Sir! Don't close the net!

“Really… I have a feeling it’s deliberate,” Li Yili said, swirling the glass in her hand, a few drops of water still clinging to it, her eyes slightly narrowed. “If pirates dare not expand further into the sea and are confined to one area, what kind of benefits can they generate?”

"Eh--"

Valkyrie Leila drew out her words, tossed the empty bottle aside, and gently swirled the full glass in her right hand. "Don't cause any trouble. Don't forget you're one of my people. It's one thing for you to mess with the Black Goat's cubs and the Fire Elves, but don't get involved with the Galar Horn. If you drag me into this, I won't hesitate to sell you out."

"So I can take this as you admitting that the situation of those pirates is related to the Galar Horn?" Li Yili toyed with the empty cup in her hand.

Valkyrie paused, then fell silent.

"Om-"

White steam billowed from the spout of the kettle.

"Ah, the water is boiling."

Li Yili got up, took a rag, wrapped it around the handle of the kettle, and placed the kettle on the table.

“There’s a saying in Nibelungen,” Valhae Rei put down her glass and turned to look out the window at the ocean stretching to the sky, “that INSTAS is not the largest seaport in Nibelungen, but the largest seaport in the world. In order to make the gold notes made from Rhine gold the highest value currency in the world, Galar Horn turns a blind eye to many things, and when necessary, it will close both eyes.”

“Even with both eyes open, a person standing in a tree can’t see what kind of life the people at the bottom of the sea are living,” Li Yili said, gently turning the thumb ring on her left hand. “So, what happened in Instasus wasn’t necessarily the Galar Horn, right?”

"It might be Bishop Azavet, it might be the Black Gate and the Celestials, or it might be the Church of the God of Steam and Steel, but no matter which one, this matter will eventually be like a yo-yo, returned to their hands in the end."

"Couldn't it have been done by the fire elves?"

Li Yili smiled brightly.

Chapter Thirty-Four: Austin's Wrath

As a member of a collateral branch of the nobility in Hagen, one of the world's wealthiest cities, Austin considered himself superior while also possessing a clear self-awareness.

Austin knew very well that in Hagen, he would always be seen as a member of the collateral branch of the family, but in Instas, the world's largest seaport, a place where various forces mingled, he was a nobleman of Hagen, and he controlled Instas' ancient fishing industry.

As the world's largest seaport, Instasas may not be as wealthy as Hagen under the World Tree, but in terms of the flow of gold and cash, even Hagen cannot compare with Instasas.

Austin enjoyed the feeling of wealth flowing through his veins. His life began to go smoothly the moment he arrived in Instas, and even the fire spirits of the largest steel mills never opposed him.

He naturally couldn't possibly take a small logistics company like Guoweidun, which he'd never even heard of, seriously. But Yangcun Logistics was like a splinter stuck in his thumb; pulling it out would make him lose face, while ignoring it would constantly remind him of that splinter.

"What?! Levi Esther Richard met that monster from the Mercury Queen! And they even went to sea together!"

Early in the morning, Austin received bad news that sent his blood pressure soaring.

"Yes, yesterday all the employees of Yangcun Logistics went to the market to purchase a lot of meat, vegetables, and barbecue grills, and then went to the port where the Mercury Queen was docked," the middle-aged man in charge of the report said, wiping his sweat.

"Our informants have been watching for a long time. The employees of Yangcun Logistics were having a barbecue. However, not long after the barbecue started, Li Yili boarded the Mercury Queen and dived into the Dead Man's Sea. It lasted for about three hours."

"After returning to port, the pirates on the Mercury Queen and the employees of Sheep Village Logistics mingled together, but Li Yili and Heidi Serra did not appear. It seemed that they were discussing something on the Mercury Queen. Afterwards, it seemed that Heidi Serra personally escorted Li Yili back. Because of Heidi Serra, the informants did not dare to follow."

Austin clenched his fists tightly, his fleshy cheeks trembling with rage.

"hateful--"

Austin raised his fist and slammed it heavily on the table.

"That monster! Who does she think gave her the ability to dwell among the dead?"

From the sea!

Anyway, it's not you.

The middle-aged man, wiping his sweat, tried to hide the uncontrollable look of disdain in his eyes with an awkward smile.

