Chapter 22: People Need to Take the Initiative
The mansion at the highest point was more brightly lit than the entire town combined. It resembled a medieval noble's castle, overlooking the town below.
Sag walked all the way without any hindrance. Only when he reached the mansion's entrance was he stopped by a group of guards.
There were more than a hundred guards. As soon as they saw the pirates attacking, they charged without giving Sag a chance to speak.
Then...
There was no then.
Sag didn't even need to出手. Lily drew her rapier, her body like a swimming dragon and her sword like a cold gleam. Two passes through the crowd, and she had eliminated a third of them.
Gin swung his staff, rushing into the crowd. With each swing, the iron ball smashed a large swath, eliminating another third.
The remaining third was taken care of by Pearl and the remaining pirates.
Instantly, the ground was littered with fallen guards.
Sag stepped over the fallen guards, glanced at them, and shook his head. "For a little over a hundred thousand Berries a month, risking your lives..."
*Bang!!*
Gin spun his staff, smashing the heavy gate open with an iron ball. The ferocious-looking pirates rushed in and began searching for loot.
"Tsk!"
As soon as Sag entered, he was shocked by the place. The walls were covered with a layer of gold foil, the wall lamps emitted a golden light, there were expensive carpets, valuable mahogany, and on the dining table was wine that looked expensive...
He picked up the bottle of red wine, poured himself a glass, and looked at the goblet in his hand, cursing, "Even the damn cup is inlaid with gems. You're really extravagant!"
"Mercy, mercy!"
A man as fat as a pig, with a greasy head and big ears, was dragged out by the pirates and knelt before Sag, his obese face pale with fright.
"I'm the mayor of this town. I have money, I have a lot of money, don't kill me!" he cried, tears and snot running down his face.
"Of course I know you have a lot of money. Don't be nervous. I'm here for wealth, not to kill anyone."
Sag swirled the wine glass, took a small sip, and said, "So, Mayor, you certainly don't want my men to be busy, right? Tell me where the money is hidden, and we'll be at ease, and you'll be at ease. However..."
Lily placed her rapier against the mayor's neck. The sharp blade cut through his layer of fat, drawing blood.
"Eeeek!!"
The mayor let out a strange cry, scrambling backward away from the thin blade.
Sag gave Lily an appreciative look and said to the mayor, "If you lie to me and I find other hidden money, it won't be good."
After this show of force, the mayor didn't dare to hide anything. Actually, he couldn't hide anything. These pirates were very thorough in their search, even dismantling nice-looking gemstone clocks to take away. Some were even preparing to destroy the walls to see if there were any secret compartments.
In order not to have his house destroyed, the mayor had to reveal the location of the hidden money.
Then, gold bars, gold coins, gemstones... a large amount of Berries, and even expensive wine and high-end ingredients from the kitchen, were all carried out by the pirates. The amount was so large that Sag's eyes went wide.
"Captain, this is all my property," the mayor said, rubbing his hands together with a fawning smile.
"Just a mayor, where did you get so much money? Do you have some business channels?"
Although it was a bit embarrassing, he had really never seen so much money in his life.
"No... Captain, it's just that I have the power to collect taxes."
The mayor pinched his thumb and forefinger together, leaving a small gap, and said ingratiatingly, "I just collect a *little* bit more..."
These words made Lily's eyes turn cold, and the rapier in her hand trembled slightly, as if she was looking for an angle to kill.
"You really deserve to die!" Sag gritted his teeth, then drained the wine in his glass. He didn't forget to take the gem-encrusted goblet, and left the mansion.
Lily hesitated for a moment, but finally gave up the idea of killing the mayor, sheathed her rapier, and followed Sag.
"Oh? I thought you would do it." Sag was a little surprised. "Why did you change your mind?"
"There's no need. Even if this mayor dies, another mayor will be chosen. The result will be the same."
Lily looked at the buildings in the town and said in a low voice, "Rather than expecting someone's death to change the status quo, it's better to let them understand for themselves. Only when they take the initiative can they truly make a change."
Sag grinned. "Exactly."
"Captain! We see a warship!"
A pirate using a telescope to scout the sea shouted loudly.
"They're persistent. Lads, speed it up, we're leaving!" Sag shouted, leading the pirates to quicken their pace, heading towards the black-sailed warship.
"My money!!"
Inside the huge mansion, the mayor was rolling on the ground in agony.
The wealth he had painstakingly accumulated, in one night... no, not even a night, just a few dozen minutes, was all gone.
"Damn pirates, hateful pirates! You'll get your comeuppance sooner or later!"
The mayor pounded the ground furiously, then a smile appeared on his face. "I just have to increase the taxes again. The people in the town don't dare to resist me. Just a little bit more is enough. I can definitely get that money back."
"That won't do!"
A voice appeared beside his ear. The mayor turned his head and saw several young men entering one after another. One of them kicked the mayor over and took out a dagger from his waist.
"You, what are you doing!" The mayor cried out in terror.
"Do you remember, my father was forced to death by your taxes? During a stormy day, because the taxes weren't enough, my father had to go out fishing despite the storm, and he died!"
The young man squatted down, the dagger slowly moving towards his head. "I've always wanted revenge, but your guards were too numerous, I couldn't find an opportunity."
"You can't kill me! I'm the mayor. Do you want to commit a great crime!" The mayor roared.
"Who knows..."
The young man said coldly, "The pirates came, you died at the hands of the pirates. That's normal, right!"
*Chih!*
The dagger pierced the mayor's neck, twisting fiercely, making the mayor's eyes widen. He instinctively grabbed at the young man's hand.
But it was useless. The other young men each stabbed the mayor with their knives, making his obese body tremble before he collapsed to the ground.
"Boga, what do we do next?" Seeing that the mayor was dead, one of the young men wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked.
"Go to sea!"
The young man who struck first said firmly, "We'll also become pirates! Then, if this town ever has another mayor like this, we'll just follow the example of those pirates and kill the mayor! That way... we can protect the town, protect everyone!"
"Good! Boga, I'll go with you!"
"Me too!"
"We were all orphans anyway, so let's go to sea together!"
The young men agreed.
"But going to sea... we don't have any money or a ship." The young man who asked the question said worriedly.
"We do, we do!"
One of the young men suddenly discovered something and picked it up from the ground. It was a gold bar, glittering under the light.
"Those pirates left something behind. We have funds!"
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