Black Sail

September 17th, in the morning.

Wind Anchor.

The entire port city's appearance is wrapped in the classical texture of red brick and tile buildings, pulsing with the heart of the Magic Energy Industrial Revolution. The retro cast iron street lamps lining the streets cut the glass windows of the shopping street into interwoven showcases.

The clothing styles west of the Narrow Sea differ from the east, where Aran's influence shapes their culture, preferring conservative plain colors. Except for the more diverse areas in Duguli Cast Province, most places dress uniformly; out of twenty people, at least nineteen are dressed the same.

"Is this what a dopamine clash color scheme girl is?"

Rein used to mix in adventure groups east of the Narrow Sea and hardly came here. In short, winning was everything!

Having narrowly escaped death twice in Aran and once again in Mulong, Rein was filled with despair for the east of the Narrow Sea, finally reaching his promised land.

It's well known.

Among the West Continent Five Permanent, Aran produces a flood of Military Masters, Pedan produces Apple schools entering your Android channel, Gureg specializes in niche guys listening to niche music in mass-market cars, Ji Weng specializes in mentally abnormal Waxue juniors.

And Lostra specializes in modified flower knife dark punk rebellious rebels, with dynamic and vibrant young people.

Due to Lostra's relatively short history and lack of cultural foundation, before the charter amendment, it had long been a lesser ally of Gureg.

The Magic Energy Industrial Revolution took place in Pedan, but the biggest beneficiary was Lostra.

Half a century ago, a visionary realized the opportunity during a crisis. One of the sculptures in the Cross Alliance's Forgotten Port is of him, now deceased for many years.

At that time, the king of Lostra was not a pushover; his private army was well-disciplined, so much so that even presenting heads was met with satisfaction.

As a result, the former king of Lostra, just a couple of reigns ago, was quite the character. Uncertain whether indulging with concubines led to impotence or if drug use had affected him, he craved excitement and pondered over the concept of a son-in-law turning upon his benefactor every day.

With a mutual understanding, they promptly amended the constitution, making the Prime Minister an elected leader and the monarch a supervisor, to observe how things played out.

The military was separated from the government, prohibiting nobles, other than the Royal Family, from directly controlling the army, establishing the principle of nationalized armed forces.

A Privy Council was established, composed of constitutional scholars, lawyers, and distinguished community figures, providing legal consultation for the Monarch, free from political interference.

A popularly elected parliament was formed, with full authority over financial approval, law-making, and administrative oversight.

The Prime Minister was elected by the majority party in parliament, responsible to the parliament, rather than appointed by the Monarch.

The judiciary's Supreme Court was made independent of the executive and legislative branches, ensuring equality before the law, although, of course, the king remained above others in stature.

Any other Monarch would have been utterly bewildered by such an overhaul. Although the king remained the king, now with an automatic script, expressing one's will directly was no longer an option.

Taking too large a step could lead to disaster, and with this move, not only could one fall, but also have to subdue domestic nobles, self-destruct like a top spinning out of control.

Yet the king was eventually persuaded.

When fate does not favor heroes, freedom cannot be obtained, but when fortune comes, heaven and earth align to assist.

Because the Magic Energy Industrial Revolution meant great things were about to happen.

The individual responded, stating that societal progress never depended on any other factor; wise and brave individuals of governance and martial prowess were never scarce. The only factor for each great leap was the total disposable labor force breaking through all barriers, including those in social science, military, and culture.

Catching this wave, liberating all labor forces, and allowing open migration for workers to fill every role, with capital flowing freely into the most efficient sectors, reconstructing a property protection system, stimulating societal creativity.

Once these conditions are met, guaranteeing security for foreign investments is essential, enabling the Magic Energy Industrial Revolution's trial fields, opening up for global capital and workforce to enter, creating wealth that forms a military-industrial chain, with most funds reinvested into military development.

This ensured Lostra's dominance over the Western Continent.

