Old York, the grocer, noticed that one of the cannons had a symbol that looked like a lion, which was the mark of the "Red Lions" pirate crew.
Old York almost blurted out, "That's a cannon from the 'Red Lion'!"
The pirates watching the commotion were surprised. They had all heard that the "Red Lion" pirate crew and the "Sea Wolf" pirate crew had recently fought a major battle nearby, and that the "Red Lion" pirate crew had suffered some losses.
However, the so-called "suffering some losses" usually means that the ship suffered more damage and more people died, but it is impossible that so many cannons were captured!
Or, if 16 cannons were captured, it wouldn't just be a "minor loss," but rather being crippled.
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One of the pirates asked Odis, "How did you do that?"
Odis was taken aback: "What? How did you do that?"
"How did they steal so many cannons from the 'Red Lion' pirate crew?"
Odis smiled. "Couldn't it be my spoils?"
The pirate was clearly taken aback for a moment, then glanced in the direction of the harbor: "You have other ships?"
"there is none left."
"Hahaha..."
"Hehehe..."
Odis's answer drew laughter and sneers from many pirates.
They all saw Odis unload the cannons from the small ship, while the Red Lions were a large pirate ship with a bounty of £6,800 on Taylor himself.
Moreover, this pirate crew had three ships, each of which was much larger than Odis's ship.
The pirate who had just asked the question suddenly drew his sword: "You'd better be joking with me, or don't blame me for being impolite."
Pointing swords at each other while speaking is a unique way of communicating among pirates; sometimes they even point guns at each other while speaking.
The pirate had a sword, while Odis did not, so in this "exchange," everyone felt that the pirate was the stronger party.
Before Odis could say anything, old York said, "Put your sword away. This is a general store, not a fighting arena."
The owner of the general store quietly glanced at the "Argo" docked at the pier, and then carefully looked at Odis.
He then glared at the pirates, indicating that he was on the side of the young man.
The pirate snorted, but obediently sheathed his sword. He knew Old York and the background of this general store, and dared not fight here.
Odis ignored the pirate and instead asked old York, "Sir, what's your price?"
"As we said before, each of these cannons costs 20 pounds, and the other supplies aren't actually worth much," Old York said.
"All of this is worth at most 350 pounds, but you seem to be new to this area. Let's be friends, I'll give you 400 pounds."
The pirates watching the spectacle were slightly taken aback, because Old York was rarely so generous when accepting gifts.
Some pirates had already guessed that the young man with the leather bag around his waist was very strong and had really dealt a heavy blow to the "Red Lion" pirate crew, because Old York's eyes were always very accurate in judging people.
However, most pirates believed that it was because Odis had a fair complexion, unlike most pirates who had seen many storms and had rough, dark skin, that she left a good impression on old York and thus got an extra 50 pounds.
Pirates have already set their sights on the 400 pounds, a huge sum in a small port city like Chaquer Island.
Odis didn't expect to make much money from those supplies. Apart from keeping some canned food for himself, he didn't care how much the supplies he brought down could fetch.
"Thank you," Odis said with a smile.
He quickly received £400 in cash and returned to the Argo.
...
Chacker Harbor, in a narrow alley.
Bazel, carrying a briefcase, knocked on a dark-colored door.
The person who opened the door was a middle-aged man in his forties with tattoos all over his body.
He was somewhat surprised to see Bazel. He led Bazel into the house, closed the door, and then whispered, "I just heard a couple of days ago that you were in Bayam."
Bazel placed the suitcase on the table: "I've boarded another pirate ship and am currently the first mate of the 'Dawn Sword' pirate crew."
The middle-aged man was even more surprised, but then he smiled with relief: "That's right, several years have passed, and there's still no hope of killing Taylor."
He sighed, "Perhaps it's time to give up..."
Bazel laughed and said, "The reason I boarded this ship is because the captain promised to help me get revenge."
The middle-aged man, covered in tattoos, was taken aback: "You believe that?"
Bazel didn't speak, but opened the suitcase and took out Taylor's head.
The middle-aged man's emotions shifted within a second or two: surprise, then anger, then joy, and finally, tears welled in his eyes: "You really did it."
"Yes, I did it, with the help of the new captain," Bazel said. "I killed Taylor with my own hands and watched his blood flow across the sea."
The middle-aged man laughed and said, "Today is a good day, we should have a good drink. Come on, come on, it's on me, you can drink as much as you want."
"Wait a moment, I have something else to say." Bazel put the severed head back into the suitcase: "This is a very capable captain with a background in 'Elemental Dawn'. He's also a very good person and worth following."
