Black Sail

Liszt was acutely aware that it wasn't that his people were afraid of trouble—every single one of them was a hardened character. Nevertheless, the Earl was playing coy, and someone had just committed suicide on the ship; it was an ominous sign. The sense of the unknown was akin to eating a meal with a noose around one's neck—nobody wanted to be used as cannon fodder.

The messenger was already in a panic.

The Earl's intention was to have the messenger stall Black Sail for a few days and then extend an invitation to his home after a week.

"Please, don't be anxious, don't be anxious," said the messenger with a forced smile. "The Earl wishes to invite the Captain to a family banquet in a week's time."

"Family banquet?"

Fen repeated the phrase, greatly shocked by it. A so-called family banquet was simply sharing a meal and having a private conversation. It would be understandable if the banquet was for an adventure group, other nobles, or even commoners, but inviting pirates was another matter entirely. The Earl had yet to make direct contact with them, and by inviting them into his home, the association would become a matter of record. Colluding with pirates was an offence punishable by beheading; this was... the utmost sincerity.

The people present felt as though thunder had struck their ears. They had never heard of such a novel situation, and it seemed that securing a privateer license would be a minor affair in comparison. As long as they survived, they were bound to soar to great heights.

Liszt was also taken aback by the move. The Earl was playing a bold game. After pondering for a while, he made a decision. A family banquet meant revealing the nature of the task at hand, and to take care of the emotions of the other stalwarts, a compromise had to be found.

So far, he had shown great respect to the Earl, but it was time to apply some pressure. Despite the sincerity already displayed, it wasn't enough. The Earl needed to understand that to employ Black Sail for a life-threatening big job, he would have to show even more humility—a week's delay would not suffice.

"How about this," Liszt suggested. "We'll keep these items for now. You go back and relay a message to the Earl that if he can arrange it for tomorrow, that would be excellent. If that's not possible, then these cases will be returned. We're just unsure what the Earl wants from us, and the brothers here are really on edge."

Having said that, Liszt adopted the demeanor of a pirate ship Captain with a cold tone, "Even if it's the esteemed Earl himself, some respect must be given. Don't leave us hanging here."