"Apart from the issue with the church, there is also another matter which is related to why I came…" Xena's gaze pierced straight into Leylin.
'Finally, here it comes,' He thought inwardly. He had long felt that as his profits from his two avenues of trade grew greater and greater, he would eventually attract the attention of larger organisations.
As this moment had come, his earlier alliances to protect his profits were no longer of any use. In reality, Leylin had already planned in his heart to exchange his techniques with them. He'd long since understood the rules of the game in this world, and that he could no longer maintain a monopoly by virtue of his own strength.
He was already surprised that he was able to gobble up a year's worth of profiteering. Now, he would need to find a sufficiently powerful backer to sell his techniques to. From this point of view, the church of wealth was evidently a rather good option.
"Is it the fish floss and white sugar?" Leylin directly pointed it out.
"Yes, as well as you!" Xena's eyes were filled with humour, "Compared to those two techniques, the person who invented them is much more worthy of our consideration. You have Midas' touch!"
"Me!" Leylin pointed at himself, feeling a little ridiculous. Secretly, however, he was constantly on guard and a little apprehensive. It looked like he had been acting too conspicuously recently.
For now, Xena was only interested in his mind, but what if she discovered more things about him?
As he thought about it, Leylin suddenly made up his mind. After he resolved the issue with Marquis Louis, he had to disappear for a while. Otherwise, once he received the attention of even more deities, his troubles would certainly grow.
"These two techniques came about due to luck. I have always loved reading books, and discovered the invention from the writings of the ancients by chance. I'm also very thankful to my father as well, as he allowed my nonsense and even specially bought some craftsmen slaves for me..."
Leylin felt a magic undulation sweep across him, clearly trying to find out whether he was lying. Although Xena's action was performed in secret, how could he possibly not notice it? He raged in his heart, but on the surface he did not make a single sound.
His expression made Xena rather suspicious, and as she felt the feedback from her divine spell, she grew even more confused.
'It can't be, he's telling me the truth?' Xena felt a little disappointed, but did not continue to discuss the matter of the two trades with Leylin. No matter how one looked at it, the profits from the fish floss and white sugar were absolutely mind boggling. If she could not stick her hand in these two trade rivers which were overflowing with gold, she was sure to lose Waukeen's favour, and would be replaced with other priests of gold.
Leylin's nature and the A.I. Chip's adjustments were more than enough to hide information from a high-ranking priest. Looking at Xena's crestfallen face, Leylin inwardly smiled to himself, but his expression was still as serious as ever.
"Then, let's discuss the issue of the the two trades."
"Say it! How many gold coins do you want to give me the techniques?" Xena said with a rich and powerful air, suppressing her emotions completely.
"The entire curing process of fish floss, as well as the can sealing method and even the skilled craftsmen can all be given to you for 100,000 gold pieces!"
For Leylin, it was necessary to mass produce things like fish floss. The greater the volume he was able to sell, the more lucrative it would be. The capital and investment necessary was enormous, and the technique was not particularly sophisticated. After a few years it was sure to be imitated, so it was better to sell it off in one go.
"100,000 gold pieces?!" Xena bit her lip.
From her view, this price was on the high side. However if skilled craftsmen and the sealing technique were included, then it was much more worth it.
The crucial point was the sealing technique that Leylin used. Xena could immediately see the advantage in using the sealing jar to preserve food for a long time. Even if it wasn't used for fish floss, it was enough for her to make a profit.
So what if this industry needed a lot of initial investment? For the church of wealth who threw money at all their problems, that would never become an issue.
"This price is really far too high, unless you include the technique used to refine white sugar as well…" Although she had already inwardly agreed to the deal, she had a forced smile on her face, and on the surface she looked like she was moments away from throwing a tantrum.
"The white sugar purification technique?" Leylin muttered to himself. This was a different technique to the fish floss, and he was secretive about it as there were several key steps to making it.
Additionally, it did not require a big production line or much investment, and it was a business that he could continue in the long-term.
The white sugar trade brought in over half of the Faulen Family's income, and was like an inexhaustible gold mine! As their profits grew, naturally the number of sharks that were attracted by it also grew. This was something that Leylin understood very well.
"Well?" Xena clearly seemed to understand the difference between the two techniques, and her eyes flashed in anticipation.
"This is…" Leylin's expression looked as if he was mired in difficulty, and his fingers began to involuntarily drum on the table. Xena's heart seemed to also throb along to the rhythmic tapping sounds.
'Why… Why did I do that?' Xena's face seemed to flush red as she inwardly chastised herself.
However, Leylin looked at her softly. "The purification technique for white sugar cannot be sold to you. However, can we discuss the matters of the church of wealth?"
"The church of wealth?"
"Yes! For example, how many priests you will dispatch here, how many paladins, and other matters like that…" Leylin smiled like a crafty fox, leaving Xena feeling as if she had met the most unreasonable devil in her career.
After a while, Xena bid farewell and left, looking as if she had been driven to distraction.
"I'll need to carefully consider your proposal!" were the words she left behind.
As he watched many priests and paladins escorting the figure below him, Leylin's lips slowly curved into a smile.
As a matter of fact, his proposal was not complicated. It was only to allow the church of wealth to become a partner in the business, and gradually pass on the technique over three years, enough time for the Faulens to fill their own coffers.
Leylin had additionally emphasised a clause in their agreement— If Faulen Island came under attack, the church of wealth would have to send out priests and paladins to fight alongside his guards.
This was practically a request for the church's protection. Even if they only sent out a low-ranking priest, it would be enough. After all, even Marquis Louis would not dare to declare war on the church of wealth unless he was tired of living.
Leylin had also heard several rumors which made it necessary for him to protect his own lair. Binding the church of wealth to his chariot of war was undoubtedly the safest thing for him to do.
Naturally, he would not have unrealistic expectations of the church protecting the Scarlet Tigers as well. Even if Marquis Louis wanted a truce, Leylin was not willing to agree. Without enough enemies and flesh, how could he fulfil the Devilblood Dagger's needs and quickly advance?
'The clause is not too harsh, and I believe that in the end, this Gold Priest won't be able to withstand the temptation…' Leylin's eyes continued to flash, 'Once the church of wealth puts down their roots here, perhaps my plans can begin…'
After returning to his villa, Leylin waved his hand at Claire and her sister, who had faces full of anticipation, "I won't need you here for now, leave first!"
"Y–yes, young master!" The sisters had a secretly bitter expression on their faces but did not dare to say much as they meekly left the room.
"Come out!" Leylin looked towards the window sill. For a moment, it seemed as if no one was there and the window was tightly shut, without even a small crack.
However, a shadow slowly emerged from the darkness, and the outline of a curvy body could be seen. The owner of this body was a half-drow, who wore the tight-fitting clothes of an assassin and a thief. "Master!" she immediately knelt down.
"I'm afraid that your stealth is no worse off than some middle-ranking assassins!" In the World of Gods, a middle-ranked class was a formidable Professional of over rank 10. Such an assessment coming from Leylin was indeed high praise. Perhaps this half-drow had practised like she was mad after shedding her past humiliating identity, and made great progress.
Karen currently had the heavy responsibility of communicating between Leylin and the Scarlet Tigers.
"Master, we looted two more merchant ships from the Baltic archipelago this month, the estimated profits are about 5000 gold pieces. Additionally, Miss Isabel has acted according to your plan and begun to intentionally leak our whereabouts…" Karen reported respectfully.
"What about the Barbarians?"
"I have already notified them and they have promised to act when the agreed time comes." How could Leylin not take advantage of the assistance the Barbarians could offer to recklessly fight Marquis Louis?
"Mm, even so, we would increase our success rate if we could plant a high-ranking spy in their camp…" Leylin said, seemingly with a sigh.
"Master! This humble servant deserves death. The thieves and spies that were previously sent to the Baltic archipelago in the past all seemed to have been uprooted, and the ones that are left can only divulge ordinary information…" Karen immediately begged for forgiveness. Only after working for Leylin for so long did she realise how deeply terrifying he was.
