Chapter 160: 160
Zhang Heng finally got a few days off for himself . It appeared that news about the brothel incident had spread throughout Nassau . Whenever anyone wanted to mess with the Jackdaw’s pirates, they would have to first consider if they could beat Zhang Heng’s wealth . From then on, his conflicts lessened dramatically, and he didn’t need to waste more time dealing with troubles like that .
These days, Zhang Heng would spend most of his time sparring with Anne . He would also tend to a vegetable farm that he had started as well .
Zhang Heng was glad that he was now living in a tropical country . All the tomatoes, carrots, and cabbages that he planted in the ground were all ready for harvest when he returned from his voyages . Proper care wasn’t even required as the weather here would take good care of his vegetables while he was gone for a month or two .
As compared to training for combat, Anne was not interested in farming . Most of the time, she would sprawl lazily on the chair outside the house and watch Zhang Heng tend to his crops . The incident that night was akin to a rock dropping into a lake . There were ripples at first, but calm quickly returned after a little while .
Anne did not change the way she treated Zhang Heng, not to mention that she did not look as if she was in love as well . The only thing that changed was the frequency of Anne’s sparring requests . Perhaps it was her very own way of showing her love to him .
… .
Five days later, Zhang Heng visited Terrance’s mansion with Anne and Billy . Although it would seem that he faced no potential threats there, it would still be inappropriate for the captain of the Jackdaw to go there alone . Malcolm didn’t organize his banquet in the town of Nassau . Instead, it was located on a plantation somewhere near the center of the island . The land belonged to him, and that was his place of residence as well .
Unlike the wooden houses on the northern shores, Malcolm’s mansion was made out of stone, and it was designed with an adaptation of Baroque architecture . However, stones were not available on New Providence Island . Malcolm had to import those stones from somewhere else . One could only imagine how much a single stone would cost . He even went as far as hiring two Italian architects, taking three long years to build the mansion . This was his first time exposing his mysterious abode to outsiders .
“Well… it appears that this guy has done very well for himself over the years!” exclaimed Anne while staring at the giant statues of Apollo and Daphne in front of the mansion .
“This is exactly why he organized this banquet . He wants to let everyone know that they too can earn big bucks if they work with him . ”
Zhang Heng had Malcolm all figured out in his mind .
“I think he’s managed to achieve his agenda,” said Billy .
He turned around, only to see every guest standing with their mouths wide open as they stared in awe at the large statues . A man appearing to be a butler stood at the entrance at the mansion and checked the invitation that Zhang Heng brought with him .
“Welcome to the Terrance mansion . I wish the three of you a pleasant time . ”
After that, he rang the bell that he was holding . At the ring, three maids clad in black approached them . They seemed really young, about 16 to 17 years of age .
“Hello . My name is Daisy . I will be serving you tonight, and I will do my best to fulfill everything that you need . ”
“I don’t think I need a servant . Besides, I don’t like people following me around . ”
The maid looked taken aback by Anne’s snappy comment . There was still a smile on her face, but it was evident that it was forced . Once the butler noticed the small commotion, he walked towards Zhang Heng right after he checked the person’s invitation in front of him . He saw that Daisy had started panicking .
“Greetings . May I know what is going on here? Are you dissatisfied with Daisy’s company? I can get you someone else right away . ”
Just when Anne wanted to say something, Zhang Heng interrupted her .
“Everything is good . We are thinking of asking Daisy to show us around the mansion . ”
“I believe that you will definitely like this place . However, I don’t think you can finish exploring in a day because this place is massive . Besides, our special performance is about to begin . I would like to recommend that you enter the banquet hall first . There will be free time for you to walk around after the banquet is over . Feel free to tell your maid if you wish to stay here for the night . ”
Zhang Heng then nodded his head and thanked the butler . He started to walk towards the brightest building that was not too far away from him . Anne was smart enough to know why Zhang Heng interrupted her just now . Once they were away from the entrance, Anne talked to the servant .
“Will you be punished if we rejected your services just now?”
Daisy did not respond to Anne’s question . Instead, she undid the back of her dress, and shockingly, it was scarred from top to bottom, probably the result of continuous whipping . Seeing what the maid had to endure, Anne became so furious that she was about to draw her dagger and kill the person responsible for the torture .
“Better not try anything stupid here . I don’t like this too . Once the women are sold to the household, they are being treated as property . No one can say a word, no matter what Malcolm does to them . You are going to make them suffer even more if you insist on avenging them . We are simply guests, and we will leave this mansion after tonight . They are the ones who would have to remain here,” said Billy in a hushed tone .
Daisy was grateful for Billy’s explanation . Left in fumes of frustration, Anne put away her dagger . Soon, the three arrived at the ballroom, and Daisy opened the doors for them . If the outer part of the building was luxurious, the structure’s interior could only be described as resplendent and magnificent . A vast chandelier hung from the center of a massive dome with more than a hundred candles alight on it . The candlelight was as bright as day, displaying an intricately decorated wall that was covered with ribbons . A soft Persian carpet lined the entire floor .
“How nostalgic! I feel like I’m back in Scotland,” cooed a landowner who was behind them .
Throngs of guests were invited to the banquet . However, there were two kinds of people here . One was the conventional businessmen . They were deeply impressed by the lavish decorations and sculptures inside the ballroom . They only stood there and observed without touching anything . On the other hand, there were pirates . This lot had their hands all over the valuables in the ballroom . Of course, the thought of looting these items came across their minds . They knew that it would earn them a handsome fortune if they could sell them off .
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