Chapter 1735 - WMW 109

"Foreign wizard! I can sense an aura emitting from you, that only clan priests possess!" The high-level barbarian warrior, Odge, had his eyes fixated on Leylin's hands, "In addition, you're also a soldier worth respecting!"

His astonishing sharpness allowed him to sense Leylin's accomplishments as a warrior.

"Then… Speak your purpose in coming here!" After Odge spoke, the fox lady Madam Tillen immediately stood obediently as the side, as though she was a maid showing respect.

Leylin took a deep breath, then said his request, "I would like to join forces with the Barbarians' to attack the Baltic archipelago!"

"Are you crazy, young lad?" Even the fox woman couldn't listen to such a fantastical plan. She stood up as her chest heaved violently, "Do you know how many Professionals Marquis Louis has under him? You actually want to rope us in as his enemy? Don't think we'll think highly of you because you exterminated the Black Tigers and Half Merfolk Island. Wait till you've gotten rid of the Black Skeletons or Tigershark Pirates, before saying that again!"

"But… you're ALREADY enemies with the Marquis. I'm just offering a helping hand, am I not?" Leylin shrugged his shoulders and said with a smile.

"Good lord! To think that I actually know a chap like you who doesn't understand the complexity of the situation…" Madam Tillen was so furious that her entire body started to tremble, and she was close to chasing him away immediately.

But at this very moment, an enormously powerful pair of hands stopped Tillen from taking action. "Let him continue!"

"Odge… You…" The fox lady turned around and saw the interested expression in the barbarian's eyes.

"The enemy of our enemy is our friend!" Leylin smiled and spoke frankly with assurance. "Not only can the Faulens offer you support as a noble family, I am also a wizard, with a formidable tutor as my backing."

The power of magic was the eternal sorrow of these barbarians. Odge's expression changed greatly in response. Even though there were a few barbarian priests who had inherited magical abilities, they were always at a disadvantage compared to human wizards.

Upon seeing this, Leylin became more confident. "I presume… that you also know how powerful magic can be, right?"

"Yes, we will require the assistance of formidable magical power to aid us in defeating Boruj!" The Barbarian Warlock nodded.

"Boruj… Is that the chief wizard of Louis' family?" Leylin quickly recalled the information he had purchased at the Thieves' Guild.

"That's right! I can tell you for definite that he's a high level wizard above rank 15! Without him, if they relied only on Black Skeletons and Tigershark Pirates, I'd have ripped those two pirate crews into shreds a long time ago…"

"A wizard above rank 15!" Leylin exhaled deeply. Such high level wizards often had great mastery over powerful plane transmission spells and life spells, which made killing them exceptionally difficult.

"Such wizards are probably few and far between even in the Dambrath Kingdom, right? Why would he agree to work under Marquis Louis?"

If it was him that was the marquis of the empire, there would still be a possibility of attracting a high-level wizard to work for him. But Marquis Louis evidently didn't have this qualification. In the entire Dambrath Kingdom, the only person who had the ability to recruit a high-level wizard would only be His Majesty.

"As a matter of fact, I know a little about this…" Seeing that Odge didn't reject the alliance, and even appeared to admire Leylin, Madam Tillen took a deep breath, no longer looking down on Leylin.

"According to my intelligence reports, that marquis apparently promised to build him a wizard tower, and used this to pay for the wizard's assistance…"

"We absolutely must not let him successfully build a wizard tower!" Without waiting for Madam Tillen complete her sentence, Leylin had already made up his mind. Even it was a wizard tower of the lowest standards, the amount of wealth required was astronomical. Two million gold coins was the most basic requirement, and they had to be kronas.

With such a huge temptation, it was no wonder that Boruj would cast himself as one of Marquis Louis' subordinates. It was also not surprising that his table manners were exceptionally unsightly [1. Acting tastelessly and greedily], as he was a person who wanted any kind of benefits.

But the more it was so, the more Leylin wanted to destroy their alliance.

No one else understood the terror of a wizard tower more clearly than a wizard himself. A low-ranking wizard tower was equivalent to a rank 15 wizard, the sort that did not need to rest day or night, with boundless energy. Once he successfully constructed his wizard tower, the entire Baltic archipelago would be so sturdy that it would be impenetrable under Boruj's supervision.

With the wizard tower, not only would Boruj take a step forwards to advancement, it also meant that he could groom a steady flow of wizard apprentices!

It only took a few reminders from Leylin before Odge's eyes shone with resolution.

"But… According to our intelligence reports, Marquis Louis is already secretly buying mithril and refined gold in bulk, and they even increased the intensity of their slavers' fleet. He even sent people to the mainland to acquire high-grade construction blueprints…"

"The more he moves forward, the more we cannot let them succeed, or else his will be the only voice in the outer sea in the future!" Leylin's expression was serious, "I'll incessantly raid his shipping routes from now, I'll need your cooperation for intelligence reports and to fence stolen goods."

Hearing Leylin's simple yet crude plan, Madam Tillen had a rather thoughtful expression on her face. What he offered was something the Barbarians themselves could not do.

Were they to do such a thing, it would mean the start of a war! The Marquis' powerful fleet of ships would arrive at Pirates' Cove in the blink of an eye, but it was different for Leylin. He was executing this in private, but still had the identity of a noble on the surface.

Even Marquis Louis would not dare to commit the heinous crime of attacking another noble family's territory without any evidence. Besides, only a wizard like himself would be able to avoid the detection and predictive spells of the wizard working under Louis.

As for dispatching pirates and the like, did he think the other nobles were fools? There was a church on Faulen Island as well.

As long as the high-level wizard Boruj was not around, Leylin dared to join up with the Barbarians, and make sure that Boruj would walk the path of no return.

Many thoughts passed through the barbarian's mind. One should not be baffled by his appearance; although he was a barbarian, his ability to hold the throne of leadership showed that he was no simple character.

Moreover, no matter how he looked at it, the one taking the risk would be Leylin and his family. There wouldn't be any gains or losses on his part. This was what Leylin had planned long ago, and it would soon bring sorrow to his weaker opponents.

"Madam!" At this instant, there was a light knock on the door.

"What's the matter? Didn't I say before that you can't approach the lord if there isn't anything important?" Madam Tillen scowled, but continued to swing her hips as she opened the door by a small crack.

"Madam!" A maid with extremely clever eyes lowered her head and secretly scanned her surroundings, before whispering something in Madam Tillen's ear.

After closing the door, Madam Tillen returned to her seat. She looked at Leylin oddly. Her facial expression changed a few times, before she leaned forward on Odge's shoulder and said a few words to him.

"You're good!" Odge gave Leylin a profound look. He then whispered urgently and hastily in Madam Tillen's ear.

A high-ranking warrior of Odge's level could already manifest their qi into the external environment. Isolating an area from detection was simply a piece of cake for him, and even Leylin couldn't hear anything they were discussing.

"Alright! Our chief has agreed to form an alliance with you, and even share our intelligence reports and the channel where we dispose our stolen goods with you!"

Madam Tillen grudgingly shot a bitter glance at Leylin, as though he had gotten some huge advantage, "However, we want half of the benefits of your profits every round!"

"Ten percent at most, or else I will not be able to pay my subordinates!"

Once they were back to this matter, Madam Tillen seemed to have returned to being that shrewd wife. Leylin couldn't give them his benefits just based on a few sentences she uttered, and they settled on the criterion of thirty percent in the end.

Since the leaders of both parties had already confirmed their inclination towards a collaboration, the rest of the matters could be settled by their subordinates. Odge stood up, causing a slight tremor in the process.

"Nobleman from the outer seas, wizard Leylin! Are you my friend?"

"Of course. May our friendship last for a long time, and even carry over to our descendants!" Leylin solemnly made a promise.

*Thump!* Two fists, one large and one small, collided, producing a light crack. This was a contract of their alliance and a pledge between men.

Of course, how long this would be maintained was a question that Leylin found hard to confront. However, before the fall of Marquis Louis' influence, their relationship as allies would be relatively solid.

After Odge left, the fox lady moved next to Leylin. Her petite frame which could light up a fire in most men was almost completely leaning against his body as she said in a feminine voice in his ear, "Hehe… Odge seems to like you very much?"

"My apologies, Madam! It's about time for me to leave!" Leylin pushed her away courteously and got up to take his leave.

Hearing his words, a trace of disappointment flashed across her eyes, although it wasn't clear if it was genuine or false. "Your behaviour really does deeply wound me! However, elder sister still has two gifts for you!"

"Karen! You belong to Mr Leylin from now on. You need to satisfy all of his demands, understand?"