Compared to this master, those pure-blooded drows in the Underdark seemed extremely kind-hearted!
"The reason I said that was not to blame you," Leylin shook his head, thinking that his servant's cowardice was not a good thing at all.
-x-X-x-
"Set out immediately towards the Baltic archipelago, and find someone for me," Leylin could not help but to get Karen's attention, as he saw the bewildered expression on her face.
"Who?" Karen was surprised. Could it be that the master had made other preparations over there? Did this mean that he had lost trust in her? Once she thought of the consequences of being abandoned, Karen involuntarily began to tremble.
That display made Leylin inwardly laugh to himself.
"Go and find Viscount Tim, and tell him the truth about who you are. In addition, tell him that I am willing to form an alliance with him and help him become a marquis!" Leylin laughed coldly, as if he were the devil.
"Viscount Tim?" Karen was shocked, and couldn't help but to lift her head up. She had heard many times about the Faulen family's affairs after joining Leylin's troops, and she certainly knew that Viscount Tim had been the main ringleader in coveting the Faulen Island's territory.
This viscount was also the Scarlet Tigers' biggest enemy right from the start, so how could they suddenly shake hands and talk of peace?
"Carry out the order," Leylin waved his hand. Karen respectfully bowed, disappearing into the darkness.
"That's politics for you… The enemy of my enemy is a friend, and no matter how one fought to the death against the other the previous day, to the point of wanting to directly kill each other, one must join hands against the common enemy all the same..."
Although the ambushed spies in the Baltic archipelago could only divulge the most basic of information, Leylin could still see a lot of things in them. For example, the discord between Marquis Louis and Viscount Tim, as well as the eldest son William's outstanding performance.
According to Leylin's understanding of human nature, he had over a 50% chance of success to rope in Viscount Tim., a chance great enough for him to try and grab.
Even if he failed, he would not suffer any losses, right?
...
A few days later, The Gold Priest Xena eventually accepted Leylin's conditions and signed the agreement. She received the sugar refining technique under the condition that they would protect the Faulen family for 3 years.
Both sides were very satisfied with their deal, and perhaps it would take a long time for both their profits and losses to come to light.
When all of these matters had been accomplished, a resplendent church had been erected at Port Venus.
As she had money, Xena, that prodigious bitch, seemed to simply use gold coins to accelerate the progress. Naturally, it had shockingly good results. The main body was up within ten days, several times faster than Leylin's construction of the city hall.
Naturally, this could not have happened with the efforts of the priests. As they could recover their divine skills just by praying every day, they were not afraid of generously using their skills to support the construction. Leylin could only look on in envy.
On the day that the construction was complete, Xena personally prayed and brought down the divine grace of the Goddess of Wealth.
Although the goddess herself did not appear, just being able to give all her followers in the port some additional luck and eloquence, as well as quick calculation abilities, was enough for those fellows to earn enough to fill their coffers in the future.
Naturally, the divine grace which was as boundless as the sea, and the imposing divine might, left a deep impression on Leylin.
The Goddess of Wealth was just a mid-ranked god, and shared the same status as a rank 8 of the Magus World. However, the feeling she gave Leylin was far more terrifying than many rank 8 entities.
Perhaps this was because it was her home turf, but it still gave Leylin an enormous shock. The powerful qualitative change that occurred when the power of faith was united with the body's power of laws greatly inspired him.
There were still a few discordant voices in the crowd.
The priests of the God of Suffering did not say much; his believers were of the lower classes, such as slaves and labourers, as well as others like farmers. They simply did not care about a goddess of merchants, because in reality the total of their belongings did not even add up to a single gold piece!
However, for the Bishop of the God of Knowledge, Tapris, having priests of the Goddess of Wealth stationed here was a great challenge. Although he still sent people over to congratulate them, he turned a cold shoulder to Baron Jonas.
Leylin and Baron Jonas completely ignored his attitude. As a representative of the nonreligious royalty, there were some essential benefits that they would never relinquish, and would even defend to the death.
Leylin stayed there for a while, until the transaction involving the fish floss technique had been completed and Port Venus was back on track. Only then did he retreat back into his laboratory.
The azure sea sprayed stinging salt and a soothing sea breeze at the same time. A black shadow whizzed past, leaving ripples on the sea surface behind it on its way.
An enormous fleet of pirate ships was quietly moored on the horizon, a terrifying skull and dagger flag the colour of blood on their flagpoles. The Scarlet Tigers had made a name for themselves in the nearby region, and their strength began to approach that of the three great pirate crews.
It was rumoured that the captain of that pirate crew, the Scarlet Witch, was from the abyss of evil, and even enjoyed bathing in the fresh blood of her enemies. Just the mention of her name could make small children cry fearfully at night.
However, the rumoured Scarlet Witch, Leylin's cousin Isabel, stood with the other high-ranking pirates on the deck, as if waiting for their true captain to appear.
"You've worked hard!" Leylin's figure slowly descended in the howling wind. He first nodded at his pirate crew, then turned to face his own cousin. Afterwards, his brow slowly furrowed.
As she had sacrificed a great deal of blood and flesh, Isabel's power had improved very quickly, and she was now almost a rank 15 high-ranking Professional. She was the number one combatant under him.
At the same time however, Isabel's demonisation had also grown even more serious.
Although her appearance was still human, occasionally she emitted an extremely demonic and icy aura, which was terrifyingly evil. It was enough for weaker people to fall into a dead faint if they got too close to her.
As a result, even the most ferocious pirates did not dare to get close to Isabel.
"Our people have all been set up according to your plan," Isabel had no interest in the fearful gazes from the others, and arrived at Leylin's side.
"You've done very well," Leylin captured Isabel's small hand. Although it was as cold as ice, there was a touch of warmth to it that still belonged to the living.
"Ronald, come to the captain's room. I need to hear your latest report," Leylin looked towards Ronald, who immediately bowed and obeyed his order.
Of all the mates, he was the one with the best foundation. He even had some ability at leadership, something that had caught Leylin's attention. His current position had slowly been elevated above that of Cyclops, and he had become Leylin's top talent apart from Isabel.
Naturally, Leylin did not treat his old subordinates badly, and had given them a ship and 10 pirates. They were promoted to middle-ranked leaders and had awe-inspiring prestige, but now that their status had been upgraded, their thoughts also seemed to change a little.
After the pirates on the deck all left after reading the mood, Leylin spoke in a low voice to Isabel, "If you make the decision, then I still have ways to get rid of the demonic transformation of your body. However if you really wait until the transformation is complete, then I fear you will directly descend into the abyss, and your soul will never receive salvation…"
Isabel played with her long hair. Only in front of Leylin would she do these little feminine actions.
"After I give up my power, how do I get revenge on my enemies? I made a vow, that every day I live I will seek the deaths of my enemy to comfort the souls of my family…" Listening to what Isabel said, Leylin could only fall into a gloomy mood. His cousin's character was so strong that it could give him a headache.
"Alright, since we have nothing left to do after this battle, we can take our time to consider how to resolve it. I only hope that we aren't too late…" Leylin looked towards the sky where clouds were slowly gathering, heralding the arrival of a storm.
"My sword has long been thirsting for blood…" His cousin stood next to him just like a valkyrie.
...
"Damn! Damn! Damn!" Viscount Tim cursed as he slammed the bedroom door handle, holding an bottle of empty bottle of rum.
Those serving maids? He had long roared at them to leave.
"One day! One day, I'll make all of you who despise and insult me pay the price!" Thinking back to those looks of contempt he had received recently, Viscount Tim's mood became even worse.
"Mm? Who is it? Didn't I say before, to all get out of my sight…"
Viscount Tim's voice stopped, because the person he had discovered standing in his bedroom was not a maid, but a thief.
"The Scarlet Tiger pirate crew gives you our greetings!" This thief had a sweet voice that was pleasant to the ears, and her figure was very good.
Viscount Tim looked at her from head to toe, and his expression changed completely. He even looked like he had woken up from his drunken stupor. Scarlet Tiger? Were they not his enemies?
