novelSusiti 78. Sell the loot.
78. Sell the loot.
A historic night raid came to a quiet end, with remarkable results, no casualties, and a large amount of supplies captured. The sailors on the ship were all beaming with barely suppressed joy.
Captain Sparrow looked around at everyone, finally fixing his gaze on Dugan, who stood calmly to the side.
Today's events were actually instigated by Dugan, and it was Dugan's generosity that made Dekait decide to take the risk.
Without Dugan, this feat (adventure) would have been impossible.
Moreover, the things the Ceylon did today are all shady dealings, each one skirting the edge of legality. If they were to be leaked, the entire crew would be in grave danger.
So Sparrow had already made up his mind. He stepped forward and said to Dugan, "Mr. Dugan, you should get a share of this spoils."
Dekat immediately chimed in, "That's right, General Dugan, without you we couldn't have accomplished such a feat."
Dugan shook his head slightly and waved his hand gently. "No need. I was just an observer from beginning to end. I did nothing except give you a pistol. All the property should belong to you and the sailors on the ship."
Du had no interest in the money; he was simply traveling for fun and to witness the legends. The spoils of war were not his priority.
But Sparrow insisted, "Mr. Dugan, you must take this spoils."
"Why?" Dugan asked, a little annoyed, raising an eyebrow at Spyro. "I let you guys make a small fortune, was I wrong?"
Sparrow said seriously, "This matter is a secret among all of us. The sailors on board will keep quiet once they've taken the money; as the captain, I will also keep it a secret. But Mr. Dugan, if you don't want anything, then you're the only clean person on board."
Dugan was taken aback; he hadn't considered this when he refused to share the spoils.
"But if you accept your share, then this secret becomes a shared secret for everyone. Everyone benefits, and that's how everyone's mouths will be completely sealed, and the secret will never be revealed."
This isn't about dividing the spoils; it's about hush money, a defensive alliance that binds everyone together.
Deckard, who was standing nearby, immediately realized what was happening and quickly added, "Captain Sparrow is right. Mr. Dugan, please accept your share too, otherwise none of us can rest easy!"
Dugan chuckled inwardly upon hearing this; a bond of shared interests is the most reliable form of confidentiality.
If he insists on not accepting it, it will only create discord among the people.
Dugan stopped refusing and nodded, saying, "Alright, then I'll take one."
Seeing that Dugan had agreed, Sparrow, Deckard, and all the sailors present breathed a sigh of relief.
When people are united, their mouths will be kept shut.
The spoils were then divided on the spot, fairly distributed according to the amount of effort contributed and the importance of their roles.
The silver dollars were divided on the spot.
After counting, the total was 8000 rials. Dugan alone received 600 rials, and no one raised a single objection.
As for the four large barrels of tobacco, they could only be distributed after they were sold at the port.
After the spoils were divided, everyone was perfectly in sync, and no one deliberately mentioned what had happened that night.
The restless atmosphere on the deck of the Ceylon quickly subsided, returning it to the calm demeanor of an ordinary merchant ship.
Captain Sparrow immediately ordered the entire ship to weigh anchor and return to port, sailing at full speed away from the North African waters.
The Ceylon readjusted its course, put away its temporary Maltese merchant flag, and put back on its original East India Company flag, once again transforming into a regular ocean-going merchant ship.
With its sails full, the ship braved the wind and waves, following the ocean currents and wind direction, once again passing through the narrow Strait of Gibraltar, bidding farewell to the warm and tranquil Mediterranean Sea, and sailing back into the Atlantic Ocean.
Heading north, the sea was calm and peaceful, with no further disturbances.
After two days of smooth sailing, the outline of a massive port city slowly emerged at the horizon where the sea and sky meet.
The buildings are scattered, the docks are lined up, and there are countless masts, showing the prosperous scene of a European port.
On the European continent, on the western side of the Iberian Peninsula, Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, is already in sight.
After the ship docked, Captain Sparrow went to the black market to find a smuggler he knew to appraise the four large barrels of tobacco.
