse People standing at attention, and entered the captain's cabin.
As soon as he entered, Fuland saw a beauty with her golden hair tied up. In ordinary circumstances, Fuland would have taken a few more glances, but now he just gave a polite smile and averted his gaze.
"I am Fuland, vice president of the Lijin Bank on Saint Moro Island."
Fuland sat down as he spoke, then continued, "I have no reason to refuse this transaction, but… 30,000 gold coins is no small sum. I need time to gather the funds."
"Oh."
Su Xiao sat behind the wooden table, its surface covered with array diagrams. A broken horn was floating up — it was the Sea King's Horn.
Su Xiao was attempting to analyze the structure of the Sea King's Horn. Its internal structure was quite complex, and the principle seemed very similar to a spiritual resonance device.
If the Sea King's Horn were assembled and the user injected their spiritual power into it, it could achieve resonance with a specific type of spiritual power.
As previously speculated, this item was used to control some kind of sea beast.
"I'll probably need… 3 days."
Fuland spoke tentatively.
"By this time tomorrow morning, I want to see 30,000 Demon Sea gold coins."
"This…"
Fuland's expression showed difficulty.
"Can't do it? Then forget it. I'll take back the Nightmare, and the potion already injected into your body, consider it a gift."
Su Xiao put away the Sea King's Horn, his gaze fixed on Fuland.
"A gift for me?"
Fuland didn't feel pleasantly surprised, but rather panic. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
"By this evening, 30,000 Demon Sea gold coins will be presented."
Fuland looked like he was ready to go all out. Gathering so many Demon Sea gold coins in such a short time would cost him dearly.
"…"
Su Xiao stared at Fuland for a moment, then pulled open the drawer beside him and took out two potions. With his level of alchemy, it wasn't difficult to concoct potions that could permanently enhance the physique of ordinary people.
By simply diluting a small amount of [Natural Blessing] and then adding two mild plant-based materials, a potion called [Vitality Recovery] was completed.
[Vitality Recovery (Perfect)]
Type: Permanent Enhancement Potion
Effect: After drinking/injecting, permanently increases Stamina attribute by 10 points, permanently increases Health Points by 500 points (effective when Stamina attribute is below 80 points, repeated use invalid).
Perfect Grade Bonus: Can quickly restore damaged bodily functions. Over the next 3 natural days, gradually restores permanent damage to the heart, liver, kidneys, and other organs (effective when Stamina attribute is below 80 points, repeated use invalid).
Su Xiao tossed the two bottles of [Vitality Recovery] to Fuland, who caught them somewhat flustered.
"This is?"
"The potion you used last night. This thing can…"
Baha began explaining the effects of the [Vitality Recovery] potion to Fuland. Fuland's eyes gradually lit up, and he said:
"This thing… should be priced at least 20,000 Demon Sea gold coins per bottle. Those big shots won't refuse it. 20-80 split!"
Fuland revealed his merchant nature. Even facing the captain of the Doom Number, he dared to negotiate.
"30-70 split."
"Huh?"
Fuland was slightly stunned, feeling like he might have misheard.
"I provide the potions. You handle everything else from there."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, the fawning smile on Fuland's face disappeared. He hesitated for a moment, as if making some kind of decision.
"To sell this potion steadily and quickly, the Empire's royal family is the best choice. But that's very dangerous. Let me think it over."
"Give me your answer within half an hour."
"Thank you."
Fuland strode out of the captain's cabin, his attitude no longer so obsequious. In his eyes, Su Xiao had transformed from half-enemy to collaborator.
Fuland thought for a long time, and ultimately agreed to this cooperation. He was ready to take a gamble — using [Vitality Recovery] and his position as vice president of Lijin Bank as a springboard to contact the Empire's royal family. He wasn't after gold coins, but power.
Fuland knew he had no potential to master supernatural power. The only way to rise above others was through power.
Gulp, gulp…
Fuland grabbed a bottle and tilted his head back, pouring wine into his mouth. At this moment, he was bare-chested, completely revealing his origins from the slums.
"Mr. White Night, if I die from this, will I become a Curse Person too?"
The drunken Fuland laughed. Opportunity was right in front of him, and Fuland didn't cower from the Doom Number's fearsome reputation. Instead, he clung tightly to this chance.
"No."
"Why?"
Fuland burped. Though somewhat undignified, he maintained his composure while speaking, not letting success go to his head — after all, he had struggled and scrambled on the Demon Sea until now.
"You're too weak."
"Uh~"
Fuland seemed a bit discouraged, but then he laughed again.
"Mr. White Night, you know, I've been troubled since I was young. My family had nothing but money. Sigh~."
"…"
Su Xiao gestured for Baha to take Fuland away and send him back to the Shipwreck Island. Baha would be responsible for handling the 30,000 Demon Sea gold coins — being able to fly made it convenient for sea operations.