"Haha… Are you here to take my life?" Tim took a few steps back, and his dark heart was filled with hate. If it was his father and William's place, that thief would been chopped to pieces before she could get this close to them. Only here in this neglected second son's house could an assassin easily step through.
However, if he could fight for a little more time, the guards would notice something was amiss and immediately rush through.
"No, we're here to help you! You, do you wish to become a Marquis?" The temptation of a devil poured out from Karen's lips.
"Marquis?" Tim's expression changed greatly, and he immediately shut his bedroom door with a dark expression.
-x-X-x-
"Go on! You were sent by William, weren't you. What are you plotting?" Tim immediately sat down to one side.
"Haha… I'm afraid that your brother can't order me around. If you want to confirm my identity, how about this?" Karen lifted her hand, and a scroll covered in the Scarlet Tiger's skull and dagger seal flew directly to Tim.
"It really is you people…" Tim touched the unique imprint on the parchment in disbelief, his eyes slowly growing as round as saucers.
"What do you want?" Without quite knowing why, Tim's heart began to beat wildly.
"Didn't I say before? We're going to help you become the marquis, my lord," Karen smiled.
"What sort of joke is this, William is still here, and apart from him there's still…" Tim mumbled.
"Then just let them all die," Karen's words were filled with venom.
"Let them all die!" Tim bonelessly flopped onto his chair as he heard her speak his mind, but his eyes actually shone brightly.
"You want me to work undercover and sell out my own family?" He asked slowly.
"That depends on your decision. What do you want, a broken family? Or the glory and power that your brother William currently holds?"
Karen could tell that Tim never really had a choice.
The night wind blew through the window, and the curtains continued to wave in the breeze. However, there was someone missing from their earlier position in front of the window. After a long time sitting uneasily in his chair, Tim felt dizzy and confused. However, an idea had seeded itself deep within his mind.
'That's right. If I can't have it, you can't either! I'll destroy everything, this entire Baltic archipelago should belong to me!'Under the moonlight, Tim's back seemed to have twisted demonically.
...
"Master, everything went smoothly. Tim also gave us the route maps of the Black Skeletons and Tigershark Pirates." Tim had completely revealed Marquis Louis' plan to them; the forces he was mobilising, William's route, even the news of the wizard Boruj's return.
"Ah, is this Tim crazy?" Isabel stood next to Leylin, looking at the final part of the parchment which held the map of the entire Baltic archipelago. He had completely betrayed his family and even given them the defenses of the marquis' house.
"Desperate and crazy people can be unreasonable like this. He clearly knows that his family is the only thing left that he can rely on, but he willingly wants to destroy it. It's really too funny…" Karen knelt down even lower, and did not dare to look Leylin in the eye.
Although she had a rather intimate relationship with this master of hers, she realised that she couldn't even begin to understand Leylin yet. For the sake of benefits, even his enemies became his allies, and the ability to accurately grasp someone's heart made him seem like a demon wearing human skin.
Indeed, a demon! In Karen's heart, perhaps only the Archdevil of the 9th level of hell would have such a cold and cruel mentality.
"What, are you afraid of me?" Even this light thought was discovered by Leylin, and his casual way of asking made Karen tremble all over.
"No! No, your servant was just concerned that Viscount Tim would go back on his word. After all, nobles are not to be trusted. Even if we succeed, I fear that he will act as a witness against us…" Karen immediately replied.
"Before William dies, the likelihood of Tim going back to their side is very small," Leylin did not get angry after discovering his servant's fearful state of mind, it was a very normal reaction.
Only in front of the Scarlet Tigers did Leylin abandon his aristocratic airs, showing his true self to the crowd. Because of it, he had earned the other pirates' genuine awe and fear. Were Isabel not slowly transforming into a demon in body and mind, perhaps even she would feel fearful and alienated by him.
"After we succeed, whether Tim will ask for help from the Dambrath Kingdom or testify against us…" Leylin laughed gently, "Did I let you leave behind any evidence or information that points towards me?"
"No," Karen dimly began to realise.
"So from beginning to the end, this entire matter is only related to the Scarlet Tigers and Tim. Is Tim willing to gamble away his future and be hanged for the crime, just to testify against a bunch of pirates?"
"Master is wise!" Karen only understood at this moment how deeply Leylin had thought about everything.
"Not only that… Louis and William are the marquis and the marquis' heir, even containing royal blood. The Baltic archipelago is the marquis' fiefdom, do you really think we can go swaggering in after disposing of them both and take it over?"
"If that happened, the king would lose his mind and attack us!"
"That's right, so we should at least support a puppet agent on the surface, and Tim is rather suitable, is he not?" Leylin folded his hands, "With him there, then we can cover up the whole matter as a fight between a noble family's sons, and isn't this sort of thing common in the Kingdom?
"This would let his majesty and the royal family save face, and although they will continue to resent us, the possibility of them wasting manpower and resources to exterminate us will be very low."
"Your servant understands…" Karen's face was still rather shocked as she respectfully withdrew. It was clear that Leylin's view extended further into the future than she had realised.
'Don't tell me that all humans are as full of convoluted schemes and foresight as him? The extent of this plot, perhaps even those Matriarchs of the Underdark…' Karen left with a heavy heart.
Leylin was comforting his cousin, "I know your family's debt of blood includes Tim's. Don't worry, when the time is ripe he WILL pay the price…"
"There isn't a trace of doubt in my mind," Isabel looked deeply into Leylin's eyes, "Additionally, I would like to finish him off myself…"
"No problem, I can leave William to you," Leylin's eyes flashed coldly, "Notify the Barbarians as well, this time we will eliminate their naval force in one fell swoop!"
A grey falcon with a scroll tied to its leg disappeared into the sky, as quickly as a flash of grey lightning. With this sort of raptor-like speed and flight, it would only take half a night to reach Pirates' Cove.
A strong breeze flowed past, lifting the heavy curtains.
"What an adorable little fellow, haha…" Madam Tillen caressed its ash-grey beak, and retrieved the message tied to its feet. After glancing through the message, she turned to the Barbarians' captain in her room, "The operation can begin!"
Several loud grunting sounds could be heard. An enormous hand attached to an arm the size of an entire baby was grasping a huge goblet filled to the brim with golden spirits.
Odge's throat was gulping down the drink, and occasionally some liquor would leak out from the corners of his mouth and flow down his prickly beard.
"Boruj, Boruj, Boruj! I'll turn your skull into a wine glass!" Odge growled, snatching up the enormous saber. A powerful spell glinted on the swordpoint.
"Send the order, we act now!" Odge roared, and the two barbarian warriors outside immediately flew out.
Pirates' Cove immediately burst into a flurry of activity. Under the command of their captain, teams of barbarian warriors boarded their ships in an orderly manner, amongst them shamans who wore colourful feathers and had painted faces.
They were the rare spellcasters of the barbarian tribe, and one could tell Odge's resolve and caution from how all of them had been dispatched.
"The Pirates' Tide! It's similar to the last Pirates' Tide that happened decades ago…" The barbarians' pirate crew did not consist solely of their own kind. As the head of the dark alliance in the outer seas, they had many pirates under them of other races which were all currently taking action with them. Several thousand ships sailed out from Pirates' Cove, which gave off a rather chilling feeling.
"I smell killing, and the plot is afoot… This festival will please our lord greatly!" In a dark corner, the Cyric priest murmured to himself, next to him the bent figure of the bishop from before.
"Prepare your men to assassinate the leaders of both sides, and let the chaos grow even more turbulent!" After this reshuffling of the pirate organisations, the situation in the outer sea would change greatly. However, this bishop's purpose was greater than that.
All he asked was for there to be chaos! After the chaotic battle, no matter who rose to the top, they would represent order. However, this would clearly displease the God of Murder, as he only wanted an endlessly chaotic outer sea, full of all kinds of murder and conspiracies.
Murder and plots were Cyric's most favourite things. If they could accomplish this, then he was bound to receive the grace of his god. He would advance by 1 or 2 ranks as a priest at the very least, and even receive other advantages. Compared to that, how could allowing the entire outer sea wither even compare?
