For a moment, William thought Barbarossa might act. He knew the fury boiling inside Barbarossa, who had suffered consecutive setbacks, had no outlet. Yet, the seemingly deranged man restrained his murderous intent when faced with the frail-looking Arcadio.
It was clear the conversation couldn't continue. Barbarossa kicked over the tea table and stormed off angrily without even acknowledging William and Crow.
William didn't understand why Barbarossa held back. Though Arcadio had guards, if a conflict broke out, even if Barbarossa got injured, it was unlikely Arcadio would come out unscathed.
William instinctively followed Barbarossa as he left, which caught Arcadio's attention.
Arcadio glanced at Crow, who gave a slight nod, and then addressed William, "Are you Stort?"
"Yes, sir," William replied obediently.
His demeanor brought a satisfied expression to Arcadio's face. "You're the ship's navigator? Then you must have had a good education. A ship is full of crude and unruly men. You should spend more time with someone like Crow, who has manners and understands order."
William glanced at Crow, who discreetly smiled at him while sipping tea.
William turned back and again replied dutifully, "Yes, sir."
On an island untouched for years, a cargo ship finally arrived.
Before the gangway was even lowered, Aramis leaped off the ship's bow, landing on the shore. He surveyed the surroundings before pulling out a map and matching it to the landscape.
Once the gangway was in place, Edmond, Tony, Sherlock, and others joined him. At the same time, sailors and workers descended from the ship, bustling about its vicinity.
The group ignored the work and huddled around the map. After a brief discussion, Edmond and Tony took the lead, with Aramis and Sherlock guiding the way deeper into the island.
The island was eerily quiet, broken only by occasional bird calls. Its remoteness, overgrown vegetation, and rugged terrain made it an ideal hiding place—exactly why Barbarossa had chosen it as a treasure site. After hours of searching, they discovered a hidden path in an inconspicuous, shadowy corner.
Following the path, they stumbled upon a natural cave entrance.
Excitement lit up Edmond, Aramis, and Tony's faces. Everything they'd found so far aligned perfectly with Barbarossa's navigational logs.
Tony lit a kerosene lamp and led the way. The narrow path forced the others to follow single file. But suddenly, Tony stopped, stunned. Edmond, puzzled, nudged him, and Tony quickly stepped aside.
The group stepped into a spacious natural cavern, but they weren't admiring its beauty.
The cavern was packed with heavy wooden chests. Some were so full they couldn't be closed, revealing gold coins and gemstones sparkling under the lamp's light, mesmerizing the group.
Sherlock, once the son of a wealthy merchant guild leader, regained composure first and nudged Aramis. "Stop gawking and start moving these out."
"Yes, yes, of course," Tony exclaimed, rubbing his hands with excitement. "It's all ours now!"
"No, it all belongs to William," Sherlock said calmly, glancing at Tony.
Tony froze, forcing a smile. "Of course. But William isn't stingy. We've all worked hard for this. He'll share the spoils."
"I'm sure," Sherlock replied. "But until William decides, everything here belongs to Morgan."
Edmond, meanwhile, had run to the chests and was opening them one by one. Aramis glanced meaningfully at Sherlock and Tony before joining Edmond.
With the others distracted, Tony lowered his voice, speaking harshly to Sherlock, "What's your problem? Trying to embarrass me?"
Tony's tone lacked respect. With the merchant guild gone, Sherlock was now under William's protection. Tony no longer felt the need to show deference to Sherlock and even believed his position was superior.
In truth, if it weren't for William's orders, Tony would've exploited Sherlock's misfortunes long ago.
Unfazed by Tony's shift in attitude, Sherlock calmly replied, "I'm just reminding you to know your place. If you're deluded enough to think you're equal to William, trust me, my reminder is kinder than William's will be."
"But I—" Tony began, only to be interrupted.
"What? This plan was William's. Edmond and Aramis carried it out. Even your precious distillery was William's idea to establish," Sherlock said coldly.
Tony's face flushed with anger and shame, but Sherlock ignored him. "You think the young men in Redleaf Village still follow you? They're only with you out of habit, thinking you're part of William's crew. William hasn't said otherwise, so they stick around. But ever since the smuggling operations started making money, how long has it been since you've been to the docks or distillery? Their admiration now belongs to William—skilled, smart, and approachable—not you."
"Besides, with Hayreddin dead and Reyes gone..."
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