Chapter 153

The black market selling various items.

The distinctive feature of this place, true to its name as a black market, was that, fundamentally, there were no taxes applied to any items.

Thus, even if purchasing the same item, it was considerably cheaper compared to the outside world, and since there were no limits on the quantities that could be brought in, there was also much more to buy.

However, since this was a place where illegal activities were the norm, assurances of quality were thrown to the wind, and if you had no eye for evaluating goods, you risked ending up with a lot of duds.

Moreover, should you leave here and, by some misfortune, be caught with prohibited items, it would solely be your fault.

Nevertheless, for the pirate Franklin, this black market had many unique trading opportunities.

“How much is the total for these two items?”

“10 Talents.”

“4 Talents.”

“What?”

“Come on, you have to respect the market price. Since this is a black market, I’m offering a reasonable discount of 4 Talents.”

“Hmm… No way, that’s too low to go below half. Let’s settle at 7 Talents.”

“4 Talents.”

“Wait, are you for real…?”

“Then just walk away. It’s not every day someone buys this much.”

“5.5 Talents! That’s my final offer!”

The shop owner was doing everything he could to squeeze out just one more coin… or in reality, a significant amount of money, but he just wanted to leave with a little more profit.

At that moment…

Franklin leaned in with her frightful face and said in a cold voice, “4 Talents. I know darn well that leaves you with more than 2 Talents profit.”

“Ugh…”

As a cook, Franklin’s ability to judge spices had already reached an expert level, and her grasp on market prices was something she had mastered long ago, so getting stuck with cheap and faulty goods wasn’t a risk she worried about.

Being a pirate who could end up in prison or on the gallows, the risk of the law didn’t bother her much either.

Thus, having finally subdued the shop owner, Franklin raised an eyebrow at the curious onlookers who seemed quite amazed.

“… Why… are you all looking at me like that?”

“Ah… no, I’m just a bit surprised… I never imagined Franklin would have a side like this…”

“Same here.”

“According to my mother…”

“Impressive… Is this what bargaining looks like? I’ve never seen it before.”

“Ah… it’s not that impressive…”

The onlookers all wore expressions that seemed to convey they felt like they had just witnessed an amazing spectacle.

Meanwhile, Franklin felt a bit embarrassed and slightly blushed.

Even so, her distinctive intimidating aura didn’t fade away.

“Even if I look like this, I do handle my business when it matters. But… this time, it seemed like I was particularly set on crushing the prices. Did something happen?”

“Just… well, I thought I should save on groceries since our family has grown recently…”

“Oh… you’ve been thinking wisely. But don’t strain yourself too much; after all, with more mouths to feed, the income has increased too.”

“Yes… thank you… Vice-Captain.”

Franklin responded cautiously to Lemain’s remark. However, different thoughts were brewing in her mind.

“After all, I am the captain’s woman… I shouldn’t let things slide too easily, right?”

It was a fact she could never say out loud, but Franklin felt a sense of responsibility about that.

In any case, thanks (from her perspective) to that effort, they completed the purchase at a great price and took a seat in a square nearby to take a break.

“Here you go.”

“Please take it, Mother.”

Since it was lunchtime, Cheshire and Schrödinger brought in simple skewered grilled food.

As she nibbled on it, Auriel looked around, finding the surroundings surprisingly calm contrary to her expectations of a black market being gloomy and the food being grotesque.

“It’s unexpected; honestly, I thought a black market would have a dark atmosphere and bizarre food… but there seems to be no significant difference.”

“That’s only this place. Black markets in other regions are just like you said—dark and filled with bizarre foods. When I visited a black market in India, I even saw a 3-meter spider on a stick.”

“Wha… are you saying… they eat spiders?”

“Hmm… that’s a truly barbaric tale.”

Auriel and Chomski turned pale at the unexpected story.

Yet Lemain made a nonchalant expression and said, “Though it’s surprising for Auriel, Chomski, why are you so shocked? In the Kingdom of Frantz, they’ve served snails and frogs in royal cuisine. A spider is nothing in comparison.”

