The grand mansion at the highest point is more extravagant than the entire small town, like a medieval noble castle overlooking the town below.
Sage walked all the way without any obstacles until he reached the entrance of the mansion, only to be stopped by a group of guards.
There were more than a hundred guards, and upon seeing the Pirate attack, they didn't give Sage a chance to speak and charged directly at him.
Then...
There was no then.
Sage didn't even need to lift a finger. Lily drew her rapier, moving like a dragon with a sword shining like cold light, and with two sweeps through the crowd, she took down a third of them.
Gin swung his cane as he dashed into the crowd, the iron ball crushing large swathes, also taking down a third.
The remaining third were dealt with by Pearl and the rest of the Pirates.
Instantly, the guards lay down on the ground.
Sage stepped over the fallen guards, glanced at them, and shook his head, saying: "Playing with your lives for tens of thousands of Belly a month..."
Bang!!
Gin swung his cane, an iron ball smashing open the heavy door, and the Pirates with fierce expressions rushed in, starting to search for loot.
"Tsk!"
As soon as Sage entered, he was taken aback by this place. The walls were covered in gold foil, the wall lights emitting a golden glow, exquisite carpets, expensive mahogany, and the table set with what looked like expensive wine...
He picked up the bottle of red wine, poured himself a glass, and looked at the gem-embedded stemware in his hand, cursing: "Even the damn cup is encrusted with gemstones, you are truly extravagant!"
"Spare me, spare me!"
A man, obese like a fat pig, was dragged out by the Pirates, kneeling before Sage, his face pale with fear.
"I am the mayor of this town, I have money, I have lots of money, please don't kill me!" He cried out, in tears.
"I know you have a lot of money, don't panic, I'm here for wealth, not for killing."
Sage swirled the wine glass, taking a sip, and said: "So, Mayor, I'm sure you don't want my men running around, do you? Tell us where the money is hidden, it will be easy for us, and easy for you too. However..."
Lily placed the rapier across the mayor's neck, the sharp blade slicing through a layer of fat, drawing blood.
"Eek!!"
The mayor let out a strange scream, crawling backward to distance himself from the rapier.
Sage gave Lily an approving look and said to the mayor: "If you trick me into finding other hidden places, it won't be good."
After this intimidation, the mayor dared not have any thoughts about hiding wealth anymore. He couldn't hide it either, as these Pirates ransacked so fiercely, even the beautiful gemstone clocks were dismantled and taken away, and some were already preparing to destroy the walls to see if there were any secret compartments.
To prevent the house from being destroyed, the mayor had no choice but to reveal the location of the hidden money.
Afterward, gold bars, Gold Coins, Gemstones... plentiful Belly, including expensive wines, high-end kitchen ingredients, all were moved out by the Pirates, the quantity so overwhelming that Sage's eyes nearly glazed over.
"Captain, these are my entire assets." The mayor rubbed his hands together with a sheepish grin.
"Just a mayor, where did so much money come from, got any business channels?"
Although it was somewhat humiliating, he had never seen this much money in his entire life.
"No... Captain, I just have the power to tax."
The mayor pinched his thumb and forefinger together, leaving a small gap, and said with a sycophantic smile: "I just collected a tiny bit more..."
This statement caused Lily's eyes to turn frosty, her rapier slightly moving, seemingly looking for an angle to strike.
"You truly deserve to die!" Sage gritted his teeth, saying this before downing the red wine in his glass and not forgetting to take the gem cup before leaving the mansion.
Lily hesitated for a moment, ultimately giving up on the idea of killing the mayor, and returned her rapier to its sheath, following behind Sage.
"Oh? I thought you would act." Sage was slightly surprised, "Why did you change your mind?"
"It's unnecessary. Even if this mayor dies, they will elect another, and the outcome will be the same."
Lily looked at the buildings in the town, saying in a deep voice: "Rather than hoping someone dies to change the situation, they should understand that only they can actively make real changes."
Sage grinned: "Exactly."
"Captain! A warship spotted!"
The Pirate, observing the sea with binoculars, shouted loudly.
"Persistent, aren't they? Men, pick up the pace, we're leaving!" Sage shouted, leading the Pirates to quicken their pace toward the Black Sail Warship.
"My money!!"
Inside the vast mansion, the mayor painfully rolled on the floor.
The money he had arduously extorted vanished completely in just tens of minutes, not even in a night...
"Damn Pirate, damn Pirate! You'll face retribution sooner or later!"
The mayor pounded the ground a few times, then a cunning smile appeared: "Just have to tax more, the townsfolk dare not oppose me, just a little more, I can get those riches back."
"That's out of the question!"
A voice emerged beside his ear, and turning his head, the mayor saw several young men filing in, one of them kicking him over, pulling a knife from his waist.
"You, what are you planning!" The mayor cried out in terror.
"Don't you remember? My father was driven to death by your taxes. During a stormy weather, because the taxes weren't enough, my father had to fish against the storm and died!"
The young man crouched down, inching the knife closer to his head, "I've always wanted revenge, but your guards were too many, I couldn't find a chance."
"You can't kill me! I'm the mayor, do you want to commit a grave crime!" The mayor shouted.
"Who knows..."
The youth said coldly: "Pirates came, you dying at their hands would be natural!"
Screech!
The knife pierced the mayor's neck, stirring it brutally, the mayor's eyes widening, instinctively grabbing at the young man's hand.
But it was useless, the other youths each stabbed the mayor, causing his obese body to tremble before collapsing on the ground.
"Boga, what should we do next?" Seeing the mayor dead, one of the youths wiped sweat from his brow and asked.
"Set sail!"
The youth who acted first resolutely said: "We'll become Pirates too! That way, if this town ever gets another mayor like this, we'll emulate those Pirates and kill the mayor! This way... we can protect the town, protect everyone!"
"Okay! Boga, I'm with you!"
"Me too!"
"We're all orphans to begin with, let's set sail together!"
Several youths agreed aloud.
"But setting sail... we have no money and no ship." The questioned youth voiced concern.
"We have, we do!"
A youth suddenly discovered something, picking up an item from the ground, it was a gold bar, gleaming in the light with a golden glow.
"Those Pirates left something behind, we have funds now!"