Having received his optimal answer, Fang Senyan nodded in satisfaction, patted Black Widow’s head like one would a dog’s, casually picked up a bottle of rum, took a few swigs, and then stood up and walked out. Watching the retreating figures of Fang Senyan and his companions, a look of venomous malice flashed in Black Widow’s slender eyes.

But just then, Fang Senyan suddenly turned back, offering a faint smile to Black Widow, who had immediately adopted an expression of timidity and fear:

“I know you must hate us enough to kill, right?”

Black Widow frantically shook her head, weeping loudly: “I’ll answer whatever you ask, and I swear I haven’t lied to you!”

Fang Senyan merely smiled: “Yes, I believe you didn’t lie; everything you said is true. Honestly, you’re quite cunning, but you failed to tell me that those Zigan people are incredibly dangerous, and that you could easily sell the information to me for two or three times the price, hoping I’d go straight to them and die there, correct?”

Black Widow’s face instantly turned ashen, and she struggled desperately: “I didn’t, I really didn’t!”

Fang Senyan narrowed his eyes and laughed, displaying the same expression he wore in the real world when a net full of thrashing fish was hauled up: “Are all the pirates in Tortuga complete fools? If they could make more money, why wouldn’t they go directly to the Zigan people to buy? Why let those big shops take a cut? The only explanation is that only those big shops have the strength and confidence to trade with the Zigan people and avoid being robbed in the process!”

Then Fang Senyan said to Black Widow coolly: “Although your intentions were malicious, considering you actually provided me with intelligence, I will grant you the mercy of leaving your corpse whole.”

Black Widow was beside herself with rage, screaming wildly: “May you die horribly!”

Kambi immediately rushed forward, clamped his hands around her jaw, gave a sharp twist, and with a sickening crack, cheerfully and easily snapped her neck. The four of them strode away, and not a single patron in the tavern dared to intervene. The Dark Brother casually pulled out a heavy purse, tossed it a few times—the clinking sound inside was unmistakably that of gold sovereigns—clearly having looted the bar on their way out.

But just at that moment, the four of them received a system notification: “You have killed Barbossa’s subordinate in Tortuga and looted Barbossa’s establishment.” “Your relationship with Barbossa has turned into that of mortal enemies.” “Hidden Main Quest: The Curse has been triggered.” “Quest Description: Barbossa and his utterly ruthless crew are currently still aboard the Black Pearl, constantly plotting to remove the curse afflicting them and desperately gathering the gold coins scattered throughout the Caribbean. Therefore, they have no time to bother you. However, the curse aboard the Black Pearl will soon be lifted. You must then prepare to face the relentless pursuit of the pirates aboard the Black Pearl.” “Quest Objective: Secretly obtain one Aztec Gold Coin that caused the curse on the Black Pearl, thus preventing Barbossa from lifting his curse.” “Hint: You must retain this Aztec Gold Coin for a minimum of three days. For every additional day beyond that, your mission completion rating will increase, up to a maximum of one week.” “Quest Completion Deadline: One month. After the deadline, you can purchase an extended completion period at a price of 10,000 Universal Points per day, extendable for a maximum of seven days. After seven days, the quest will be declared a complete failure.” “Quest Failure Penalty: You will be hunted by the pirates of the Black Pearl for one week, and your earnings in this world will be deducted.” “Warning: Your current quest may conflict with the quests of certain other contractors.”

“Here it comes!” Fang Senyan muttered internally. This was indeed a very difficult quest, possessing the weight worthy of a B+ rating. Based on the current timeline, all the Aztec Gold Coins were stored in only two locations in this world: The vast majority were in a chest at Barbossa’s stronghold on Isla de Muerta, while the other single coin was kept personally by the Governor’s daughter, Elizabeth.

If an outsider were to infiltrate Barbossa’s lair on Isla de Muerta, the fastest and most direct method would be to acquire the magical artifact held by Jack Sparrow: the compass that points to what you want most—the difficulty of which goes without saying.

Obtaining the coin from the beautiful Elizabeth might seem more innocuous, but one must never forget the saying: Men conquer the world, and women conquer men: This beautiful Governor’s daughter had only conquered two men so far: the formidable pirate’s son, future captain of the Flying Dutchman, Will Turner; and the soon-to-be Commodore, Colonel Norrington. The former excelled at one-on-one combat, while the latter specialized in group brawls… and if anyone dared to harbor ill intentions toward her, these two might very well unite to make life utterly miserable for the offender.

