Chapter 54 54
"No fun."
Leta pouted, but didn't force it.
She poured herself another full cup, this time without adding powder.
"I can think about the conditions you mentioned earlier."
She swirled the cup. "But I have one question, and you have to answer honestly."
"Ask."
"Why are you helping me?"
Leta stared into his eyes, as if trying to see into his bones. "Helping a pirate — what good does it do you?"
"Two benefits."
Marcus held up two fingers. "First, my value in front of Gracchus becomes greater — if I can handle the pirates, he will naturally rely on me more. Second…"
He paused and lowered his voice a little. "I need maritime connections. Capua is too small. I want to go farther."
"Quite ambitious."
Leta's eyes brightened. "Where do you want to go?"
"First Sicily, then… maybe Carthage, maybe Greece, or even farther."
Marcus said. "But no matter where I go, I need ships, sailors, and people who know the way."
Leta let out a "ha" laugh, walked to the window, leaned against the frame with her arms crossed over her chest.
"You want to partner with me, not just for that little dock business."
"Yes."
Marcus nodded. "I want to build a long-term line with you. You provide sea resources, I provide land resources. We support each other and grow together."
"Sounds tempting…"
Leta turned her head to look at the harbor lights outside. "But how do I know you're not just bluffing me? What if you're only trying to get information from me and then have Gracchus send troops to wipe us all out?"
"If that were the case, I wouldn't have come alone tonight."
Marcus said straightforwardly. "Wiping out pirates is the navy's job, not mine. My goal is to make money, expand territory, and survive. Cooperating with you is far more profitable than being your enemy."
Leta turned back, still leaning against the window frame with her arms crossed.
"Fine, I can agree."
She said. "But there's one condition."
"What condition?"
"You have to show some sincerity."
Leta smiled, her smile carrying a wild teasing. "Stay tonight."
Marcus was stunned.
"What do you mean?"
"Literal meaning."
Leta walked up to him. Her rough fingers stroked his face. "I like strong men, and I like smart men even more. You have both. Spend the night with me, and tomorrow morning, we'll sign the agreement."
Her fingers had calluses, a bit rough against his face, but warm.
Marcus looked at her deep green eyes, weighing rapidly in his mind —
Refusing might make the negotiation collapse immediately.
Accepting…
"System,"
He called in his heart, "Potential assessment of Leta."
[Target: Leta (Pirate Leader)]
[Potential Rating: A-rank (High-potential female character)]
[Special Abilities: Top-tier Navigation, Naval Combat Mastery, Pirate Network Control]
[Suggestion: Host may choose to establish intimate relationship to obtain rewards, but please note the target's extremely high danger level.]
High risk, high reward.
Marcus took a deep breath.
"Fine."
Leta smiled, grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the inner cabin.
That night… was quite wild.
Different from Mira's gentleness, different from Lucretia's calculation, and different from Saxa's indulgence.
Leta was like a sea storm — surging, fierce, completely unpredictable where the next wave would hit.
Her passion was aggressive, as if she wanted to devour a person alive before she was satisfied.
The cabin was rocking, and not just because of the waves.
Marcus could smell the sea salt and sweat on her, hear her suppressed gasps and low growls, feel the burning scratches her nails left on his back.
It was the most primitive desire, without any concealment.
No feelings, only conquest and being conquered.
When it ended, both of them were drenched in sweat, squeezed together on the narrow hammock panting.
Leta pulled out a homemade cigarette — some unknown herbs mixed with tobacco, the smell spicy and choking.
She took a drag and passed the cigarette to Marcus's mouth.
Marcus shook his head.
"Really no fun."
Leta finished it herself and flicked the butt precisely out the porthole.
She flipped over and sat up, examining Marcus under the moonlight.
"You're not bad."
She said. "A bit stronger than I thought."
"You're not bad either."
Leta smiled, jumped off the hammock and started dressing.
"The agreement will be signed tomorrow, but some things can be decided now."
She tied her leather armor straps while speaking. "I need a base at the dock. Doesn't have to be big, but it must be hidden. Can you arrange that?"
"I can."
Marcus also sat up and dressed. "There's an abandoned fishing house at Dock No. 7. It was used for private dealings before. There's a warehouse underneath. I'll take you to see it tomorrow."
"Good."
Leta walked to the table, picked up the dagger, and "scratch" carved a mark on the tabletop — a coiling sea snake. "This is our signal. In the future, when my people come with this mark, give them priority."
"Understood."
The two discussed some more details.
By the time the sky was about to brighten, Marcus finally left the cabin.
There were already pirates moving on the deck. When they saw him coming out of the captain's quarters, they all winked and grinned with ambiguous smiles.
Marcus remained expressionless and walked straight off the ship.
Back at the training ground, Saxa and Octavius were waiting in the courtyard. Both had dark circles under their eyes.
"How did it go?"
Saxa asked immediately.
"The talk succeeded."
Marcus said. "She will cooperate, but there are quite a few conditions."
He briefly explained the situation.
"Spending the night with her?"
Saxa's eyebrows shot up high. "Your sacrifice… is quite heavy."
"Necessary sacrifice."
Marcus wiped his face. "And… it wasn't entirely a sacrifice."
A "ding" sounded in his mind — the system prompt.
[Ding! Detected that the Host had intimate relations with high-potential female character "Leta" and successfully impregnated her!]
[Congratulations on achieving the "Many Children, Many Blessings" achievement!]
[Reward: Top-tier Navigation Skill, A summonable Ghost Fleet (Beginner level)!]
[Additional Reward: System Points x500!]
A massive amount of knowledge surged into his mind — reading stars for direction, calculating tides, identifying monsoons, steering and sailing…
Countless navigation skills were instantly mastered.
At the same time, he felt something new in the system space — a palm-sized black ship model, glowing faintly. This was the summoner for the "Ghost Fleet".
"Ghost Fleet (Beginner): Can summon three invisible fast ships, lasting one hour, with a cooldown of seven days. Ships have no crew and require the Host to operate them or assign sailors."
Good stuff!
Marcus felt much more secure.
With navigation skills, he wouldn't have to worry about going to sea himself in the future.
The Ghost Fleet was a trump card for critical moments.
"What do we do next?"
Octavius rubbed his hands and asked.
"Two steps."
Marcus held up two fingers. "First, help Leta establish a foothold at the dock and get her a legal identity. Second, prepare our own fleet."
"Our own fleet?"
Saxa's eyes widened. "Where do we get the ships from?"
"Buy them, or… seize them."
Marcus said calmly. "So many ships come and go at Capua port every day. There are always a few that are 'ownerless.' We'll start with small ships and slowly build up."
"And the money?"
"I have a way."
Marcus didn't explain further, but with the points accumulated in the system plus the money earned during this period, buying a second-hand small ship should be enough.
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