Chapter 29: The Black Flag Chamber of Commerce Token

Given his "Red-Name" status, Dachun had no hope of recovering his gear, so he contacted Shirley: "My dear..."

Shirley replied excitedly: "You succeeded!"

Facing her anticipation, Dachun felt somewhat conflicted: "Actually, the monsters tore each other apart; I have no way to prove it was my doing."

Shirley quickly said: "But Lady Fafna will know it was you!"

That was exactly what he was counting on—her knowing so she would provide compensation!

Dachun added: "But I've contracted the plague. I'll likely be exiled to a desert island. I implore Lady Fafna to help me arrange it so I don't endanger the entire city."

Truth be told, up to this point, Dachun felt neither weak nor was his health dropping; he honestly didn't know what was so formidable about this plague.

Shirley was stunned: "Lady Fafna said she will come to see you personally. Just knock three times on the nearest sewer manhole cover!"

Dachun was truly flattered: "She's coming to see me in person? But I have the plague!"

"Wait until we change our clothes!"

"Alright, alright!"

To think he would actually meet the number one NPC beauty of Iron-Black City; this fate was quite significant!

Ellen laughed heartily: "Not bad. This Fafna must see that you are a rare talent and is preparing to recruit you into her faction. You must seize this opportunity! That way, your little mage will also benefit."

Dachun was genuinely excited: "Ellen, so you admit I'm a talent now?"

Ellen chuckled: "Whether you're a talent or a consumable is yet to be determined. Given her power, it's inconvenient for me to appear. I'm going to get busy with the bats—don't disturb me unless it's a life-or-death situation."

—System Prompt: Your possessed evil spirit has entered a dormant state.

Fine, a consumable it is.

Dachun climbed to the nearest manhole cover and knocked three times.

A voice immediately came from above the cover: "Signal received. Please wait for instructions."

"All unauthorized personnel, evacuate."

Not long after, with a clatter, the manhole cover was blasted open by a mysterious force.

Dachun climbed out and saw only two figures cloaked in black, but they suddenly sported two giant, ugly bird heads!

Dachun’s hand shook in fright!

Shirley’s voice came through, muffled: "It’s us! This is protective gear!"

So that was it! It was a medieval-style plague mask, the long bird beaks stuffed with filtered cotton, charcoal, and medicinal liquids. From a distance, they looked like crow grim reapers.

Shirley added: "This is Lady Fafna!"

Dachun was at a loss for words; he never expected the famous mage he was meeting to look like this.

Fafna bowed in a noble gesture: "I am very sorry to meet the hero who saved the city in such a guise."

There was absolutely none of the arrogance of a high noble; she was as approachable as a star meeting a fan!

Dachun waved his hands repeatedly: "My Lady, this is only right. The monsters simply fought among themselves; I dare not claim to have saved the city. As long as I don't endanger the city, that is enough, which is why I voluntarily requested exile."

Fafna said: "The hero is truly humble. The fact that four sewer monsters were eliminated because of you is proof of your merit. We currently have no means to deal with the plague; exile to the island is indeed the only way. The hero is truly noble! Based on this nobility alone, I should commend you. If the hero has any requests, feel free to propose them."

She was actually giving a reward! You’re the noble one!

But for matters like this, it was better to be humble! Perhaps this was her interview test to gauge my character?

Dachun feigned hesitation: "I have some misunderstandings with the Count Ramier-Khan estate. The great mistake is already made; I am truly ashamed and dare not claim nobility."

Shirley, not understanding Dachun’s subtlety, quickly reminded him: "But you have ideals! You said you wanted to be a village head!"

Holy crap, really? Can a request that big be made so casually?

Dachun exclaimed: "But I'm being exiled! How can I be a village head?"

Fafna said indifferently: "Under normal circumstances, your current VIP Level 2 merit isn't quite enough. However, I have a special situation here that would allow you to experience it for one month. Is the hero interested?"

Dachun was stunned: "You can experience a position like this?"

"Yes, you can..."