"As you command!" The priest now understood the tip of the bishop's plot. Neither their past neutrality nor the current assassinations mattered, all that was left was a sacrifice of chaos and death!
These sorts of methods obviously brought great pleasure and excitement to him. With high spirits, the priest's body slowly melded into the shadows, leaving behind the bishop who watched the sails alone.
-x-X-x-
"Young master! We've received word that those Barbarians at Pirates' Cove are acting strangely!" It was very unlikely for such a large-scale shift in manpower to be hidden from other organisations. William got a report quite quickly.
"The Barbarians? Get me a map of the sea!" William put down the copper telescope. The feeling of possessing so much power left him in a marvellous mood.
Under him was a huge three-masted ship that was over 300m long, able to displace 500 metric tons of water when sailing. The terrifying battleship, its deck and hull coated in magic armour, was a symbol of invincibility and tyranny in the outer seas.
A flag with a sinister black skull on it flapped around in the wind, the mark of the Black Skeletons. This was one of the three great pirate crews of the outer seas of Dambrath, with over 300 elites and ten large battleships. Their flagship had been remodelled with magic!
At this moment, a young pirate walked over, opening up an intricate map next to William.
"You've worked hard, Captain Crowe!" William nodded politely.
Captain Crowe had translucent fair skin and a tall forehead, the bridge of his nose long and straight as a snowy mountain. His eyes were long and narrow, as were his proportionate eyebrows, and he had a delicate yet seductive aura.
However, William did not dare underestimate him. Crowe was a high-ranked Professional exceeding rank 15, his outer appearance only the effect of his bloodline.
Indeed, this was someone with a bloodline. His powers stemmed not only from his Profession, but also his innate constitution. The power he inherited from his bloodline allowed him to possess greater vitality than the average human, and the bloodline itself would awaken spell-like abilities as he grew.
However, bloodlines had limitations as well. He could only cast from a limited pool of spells, and there was a limit to the number of uses.
However, even the simplest rank 0 spell was useful for high-ranked warriors. On top of that, his bloodline allowed him to cast spells so quickly that defending against them was pointless.
It caused many to describe bloodline holders as lucky people who possessed gifts from their ancestors. Crowe himself had a high grade of bloodline ,but he was also a knight that was over rank 15. Still, the influence of his ancestor's bloodline naturally lent to a savagery and violence that was in his very genes. He was like a devil king in the outer seas.
However, the Black Skeletons were subservient to Marquis Louis, and Crowe had a great attitude towards William. It could have to do with the high-ranking wizard by his side.
While similarly ranked as Professionals, a wizard far exceeded knights and bloodline holders in power. Perhaps, given time to prepare, a high-ranked wizard could contend against several enemies of their rank.
As a nobility of the seas, William knew these basic things well. After using a vernier caliper and making marks, he stowed the map away. "They set off from Pirates' Cove just yesterday. Based on the distance, it'll take them at least two days to reach the battlefield. We should be able to exterminate the Scarlet Tigers in that time…"
"When the time comes, please leave the Scarlet Witch to me!" Crowe bowed elegantly, seeming like a refined noble. It was impossible to connect him to piracy on the seas.
"No problem!" William frowned, but quickly smoothed out his expression. He stood on deck, watching the over 30 battleships behind him, "Send down the command that we are to increase our speed, we should strive to annihilate the Scarlet Tigers within a day!"
The flag bearer immediately got up to the observation deck and sent down the order. The vessels sped up, creating a spectacular sight. Most of the ships belonged to the Black Skeletons, and only a few were marked with the symbol of the Tigershark Pirates.
However, William would not underestimate them because of that, There were many white lines next to the fleet, the dorsal fins of many tigersharks. They looked like innumerable fish scales that emitted a dark luster in the sunlight.
This was a group of tamed tigersharks, the main force of the Tigershark Pirates! A formation of them spelled disaster in the deep seas, easily able to flip ships over and rip the flesh off their enemies from the waters.
"Keke… seems like Citamo's little darlings are already impatient, or am I wrong?" Crowe coquettishly greeted a sharkman behind him.
"I want to rip off every bone of the body of that Leylin, inch by inch. I'll then let my children share every drop of flesh and blood on his body…" Citamo was a hybrid between a shark and a human. His outer skin was like the solid cartilage of a shark, and his smile revealed a row of sawtooth-like teeth. The corners of his lips extended all the way to his ears.
Such a huge mouth could easily swallow a full-grown man.
William gulped, "It's rumoured that the Tigershark Pirates and Merfolk Pirates have connections. After the Merfolk Pirates were annihilated, Citamo even tried to cause trouble for the Scarlet Tigers, but the opponent fled…"
"The captain of the Merfolk Pirates was a bastard of yours, no? Don't worry, the enemy won't be able to run!" Crowe's eyes had a bloody glint in them as he ruthlessly revealed the secret.
"Crowe! Once the battle's over, I'll wring your head off!" Citamo widened his mouth, revealing a terrifying tongue with sharp barbed tips on them, "I've long since wanted to taste a bloodline holder…"
"Enough!" An aged voice sounded just as William furrowed his brows and was about to stop the fight. Boruj slowly strolled to the deck, leaning on a slender magic staff.
While he looked like a shrivelled old man who already had a foot in the coffin, and there was only a little bit of light in his eyes, Crowe and Citamo both did not dare underestimate him. This was a high-ranked wizard, a spellcaster who possessed immense strength! No matter where he went, he would be greeted with reverence.
"Master Boruj, you're just in time!" With Boruj's arrival, William was more confident.
"I hope you can use Sending to inform the naval commander that he doesn't need to come over here. He'll just have to carry on stalling that trash at Pirates' Cove for a while…" William's eyes now held rays of wisdom, "Though they definitely won't be able to make it to the battle, I still feel uneasy…"
Sending was only a communication spell that high-ranked wizards used. The distance it allowed and its convenience far surpassed old methods. Of course, Leylin was still unable to use this as he was still too low-ranked.
"Don't worry," Boruj looked hard at the two pirate captains and headed back to the hold of the ship.
"I still have some thoughts on the upcoming massacre, I invite the two of you to discuss this together…" As if not seeing the dark look in their eyes, William put on his sincerest smile and called for Crowe and Citamo.
...
As they were planning for the battle, Leylin's various channels gave him an unceasing stream of intel.
"Mm. William's main force is two large pirate groups. He's protected by the high-ranked wizard, Boruj, and they've already reached the Strait of Storms?" Leylin looked at the gigantic map on the wall and stuck a few flags on it.
"Yes. Marquis Louis' slaving fleet has already shifted towards the Hygar Islands, blocking the path that the Barbarians are sure to pass by. It'll take a long time for victory to be decided between them…"
Only Isabel and Ronald were beside Leylin, even Karen had been sent out. Evidently, this was a military meet for those of high rank..
"Good. As we expected, they sent out their last resort…" Leylin clapped his hands, "Is that stuff prepared yet?"
"We've already made contact with the people there. They delivered all the goods right away once we paid them their gold. We're currently storing it here…" Ronald's voice trembled slightly as he said this. While he had talent as a commander, he was still shocked by Leylin's risky actions.
"Act based on the plan. Remember to keep it a secret! Let's go out and see the leader of the other pirates…" Leylin clapped his hands and decided the fate of many people, and then walked out as if it was nothing at all.
"With a wave of his hand, he can take the lives of tens of thousands at one go and even show no remorse. Is this the way the truly powerful behave?" Ronald muttered to himself as he followed Leylin.
Lights illuminated the hall atop the Scarlet Tiger. Numerous pirate leaders stood at the two sides of the long table, with the elites and trusted aides behind them.
"Boss!" Boss!" After having brought Isabel and Ronald inside, Leylin occupied the host's seat as he took a quick look around. The Scarlet Tigers had grown to over 500 men strong in the past year, even if they didn't have many elites. Many familiar and unfamiliar faces appeared in front of him.
