Chapter 310: Chapter 11: Scheming
Kalifa’s appearance was supposed to be bad news, but by a stroke of luck, it resolved the danger Su Xiao faced in the Galley-La Company.
As long as Rob Lucci and others don’t want Kalifa dead, they won’t actively provoke him. Silencing is possible, but that would require sacrificing Kalifa.
If Rob Lucci brings people to silence him, they risk total exposure. Between one person’s exposure and everyone’s, Su Xiao believes they will choose the latter.
Moreover, Su Xiao’s previous attitude indicated that he found Kalifa suspicious because of her use of special poison, rather than acting omniscient and saying a bunch of foolish things like "I know your plans and allies."
In the current situation, the likelihood of Rob Lucci and others coming after him is even lower.
Kalifa now has a special use, not as a R|B|Q, but as a bargaining chip.
Walking along the path in the City of Seven Seas, Su Xiao felt good, although he was unsure where to go.
A peculiar aroma wafted into his nose, and his pant leg was tugged by Bubute Ni.
Bubute Ni was sticking out his tongue, looking at a roadside stall where many people were gathered. Su Xiao walked over and found that it sold a specialty of the City of Seven Seas, grilled water meat.
Su Xiao bought a few skewers of water meat, which had a special jelly-like texture when shaken.
Biting into it, Su Xiao’s eyes widened. The food in the Pirate World truly lived up to its reputation.
Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the smooth texture was unforgettable.
"Woof woof."
Bubute Ni turned circles eagerly, and Su Xiao tossed him a piece, which Bu Wang devoured in one gulp, much like Zhu Bajie eating ginseng fruit, missing the taste entirely.
"Such waste."
Su Xiao handed a skewer to Bubute Ni and continued walking forward. He planned to go to No.1 Dock, since his job was to maintain order there.
But one thing made Su Xiao wary; Iceberg might be suspicious of him. Although Iceberg had outwardly accepted his claim of repelling the pirates, the Galley-La Company’s reputation didn’t increase on the task list, indicating Iceberg didn’t truly believe him.
Su Xiao wandered his way to No.1 Dock. The shipwrights were working in the open area, while he pulled over a chair to sit and watch the commotion.
Su Xiao’s job was to maintain security, which meant overseeing things without needing physical labor. His monthly salary was six hundred thousand Belli, roughly equivalent to 35,000 yuan RMB.
Given his skills, the pay was somewhat low; it was a trial period salary. After the trial period, it would increase, and each retreat of a pirate group carried benefits.
Iceberg had one requirement: no killing. Although the Galley-La Company had significant background, Iceberg was quite low-key.
The shipwrights looked at Su Xiao with curiosity, unsure why he was sitting there. Nobody approached to ask, just assuming he was a guest.
...
In the old shipyard where Su Xiao fought the cowboy hat man, Kalifa returned after separating from Su Xiao.
Iceberg was surprised to see Kalifa, and her slightly wrinkled clothing stirred curiosity.
"Young people are so open."
Kalifa stood silently behind Iceberg, further bewildering him.
"I didn’t expect you to be so open. Although Bai Ye is quite a handsome young man, this is a bit too quick."
Hearing Iceberg’s words, Kalifa’s face darkened but then she thought of something, her lips curved into a smile.
"I just took a fall on the way, don’t misunderstand."
"Okay, I didn’t misunderstand, but you’re not young anymore. Although Bai Ye just joined the Galley-La Company, he has strength and potential."
Iceberg joked half-seriously, slightly reducing his suspicion of Su Xiao. He didn’t interfere with romantic relationships among employees, even though Kalifa was his secretary and they were only superior and subordinate.
Kalifa offered no further explanation, knowing this kind of thing only gets worse the more it’s denied. She had a plan; since Iceberg misunderstood her relationship with Bai Ye, she might as well drag that bastard down with her. Her ultimate plan would unfold in a few days, making it impossible for him to gain a foothold in the City of Seven Seas, and he might even be hunted.
The more Kalifa thought, the more enticing the idea became. Based on her previous assessment, Bai Ye’s strength might not be weak.
"Mr. Iceberg, when did Bai Ye join the Galley-La Company? How old is he?"
Kalifa’s question stunned Iceberg, who had been half-joking before.
"Kalifa, you..."
Kalifa blushed, adjusting her bangs.
The shipwright Barry overheard and looked at Kalifa with surprise. Kalifa’s scheme succeeded, displaying her acting skills as a spy.
Letting more people know she had ties with Su Xiao ensured that when her plan unfolded, Su Xiao would be the enemy of the Galley-La Company, unable to explain.
Rumors of their ambiguous relationship spread quickly. Even if Kalifa betrayed him in a few days, who would listen to Su Xiao’s explanations? No one would.
As the story circulated, the shipwrights’ gossiping spirit ignited.
Su Xiao knew nothing of this, but if he did, he would surely cut off Kalifa’s tongue, seeing how she was clearly dragging him into deep waters with malicious intent.
Su Xiao spent an uneventful afternoon guarding No.1 Dock, with no pirates causing trouble. The shipwrights grew somewhat familiar with him, knowing he was a new employee in charge of security.
As dusk fell, the shipwrights finished work. During the afternoon, Su Xiao’s reputation increased by 40 points, puzzling him as to why simply introducing himself could raise his reputation. It seemed too easy.
Around five in the evening, Angus sought Su Xiao. Iceberg had previously told them to both attend the evening’s celebration—what it celebrated, he wasn’t sure, likely some sort of gathering.
Angus patted Su Xiao’s shoulder, with a look of envy on his face.
"You’re impressive, winning the heart of a beauty on your first day."
Su Xiao was caught off guard, not understanding what he meant.
"Heart?"
"Don’t play dumb; your affair with Miss Kalifa. Many in the Galley-La Company know, and that cold beauty actually took a liking to someone—it’s truly..."
Angus’s teasing made Su Xiao’s face change slightly, suspecting a possible situation.
Thinking quickly, Su Xiao immediately realized what was happening. Kalifa was biting him back.
"Is that so?"
Su Xiao stood up, calmly following Angus towards Iceberg’s residence.
Kalifa’s motives were likely trying to drag him down, considering that he had pinned her down earlier and stuffed explosives, and now rumors were spreading that evening.
On the way to the celebration, Su Xiao smiled.
Although he’d be dragged down, it was a favorable position. At least it could help him quickly boost his reputation. Earlier, he had wondered why he gained 40 reputation points simply by getting familiar with the shipwrights that afternoon.
Checking his reputation again, he saw it had increased by 30 more points, and continued to rise. Soon, it would hit 200 points.
More importantly, he controlled Kalifa’s fate; as long as he detonated the alchemy explosives, Kalifa would surely die.
The reputation issue was resolved for now, and he began to plan further steps. With the arrival of the Straw Hat Pirates in five days, the City of Water would be thrown into chaos.
For now, he didn’t need to worry about that. Over the next five days, figuring out how to benefit was key.
Thinking as he approached Iceberg’s mansion, it was as luxurious as a municipal building.
Entering the first floor of the building, the noise grew, food aromas mixed with the scent of alcohol, and several long tables were set with food. Many shipwrights drank and talked loudly, some laughing heartily; the banquet was very lively.