Chapter 288 Seeing the young woman addicted to gambling again
"King of the North Sea" Oleg suddenly became king. Su Lun was a little surprised when he heard the news at first.
But when I think about it carefully, I don’t find anything surprising.
Two great empires were at war, fighting from afar and attacking from afar.
Mafa's move will bring endless trouble to Lu Ying's rear.
This method is like the United States in Su Lun's previous life. It provided some military equipment and economic support to some local military organizations. It can cause continuous turmoil in local areas without spending a single soldier. This will not only bring trouble to competitors.
, and can also obtain a steady stream of war benefits and resources.
Moreover, the conditions at sea and on land are completely different.
Although those pirates are qualified to go head-to-head with a big empire.
But if you can't beat them, they will run away.
It can be expected that this newly promoted "King of the North Sea" will become a stubborn problem behind the giant Lu Ying for many years to come...
It can't be cut but can't be cut, and it can't be cured.
Su Lun even guessed the origin behind this paper sealing the king's order.
He also finally wanted to understand what conditions those guys in Marfa used to buy the [Super Mechanical Warrior Blueprint] when they were in Jiadurante Port.
Thinking about the blueprints again, it is not surprising that Archduke Raphael's regiment destroyed the ninth fleet of the King of the North Sea.
Most likely it was in retaliation for the looting of Old Lingtown.
The dignified Duke was robbed by pirates, so he must return it.
Rather than becoming the king of pirates, Suellen was more concerned about the strength of Archduke Raphael.
The fleets under the command of the King of the North Sea are all very powerful. Fleet captains are usually sixth- and seventh-level pirates, the real top powerhouses. Just like the fourth fleet that once went to the Black Barrier Reef to rob Old Lingdun, there are two sixth-level, ten-level pirates.
Several fifth-level captains and tens of thousands of pirates indeed have the combat power to conquer some large territories.
No regrets, they misjudged Archduke Raphael's strength.
Su Lun thought of the extremely exaggerated steel battleship he had seen before. It was not a super battleship that could be sunk by any pirate fleet.
The deformed industrial society of Old Town allowed Archduke Raphael to master many leading technologies that were beyond the times. The level of technology was much higher than the average level of the Luying Empire. Even in fields such as "neuro-mechanical technology", even
Even the Marfa Empire, known as the Holy Land of Mechanics, is inferior.
But it happened that he was such a lord with great background. Su Lun peeled off those memories and found that Grand Duke Raphael was a marginal figure in Lu Ying's top power center.
Su Lun was also very confused.
But it wasn't until I saw Young Master William of the Raigadi family on the giant steel ship that I realized that these great lords were all old foxes with far-reaching plans.
This is a real giant crocodile lurking under the water, and a careerist is in the alliance.
Its purpose is obvious.
However, Su Lun was not interested in caring about the power game among the upper-class lords.
Now that the North Sea is in chaos, he also wants to see if he can fish in the muddy waters.
Two months ago, when Su Lun came to Blizzard City, the city was in good order.
As the only human city near the Silent Forest, a large number of merchants and adventurers come here. Therefore, the business in the city is very prosperous. Although there are many pirates in the city, it is because this is a place where pirates sell their stolen goods and supply supplies.
In the base area, everyone acquiesced to the city's rules prohibiting martial arts.
But things are different now. The King of the North Sea has been crowned king, the pirates have fallen into a carnival, and the original order has been broken.
All the legitimate shops in Blizzard City were looted, and no normal merchants dared to come back. The once prosperous Blizzard City instantly became depressed and dilapidated.
The weather today is not very good. The sky is a lead color and large flakes of snow are falling from the sky.
Nine out of ten shops in the city are empty, and the broken doors, windows and bullet holes left on the walls can still tell how intense the robbery was not long ago.
There are no guards in the city, and no one has even cleared the snow, which has piled up several meters high.
On the main street, there is only a path for pedestrians to walk on.
Su Lun, wearing a black trench coat, walked out of an intelligence dealer's tavern. He held a black umbrella in his hand and a crow crouched on his shoulder.
"As expected, he is wanted."
As Su Lun walked, he thought about it in his mind.
I just went to the tavern to inquire about the news and found out some of the latest news from the outside world.
Su Lun also paid special attention to himself.
Unsurprisingly, he was wanted.
Both the pirates and Lu Ying's slave merchants had placed bounties on the "Golden Pattern Cloak Man".
Mr. Mirror's bounty is the highest, directly reaching one billion liso, which has already reached the bounty amount of a sixth-level pirate.