"Understood, Madam!" Karen agreed like it was a conditioned reflex, before a hint of shame and fury flashed across her face, as though she had come to a realisation.

Although he was fully aware that Madam Tillen was being generous, at least she had gotten the approval of the barbarian, or else she definitely wouldn't have dared to free Karen of her imprisonment. Leylin thanked her anyway.

-x-X-x-

"And the other gift?" Leylin looked at the appealing fox lady in front of him. There was a glimmer of anticipation on his face like that of a little boy-next-door.

Such an attitude made Madam Tillen blush instantly, and her heart almost could not take it, "Although I know perfectly well that you're just putting on an act, I still was nearly captivated by you…"

Tillen swayed her hips. Her fiery-red fox tail drifting gently with the wind, "The second one is an intelligence report. It's about the God of Murder's church."

Leylin's expression turned solemn as he listened carefully.

...

After several days, the Scarlet Tiger had been repaired at the pier of Pirates' Cove. The blood-red flag with the skull and dagger motif fluttered in the wind.

The damage to the ship's hull had been completely mended, the bottom of the ship polished, and even the bow of the ship had been replaced. The entire ship seemed to have been given new life, making Leylin feel deeply moved and feeling that his gold coins had been well-spent.

Now, Leylin was standing at the front of the deck with his hands behind his back, looking down at more than a hundred pirates.

These men were all recruited at Pirates' Cove, and would make up the members in his future pirate crew.

Although Hulk and Giant had diligently attended to the matter, Leylin still had a glimmer of dissatisfaction due to the short period of time they had.

It could not be said that he was discontented with these pirates below him. It would be a wonder if these stubborn and unruly pirates submitted immediately upon discovering that their boss was a youngster. Thus, Leylin was not upset about that. What made him unhappy was how weak these pirates were.

The number of Professionals were so low that it could be counted with his fingers, and not a single one was above rank 5. Ronaldo's group was already considered the cream of the crop, but they had at least seen bloodshed before, so they wouldn't be lenient during a battle.

Furthermore, the few who had pretty decent strength seemed to be up to no good. They didn't even have the inclination to lay low for a while, which made Leylin shake his head inwardly.

'Forget it, an elite pirate crew isn't made in one or two days. Hulk and Giant have done quite well.'

Leylin sighed secretly, then stood in front of everyone, "I am the captain of the Scarlet Tiger and will be your captain in the future. Does anyone have anything to say?"

He roared loudly all of a sudden, and his voice even made the pirates' eardrums hurt, "I know many among you are unwilling to obey me."

Leylin slowly ran his eyes through the crowd, seemingly able to read every single pirate's heart, "Some of you have your eyes on the handsome pay. Others are here purely to have some fun. Furthermore, some of you, perhaps, simply harbor prohibited thoughts and wish to kill me and seize control of the boat at sea."

An uproar came from the pirates below, but Leylin's voice was loud enough to repress it.

"But it doesn't matter, I can put all that aside. However, if you disobey my orders on the ship, or are unable to complete even my most basic requests, I will wring your brain out and stuff it up your anus. Do you understand?"

This arrogant threat immediately created a commotion among many of the pirates. Even Ronaldo was slightly displeased.

"Ya tender white swine! How dare ye speak to adults like that! Be a good lil' boy and run back to yer mommy's bosom to drink her milk!"

A jarring voice sounded from the crowd and hoots of laughter instantly erupted.

"Stop hidin', Damphair Aeron. I can see ye. Get out here!" Giant and Hulk were rather furious.

"Hey! Hey! Mateys! Are we gin' let a mischievous imp climb over our heads?" The crowd parted. A pirate with a fake eye and yellowing teeth walked out with more than a dozen men behind him.

"Browntooth Torworld, Pinchface Jon Myre, Red Oarsman Lucas Codd, Quellon Humble…" Giant's expression grew worse as these names were called out one by one.

These were all famous pirates. Most of them worked alone, but they still were forces to be reckoned with.

Moreover, they had great popularity among the various pirates. Even Cyclops felt that this wouldn't be easy to settle.

"Finally, you appear." Leylin shook his head, "Then what do you plan on doing? Don't forget we are still at the pier."

Leylin was speechless regarding how those few had appeared all of a sudden. Even if they were just being compliant on the surface, but were secretly conspiring to seize control of the authority, Leylin could still use them temporarily for a period of time. It was better than disposing of them immediately.

"Nothin', respectable young master!" Aeron snarled, making his yellowing teeth even more conspicuous, "I'm just hopin' that young master can appoint me and these mateys as assistants onboard. This way, we'll be able to pass on a portion of the benefits to ye. A person with such honorable status like yourself can refrain from headin' out to sea and takin' risks. Ain't that reasonable?"

"Is this what all of you think too?" Leylin looked down at the newly recruited pirates.

At this point, even Giant, the most slow-witted of them all, understood that they were plotting to seize control. He immediately stood behind Leylin, along with Cyclops and the other older pirates. Their gazes were filled with pity.

Based on what they knew of Leylin, they instantly predicted that this was the beginning of a show of force and massacre.

The majority of the pirates lowered their heads, but a few jeered rowdily. The crowd still showed tacit approval on the whole.

The loyalty of pirates was as chaste as prostitutes.

"Aeron! You're too much!" Ronald stood apart together with his brothers, drawing the boundaries with him.

"A silent majority, and a handful of rebellious people?" Leylin laughed while looking at Aeron, who seemed to be at a loss of what to do. His eyes were filled with panic.

Upon seeing Ronald step out, he evidently understood that the situation had escalated to a point where it would be difficult to tell what would happen.

At first, they had more than a dozen brothers that were not inferior to Leylin's men. While the remaining newly recruited pirates wouldn't have helped an outsider.

But now, the tables had turned. Since Ronald decided to defect while bringing some people along, the tides turned immediately. The number of people in Leylin's team rapidly increased, which intimidated majority of the remaining pirates.

Aeron deeply understood that, with his reputation, it was possible to get some of these pirates to fight for him. However, it would be impossible for Ronald to fight for Aeron as if his life depended on it.

"Damn it Ronald, ye made me lose such a huge juicy sheep! Watch out!" Aeron cursed and moved to leave with his subordinates. Death, however, was already knocking on his door. A nimble black silhouette suddenly appeared out of thin air.

"Shadow Stealth!" The figure that had appeared was an assassin. Her dagger slashed an elegant arc across his neck.

Assassin skill— Cutthroat!

A great amount of fresh blood splurted out. Aeron covered his throat with both hands, and struggled as he collapsed on the floor. His death was quick.

"Anyone with the audacity to offend my master, will die." Karen stood behind Leylin, wielding the dagger.

After the poison was expelled from her body, Karen finally returned to her original strength as a rank 5 assassin, which immediately intimidated a few people.

Now, she faced these pirates with the blade of vengeance.

"A rank 5 assassin! Mateys, charge! Avenge Aeron!" A red-haired pirate, who had been standing behind Aeron, immediately yelled out as a layer of qi burst forth from his body.

"Don't move, all of you!" Leylin raised his hands and stopped his subordinates from causing trouble.

"Perhaps you once heard how the captain of the Scarlet Tiger was a powerful wizard but, upon seeing me, you instantly thought it was only a rumour," Leylin strolled in front of those traitors. What he said made their expression change drastically and, at this point, many of them were already secretly regretting their actions.

"But let me tell you that, unfortunately, your guesses are wrong." A refined and courteous smile was plastered on Leylin's face. What he did next, however, wasn't so civilized.

"Fireball!" Two balls of fire shot out, and the red-haired pirate was instantly torched.

The powerful force of the spell immediately made numerous pirates retreat one by one, a look of respect emerging on their faces.

"Animate Rope!" Leylin pointed his finger. The once useless cable suddenly started moving about, as if it had a life of its own. It nimbly bound the rebellious pirates together, and hung them upside-down on the deck.

The numerous ropes resembled the tentacles of a formidable monster as they danced around continuously, while Leylin looked like the powerful wizard who tamed the monsters of the sea only found in legends. Many pirates couldn't help but kneel down.

"Ah! Release me! Release me! This is the Pirates' Cove, ye can't do this! The Barbarian Pirates crew ain't gonna let ye off!"

A few pirates were still putting up their final struggle. Their high-pitched voices pierced the air, attracting a team of barbarian guards.

There was a glimmer of hope on the faces of the captive whey they saw the guards. However, it was unfortunate that their hopes were immediately smashed to smithereens.

