Michael was not in a rush to meet Welton. He was patiently looking at all the nooks and crannies in the ship. The ship seemed to be armed with 42 twelve-pound cannons: 24 on the gun deck and 18 on the upper deck.
At the moment, there were only holes in the place where the cannons should have been. Obviously, the pirates ripped her apart for parts and only kept the ship for some sentimental value or something.
Gibson was too focused on the brand new ship. He was almost certain that they were going to buy this ship. Hence, he didn't notice Michael studying the old ship without even giving a look at the brand new ship.
As Michael was counting the cannons, they came to the back of the ship. When they turned the corner around the ship's backside, they saw a group of three pirates discussing something. When the pirates noticed the trio approaching they quit talking. One of the three pirates opened his eyes wide the moment he saw Maxine. Nothing special about the man. He was neither too tall nor too short, medium built, wore a white loose shirt that was soiled with oil, dirt, and grease which turned the white into a brown. Looking at Maxine, he scratched his stubble brown beard with a solemn expression.
The tension was visible to the naked eyes on the man's face.
"Welton" Maxine put a phony smile on her while greeting him with a wave.
"What the heck are you doing here?" Welton asked in a husky voice,
"Nice to see you too" Maxine rolled her eyes as Welton quickly rushed towards the other side of the old ship to hide from the others. When they disappeared behind the old ship, Welton began to talk,
"Get out of here Marina, you already fucked me up by coming here" Welton didnt even look at Michael or Gibson. He seemed more focused on chasing them away,
"I'm here to call in the favor Welton. I need a ship and you're gonna provide us one"
The moment Welton heard her, Gibson could see him literally shudder.
"You crazy? No. I can't give you a fucking ship. They will hang me alive. Don't you know what the fuck is going on here? All the ships are going to the pirate lord themselves. If they knew I sold a ship to you of all people, a deserter, they will skin me alive" He was frantically shaking his head,
"What about this one?" Suddenly Maxine and Gibson saw Michael stepping up into the conversation,
"Huh?" Welton was confused for a few moments. Gibson couldn't believe Lucifer was looking at the old ship instead of the new one,
"You owe her your life but since you can't give us a new ship which would make you lose your life, why dont you fix her up real quick and give her instead?"
Although Gibson had way too many questions including why the heck does he want the old ship which looked as though it would sink into the sea the moment being put on the water, he chose not to question him in front of Welton. Gibson was sure that Lucifer would kill him if he questioned him in front of Welton.
"Who the fuck are you? Doesn't matter. You have a hundred thousand bounty on your head. Although no one would touch you on this island thanks to Pirate Lord Vance, if anyone had seen me with you, the moment I step outside this island, I am dead" Welton said looking around,
"What about you repairing the ship for us to escape to the Southern continent and we will give you hundred thousand gold coins for your risk?"
"Whoa,dont fuck with me"
Welton was taken aback by surprise. He literally took a step back after hearing the offer. Then, the realization hit as he snickered,
"You take me for a fool? You will give me a hundred thousand gold coins for this piece of crap"
"One-time deal, take it or leave it" Welton gawked at Michael in disbelief before turning his gaze towards Maxine,
"You have my word, Welton. Do this and we will never meet again"
For a few moments, Welton just rubbed his beard, pretending to ponder. Michael was not stupid to think he was actually thinking of whether to take the deal or not. Obviously, Welton decided to take the deal. Who in the right mind would refuse such a deal.
"Looks like this is my lucky day, hehehehe" Welton chuckled inside. Gibson and Maxine were oblivious to the evil plot Welton just hatched in his mind.
"Come back with what you promised in a few hours, the old Bertha will be ready to set sail then. But remember, she won't be battle-ready, she will only get you out of here if you don't meet any pirates on your way"
Welton looked at Michael rather than Maxine. He could tell the youngster was the one calling the shots regardless of standing behind Maxine.
"That's enough" Michael nodded,
"Paint her black"
"I can do that" For the first time since they met him, Welton grinned.
He was too excited to become rich. Of course, Welton knew there was a possibility of them lying about giving him a hundred thousand gold for the old Bertha but it didn't matter, if they wanted to get out of the Southern continent, getting a ship was the only way. And no one on the island would give them a ship except him.