He, Su, ranked second, with a reward of 188 million liso.
But the good news is that the wanted poster only describes the gold-patterned cloak and puppet abilities, and no other details.
Other members of the mirror organization also keep a low profile and there is almost no news.
"Now once your abilities are exposed, you have to kill them all."
Su Lun thought of something and smacked his lips without thinking about it.
The descriptions on the wanted posters were all vague, so if he was a little careful, he thought it would be difficult to catch him.
He walked in the snow, following the Dongcheng Entertainment District in his memory, planning to go to the "Sailor Tavern" as promised.
I contacted Qianjiao yesterday, and counting the time, she should have arrived in Blizzard City by now.
Su Lun wants to see him first.
One is to reminisce about the past.
Instead, Qianjou said that she had news about the "Rune Warlock".
There are not many pedestrians on the street, unlike the wealthy businessmen and rich ladies who were strolling around shopping in the past. Even if there are pedestrians now, they are all in small groups. They are most likely either pirates or heavily armed adventurers. People look in a hurry,
No one dared to stay on the street.
As he walked, Su Lun noticed that Chance was staring at him with malicious eyes.
He wasn't surprised at all.
When he stayed at the hotel last night, he killed two groups of thieves who sneaked in in the middle of the night.
The most outrageous thing is that no one reacted whether he killed someone or those guys were killed.
After the body was discovered, the boss with the musket roughly threw the body out into the snow in the back alley of the hotel, where it froze into a popsicle.
The current Blizzard City is simply a chaotic place.
Robbery, vendetta, and rape are all too normal.
Not long after, there were only a few sounds of wild cats jumping, and three still-warm bodies were buried in the snow in the alley.
Without attracting anyone's attention, Su Lun covered his face again with a scarf, walked out again, and walked in the wind and snow.
Just when Su Lun returned to Blizzard City, a fleet that had left Blizzard City for nearly half a month was about to arrive at the port of Jaturant.
There was an inconspicuous three-masted ship in the fleet.
But no one knew that the interior of this ship contained extraordinary luxury.
In the captain's cabin, the room is brightly illuminated by bright crystal lamps, and the pure gold and silver utensils on the navigation table sparkle. On the corners of the tablecloth are embroidered with the noble coat of arms of tulips and eagles. This is the capital of the six northern provinces.
The secret ship of the Lord Lance family.
A beautiful girl with purple hair was standing in front of the wall hanging with the North Navy's nautical chart, looking lazily at the densely marked coordinates in front of her.
In her arms, she was holding the same long-haired white hair that had always been lazy.
Next to the door of the captain's room, stood an old butler with a downcast brow, reporting something: "Miss, our arrangement in Blizzard City was basically destroyed by those pirates. Those pirates have great ambitions, and they seem to plan to clean up the North Sea.
All forces that do not belong to them. Marfa also used submarines to transport a large amount of military equipment. It seems that they are preparing to build a mechanical fleet for those pirates. This will pose a great threat to our territory."
Hearing this, the purple-haired girl didn't look surprised at all and continued to look at the sea chart.
After pondering for a moment, she responded calmly: "Those Viking pirates want to have a taste of power, so let them have a taste. Haha, do you really think that being a lord is as easy as being a pirate? Robbery
It's easy to gain territory, but what happens after you rob it? It's enough to be a pirate without restraint. If you really want to play politics on the stage, those pirates are not worthy of carrying shoes for those old foxes in the Parliament."
After a pause, she continued: "Pirates are pirates after all. Apart from their force, they are not worth mentioning. They are just the methods of the Marfa Empire. They made a fuss for a while and then stopped."
After hearing this, the old housekeeper said again: "Miss, do you mean that our people should be withdrawn first?"
"No."
The purple-haired girl shook her head, with a pair of beautiful purple pupils shining brightly, "Beihai is so lively, how can we watch the excitement. If we really want to withdraw, Mafa will succeed. The family has invested so much in Beihai over the past hundred years.
How can we let outsiders pick this melon?"
The old housekeeper said: "What about us?"
"There are very few pirates who know how to calculate. They even know how to set tax rates, let alone economics. Even if they robbed wealth, they only know how to stuff mold into their own vaults, and even the banks don't know about it.
What's the use? Since they are short of talents in this field, we can just send them to them. Aren't some of those people still alive after the failure of the "Brumpy Moon Coup" last time? Now they are put to use, so let's send them there."