Upon seeing the flag of the Scarlet Tiger, these barbarians left immediately, not even bothering about the tragedy that was taking place.

"This treatment! It means there's an alliance with the Barbarian Pirates crew! Boss has already made an alliance with the Barbarians!" The numerous pirates immediately began to heartily surrender. With the assistance of the prestigious Barbarian Pirates and his own formidable strength, Leylin knew that he had finally established a definite amount of trust with these newly recruited pirates, at least for the time being.

"Boss! Please spare us!" "Respectable and powerful Lord Wizard! Red Oarsman Lucas Codd is willin' to pledge loyalty to ye!"

At this point, the pirates hanging upside-down sank into despair, and many began begging for forgiveness.

"Traitors must be dealt with strictly and severely. That way, the others can witness how high a price one must pay for betraying me!" Leylin's indifferent tone sent a chill through the hearts of the other pirates.

Following his orders, the cable ropes suddenly tightened, forcing out copious amounts of blood.

*Thump! Thump! Thump!*

Splashes of blood burst out. The gazes of the other pirates were filled with fear; right now, Leylin looked like the king of all devils.

-x-X-x-

"Master! Your beautiful strength is like a resplendent jewel, brimming with a dazzling brilliance!" Karen, who was standing beside Leylin, immediately complimented him. As a half-drow, she seemed to have regained her natural instincts after being liberated. She was gradually recovering her darkness and thirst for blood, which was characteristic of the drow.

"Alright, get up."

Cyclops and the other pirates who had long pledged their loyalty were already aware of the outcome, thus they didn't appear to be flabbergasted. The new pirates, on the other hand, were all frightened out of their wits, especially Ronald and his group.

"So, what do you think? Does anyone else have any objections?"

Leylin ran his eyes over the crowd. The other pirates didn't dare meet his gaze, yet their eyes were brimming with reverence.

"Excellent! I like the respectful look in your eyes." Leylin nodded. His subordinates immediately pulled out two trunks of silver kronas and copper coins.

This was the only payment he had obtained from selling the majority of goods he had on hand. Madam Tillen had ruthlessly cut the prices, probably in an attempt to vent her anger.

However, this much was sufficient to maintain the pirate crew for a few months. As for the months after that? Why would he still worry about providing for his men after getting a hold of the riches of the entire sea?

"The pay I promised earlier will not be reduced." Leylin opened the chest. The twinkling radiance of the silver kronas blinded the eyes of numerous pirates.

"Each buccaneer of the Scarlet Tiger will obtain a fixed salary every month, in addition to the loot plundered," Leylin announced loudly. This policy was quite different from the usual pirate way, and it instantly received cheers from the pirates.

Although it was akin to opening a huge hole in the finance department, Leylin needed to create a strong pirate crew as fast as possible, and he couldn't care less about anything else.

After all, immense pressure and death threats were insufficient to govern a huge group. A system that gave encouragement through incentives had to be established. Otherwise, why would they join a crew with a temperamental captain like Leylin, when there are so many other pirate crews?

As soon as news of this spread, no matter how savage Leylin would be rumoured to be, he probably would still have enough manpower sources. Perhaps he could even attract a few Professionals, which would be incredibly amusing.

'As expected, these pirates don't have a single bit of loyalty.'

After giving out the money, the newly recruited pirates were immediately in high spirits. They looked as if they had completely forgotten what had happened earlier. Leylin secretly shook his head.

However, this was the objective truth, and there was absolutely nothing that could change that. Leylin could only take a laissez-faire approach.

After all, the control that any pirate captain had over his men was always the same. Unless authority was rooted deeply after long periods of time together, and trust was established through continuous victories, this was all it would amount to.

If it was not like this, Leylin wouldn't have been able to subdue the Black Tiger crew previously, and set up a new crew with them as the first few subordinates.

'These incentives… It seems like it is still not enough.'

There was a flash in Leylin's eyes as he stood on the platform, "Giant!"

"I'm here, boss!" Giant immediately half knelt on the floor. His body resembled a small-scale mountain.

"You killed more than ten enemies when you accompanied me last time. You're also the Professional with the highest rank among all my men. I want to reward you."

Leylin waved his hands and a piece of leather armor, that resembled a singlet, flew in front of Giant. There was an armor plating in the most crucial body parts, offering better protection.

Giant put on his sleeveless leather armour. His face, however, changed when a magical brilliance burst from his armour. He couldn't help but shout in surprise, "This is magical armour!"

"What? Magical armour?" This immediately attracted envious looks from the other pirates.

Even though it was the cheapest of all magical goods, it had to be supported by primary smelting spells, and was worth hundreds of gold coins. Furthermore, a life-saving item such as this one was priceless.

"Yes. It has been reinforced by the "Hardness Spell" three times. Even a heavy hammer would be unable to break through your defense with a single blow."

Actually, the raw material of this leather armour had been looted from the captain of the Merfolk Pirates after the battle. Leylin had found it to be beneath him, thus he decided to modify it for his men to equip.

Giant didn't know what else to say and could only scratch his head as he smiled foolishly, while attracting a few jealous looks.

"Also, Ronald!" Leylin turned his gaze to Ronald.

"Young master! You called for me?" Ronald knelt on the floor with one knee, with a strange feeling in his heart.

"Yes! Your earlier actions attest to your loyalty! This rapid explosion ring is yours!"

This had also been a contribution made by those unlucky Merfolk Pirates. Leylin did not feel a tad bit embarrassed.

"Many thanks!" Ronald felt as though he had been struck in the chest by a heavy hammer.

While knowing that he had only coincidentally been there when Leylin needed to point out role models amongst the new pirates, he was still elated.

This was indeed a magical item! It was so valuable that it could be a family heirloom for commoners, knights and lords.

"I will always be loyal to you!" Ronald kissed the ring on his finger, and solemnly accepted this precious treasure into his embrace, also attracting many envious stares. Mainly, many of the new pirates had flushed faces. They gazed at Leylin as though they were looking at a god.

As long as they worked hard , there would be hope. As long as they put in the effort, there would be reward.

More often than not, the people of the lower classes only hoped for so much, yet the upper classes cruelly deprived them of even this slight hope.

But now, Leylin showed them hope of being able to completely change their fates. This alone was sufficient to arouse their enthusiasm and will to fight.

"Raise the flag! Set sail!" Seeing their boosted morales, Leylin loudly announced his command.

"Aye! Aye!" The multitude of pirates immediately started to get busy. Under the directions of Cyclops, Hulk and the others, the Scarlet Tiger was quickly driven out of the dock.

At this moment, the bishop and priest from the God of Murder were silently observing the situation from the shadows, until the ship departed.

The bishop spoke after a long silence, "What do you think?"

"He's firm when dealing with issues, determined and unscrupulous. It's hard to believe that he is only fifteen!" The priest seemed unwilling to admit it, but eventually admitted.

"But even so, we don't have to tell him about 'that', right?"

The bishop replied with a cold snort, "Cly has already violated the teachings of our master, and is bent on avenging his brother who betrayed the church long ago. He must be punished for such conduct."

However, these were just excuses, The pivotal point was that Cly was a hindrance to his own plan.

For a person with great influence, disposing of a small pawn was nothing in the face of the bigger picture.

As long as the glory of the God of Murder continued shining across the seas for eternity, what was the worth of a few highly-ranked assassins?

"I'm looking forward to what will happen to him" The bishop smiled as his silhouette slowly faded into the darkness.

The priest's eyes were filled with shock. As the bishop left, he started understanding that the bishop actually placed great importance on that young nobleman.

...

The Scarlet Tiger sailed on under the azure skies, although it appeared to be moving slowly, it was travelling at high speeds.

"Five hundred metres ahead! I spotted an unknown ship without a pirate flag!" The mariner on the observation deck called out.

"Boss!" Giant immediately appeared behind Leylin, donned in his newly-attained leather armour.

Cyclops also appeared next to Leylin and reported softly, "I asked around beforehand. A bunch of scurvy dogs are coveting our booty and ship."

"Organisations that have been blinded by greed?" Leylin suddenly raised his brows, "Their vessel doesn't look too shabby. We are still lacking a few buccaneers and slaves, aren't we?"

After hearing Leylin's words, Giant and the rest were already dedicating a moment of silence in mourning for the pirates on the other ship. They would never know what a terrifying chap they had provoked.

"Prepare for battle. I want to check out the strength of these men," Leylin instructed Ronald, who was standing behind him.

"On it, young master! You will see it!" Ronald retreated respectfully.

With such a formidable wizard on board, he couldn't see the slightest possibility of them being defeated.

