A girl at the front desk covered her mouth and said, “So this is Luca the Count. He looks so young and handsome! I wonder if he’s married yet?”
Someone else chimed in sarcastically, “Did you not see the girl standing next to him…?”
Another person frowned and asked, “Is it really true that he killed the Goddess of Dawn? Could that just be a rumor from Dawn City?”
A nearby person shook his head and replied, “I’m not sure, but he definitely killed Duke Lyon. Otherwise, the Phillips family wouldn’t have pulled their people out.”
A cold laugh rang out from another, “Ha! Whether it’s true or not, all those nobles and merchants are in for it this time.”
Hearing this, anger flared in the eyes of others around them.
Over the past few days, they had been relentlessly hassled by those nobles and merchants. Since the original staff members at the Lord’s Manor had been heavily reassigned or taken away.
The remaining ones were under immense pressure.
The workload had skyrocketed, and with the disruption caused by the nobility and merchants, the exhaustion was clear in the dark circles under their eyes.
Now that Luca, the rightful Lord, had arrived, if his temperament was anything like the rumors suggested, they might finally get to vent their frustrations.
Meanwhile.
After passing through the stairs and the elegantly decorated hallways.
Luca and his group soon arrived at the Lord’s office.
However, before they could even enter the room.
They heard the furious voice of an old man from inside.
“That bastard Evans! How dare he extort us for ten million gold coins? Does he really think we can’t do anything to him here in Seaway City?” The man slammed his fists onto the table, shouting angrily.
From within, another voice let out a bitter laugh.
“Well… actually, we can’t do anything to him…”
Luca didn’t hurry to enter. He glanced at Dacey, his eyes filled with curiosity.
Seeing this, Dacey quickly whispered, “Evans is the leader of the Black Raven Pirates, a Superclass power, and one of the Kings of the Western Sea.
“Just a few days ago, the youngest daughter of Marquis Gerald Barnes of the Western Territory, Ellie, came to visit, and she was unfortunately captured by him. Now, Seaway City is negotiating with him to release her.”
“Pirates extorting nobles…” Luca clicked his tongue. In just a few days without anyone keeping watch, the pirates had become so brazen.
If they had delayed even a little longer, it was likely the entire city would have been turned into their breeding ground.
With that thought, he pushed open the door and stepped inside.
A luxurious office came into view, with a redwood desk in the center. Behind it sat an elderly man with graying hair, dressed in noble attire. He was furiously smashing objects, clearly in a state of rage.
In addition to him, there was also a middle-aged man in the room with a hooked nose.
At the sound of the door opening, both of their gazes turned toward it.
The elderly man, whose temper was clearly volatile, didn’t even give the middle-aged woman a chance to speak. He immediately shouted, “Who let you in? Don’t you know that the Lord’s office is off-limits to outsiders? Get out of here!”
“Lord Tark…” Dacey glanced awkwardly at Luca, who was still expressionless, and then lowered her head to remind him, “Luca the Count has arrived.”
“Luca… Luca the Count?!” Upon hearing this, the old man’s anger froze on his face, and the middle-aged man was equally startled.
Their gazes turned back to Luca, and as they took a closer look, they saw that the young man’s features were gradually aligning with those in the image crystals.
It really is him! The old man immediately sucked in a sharp breath.
Thinking back to how he’d just shouted at the number one enemy of Clinton, he could feel a cold sweat break out on his forehead.
Tark didn’t dare delay. He quickly stood up from behind the desk, trembling as he bowed to Luca. “I, Tark Blitz, pay my respects to the Count!”
Others may not know what Luca had done after killing Lyon and Finn, but Tark was already well-aware from the reports coming from Dawn City. He knew exactly who this young man was and what he was capable of!
After all, that was more than half of the Clinton Empire’s entire noble class! In a single day, half of them had been slaughtered by this young man!
Even the royal family had been wiped out in the bloodbath!
What was even more terrifying was that he hadn’t even been touched!
The middle-aged man finally came to his senses, and his heart sank. He quickly bowed low and said with trembling voice, “Governor Nicholas Davidson, I pay my respects to the Count.”
As he spoke, his voice shook, his face drained of color. He kept his head lowered, cursing Tark’s entire family in his mind.
“Please rise. Now, tell me about the pirates from earlier,” Luca said, not bothering to dwell on what had just happened. Instead, he turned to ask about what Tark had mentioned earlier.
“Well, it’s not much…” Tark responded somewhat nervously, “It’s just that, without the protection of the Phillips family lately, the pirates in the sea have become somewhat uncontrollable and have started raiding the merchant convoys that pass through.”
“The Black Crow Pirates, led by Evans Harry, raided a noble’s pleasure boat yesterday and demanded a ransom from us…”
Tark began, his face turning red, even though he had been in the political game for years.