"I've gathered you here today because we are going to deal with the Black Skeletons and Tigershark Pirates!" Leylin's voice was low as he announced his objective.
The moment the words came out, there was a slight commotion below. One-eyed Dragon, Hawk, and the rest that Leylin was more familiar with merely whispered, while the rest of the pirates grew noisy.
-x-X-x-
"Boss, why do we have to go against the Black Skeletons and Tigersharks? Marquis Louis and the Baltic archipelago are behind them, and we're no match for THEM… Isn't it better to stay out of the way like we did in the past? The sea is so vast. They can't find us…" A pirate who looked kind stood out.
"Are you questioning my decision, Stalker?" Leylin's voice was low, immediately causing the hall to turn chilly.
This was the disadvantage of staying at Port Venus and avoiding trouble. Since he controlled the pirates from the shadows most of the time, he still didn't have enough of a grasp on them. This was especially true of those like Stalker who'd just joined. He'd originally commanded a few ships himself, and had never experienced how brutal and callous Leylin could be. There were things he did not understand.
Stalker froze, but still mumbled everything out anyway, "I obviously wouldn't want to do that, but we have to worry about our brothers…"
"Wouldn't want to? So that means you'll still do it?" Leylin chuckled, a flash of lightning shooting out of his hands.
With his strength as a rank 9 wizard, plentiful battle experiences, and excellent techniques, taking care of a Professional merely about rank 10 could be done in an instant.
*Crackle!* Amidst the fierce electric currents, Stalker turned into a few portions of charred ash.
"Ah… Head!" "What are you doing?"
The trusted aide standing behind Stalker brought out his curved knife in his grief, but was immediately drowned out by Ronald's underlings.
Leylin played with the electric currents that struck fear into the hearts of the pirates, leaving them trembling in their fright. He then ordered in leisure from his seat, "Ronald, go and take over their ship!"
"Understood, Captain!" Ronald immediately brought his men and left, leaving behind a group of pirate leaders quivering at their seats. It was only at this point that they remembered the Scarlet Tigers had been established with the captain's ruthlessness and cruelty.
They had to carry out his orders with determination. The only other option was being purged callously!
Shouts could be heard, and there was some chaos in the distance but Leylin didn't care. Sensing the wordless communication amongst his subordinates, He snickered inside, 'As expected, the truly troublesome ones aren't hot-blooded. There are more of those who only pay lip service…'
After a year of work, the batch of people under Leylin had all grown rich, gaining control over certain sections. They were now smalltime leaders themselves.
Due to a shortage of manpower, Isabel and Ronald had no choice but to hand over some power to others, which then led to a few other hidden leaders amongst the pirates. Leylin kept them under control by pressuring them with his power. While this made sure that they wouldn't dare rebel, the hatred in their hearts increased by the day.
After the fools who had the guts to speak out all died, the only resistance was left hidden in the shadows. It was alright if they only paid lip service, but how many out of these people had contact with Marquis Louis and betrayed him, turning into spies?
Leylin sneered on the inside. On the surface, the opponent's strength far exceeded his, even in terms of his noble status.
This was the loneliness at the top of the pyramid. Worldly matters were like water that would wash away the people beside him, the mere thought of like-minded companions from the past difficult to remember.
'But even if you work from the shadows, you can't stop me.' Leylin was unfeeling and merciless.
"Captain! Stalker's ship has been cleaned out!" At this moment, Ronald pushed the door open and walked in hurriedly, bloodstains still on his body. "We found some assassins from the church of murder on it, and this too!" A few noble emblems with blood on them were flung to the long table.
"This… It's the family emblem of Marquis Louis!" Someone who recognised it yelled.
"Hang all the assassins. Kill all of Stalker's assistants. Let them know what the punishment for treachery is!" Leylin instructed calmly, deciding the life and death of tens of people in an instant.
"Now, do you have any other opinions?" Being glanced at by Leylin's lightning-like eyes, the many leaders immediately lowered their heads, having no courage to meet his gaze.
...
After the meeting was adjourned, Leylin might have used his might to forcefully allocate tasks, but the undercurrents still flowed. A few suspicious figures sneakily met up at the bottom of a ship's hold in the deep night.
"Nondetection" An expensive scroll was torn, and once the rays of light from the spell filled the area, the people finally heaved a sigh of relief.
"Is this place safe?" One of them asked with a rough voice.
"I spend a lot of money to get this magic scroll. Even a high-ranked wizard might not be able to find us!" Another voice sounded exasperated.
"Fine, stop quarrelling!" An old and hoarse voice sounded, immediately suppressing the dispute, "I believe Liberty—"
"Didn't I tell you not to call me by my name? Not even my nickname!" The voice from before sounded again immediately.
"Fine, sorry." The elderly voice halted, and then continued, "There are now tens of ships. We have people keeping watch over the Scarlet Tiger, and there's the power of magic involved. He definitely won't discover us, so we can discuss at ease…"
"The captain's been getting more ruthless lately. Stalker merely said a word and was killed by him just like that. Even his underlings weren't spared…" A voice of indignance could be heard.
"Did he discover something?" This was the worried person.
"The reason us brothers are banding together is for our own benefits, but now the captain wants to go to war on those two huge pirate groups. Tell me, what are our chances of winning?"
The elderly voice replied, "Actually, if the captain's still like before and lets us loot and plunder as we like, while he's in charge of disposing of the stolen goods and distributing profits, I have no issues with that. The issue is that things are different now. He wants us to risk our lives! Even if we get rid of the Black Skeletons and Tigershark Pirates, they still have the Marquis and Baltic archipelago as their backing and can quickly regain their strength. What about us? On top of that, they have a tremendous slaving fleet…"
At the end of that, the elderly voice suddenly grew louder.
"Then what do we do?" The reason they had gathered was not because they truly had plans to start a rebellion, but were merely agreeing on an alliance in order to protect their own interests.
"We're pirates. How valuable could trust be? If put in a spot, we can just rebel against him and side with the other pirate groups. Whether it's Marquis Louis or the Barbarians, anything can be considered…" The aged voice held hints of resentment.
Eyes full of wit shone in the dark room like a pack of wolves.
...
"Reporting! Traces of the Scarlet Pirates have been found!" A pirate respectfully reported.
"Follow them, follow them! Keep a tight hold of them!" William's eyes brightened.
The huge ships pulled at the sails, and they formed a huge arc in the strong wind. The entire fleet began to sail at a terrifying speed.
'This is all thanks to master Boruj!' Experiencing the strong winds in his face, William could not help but take a look at the high-ranked wizard next to him in admiration. The Breeze spell he'd cast had raised the fleet's speed more than twofold.
Wizards could adapt to all sorts of complex environments. With the numerous types of spells they could cast, they were useful in all sorts of abrupt situations. In his opinion, the Scarlet Tigers would not be able to escape.
"An island has been discovered up ahead, and there are ships anchored there!" At this moment, the sailor at the observation deck exclaimed.
"What?" William immediately darted to the railings, using the telescope to observe. A huge barren island appeared in his line of sight. There was a series of pirate ships anchored at the side, the flag of the Scarlet Tigers extremely obvious on them.
"They've abandoned their ships and landed? Have they gone mad?" While still in disbelief, William gritted his teeth, "Go! Sink them!"
Whatever it was, he needed to sink the opponent's ships. This way, they would be completely trapped. The offensive went smoothly. Not many had been left on watch, and Crowe and Citamo hadn't even needed to act. Their first and second mates had taken along some people and seized the thirty pirate ships.
All the pirate ships that Leylin had spent a year seizing with his own pirate crew now fell into William's hands. The process was so smooth-sailing that it was difficult to believe. The merfolk's ship, and even the Scarlet Tiger with its blood red flag were at his disposal.
"His ships were all very clean and had no traps. Based on the information from the slaves, this is a temporary stopping point for them, and they've built a few simple defenses…"
Crowe fiddled with the black curved knife in his hands, "So? Should we sail them away?" Such a huge fleet was worth at least tens of thousands of hold, an impressive amount of wealth. Even large pirate groups would go green in envy at it.
