Chapter 77: United in Name, Divided in Heart
Kevin quietly watched the crowd ahead.
Richard, Derek, and the others at the front looked like a bunch of thugs. They didn’t seem like friendly allies at all.
Kevin frowned and called over Nova and Monchhichi. "You three have been the ones communicating with them this whole time."
"Let Nova and Celula do the talking when we negotiate. Eliana and I will disguise ourselves as regular crew members and follow you. We’ll see how things go and act accordingly."
With that, Kevin left the others to guard the ship and jumped off with Nova and the rest.
Of course, to avoid any unnecessary trouble, they all wore masks.
But even so, their appearance still caused a stir.
The dozen or so Captains across from them all looked like they’d seen a ghost. Almost everyone, including Raphael, stared at Kevin and his group’s gear.
Brand new hiking boots, windbreakers, climbing pants, tactical belts and multi-purpose vests that only special forces would wear—along with shiny guns, knives, and blades on full display. It was an intimidating sight.
Derek let out a whistle and said admiringly: "Hey, guys, look! Their clothes are so new. It’s like they just came out of a dry cleaner’s."
Richard took a deep drag from his hookah and said scornfully: "I bet they’re just trying to look impressive. They probably got all that gear to show off, so we’d think they’re important. Then they’ll have the upper hand when we talk."
Old Oliver glanced at Richard and said in a low voice: "There are only four of them on the other side. To be polite, let’s each pick one representative from our three groups to go with Captain Raphael and talk."
Richard looked like he wanted to say something, but Derek stopped him with a hand. "He’s right. We’re allies now. We should act like gentlemen."
With that, Derek stepped forward and walked behind Raphael.
Then Oliver and Valentina each stepped up and stood on either side of Raphael.
Raphael glanced at them and said quietly: "Let me remind you again. We are allies now."
Derek laughed it off. "Relax, relax. We’re not stupid. We still need their help."
Kevin and the others quickly noticed the tension from the way the Captains acted.
Nova narrowed her eyes and said quietly: "It looks like after a few tough battles, they’ve split into three small groups."
Celula nodded and said in a low voice: "Lately, when I’ve talked to Raphael, I could feel how tired she sounded. Maybe she’s no longer able to control all the Captains."
Kevin narrowed his eyes as he looked at the people around Raphael. "At least on paper, Raphael is still their representative. Let’s go talk to them first. Even if there’s a problem, we’ll understand more after a few words."
Eliana stood beside Kevin. She kept reaching for his arm out of habit. After Kevin shot her a few cold looks, she pouted and stood aside without saying a word.
Kevin gently patted her on the back and reminded her: "Wait for my signal before you act."
Eliana let out a soft "oh" and obediently stayed close to Kevin’s side.
Kevin followed Nova for a few dozen meters before they finally met up with Raphael and the others.
"Are you Celula and Ms. Nova?" Raphael smiled and nodded at Kevin’s group. "Thank you so much. Thanks to the weapons and equipment you provided, we managed to survive the human-faced wasp attack."
Then she turned and introduced Oliver, Derek, and Valentina behind her.
Nova could feel Derek’s aggressive stare. She shot him a disgusted look and said coldly: "Since you know how valuable the supplies we gave you were, then hand over the ships you promised us right now."
Celula nodded in agreement. "That’s right, Raphael. We still have a tough fight ahead of us. Give us the ships. We need to set up defenses in advance."
Raphael nodded. "No problem. That’s only fair. But we used up a lot of weapons and ammo fighting the human-faced wasps. Could you spare us some more supplies?"
Nova narrowed her eyes, her voice still cold and emotionless. "Our bullets don’t just appear out of thin air. If you want more, trade us more ships."
With that, Nova glanced at the dozen or so ships behind Raphael and the others. "You guys don’t need nine ships, do you? Give us five more, and we’ll restock your weapons and ammo."
Raphael frowned. "I can’t give you an answer right away. I need to discuss it with the other Captains first."
Nova nodded. "Do it quickly. Also, have your people sail the ships over to this beach."