After venting her anger, Austin plopped back down and vigorously rubbed her face.

It has to be said that the thorn in Yangcun Logistics has gone even deeper. Although it still doesn't affect his status in Instas, it has become so unpleasant that he can no longer tolerate it.

Austin didn't believe that Li Yili could build an underwater park in Dead Man's Sea; it was a plan destined to fail. If Li Yili had visited him and made her stance clear, he certainly wouldn't care about her life or death, and might even be somewhat looking forward to it, because the failure of a major project would impact the market. If he bet on failure from the start, he could make a lot of money.

But he hated anyone challenging his authority in Instas. Li Yili didn't visit him and instead made a big fuss in Instas. Even if the Underwater Paradise project could benefit him, he would never let Li Yili succeed. He wanted to make Li Yili's plan fail in despair before it even got started, so as to show everyone in Instas who the ruler of Instas was.

This first step, naturally, prevented Li Yili, who wanted to build an underwater park, from even entering the sea.

But this first step failed. Whether it was explicitly stated or not, the fact is that the Mercury Queen took Li Yili into the Sea of ​​Dead. This was not just a slap in the face, but a punch to the face. The status of pirates in the harbor was already very delicate, and Heidi Sera was the former Pirate Queen, which made her even more intimidating than him, a collateral noble.

"Damn it, they've gone to such lengths, why can't these remnants of the era just stay silent forever!"

Austin roared and began scratching the back of his neck, splattering bits of pale skin. The middle-aged man stood silently to the side.

After a long bout of impotent rage, Austin let out a long sigh. "Go and contact the Seven Kings of Pirates for me."

"Huh?" The middle-aged man was taken aback.

The Seven Kings are seven large pirate crews that control the seas outside of the Sea of ​​the Dead. It is said that they were all once subordinates of Heidi Sera. If Heidi Sera is feared because of her antiquity, then the Seven Kings are simply terrifyingly brutal.

It is said that their physical appearance also underwent a terrifying change due to their inner state.

Now Austin has sent him to contact the Seven Kings of Pirates.

“Tell them that as long as they can sink the Mercury Queen, the Dead Sea will belong to them, and I will pay them a corresponding reward every month,” Austin turned around, his fingers interlaced, his eyes utterly cold.

"Oh, Mr. Austin, are you...are you serious?" The middle-aged man stammered. "Heidi Serra is the Pirate Queen, even the Seven Kings couldn't possibly..."

“That was back then!” Austin suddenly raised his voice. “Back then, there were only so many pirates. A few dozen people could get together and call themselves a country, and the leader could be called a king. Any pirate crew of the Seven Kings was larger than the pirate crew of Heidi Sera back then!”

The middle-aged man opened his mouth, but in the end, he lowered his head under Austin's cold gaze.

"I understand."

"Hmph—the sea? There's no such thing as the sea in this world. Spreading such ideas in Instas... he's practically a cultist! Does he want everyone in Instas to become like pirates?!"

Austin suddenly stood up, clenched his right fist, and roared angrily to the sky.

"As a nobleman with the blood of Hagen flowing through my veins, I, Austin, will absolutely not allow such a thing to happen in Instas!"

“Haa…yes, yes,” the middle-aged man tilted his head in disbelief at first, but immediately reacted under Austin’s gaze, rubbing his hands together and nodding vigorously. “The residents of Instas must also know about this. Of course, to prevent uninformed people from being deceived by the illusion of Sheep Village Logistics, I will definitely have the newspaper properly reward this matter!”

Austin nodded in satisfaction. Just as the middle-aged man was about to leave, Austin called him back.

"and many more--"

The middle-aged man's heart skipped a beat. He turned around with an awkward smile, his mind racing.

Did I just blurt out what was on my mind?

"I heard that some important figures from the Crusade have come to Instas to check on the progress. Go tell them that Li Yili will sabotage their ongoing experiments."

"Huh?! I'm sorry, I understand!"

The middle-aged man bent over forcefully, turned around, and quickly walked out as if fleeing.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Aren't you a logistics company?

Today, the entrance to the Yangcun Logistics building was deserted, with not a single person in sight. As the head of Yangcun Logistics, Li Yili remained very calm. With a wave of her hand, she led the employees of Yangcun Logistics in a grand procession in a horse-drawn carriage to the dock where the Mercury Queen was located.

