It was not that Zhang Heng was not tempted by Kidd's treasure.
After all, just like what the farmer's son said, it would be much easier for him to build his own pirate ship with such a huge amount of money. Nassau did not lack sailors. What it lacked were people with various skills and most importantly — ships, especially ships with a certain amount of firepower.
Most of the pirates were using the most ordinary of small fishing boats. They did not even have cannons. When a battle broke out, they could only pray that they could get to the opposite deck before being sunk.
Therefore, if Zhang Heng planned to go solo, the first thing he needed to do was to find a ship. He had earned some money from the plundering of the Sea Lion. Coupled with the money he earned from collecting debts from the old pirates, he had a certain amount of savings. However, he still had a long way to go before he could buy a ship, even the most ordinary single-masted schooner.
There was no doubt that Kidd's treasure could solve this problem, but the timing of its appearance was too coincidental. It happened right when Goodwin was about to challenge Orff, helping the latter overcome the trust crisis. What worried Zhang Heng more was what would happen next.
Orff used the news to rouse the emotions of everyone on the ship. Without much effort, he defeated Goodwin's challenge and secured his position. However, the strange thing was that he did not stop after that. Instead, he continued to add firewood to the fire, making it burn brighter and brighter.
It was only recently that Zhang Heng realized that Orff's target was never Goodwin. He never saw Goodwin as a threat. He was just using this matter to solve the problem at hand. Now that the crew of the Sea Lion was in a frenzy, Orff's influence on the ship had reached its peak.
The previous few battles were the best proof of that. In the past, when the effort was not proportional to the reward, the crew would reject it before it even started. But now, no one on the ship objected. Even if Orff wanted to lead the ship to hell, no one would object.
Under such circumstances, if Orff was really hostile to a certain crew member, Zhang Heng would undoubtedly be in a very dangerous situation. Therefore, after discovering that someone was spying on him, Zhang Heng had been keeping a low profile. To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, he even deliberately reduced his contact with others.
Sometimes, even if you don't look for trouble, trouble will come knocking on your door.
Late at night, Zhang Heng was awakened by a knock on the door. He opened the window and saw a black carriage parked downstairs.
"Who's there?" Annie yawned and poked her head out of the room.
"It has nothing to do with you. Go back to sleep." Zhang Heng recognized the carriage, got dressed, and went downstairs. Marvin's sleep quality had always been good. Even with all the commotion, he was still snoring like thunder.
Zhang Heng did not bring the English saber he had seized from an officer, but a short musket for self-defense. He walked to the carriage, and a burly coachman opened the door for him.
Behind the door was a familiar face. "I also don't want to disturb you at this time, but in comparison, you probably don't want me to come in broad daylight."
Zhang Heng sat on the seat opposite the old pirate. The carriage door closed, and the carriage wheels started to roll again.
"If you're here for Kidd's treasure, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Orff is very careful. No one knows where he put the maps. As long as I'm on Sea Lion, I'm still a crew member. Even if I know where the treasure map is, I won't tell you."
"Kidd's treasure?" Frazer flashed his yellow teeth. "No, no, no. That kind of thing can only fool those idiots on the beach. You don't believe it yourself, do you? Orff has always been good at this kind of thing. You have to admit that he's really talented when it comes to lying. But I've been fooled by him once, and I won't fall for it again."
"Then why are you here tonight?"
"I brought you a gift and a message." The old pirate tossed a small pouch to Zhang Heng. Zhang Heng opened it, only to find some change and some worthless trinkets like belt rings.
"To thank you for your hard work, I've decided to show my sincerity. I'll give our mutual friend Vic the most complete rest. This is the only thing he has left in this world. From now on, you and your companions don't have to worry about anyone using him to threaten you."
Zhang Heng raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. "Why did you do that?"
"I realized that you seem to have misunderstood me all this time." Frazer shifted his butt to make himself more comfortable. "I've never been your enemy. We've known each other for so long, and I've never forced you to do anything, have I? Even when I asked you to collect a debt, I paid you handsomely. When you wanted to learn how to control a sail from Rothko, I cooperated and told you his secret. You won't find another person in Nassau who is as kind as I am. "
Zhang Heng remained silent. This had always been his biggest question. For the past nine months, Frazer had something on him, but he had always been polite and never threatened him. It was as if he was really here to collect a debt. Tonight, when the carriage appeared downstairs, Zhang Heng thought it was time for him to show his hand. To his surprise, Frazer took the initiative to reveal his secret to him. Now, it seemed like his only worry was gone.
"I know what people here think of me in the past. I'm sure you've heard about the grudges between me and Orff and the others. You're wary of me because you think I'll use you to stir up trouble on the ship. The truth is, after I retired, I've let go of everything that happened in the past."
The old pirate shrugged. "Not many pirates in history had a good ending. In a way, my current life isn't that bad. Ironically, even though I've let go of everything, the people who went against me haven't. "
"What do you mean?"
"I'm sorry that Orff is so prejudiced against me that he's still wary of everything related to me. That includes you. I just received a piece of bad news. Orff plans to get rid of all the unstable factors on the ship the next time they set sail."
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