The two ships came into contact. Without the slightest bit of hesitation or shouting, they both launched their attacks.

After the whistling of the harpoons and numerous rounds of feathered arrows flying back and forth, they immediately jumped aboard each other's ships and descended into a chaotic battle.

Giant laughed maniacally as he brandished the enormous claw hammer in his hand. He was covered in the enemy's blood and resembled a fiend emerging from the abyss as he charged forth in the frontline.

Behind him, Ronald commanded the new pirates, and assembled them into a few simple formations, obtaining favourable results. He felt as if he possessed an irresistible force, especially with the weapon infused with poison that Leylin had provided.

Seeing his fluent commanding skills, Leylin couldn't help but be fond of him, 'Who would have thought that Ronald would be a military genius?'

"You guys attack them as well. I'm going to meet with an old friend." Leylin waved his hands and flew out of his ship, landing onto the opponent's deck.

Ray of Frost! Fireball!

A hell made of fire and ice spread across the ship, along with the ghoulish wails and painful howls of numerous pirates.

"He's a wizard!"

The powerful force generated by the spells instantly dealt a huge blow to the morale of his opponents. The situation seemed to be tipped in favour of Leylin and his party.

At this moment, however, several secret conscients with the intent to kill approached from the darkness. Their keen aura had the characteristic of highly-ranked assassins.

"It's indeed you guys!" The corners of Leylin's lips curled into a gentle smile as he tore open the magic scroll in his hands right away.

"Ice Storm!" The snow attack covered an even larger area, and had the powerful might of a rank 4 spell. Leylin's surroundings instantly turned into a land of ice and snow.

-x-X-x-

*Plunk!* A few figures were forced out of stealthy advancement, and their bodies bore the traces of having been frozen.

"How did you find us?" Cly's face was now filled with disbelief.

"Dead men don't need to know anything!" The blood-red Devilblood Dagger appeared in Leylin's hand, making him look more evil.

*Whoosh!* He turned into a phantom, pouncing towards these few assassins.

"Damn it…" Feeling sluggish from the frost, Cly's expression was incredibly sinister. Somehow, he already knew who had sold him out.

In the end, all he saw was a dazzling blood-red.

*Pu! Pu! Pu!* Making use of the hindrance from the ice storm and the poor visibility, Leylin took care of the assassins in an instant. The many enemies with immense injuries caused by the ice storm finally lifted their white flag to surrender.

However, Leylin was disinclined to bother with matters like his subordinates looting and taking prisoners. He looked at the prompt his A.I. Chip gave him.

[Beep! Host has been enhanced by the Devilblood Dagger. Agility has increased by 0.3!]

'0.3? Not bad. If that's changed into spiritual force, that might be even less than 0.0001!'

Leylin was very satisfied with this. He had far too much spiritual force, and slight increases like this meant nothing to him. Hence, he focused on his shortcomings.

Making use of the ability of the Devilblood Dagger, he was confident that he could develop his stats in an all-rounded way to become the perfect existence!

Though that was only for perfection below rank 10.

His stats had turned into: [Leylin Farlier. Race: Human. Rank 8 Wizard. Strength: 3.5. Agility: 3.3. Vitality: 4.5. Spiritual force: 8. State: Healthy. Talents: Sturdy, Erudite. Spell Slots: Rank 3(2). Rank 2(4). Rank 1(???), Rank 0(???)]

At this moment, Karen came beside Leylin. "Master, all the remaining people who resist us have been purged!"

"Good! Send news to the Church of Murder to say that I have already received their goodwill!" Leylin now had a satisfied grin on his face.

...

Faulen Island, in the temporary camp that Leylin had first built.

Jacob, who was patrolling the area, suddenly heard his subordinate reporting to him in panic. "My lord, there's an unknown fleet nearing us!"

"What? Are they pirates? Be on the alert!"

Jacob's expression was solemn. On the outer seas, pirates would never go extinct. They were like a pack of ravenous wolves, attacking any ships or ports that would bring them wealth.

A bell rang urgently, and with the soldiers urging them on, the slaves hid within wooden houses. The rest of the soldiers took their weapons and watched the sail in the distance.

However, even Jacob involuntarily gaped, unable to say a word.

Large. It was much too large! There were three huge ships with densely packed human figures atop them, causing Jacob to say bitterly, "These numbers are probably enough to attack the whole Faulen Island. Could this be the three legendary large-scale pirate groups?"

"It's the time to show your loyalty to the family till the end!" Jacob gripped the weapon in his hand tightly and yelled.

"Long live Faulen!" "Long live!" Many soldiers yelled together, but their voices were filled with immense fear. A few soldiers were already looking out for escape routes. Not everyone could view death with equanimity. Under the threat of death, too many things could happen.

The three huge ships did not hesitate as they drew closer. However, there were no pirate flags at the top. Could this instead be three large merchant ships?

Merchant ships? How was that possible? Jacob was completely confused.

At this moment, a figure flew like an eagle from the ship, heading in his direction.

"That's Fly! It's a mid-rank wizard spell, could it be…" Jacob's expression changed, eventually turning into one of anticipation and elation, "It's young master! Young master is back!"

As the streams of air dissipated, Leylin's figure stopped in front of Jacob, "You did well with the camp!"

He'd taken a quick look at this camp from the skies and found that Jacob had completed everything according to his plans. It already was in a good state, able to take in a new population and slaves, which would help him with his trading plans.

"Many thanks for your praise! It's actually thanks to the slaves. They work diligently everyday, but it's a pity there are too few of them…" Jacob placed his right hand on his chest, bowing respectfully.

"You don't have to worry about the slaves. I brought a lot… and there are other surprises as well! Prepare to dispatch people to take them." Leylin had a trace of a smile on his expression. A huge flame flew from his hand, forming an obvious signal.

The three ships began to move slowly, releasing countless little boats that rowed in their direction like ants.

"Three ships…" Jacob's eyes widened.

"Hehe… These are ships of the Rhodes Merchant group. I made a deal with them and bought large numbers of slaves and coarse sugar…" Leylin watched the many little boats, frowning slightly.

"Here!" He pointed to a coastal area, "We'll need to build a new dock. Of course, there were far too few people before, but this won't be a problem now…"

Seeing the unending stream of slaves and baskets of coarse sugar, as well as other construction materials unceasingly being sent ashore, Jacob clenched his fists. His face flushed.

While he had no idea how this mysterious young master had gotten a hold of this, that had nothing to do with him, did it? As a subordinate, all he needed to do was carry out his superior's orders. That was enough! Just seeing how much Leylin had spent, it was obvious that he was planning to go big.

"Jacob! Make arrangements for the slaves being shipped over. Males and females are to be separated and watched. Don't let them get up to anything funny!"

Leylin's blueprint had been very large, and he had even especially left out blank spaces in it. Hence, it was not an issue to take in hundreds of slaves.

Besides the unskilled labourers, there were many confused faces. The sickly slaves who were chased into a camp barricaded with pointy wooden fences.

There, Nunooker, whom Leylin had appointed as head of the slaves, had already commanded the older ones to bring out pots of mashed fish soup to share with the newcomers. He then darted to Leylin upon catching sight of him, kissing the soil under his feet, "Respected master, Nunooker expresses his reverence for you!"

"I heard you managed the slaves well. Good job!" Leylin nodded. Nunooker had already put on linen clothing and looked somewhat like a commoner now. There was even a lash hung at his waist that seemed rather worn out, making it look well-used. His clothes and whip all showed the rise in his authority and status.

"Do it well. After this, I'll remove your contract as a slave and free you. I'll even give you some land!" Leylin was never stingy with those who sided with him, and this would also set an example for others.

"Oh, great master, I praise you! Your benevolence is as vast as the ocean!" Nunooker knelt down once more.

A manager clad in silk clothing with gold threads on his cuffs came beside Leylin, "My lord, the goods have all been received. There are a total of 275 slaves and 5000kg of coarse sugar! There are also other goods as well. This is the bill for your account..."

"Mm, the numbers are right!" Leylin took a glance at him, knowing that he had not done anything fishy with them. The manager wouldn't dare to anyway, since Leylin was a channel to dispose of stolen groups belonging to the Barbarians.

It was understandable why he feared Leylin. In addition, even if they were to practice fraud, this would not be able to trick Leylin. Hence, Leylin quickly signed his name after looking at the bill, then stamped it with a special ring of his.

This was a dagger and skull, the mark of the Scarlet Tigers! This ruby ring could be opened at the top, and it held Leylin's pirate imprint inside. This was also proof that he had dealings with the Barbarians.