"We will come back in two hours. I assume she will be ready by then" Michael asked,
"Yes," Welton nodded excitedly,
There was no need for them to know that Bertha's keel was split as any moment the whole ship could fall to pieces. He would just need to fix the keel enough to get them off the island. Few logs would do the trick, he thought.
"I will be back" Michael turned back, making his way towards the outside.
When no one was around he quickly flicked his wrist as a notebook and a quill appeared in his hand.
"My lord, why did you choose this ship?" Gibson couldn't hold the question in his mind any longer,
"She looks like if we put her in the water, she would sink any moment," Gibson said, sounding as if he was pleading not to buy the old one.
"I'm sure Lord Lucifer has seen something in that ship that we didn't"
"In simple terms, both ships are upgradable but the new one is not as upgradeable as the old one"
Gibson had no freaking idea of what he was talking about.
"System, so the price of becoming a blacksmith is still 700,000 badass points?"
[Yes]
Michael sighed. Alchemy was great, it had helped him in a lot of ways. Yet it couldn't be compared to forging. The advantages of being a blacksmith outweighed the advantages of being an Alchemist. Coupled with his inventor specialization, he could do so many things. The only obstacle that prevented him from becoming a blacksmith was the price. To become a 1-star Blacksmith, he would have to pay 700,000 badass points.
This was why Michael considered recruiting a blacksmith subordinate and making him or her 5-star blacksmith because the cost of making a subordinate 5-star Blacksmith was 1.2million badass points according to the system.
Compared to becoming a Blacksmith himself, it was cost-effective to recruit someone and make him or her a 5-star Blacksmith.
"System, you said it's 60,000 badass points to upgrade Inventor skill to the 4-star right?"
[Does the system wish to upgrade?]
"Let me see the benefits first"
[Star 1 - The host will be able to build basic tools and day to day items]
[Star 2 - The host will be able to build basic gadgets such as night-vision goggles, lasers, etc]
[Star 3 - The host will be able to build complex gadgets such as eavesdropping bugs, micro cameras, trackers, etc]
(Current Level)
[Star 4 - The host will be able to build new and antique firearms such as crossbows, mini crossbows, limited shots revolver, cannons, etc]
[Star 5 - The host will be able to build various types of new gadgets and weapons]
[The host is required to either have a 5-star blacksmith or become a 5-star blacksmith to unlock the Star-6 Inventor Trait ]
"Cannons, that's just the thing I want now. System, upgrade it to the next level"
[Wonderful]
Immediately the next moment, Michael felt a sharp pain in his brain. It wasn't enough to halt his steps but just made him crease his brows.
With this upgrade, he got 200,000 badass points.
"What's the cost for the next upgrade?"
[180,000 badass points only]
"Shit" Michael wanted to upgrade the skill to 5-star. However, he had a feeling that he would need the badass points when he reached the Akilan Realm. Hence, he decided not to upgrade the skill just yet.
"Guys, let's go shopping"
With a grin on his face and a note in his hand, he exited the hangar to go on a shopping spree.
*******************************************
A few hours later, Welton was standing in front of Old bertha. The new black paint job didn't exactly make her look brand new as one could still see the sorry state of the hull and the ship as a whole. Perhaps Welton was too lazy or he didn't care enough to fix the tiny holes in the hull. He only patched up the giant holes in the hull with wooden planks and nails.
Since this was a backdoor deal, Welton didn't keep anyone with him. He sent everyone on a break so he was alone.
Baam!
Baam!
After waiting for a while in excitement, Welton finally saw the three of them enter the hanger. The man beside the youngster and Marina carried a giant chest which instantly put a smile on Welton's face.
"Took you long enough. Let me see the coins" Gibson put the chest on the ground, letting out a heavy breath.
Welton did not waste any time as he immediately opened the chest. The moment he opened the chest, his mouth opened wide as the chest was filled with glistening gold coins. They reflected the light making his face look golden.
Welton was drooling so much to notice Michael running his fingers through Old Bertha's hull.
"Diddle diddle" suddenly Michael's voice drew the attention of the three.
Welton looked over his shoulder to see the youngster smiling at him.. However, the smile was not a warm friendly kind, rather, it was cold, devilish, and murderous.