In 1804, the flames of the Napoleonic Wars spread across the entire European continent, with Britain and France standing in a standoff and blockade, and various countries choosing sides to avoid danger.
In order to protect itself, Portugal strictly adhered to the neutrality trade ban, completely prohibiting the legal entry of British and American goods, including Virginia tobacco, the most mainstream tobacco in North America.
Strict controls at official ports, coupled with high tariffs and trade embargoes, have directly cut off the legitimate distribution channels for high-quality North American tobacco leaves.
As a result, the price of British and American tobacco on the black market across the Iberian Peninsula skyrocketed, with premiums far exceeding normal levels, giving rise to countless risky smuggling operations.
Captain Sparrow, well aware of the situation, did not rush to dock to report, resupply, or rest. Instead, he ordered his crew to properly move the spoils of war to the lower, dry cargo hold, leaving only four barrels of tobacco out and neatly stacking them on the aft deck.
Four heavy barrels of Virginia tobacco in hog heads represent the most standard and orthodox trade specification in transatlantic trade.
The heavy and sturdy oak barrel is firmly locked in place by thick iron hoops, making it perfectly sealed. The side of the barrel is marked with a clear North American origin stamp and old customs seal marks. The deep grain and clear markings make it easy to tell at a glance that it is a genuine North American product of top quality.
Each barrel is filled with high-pressure, compacted cargo using North American hydraulic equipment, ensuring it is full and plump, with a net weight of a full thousand pounds per barrel.
With its thick, glossy leaves and perfect aging process, it is the most sought-after top-grade tobacco in the upper echelons of European society, and it is extremely difficult to find through ordinary channels at high prices.
In peacetime, in a legitimate British port, a single barrel of top-quality Virginia tobacco would cost only 42,780 reais, and four barrels would cost a total of 171,120 reais. It was just an ordinary trade transaction with no exorbitant profits to speak of.
However, in Lisbon, where there is currently a wartime embargo and supply disruptions, the value of this batch of top-grade tobacco leaves has already increased many times over.
The embargo and supply disruptions, coupled with the high demand from the upper class, have caused the black market price of premium North American tobacco leaves to skyrocket, more than doubling.
According to Captain Sparrow's estimate, if all four barrels of top-quality tobacco were sold, they could easily fetch a record price of 534,750 reais, more than three times the profit in peacetime.
Such enormous profits are enough to offset the entire salary of an ordinary ocean-going sailor after several years of hard work. Even mid- to high-ranking naval officers would find it difficult to accumulate such a huge sum of money in a short period of time.
It was precisely this appalling wartime profit that allowed smuggling along the Atlantic coast to continue unabated despite repeated crackdowns.
Countless sailors and merchant ships were willing to risk being seized by customs, having all their goods confiscated, or even going to jail, in order to gamble on the opportunity to make a fortune overnight by reselling goods prohibited by the UK and the US.
After settling the cargo, Captain Sparrow changed out of his captain's uniform into simple, unassuming civilian clothes, deliberately avoiding the inspection of the port's regular customs officials, and quietly disembarked alone.
Leveraging his extensive network of contacts accumulated over years of traveling to major European ports, he quickly made contact with a veteran smuggler in Lisbon's gray market, a seasoned Portuguese middleman nicknamed "Old Oak."
The old oak tree has long been a figure in the gray areas of Lisbon's port, possessing keen eyesight, shrewd methods, and a secretive approach.
The important thing is that he is clean-cut, has reliable channels, and has never had a bad track record. He is Sparrow's most trusted and most frequent black market trading partner.
Avoiding the crowds and keeping their distance, the two met in a quiet, deserted warehouse alley at the dock. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they boarded a small ferry together and headed straight for the outer harbor anchorage of the Ceylon ship to inspect the cargo.
The old oak tree slowly circled the four oak tobacco barrels, its fingertips gently tracing the fire marks and taut iron hoops on the barrels. It then leaned close to the gaps in the barrels to sniff the air, its eyes instantly gleaming with shrewdness, and it nodded repeatedly in admiration.
"Genuine top-quality Virginia goods, hydraulically compacted, full weight, perfectly aged, perfectly dry and wet, and of the highest quality."