William muttered to himself, and then gritted his teeth. "No. Sink them all! Even if they've done anything to the ships, it shouldn't affect us."
After all, there were a few terrifying toxins and curses that could be hidden from the senses of magic, and even divine force. He had come out to obtain a beautiful victory to secure his position as the successor. Nothing could go wrong.
"Master Boruj, what do you think?" William did not forget to ask for Boruj's opinion at this point.
"Alright!" The wizard nodded, causing Crowe and Citamo to curse inside. As expected, wizards were all spendthrifts!
-x-X-x-
Chaotic sounds rang out, and the bulk of the ships sank down into the sea one by one. William, however, had a blank expression on his face while he watched the Scarlet Tiger sinking. The largest ship of them all was being swallowed by the merciless waves.
"Is this… victory?" This presented him with an even greater enigma, which was whether to proceed with ground warfare or not.
"What should we do now?" William turned to look at Boruj rather awkwardly.
"I can feel a huge amount of life energy on the island. If I'm not wrong, he should still be there. But I can't probe further into the details, and there are also disturbances deterring my predictions. After all, they have a wizard with them too…" The radiance of spells shone over Boruk as he shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Why would we attack? We can just patiently surround the island here, it'll be impossible for anyone there who isn't of a high rank to survive the loss of the ships…" Crowe's expression was specific to the craftiness of a pirate.
"That's a pretty good idea, but there's another thing we have to consider. They might be trying to stall us here, I'm worried about the other fleet…" As loyal as the bribed pirates could be, they were nothing compared to the dogs they raised. William was aware of that.
Moreover, loyalty and trust weren't words in the pirates' dictionaries anyway. They were merely instinctive loonies that sought refuge from the strong!
The sudden blinking of a communication spell cause Boruj's face to drop.
"I've just received news that Pirates' Cove is immensely determined this time, and they even sent out the Pirates' Tide. The slaves' fleet has suffered great losses, and a few high-ranking captains were even murdered. We suspect that the God of Murder's organisation is behind it…"
"The God of Murder? Damn it!" Nobody who heard the name off this crazy deity would be too happy. William was about to implode. At the same time, he felt some sort of change in the eyes of the two bulky captains beside him.
The main reason why the Louis' family could terrorise these pirates was because of their enormous military fleets. If they lost too much power now, even without the Scarlet Tiger keeping them in check it was possible that these pirates would mutiny. Common countermeasures were useless against the pirates if they were set on betrayal.
"My Lord! The pirates that we've sent out have come back!" A subordinate announced as he led in a rogue dressed in black skintight clothes.
"My Lord, this is the information from 'Night Owl'!" The rogue presented a letter to them. William slightly jerked his head to the side, signaling for his grey-haired butler to receive the letter and put it through a thorough check.
"No anomalies," the butler reported after scrutinising it. He then passed the letter to William, who took his time to absorb the information.
His expression grew progressively better, "I've decided! We're gonna land immediately and ambush the Scarlet Tigers!"
'Has he had a spy among the Scarlet Tigers for a while?' Crowe watched everything quietly, but something flashed across his eye.
William looked at Crowe. "They have around 500 pirates, if we were to face them head on, do you have the confidence to defeat them all, Captain Crowe?"
"Without any confirmed numbers of professionals over there, they are just merely just 500 midgets to me! My subordinates can finish all of them by themselves!" A sinister smile flashed past Crowe's face.
The look of bloodlust induced some fear inside of William, 'It's been rumoured that most bloodline holders are nuts, and are easily aggravated or have extreme bloodlust; seems like it's true!'
"It's decided then! Captain Crowe will bring some men alongside me to the land and Citamo will guard this place!" William commanded. Most of Citamo's main power was still within the tigersharks, so only a small number of people could help on land.
'I need some deeds to prove myself. As long as Master Boruj is here, everything should be alright!' William glanced at the expressionless wizard at the side and cheered himself on.
Very quickly, an elite team led mostly by the Black Skeletons with some of William's guards and the Tigershark Pirates reached the island.
The team had a manpower of around four to five hundred, but in terms of skills they were far better than whoever Leylin had under him.
"They've built a simple campsite here and stored a minimal amount of water and food, enough for more than two months. Also, they've also set up many traps, a majority of which are venomous snakes, in the canyon."
William's informant seemed to have given him more than enough intelligence, and he even provided a rough map.
"We'll be fine as long as we have this!" Crowe's bloodlust-filled smile widened, and it was indeed intimidating.
With the informant's report and their own pirate scouts, they successfully passed the trap-filled canyon and arrived at the pirate campsite. The wooden fence was sharp, and in front of it were some ugly pagodas. Many were looking at these, secretly letting out fearful gasps every now and then.
...
Isabel walked into the center of the campsite, "The enemies have made it past the venomous snake canyon, I was right about them having a mole in us. And the spy is at least a middle-ranked one, god damn it!"
"This is nothing out of the ordinary. You can leave for now." Leylin waved his arm, and a dispirited pirate leader walked out.
"You used Dominate Person?" Isabel asked. Although the pirate leader didn't look like he was in his best condition, it didn't look like he was controlled either.
"Nope, just a simple psychological hint. And with those kinds of spells, even if spell slots weren't taken into account I don't have enough power and spirit to control so many intelligent creatures right now." Leylin shook his head. "Survival is the first instinct of all creatures, and to be able to leave a spiritual imprint on this base nature is very difficult. On the other hand, it's easy to give them a lasting hint, furthermore…"
"My Lord!" Ronald came in on time, and knelt down respectfully, "All the preparations are done!"
"Great! Let us go welcome them, or else they wouldn't launch the attack at all." Leylin stood on top of the fort with Isabel and Ronald by his side, directly looking into the eye of a young aristocrat in the opposite force.
"Is that Leylin Faulen? The son of the the Baron?" William was looking at them too.
"Yes, I've checked! It isn't any illusionary spell or camouflage. The Scarlet Witch is there as well." Boruj confirmed.
"The rest is up to you, Captain Crowe!" William looked at Crowe beside him, the man's eyes already filled with killing intent. Blood vessels were popping up on the man's eyes.
"No problem, but that Scarlet Witch is mine!" Crowe growled, "Black Skeletons, follow me!"
"Animate Dead!" "Strengthen Undead!" "Skeleton Call!"
An array of spells launched from Crowe's body, forming a bone armour around his body first of all. It caged him securely. The ground then bulged, small bones jutting out as skeletons crawled their way out. They seemed to come from hell, holding rusty axes and broken swords as they rushed towards the campsite.
"Undead creatures!" "It's the undead!" The pirates in the campsite were in chaos. If it weren't for Leylin's early preparations, it might have sparked a rebellion.
"It has been rumoured that the Black Skeletons' captain is a bloodline holder, and is able to call upon the dead, looks like the rumours are real!" Even though low-ranked skeletons like this would not cause much trouble, it was a huge blow to his men's confidence. Leylin furrowed his brows, sending out a few spells.
"Berserk!" "Blizzard!" "Resist Energy!"
Under the influence of Berserk, many low-ranked pirates started yelling as if their bodies were filled with immense strength. Bows were continuously in action, the arrows they shot out turning the skeletons to dust.
"These spells, we can already confirm it's him." William nodded his head as he watched, feeling a little upset. Even though his opponent had a good affinity for spells, to waste his slots from the start made him no different from those stupid and rash bloodline holders.
'Alright. We can end the war if we capture him, but on top of that we can even blackmail Baron Jonas for the refined sugar and fish floss techniques.' William was extremely jealous of these two money-makers and started growling, "I will bestow 1000 coins upon anyone who's able to capture that wizard. You can also do whatever you wish to the captured women!"
All the pirates got excited at the great rewards, and started charging madly towards the fences.
"Our low-ranked pirates are of such inferior quality, they couldn't improve much even with the enhancement of the spells. And my spells are limited in time and scope." Leylin laughed bitterly to Isabel as he looked at the pirates who were starting to give way. Both of them retreated from the frontline and came to the hall.