Now, half a century later, Lostra's first Prime Minister has passed away. Although far from dominating the Western Continent, it truly achieved the son-in-law turning upon his benefactor concept, and if not for Aran, the sun might never have set. The former senior brother Gureg is now a joke,

Competing directly with the Emperor without flinching, Lostra's Empress and Prime Minister are the only ones daring enough to show defiance to the Emperor's face.

West of the Narrow Sea, aside from the Vadiniya Oasis Country, which is a traitor and closely allied with the Emperor, Aran's influence is quite limited here.

Yet openness comes with its challenges, following migration openness as a cultural melting pot, the new generation receives an exceedingly complex influx of information. In all things optimized for efficiency, people become units, including conspiracy theorists and budding nihilists. Punk youth are born to rebel against historical annals, proclaiming passionately, "I am the one, I am here!"

Thus, everything reconciles with its opposite; under the high pressure of the Aran Military Government, citizens are relatively simple and conservative; conversely, Lostra takes its grand steps, questioning the heavenly palace.

In essence, no one betrays anyone, as the world is an ever-present battle in a dark forest, evolving from individual to tribe, tribe to nation, and nation to country.

Different interest groups require minimum law and order management costs to maintain the current system; Aran is involved in most aspects, while Lostra is the main orchestrator, and misunderstanding the essence of the world to claim betrayal is misguided.

Because without darkness, there is only the Heavenly Palace, and the Western Continent is certainly no Heavenly Palace.

In short.

The sight bewildered the Black Sail affiliates on their missions; virtuous individuals and ladies of the night were two different species; money could buy the mundane, yet conquering with style was the true conquest.

The women of Lostra dress provocatively, wearing leather even in summer heat, leather shorts, crop tops under sleeveless leather jackets, with ear studs and chains, even sporting Enchanting Demon tattoos.

Also present were dopamine clash color scheme girls, their hair dyed in a rainbow of colors, with highlights and mixes.

What astonished Zahak the most was that women smoking by the roadside here was the norm.

As a general who frequently lost battles, Zahak was too embarrassed to return to Aran, unshaven and haggard, with rumors saying he was detained by Black Sail, awaiting an emissary from Liszt for an escort back.

Though Liszt was out of contact, Shadi could not go missing and was left to deal with Wesker.

When the Sword King learned of Zahak's situation, he couldn't ignore his disciple's plight. Valentina, still recovering from injuries, couldn't engage in high-intensity activities recently. She could accompany Wesker's group to bring Zahak back and enjoy the journey as a respite.

Due to changing attitudes towards the Far East in Heaven Port issues, during the Continent Martial Arts Competition, they invited Xiao Long to join the Royal Knight Order; Aran's attitude towards the Sword King changed, allowing his involvement in affairs. Zahak wasn't abandoned by the Royal Court, once again staging a comeback.

So one of the top sixteen from the Martial Arts Competition, Valentina, would come to escort Zahak.

"Your senior sister is coming to take you back, but until then, you need to help us fight."

Morison's thoughts were straightforward: Zahak had caused him to lose face in front of friends, necessitating stern use.

They weren't afraid of Wesker knocking on their doors; whether Liszt went to Heaven Port or came to Wind Anchor, it made no difference.

In the east of the Narrow Sea, Rein, who had been constantly thwarted, found himself in paradise.

The Western Continent had their Vulaf, and with arms raised high, "Our Lostra is truly remarkable!"

While Lostra had opened up migration and tolerated locals of similar descent on the Western Continent, there remained a certain aloofness towards different ethnicities from other areas. The Chenfeng Plateau, though on the Western Continent, is naturally somewhat disconnected due to altitude and isolation, and with racial differences, Rein's statement had a comedic element.

Amusing passersby.

Causing a disturbance was planned for the night, but to gather intelligence, they had to wait for a prominent figure to make a purchase for maximum impact.

After investigating the way, they would dominate the scene with chaos, like a fierce dragon crossing the river, where the winner takes all.