After saying this, the purple-haired girl thought of something and paused.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and said in a deep voice: "Since those pirates want to be lords, we will help them become such lords!"
The old housekeeper nodded respectfully: "Yes."
After a pause, he said again: "Miss, there is another news."
Without waiting for the purple-haired girl to ask, he said directly: "Grand Duke Raphael's cruise fleet encountered Oleg's Ninth Fleet at sea five days ago. A war broke out between the two sides, and the pirate fleet was completely destroyed. It is said that Grand Duke Raphael has already
He has mastered very advanced warship technology and already has a steel fleet of unknown strength."
The purple-haired girl raised her eyebrows slightly when she heard this. She didn't seem surprised. She just sighed: "Not only us, but the entire empire has underestimated that upstart."
Although some officials change every year, the aristocracy at the top of the Luying Empire has long been solidified. The wealth accumulated by the great aristocrats over hundreds of years is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Parliamentary seats, banks, social resources, wealth, population,
In fact, they are all in the hands of those top families.
As long as Lu Ying does not collapse, there will be almost no major changes in the pattern.
So under normal circumstances, no matter how hard the new nobles struggle, they can only drink soup and forget about eating meat.
If you really want to eat meat, those big guys will nip it in the cradle right away.
However, the steam machinery system is an exception.
Before this, no one knew that mechanical technology would develop so rapidly, nor that its potential would be so exaggerated.
Run by the third generation of Archduke Raphael, he took a turn and overtook the company.
A completely isolated mine also created such conditions for him.
By the time the empire bosses really reacted, everything was powerless.
Old housekeeper: "Miss, are we going to get in touch? I just got the news that all the major lords, those in the parliament, and even the royal family have extended an olive branch to Archduke Raphael."
The purple-haired girl looked as usual and said calmly: "It's too late to go now. Since Grand Duke Raphael dares to reveal his true identity now, he must have someone to rely on. There is no benefit to be gained by going now."
The old housekeeper looked worried and said: "If the rumors are true, will we be very passive if we don't contact them?"
"I'm afraid my anxious eldest and second brothers have already gone, so we don't have to join in the fun."
The purple-haired girl looked completely unconcerned and said: "What's more, it's not a rumor. I have obtained exact information. Archduke Raphael has mastered many top-secret technologies. I have sent people to the underground place called 'Old Lingdun'
went."
After hearing this, the old housekeeper relaxed his brows and said suddenly: "It turns out that the young lady has already made arrangements. This old slave is talking too much."
The purple-haired girl said: "Instead of going directly to the smooth old fox Raphael, it is better to start with the Raigadi family. Now it seems that these two families have been very close for a long time."
The butler immediately understood, "You mean, about the marriage?"
He frowned as he thought of something, and seemed to have some words that were difficult to say. He hesitated for a moment and then said: "There was news from Raigadi before, saying that they are willing to marry, but it will not be the eldest son. But it seems that something has happened recently.
Something unexpected happened, and my attitude is very ambiguous again.”
The purple-haired girl sneered, obviously knowing something: "That's because they think that all the heirs born from concubines should be killed. After all, my classmate William is very conceited and wants to hold everything in his hands. Haha."
As she said this, she suddenly thought of something, and a strange color flashed in her eyes.
But that glimmer of light had completely dissipated before it caused any emotional fluctuations.
She said in an indifferent tone: "Sometimes, the eldest son may not be the best choice."
The housekeeper seemed to understand something and asked: "Miss, how should we reply to Raigadi? Should the marriage be cancelled?"
"No, of course there is a marriage. That is an integral part of the family's interests."
The purple-haired girl seemed to have lost interest in continuing to listen, and waved her hand, "You don't have to worry about this matter, I can arrange it freely."
"yes."
The housekeeper responded and stepped out decisively.
(PS. Don’t talk about why the old housekeeper of a big family seems so stupid and doesn’t understand anything. A smart servant will not appear to be wiser than his master in front of his master.)
When Suellen arrived at the "Sailor's Tavern", it was already overcrowded.
This was once a secret gathering place for pirate captains in Blizzard City, but now it is open to the public, and its area has expanded several times.
After the riots, almost all normal shops in the city were closed.
However, taverns, customs halls, and gambling stalls, which are necessary venues for pirates' daily entertainment, are becoming more and more lively.
"Nine o'clock! Nine o'clock! Nine o'clock!"
"big big big!"
"Oh, let's play a good card and beat the banker!"
""
Su Lun listened to the noisy noise, which was all too familiar.
