Chapter 351: The Hands-Off Boss Asks for Money

"Huh?!"

Brother Hu, who had been talking non-stop just moments ago, ground to a dead halt.

What is going on here?

Why is the Boss asking about money all of a sudden?

"I'm not too clear on the exact figures myself," Brother Hu said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Though... we should have a ridiculous amount of cash."

The Dark Clan had grown into a global powerhouse spanning the entire world. To say they lacked funds? Was that even possible?

Yet when it came down to specific numbers, he had no idea; accounting of that level was managed strictly by the finance division.

He was merely a mid-tier cadre deployed to the East Blue branch, far removed from the organization's core financial records.

Asking him about the clan's exact treasury reserves was barking up the wrong tree.

Seeing his reaction, Drake understood. To get a clear picture of their liquidity, he would have to ask Bernice directly.

"Though if I remember correctly, when our deployment unit was dispatched to the East Blue, Chief Bernice allocated ten billion Berries to our regional branch as initial operating capital," Brother Hu added.

Hearing that figure, Drake nodded thoughtfully.

Ten billion Berries translated to one thousand seconds—roughly sixteen minutes of operational output.

Activating the Unity of Man and Vessel required an initial baseline ignition of at least one billion Berries; otherwise, the transformation couldn't even be engaged.

Let alone conducting prolonged combat.

Mathematically, the conversion held up, but it was absurdly extravagant. Burning through billions upon billions of Berries for a single skirmish was a financial bleed that even the wealthiest magnate on the seas couldn't sustain.

"Alright, I understand. Connect me to Bernice," Drake said, rising to his feet. Securing the necessary funds could not be delayed.

To be completely honest, Drake considered himself fairly thick-skinned, yet watching the Transponder Snail dial out gave him a twinge of genuine guilt.

There was no helping it. As a completely hands-off boss, he had never once involved himself in the development and expansion of the Dark Clan.

Even two years ago, he had taken that exact same detached approach.

From the beginning, Bernice had carried the entire burden on her shoulders, exhausting every ounce of wit and energy to build their criminal enterprise from the ground up.

In fact, he had only just learned that the Dark Clan had grown to such a massive scale across the globe.

Having contributed virtually nothing to the organization's growth, turning around to ask Bernice for billions of Berries now was undeniably embarrassing.

Even someone as shameless as Drake couldn't help a faint blush from creeping up his neck.

Before long, Brother Hu handed the receiver over. Drake took the snail, momentarily at a total loss for words.

...Is opening a conversation with a direct cash demand really appropriate?

"Boss Drake?"

The familiar voice drifted through the shell.

It was undeniably Bernice. She knew the caller had to be Drake; no one else possessed the priority clearance to dial into her private direct line.

In this scenario, there was only one possibility.

The man calling was Drake.

"It's me," Drake said, forcing a calm, measured tone. Regardless of his inner awkwardness, maintaining composure was paramount.

Back in her sprawling private office at the Dark Clan's headquarters, Bernice's eyes curved into elegant crescents, a radiant smile lighting up her face. "Did the Boss miss me?"

Drake: "..."

The lingering hesitation he had felt about broaching the subject evaporated instantly.

Since Bernice could throw out teasing remarks so brazenly, what did he have to be shy about as a grown man?

"Hehehe..." Sensing Drake's stunned silence on the other end, Bernice burst into a fit of melodious laughter. "What's the matter, Boss? Cat got your tongue?"

Drake's face burned even hotter. Their line wasn't a private channel; half his crew and several cadres were standing around watching him right now!

She could have at least spared a little face for her supreme commander.

Clearing his throat to reassert his authority, Drake spoke in a grave tone: "Bernice, I have something critical to ask you. It's extremely important!"

"Oh? How important?"

"It's..." Drake began, only to freeze mid-sentence.

How important?

What kind of person answers a question like that?

"It's a matter of absolute urgency! Tell me: how much liquid capital can the Dark Clan mobilize right now?" Drake asked seriously.

On the other end of the line, Bernice raised an eyebrow. Reinforcing her professional demeanor, she replied with crisp precision: "By preliminary estimates, our readily accessible liquid reserves sit at roughly one hundred billion Berries."

She paused, adding smoothly, "If we are given sufficient time to liquidate auxiliary assets, we can pull together another fifty billion."

Drake's eyes rounded into saucers.

In his original estimation, the Dark Clan being able to produce twenty or thirty billion would have been an incredible achievement.

Yet she had just casually quoted him one hundred and fifty billion Berries!

"Y-You're... You're not pulling my leg, are you?" Drake asked, hesitation lacing his voice.

Pfft... Hahaha!

Bernice couldn't hold back her amusement, laughing aloud before adopting a mockingly wounded tone: "Boss Drake, are you implying you don't trust this humble woman's word?"

"No, that's not it. My brain just had trouble processing that number."

"So... you truly have one hundred billion on hand? You're certain?"

"I am the Supreme Commander of the Dark Clan. If I'm not certain, who else would be?" Bernice countered playfully.

Fair point. Drake gave a silent nod, his initial shock transforming into soaring excitement.

With this level of funding, the energy constraints of the Demon Warder were effectively solved!

"I need fifty billion!" Drake declared.

Bernice blinked in surprise before answering smoothly, "Of course. You are the true master behind the Dark Clan, after all."

Drake caught the subtle undertone in her words immediately—a double-edged barb wrapped in silk.

Then again, she had every right to say it. Although he held the formal title of supreme sovereign, he had never once managed operational affairs.

Every single milestone the Dark Clan enjoyed today was the fruit of Bernice's labor.

"However, regarding this sum, I must trouble you to collect it in person, Boss. Entrusting that much wealth to ordinary transport simply isn't secure," Bernice noted.

Only then did the physical reality of fifty billion Berries dawn on Drake.

How much space did that even occupy? A fleet of wagons?

Even in ten-thousand-Berry banknotes, transporting that volume of cash would require an entire cargo hold; if it was held in gold and gemstones, human hands couldn't possibly haul it efficiently.

"Understood. I'll make the trip myself," Drake agreed. There was no alternative.

By utilizing his spatial manipulation and executing continuous, long-range spatial warps, traversing the distance back to the Dark Clan's headquarters in the New World wouldn't take very long.

Half a day should be more than enough.

A round trip would take roughly twenty-four hours.

Click.

The connection terminated.

Staring down at the disconnected receiver, Bernice remained silent for a long moment. Even though she had anticipated the abrupt ending, the sudden click still caused her slender fingers to tighten around the receiver.

Her face flushed with a mixture of annoyance and frustration before she finally exhaled a long, measured breath, a radiant smile breaking across her features.

"I've finally lured you back home," she murmured softly to the empty office. "It seems hoarding all this wealth wasn't pointless after all..."

Meanwhile, entirely unaware of the trap waiting for him, Drake briefed the Dragon Flag Pirates on his impending departure for the Dark Clan's headquarters.

Without Ain fully recovered, eradicating Im once and for all was impossible.

Given her current state of physiological exhaustion, healing through natural rest would take at least ten days to two weeks before she could re-enter combat.

Let alone executing her high-tier soul-sealing arts!

Bidding farewell to Kenshin and the others, Drake left the Demon Warder anchored in Gecko Islands and set out across the open sea alone.

Holding down the fort here was now up to Kenshin and the crew. Through their recent gauntlet of high-intensity battles, their individual combat capabilities had sharpened significantly.

He could only trust that they would hold the line.