After all, it was his mismanagement that led to this situation, and it had just so happened that his new superior had caught him right in the middle of it.
It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t nervous.
Luca sat back in the office chair, his expression calm. “Ransom from the officials? Are the pirates of the Western Sea really this bold?”
“Uh…” Nicholas and Tark exchanged a glance, unsure of how to respond. Because yes, the pirates of the Western Sea were indeed this audacious.
Forget about marquises; even dukes were hardly a threat to them.
The Western Sea was vast and boundless. After a killing spree, pirates could easily hide out on a small island, change their appearance, and wait for the heat to die down. Once the coast was clear, they’d be back to their old ways.
And this wasn’t the first time the Black Crow Pirates had extorted nobles.
Before, under the protection of the Phillips family, they wouldn’t have dared to touch the major aristocrats, but they certainly went after the minor ones.
However, this time was different. They had kidnapped the young daughter of the Western Territory Marquis, Gerald Barnes, and demanded a ransom of ten million gold coins.
If they didn’t get it, they threatened to rape and then kill the noblewoman, dumping her body in the sea for the fish to feast on. Read new chapters at freewebnovel
When Marquis Gerald heard this, he immediately called Tark, cursing him out over the phone.
He then gave a deadly command: if he didn’t see his daughter by the time he arrived, Tark would join Evans in feeding the fish.
The Western Territory’s Grand Marquis, Evelyn, was already on his way to the city and would likely arrive in a few days. That was why Tark was so furious.
“A group of fools who don’t know their place,” Luca scoffed coldly. He then turned to Tark, who was still looking uneasy, and said calmly, “From now on, I am officially taking over the entire Bibo County.
“Gather the men. We’re going to pay them a visit.”
After saying this, he didn’t spare another glance at the two men, and without hesitation, turned and walked out of the Lord’s office. Originally, Luca had planned to figure out how to establish his authority, intimidating the scoundrels in Seaway City and Haillan County.
But it seemed that Evans had conveniently walked right into his hands. If there was blame to be placed, it could only fall on Evans for his bad luck.
Sophia quickly followed him, leaving the two men in the office staring at each other in stunned silence.
“This lord has quite the temper. He’s bound to offend a lot of people,” Governor Nicholas rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Dacey shook her head. “No need to worry. This lord has quite the background. Even if he turns the entire Western Sea upside down, it probably won’t matter.”
Tark gazed out toward the vast blue ocean and sighed, “It seems the tides in the Western Sea are about to change again.”
Outside the Lord’s office, following Luca’s orders, soldiers soon began to gather.
Before long, a group of armored soldiers staggered into view.
“Are these the defenders of Seaway City?” Luca pointed at the soldiers in front of him, all of whom were stumbling, their steps unsteady, and their faces wearing a look of arrogance. Luca’s face darkened immediately.
These weren’t soldiers at all—these were pirates in armor!
Tark, somewhat embarrassed, cleared his throat and said, “Seaway City was previously jointly managed by Phillips and the other major nobles.”
“After their people withdrew, these are the only soldiers left in Seaway City…”
Luca was at a loss for words. So, it seemed that Seaway City had been hollowed out by the aristocrats, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell, a paper tiger.
No wonder the pirates had become so audacious.
Tark suggested, “If this won’t do, I can go to the nearby lord and ask for reinforcements.”
“Forget it, these will have to do,” Luca waved his hand dismissively, no longer interested in the idea. After all, the outcome of the battle wouldn’t be decided by these men.
He turned to face the ragtag group of soldiers, his expression gradually calming. In a deep voice, he ordered, “Everyone, listen up! Prepare the ships immediately. We are setting out to hunt down the Black Crow Pirates led by Evans!
“Whoever can bring me the head of Captain Evans, the First Mate, or the Second Mate, I’ll personally reward them with 10,000 gold coins!”
As soon as these words left Luca’s mouth, the once listless soldiers suddenly seemed to be energized. They roared in unison, “We obey, Lord! We will surely bring back Evans’ dog head for you!”
Luca couldn’t be bothered to comment on these money-hungry soldiers. He simply waved his hand and said, “Follow me!”
Soon, the news that Luca the Count had taken over Seaway City and was setting out to raid the Black Crow Pirates spread across Haillan County.
The entire Seaway City was thrown into an uproar. No one had expected that this young man, who had just arrived in Haillan County, would make such a bold move on his first day.
Of course, there were also many who were waiting for Luca to fail.
Never mind Evans, who was at the level of Superclass, even his First Mate, Bloody Jack, and Second Mate, One-Eyed Cameron, were high-level professionals.
On top of that, the Black Crow Pirates had three high-tier ships. Given the current military strength of Seaway City, facing off against them head-on would be like courting disaster.