Faced with the chaos in Port Tuthugga and the growing anxiety over the looting party already dispatched, sending out a reinforcement team was the only course of action Armand felt he could safely rely on. But there was still the matter of Fang Senyan aboard the ship! This was the primary reason for Armand’s hesitation! To Armand, Fang Senyan was an exceptionally capable individual in whom he had not yet placed his complete trust. For some inexplicable reason, Armand harbored a persistent, vague feeling: Fang Senyan was like a dangerous, double-edged blade—wielded correctly, it could inflict tremendous damage upon the enemy; mishandled, and it might just cut the wielder instead.

The dilemma confronting Armand now was this: he absolutely had to remain on the Bell & Cup as Captain—a captain without his ship was like a phoenix stripped of its feathers. Should anything happen to the vessel, he would be left adrift, dependent entirely on the mercies of others. Furthermore, his First Mate, Henry, had sustained a severe head injury. The only capable subordinate available was Fang Senyan, but if he were sent, what if the lure of riches turned his heart traitorous? Blind Matt’s prestige was lower, and Charles’s combat strength was inferior to Fang Senyan’s—risking a complete fiasco and introducing massive variables seemed likely if the wrong man were chosen!

“Let me go, sir! Let me take a detachment to support our brothers!”

Fang Senyan declared with absolute conviction.

Seeing Armand’s expression remain impassive, he continued earnestly:

“Please trust me, sir. I will bring the brothers back safely, even if it costs me this life! But should any... contingency arise, I implore you, sir, to look after my brother!”

Fang Senyan’s implied meaning was crystal clear: I still have hostages on this ship! Even if you cannot fully trust me, the weight of a relative should surely suffice, right? If you still refuse to let me go under those terms, then suspicion to this degree is meaningless and profoundly disheartening.

If Klee were present, he would have instantly leaped from his seat, crying out and clinging desperately to Armand’s legs, demanding DNA checks and blood kinship verification, vehemently denying any prior association with Fang Senyan!

However, this was a high-level, highly confidential meeting aboard the Bell & Cup. Klee, let alone participating, would be confronted by the cold glint of cutlasses merely for approaching the door!

As soon as Fang Senyan uttered those words, a vein on Armand’s forehead suddenly throbbed, resembling a dragon’s head rearing up! Fang Senyan’s brother, “Klee,” was already notorious. Their close relationship had been broadcast across the entire ship by this loose-tongued fellow, likely known even to the rats and cockroaches aboard the Bell & Cup.

But for the cunning old fox that Armand was, a relationship advertised by mere words was insufficient to secure his belief. It was only when a report came in that Klee, leveraging Fang Senyan’s name, had borrowed a colossal sum from the crew—and Fang Senyan had tacitly agreed to shoulder this debt, enough to bankrupt a man—that Armand finally believed the connection between the two was truly extraordinary. The things that test the human heart most severely are, first, life and death, and second, money.

Some who are generous and free-handed in peacetime become craven in the face of death—this is the type that can share wealth but not hardship. Others are willing to risk their lives for you at a crucial moment but succumb to the corrosion of money—this is the type that values coin over life. Armand had witnessed too many ugly displays of character when confronted by life-and-death situations and money; that was why he believed in the brotherhood between Fang Senyan and Klee, having passed the test of wealth.

But believing in it was one thing; trusting it was quite another. Armand clasped his hands behind his back and paced the deck, his eyes flashing with a gambler’s dangerous light, an unusually somber aura enveloping his frame.

In fact, ever since the disruption in the port began, a profound sense of crisis had lingered in Armand’s heart, refusing to dissipate. Thus, even though Fang Senyan had engineered the situation to make it seem “necessary to send him,” Armand remained grave, sinking back into silence.

Just then, the cabin door creaked open with a soft squeak, revealing a massive, burly figure to everyone present. His bald head was wrapped in a strip of white cloth—it was Scar-faced Henry, Armand’s most trusted First Mate. Though his complexion appeared somewhat pallid, the aura of lean, dominant power still radiated effortlessly from him.

“I will accompany Sailor Yan! We can look out for each other.”

If Scar-faced Henry, Armand’s most trusted confidant, agreed to accompany Fang Senyan, Armand would naturally feel completely at ease, without a shred of further doubt. But Armand looked at the white cloth bandaging Scar-faced Henry’s head, and the dense network of blood vessels in his eyes, and hesitation flickered:

“But your injury…”

To outsiders, Scar-faced Henry appeared relatively unaffected, but only Armand and Henry himself knew the truth: his injury had never improved. Since the blow to his head, Henry’s condition had fluctuated, even showing signs of worsening. In private, Scar-faced Henry had vomited multiple times, his head throbbing as if someone were churning a knife inside it—by the diagnostic standards of the real world, this likely indicated severe sequelae following an aggravated concussion.