The captain's cabin was left with only Su Xiao. Having established a cooperative relationship with Fuland, he would receive a large sum of Demon Sea gold coins by evening. Not only that, there would be relatively stable income afterward.
Baha couldn't handle this matter permanently. When critical moments came, it still needed to fight. This made Kaiser the best candidate to interface with Fuland.
Kaiser was still trapped on Minguang Island. That guy was the typical example of someone who wouldn't get up early without profit. If Kaiser participated in the [Vitality Recovery] potion trade, he would most likely not ask for a cut, but for something more crucial — for example, the additional benefits generated during the transaction.
With Kaiser's slick maneuvers, he would definitely be able to skim a large amount of benefits from it. But that was Kaiser's own skill, and Su Xiao wouldn't interfere.
As for Kaiser being trapped on Minguang Island, Su Xiao wasn't worried. That guy would probably find a way to leave. Even being able to pull off slick maneuvers like "buying on credit," leaving Minguang Island shouldn't be too difficult for Kaiser.
As for one of Fuland's decisions, Su Xiao felt that this person would become one of the big shots on the Demon Sea in the future.
Fuland's decision was to give a portion of his 30% profit to Royal Navy Commander, Commodore Murray.
This meant: Su Xiao gets 70%, Commodore Murray gets 20%, Fuland gets 10%, and all other additional benefits go to Kaiser. Don't think Kaiser is getting the short end — if managed properly, Kaiser's profit would be second only to Su Xiao's.
In this profit chain, Su Xiao was the potion provider, Commodore Murray provided the network of connections, Fuland was responsible for price negotiation, and Kaiser would move between all parties, playing a stabilizing role.
With the dual identity of the Doom Number's captain and a Royal Navy Commodore bearing down, even if the trading partner was the Empire's royal family, they wouldn't dare easily touch Fuland. The cost would be too great.
Having successfully constructed this profit chain, Su Xiao felt more confident about completing his subsequent plans. For now, stable development was the way to go. When he showed his face again, he would first deal with the West Sea King, then the Twin Towers Empress, and finally the Duke. If the Great Pirate Black Witch Sa also became hostile, he would deal with him too.
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang rushed into the captain's cabin, barking loudly.
"What's wrong?"
"Woof!"
"A sea beast is approaching the Doom Number?"
Su Xiao stood up and walked out of the captain's cabin. This was very unusual — sea beasts shouldn't dare to approach the Doom Number at all.
Reaching the ship's railing, Su Xiao found a huge shadow swimming beneath the sea — it was a giant sea beast.
"Boom…"
A long, deep sea song came from underwater. It was a supernatural giant whale, its body even longer than the Doom Number by a stretch, at least 50 meters or more.
Su Xiao stamped his foot on the deck. The Curse People integrated into the ship's hull scattered in the water, turning into underwater black shadows that rapidly rushed toward the supernatural giant whale.
Thud!
The Doom Number's hull was struck. Blood dyed the nearby sea surface red — it was the blood of the supernatural giant whale.
This supernatural giant whale was quite powerful. Even if it wasn't a true Overlord-level unit, it was at least a sub-Overlord unit. The sea was its home turf. As long as it remained in the water, the supernatural giant whale's injuries would recover at a visible rate.
For a time, the Curse People couldn't do much to this supernatural giant whale. Its body was too large. Some Curse People had already broken through the whale's body and gone deep inside, but even so, this behemoth wasn't so easy to kill.
Thud!
Another heavy impact. The Doom Number tilted on the sea surface, and the ship's durability dropped by a small margin.
A gale swept through. Over a dozen pirate ships sailed in from the distance — a total of fifteen three-masted ships and one four-masted large ship. This large ship was at least 90 meters in total length, more than twice the size of the Doom Number.
On this large ship, a pirate captain with a black pirate hat and a full, thick beard stood at the bow. The beard on his chin was braided into several thin strands. Just one look at him conveyed his fierceness and brutality. One of the Four Great Pirates, the West Sea King, had come knocking.
"Found you, Doom Number."
The West Sea King raised his hand. On his index finger was an ancient ring. A wave of energy spread from this ring, affecting a large area of the sea.
This wave swept over the Doom Number, and Su Xiao immediately received a notification.
[Notification: You have been affected by the 'Sacrificial Fortune' effect. Your Luck attribute has been reduced to -12 points (this is a permanent debuff). This effect will be lifted upon leaving the designated range.]
[Judging…]
[The Hunter's Luck attribute has not reached 50 points, unable to resist this effect.]
[Warning: The enemy leader-level unit has activated the 'Sea Battle Inspiration' effect. All enemy units will receive a boost: Strength, Agility, and Stamina true attributes +12 points, Luck attribute +8 points, Health Points increased by 4600 points.]
[Notification: When the enemy's morale exceeds 85 points, all enemy units have a chance upon attacking to awaken 'Sea's Hatred,' causing the attacked unit's body energy to stagnate, resulting in a 0.5 to 1.2 second immobilization effect.]