Ox and Ren's group had Sven roasting over the fire.

Any normal person would know that downing this entire basin of liquor, no matter how high their tolerance, would either kill them or fry their brains.

Ox was once a military commander of the Mirror Sea Alliance, the most valiant warrior among the merfolk before his fall from grace. With his racial bonuses, few in the Beima Principality could outdrink him.

For a lightweight like Sven who'd put all his points into stealth, this was sheer suicide.

But being pressured ignited his temper, and he grabbed the basin to chug.

An excruciating twenty seconds later, Sven was halfway through and already faltering. His hands trembled holding the wooden basin, the skin of his throat burning crimson as if scorched by flames.

"That's enough," Fen stopped Sven.

But Sven ignored him, drinking like a man possessed.

Ox watched calmly, his estimation of Sven rising slightly.

"Nice! Hardcore!" Ren cheered, stoking the fire like he wanted Sven dead.

Li Site saw things spiraling out of control - these bastards were supposed to be celebrating three blessings, not trying to kill each other.

"The tiger man the Thieves' Guild is hunting on the eastern shore - the one they want alive - is Sven," Li Site said abruptly, still needing to preserve Fen's dignity.

All eyes turned to him without surprise, their suspicions confirmed.

Li Site forcibly grabbed the basin from Sven - now two-thirds empty - and pretended to drink, cunningly spilling most of it. The amount that actually reached his stomach couldn't have filled half a cup. He then inverted the basin to end this round.

Fen's expression finally eased, but Sven was already barely conscious, mirroring Archer's state - slumped on his chair in silent stubbornness.

"Makes sense," Ox changed tack. "We all know each other's backgrounds here. That's how we know how to handle each other. As for the Gunnery Master, he's genuinely just a homeless drifter with no warrants. Clean as a whistle."

"Thanks for that," Morrison said with a smile uglier than a frown, gnawing on a roasted lamb leg while enjoying the show.

Ox continued, "Two months have passed since the Thieves' Guild got wind of this and turned the eastern shore upside down. Bringing this up now seems late. We need explanations."

"Well said," Ren clapped.

"Rules are rules," Wolman added gravely.

After a pause, Li Site said, "The explanation is... Fen, you tell them."

Fen slammed two bags onto the table. "The explanation is that Sven stole something invaluable from the Thieves' Guild and is willing to share it. He needed time to see if we could be trusted to withstand the Guild's assassins. Let me be clear - once you see what Sven took, you're bound to the Black Sails until death. This treasure is dangerous enough to bring catastrophic consequences. Anyone who wants out now will have to be killed."

The atmosphere turned lethal instantly.

Even usually carefree crew members like Shadi and Micah had murder in their eyes.

The room became a powder keg waiting to explode.

Ox was stunned. The Black Sails had stolen everything - even wedding gifts for a Beima minister's son. For Fen to speak like this...

"Damn..." Ren massaged his forehead, expecting tonight to be wild but not this extreme.

Li Site read the crew perfectly. Knowing none would leave - these parasites couldn't be scraped off - he said, "Anyone wanting off now gets all our public funds as severance. Fen and I will add over a hundred gold dragons from our private stashes. Split among those leaving."

Li Site's offer was staggering.

Three hundred gold dragons could buy someone a minor official position in Beima, even an honorary barony with stipends.

"Is this necessary?" Haywood mediated. Without the Black Sails, his demon identity meant certain death. "After all these years surviving hell together, if Sven's sharing his loot, let's move on."

Fen tapped the table, rejecting Haywood's pacifism. "This isn't about proof of loyalty anymore. This must never see daylight. Not a whisper can escape. That's why even the Thieves' Guild assassins hunting Sven don't know what he took."

Li Site chimed in: "The Thieves' Guild's reputation precedes them - drugging women into prostitution, breaking children's limbs for begging, every dirty scheme imaginable including political assassinations across multiple nations. They're among the underworld's most powerful. They'll hunt us to extinction."

After a tense silence:

"Who here isn't a wanted dead man walking? Who fears pursuit?" Ox wasn't one to back down. For him, the matter was settled. If the treasure could buy Sven's life, so be it.

"What treasure? Show us! Who here's afraid?" Wolman growled, more agitated than ever.

Even blackout-drunk Archer slurred, "Stop teasing. Show it."

Li Site scanned the crew. Ren, Shadi and others were salivating with anticipation.

"Heaven's gifts unclaimed become curses. Opportunities ignored become disasters," Li Site declared. "Since no one's leaving, new Black Sails rule: any officer trying to quit gets hunted by all. This rule... is now absolute."

"Fen, display the goods. Morrison, keep watch," Li Site ordered, confident but taking precautions against greedy crew members turning on them.

"Tch, what treasure's worth this drama? If it disappoints, First Mate, you'll lose face," Morrison stood, hand on his bladed whip, knowing every crew member was dangerous except tool-man Haywood.

Sven, thoroughly drunk from the basin, snored face-down on the table, leaving Fen to vouch for him.

Fen chuckled and began an apparently unrelated ancient tale:

"Legend says two millennia ago, the Conqueror who unified the Western Continent and ended the Dark Ages wore a coronation crown. Its base was forged from sacred platinum, its chains condensed from immortal diamonds, and it bore twenty-four peerless gemstones."

From one bag, Fen shook out two dazzling rhomboid gems.

Even in the dim oil lamp light, they radiated hypnotic brilliance - one an intoxicating emerald like endless mountain ranges, the other a mesmerizing sapphire like the ocean's heartbeat. Their countless facets refracted light with divine craftsmanship, possessing an irresistible, soul-stealing allure.

"Two of those twenty-four gems... are here."