"So I hope you can find other people to go to Bayam and await the new captain's orders."
The middle-aged man nodded: "Okay, I'll leave tomorrow... no, tonight."
Since they remained on the high seas, it meant they still hoped to find opportunities in the raging seas, which is why Bazel recommended them to Odis.
For these ordinary pirates, being able to join a powerful captain was a great opportunity.
Bazel first told the other party to wait for him at the bar, as he needed to hand over Taylor and the others' heads to the military liaison.
...
Odis found Iraiz playing chess with students in the game room of the "Argo".
After summoning the old navigator to the conference room, Odis said, "I have something to ask you."
As they spoke, the two sat on either side of the conference table.
The white-bearded Yi Lai Zhe asked, "What is it?"
"I'd like to know more about Cruz Island." Odis had seen the island on the nautical chart, but didn't know the specifics.
"That island is quite far from the main shipping lanes," Yi Lai Zhe recalled for a moment and said, "There's a small town on the island that was built by pirates and refugees decades ago, but it's not very big and doesn't have any valuable local products. Pirates usually don't like to go there."
Odis smiled slightly, further confirming his guess, and then asked, "Approximately how big is this island? What is its population? What is its main industry?"
Seeing that the captain was asking such detailed questions, Yi Lai Zhe further replied, "Cruise Island is actually quite large, but there are many large mountains on the island."
"In the mountains, there are many aggressive indigenous people. People living in small towns often have conflicts with the indigenous people."
"There are three types of people on the island. One group consists of pirates and refugees from various countries. They are the builders of that town, and because they have firearms, they basically rule the island."
"The second group of people are the natives who have accepted the rule of the Northern Continent people. They mostly live by the sea and there are about a dozen villages."
"The third type of people are the natives who are constantly in conflict with the people of the North Continent. They live deep in the mountains and are said to live in dozens of villages of all sizes."
"It's hard to estimate the exact population of the entire island, but it should be around 30,000 to 40,000."
Yi Lai Zhe thought for a moment and then said, "As for the industries on the island... there are only farmers and fishermen on Cruz Island. There is some fairly fertile land by the sea, but in the Raging Sea, the last thing we lack is food."
Although grain prices can be high in some major cities of the Northern Continent, crops can be harvested two to three times a year on the islands of the Raging Sea, which are considered barbaric by the gentlemen.
The process of growing food here is simply to scatter some seeds in the ground, and then you don't need to do much with it.
Even without much care, there's enough to eat, and on tropical islands, there are plenty of fruits to fill your stomach. You can also go out to sea to fish when you have free time.
Food is not a concern, but this is by no means a paradise, as natural disasters every year kill many people and cause huge economic losses.
Indigenous people living by the sea typically have to rebuild their houses two or three times a year.
If pirates frequently visit, family members are easily killed or robbed.
Thinking of this, Odis asked again, "Does that island have a port?"
"There's a small harbor," Iraiz said. "It can only accommodate small boats."
Odis pondered for a moment: "How about we go and check out that island together?"
Yi Lai Zhe paused for a moment, then suddenly realized: "You want to use that island as a base?"
For a great pirate, having his own fixed base is not necessarily required, but having a secluded or remote island to hide on is ideal.
Pirate ships cannot sail on the sea forever, and pirates cannot stay away from ports forever. But no matter what port they dock at, there is always some risk, since it is someone else's territory.
Having your own base means you can stop there every now and then and take a good rest.
If you offend some people you shouldn't, you can hide there and disappear for a while.
This is why treasure maps are often found on the raging seas; it's because some great pirates have established their own secret strongholds and hidden many of their spoils there.
That place became a treasure trove.
Most pirates who spent their lives at sea had relatively short lives, and even the legendary "great pirates" were no exception.
For example, during a voyage, the pirate crew was attacked, or encountered extremely bad weather; in short, the captain died!
The first thing the captain's men did was undoubtedly return to their base and divide up the captain's wealth.
However, one problem was that there was absolutely no trust among the pirates.
When there is a captain, everyone can barely work together, but when there is no captain, they almost all scatter.
Moreover, regardless of whether it's a naval battle or bad weather, if the captain dies, there won't be many survivors, and the pirate ship might even sink or become unusable.
In such circumstances, it would be difficult for survivors to return to their base on their own. If they could not cooperate with each other, they would easily end up cooperating with other pirates or adventurers.
At this point, the treasure map becomes a tool to rally other forces to cooperate.
Of course, most of the treasure maps circulating at sea are fake, and people often fall for them because everyone believes that every great pirate must have his own secret stronghold where all the wealth he has plundered is kept.
