"What do you think?" Zhang Heng called Billy and Dufresne, and told them about Karina. There was no need or possibility to hide this matter from the core members of the ship.
The quartermaster took the lead and said, "The matter of the black business alliance is not a secret. I asked a few friends this morning, and what she said basically conformed to the facts. In this matter, new captains like us and The new ships are at a disadvantage. Before the establishment of the Black Merchants Alliance, the price of the Sea Lion’s loot was basically in the third range. Our current strength may not be as good as the original Sea Lion, but the development potential is definitely greater. Take There is no problem with a price in the third range, but now I can only accept the bottom one, and I am a little worried about the members' opinions."
Dufresne said it more tactfully, and Billy was more straightforward, "Leaving aside our group of old people, the new recruits must be aiming at us owning warships and earning more money, but if they If you find that your hard-earned loot can’t be bought at a good price, or if your income is lower than what you deserve, you will definitely be dissatisfied. It’s just that we can still control the situation with this small number of people, but if we want to continue to grow, we We will definitely compete for talents with the other major pirate groups on the island, and we have to solve the issue of compensation before that."
The helmsman paused, "Actually, some people have already contacted our crew in private. They should be optimistic that the result of our first voyage will not be too good. …”
"And I, the captain, looks very young and inexperienced. The first thing I did after gaining power was to recruit a female boatswain, so that everyone felt that I shouldn't be in this position for long." Zhang Heng added to Billy He finished what he wanted to say but didn't finish.
"That's pretty much it. We trust you not only because you saved our lives, but also because of your composure and calmness in the face of crisis. You proved yourself all the way from Charleston back to Nassau. You can grow into a qualified captain, but other people, who have not sailed with you, will inevitably have doubts about you. The current situation is not fair to you. Other new captains usually have more time to prepare and adjust. "
Billy said, "Having a battleship is a perfect starting point, but it will also make us a target of public criticism. Many people on the island are waiting to see our jokes. If the first voyage is not satisfactory, then we will We have to face the problem of staff turnover and difficulty in recruiting good people."
...
An hour and a half later, Billy and Dufresne walked out of the study, greeted Annie and Karina downstairs, and left quickly.
The latter felt uneasy. Last night, she basically told the whole situation on her side, but Zhang Heng didn't express his opinion immediately after hearing this, only saying that he still needed to discuss it with the crew.
So Karina didn't go back to the hotel, and simply stayed here for one night to wait for the result.
Zhang Heng looked at her with admiration. This girl lived a good life since she was a child. According to herself, until her father died, she was no different from those high-society ladies. Girlfriends have some afternoon tea together.
As a result, she found three stools and put them together last night, and just made do with them all night, but she seemed to have something wrong with her neck when she got up in the morning, and she had been rubbing the back of her neck all morning.
After the two left, Karina hurried upstairs and tidied her clothes in front of the study, and Zhang Heng's voice happened to come from inside.
"come in."
The businesswoman took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
Zhang Heng's so-called study room is very simple. There is only a table and a few stools in it. The bookcase in the corner was newly made before he went to sea last time. There is no book on it now, but fortunately, the light is not bad, and the afternoon sun shines through. The water came in through the window and landed on the figure's shoulders, coating the ends of his hair with a layer of gold.
Zhang Heng was using a parallel ruler to measure the distance between points on the nautical chart. His appearance was not much different from that of doing exercises in the library, which made Karina stunned.
It has been two months since she came to Nassau, and she has seen quite a few pirates, most of them are vulgar, and their cultural level is generally very low, and oftentimes it is a bit difficult to communicate, but the young man in front of her is obviously an exception, During the exchange between the two last night, she had already felt the other party's clear logic and keen insight.
And Zhang Heng is something she has never seen before. If it weren't for the short musket hanging on his chest and the scar on his arm, it would be difficult for Karina to associate the figure in front of her with the pirate.
"The time has been set. We will go to sea in three days." Zhang Heng's voice brought her back to reality, and Karina's heart was beating. There are very few pirates who have not joined the alliance. Most of the remaining pirates have poor equipment and insufficient manpower. Basically, they can't grab anything of great value. In other words, if Zhang Heng rejects her, then she will get Sao Zhixing is tantamount to a failure. Not only may he lose his father, but with the current family situation, there is only one way to go bankrupt.
"My helmsman and quartermaster suggested that we negotiate with the alliance to increase the price range, because they don't believe in your ability. If your father is here now, they might be willing to take a gamble, but your qualifications are indeed It's too shallow, you haven't done anything like this before..." Zhang Heng's words made Karina feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
Although she was mentally prepared, Karina still felt her head spinning. At this moment, she was finally knocked down. She was wrapped in a deep sense of frustration, collapsed in the seat, and sobbed.
She has been busy for more than two months, but she has not gained anything. When she saw the Jackdaw moored in the port, she thought she finally had hope, but she didn't expect it to be in vain. At this time, she only felt a kind of hopelessness.
Zhang Heng felt a little sorry in his heart, but he had to do this, because choosing a future partner is something that needs to be cautious for any captain, especially when Billy and Dufresne are not optimistic, he must know Is Karina worth investing in
The result was beyond his expectation. The businesswoman only collapsed for half a minute before raising her head again. Although her tears were still rolling in her eyes, her eyes were no longer dazed and helpless, and seemed to have returned to the determination she had when she was sleeping on the bench. , "There must be something else, is there anything I can do right?"
"Well, if you can prove your ability, I can also convince my crew." Zhang Heng pointed to the mark he just made on the nautical chart, "Do you know where this is?"