Chapter 204
Words:1529Update:22/06/27 05:22:29
Malone's betrayal was a huge blow to Carina. Malone was the person she trusted the most in Nassau, and he was the only person she trusted when she first arrived on the island.
She didn't expect him to be bribed so early on. According to Malone, he had only sent three messages to Malcolm. But the thought of having a pair of eyes watching her all the time made her nauseous.
Perhaps the only thing to be thankful for was that most of the information Malone had was related to trade. For example, when she met the black gladiator, the businesswoman was always alone. Malone had mentioned several times that he wanted to go with her in the name of safety, but she rejected him every time.
She didn't suspect Malone's intentions at that time. She only thought that bringing a guard with her might offend Laeli. Otherwise, Malcolm would have known that someone had broken into his study by now.
Carina tried her best to control her emotions and asked a few more questions. After that, she handed Malone over to the four sailors of the Jackdaw. They would verify the authenticity of Malone's words and send him directly back to England. Malone had mentioned that he had a sister in Kent, so this was the best outcome for him.
Even if he wanted to come back, it would be a year later. By then, the battle between Carina and Malcolm would have already been decided.
When everything was over, Carina felt a deep sense of exhaustion. She threw the gun in her hand to the side of the road. Only today did she understand what her father meant when he told her not to trust anyone on the island.
The relationship between her and Malone had long surpassed that of a friend. They were more like family and mentor. Losing Malone was not as simple as losing an experienced captain who was familiar with the customs at every port.
If Wilton's blatant threat on the beach had made her feel fear for the first time, Malone's betrayal had made her experience a different kind of cruelty.
For a moment, she even thought of giving up. She wasn't sure what awaited her if she continued down this path. She didn't know what price she would have to pay to win the war against the black-market alliance.
Carina stopped in front of the carriage and looked around blankly. She didn't know where she should go until the coachman coughed softly. "Miss Carina."
"Sorry, go to Captain Zhang's residence."
Karina made up her mind. She opened the door and got into the car. She didn't look back again. Let the past stay in the past. Ever since her father went to prison, there was no turning back for her. Since that was the case, she could only continue to walk down this path.
When the carriage stopped again half an hour later, the female merchant's expression had returned to normal.
Zhang Heng was studying Dutch with Vincent in the living room. When he looked up and saw Karina standing outside the door, he nodded at the young ship doctor. "Let's call it a day."
The latter put away his book, and Anne went out to look for Harry in the afternoon. After Vincent left, Zhang Heng and Karina were the only ones left in the room.
Zhang Heng picked up the teapot on the table and poured a cup of tea for the female merchant. Perhaps because he was an Asian, he preferred tea over coffee.
"How are things on your side?"
"I've found the mole. It's Malone." Karina paused for a moment. She didn't have much of an expression on her face, as if she was talking about something completely unrelated. "The problem isn't too serious. It's basically solved, and it won't affect what we're doing. Now, the Gentle Breeze is without a captain. There's another transport ship that needs a captain after it's repaired."
"Do you have anyone in mind?"
"I plan to let the original first officer take over as the captain of the Gentle Breeze. To prevent something like this from happening again, I will test him regularly. As for the other ship … it's going to be a little tricky. I plan to recruit sailors in Nassau, and I need someone who can subdue them. At the same time, this person can't be a pirate, and it'll be best if he's familiar with the customs of the colony's ports."
"That's not an easy task."
"I know. Excellent captains are rare no matter where you go, not to mention that almost all excellent captains here have become pirates. However, I won't mistreat him in terms of salary. I can offer him twice the salary of an ordinary captain."
Zhang Heng pondered for a moment. "Some captains of merchant ships lost their ships and goods after being robbed. They have no choice but to come to Nassau to make a fortune. Some of them should be able to meet your requirements. However, many pirate ships that lack captains are also eyeing them. How about this? I'll talk to Billy tomorrow and see if he has any suitable candidates to recommend." Karina nodded.
Karina nodded. "I'm thinking about what you said before. We can't compete with the black-market alliance with just the support of the small and medium-sized pirates. I plan to contact the big landowners on the island and see if we can help them transport their harvested crops for free in exchange for their support. Also, the things we get from the secondhand market are too fragmented. No one will buy them if we just bring them to the colony, and they will only be treated as trash. But it's a pity to just throw them away. After all, strictly speaking, they are valuable."
"What do you plan to do?"
"I plan to open a grocery store in the colony and here. I'll dispose of these miscellaneous things there. I don't expect to make money. I just want to make up for the losses. That way, we won't have to keep spending money on this," the female merchant explained.
Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows.
"What's wrong?"
"I thought Malone's incident would be a blow to you. But looking at you now, it seems like my worries were unnecessary."
"At first, I was angry and disappointed. However, on the way here, I thought about a lot of things, and I'm not that angry anymore. There are many things I didn't do well in this matter. I was used to asking him for help, but I didn't pay attention to the difficulties he encountered. He owed a lot of money at the casino and borrowed money from many people, but he didn't bother me. He would rather accept Malcolm's offer. He probably didn't expect me to be of any help at that time," Karina said with a self-deprecating smile.
However, Karina did not dwell on this issue. She looked into Zhang Heng's eyes and said in a serious tone, "I want to defeat Malcolm. It's not as simple as letting the secondhand goods trade survive on the island. I want to destroy him completely. I want to drive him out of Nassau and replace him as the most powerful black-market merchant on the island. No matter what price I have to pay, no matter what dangers await me, I don't care. I will not stop until I achieve this."
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