However, the truth is that only a few major pirates had their own secret bases, because there weren't many islands that met the criteria for a secret base.
In the conference room of the "Argo", Odis saw that Iraiz had guessed his thoughts, but neither admitted nor denied it, and only asked him: "What do you think?"
Yi Lai Zhe stroked his gray beard and thought for a moment: "If the 'Argo' is an ordinary sea ship, then while Cruz Island is secluded, it is too remote and inconvenient."
"But for the Argo, it doesn't matter."
After all, this new-style seagoing vessel traveled more than 400 nautical miles in 12 hours at full speed yesterday. At such a speed, no matter where the secret stronghold of "Dawn Sword" is, it cannot be considered remote.
"We can go and take a look at the port there," said Yi Lai Zhe.
Odis nodded: "Okay."
The two got up, and Odis put her hand on Ileja's shoulder. They used the "travel ring" to arrive at a deserted beach on Cruz Island.
Odis first used an "invisibility scroll" to hide himself and Iraiz, then he used a "flight scroll," and Iraiz, as a "wind-loving one," was already able to fly.
The two people flew at low altitude toward the port.
As Odis flew, he glanced up at the interior of Crus Island.
As Irael said, the island has many mountains, and these mountains are quite tall, so Odis can't even see the other side of the island.
Odis noticed that such a mountain was unusual, as islands in the sea generally do not have very high mountains.
Most islands were formed by volcanic activity, so the mountains on those islands are relatively gentle, since they were built up little by little by lava.
The mountains before Odis were different; some were even quite majestic and imposing, with hard rocks visible in some places.
This led Odis to make an initial judgment that the island was likely once land. When the "Emperor of the Underworld" fell at the end of the Quaternary Period, the land connecting the north and south continents collapsed, and some mountains formed the island.
Odis believed that this place must have been at a relatively high altitude during the Quaternary period, so even though the land collapsed, these mountains were still exposed above the sea.
Lost in thought, Odis and Iraiz arrived at the port.
The port has a unique shape; it is crescent-shaped with a large gap on the side facing the sea.
It looks like a meteorite has crashed here, creating a crater and forming a circular lake that connects to the sea.
In this way, the seawater in the harbor is relatively calm, making it a very good place for small boats.
However, the downside is that it is easy for the enemy to block it in the port.
The dock on the shore is small, with only some fishing boats and small vessels moored there.
Inside the port, there is a small town built against the mountain, which is not very large.
Yi Lai Zhe looked at it carefully before saying, "'Argo' can dock in this port, but large ocean-going ships cannot."
This is advantageous for the Argo, as even if the enemy blocks the Argo in the port, they cannot get in.
Odis smiled and said, "This place is nice."
The two men looked at the small dock again, then returned to the Argo.
Odis sat in front of the chart and pondered for a moment, then said to Iraiz, who was beside him, "I'm going to the bar again."
There is currently an excellent reason to visit this island.
Odis returned to the bar from before, and sure enough, he saw the young man and the two natives still waiting there at the bar entrance.
Upon seeing Odis, the young man, who was clearly a Rune, immediately approached him and said, "Sir, are you here to help us?"
Odis simply smiled and said, "Let's talk on the beach over there first."
The young man quickly replied, "Okay, okay."
Three people seeking help, all with injuries on their faces and dressed in local clothing, followed in Odis's footsteps.
Odis asked the young man, "What's your name?"
"Donahue Shazo," the young man replied immediately.
By this time, the group had arrived at a deserted beach. Odis, who was walking in front, suddenly asked, "Which pirate crew wants to raid Cruz Island?"
The young Donahue quickly replied, "'Deep Blue' pirate crew."
Odis turned to the three people seeking help: "Now you can tell me the truth, right? What good things have you found on the island? Why do the pirates suddenly want to raid Cruz Island?"
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
Donahue immediately denied it, saying, "We didn't find anything. They... they just wanted to kill and set fires."
Odis smiled and said, "It seems you don't know much about pirates. Pirates don't kill and set fires for the sake of killing and setting fires, but for the sake of robbing property."
"Moreover, the 'Deep Blue' pirate crew is no ordinary pirate crew. Captain Egbert is a 'great pirate,' and it is said that his flagship, the 'Ghost,' is a ghost ship."
"For a pirate like him, as long as it's not on an island in the main shipping lane, he can kill wherever he wants, and there's no need for him to go to such a remote place to carry out a massacre."
"Unless the people of Cruise Island are particularly fun to kill."