Fafna waved her hand, and a shimmering small spatial gate appeared beside her. She pulled out a black, glowing token and displayed its attributes:

—Bankrupt Black Flag Merchant Guild Token: Artifact of the Iron-Black Pioneering City, Level 105, 10 billion in debt, under bankruptcy protection. Proof of the Black Flag Island Lord, proof of the Black Flag Merchant Guild President, full industry franchise rights. Command +105, all territory residents and guild members' Stamina, HP, and Carry Capacity +105%, maximum speed of affiliated vehicles and sea vessels +105%. Guardian Deity: None. Resident household quota: 1,050 households, official guild member quota: 1,050 people. Can activate the Merchant Guild chat channel.

Job-bound, cannot be discarded or dropped.

Detailed instructions: The bankruptcy protection period is one month. You may use the Black Flag Token to invite players or friendly NPCs to join the territory as residents, or join the merchant guild as members. You may appoint players or NPCs as Deputy Lords, Vice Presidents, etc., to assist with management.

The Guardian Deity must be a creature with divine attributes and have reached a certain level of friendliness. The higher the friendliness, the higher the residents' worship of the Guardian Deity, and the stronger the Guardian Deity's power will be. The Guardian Deity can contact the Lord remotely via the Black Flag Token.

...

Dachun was stunned by the starting attributes: "An artifact-level token! 10 billion in debt!!?"

Fafna began to explain: "A hundred years ago, when our ancestors were pioneering this continent, it was extremely difficult. There were a large number of wounded every day. The subordinate Black Flag Merchant Guild was responsible for developing a relatively safe small island as a rear base to receive the wounded transferred from the front. As it turned out, a batch of wounded brought a severe plague that spread across the island. The island was abandoned, and the Black Flag Merchant Guild went bankrupt. Since then, Black Flag Island became a forbidden zone specifically for exiling plague victims who could not be cured, and its name changed to the terrifying 'Plague Island' people speak of today. This is the place you are about to be exiled to."

Dachun hurriedly asked: "Then what does 'experience for a month' mean?"

Fafna smiled: "You see it too—10 billion in debt, and the bankruptcy protection period is only one month. Who do you think can pay off 10 billion in debt in one month? If it can't be paid, the bankruptcy continues and the asset is reclaimed. So, it's just a one-month experience."

That made sense! Even if I used an excavator to mine, I couldn't dig up 10 billion! If I had that kind of money, I'd be in the top 500 richest people in the country; I could invest in opening a gaming company. Would I be crazy enough to go rescue a game merchant guild? It was impossible for any bank to even offer 10 billion.

Fafna added: "Also, have you noticed that the power of this token lies in the ability to simultaneously experience being a Lord, a Merchant Guild President, and a Legion Commander? It also grants full industry operating licenses for restricted goods like weapons, medicine, alcohol, tobacco, jewelry, and spices. In the current era, this is absolutely not allowed! A Village Head Token only allows you to be a Village Head, a Guild President Token only allows you to be a President, and a Legion Token only allows you to be a Legion Commander; these are three separate advancement systems. Merchant guilds are also restricted to only dealing in a few licensed commodities. Do you know why?"

Dachun came to his senses: "Because the power is too great and would lead to a monopoly?"

Fafna said solemnly: "Correct. During the pioneering period, the flexibility of subordinate institutions was high, so their power was immense—one could say they were kings in their own right. This caused many problems, so they were all later broken up and restructured. Because the Black Flag Merchant Guild went bankrupt early, this token was preserved. If you don't mind carrying the debt, you can experience the feeling of full-industry management."

Holy crap, of course I mind the debt! No matter how much I earn, I can't fill a 10 billion hole. This is just holding a failed, bottomless project and looking for a sucker to invest!

Dachun sweated: "If I... do nothing?"

Fafna laughed: "If you do nothing, there's naturally no loss, but you can still enjoy the attribute bonuses of the Level 105 token for a month. That is the direct help I can give you."

Not bad. Just for that 105% bonus, it's worth it!

Dachun had one last question: "Then, if I have this merchant guild, will it be the number one merchant guild in the world? Isn't that unfair to others who are working hard to build their own?"

"A bankrupt merchant guild is not on the guild list and does not participate in rankings."

In other words, this is a hidden merchant guild! Excellent, otherwise I'd probably be suppressed by the big syndicates worldwide.

Dachun accepted happily: "Many thanks for the reward, My Lady!"

