“Victory for the Sea Hawk! Young master is mighty!” The excited Monk Brooks raised the battle blade in his hand and shouted loudly, as if only such an action could release the excitement in his heart and his admiration for Henry Clark.

“Victory for the Sea Hawk! Young master is mighty!” All the pirates shouted in unison.

Henry Clark plopped down onto the deck of the aft cabin, pulled out the half-smoked cigar from his chest, and Edward Reed beside him handed over a light. After taking several satisfying puffs, Henry Clark finally realized that he was already drenched in sweat from head to toe.

“Damn it, the greater the risk, the greater the reward. This time, the risk was just too damn thrilling.” Henry Clark exhaled a long puff of smoke. At this moment, the heart that had been hanging in suspense finally settled down.

At his feet, the noble Spanish baron had already collapsed into a puddle of mush.

……

“Good, good, as long as you’re not hurt. You little brat, you’ve got some nerve! Steward Reed told me everything. You rascal, are you only satisfied if you scare your old man to death?” After ordering his men to deal with the captured warships and prisoners, William Clark rushed to the Spanish galleon at once. Seeing his son Henry Clark unharmed, he slapped him twice, scolding him in a mix of anger and relief.

“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll be more careful next time—safety first.” Henry Clark quietly stubbed out his cigar behind his back and slipped it into his pocket, grinning at William Clark.

“Kid, this time you really brought honor to our Liang family.” Looking at his son, William Clark couldn’t be prouder. He acted when he should, and in the face of danger, he could still calm down and make the best decision—he truly had grown. It seemed that bringing his son out to sea for experience, though it almost cost his life, had finally made a man out of him.

“Dad, we’ve got a lot of good stuff this time.” Henry Clark looked at the warships floating on the sea and the captured muskets and cannons. He’d only been in this world for a few days and already pulled off a big score. With such results, he couldn’t be happier.

“This time, it’s a real damn windfall. Three hundred muskets, over a hundred cannons. Even though we lost three ships, compared to the five we captured, we’ve made a huge profit.” The father and son stood together on the high aft deck, excited for a long while, until Edward Reed came over to remind them of their main objective. They hurriedly rushed into the ship’s hold.

Looking at the ten chests in the lower hold, each filled with gold bars weighing six hundred pounds—over five hundred and forty catties—there weren’t as many gold coins as Captain George had claimed, but there were still two large chests full, totaling no less than six or seven hundred catties.

Two gold-hilted Western swords inlaid with rubies hung on the wall, a small cabinet was filled with all kinds of gems, and several chests contained various gold and silver items. There were even a few pure gold candlesticks inlaid with gems. Besides these, all sorts of gold and silver wares were piled in an inconspicuous corner.

Just the cabinet of gems alone was worth over three hundred thousand taels of silver, plus more than ninety thousand taels of gold. These two items together amounted to over 1.7 million taels of silver. “Damn it, I’ve struck it rich.” Henry Clark grinned from ear to ear, his eyes shining like a beacon in the darkness, his eyes a little moist. It was like a beggar who had unexpectedly picked up a five-million-dollar lottery ticket. He never imagined that the impact of seeing so much gold in front of him would far surpass that of paper money.

Chapter 12: Art Knows No Borders

Mr. Clark’s expression was no better—his greedy gaze reflected the golden glow under the firelight, so dazzling it was hard to look at. His greedy hands touched this piece and pinched that one, just like a tomb robber who had fallen into the treasure hoard of the forty thieves.

The expressions of the father and son made all the subordinates shiver involuntarily, afraid that if anyone so much as touched a copper coin, the two of them would pounce with knives drawn.

“Dad, what do you want to do with those people?” After all the excitement, Henry Clark remembered the main business and pulled William Clark aside to ask in a low voice.

William Clark narrowed his eyes, giving his son a meaningful look. “What do you want to do with them?”

Henry Clark didn’t expect his father to throw the question back at him. Slightly stunned, his eyes rolled. “Dad, if it were me, I’d let them all go.”

“Reason.” William Clark sat down on a chest of gold, enjoying his cigar as he asked. Henry Clark chuckled, leaned in, and whispered in William Clark’s ear for a long while. Mr. Clark’s expression shifted from confusion to satisfaction.

“Dad, what do you think?” After explaining his idea, Henry Clark saw the look on William Clark’s face and knew his father had accepted his plan.

“Alright, I won’t meddle in this. I’ll take care of these things, and you handle that business.” William Clark patted the chest of gold beneath him and smiled at Henry Clark.

Full of emotion, Henry Clark walked behind his father and began to massage his back. “I won’t let you down, Dad.”