He had received intelligence about the "Deep Blue" pirate group at an intelligence exchange meeting.
Donald swallowed hard, but didn't speak immediately.
"I'll give you ten seconds to think about how to answer my question," Odis said.
"If I don't help you, everything you find on the island will be stolen."
After saying that, Odis took out his pocket watch and watched the second hand tick away.
His action put immense pressure on Donald and the other two.
Moreover, Odis's point is valid; if he doesn't help, virtually no one else will be willing to help them.
After a silence of seven or eight seconds, Donald finally decided, "Please don't tell anyone."
Odis nodded: "Yes, go ahead."
Donahue looked around to make sure no one was there before whispering, "We've found a very good iron mine in the mountains."
Odis frowned and said, "This is still not quite reasonable."
It's not that the discovery of iron ore is unreasonable; the mountains on that island were originally part of the mainland, so it's quite normal to find mineral deposits there.
But it was unlikely that a pirate crew would be interested in iron ore. After thinking about it, Odis thought it was more likely that the forces behind Egbert were interested in iron ore, so he did not interrupt Donald.
Donahue continued, "The 'Deep Blue' pirate crew occasionally rests on Cruz Island. There are people on the island, and some people always hope to go to sea with them."
"So the 'Deep Blue' pirate crew found out about the iron mine not long after it was discovered."
"They wanted to capture all the able-bodied men on the island and enslave them, so they could secretly develop the iron mine."
"We came out to seek help in order to avoid becoming slaves in the iron mine."
Odis pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "The Runes on Cruz Island are probably town mayors, sheriffs, and the like. Will you also be captured and enslaved?"
Before Donald could answer, Odis continued, "Is it the mayor who wants to compete with the 'Deep Blue' pirate crew for the iron mine development rights?"
Often, Odis's ability to easily deduce the veracity of information wasn't necessarily due to his professional knowledge, but simply because he understood human nature.
Donahue froze: "No...no."
Odis looked into the young man's eyes: "This is the second lie I've heard from you. Just from this point alone, you are very insincere."
"I suggest you go back into the bar and wait; perhaps someone will offer to help you."
After saying this, Odis made a move to leave.
Donald quickly said, "Please wait a moment."
"Our island is so poor that even my father, who is the mayor, can't afford 200 pounds."
"Finally, a chance to make a fortune has arrived..."
Odis interrupted him: "I have no interest in what has happened to you."
"We really need your help," Donald said.
Odis said, "I don't want to hear any more lies."
Donahue quickly replied, "I will never lie again."
"Well, tell me what exactly happened."
Donahue took a deep breath and said to the two people behind him, "You two wait for me at the bar entrance."
One of the two natives questioned, "Is what this gentleman is saying true? You didn't break with the 'Deep Blue' pirate group just to avoid us becoming slaves."
"Just because..."
"Enough!" Donald interrupted. "We've already killed Egbert's men. When Egbert returns, I'll die a far worse death than you!"
The native who had asked the question paused for a moment, then realized that it was indeed the case, and so he returned to the bar as Donald had instructed.
After they had walked away, Donald said, "Sir, you guessed right. We did have a dispute with the 'Deep Blue' pirate crew over how to split the profits."
"It was Egbert's men who struck first. They planned to kill us all and then go and capture the natives who were mining."
"Fortunately, my father was prepared. Although we lost more than a dozen people, we managed to kill Egbert's men."
"If Egbert doesn't get a reply from his subordinates, it won't be long before he comes looking for them in person."
"We had no choice but to come out and ask for help."
Odis nodded: "So, you originally intended to cooperate with Egbert."
"You will provide the personnel, and Egbert will contact the buyer."
Donald hesitated for a moment before replying, "Yes."
The gentleman's guess was so accurate that he no longer dared to have the thought of lying.
Odis pondered for a moment and then asked, "I've heard that the town on Cruz Island was built by pirates and refugees?"
"Yes, they were mostly built by my grandfather's generation."
"Approximately how many people live on the northern continent of the island?"
"Around a thousand people."
Odis understood the situation and said, "I can help you, but keep your little bit of money. It's far too meager a reward for dealing with a 'great pirate' like Egbert."
He paused for a moment and then said, "What I want in return is to be your town mayor."
Donald opened his mouth wide, and after a long while he asked, "You...you also want to develop that iron mine?"
"I have no interest in iron ore, at least not now," Odis said. "I'm going to make Cruz Island my base."
"You guys mine your mines, I'll be my pirate."
He laughed and said, "Being a pirate is more profitable than mining."
Donald replied almost immediately, "Okay, I promise you."