—System Prompt: You have received the "Bankrupt Black Flag Merchant Guild Token" issued by Fafna! 30 days of bankruptcy protection remaining.

Looking at his stamina and carry capacity, which had jumped from 400 to over 900 due to the 105% bonus, and his HP which had doubled to over 400, Dachun was overjoyed!

Shirley also said happily: "That's great! Can I also learn and experience being a Vice President?"

Dachun smiled: "Of course you can, I invite you!"

Fafna, however, laughed: "The name 'Shirley' lacks majesty. Let me add a prefix for you—'Blizzard Ice-Flower'! Use this name to invite Shirley to the position of Vice President."

Shirley was extremely excited: "Many thanks to you, My Lady, for bestowing this name upon me!"

Dachun was truly stunned. She was like a second parent, even naming people! Excellent, this way the syndicate would find it even harder to track her.

—System Prompt: You used the Black Flag Token's invitation function and successfully invited Blizzard Ice-Flower to join the merchant guild. You may assign a position to Blizzard Ice-Flower.

Appointing a Vice President, right... Hmm? There is clearly an option to appoint her as President?

Dachun was surprised: "Can I appoint Shirley as President directly?"

Fafna said: "Actually, you can. The holder of the Black Flag Token has the highest authority and is the de facto controller; even transferring the Presidency doesn't require transferring the token."

Holy crap, it really is different from a normal merchant guild! That's right, the legal representative is just a scapegoat; the truly powerful one is the de facto controller—which is you, Fafna, right? You have the ultimate power to reclaim the token after a month!

Dachun decided: "Then I'll appoint Shirley as President. If we're going to experience it, let's experience the whole thing."

Shirley was very excited: "That's so embarrassing!"

"I am your retainer and you are my employer; you should be the President anyway!"

Actually, Dachun was also playing it safe. If a syndicate master discovered this hidden guild, what would happen if they found out I was the President? So, as the de facto controller, I still have to restrict the President's power; for now, we won't recruit players into the guild.

Thinking of the syndicate tracking Shirley, Dachun felt uneasy: "Lady Fafna, since Shirley has a new name, shouldn't her image be packaged and changed as well?"

Fafna laughed heartily: "Of course! I am a star, after all; packaging an image is my specialty!"

That put his mind at ease.

Shirley, however, grew ambitious: "My Lady, what if we really pay off the 10 billion within a month?"

Dachun was startled. Did she mean the buried spices? But even if they were worth their weight in gold, they couldn't be worth 10 billion! Even selling them at a bargain price couldn't fill this giant crater!

Fafna sighed: "If you truly succeed, then congratulations: you officially own the merchant guild, and the kings of the pioneering era have returned! Theoretically, paying off 10 billion is not entirely impossible. As long as you have extensive connections, borrow from nobles everywhere, and scrape together 10 billion to make the books look good, you can do it. Or you could spin off non-performing assets to form a subsidiary merchant guild. Or discover a masterless, large mine, casually appraise it at 10 billion, or develop a bunch of villas on Plague Island and appraise each one at several hundred million—all of these are possible."

Dachun was stunned: "Casually... appraising it works too?"

Fafna smiled: "Of course you have to appraise it! Otherwise, do you think value is really built on cold, hard cash? Just like my star value, it's all industry hype and appraisal! If I were worth 10 billion, I'd sell myself, and the merchant guild would be revived immediately!"

Dachun suddenly realized: That's right, value isn't built; value is hyped! If hype works, then this debt-repayment task isn't as hard as imagined—Wait, stay calm! This is a classic "newbie experience" trap. She's using retreat to advance, goading me into taking over the mess!?

Just then, a staff member on the street waved from afar.

Fafna said solemnly: "Hero, go to the pier. The ship to Plague Island and various living supplies have been prepared for you. Since there can't be normal boatmen, I will use a few magical mirror images to replace the boatmen and take you there. You will arrive by dawn."

Dawn—that was only a few hours away!

Dachun asked again: "How many people are left on the island?"

Fafna said in a deep voice: "I don't know. You need to investigate."

Could it be a bunch of zombies? Dachun felt faintly that this was the opening of a hidden map: "Understood."