nownovels Chapter 456 The Plan to Change
Chapter 456 The Plan to Change
Chapter 456 The Plan to Change
The Black Pearl was equipped with state-of-the-art wireless communication equipment, including a radio station specifically for communication with the Church of the Night. After receiving Evan's approval, Dunn Smith did not delay and immediately began drafting the relevant telegram.
After writing the telegram and handing it to Evan for review, Dunn Smith took Leonard and Daly to send the telegram.
Meanwhile, Evan began handling the aftermath on the "Twilight".
Actually, there wasn't anything that needed special attention. Evan had already thought of everything when he conspired with Alger to set up the trap to capture "Twilight General".
Firstly, in this battle, except for a few who were taken to the Roside Islands for public trial, all the other pirates will be executed and fed to sharks.
The Twilight Pirates, in addition to their flagship "Twilight" and two other small Rune warships they had previously captured, will all be taken to the Roside Islands for disposal. The proceeds from the disposal will become the new army's slush fund.
The "Twilight Pirates" have ties to the Fusak Empire and are clearly the black gloves that do dirty work. They have always spared no effort when targeting merchant ships from the Kingdom of Rune.
Therefore, the entire Twilight Pirate Crew actually had twenty or thirty ships of various sizes, including many luxurious merchant ships.
Although it sustained some damage during the battle, it is still in good condition overall and is very valuable.
Evan had already spread the word through various informal channels that everyone who participated in the battle would receive a combat allowance of 100 to 500 gold pounds, depending on their rank, and the families of the 20 who died in the battle might receive a compensation of no less than 700 gold pounds.
Furthermore, those who excel in combat will have the opportunity to acquire extraordinary traits, thus becoming extraordinary individuals.
To gain prestige in the military, besides proving that you can lead them to victory and earn honors, you also need to bring them various rich rewards, both material and spiritual.
Evan's plan was to sell the remains of the Twilight Pirates to show everyone that following him would bring them wealth.
As for the results, Evan found that everyone from officers to ordinary soldiers looked at him with admiration and fervor, and the connection between him and everyone in the army became even closer.
At this rate, Evan estimates that it won't be long before they officially become his extensions, his subordinates whom he can command at will.
Just then, First Mate Ulysses Newman leaned closer to Evan, gestured with his lip, and looked at the "Azure Avenger" moored not far away, saying in a cryptic tone, "Sir, that's quite a fine ship!"
"Of course it's a good ship. If it weren't, I wouldn't have gone to all this trouble," Evan thought to himself. But he already had a pretty good idea of what Ulysses Newman wanted to talk to him about, so he asked knowingly, "Mr. Newman, you've followed Robert for many years and are now wholeheartedly assisting me. I've always been grateful, so please just say what you need to say without beating around the bush."
Ulysses Newman's smile vanished in an instant, and then he said bluntly, "Emperor Roselle once said that only the virtuous can possess good things."
Although Mr. Alger is a mole of the Church of Storms, this ship belongs to the Church of Storms.
"But ultimately, it was we who wiped out the Twilight Pirates, and you killed Vice Admiral Twilight; only then can this ship play a greater role in our hands."
As the battle was nearing its end and everyone boarded the ghost ship, Evan revealed that Alger was a mole of the Storm Church, which prevented his men from taking advantage of the situation and killing all the pirates on the "Azure Avenger".
"Isn't this a bit inappropriate? Wouldn't it seem like taking advantage of someone's misfortune?"
Evan said it was bad, but his eyes never left the ghost ship not far away.
Ulysses Newman, seeing this, naturally understood and continued, "In this battle, we directly rescued the entire crew of the Ghost Pirates, rescuing these devout Storm Believers."
Logically speaking, it's only right that they give some reward.
Moreover, if we hadn't happened to pass by and intervened, this ghost ship would have fallen into the hands of the "Twilight Pirates" sooner or later. So, in essence, we seized this ship from the "Twilight Pirates".
I think Captain Alger, who fought to the death with Ivan Bratov and nearly perished, would also agree with this.
If all else fails, we can offer Captain Alger some compensation privately.
If you, General, find it difficult to negotiate, I can go and talk to him!
Seeing his first mate say these words so naturally, Evan felt he should reassess his important deputy.
"That makes sense. We seized this ship from pirates, not from the Storm Church. There's no reason for us to return our spoils; there's no such rule on the high seas."
You should talk to Captain Alger properly. I think Captain Alger is a reasonable person, and he will definitely be able to understand.
If all else fails, besides the ships I've shortlisted, he can choose any one of them as his future flagship; that wouldn't be considered taking advantage of him.
Evan waved his hand magnanimously, as if he were truly reasonable.
As Ulysses Newman watched Evan get into character so quickly, he felt as if he were seeing Robert back in the Southern Continent, which strengthened his resolve to follow in his footsteps.
As he watched Ulysses Newman leap aboard the "Blue Avenger," a slight smile crept onto Evan's lips.
Ulysses Newman was unaware that he had already bought the ship for a very low price, but his involvement made the whole thing seem more reasonable.
Three months ago, Evan had already reached a deal with Alger regarding the "Azure Revenge".
For Alger, the "Blue Avenger" was an asset of the church; he only had the right to use it, not the right to dispose of it, so he was very eager to monetize it.
However, since the army led by Evan is a regular army, it will definitely be used openly, making the transaction between the two sides very complicated.
Their original plan was that the Ghost Pirates would suffer heavy losses in battles with other pirates, and Alger would lose the Azure Avenger. However, the pirate crew would then be wiped out by Evan's army. The two sides would stage a grand show so that Evan could rightfully obtain the Azure Avenger.
However, this plan was proposed three months ago. After such a long time, the two people's ranking, strength, and ideas have changed to some extent. They both want to add fuel to the fire and include their own personal agendas.