"Prepare to leave!" Leylin signalled with his hand, and Ronald started moving away the obstacles to reveal a passageway in the corner of the hall. This was a passageway that Leylin had made when he built the campsite back then, its existence was known to only about 3 people. Ronald had only found out about it today.
-x-X-x-
"Brothers, we can't risk our lives for that wizard who fled and left us all behind!" An unexpected figure stood out in the front line.
Cyclops growled, "If we surrender, they'll overlook all the sins we committed against them. He's a viscount, mateys! What are you sprogs still waiting for?" This pirate, one of Leylin's first subordinates, betrayed him in the blink of an eye. Cyclops had even established contact with William some time before.
As they realised that Leylin was indeed absent, the morale of the other pirates was greatly affected. They were shaken by the suggestions of their leader, and many decided to throw down their weapons and surrender.
The door of the campsite was thrown open, and Cyclops stood aside respectfully to let Crowe and his gang in. Even if they still had any last remnants of resistance, it was of no use in this current situation.
"You've done well, I will put in a good word for you to my father!" William patted Cyclops' shoulder contentedly, which made the pirate looked very touched.
"Where are Leylin and the rest?"
"Don't worry, we've already sent our men to block off their paths, they won't be able to escape!" Cyclops proceeded to welcome William into the meeting chamber, while the summoned skeletons were disposing of a handful of pirates that were still putting up a fight.
"What's going on? What happened to all of you? I thought we had come to an agreement!" Cyclops raised his attention as he saw a few of the pirate leaders who had conspired with him grouping together.
"Be careful! I felt uneasy the moment I stepped in here." Boruj whispered to William as he cast some spells.
"Mage Armour II!" "Detect Danger!" "Eagle Eye!"
Soon after, his expression grew dark. "Shit! Run!" A teleportation gate appeared and Boruj pulled William with him as he threw himself into its depths.
"Come and see the fireworks." Outside the campsite, Leylin and Isabel stood next to each other and watched the camp near them.
*Boom!*
Dazzling sparks of flame emerged from all around the campsite, and immediately encircled the pirates within.
Cyclops was at a loss. Before he could even figure out the situation, an immense force ripped his body apart.
Terrifying explosions sounded, and a mushroom cloud soared into the sky. The resulting shockwaves were so strong that even the trees near Leylin were uprooted. Earthquakes ensued, the ground seeming to let out a deafening lament as it split wide open.
"With the money from the fish floss as well as some money borrowed from the church of wealth, I bought goblin explosives. What a scene!" Leylin commented as he observed the scene unfolding itself from afar.
Ronald stood behind Leylin, shock was written all over his face. Only his psychotic leader could think of a plan as crazy as filling the campsite with dynamite to send both his enemies and his own men to hell, hand in hand.
"But, even though we used a big amount of dynamite, this impact is just too big. This is as powerful as a rank 9 area of effect spell. Actually, it might even be equivalent to a legendary spell!" Ronald muttered, without noticing he had just voiced his opinion out loud.
Leylin smirked. In reality, the credits weren't solely to the dynamite. He had added his own techniques and the A.I. Chip's processing, enhancing the explosives and and increasing their damage.
Furthermore, Leylin made meticulous preparations, using many concealing spells to avoid the enemies' suspicion.
Well, at the very least, the Black Skeletons became history. This plan ended up creating a huge hole in his wallet and exhausting him to the bones, but the results were satisfying. As for Boruj, Leylin did not plan on keeping the wizard around.
A bad thing about high-ranked wizards was that it got increasingly difficult to eliminate them once they grew familiar with teleportation.
But the rest of the people on the campsite were not so lucky.
"Be prepared, out men will soon catch up to us." There were still around a hundred elite pirates under Leylin's control.
These were Leylin's true subordinates, the loyal ones that he chose through many bloody battles. Even their families had been sent to the Faulen Island to be supervised.
"Kill everyone in the campsite. No exceptions," Leylin commanded icily at the crucial moment. He could not spare any time to care about collateral damage.
He knew that, even if it was stunning, this enhanced explosion's damage was still limited.
After all, at least the rank 15 Professional Crowe would be able to run a few hundred meters away before the explosion, leaving the area with highest damage. However, he would still be severely injured. In addition, Professionals at or above rank 10 would still have a high survival rate. The deciding factor would be their injuries.
Others, however, would have no chance to live. Leylin had added some special elements to increase the damage, contaminating the campsite with large amounts of neurotoxins. With the explosion, the toxic gas would finish off any remaining people.
This was Leylin's niche, so he was obviously confident about it. As for his current subordinates, they had already received their doses of antidote, so there was no need to worry. These trained pirates charged into the hellish campsite and started attacking every person and creature in sight.
Every Black Skeleton survivor was severely injured, and was no match for these guys. Thus, there was no way of resisting their fate. On the other hand, Leylin and Isabel were able to locate Crowe through their spiritual force and stop him from going any further.
"Captain Crowe, please be on your way soon. I'm extremely busy today." Leylin spoke politely while he scanned the severely injured Crowe. He meant what he said. After all, once Crowe was dead, Leylin would have access to a huge number of ships.
The deaths of those stupid pirates meant nothing. As long as his 100 elites remained, he could have as many men as he needed. Of course, if the Black Skeletons' magic battleship was included, then that would be a perfect ending.
However, Crowe suddenly did something out of the blue.
"My young lord Leylin! Please let me off! I promise you my loyalty and all of the Black Skeletons' fortunes!" He got onto his knees with a thump and buried his head in the mud. This arrogant pirate had actually surrendered.
'Really?' Leylin looked at him with an undecipherable expression. Crowe's condition was obviously not at its peak, but Leylin could feel that he still had the power of qi.
"This comes from the bottom of my heart! Furthermore, the ships are still being watched by the sharkman Citamo, I can kill all of them for you, my precious Lord!"
"It's unbelievable that our cruel and merciless Black Skeleton Pirate captain still had this side to him!" Leylin smiled, "But I won't be fazed by this little bloodline trick. You can stop your performance right there."
'He noticed!' Crowe raised his head, while spell power glowing on his body.
But Leylin was faster. A crimson shadow flashed, and the Devilblood Dagger was pinned onto Crowe's head in no time.
Crowe's expression was weird as his body slowly fell. All the spell rays on his body broke into pieces. This brutal bloodline pirate, and high-ranked knight, ended up dead.
Loud gurgling noises could be heard. The Devilblood Dagger was glistening with blood, numerous blood vessels emerging and coiling around Crowe. Everything was sucked from him, causing the demonic skull to emit an excited growl.
After all, it had never encountered a creature of this strength. An immense power spread from the dagger, and Leylin felt a little uneasy.
[Beep! Host body enhanced by Devilblood Dagger! Strength+0.7, Agility+1.5, Vitality+0.3] The A.I. Chip's alerts made Leylin realise his stats had updated once more.
[Leylin Faulen. Age: 16 Race: Rank 9 Human Wizard. Strength: 5.2. Agility: 6.5. Vitality: 6.3. Spirit: 9 Condition: Healthy. Feats: Sturdy, Erudite. Spell Slots: Rank 4(1), Rank 3(3), Rank 2(5), Rank 1(???), Rank 0(???)]
"You really live up to the fame of a high-ranked Professional. Look at the extent of this enhancement." Leylin smiled with satisfaction as he felt his limbs become more nimble and light.
Crowe's high rank was no joke. The enhancement he brought upon Leylin was great. He wasn't interested in spirit enhancement from the man, given that everything he had would only raise it by 0.2, but there were better candidates to harvest spiritual force from anyway.
The A.I Chip flashed another prompt. [Beep! Target hods the 'Wolf Skeleton' bloodline, 12.19% compatible with host's body. Begin absorption?]
"No, extract the bloodline instead!" Following Leylin's command, a dark drop of blood appeared from Crowe's forehead, seating itself inside a black bottle that Leylin was holding.
