The sudden victory over the pirates is the merit of the "guests". Therefore, the king begins to negotiate with the "guests".

The consequences of the events of the last weeks for the city of New Rotterdam were close to catastrophic.

A night escape of criminals from prison...

A brutally suppressed riot of the plebs...

Bloody street battles with pirates and the bombardment of city buildings by artillery guns of pirate ships.

Moreover, the plan of Noseless Pete began to be implemented: on the last day before the sudden battle with the steamships, the pirates began to distribute primitive melee weapons to some **** and embittered inhabitants of the outskirts of the city.

The pirates told them: "We all hate the cruel bastard king! If you want to take **** on him - we give you weapons! Attack from ambushes on the vile henchmen of the shit-eating James II!"

Some of the local paupers-plebs, in despair over the **** of relatives and friends during the recent suppression of the rebellion, accepted this pirate offer.

Therefore, even after the defeat of the pirate flotilla, bloody battles in the outskirts of the city of New Rotterdam continued for a couple more days.

When, finally, the king's troops managed to regain control over the city...

It turned out that this would be more accurately called "control over the ruins".

The population of New Rotterdam has decreased almost in half!

Now only about one and a half thousand people live here.

The city, which until recently was a large regional center of trade, is now a pitiful sight of smoldering ruins.

The dead...

Many wounded...

Many refugees who fled to other regions of the Kingdom of Utrecht or even to territories outside the borders of the kingdom.

Due to poverty, pain and despair, many of these people will become criminals and join the gangs of raiders.

In the port quarter, groups of well-armed mercenaries hold control over the territory near the mansions of wealthy merchants.

Armed units not subordinate to the royal power - previously, such a thing would have to be hidden...

But the recent "storm of bloody events" has changed the situation.

It seems that the League of Merchants is openly demonstrating its power.

King James II ordered these mercenary units to be transferred to his command. However, to his **** indignation, the representatives of the League of Merchants refused him!

The king's mind is seized with rage: "I must wait for armed reinforcements from the north - from Axeman-City and Port-Williams! Then all these conspirators and rebels will receive a punishment proportionate to their wicked deeds!"

However, James II still has many years of experience in managing people, politics and diplomacy.

Therefore, he cordially receives in the Azure Palace a delegation of those who so suddenly helped him to cope with the pirate flotilla.

Representatives of the Republic of Florida are received with honors in the most luxurious hall of the palace.

You, being among the crowd of nobles, were a witness to this diplomatic event.

"Lajos Buchanan, the Rear Admiral in service of the navy of the Republic of Florida!" - the herald solemnly announces near the massive entrance doors.

The formal diplomatic procedure for receiving a delegation from this distant southern state lasts about an hour.

The king is dressed in a majestic orange-white anthia and a luxurious red uniform, which is covered with gilded embroidery and patterns.

The crown on the head of James II sparkles with precious stones and is clearly made of some expensive metal alloys.

Alas, in the crowd of those present, you did not hear something important in the flow of formal mutual greetings and other abstract diplomatic phrases.

It seems that the most important things will be discussed in a confidential setting...

A couple of hours later, in a secluded royal office, King James II asked Lajos Buchanan about the details of his expedition's journey...

A confidential conversation between two people...

"Our expedition is unique in a sense... Previously, the government of the Republic of Florida did not dare to undertake such distant expeditions... However, Mr. Montgomery Ratcliffe recently won the elections. He is now the Director of the Republic of Florida! This politician is a supporter of active external expansion, exploration of surrounding territories and development of diplomatic relations with other states. Representatives of the isolationist party ruled our country for a long time. But now everything has become different..." - says Mr. Buchanan.

"You are choosing the supreme ruler of your state? It is strange... However, it does not matter... Tell me how your steamships managed to sail so far?" - asks the king.

"This is a difficult question, Your Majesty... The Republic of Florida is an island state... Our country has a strong navy... But our disadvantage is a small population and, consequently, small ground forces. We do not want to provoke conflicts and prefer friendly negotiations with those who agree to them. "The movement of our ships along the river had to be coordinated with the local factions... We had to pay a lot for the right to travel to several factions: Free City of Alma, Flamemakers tribe, Tribal Union of Divine Mountain... However, the last two factions were not too interested in our expedition because they were busy with conflicts with each other..." - says Rear Admiral Buchanan.

"But you did not negotiate with the pirates of Noseless Pete! Why?" - asks the king.

"Noseless Pete has been pirating in the south for a long time... He repeatedly attacked our coastal settlements, robbed, killed people, captured our citizens into slavery... We have long had a "score" for this criminal... And I sincerely regret that his body was never found... My subordinates saw how a couple of fast sailing pirate ships were still able to quickly sail to the south... Did this ugly son of a bitch survive again?!" - Lajos's words are permeated with a premonition of future problems.

While this conversation is going on, far to the southeast, a group of pirates is walking along the bank of a large river.

Bonita Quezada carefully bandages the bleeding stump of her uncle's left arm with cloth.

A small group of armed pirates look exhausted and wounded.

Bonita takes out a small object from her bag that looks like a strange syringe, combined with several large ampoules of red and greenish hues.

She sticks this syringe into the left shoulder of Noseless Pete, while two pirates drag him on a kind of stretcher made from broken wooden planks (the planks were probably parts of a destroyed pirate ship).

Noseless Pete feels very bad, but he still retains consciousness and steadfastly resists the hellish pain, muttering sophisticated curses.

"Bonita, we've been walking for a day... Walking to Divine Mountain is very difficult... There are many threats on the way... We have almost no chance, unless we..." - one of the dozen exhausted pirates begins to speak.

"Shut up, Marty! I will not abandon my uncle! He raised me when I was still a child!" - Bonita says gloomily, quietly feeling the handle of the dagger, which is in the sheath on her belt.

It seems that she is ready for the fact that the disagreement will have to be resolved by the **** of one of the "disputants".

Suddenly, one of the pirates shouts: "Look to the north! That's the ship of Silent Joe!"

Indeed, on the horizon (to the north) a lone ship is visible, above which a black flag flies with a nasty symbol resembling a cut-off tongue...

This ship will soon sail closer to the shore.

Boats.

As a result...

Bonita Quezada, Noseless Pete and their companions are now on a ship that is quickly sailing south.

It looks like they will manage to quickly reach Divine Mountain after all.

There is something there that Noseless Pete really needs…