Alger wanted to use this incident to clear his name of successfully becoming a "Wind Favorite".
He no longer wanted to be a pirate in the dark. He desperately wanted to stand out within the Storm Church. He wanted everyone to know that he was also a protagonist in the story, and that he had his own unique adventures.
Moreover, because of this fortuitous encounter, he successfully mastered the art of acting, successfully advanced to become a Sequence 6 Wind Favorite, and obtained a very good sealing artifact.
It was precisely because of this sealed artifact that he was able to hold out for a long time when besieged by the "Twilight Pirates" and made a great contribution to the annihilation of the "Twilight Pirates".
He wanted everyone to know that he was a devout follower of the Storm God, that he was a member of the Storm Church, and not some lowly pirate.
He wants to take a large slice of the "Twilight General" pie, so that the Storm Church's higher-ups can no longer ignore his existence.
Evan, on the other hand, wanted to use this deal to lure "Twilight General" into a trap, while also taking the opportunity to test the Storm Church's attitude towards the Horn family.
Evan now knows that Archbishop Simon witnessed the entire process of how Robert killed Katerina Pelle.
Although he might not be able to detect Robert's secret, he would certainly be able to see that Robert was not some "law-wielding mage" but a "chaos hunter." The Archbishop of the Storm Church had that much insight.
Although Archbishop Simon took the blame for killing Katerina Pelle and promised not to reveal Robert's affairs.
But Evan believed that he must have reported this to the higher-ups of the Church of Storms.
The higher-ups of the Storm Church must also know that the Horn family now harbors disloyalty towards the Augustus family. Therefore, as the world situation becomes increasingly tense, both Robert and Evan want to know the Storm Church's true attitude towards the Horn family.
After all, to some extent, the Storm Church is the largest shareholder of the Kingdom of Rune.
With their ideas combined, Evan and Alger decided to abandon their previous plan and instead devise an even bolder one—Evan would seize the "Azure Avenger" through a semi-open robbery.
Only by doing this could Alger be forced to "expose his identity as a member of the Storm Church" in order to resist Evan's robbery, ultimately making it known to everyone.
Only by doing this could Evan put some pressure on the Church of Storms and probe their true attitude.
Sure enough, not long after First Officer Ulysses Newman boarded the Blue Avenger, Alger's angry voice rang out.
They said things like, "I'm from the Storm Church, don't go too far," and "We're all Rune people, helping each other is only natural, how can you bring up money?"
Finally, after being persuaded by First Mate Ulysses Newman, Alger angrily gathered his crew, boarded a not-so-small pirate ship, and sailed away without even saying goodbye to Evan. He headed directly northeast towards Passu Island, the headquarters of the Church of Storms, clearly to accuse Evan Horn of robbery.
"You should have used a gentler approach. Is it really okay to do it this way?"
Isengard Stanton appeared beside Ivan, watching the departing pirate ship, a glint of wisdom flashing in his eyes.
"No problem. The undercurrents between the church and the royal family have been going on for a long time, and nothing has happened in all these years, so you don't need to worry."
Evan pretended to be confused, misinterpreting his selfish motive of seizing the "Azure Avenger" as a friction between two official forces.
Eisinger Stanton smiled slightly upon hearing this, but didn't say anything more. However, judging from his expression, he didn't believe Evan's words at all.
Evan didn't care whether Isengard Stanton believed him or not; he would say the same thing to anyone.
"By the way, you should have heard of Lieutenant General Edwina Edwards, right?"
Evan and Isengard Stanton watched as First Mate Ulysses Newman excitedly selected and directed the sailors to board the Blue Avenger, taking control of this rare ghost ship, before suddenly asking a question.
"I've heard of her. She's an outstanding graduate of the Academy of Knowledge and Wisdom, and at such a young age, she's already a Sequence 5."
"The esoteric master is a key figure in the training of the Church of Knowledge and Wisdom!"
At this point, although Isengard Stanton still wore a refined smile, Ivan could still sense the resentment in his voice.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. If he could really let go of that, why would he accept Evan's invitation to join Evan's team, and then join the Rune Navy?
"We might run into her during our next operation, and you might be able to get the formula you want from her."
Eisinger Stanton frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then nodded.
Because he had other things to do, Isengard Stanton chatted with Evan for a while and then left the ship's side. At this time, Dunn Smith also received a reply from the Sanctuary and walked over with a troubled look on his face.
"This is the church's reply. They only said they understood, but didn't provide any detailed countermeasures."
Evan took the telegram and glanced at it, feeling that it was nothing out of his expectations.
"This is not surprising. If you want to target 008, you can't just announce the plan. Don't worry, the Holy Church will definitely not ignore it."
"But wouldn't that mean we'd be excluded from the hunt for that person?"
Leonard, of course, wanted to avenge Klein himself, so he was not satisfied with the current situation. Dunn Smith and Daly also looked at Evan with hopeful eyes, hoping that Evan could use his status as a Goddess's Chosen One to bring them into the hunt, which was what Evan had promised them.
"After this sea mission is over, we'll head to the Southern Continent."
Evan also wanted to investigate the situation in the Southern Continent in person, so he agreed to Dunn Smith's request without much hesitation.
Dunn Smith and his group breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, thanked Evan, and then went about their own business.
After working on it until midnight, Evan and his team finally took over the "Azure Avenger".
"Captain Alger probably thought he could still get the ship back, so he didn't cause any damage on board. Of course, it's also possible that if he had caused any damage, we wouldn't have let him leave."
Looking at the deck damaged in the battle, which had miraculously restored itself, and seeing the sails on the mast automatically turning to adapt to the changing wind direction, Evan laughed and said, "That's right, what's in our hands is never returned!"
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