"Alright, you have already paid for the goods before. The deal has been completed successfully. Thank you for your cooperation!" After seeing Leylin sign his name, the manager sighed in relief and then revealed a genuine smile.

"Thank you for your cooperation!" Leylin's eyes moved swiftly away, thoughts already on other matters.

Once he had left from Pirates' Cove, Leylin had wiped out a few pirate groups who had wanted to take advantage of them. Once he had established his reputation and secured his status, he met up with Isabel and the rest at a place they had previously arranged.

Due to the many battles and prisoners, Leylin's pirate group had already changed greatly by the time he met up with his cousin and the others. He now had a tremendous organisation, with three battleships and over two hundred pirates under him!

Though they seemed like nothing more than a mob, it wasn't as if there weren't any talents amongst them. If Leylin was counted as well, this new crew was the strongest one out of the big three. He even had the capital to challenge the larger pirate groups!

What happened next was obvious. With information from the Thieves' Guild and Barbarians, Leylin brought his subordinates and plundered countless merchant ships that belonged to the Louis Family, killing all of the passengers. The goods were naturally mostly sold to the Rhodes Merchant group using the Barbarian Pirates' connections, and in return he earned many slaves and resources.

Following that, the pirates that had endured countless battles needed to rest and reorganise. Leylin seized this opportunity to let his cousin Isabel take over, announcing her the acting captain with Hulk, Cyclops, Giant, Karen and Ronald assisting her. Meanwhile, he returned to his own family's territory.

-x-X-x-

There were a few special little families in this batch of slaves, those of the Black Tiger pirates who were no more. Leylin planned to integrate them into his people to fill up the population here. At the same time, they could be treated like hostages; any pirate that pledged his life to him at the start would no longer need to be doubted.

Without any major changes, the possibility of their betrayal was at their lowest.

'When it comes to the accumulation of resources, plundering is truly the fastest method!'

Of all the resources this time, there was a special batch that was the spoils of war that Leylin would keep for himself. This included the crude sugar obtained on Half Merfolk Island, as well as items that were difficult to dispose of.

After all this privateering, it could be said that the basic conditions to build the production lines were already in place. The next step was to attempt to produce the items themselves. Had he used the normal method of having his family invest capital into the project, he would have to slowly buy slaves and make attempts to produce the product. He would have suffered difficulties even in the beginning!

"No matter what kind of production it is, privateering is the key part…"

Leylin sighed, "It's a pity that after Marquis Louis' organisation dispersed, I can't go on being a pirate. After all, then I would be viewed as an enemy by many, and there would even be people who have formed grudges against me…"

Destruction and plunder easily gave rise to hatred. At the same time, it had the quickest results, which was why people could not give it up so easily. Leylin being able to make this decision showed his foresight and wisdom.

The pirates would not give up, and that led to the entire region of the sea being abandoned by merchants. Only massive growth of trade would serve as a source of wealth, which was why Leylin wanted to create a sugar and fish floss trade.

Of course, this did not mean that Leylin would disband the pirate group.

In reality, he had already thought of the alternate route for the Scarlet Tigers in the future. They would no longer engage in piracy, instead they would share their ill-gotten gains from collecting protection fees and naval escort services, for instance.

In essence, they would be taken from exploiting others openly, to exploiting them from the shadows.

Leylin was very ambitious! To do this, he had to first become the king of the outer seas, or at the very least, the king of the dark world and possess the power to draw up rules and regulations!

That would also be the rise of his power over the seas! If all went well, he might even be able to create a powerful country based on this sea!

Leylin would not reject the chance to gain power in the secular world. Rather, that was what he was working hard and making preparations for.

As the gods of this world needed the faith of mortals, especially for the newly-advanced gods, having a stable foundation for faith as well as their own territory was far too important. This was what could be relied on to protect and prevent the fall of their divine nation.

The gods were far-sighted. Leylin could not steal the followers of the old gods, because that would only result in a terrifying battle with a god!

His way would be to develop a new territory of his own, and expand the population to gain faith.

Any issues when it came to the time it would take was never a problem for gods.

Three ships steered away from the port under Jacob and the others' watchful eyes. Leylin clapped his eyes, smiling at Jacob, "Alright! What happens next is our responsibility. How are things on your side?"

Jacob looked startled, "Please come with me!"

Leylin opened the wooden door to one of the little storehouses in the camp and was met with the smell of sea salt and fishiness.

There were rows of wooden frames inside, where a large quantity of fish floss were tightly sealed well in porcelain jars.

"Based on the method Young Master taught us, the fish floss we created can be kept for over a month. If we use this method of storing it, it can last for over half a year…"

Jacob sounded excited, "With this shelf life, we'll be able to sell the fish floss to the continent…"

"Mm! The key now is to have a small profit but rapid turnover!" Leylin nodded.

Techniques to create fish floss were not all that meticulous. What was important now was upscaling and industrialising it, which would reduce costs.

Even so, there were a limited number of consumers. At the very least, Leylin could not place his hopes on the farmers and tenants in villages

All they could squeeze out of them was meagre, and they'd be happy if they just got to eat black bread.

Leylin's target market lay in the larger cities. There were handicraft workers, free citizens, many adventurers and mercenaries, who Leylin were counting on.

The villages in the World of Gods were never places where wealth gathered. The cities were the only places with the greatest profits.

He didn't need much. As long as he could break into a few cities near the shore, the profits alone would make Leylin smile brilliantly even in his dreams.

"As for the sugar refinery, due to the lack of acid and activated carbon that Young Master spoke of, we have only stockpiled a batch of raw materials in storage..."

Jacob brought Leylin to another warehouse. Sealed under dry conditions, the sugar was piled together, with some yellow and even black inside.

This was coarse sugar that was even slightly bitter. However, the bit of sweetness within was already a pretty good luxury for the nobles.

However, as this was the outer seas, the moisture in the air caused the white sugar to show signs of coagulating into clumps despite methods that attempted to rectify it.

"It doesn't matter for now, since there will still be another process. The fine white sugar created after that will need even more attention though!"

This was the greatest wealth that Leylin had gotten for himself.

Fish floss would garner small profits but a rapid turnover and thus expand production. However, methods to refine white sugar would have to be kept a secret. This way, he had control over both high and low-end markets, and if he was lucky, this might be able to keep the Faulen Family rich for centuries!

Leylin was rather ambitious about this.

In his plans, this place would become the Faulen Island's most important port, and even the core of the island!

Of course, before either of these two were developed, Leylin would keep all these plans deep inside his heart.

Though it looked more convenient and safer to plunder another island, Leylin was unperturbed.

The problem here was the feudal fiefdom!

In theory, the outer seas of the Dambrath Kingdom naturally belonged to the king. Once unclaimed lands were occupied, that would imply losing protection from the kingdom and would stir up hostility!

What would it imply, for the outer seas without land held by nobility, with no shrines, churches or priests?

Terrifying diseases could not be healed with divine spells, and could only be endured. People also had to deal with the ferocious natives and terrible climate.

In the deep seas, there were also numerous terrifying monsters, with some able to massacre a whole island!

Every year, the number of people who died while trying to break into the outer seas was a number that would cause one to tremble in fear.

Hence, as the Faulen Island had been cleared and cultivated, with a great port, people and church as foundations, it was inevitable that Viscount Tim coveted it.

However, Leylin had long since treated Faulen Island as his own, which determined the pitiful fate of the poor Viscount.

"Jacob, send down the order to give the slaves another meal tonight. We begin training tomorrow, where we are going to prepare the selected outstanding artisans to take part in the production. The rest of the slaves will extend the camp. Whatever it is, we can't have them idle!"

The method to create fish floss was extremely simple, but the method to refining sugar was something Leylin was planning to keep a secret for a few years. While he would be left with no choice but to hand over the techniques later, the immense profits before that happen were going to be terrifying.

Leylin was already planning to sternly exercise control over the artisans, and even set out individual residential areas that would be monitored.

Leylin was the worthy master of this land. Once he made a decision like this, it would be enforced without question.

When Baron Jonas arrived, what he saw was an area buzzing with activity.

"Such a huge camp with so many slaves, wouldn't that cost thousands of gold coins?"

Baron Jonas walked along the streets in disbelief, carefully sizing up the camp. The ground was tidy, and there were spaces at both sides meant for shops, blacksmith stores and tailor stores. It was clear that Leylin had planned this out very carefully, and had built this place up like a little town.

"Yes, master! To create this camp and purchase the slaves, it would be possibly only if we invest months of profit from our entire port..."

