Chapter 31: The Devil’s Gift, Section 5 PS: There was a naming error in the previous section due to carelessness; it has now been corrected. Thanks to Brother Sky Wolf for pointing it out. The large-scale replacement campaign finally came to an end after two months. Through this replacement, the strength of the Blood Wolves was enhanced once again. Around three thousand Blood Moons and Setting Suns were distributed to each squad. Though not in large numbers, they greatly improved the combat capabilities of the mechs. Based on these Blood Moons and Setting Suns, the Black-Haired’s mech assault tactics could finally be implemented. However, improving strength is not something that can be achieved overnight, nor can it be completely changed with just one replacement. Due to the use of a hybrid mechanical and mental operating system, it was manageable for the Blood Wolf pirates who had always followed the Black-Haired, but the warriors from the five major families suffered greatly. They had to learn mechanical operation skills from scratch. Nevertheless, none of his subordinates complained. They were all inspired by the novel and powerful Blood Moons and Setting Suns. When they heard that these mechs could surpass even the most powerful Kill Emperor on Death Star in their respective fields, almost all the warriors trained frantically. Every evening, one could see groups of obsessed people facing those mechs, staring at them with fervent eyes while rapidly typing on their simulation keyboards. Their obsession resembled that of complete madmen. As time passed, just as the Black-Haired grew more satisfied with his subordinates’ determination, a sudden visitor disrupted the peace of Death Star. It was Marshal Wick. It turned out that although this replacement on Death Star had remained quiet, it still caused a huge uproar in human society. The culprit was the elite mechs recently retired by the Black-Haired and his group! For this replacement with Blood Moons and Setting Suns, over five thousand elite mechs from the Blood Wolf forces were taken out of combat service. Although these mechs might have only been in service for a few months, the Black Prison faction, which always pursued perfection, would not allow any flaws in its creations. So, these mechs were sealed away, waiting to be disassembled and melted down. But out of considerations for resource conservation and reciprocity, the Black-Haired decided to sell them. Naturally, the buyers were the Pirate Alliance and the five major families who had once given him great help. What the Black-Haired didn’t expect was that this decision would stir up a storm.
It should be noted that although these elite mechs are second-hand and retired, they are still the culmination of the Black Prison faction’s efforts! Many of the technologies used in them are common on Death Star, but in human society, they represent the very pinnacle of advancement. Especially the mechanical and magic hybrid system employed in these elite mechs is truly a milestone in mech design! Moreover, the hybrid weapons they are equipped with are extremely scarce among other factions.
Thus, when Speaker Brutus of the Pirate Alliance and the elders of the five major families received this unexpected “gift,” they were almost overjoyed to the point of fainting. They were deeply grateful to Black Hair for returning the favor.
However, by now, they really had little to offer Black Hair. The continuous expansion of the Blood Wolf faction had made Black Hair’s strength far surpass theirs. Compared to the era when Speaker Brutus could dominate the Pirate Alliance with just a few hundred warships, the Blood Wolves now stood as a colossal force. So even if they wanted to repay Black Hair, it might not be enough. Therefore, within less than a day after receiving the gift, Speaker Brutus and the elders of the five major families issued the same order: to mobilize more troops for Black Hair once again.
Each of the five major families dispatched five thousand men, while the Pirate Alliance, as Black Hair’s birthplace, went even further. Before Speaker Brutus could even issue an order, countless frenzied pirates had gathered outside his residence. If anyone were to observe from above Hell Planet at that moment, they would see countless crowds emerging from all residential areas on the planet and converging toward the speaker’s residence.
They were all there because—perhaps even Speaker Brutus himself didn’t realize it—due to the growing fame of the Blood Wolf faction, almost all pirates now regarded Black Hair as an idol. Those who had once followed Black Hair were filled with jealousy. Many who had previously had the chance to join but chose not to now regretted it deeply. How could they pass up another chance like this?
Back then, Black Hair had offered a huge sum of 300,000 crystals to recruit some troops. But now, these people would even be willing to pay out of their own pockets. Thus, poor Speaker Brutus faced a problem unprecedented in pirate history: how many troops should he send?
Too little, and the pirates will be unhappy; too much, and the leaders of the various teams will likely be displeased. This really worried Speaker Brutus. He had no choice but to hold an emergency meeting to explain the situation to all the leaders and seek their opinions. To his surprise, this time, all the leaders were unusually unanimous.
“Go! Why not go?! If it weren’t for the thousands of brothers under my command who need food, I’d go too!” a burly man slammed the table angrily, his face twisted in fury.