“Oh, damn it,” the Dark Brother shrugged, his reaction quite pronounced: “This is bad news, but the good news is we finally don’t have to rush. To hell with those Zigan people who were about to leave.” “No,” Fang Senyan suddenly said. “Because of this, we must seek them out even more!”

After all that commotion, time now felt even more pressing. Several more merchant ships had docked, and the crowds in Tortuga swelled even further. Fang Senyan and his three companions jostled through the throng, hurrying toward the hills nearby.

There they could see brightly colored caravans, distinctive pointed tents, vibrant Bohemian-style decorations, and blazing bonfires illuminating the surroundings in stark detail. Some people were busy hauling various items, and numerous women veiled in colorful headscarves mingled among them.

It was evident that most of the Zigan men were not living well. They wore tattered and ragged trousers, usually grey or chestnut, with some areas revealing skin afflicted by scabies. Thick ropes hung over their shoulders as they strained to drag loads.

For these men, once they passed the age of thirty, their appearance seemed to regress to that of a sixty-year-old, making it hard to judge their exact age. They often wore brown woolen caps or soiled felt hats, but lifting them revealed large patches of baldness caused by vitamin deficiency. Their sunken eye sockets suggested their nutritional state was less than ideal.

Clearly, judging by the scene before them, the pirates of Tortuga leaving the Zigan people alone was already the best possible outcome; there was nothing visible that should inspire fear in the pirates. However, if a danger is visible, the threat is generally less significant. Fang Senyan therefore heightened his vigilance.

Fang Senyan suddenly recalled the crystal ball that “Zi” had used in combat before—an item that could predict an enemy’s actions for the next few seconds. He wondered if this, too, had been acquired from the Zigan people, as divination and crystal balls were their specialties.

By now, the four had entered the depths of the Zigan camp. Kambi grabbed a ragged man, tossed him a five-shilling silver coin, and said brazenly: “Hey, friend, I hear you wandering Zigan are knowledgeable and can appraise anything?”

The man took the coin, sized them up with a wary gaze, and then whispered in a hoarse voice: “Go! Leave quickly, before you are noticed!”

Kambi was taken aback, but the man had already moved away. Hearing this, Fang Senyan felt a powerful sense of the bizarre creep down his spine. But there was no turning back now. After warning the Dark Brother and Reef, he stated: “We are going there.”

In the center of the camp stood the largest, most brightly colored tent, topped with a pennant. On the flag was vividly painted a clown smeared with bright lipstick, performing a handstand—a truly bizarre sight.

The general commotion in the camp did not disrupt the determined advance of Fang Senyan’s group. However, Fang Senyan noticed that the surrounding Zigan men watched them with expressions of pity or sorrow. As they approached within twenty meters of the large tent, a middle-aged woman wearing a black headscarf approached them. She studied them for a moment and said: “Outsiders, do you not know you have violated our Zigan customs? What brings you here?”

Kambi repeated the previous dialogue. The middle-aged woman’s expression remained blank: “Wait here.”

Saying this, she turned and entered the tent, quickly emerging again to state coolly: “The Jiejie (a term of respect for Zigan leaders, similar to chief or president) says I shall receive you.”

Fang Senyan and his three companions were only concerned with successfully completing the main quest and did not quibble over the slight. Having already briefed Kambi on the situation, Fang Senyan merely nodded toward him, letting Kambi handle the interaction while the other three watched silently.

Kambi pulled a small black cloth bag from his chest and opened it. Inside rested the seeds of the giant Sargassum weed—a gift from “Black Sail” to Fang Senyan—one by one. Under the firelight, the surface of these seeds actually exhibited an eerie greenish-black metallic sheen.

Fang Senyan had previously surmised that if the Zigan people were a crucial part of the hidden quest, then items related to the giant Sargassum and the beast might be the key trigger props for the mission, which was why he decided to use the seeds here as a test.

Upon seeing the item, the Zigan woman in the black headscarf’s expression changed dramatically, and she immediately reached out to take it. Kambi roughly slapped her hand away, snarling fiercely: “I do not recall giving you permission to touch that!”