r18novel Chapter 52 Deceiving the Heavens
Chapter 52 Deceiving the Heavens
"avoid?"
Riley sneered.
"Haha, sure. Either hand over the ship's flag, pay the bet, or abandon the Black Goat. Any one of these three options is enough to avoid this battle!"
Henry shrugged and spread his hands: "Sorry, I can't compromise on any of these three."
"Then let's start the war!" Raymond angrily kicked the side of the ship.
"What good will bloodshed and sacrifice do you?" Henry retorted.
"Pirates are bloodthirsty monsters," Riley replied, "but sacrifice is a man's honor!"
"Losers have no glory," Henry replied, "but the Black Goat is invincible! And I have the giant crossbow!"
Raymond laughed loudly: "Your ship is indeed a monster, but we have the advantage in numbers!"
Riley nodded in agreement:
"We certainly outnumber you. Once we board your ships, we'll sweep across your decks like a tsunami, devouring your lambs. Giant crossbows? They are indeed terrifying, but I have eight ships, and Angry Fang has eleven. How many can you sink?"
Upon hearing this, Henry covered his face and burst into laughter.
Looking at Henry's exaggerated smile, Raymond and Riley were both puzzled, and even Benson seemed somewhat confused.
Finally, Raymond couldn't help but ask, "What are you laughing at?"
Henry seemed to have spent a lot of effort to stop himself from laughing.
He was so tired from laughing that he had to sit down on the deck.
"How do you determine that the Black Goat intends to challenge your fleet alone?"
Upon hearing this, Raymond and Riley's expressions suddenly hardened.
Raymond quickly asked, "What do you mean?"
Before Henry could answer, Riley suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the east behind Henry:
"Look! Angry Fang! What's that over there?"
Raymond looked over quickly, and Benson also turned his head curiously.
Only Henry, with a calm smile on his face, stared at the two so-called "pirate leaders" in front of him.
Henry didn't need to turn around; he had already envisioned this scene in his mind.
It must be countless ships, densely packed together, emerging from the horizon and rapidly heading towards them.
Like a locust plague, they instill fear in people at the mere sight of them!
Raymond and Ray stared at Henry with incredulous looks, while Benson's pupils were also filled with confusion.
"What is that?" Riley asked, his voice trembling slightly.
"I already said," Henry replied calmly, "the Black Goat has no intention of going it alone."
"What's going on with those ships?" Raymond asked.
"They are my reinforcements," Henry replied.
"Impossible!" Riley shook his head repeatedly. "It's winter now, and the pirates are basically resting on the Scorching Heart Isles. You can't win over any of the octopuses, and the Duchy of the Holy Envoy hates pirates to the core! No one can..."
"...Support me?" Henry interrupted. "Not support, Riley, that's not support, that's surrender!"
Riley was scolded until he was speechless, and after a long while, he was finally able to vibrate his vocal cords:
"But...who are they?"
"Pirates aren't just found in the Flame Heart Sea," Henry replied with a smile.
"Why should they submit?" Raymond questioned. "Who exactly are you?!"
"Henri Gijano Panza!"
"Gihano?!" Upon hearing Henry's full name, Raymond and Riley repeated it in unison.
Riley's lips moved, but the sound was swallowed by the waves.
Henry could only read the approximate lip movements: "I didn't expect..."
Henry didn't give them much time to think and immediately said:
"You have no chance of winning, Raymond, Riley, and I also think this battle is pointless. You may be eyeing my big ships and weapons, but I have no interest in the junk in your pockets."
Lai Li spoke first: "Are you willing to call a truce while you have the advantage?"
"Gihanouk was once feared by countless sea dwellers and made many enemies."
Henry said,
"But this bloodline has been separated for too long, and I am not Joachim. I want respect, not fear; I want friends, not enemies. You two, rather than blindly starting a war, I look forward to working together in the future!"
Raymond still seemed unwilling to give up, but he seemed to catch a glimpse of the approaching fleet of ships before speaking:
"What are your terms?"
"Tear up the bet," Henry said. "There will be no naval battle here, only a meeting of three octopuses!"
Upon hearing these conditions, Raymond glanced at Riley, who nodded slightly.
Raymond then clicked his tongue, pulled the bet out of his pocket, tore it to shreds, and scattered it into the sea breeze.
The three small boats turned around and rowed back.
After being pulled aboard the Black Goat, Henry saw that the opposing fleet had already begun its return voyage.
Benson looked at Henry with admiration: "Boss, when did you manage to command such a massive fleet?"
Henry did not answer, but led Benson to the stern.
After a short wait, the ships approached.
The people on the ship saw Henry at the stern and screamed:
"Curly hair! Your boat is huge! Are the fish right here?"
Benson, however, turned to Henry in surprise: "Boss! Those are...fishing boats?!"
Henry smiled and nodded.
"What if Raymond and the others find out?" Benson asked in alarm.
"They won't find out, and besides, it's too late," the bet has already been broken.
Although the bet was just an excuse, they have now lost even that excuse.
No one will bother the Black Goat until a new excuse is found.
At this moment, Benson finally realized what was happening, and opened his eyes wide, saying:
"Boss, does that mean that the reason you had the crew catch fish and deliver them to the fishermen in the nearby coastal villages was to hire them here?"
To be precise, it's a "deception," Henry thought. I am Henry the liar.
Henry nodded.
From the very beginning, he had no intention of directly confronting Raymond and Riley.
Both of them were cunning, and besides, there wouldn't be much benefit to be gained even if they won.
Back at the Pleasure House, Henry managed to intimidate the two men with just a few words.
Henry then thought that perhaps he could repeat the same trick.
Therefore, from the very first day he arrived on the southern shore of the Duchy of St. John to escape the winter, Henry had already begun to conceive of this plan.
And after months of patient planning, the greed of the coastal fishermen was finally awakened, making them willing to sail out to sea and unknowingly become reinforcements for the Black Goat.
Even if the plan fails, the Black Goat, which is now basically repaired, is unstoppable by any other ship, and Henry can at least escape by ship.
Benson suddenly knelt on one knee: "Boss, your courage and strategy are truly admirable!"
"That's called deceiving everyone," Henry blurted out.
"Deceive everyone?" Benson looked confused. "What does that mean?"
Faced with this question, Henry did not know how to explain it.
At the library, the librarian would tell interesting stories every night.
Stories like those about monkeys wielding sticks or dwarfs selling pies, and sometimes they also tell stories that seem useful.
I also heard the phrase "deceiving the heavens to cross the sea" from the curator. He said it was a "strategy of war," and there were thirty-five more besides it!
Henry found it useful and secretly wrote it down in his notebook. When the curator saw it, he tapped Henry on the head and scolded him for being rigid.
Looking back now, Henry feels that the scolding wasn't for nothing, as it actually came in handy!
A sudden surge of longing welled up in Henry's heart.
At this point, Benson asked:
"Boss, what are you thinking about?"
"It's nothing," Henry rubbed his eyes, "just a little tired."
"Where do we go next?"
Upon hearing this, Henry raised his head again.
"Xihang,"
I can't abandon Natalie; I promised the curator.
"go home!"