Leon's eyes betrayed his shock, especially after he saw the many slaves being managed by Leylin in such a clear and orderly fashion. His eyes flashed and he looked on speechlessly.

Only he, as the main housekeeper, knew how difficult it was to tame so many natives!

The young master, who was able to do this, was truly the treasured child of the gods!

At this thought, Leon could not help but to say a prayer.

But this was just the start. After seeing the completed product that Leylin spoke of, Baron Jonas and Leon were even more shocked.

"Is this… truly cane sugar?"

Eyeing the snow white sparkling cubes that were reflective like mirrors, Baron Jonas picked up a cube in disbelief.

Such a translucent luster was mind-blowing to him, "It's too- too beautiful! It's like a crystal. This is a work of art!"

Baron Jonas mumbled as he tossed it into his mouth, and a sweetness then exploded in his mouth.

Such a sweet taste caused Baron Jonas to be so moved that he could not even speak.

"I can tell you for sure…" After a long while, Baron Jonas huffed out, "The sugar cubes will definitely be a luxury that the nobility long for. Without it, those extravagant banquets will lose much splendour…"

"You are right, Father!" Standing at the side, Leylin revealed a smile.

-x-X-x-

Leylin put down the plate that contained the sugar in his hand and looked at Baron Jonas, "Father, how much do you think I can sell these refined sugar cubes for?"

Baron Jonas closed his eyes for a moment and answered with certainty, "It should be at least ten times the price of coarse sugar! If we weren't afraid of someone backstabbing us or coveting this, we could perhaps sell it at even twenty times."

Leylin smiled and nodded. "Then I'll leave the avenues of selling it to Father!"

The moment the method to create such refined sugar cubes entered the market, it would have a huge effect. How could Leylin match up to Baron Jonas in behaving appropriately, finding backers, transferring profits, and building profitable partnerships and the like? His father was a very experienced trader.

"I've just seen the fish floss jars, and they're not bad!" Baron Jonas looked at his son, his eyes full of indescribable emotion, "Sigh… You've really created a difficult problem for your father! Such immense profits…"

While he was sighing, the Baron still could not conceal his smile. Leylin always seemed to be able to surpass his expectations in unimaginable ways.

...

With enough manpower and physical resources, the fish floss and sugar trade that Leylin was anticipating finally began to take shape. Baron Jonas knew full well that such immense profits were something that his family could not handle alone, so he made use of the two items to rope in a few other noble families that had their lands in the outer seas. He also got in touch with the local forces, and gave them a large portion of the profits. This way, there were a lot of people he could drag into deep waters to bear the brunt of the backlash with him.

The moment Faulen Island's refined white sugar entered the market, the effect even surpassed the baron's imagination.

Its pure taste was as sweet as heaven, and immediately conquered many nobles. They rushed to find this luxury item like they'd been driven insane. Just the profits from the first month reached a startling 2000 gold coins!

The fish floss was not as popular, but the market's reaction was not bad. Its characteristic of being convenient food as well as the benefit of being able to store it for a long period of time made it popular among mercenaries and adventurers. Even the military of the kingdom expressed their interest.

The profits of this becoming military rations… was there more to be said?

Making use of these two items earnt them tons of wealth, the Faulen Family began to grow at a rapid rate. Leylin had to even open up a few production lines in order to match the insane market demand!

Of course, this couldn't have been done without the Scarlet Tiger pirates investing a lot of funds. With Leylin controlling everything from the shadows and the aid from the Barbarians, the Scarlet Tiger Pirates had gone all out, attacking numerous ships that belonged to Marquis Louis under Isabel's lead.

Leylin waited on Faulen Island, like nothing had to do with him. The Barbarians were also exceptionally quiet, making the marquis unable to find any evidence. He could only grit his teeth in the shadows, preparing to exact revenge.

Nearly a year passed in the blink of an eye. The camp that Leylin had constructed had now turned into a bustling harbour with limestone floors and tiled houses. There was an imposing aura in the area, and the port was arranged very logically. Security was very good, and there was not a trace of trash on the ground.

When compared to other ports, this was unimaginable. They were nasty and filthy, and usually the sources of diseases and epidemics. Leylin obviously would not tolerate this. Furthermore, a clean, tidy, and orderly port was unimaginably attractive for sea merchants.

With the fish floss and the refined sugar cubes dominating the markets, the port was now a money-making area. A lot of ships stopped at the pier every day, loading up completely on goods before leaving. Even at night, the labourers would still work with much clamour; the place looked prosperous.

Leylin named the place Port Venus, an allegory for a rising star. And indeed, once it was constructed it attracted many merchants into frequenting Faulen Island, and it silently became another trading hub of the outer seas.

Originally, The Baltic archipelago and Pirates' Cove which belonged to two different powers dominated the scene, but Port Venus marked the rise of a third power. Such a huge change obviously attracted the attention of intelligent people.

"My lord, here's the latest news!" A middle-rank warrior in exquisite chainmail armour respectfully passed a letter sealed in wax to Jacob.

Jacob hastily opened it up, and after skimming through a few lines his expression changed, "This is… I'll tell young master myself!"

Once they left the room, two rows of elite warriors followed behind him, all of them with a strong and bloody aura. Their eyes even seemed to glint, they were naturally elite warriors who had activated their qi.

After walking out of the city hall, Jacob mounted a handsome black stallion. While he could use a horse carriage as a public security officer, his fighter habits made it such that he preferred to ride horses himself.

Glancing at the luxurious and imposing city hall at his back, the many middle-ranked warriors behind him, and the eyes of people on the roads looking to curry favour with him, Jacob was slightly absent-minded.

'Everything has really changed!' Jacob sighed. When they came into their wealth, Leylin and Baron Jonas did not hoard their gold like greedy dragons. On the contrary, other than to construct more production lines and Port Venus itself, Baron Jonas had the great vision to take out almost all his savings to increase the power of the Faulen Family.

Exquisite chainmail and stainless steel longswords replaced the leather armour, metal forks and wooden pikes from before on a large scale. He even recruited huge batches of Professionals. While it wasn't quite possible to get high-ranked ones at rank 15 and above, the middle-ranked ones and especially close combat warriors just could not reject the conditions the Baron had offered.

After serving here for a long time, many of these with professions fell in love with the atmosphere and brought their families here, becoming free citizens of Port Venus. Leylin was extremely welcome to the idea, and was generous in his treatment and the promotions. This formed a virtuous cycle, which helped his subordinates get even stronger.

Jacob knew that there were already Professionals over rank 10 siding with Leylin. If not for him following the Baron around since childhood and working hard for the family, his own position would long since have been filled with someone else.

Even so, the sense of danger kept lingering in his mind.

'I need to train even more. I have a feeling that the bottleneck that's been bothering me for years should be able to be broken this time!' With the rise of the Faulen Family's income, Jacob and those of his batch naturally benefitted.

Their salaries rose sky high, and Jacob felt that he was not deserving of this. Not only did he use this money for lessons from scholars, but he also sought powerful warriors for their advice. He had now reached the peak of rank 7, and was a step away from rank 8.

The new wheat farms met him outside the port, the green wheat filled with vitality freshening up the air. Jacob couldn't help but take in several deep breaths.

Those farming here were the farmers who had migrated over from Faulen Island, and there were also slaves that had been released and the families of pirates.

Leylin especially made it a law that as long as slaves worked hard, they would regain their status as free people after a certain number of years, and would acquire 0.6 hectares of land. After paying three years of taxes, they could go to the city hall and apply to redeem it at a low price and become farmers of their own plots of land. The promise of becoming free men motivated the slaves to work with all their might.

Leylin knew that no matter how human society changed, a hierarchy would always remain. Allowing mobility between the levels would give those at the bottom hope, and was the only method that would ensure the vitality of both the organisation and government.

Past the wheat fields were even more guards. Jacob could sense knight-errants, thieves and even assassins spying from the shadows as the farms gave way to an industrial zone. This was where the fish floss and sugar were produced.

Ever since his first trade profits made their way into his hands, Leylin had shifted his production line to the area to give the port more space. It was also convenient to supervise it and ensure the secrecy of the place.

With the expansion of the profits from trade, the issue of security became increasingly serious. It was at the point that Leylin and his master Ernest came here personally to take charge of it. Most of the Faulen Family's elite forces were here, which frightened off numerous spies. However, as long as there were huge profits, the spying would never end.

Leylin's villa was next to the factories. He was never one to mistreat himself, and the villa took up a lot of space. He had even brought over his servants from the manor, including the housekeepers. Of course, Clara and Claire came as well.