The mechanical sounds of slot machines, the noise, and vulgar curses reverberated together.
Pirates are almost all gamblers and drunkards, and taverns are also the busiest places.
I contacted him via communicator and found out that Qianjou had arrived.
Su Lun didn't find anyone in the bar area on the first floor, so he intuitively told him that the gambling-addicted young woman must be sitting at a gambling table downstairs.
Sure enough, as soon as Su Lun walked down, he saw Qianjiao's heroic face at the big customer table in a small hall.
She was sitting at the gaming table with her horse and sword drawn, and beside her was a little girl holding a sword and looking bitter.
Su Lun looked at the sword, it was Qianjou's sword.
He was also curious, when did this gambling-addicted young woman bring a little girl with her?
But before the captain came to say hello, I heard the little girl holding the sword earnestly persuading: "Captain, if you keep gambling and lose, we won't have enough money to go ashore to buy supplies this time."
Although these words were whispered, Su Lun heard them clearly and couldn't laugh or cry.
The gambling-addicted young woman has indeed not changed at all.
When she was a cadre of the Cross Society, she often lost as much as her four pockets. Now that she is a pirate captain, she still has the same problem.
However, there is a problem with this game.
Su Lun glanced at the dealer's card dealing technique and his pupils shrank slightly.
He didn't think Sister Senjo didn't notice something fishy.
This seems to be the rhythm of causing trouble?
Su Lun unconsciously smiled and walked over.
Senjo naturally noticed him, but didn't say hello.
The little girl on the side took out the last stack of banknotes from her pocket and was still anxiously trying to persuade her, "Captain, this is the last bit of money for you."
Qian Jiao raised the corner of his mouth slightly, interrupted her, and said meaningfully: "Captain, I'm about to transfer you."
The little girl pursed her lips and muttered: "You always say that, and you always lose."
Su Lun almost laughed out loud when he heard this. He also pretended not to know him and found a random seat on the stage to sit down.
Only then did he see clearly that Senjo was no longer wearing a kimono, but had changed into the iconic pirate captain uniform.
A deerskin three-cornered hat with a silver skull on the brim; long leather boots that just cover the calf; a gothic-style leather skirt that is convenient for fighting; and a business-line shirt on the upper body. He wears a linen shirt; he also wears a brown cape with gold-edged tassel epaulettes on his back; he has a knife hanging on his waist, and in the leather holster, there are also three traditional muskets that come standard with pirates.
However, the clothes looked like they hadn't been changed in a long time, and their slovenly style was exactly like that of a pirate.
Su Lun also chuckled in his heart and thought: This gambling-addicted young woman has quickly integrated into the role of a pirate captain after coming to the surface.
Su Lun sat down and the card game continued.
The game is still Texas Hold'em.
This kind of gambling can make people rich quickly, and it can also squeeze every last ounce out of the gambler's pocket.
Because there was something wrong with the game, Qian Tiao lost all his last stack of money.
Su Lun harvested a variety of gambling skills, so he could naturally see through those people's tricks at a glance.
In this round, Qiantiao ran out of money. She casually slapped the knife held by the little girl next to her on the gambling table and shouted: "I'll take this!"
The pirate wearing an eyepatch opposite looks like the captain.
Hearing this, there was a clear flash of discomfort in his eyes, but he said viciously: "Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean? You lost money, do you want to fool around? This is Boss Chris's gambling stall.
I’ve thought it through clearly.”
With this statement, a group of pirates also agreed, with the intention of taking action if they disagreed.
Su Lun also noticed that most of the people on this table were from the one-eyed dragon's group.
Qian Jiao sneered: "Put this knife on, I bet you still have an 'A' on the croupier's sleeve!"
The female dealer's psychological quality was not that good. She was caught cheating on the pirate gambling table, and at least her hands and feet were severed. When she heard this, fear clearly flashed across her face.
The one-eyed dragon's eyes twitched when he heard it. He didn't give anyone a chance to attack, and took the lead in slamming the table, "You're talking nonsense!"
There was a "bang" sound, the money and cards on the table were messed up, and the entire gambling hall fell silent instantly.
Seeing the opportunity, the croupier immediately wanted to take advantage of the chaos and shake his hands to throw away the hidden cards.
At this moment, a gun was pointed at the croupier's head.
"If you dare to move, I will shoot you in the head."
Everyone turned to look, but it was Su Lun who pointed the gun at the croupier with a playful expression on his face, "I also bet that there is a card in the right sleeve."