"Are you agreeing on your own behalf, or on behalf of Cruz Island?" Odis hadn't expected the other party to agree so readily.
"On behalf of Cruise Island," Donald said, "we have no way out, and Egbert will definitely be back on Cruise Island by next week at the latest."
"Therefore, my father gave me this power before I left."
After killing the men sent by the "Great Pirate" Egbert, the Runes on Cruz Island split into two groups. One group, blaming Donald's father for acting so impulsively, fled into the mountains or to the surrounding islands to escape Egbert's massacre.
Another group is currently actively preparing to fight against the "Deep Blue" pirate crew.
They knew very well that this iron mine was a very important asset for themselves and their descendants. As long as the iron mine was in the hands of Cruz Island, they would have countless riches.
These people are descendants of pirates and refugees. They generally have a gambler's mentality. For them, it's not a question of whether it's dangerous or not, but whether they will win the bet.
However, Donahue's father, the son of a pirate captain, was also an extraordinary individual.
He was well aware of the gap between ordinary people and extraordinary individuals; the entire island's population combined was no match for the "Deep Blue" pirate crew.
So he sent his son out to find help.
After hearing Donald's words, Odis said, "Alright, it's settled then. Pack your bags, get on my ship, and we'll depart at dusk."
Donald quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, thank you."
He quickly went to call the two natives, and they tidied up and went to the dock to wait for Odis.
It was around 5 p.m., and the sun had set in the western sky, giving the sea a sense of tranquility.
Many people on the dock noticed that a medium-sized ocean-going vessel was sailing towards the dock. The ship seemed to have suffered serious damage, and even the mast looked somewhat shaky.
...
Odis did not immediately return to the ship, but instead went into the bar.
As soon as they entered, a slightly drunk customer with a bulbous nose laughed and said, "Look, the guy who attacked the 'Red Lion' pirate crew and seized more than a dozen cannons has arrived."
Everyone chuckled, but no one joined the drinker in making sarcastic remarks, because the "Argo" carried the banner of "Elemental Dawn," and they were hesitant to offend Odis.
However, they really couldn't believe that this fair-skinned young man had severely damaged the "Red Lion" pirate crew.
Odis ignored the customer and went to the bar, taking out a 5-pence coin: "Give me another white beer."
"Yes, sir." The bartender pocketed the money and went to pour Odice a drink.
The patron with the red, bulbous nose looked a little embarrassed. He swayed over, holding his wine glass, and asked, "Tell me, how did you attack the 'Red Lion' pirate crew?"
Odis glanced at the other person: "If you delay my drinking, I'll make sure all your back teeth fall out."
The surrounding drinkers chuckled again, and the man with the red nose said with a smile, "Really? I..."
Odis suddenly threw a punch, cleanly sending the red-nosed drunkard flying two or three meters, overturning a table.
As the drinker landed, several bloody back molars also fell to the ground.
For a moment, the entire bar fell silent. Even the people whose drinks had been knocked over remained silent, because Odis's punch was too fast, and no one was confident they could dodge it.
The patron with the bulbous nose didn't dare to say a word, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and limped away from the bar.
Odis sat down again and flicked a 1-sol coin at the bartender: "This is the loss of that table."
The bartender quickly took it: "Yes, sir."
Because the bar suddenly fell silent, everyone heard what sounded like someone shouting loudly from the pier.
Odis took a sip of beer and asked the bartender, "Where can I find adventurers with 'special abilities'?"
The bartender quickly replied, "There aren't many adventurers with 'special abilities' in this city. You can go to Tirineus Island."
Delineus is an island on the main route, home to a medium-sized city and a large gathering of adventurers seeking opportunities.
Odis thanked her politely, "Thank you."
At this point, the conversation in the bar gradually resumed, and the patrons noticed that the shouts on the dock were getting louder and louder.
One of the drinkers said irritably, "What are those sons of bitches yelling about?"
A patron sitting by the window looked out and said, "It looks like a ship has gone out of control and is heading towards the dock."
The bar erupted in laughter as patrons began discussing which unlucky fellow's boat had broken down.
Odis sat at the bar, quietly drinking.
Boom!
With a loud crash, the out-of-control ship slammed into the dock.
The laughter of the drinkers grew louder and louder, and many of them even went to the dock to watch the excitement.
A moment later, a drunken voice returned shouting, "It's the 'Red Lions'! It's the 'Red Lions' pirate ship! Taylor is dead, and only eight of the crew survived!"
The bar fell silent as everyone turned to look at the young figure behind the bar.
Odis sat at the bar, quietly drinking.