“Um… isn’t that a bit different…?”

Chomski spoke with a trembling voice.

Seeing this, Lemain smiled and gently patted her head, continuing, “Anyway, a black market and here differ in basic shape. In Gibraltar, due to regional characteristics, nearly half of the local economy runs on black market trade because the land is small and there’s a huge rocky mountain in the middle, making farming tough. Plus, with the Brittania Empire being far north rather than the nearby Esban, whether licensed or not, they had no choice but to gamble their lives on commerce.”

Ultimately, it was merely a matter of whether permits existed; there was little difference in the overall atmosphere.

“You seem surprisingly knowledgeable.”

“Hmm… well… being the Vice-Captain, I know the basic information.”

Lemain responded slightly awkwardly to Auriel’s comment.

Then she neatly finished the skewer she had been holding and tried to get up.

“Well then… we’ve bought our goods and filled up, so let’s start moving…!”

“!”

At that moment…

Ding! Ding! Ding!

A disruptive ringing of a bell suddenly began echoing.

Simultaneously, the atmosphere throughout the black market froze in that second.

And…

“Damn it!”

“Miss! Of all times!”

Merchants started hastily gathering their goods and money.

It was not just one or two people; nearly everyone in the black market stopped their transactions and frantically moved around.

A scene that instilled an unusual sense of unease gripped the group.

“What… what’s going on suddenly?”

“Could it be…?”

Lemain wore a chilling expression.

However, there was no need for her to explain in detail.

For in their line of sight, a scene began to emerge that could inform them exactly what was happening.

“Th-that’s…?”

“B-Brittania Empire Army?!”

A horde of soldiers, fully armed, surged into the passage like a tidal wave.

Seeing them move with intent, Franklin and her group realized something had gone terribly wrong.

The Brittania Empire Army established their position, taking over one side of the square.

Then, one individual who seemed to be their representative spoke.

With red hair and blue eyes, the woman, having a cold expression, looked at everyone present and proclaimed.

“I am Rodney, the governor of Gibraltar. As of this moment, this black market is hereby closed, and all related parties are to be apprehended by order of His Majesty the King. If you peacefully hand over all the unlawfully obtained profits and goods, we will grant you leniency; however, those who resist will be executed on the spot. I hope you will kindly cooperate while you still can.”

“Wha… what did you just say?”

“What do you mean by such nonsense all of a sudden?”

Merchants and customers alike were flooded with deep bewilderment at her words.

It was understandable, as, on the surface, she was citing public service, yet this governor had abruptly appeared with demands that they all hand over everything they owned or else.

This was robbery at its finest.

In fact, it could be likened to legalized extortion.

And seeing this scene unfold, Lemain remarked with a mix of admiration in her voice.

“Hoh… this is truly the Brittania Empire that even controls pirates? To boldly declare such widespread pillaging against its subjects in broad daylight—impressive indeed?”

“U-um, Vice-Captain, this isn’t going to put us in danger, is it?”

“Faced with such a demand to hand over everything with exits blocked… it doesn’t seem like they would let us go unscathed, and if they recognize our faces…”

“Hm… what should we do now?”

While speaking, Lemain didn’t appear overly concerned about the looming crisis.

In truth, it made sense for her to feel that way; after all, even if the exits were blocked, thanks to Lemain’s Holy Magic, it would be a piece of cake to move everyone present outside the black market.

Moreover, if things went terribly awry, with the soldiers they had here, they could likely wipe out the army.

Of course, they were right in the middle of enemy territory in Gibraltar, and acting rashly could provoke the entire Brittania Army present, so it was not a choice to be made lightly.

As Lemain was pondering what to do, all of a sudden…

“Hey?”

“Those are…”

A scene began to form in their view.

Seeing this, Lemain and Franklin’s group began to shift their thoughts.

“It seems like… they aren’t simply going to surrender.”

“Indeed…”