Having obtained the aztec gold coin, Roger's heart finally settled.
He did not return to the chaotic tavern but went straight back to the sea serpent.
The ship was quiet, with only one or two pirates on watch dozing off.
Roger returned to his cramped cabin and hid the two money bags under his bunk.
Lying on the creaking hammock, he felt no sleepiness at all.
His mind was constantly calculating what would happen next.
Barbossa's greed was more direct and blatant than he had expected.
His own abilities were great; even thirty percent was something he could handle, but Barbossa's demand was blatant exploitation.
But Roger knew he had to accept it.
Because he needed Barbossa's ship, Barbossa's crew, and a platform that would allow him to quickly accumulate initial capital.
The sea serpent was that platform.
And the condition he proposed to Barbossa—
that he would decide the target—was his only leverage against Barbossa.
He had to present a target that was significant enough, tempting enough, and that only he could find.
Only then could he make Barbossa willingly be used by him.
And even after succeeding, no matter how unhappy Barbossa was, he wouldn't dare to easily turn against him.
Because Barbossa would anticipate the next cooperation, and the one after that.
Roger closed his eyes and began to search his mind.
What was his advantage?
It was his historical and geographical knowledge from centuries later.
The Caribbean Sea of this era was full of legends of countless shipwrecks and treasures.
He was the only one who knew which of them were fake and which were real.
black pearl?
No, that thing was too mysterious, and its whereabouts were currently unknown.
The cursed aztec gold coin?
Even worse, whoever took that would be unlucky, everything would taste bland, it was purely asking for trouble.
The Fountain of Youth?
Poseidon's Trident?
These were all too distant and too ethereal.
He needed a treasure that genuinely existed, was immensely valuable, and whose location was extremely hidden.
In his mind, countless pieces of information about shipwrecks from the Age of Discovery flashed by one by one.
The Spanish "Invincible Armada," those treasure ships laden with gold and silver plundered from the New World, which sank in a storm on their way back... He had it!
A name suddenly jumped out from the depths of Roger's memory.
santa trinidad!
This was a legendary giant ship in the Spanish "Silver Fleet."
It was said that during a return voyage, to evade pursuit by English privateers, it deviated from the main shipping lane and entered a devil's sea area known as Razor Reef, disappearing without a trace.
According to later salvage records, the treasures carried on this ship were priceless.
The registered gold coins and silver ingots alone were enough to drive a small country mad.
The most crucial point was that the reason it was found in later generations was because an oceanographer, by analyzing ancient ocean current maps and geological changes, deduced its most probable sinking location.
And that location, on the nautical charts of this era, was a blank, dangerous area.
No one would go there.
That's it!
Roger suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze gleaming with excitement.
This target perfectly met all his requirements.
Its value was great enough to drive Barbossa completely insane.
Its location was hidden enough that no one else in this world could possibly know it besides him.
Moreover, the process of searching and salvaging would inevitably encounter great difficulties, such as the dangerous Razor Reef.
This would further highlight his irreplaceable navigational capabilities.
With the plan set, Roger's mood completely relaxed, and he soon fell into a deep sleep.
Early the next morning, as dawn was just breaking, Roger, carrying the fifty gold coins, once again arrived at the port authority.
This time, he didn't even knock on the door, pushing open Clark's office directly.
Clark had clearly just woken up, yawning, and was stunned to see Roger enter.
"You..."
Roger didn't waste words with him, directly throwing the money bag full of gold coins onto his desk with a "bang."
The crisp sound of the gold coins clinking was more effective than any language.
Clark's eyes instantly widened.
He grabbed the money bag, poured out all the gold coins, and counted them one by one, muttering to himself.
...forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty.
"That's right, fifty."
He looked up, the disdain on his face long gone, replaced by a greedy and fawning smile.
"Sir, you're here so early."
"sea nymph, right? I'll process the paperwork for you right away."
He deftly found the sea nymph's ship deed from a pile of documents, scribbled a signature on it with a quill pen, then stamped it with a blurry seal, and handed it to Roger.
"There you go, sir. From now on, this ship is yours."
Roger took the thin piece of parchment.
The ship's name and some basic information were written on the paper in a fancy script.
And in the owner's column, Clark had just filled in the English name Roger had given himself in crooked handwriting.
This single piece of paper had cost him all his savings and had put him in "debt" to Barbossa.
But Roger's heart was filled with unprecedented excitement.
He tightly gripped the ship deed, as if holding the future of the entire world.
The moment he received the ship deed, the system in his mind, which had been silent all night, finally reacted.
"Sloop 'sea nymph' (Severely Damaged)"
"Ownership confirmed."
"Activation of 'Ancient Ship Technology' prerequisite met."
It's done!
Roger suppressed the wild joy in his heart.
He nodded to Clark, turned, and walked out of the port authority.
He did not return to the sea serpent but walked directly towards his dilapidated ship.
He wanted to activate the system immediately!
He was impatient to see what kind of surprise this so-called Ancient Ship Technology could bring him!
He quickly walked, soon arriving beside the sea nymph.
He took a deep breath, holding the ship deed, and jumped onto the dilapidated deck.
This was where his dream began!