Raphael turned to Valentina, whispered a few words, then turned back and said: "Alright, we’ll..."
Before she could finish, Derek cut in. "I have a problem. You lovely ladies, are you that ashamed to show your faces?"
Celula felt the disrespect in Derek’s tone and immediately lost her temper. "Who do you think you are? The leaders are talking. Who asked you to interrupt?"
Derek had been about to say more, but Celula’s blunt scolding shut him up.
He took a deep breath and his tone turned cold. "What’s wrong with what I said? Hiding your faces like you’re afraid to be seen. If you’re asking us for five extra ships, at least let us see how much ammo and weapons you actually have. Otherwise, we bring the ships over, and you can’t deliver—aren’t you just messing with us?"
Nova squinted, staring coldly at Derek.
She was just about to use her [Cursed Wraith Songstress] Talent to teach Derek a lesson, but someone else was faster.
At Kevin’s signal, Eliana’s eyes glowed gold.
Derek, who had been acting so tough just moments before, was suddenly lifted into the air like a puppet on strings, suspended by Eliana’s telekinesis.
Seeing this, Nova grinned.
She didn’t explain anything. Instead, she just laughed and said, "Captain Raphael, I hope your people understand their place. In front of us, they don’t even qualify to be played with."
Nova used her voice to send out a soul wave as she spoke.
Raphael and the few Captains behind her stumbled back a few steps, their faces turning pale after hearing Nova’s warning.
Oliver leaned on his cane, sweat dripping down his forehead. His voice was hoarse as he said, "Dear allies, I and my crew truly want to cooperate with you. On behalf of my group, I can offer two ships."
Raphael and Valentina exchanged a look and nodded. "We can offer one extra ship as well."
Then everyone turned to look at Derek.
He was still hanging in the air in a ridiculous pose. He glanced at Nova with an awkward expression, then shot an angry glare at Raphael and the others.
"Am I not your ally? I’m under attack, and instead of saving me, you all cave in first? Then what was the point of me sticking my neck out?"
Raphael cleared her throat and said firmly, "Derek, let me remind you: we’re here to cooperate, not to cause trouble. What you just did does not represent my stance."
Oliver nodded. "Nor mine."
Derek was furious. "Just you wait!"
Then he turned to Nova. "Dear lady, to make up for my rudeness, we’re willing to give up three ships. The extra one is an apology for my earlier offense."
Nova nodded. Behind her, Eliana got the signal and immediately released her telekinesis.
Derek crashed to the ground with a loud thud, his whole body aching from the fall.
He picked himself up, talked it over with Raphael and the others for a moment, then turned back and said, "It’ll take us about an hour to sail the ships over. How about this: two hours from now, fifteen ships, in exchange for ten Glock pistols, a thousand rounds of ammo, five RPG launchers, fifty rockets, and two hundred grenades."
Then he glanced at the alloy combat blade and tactical knife at Kevin’s waist and added, "If you have any extra melee weapons, we’d like some of those too."
Nova nodded and simply said: "Okay," then sent Raphael and the others on their way.
Once they were far enough away, Nova and Celula turned to look at Kevin.
Celula spoke first. "I feel like they’re not really united among themselves?"
Nova pulled down her mask and covered her mouth with a laugh. "Celula, you really should learn from your sister Monchhichi. That’s all you noticed?"
Seeing Celula look totally confused, Kevin gently patted her head. "Stop teasing her. Nova, you explain."
Nova nodded and said: "It’s obvious. They’re actually split into four factions right now."
Celula blinked in surprise. "Four factions? I thought it was three?"
Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you did manage to see three?"
Celula stomped her foot in frustration, kicking up a puff of sand. "Would you two stop making fun of me? I’m not stupid, you know."
Nova added, "On the surface, they do look like three separate groups, each with their own agenda. But Raphael never really sided with any of them. From start to finish, Raphael only ever represented herself."
Kevin nodded. "Which means there’s a good chance there was a power shift inside their alliance. Raphael is now just the leader in name only. As for those eighteen Captains, they’ve banded together into three factions and completely cut Raphael out of real power."
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