Chapter 143: Dining Together

When Lord Ron (Talren) seated himself at the farthest table with two women, he waved his hand in the air to prompt the attendees to begin eating.

It appeared he wished them to enjoy the meal until all participants had arrived.

Dawson ordered char siu and something resembling oolong tea, then decided to wait, savoring the food slowly.

Shortly after a certain pirate entered the shop, the shop's shutter closed.

The pirate seemed to be the final attendee.

After confirming all pirates had taken their seats, Lord Ron stood and began his speech.

"First, I wish to thank you all for gathering here. Those assembled in this establishment are individuals who, in the coming conflict with my SU Space Fleet, we hold in high regard."

About half of the pirates appeared to grasp the implied meaning of 'relying on you.' The rest wore expressions of mild confusion, as if questioning whether they were being praised.

Yet the earlier words had seemed intended to gauge the intellectual capacity of the assembled pirates. Ron elder continued in simpler language.

'SU Space Fleet claims it will eliminate pirates. It believes this goal is achievable. But are we truly such fragile beings? No. We are not rabbits hunted by hunters. We are wolves that hunt!'

Dawson wondered whether using metaphors like 'rabbit' and 'wolf'—rare in the spacefaring era—would be understood by the pirates.

Yet the pirates clearly recognized the animals. They responded with cheers to Ron elder's speech.

That's right! We are wolves hunting merchants! Not going to lose to S.U. government dogs!

We'll show them the difference—wolves are more dangerous than hunting hounds!

Cheering erupted. The noise peaked, then Ron elder raised a hand and silenced the crowd.

"I understand your spirit. We are wolves. We cannot lose to dogs. But even wolves fall to a pack of hunters when isolated. That is fact. Therefore, we must unite as a pack, just as wolves attack prey in numbers. This gathering is the beginning of that unity."

Ron elder subtly encouraged the pirates to interact with those they rarely met.

Dawson thought it was unnecessary interference.

Among the pirates in this establishment, only Dawson had been active for slightly over a year.

The outcome was predictable: after Lord Ron initiated conversation, others among the pirates would soon approach.

Dawson, for his part, had no interest in building rapport with the pirates. He moved only to achieve his objectives. He found it inconvenient when approached.

Whether aware of this or not, Lord Ron continued speaking.

"After feasting at the banquet, I invite you all to the pleasure district for top-tier nocturnal activity. Let food and exercise restore your vigor. We will need you strong in the coming conflict with the SU Space Fleet. That concludes my remarks. Enjoy yourselves."

Lord Ron raised his cup. The pirates raised their drinks in turn. Dawson followed suit, lifting his cup of oolong tea.

"Down with the SU Space Fleet! Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

After the toast, the chatter of pirates resumed in the shop. Dawson returned to eating his braised pork and sipping oolong tea.

He chewed slowly, enjoying the rich flavor of the meat. A pirate approached him after a moment.

Dawson turned his gaze toward the man through the mask. The man, whose limbs were mechanized and whose age approached forty, smiled lightly and sat in the empty seat at the same table.

"You're not a face I've seen at Big Cock. Where are you from?"

"This white-and-black surface isn't my face. It's a mask. I'm not showing my real face."

Dawson replied with irony to the probing question. The pirate laughed.

"Haha, true enough. So where are you from?"

"First at Hamano Onna, then Chicken Ball. Then I was summoned here—came all the way to Big Cock."

"Huh. The white-and-black mask from Chicken Ball. I've heard of you. You're the one who's been targeting the S.U. Space Force, right?"

Dawson tilted his head at the unfamiliar assessment.

"Targeting the Space Force specifically isn't my goal. It was just faster to acquire good ships and equipment by seizing them from Space Force vessels. And lately, I've been focusing on raiding supplies from habitable planets and satellites instead."

"Even so, you're still fighting the Space Force during these raids."

"They're the ones who initiate contact. If they don't make a move, I have no interest in fighting."

"Haha. So if we just ignore your raids, you'll hold back from attacking the Space Force? Not bad for a madman."

After a brief laugh, the pirate suddenly lowered his voice.

"Given your extensive experience fighting the Space Force—I'd like to ask—can you win?"

Even the pirate known as Ron, who had targeted a fleet of two hundred thousand ships, appeared uneasy.

Dawson replied while slowly eating the pork belly.

"Depending on how it's done, victory is possible. If it can't be achieved, that would be a problem."

"Ah, yes. That's true. The Space Force has declared the extermination of pirates. Even if one posts something, it's still true."

The pirate seemed to have finished his inquiries. He stood up immediately and moved toward another pirate.

Dawson, having nearly finished the pork belly, decided to order another dish.

No one approached him until he finished eating the new meal. Afterward, under Ron's leadership, the pirates set out toward the pleasure district.

Not all pirates headed toward the pleasure district. A few turned away from the line and moved toward the harbor.

Dawson, neither full nor in the mood for exercise, decided to head toward the harbor to catch a short-range vessel back to the Sparrow Hawk.