Jacob only saw Leylin after two rank 10 warrior patrols. His sixteenth birthday had passed, and Leylin now seemed more mature. His curly blonde hair was like the sunlight, and his blue eyes like the sea. Every inch of his musculature was perfect, which made one feel that his proportions were in perfect harmony. Rather, with his current appearance he seemed like the ideal lover for a noble princess.

The sisters' eyes showed how intoxicated they were by him; they hadn't even noticed Jacob's entrance.

-x-X-x-

"Young master, we've received news that a gold priest of the church of wealth would like to meet you. He'll reach Venus Port in the next few days."

Claire and Clara blushing brought Jacob a goblet of mixed fruit juice after waking up from their reverie. This was a drink of the elves that Leylin found delightful.

"Gold priest? Just having a silver priest coming over would already be enough…" Leylin half-reclined on the elven rattan chair, looking languid, comfortable, and not ruffled at all.

Waukeen's priests were divided into a few ranks, the highest of which was the current Patriarch. The rest of them were arranged according to currency, copper being the lowest and gold the highest.

A gold priest was equivalent to an archbishop, a status that greatly exceeded that of Bishop Tapris from the church of knowledge. Even if Tapris was converted by Waukeen, he would only be a Silver Priest.

The church of wealth sending out a gold priest showed that Faulen Island's trade volumes had reached a terrifying level. It was to the point that it even attracted some attention from the Goddess of Wealth!

"Understood. Tell them to give him VIP treatment!"

While this was important, Jacob felt relaxed after hearing Leylin's instructions. It was like he believed that as long as he did as Leylin said, things would go well!

This was the prestige that Leylin amassed over time, and at times, had the ability to reverse the trend of events.

After watching Jacob leave, Leylin pursed his lips and took a drink of fruit juice, a strange grin emerging on his face, "The Goddess of Wealth? Not bad…"

Port Venus was like Leylin's personal fiefdom. While it belonged to Baron Jonas in name, Leylin held the real power here, and had tight control of the management of the port. He had not constructed any churches here, much to Bishop Tapris' chagrin.

But neither Leylin nor Baron Jonas wanted the church of knowledge to solely occupy Faulen Island. And besides the God of Suffering, the Goddess of Wealth was the god that was most worshipped by nobility.

The nobles held the most faith in their own benefits and power. Of course this led to them believing in the Goddess of Wealth. After all, who could resist those adorable and dazzling bundles of gold?

Baron Jonas had long hoped to be able to attract the church of wealth into building a shrine to their goddess here. However, the Faulen Family had been too poor before, and the church of knowledge had obstructed it. However, this was now a request from the church of wealth themselves, and with a gold priest being sent over it was obvious how serious they were.

Leylin welcomed the church of wealth's presence here. The benefits it would bring to the region's development were obvious.

The priests of wealth were amazing at making profit. They didn't limit themselves to business; even with their gamut of profitable ventures there was nothing they did not do. From storing precious items, to remitting gold, to converting money between the different metals, they even provided high-interest loans— as long as it was profitable, there was nothing they wouldn't dare do.

However, it could not be denied that with the church of wealth would partially take over the role of a bank, and there would only be advantages in trade and economic development.

Since this was a request from the other side, how could Leylin let go of such a great chance to rip somebody off? He could also take this opportunity to take revenge on what they had done in the past.

At this thought, Leylin's smile widened. He took a look at his stats.

[Leylin Faulen. Age: 16. Race: Human, Rank 9 Wizard. Strength: 4.5. Agility: 5. Vitality: 6. Spirit: 9. Status: Healthy. Feats: Sturdy, Erudite. Spell Slots: Rank 4(1), Rank 3(3), Rank 2(5), Rank 1(???), Rank 0(???)]

[Progress of analysis of the Weave: Rank 0: 100%. Rank 1: 100%. Rank 2: 25.17%. Rank 3: 8.89%. Rank 4: 0.001%.]

This past year, Leylin had secretly worked to help the Scarlet Tigers eliminate their enemies. Isabel now had the nickname of the 'Scarlet Witch' and was notorious in the outer seas. Half of that was thanks to Leylin.

The Devilblood Dagger also took this opportunity to drink the fresh blood of enemies, pushing Leylin to rank 9.

A rank 9 wizard was an existence that could make contact with fourth level of the Weave! At this point, Leylin had basically graduated from his study under Ernest. If not for Leylin's continuous motivation, Ernes would've been embarrassed to see his disciple. He had spent a lot of effort and broken through all the way to rank 10.

"Now that I can cast rank 4 spells, master Ernest has nothing to teach me anymore…" Leylin sighed. He could now cast rank 4 spells, and due to his specialisation, Ernest rarely learnt spells out of Abjuration and Evocation. Leylin felt like it was a great pity.

He now spent most of his time in self-study. Of course, with the Faulen Family's current wealth, buying some foundational spell models and scholarly volumes was no problem. However, what vexed Leylin was that the kingdom's wizard guilds were useful for low-ranked wizards, but spell models at rank 4 and above, including research, were kept a tight secret and not sold publicly.

As for information for high-ranking wizards, or even about Legends, it was the most taboo of all and was protected quite well. There was no way for Leylin to see it.

"Master Ernest has already given me a letter of recommendation. With this, I might be able to get the qualifications to get into a wizarding guild in the Dambrath capital…" Leylin's eyes were half-closed, and his brain continued to ponder different ideas.

"It's a pity that the outer seas cannot operate without me. Marquis Louis' patience must be at its limit, and his attacks of vengeance can come at any moment. And then there's also the partnership with the Barbarian Pirates…"

After a long while, Leylin sighed deeply. He obviously could not leave now. At the very least, he had to give Louis' family a firm push, but the day was near for that. Leylin's eyes blazed...

...

"Trash! You're trash!" The ink, quill pen, parchment and all the miscellaneous items on the table were flung onto Viscount Tim's body.

"A year has passed! A whole year has passed, but what have you done? Not only have the few ships you have been sunk by him, he's taken most of our trade! How did I get a son like you?" Marquis Louis exclaimed, the veins bursting out on his forehead in his fury.

"Father! My investigations show that there's a large possibility that Leylin, the son of Baron Faulen, is the person behind the Scarlet Tigers. We can ask for a trial from the kingdom and catch him on charge of being a pirate… And then there's the Barbarians. As long as we amass all our strength and attack Pirates' Cove…"

Tim lowered his head, concealing the icy glint in his eyes and trying his best to persuade his father.

He hated Leylin and the Scarlet Pirates to the bone. Leylin seemed to have become his nemesis. Ever since the incident with the Black Tiger Pirates, the few shipping routes in his control had been fiercely attacked, and his few attempts at revenge were seen through when he was trying to implement them. He had metaphorically been slapped in the face, and the organisations under his control had all been mostly or completely lost.

He had lost the favour of his father, and even the servants began to treat him with less importance. Of course, there was also his most hated big brother, who ruthlessly poured salt on his wounds and took the opportunity to take over much of the businesses he had possessed. His brother was even brazenly recruiting his men!

*Boom!* A black crystal ink bottle was thrown at Tim's head. Ink flowed down Tim's forehead, mixing with blood and leaving him frozen.

"Are you stupid? Guilty of being a pirate? Do you have any evidence, or do you want to implicate us too?"

Marquis Louis' yells were even louder, "And attacking Pirates' Cove? That's the biggest joke I've heard all year! That's the place where all the dark organisations in the outer seas gather. Even if we attack, what good is it for us? We'll even have to take on their counterattack…"

"Father!" At this moment, a gentle voice could be heard from behind the door. Marquis Louis immediately regained his calm, and the light in Tim's eyes dimmed.

The door pulled open. His brother, who seemed to have been blessed by the gods from birth and possessed all the fortunes of the world, walked in.

"William!" Seeing the son of his first wife walk in, Marquis revealed a rare smile.

"My men have already found traces of the Scarlet Tigers, but they seem to be very alert and don't stay on an island for long…" William smiled while he announced this, and Tim who was nearby felt like his face was burning.

"That's normal. They have a powerful wizard who even escaped Boruj's scrying and probes," Marquis Louis muttered to himself, "It's rumoured that Baron Jonas' son, Leylin Faulen, has a wizard behind him. I suspect that the wizard could be part of the pirates!"

"Father, please give me control over the Black Skeletons. I am confident I'll be able to destroy the Scarlet Tigers in 3 months!" William bowed, dealing Tim the final blow.

"Don't underestimate them," Marquis Louis regained his previous expression of a scheming man with deep foresight after his moment of rage had calmed.