Scar-faced Henry perceived Armand’s doubt. The silver light surrounding him flickered faintly, and he forced himself to rally, offering a slight smile:

“This operation is naturally centered on our Helmsman. I’ll just be using the experience of living a few extra years to offer a few words.”

Henry’s words were exceedingly modest, but they conveyed his true meaning to Armand:

“Don't worry, sir. I’m just there to supervise that kid. He handles the life-risking work. If he dares to make any move, I can shut him down with just a few words to the men I bring along.”

Armand turned to glance again at Port Tuthugga, engulfed in roaring flames. By now, he was almost certain that Charles and the others were in serious trouble; otherwise, Blind Matt would have at least sent someone back with a report. He looked at Scar-faced Henry and finally made up his mind, nodding:

“Good! You two go. I can rest assured.”

Saying this, Armand unbuckled the silver rapier hanging at his waist, the scabbard faintly glowing with an eerie light, and tossed it toward Scar-faced Henry.

“Catch! I will be absolutely secure here on the ship, I don’t need this, but you might find it extremely useful at a critical juncture.”

Scar-faced Henry caught it deftly and nodded slightly. Armand offering the sword was not a precaution against Fang Senyan; rather, it was a safeguard against Charles, who held enough prestige to rival Henry. As a pirate captain of immense authority on the ship, his personal sidearm could naturally serve as a token of command at a vital moment, overawing any mutinous pirates. This reasoning might sound bizarre, but it was akin to an unarmed civil official in ancient China entering a military camp bearing an Imperial Edict and commanding the life of a general possessing the might to rout ten thousand men.

Fang Senyan watched the earnest performance of these two close comrades, and his expression grew heavy. Scar-faced Henry’s accompanying them was decidedly outside his projections. Frankly, Henry’s formidable 30 points of Stamina made Fang Senyan deeply wary; 30 Stamina didn't just mean a large health pool, but the correspondingly high defense that derived from it!

Moreover, Scar-faced Henry already possessed the known ability, First Mate’s Heart, a monstrous trait granting the owner an extra 1000 hit points. The faint silver glow around him was also conspicuous—likely indicative of powerful equipment, and perhaps he had even acquired a title that made him even more formidable. For Fang Senyan to benefit from the ensuing chaos in this fight, a swift resolution was mandatory. But with this man at his side, many plans would have to be scrapped.

The only favorable piece of news was: Scar-faced Henry had sustained a head injury, and it looked rather severe.

The pirate contingent for the reinforcement mission was quickly finalized and dispatched. Learning from the previous failure, and buoyed by Armand’s confidence in Fang Senyan’s organizational and command abilities, the Bell & Cup essentially emptied itself out for this mission. Armand kept barely twenty men behind, most of them old, weak, sick, or disabled. Their sole purpose was to ensure the Bell & Cup could successfully sail out of the harbor.

Watching the line of pirates file ashore in the distance, with Fang Senyan and Scar-faced Henry leading the formation. A chilling glint suddenly flashed in Armand’s eyes. He beckoned Robin, the Second Mate left behind, over and stated flatly:

“You select four men and keep watch on Klee. The moment he shows any sign of moving out of line, bring him directly to me—remember, I want him alive. But if he manages to escape, none of you should expect to live either.”

Under Armand’s intense gaze, Robin repeatedly nodded, appearing terrified and anxious. Armand said calmly:

“You must remember, you are the Second Mate of the Bell & Cup; do not forget your station.”

Upon hearing this, Robin bent his back even lower, nearly kneeling to swear fealty. Armand was clearly satisfied with the effect of his counsel. He waved Robin away. The crew left aboard the ship might lack superior strength, but they were almost all Armand’s veteran core; their loyalty was unquestionable. When Charles and the others were aboard, Armand’s control over the entire vessel might have only been seventy percent, but now it was virtually one hundred percent! Under these conditions, Armand was confident that even if Fang Senyan remained, he could not stir up any significant trouble, let alone the pitifully weak Klee?

............

Who else dares to say that Little Fang doesn't set up plots? How many people considered Klee's utility in this way? Hahahaha, but I must tell you, do not imagine this is the extent of Little Fang’s machinations; the true web he laid down is about to be unveiled in the coming chapters!