“Oh—Mr. Li Yili, you’re here again. Are you treating us to… uh… building materials today?” Jones, who was leaning on the edge of the boat, smiled and waved to Li Yili before looking at the carriage. His expression suddenly became subtle.

“Excuse me, Mr. Jones, we’re here today on important business,” Li Yili said with a smile and a wave to Jones.

"Serious business? We pirates hate serious business the most, because it's boring and uninteresting, it makes people—"

"We need to build catapults."

Wow! This is so interesting!

"Oh!"

Jones's eyes widened, and the other pirates also pressed themselves against the ship's edge, peering out curiously.

"Aren't you a logistics company? You can even make catapults?"

“Running errands in a logistics company is just one of our roles, not our whole life,” Li Yili pointed to Jones with her little finger. “The world is so big, are you happy to shrink into a corner and wander aimlessly?”

“Of course not, cough cough cough—Mr. Li Yili, you’re not implying something, are you?” Jones, who was about to answer subconsciously, immediately realized what was going on, coughed heavily a few times, and then looked down at the smiling Li Yili with a subtle expression.

"Hahaha—really?"

Li Yili raised her hand and waved, indicating to the crowd that they didn't need to worry about their problems.

"Everyone—get moving! Today's goal is to build the catapult and conduct at least fifty experiments," El shouted, waving his hand. "Get moving!"

“Leave it to me!” Abu Jean rolled up his sleeves, his eyes shining with enthusiasm.

"Oh oh oh—" Zig also raised his hands above his head and waved them vigorously.

Jones glanced at Yun Zhong, who was moving building materials, and rested his chin on his hand. "Mr. Li Yili, have you ever considered hiring us? Don't let our daily tasks of mopping floors and squeezing rags fool you; pulling up a sail is also hard work."

Ah... this development...

Alma, who was counting building materials, raised her head, sighed, and pulled out an account book from her small bag.

What? Hiring you guys costs this much? Do you think I'm a sucker?! I have to haggle!

Well, according to Li Yili's bargaining method, this time they will have to spend at least two, three, or even four times more money than they would normally spend hiring pirates from the Mercury Queen.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Jones, the logistics expenses in Sheep Village have been quite high lately. In order to avoid affecting our subsequent projects, we have decided to cut costs wherever possible,” Li Yili gestured towards Yun Zhong, who was driving wooden stakes into the sand. “We’ve also switched to doing these kinds of manual labor ourselves.”

“Hey…” Jones’s expression was a little subtle, “So you brought them here for barbecue yesterday…”

As the saying goes, "He who takes a man's money is bound to him, and he who eats a man's food is bound to him." If it were him, after eating and drinking to his heart's content yesterday, if Li Yili asked him to do this kind of physical labor today... he wouldn't know how to refuse.

"nonsense--"

"Labor is the most glorious thing—"

"This is our favorite thing to do!"

The cloud-dwellings, with their very sharp ears, all raised their heads and shouted at Jones. Then, as if eager to show their loyalty, they all turned to Li Yili and chattered about their love for labor.

Li Yili shrugged at Jones.

For Yunzhong, as long as they can fulfill their mission, it doesn't matter whether they are running errands for a logistics company or carrying bricks on a construction site; they are all ways to contribute to achieving their mission.

Of course, it is he who defines their mission now.

"Alright—"

Jones smacked his lips, showing no intention of disembarking or leaving. He rested his chin on his hand and looked down at the pirates who were carrying building materials. Soon, a ring of pirate heads appeared along the edge of the ship.

“Mr. Jones, don’t you have anything else to do?” Li Yili waved to Jones on the ship. “Like, go shopping or something.”

“Do we look like we’re fit to walk around on the street? I don’t like being stared at like that,” Jones said, lifting his neck and pinching the green skin that was folded up on his neck. He spread his hands. “Besides, we have an agreement with Instas that we can only enter the city late at night or in the early morning unless absolutely necessary.”

"Waaah—"

"Hey, hey, hey, what's with that look? Are you trying to provoke the great pirate Jones?!" Jones's face turned red, and he turned around and slapped the pirate, who was secretly laughing, on the back of the head.

I'm not provoking you.