-x-X-x-

"We are all nobility, and can only follow the rules of the game between nobles…" Marquis Louis spoke slowly, "The Faulen Family was very weak before and had no real backing, which was originally a very good opportunity for us, but…"

Having said this, he glared at Tim, resulting in Tim lowering his head further.

The Faulen Family used to be like duckweed floating through the air [1. Uncertain, no good foundation], but even then Marquis Louis did not dare to deal with them out in the open. He'd only sent out pirates in secret.

Furthermore, if those pirates had succeeded, the family would be annihilated!

But things could no longer be played that way. The Faulen Family now had more connections in the region, as well as backers. The strength they possessed was rapidly increasing. If he did not use all the strength he had at his disposal, Marquis Louis was not confident that he could wipe them out.

But was this possible? Even as a marquis of the kingdom, he could not attack the territory of another noble for no reason.

When it came to pirates, even with both the Black Skeletons and Tigersharks working together, Marquis Louis was still not confident, especially since the opponent had a church on their island.

With such a large-scale pirate invasion. It would be hard to avoid confronting the church.

Furthermore, for those on the outer seas, who did not know that these were the two most powerful pirate groups under Marquis Louis? His goal was far too obvious.

"The timing's gone! We've already lost the best time to attack..." Marquis Louis sighed, "The profits from these two goods, sugar and fish floss, really do measure up to the slave market…"

"Don't worry, father! I'll definitely get those two techniques!" William spoke with confidence, "The current situation is that we have many ships and shipping routes out in the open, but the Scarlet Tigers hide in the darkness where they have freedom. They can be the eyes and ears of the Faulen Family. On the surface neither side can make a move, and only rely on battling it out in the shadows. I'll definitely annihilate the Scarlet Tigers and break off the opponent's eyes and claws that exist in the darkness!"

Such profound insight immediately had Marquis Louis nodding.

"Very good. I'm relieved that you thought of that! Besides the Black Skeletons, I will order the Tigersharks to listen to you as well. The military fleet will await your orders at any time. You must destroy our enemies!"

At this moment, Marquis Louis' ruthlessness in staking everything on this was shown.

"Understood, father!" William's voice trembled slightly. To be able to have so much support made it clear that his status as the successor was unshakeable, and this was already the beginning of the shift of power.

"Also, the opponent has a powerful wizard. We can't ignore that! Wizard Boruj!"

"Lord Marquis!" An old man wearing grey wizard robes walked out from the shadows, eyes glinting with wisdom. The magic rays around him made those around him feel suffocated.

William and Tim hastily bowed towards the chief wizard of their family. Even Marquis Louis did not dare treat him with disrespect, "We will have to trouble you for this matter!"

"No problem!" Boruj's voice was hoarse, with the trace of a foreign and exotic accent, "I've long since wished to have a duel with that old rival whom I have yet to meet…"

"Henceforth, Wizard Boruj will accompany you until the Scarlet Tigers have been annihilated!" Marquis Louis stated.

"U-Understood!" This abrupt but pleasant surprise made William feel dizzy, and even his voice slightly trembled.

"Good! The future of our family will lie with you. Don't disappoint me…"

Tim was standing at the side. Seeing the pretty picture of the father and son together made him feel like an outsider. He was roaring inside crazily, but could only put on a calm expression, not daring to show any of his resentment on his face.

...

A giant golden ship slowly sailed to the dock of Port Venus.

This large ship had extremely extravagant decorations, and there was even a layer of metal that emitted golden luster. From afar, it looked like a ship made entirely of pure gold.

At the ship's bow was a large emblem made of pure gold that shone with dazzling light. This was a symbol of the Goddess of Wealth, taking the form of a huge gold coin.

'They're truly nouveau riche! It would be a disservice for them if they didn't ruthlessly spend this money.' Although he thought this, Leylin didn't dare show anything on his face. On the contrary, he had no choice but to put on his friendliest smile and welcome them.

There were others beside him. Baron Jonas, Madam Sarah, housekeeper Leon… Basically all the respected people here showed up. It was obvious how mind-blowing it was for them to see a Gold Priest.

"Welcome to Port Venus. We hope you like it here, beautiful madam!" Against Leylin's expectations, the Gold Priest who had arrived was a female!

She looked to be about 17 or 18, and her eyes seemed to be shining brightly. They held hints of the shrewdness unique to merchants, and her skin was as exquisite as ivory. She had a tender and splendid smile about her lips that made her look like the little girl next door. Her appearance made it difficult to associate her with the profession of a priest.

However, her brilliant high-ranking priest robe with vibrant colours as well as her powerful divine light, made her status clear.

"Hello, Sire Leylin! My name is Xena. This is a port brimming with hope. I sense the flow of a great origin of wealth…"

As was expected of the priest of the Goddess of Wealth, this was the first thing she mentioned.

"Haha… It's great that Mistress Priest likes this place!" As the successor of the Faulen Family, as well as the delegate to represent her, Leylin elegantly extended his right hand helped her down.

"Powerful! Is this the power of a high-ranked priest?"

The instant their skin made contact, Leylin seemed to see a body brimming with godly luster. All sorts of power from divine spells converged to form a high-pressure electrical network that kept her safe within it, giving off a sense of danger. This was the path of a priest. High-ranked priests prayed devoutly and borrowed the strength of gods to purify their souls, achieving the effect of existing in harmony with god. There was even the possibility of becoming a holy spirit!

Even the A.I. Chip was unable to scan her exact stats, and could only give the conclusion that she was extremely dangerous.

'Rank 15! She's definitely a high-ranked priest who's at least rank 15!' Leylin went on his guard. Meanwhile, she seemed to have noticed him spying and shot him a dark look.

"Oh, my apologies!" It was only at this point that Leylin realised he was holding on to her hand. This was rather impolite. However, as someone who had gone through various worlds, he could adapt quickly and immediately took care of the awkwardness.

After the banquet, Baron Jonas returned to the manor, which left Leylin alone to entertain the Gold Priest.

"It's rumoured that Baron Jonas thinks highly of his first son and has been giving him more authority lately. Seems like it's true!" Xena, who was on a mission set by the church, watched Leylin sitting opposite her, her eyes flashing with interest.

He seemed to have a unique temperament and a lot of confidence. The fact that a mere 16 year old could have such a presence astonished her. Of course, he seemed to be a decent wizard, though it wasn't much in Xena's eyes.

For the rich and overbearing church, cultivating a few spellcasters was no issue. In the Goddess of Wealth's church, there was no lack of legendary wizards.

After all, for the wizards who readily spent gold coins at every turn, there was nothing more comfortable than being able to embrace the church of wealth's golden thighs.

"This porcelain is very high quality!" Xena looked at the cup in her hands. It had many complicated and intricate flower patterns, showing the exquisite craft of the elves.

"How about trying the cocoa from the eastern archipelago? It's said that this marvelous plant has the amazing effect of perking one up without harming the body…" Leylin smiled while pouring her a steaming hot cup of cocoa.

Xena had naturally seen this drink before. The production of cocoa beans was meagre, and on the continent it was sold at an astronomical price. Of course, what shocked her even more was Leylin's capability.

'Does that mean… he's already built up a connection with the eastern pirates?' Xena's eyes shone, and she then put down the beautiful porcelain cup in her hands.

"Mister Leylin, I'm sure you know my intentions in coming here. May I know what you think of establishing a church on the port?"

"I'm definitely not opposed to you joining in, but there's actually a plan already for the Port Venus. Every plot of land has its own function… of course, it's not a problem to squeeze out a section, but…" Leylin had a standard smile on his face.

"The Goddess of Wealth will not mistreat any follower of hers!" Xena placed a golden card on the table, "This is a proof for the withdrawal of money. With it, you can exchange 10 000 kronas from any church of wealth. Treat it as the capital for buying this land!"

Rich and overbearing, Leylin now knew what rich and overbearing truly meant! The church of the Goddess of Wealth was truly rich, unlike the stingy Tapris who probably wasn't even willing to pay rent.

Of course, this was a problem left behind from Baron Jonas' time. This would not happen again with Leylin in charge.

"Then there aren't any other problems. The city hall will mark out the land tomorrow!" Leylin smiled gently, a hand taking and keeping the golden card on the table without batting an eyelid.

The Goddess of Wealth generously contributed her own divine kingdom, providing currency storage services. With her divine force as a mark against fraud, trying to trick anyone in this was just shooting oneself in the foot.

However, with this, there were fees to pay if people wanted to store their money with her. Then again, this was to be expected from a goddess even greedier than a dragon.