Old Oak was an expert; he immediately recognized the quality of the goods and said with approval, "Of all the tobacco I've handled this year, none can compare to these four barrels. However, with customs cracking down everywhere, the risk for this shipment is far greater than usual."
Sparrow had already figured out the other party's tactics for lowering prices, and simply said, "No need to lay the groundwork for lowering prices, just quote the actual price."
The old oak tree pondered for a moment, then held up three fingers to tentatively quote: "One hundred and sixteen thousand nine hundred and fifty reais per barrel, four barrels bundled together for a total price of forty-two hundred and twenty-seven thousand eight hundred reais. I'll cover unloading, concealment, and the entire transfer process; all inspection and storage risks will be borne by me."
Upon hearing this, Sparrow immediately sneered, "You damned profiteer, we've been working together for years, there's no need for you to play these price-cutting tricks on me."
"Everyone in the Lisbon black market knows that the minimum price for top-quality Virginia tobacco is 106,950 reais per barrel, while the best quality can fetch up to 117,645 reais. This is a full 1,000 pounds of top-grade tobacco, free of dampness, mold, and impurities, far superior to ordinary tobacco sold in supermarkets."
Sparrow pointed to the cargo bins behind him and said confidently, "It's unreasonable for you to accept my top-of-the-line goods at the price of ordinary, second-rate goods. Besides, you know better than anyone that there's a severe shortage in the entire port of Lisbon and even the entire European market right now. This kind of genuine, top-grade Virginia tobacco, directly from North America, is hard to get even if you have the money. You can sell this batch of my goods immediately after you take it; there's absolutely no risk."
The old oak tree's expression stiffened slightly, and he gave an awkward chuckle, still trying to lower the price: "I understand the logic, but with the strict wartime inspections right now, if customs confiscates my goods, I'll lose everything and go to jail. Taking on such a huge risk naturally means I have to lower the price. 427,800 reais is the highest price I can offer."
Sparrow stood firm, stating his bottom line: "I won't raise the price exorbitantly, nor will I accept a low price. The total price for four barrels is 534,750 reais."
"Five hundred and thirty-four thousand seven hundred and fifty? That price is too high!" The old oak tree hurriedly waved its hands, feigning panic and distress, "At this price, I have no profit margin at all; it's a completely unprofitable deal!"
"You greedy old man, at least one of your ancestors must have been Jewish! No... at least two!" Sparrow almost cursed. "After you take over, you can resell it to the city's noble tobacco shops and inland private merchants. A single barrel can sell for at least 178,250 reais, and the net profit from four barrels will far exceed 100,000 reais."
The old oak tree stared at the four barrels of excellent tobacco leaves in silence for a long time before finally gritting its teeth and saying, "Fine! I'll trust you this once! 534,750 reais! Cash on delivery, all in real cash."
The two parties finalized the deal on the spot without any written contract, relying entirely on years of verbal trust from the port's gray market business, ensuring a safe and reliable transaction.
After finalizing the price, Old Oak immediately arranged for his men to secretly transfer the four barrels of top-grade tobacco off the ship under the cover of darkness, avoiding customs inspections and patrols, and storing them in a secret black market warehouse on the outskirts of Lisbon, completely avoiding the risk of seizure.
Before long, a heavy stack of full-amount real cash was delivered to the Ceylon ship by a special person. The cash was neatly stacked, substantial, and the cash and cash were exchanged.
Finally, as agreed, Dugan received 10 reais, which sounds like a lot, but the current exchange rate between the pound and the real is 1:3565, so 10 reais is less than 40 pounds.
To reiterate, £40 was just a small sum for Duggan, but for Captain Sparrow and the sailors on board, it was a considerable amount.
Dekat also received a share of the money, and then he landed in Lisbon and went directly to the US embassy in Portugal.
Notably, Dekat and Dugan embraced warmly once again.
"Thank you again, General." Dekat said with some reluctance, "Will we meet again?"
Dugan felt a chill run down his spine and replied, "Let's leave it to God for one day!"