Leylin had no interest in this sort of bloodline power, but it would be useful to give to his subordinates so he could create a few bloodline holders.
-x-X-x-
"Is that the item you made a deal with the devil for?" Once everything was over, Isabel walked in slowly, eyes focused on the bloody knife in Leylin's hand.
She'd known something was off about her cousin from the start, and that he was evidently hiding something. In addition, Leylin hadn't tried to hide anything from her just now. Hence, Isabel knew that Leylin's quick rise in strength definitely had to do with a devil. However, even if she found out, she had no plans to divulge it.
Part of it was because of their relationship from childhood. On the other hand, they were all in the same boat. Although demons and devils shared a completely antagonistic relationship and were two opposing forces, there weren't many differences in terms of their followers.
Isabel was rather worried, because making deals with devils usually meant giving up one's soul. On top of that, devils liked to use all sorts of plots in order to nibble away at the contractor's soul, causing them to completely become depraved.
It could be said that for those who were experienced, devils were far worse than demons. Of course, due to devils keeping to their side of the deal even more strictly, there were even more believers praying to devils than demons in the World of Gods.
After seeing Isabel's gaze, Leylin could tell what she was thinking.
"Don't worry. I didn't deal with my soul!" Leylin launched a fireball from his hands, burning the withered corpses on the ground to ashes. Though there was nothing much to hide from his cousin, it was still better to keep some things secret from his underlings.
"Be careful. The devils' cunning is famous even in the vast multiverse." Isabel went silent after the warning, her eyes now filled with some sort of determination. Once they were back to the camp, Ronald and Robin Hood, who had not been seen for a long time, welcomed them.
"My lord, the whole camp has been purged!" Robin Hood reported respectfully. It had originally seemed like he'd been demoted, and few paid attention to him. The truth was that he'd been hidden in the shadows, helping Leylin manage the true elites in his forces.
"Good! Let's go to the fleet. Things should be lively there…" Leylin's face lit up with a smile.
...
A while earlier. At the seaside, on the Black Skeletons' ship.
A teleportation gate burst into existence, and Boruj and William stumbled out pathetically.
Without high-ranked Mage Armour, William had been affected despite having escaped quickly. A large portion of his handsome hair had already been burnt off, and it was now like a bird's nest. There were burns all over his body.
"What's going on? What's that?" Terrifying explosions could be seen even on the shore. William grabbed onto the railings looking dazed, crying out maniacally. The feeling of having a brush with death left fear in his heart.
"It should be the explosions, but the power has increased by quite a bit! My men are going to be annihilated!" Boruj was completely fine, but his brows furrowed while looking doubtful, "Why didn't I find anything? Is this some sort of new concealment technique, or the effects of a large-scaled spell formation?"
"Something's off." All of a sudden, Boruj's expression changed, and a ring on his hand exploded, producing a powerful magic barrier.
Mage's Sword! A magic sword appeared, colliding with a huge metallic flying hatchet. A huge crash could be heard in the air, the resulting undulations causing several huge pits to appear on the deck.
"An enemy! Who is it? Where's Citamo? Show yourself!" William had noticed something was off too. The large explosion from before had attracted their attention, but he had not found anything strange in his surroundings.
It was far too quiet on the deck, and all the pirates who had stayed behind to guard it had disappeared.
"Are you looking for this?" A huge shark head was tossed to the ground. This was the head of a sharkman, and one that William was very familiar with.
Citamo looked to have suffered before death. The area under his neck still had blood dripping unceasingly, and it looked like his neck had been squeezed off him while he was alive.
A huge barbarian appeared in William's line of sight, his footsteps thudding on the ship's deck. He raised a huge saber, the bloody injuries on his body already healing quickly in demonstration of his astounding life force.
'It's Ogde, the captain of the Barbarians! He sneak attacked the guards who stayed behind!' William immediately guessed at something.
"It turns out that Hygar Island was just a facade. You'd already left… Everything was a trap!" It would take two days to rush here from the battlefield, but if there was a batch of elites that had set off earlier, this would be easy to conceal from others.
William's lips quirked bitterly. Most of his family's power was destroyed, and he might even be in huge danger. This would also be a huge blow to his status.
'Without our men coordinating with them, this plan would never have worked. Who was it?' William roared inside.
"Be careful! I might not be able to protect you in a bit!" Boruj's voice rang, causing William to look even more bitter.
"Hehe… Young master of the Baltic archipelago, we finally meet!" An alluring fox lady walked out from behind Ogde, with tens of barbarian warriors above rank 5 with her.
"What about those Tigersharks? Why did they come here so easily?" William was in denial that the whole Tigershark Pirates had been wiped out. After all, it was a large-scaled group comparable with the Black Skeletons, and even had a huge group of Tigersharks. In the seas, they would definitely be the king.
"You mean those little fish? I'm afraid they've sunk to the bottom of the sea. Someone provided Tears of Tigersharks to us, and the effects are pretty good!" Madam Tillen produced an exquisite crystal bottle and shook it, looking innocent and flirtatious like a little girl who had gotten a beloved toy.
William stared at her blankly, beginning to lose focus in his eyes.
"Be careful! This is a bewitching spell by a bloodline holder!"
Calm! A huge sound boomed by William's ear, allowing him to regain his senses, no longer daring to take another look at the fox lady.
"Boruj, high-ranked wizard Boruj. I will chop off your head and use it as a wine cup!" The leader of the Barbarians huffed roughly, eyes turning red as if he had seen a foe.
As Marquis Louis' leading wizard, Boruj had worked hard when expanding in the outer seas. The number of Barbarian Pirates who had died at his hand were innumerable, and the relationship between them was completely irreconciliable.
Ogde snarled, his saber emitting sparks that flew for a few meters. Looking nonchalant, he slashed at Boruj.
As the light burst out, even the deck that had been remodelled and covered with a layer of magic seemed to be plowed through by something ruthlessly, revealing huge 'bruises'.
Boruj looked solemn and serious after witnessing the terrifying offence by the Barbarian, the spell slot in his memories breaking out.
Arcane Hand! A huge magical palm reached out, clashing with the blade to form a terrifying explosion.
Once the undulations had passed, the sharp saber light cut the huge palm into several fragments, its own radiance dimming. However, it still proceeded towards Boruj.
Boruj frowned and pointed towards the ground. "Wall of Iron!" A thick, metallic wall appeared, blocking the blade. Still, there were now terrifying streaks of injuries on him.
"This can't go on!" Boruj watched the elite barbarian warriors surrounding him, especially with Tillen who could use magic and a few barbarian priests, already having thoughts of retreating.
With a shake of his sleeve, an intricate spell scroll fell to his hand. Gazing at it, a rare expression of heartache appeared, but he still tore at it.
*Bang!* A dark green mist spread above the deck, and the barbarian warriors who were affected immediately collapsed, bodies still twisting unconsciously.
"Be careful, this is a Death Cloud spell!" Madam Tillen's voice sounded. Afterwards, a few roars could be heard from within the mist, bringing a horror with them.
*Roar!* A few huge dark green monsters pounced from the mist. They looked like giant lizards that had meaty wings on their backs. Their bodies were covered by a layer of scales and they spat out bundles of corrosive fluids.
High-grade Monster Summon! Just as these few two-legged wyverns began to trouble Ogde, another even more enormous two-legged wyvern spread its wings and flew away with two people in tow.
"Ah…" Seeing the two-legged wyvern agilely avoiding the long-distance attacks by the archers, Ogde thundered, breaking the neck of a wyvern in front of him.
"Master, why aren't we teleporting away?" While on the expansive back of the two-legged wyvern, William grabbed onto a scale and made an enquiry.
"I only memorised one teleportation spell. After that, I'll need to use scrolls…"
Boruj had a wry smile, "I'm not sure if the enemy will still chase us, so we need to conserve our strength!"
"Damn it! Damn it!" Thinking back to the failure this time, William's facial muscles began to contort.
"That Leylin and the Barbarians! One day… one day… All the humiliation I have suffered will be returned to you!"
"I'm afraid you won't get that opportunity!"