“Since the Black-Haired Leader left, how comfortable has our life become? Before, we had to consider feng shui when raiding. Now, those bastards even pay us protection money! Even the Starfleet patrols greet us when they see us. It’s really glorious, as glorious as it gets!”
“Nonsense. That’s all thanks to the reputation built by the Blood Wolves. Alas, we can’t compare. They have Death Stars and Twins, and now they don’t even need to raid. I have nearly a thousand warships and countless mechs—almost as many as the entire alliance. Who wouldn’t want to go there? Let the brothers choose for themselves!” another leader interjected helplessly, his eyebrows twitching.
The meeting ended quickly in such an atmosphere. The final result shocked Speaker Brutus. Over 30,000 people signed up for the entire pirate alliance! Among them, several teams even requested to join the Blood Wolves as a whole.
Of course, the decision of the pirate alliance was beyond the knowledge of the Black-Haired One, who was far away, light-years away. All he faced now was an old face—Marshall Wick’s old face.
“Hehe, 5,000 captain ships? Young man, how come I never knew you were such a generous person?” Entering the living room of the tower, Marshall Wick didn’t even bother with pleasantries and started teasing right away. This caught the usually reserved Black-Haired One off guard; he didn’t even have an excuse ready.
“Well… it’s just normal interaction, I guess?” The Black-Haired One glanced at the old marshal’s expression and spoke calmly, casually pulling a bottle of red wine from the bar and holding it up.
“Wanna have a drink?”
“Hmm, okay.” The old marshal took the glass handed to him without showing any emotion, shook it, and fell silent. Soon, only the figure of the Black-Haired One was visible by the window. Both of them were quiet people; neither wanted to speak again, making the atmosphere in the room suddenly cold.
But Hei Fa clearly understood the old marshal’s intentions. At the same time, he was angry that the Pirate Alliance and the Five Great Families had failed to keep intelligence secrets properly. However, he was somewhat wrong to blame the Five Great Families and the Pirate Alliance. Just think what kind of organization the Interstellar Fleet was—before the Moor Empire emerged, it was probably the biggest criminal syndicate in the universe. Wealthy and powerful, its influence stretched across all of human society. And Hei Fa’s elite mechs this time were so extraordinary that it would be impossible to hide them from the old marshal. This time, the old marshal had traveled thousands of miles to Death Star not only to see this legendary planet but also to ask Hei Fa for support. The Interstellar Fleet had plenty of warships, which the old marshal didn’t desire, but these elite mechs—he had seen them with his own eyes. Aside from Hei Fa’s Blood Wolves, no other force could produce such formidable individual combat weapons. If he didn’t seize the opportunity now, would he wait until the threat from the Moor Empire disappeared before asking for help? Any fool knew that by then, Hei Fa surely wouldn’t give him even a single thing. So this time, the old marshal was determined to get something out of Hei Fa at all costs. At the same time, this perceptive old marshal was also very curious about what could make Hei Fa give up so many elite mechs. Of course, he could only keep this question to himself. As the leader of a powerful force, Hei Fa wouldn’t be foolish enough to reveal his resources to others, even if that person seemed like an ally for now. He gently shook the glass in his hand, and finally broke the silence in the room. “The Interstellar Fleet is huge—five thousand flagship mechs. Doesn’t seem worth your trip, does it?” “How so?” Hearing Hei Fa speak, the old marshal couldn’t help but laugh. He felt pleased inwardly—when it came to patience, this kid still fell short. “Young man, don’t take advantage of my age. I know very well. Those five thousand flagship mechs are surely not ordinary, right? Do you want me to show you some data to prove it? Though I’m not an expert in this field, I do have a few capable people under me. They told me those five thousand flagship mechs are worth at least this much.” Saying that, the old marshal spread out his palm. “Five warships?” Hei Fa sneered. “No! Five hundred warships! And they’re all large-scale Spear-Class warships. Young man, with such a huge amount of resources, it would be unfair of you not to show some favor to an old man like me.”
“Hehe, hahaha.” Hearing the old marshal’s teasing, Black Hair suddenly burst into laughter. “Five hundred warships, Marshal Wick—doesn’t that mean nothing to you? Besides, my flagship isn’t given away for free! Why bother getting yourself into such trouble?”
“Hehe, of course I know it’s not free. So I won’t take it for free either. Tell me, what price do you want for the same share? Of course, I’d be even happier if you could give me your current flagship.” The old marshal chuckled and set down his glass. His sharp gaze fixed intently on Black Hair’s face.