Chapter 149 Pirate Fleet

For the following month, the nine-star dark mage kept his promise and did not seek trouble with Xu Wen. The witch-like little Bi also seemed to have vanished into thin air, no longer causing loud disturbances in the cabin of the tall ship.

Aside from the vigilant guards stationed around the outer decks of the vessel, Elder Xie and Wang Xiaoshuai had also begun secluded cultivation, remaining silently shut away in their respective rooms.

Both inside and outside the tall ship, an unusual and absolute calm prevailed, mirroring the serene sea outside.

Veteran crew members who frequently sailed the "Blood Alliance" to "Liyu" route gathered in the ship's wheelhouse. Gazing out at the exceptionally peaceful, azure sea and sky, their brows were furrowed in deep worry, and their faces bore heavy expressions. Cautiously, they glanced toward the corner where an old man was puffing on a purple-gold tobacco pipe. The elder took one slow draw after another, exhaling ring after ring of smoke, before finally tapping out the bowl. He raised an aged face lined with the weathering of time and eyes shining with shrewd intelligence.

"What fierce winds and huge waves have we, the Arrowfish, not witnessed? A little gale like this isn't enough to capsize us! Everyone, think about it—how should we best handle this situation..." The old man coughed and spoke up.

The others exchanged complex glances, their lips twitching, but hesitation made them swallow their words back down. No one actually uttered a sound.

The old man swept his gaze around the circle, smiled slightly, and softly asked:

"Are you all afraid?"

The others found it hard to maintain their composure, their faces flushing with embarrassment.

An older, middle-aged man looked around at the group and sighed with deep emotion:

"Captain! Let's take a detour."

"Lately, everyone has indeed been quite worried... Out of all our times setting sail, this is the first time we've ever encountered such a situation. That intelligence we received from the sea a while ago... is most likely true!"

"That's right."

The others chimed in one after another:

"Captain, we've followed you for so many years, risking life and limb. When have we ever been afraid? But we can't knowingly walk into our deaths and get our heads bashed in... What would be the point of that? Am I right, everyone?"

"The vice-captain makes a valid point! The three major pirate syndicates have been dissatisfied with the status quo for a long time. This time, they have no reason to miss such a golden opportunity to get rich!"

Everyone turned to look at the veteran captain:

"Take the detour, Captain! It's just a few more days of voyage. As for the employers, we can explain it to them properly; they'll surely understand."

On a route that was bustling year-round, not a single merchant ship had been sighted for over a month. Even during eras of rampant piracy, it had never been this desolate.

Connecting this with the rumors that had leaked out over a month ago—that the Qingyun Empire and the Blood Alliance were about to plunge into a prolonged chaotic war, leaving them no time to maintain order at sea, and that the three major pirate fleets composed of plunderers had already prepared to march inland and carve out territories for themselves.

It was highly likely... that these maritime anomalies were stirred up by the three major pirate groups!

The captain silently listened to the opinions and suggestions pouring out like an unleashed floodgate. He closed his eyes, exhaled a ring of smoke, and only after a long moment did he open them again:

"A detour? You make it sound so easy. To steer clear of the operational waters of the three major pirate fleets, we'd need to add at least twenty days of travel to reach Liyu. The employer will never agree... Besides, you know the dangers of straying far from established shipping lanes... Furthermore, when the client paid the deposit, they made it very crystal clear: the person we are escorting must be delivered to their destination in the shortest possible time! The remaining half of the payment will be disbursed only after the people on board disembark within the stipulated deadline."

As the leader of the Arrowfish Mercenary Group, the veteran captain knew all too well how desperate that mysterious and powerful employer was to reach home!

Every two days, messengers were sent to inquire about the remaining distance and whether the journey could be shortened even further. If he were to approach them with these concerns now, not only would the fifty thousand gold coins vanish into thin air, but he might also offend a formidable employer... No matter what, he was unwilling to skirt around these waters.

Yet the current situation was undeniably bizarre... At that moment, an ethereal voice clearly resonated in everyone's ears:

"The three major pirate fleets? What is this about? Tell me!"

Bodong, the nine-star dark mage, opened his eyes inside the pavilion on the top deck of the tall ship.

The veteran captain startled and immediately stood up from his seat:

"My Lord?"

Naturally, he knew who the owner of that voice was. His employer had briefed him on this person's identity beforehand, and over the past few days, he had been able to roughly gauge Bodong's terrifying strength.

"Yes, tell me about the three major pirate groups you were just discussing."

Bodong asked expressionlessly, his tone as calm as stagnant water.

Although this was not his first time at sea, he had never heard any information regarding the three major pirate fleets.

After all, at his level, the sheer aura he naturally radiated was astonishing. Pirates and petty thieves would flee in blind terror the moment they caught sight of him, let alone dare to approach.

Moreover, his previous trip to the Blood Alliance had been several years ago.

"Understood!"

The veteran captain nodded respectfully. Not daring to be negligent, he removed the purple-gold tobacco pipe he had been casually holding and puffing on, hung it from his waist, and began to explain facing the direction of the pavilion.

...The Blood Alliance's mercenary system of survival of the fittest, while forging a powerful nation, also harbored significant drawbacks! Many people paid the price for this, and had done so year after year.

Numerous mercenaries would, in a moment of reckless vengeance, offend massive mercenary organizations or violate the laws of the Blood Alliance!

Although quite a few formed small organizations like the Evil Falcons and managed to survive within the borders, the vast majority were forced to flee overseas due to their own limited strength or because the family forces they had offended were far too powerful.

Thus, pirates were born!

The ocean was a realm where most mercenary groups within the Blood Alliance could not set foot, and with countless islands scattered across the sea, one could easily tuck themselves away in any random spot and remain undiscovered for a lifetime.

Using the boundless ocean as their backing, these plunderers banded together and embarked on their pirate careers.

Thus, pirate syndicates were born.

Of course, ordinary pirate groups had very limited ambitions and could not cope with large mercenary organizations like the Arrowfish, which possessed tall ships and thousands of high-level mercenaries under their command.

The three major mercenary groups the captain and his crew spoke of... were precisely the colossal, super-scale pirate syndicates running amok on the seas: the Skeleton, the Heavenly King, and the Furious Flood Dragon.

Each of these three major pirate syndicates accommodated over a hundred thousand mercenaries, occupying the vast majority of overseas islands. The leaders of all three groups were without exception nine-star powerhouses, beyond the ability of ordinary mercenary groups to handle. Even large-scale maritime mercenary groups like the Arrowfish were forced to pay a portion of 'tribute' to them every year.

In the past, the Blood Alliance's royal mercenary corps, official mercenary corps, and civilian super-mercenary groups were still able to deter these three maritime behemoths, keeping them from daring to approach the mainland, and a fragile peace was maintained.

But now.

The Blood Alliance was in utter turmoil!

The affairs of the Qingyun Empire had the Blood Alliance flustered and overwhelmed; how could they possibly have extra manpower to deploy here?

The three major pirate fleets choosing to make their move at this time could be considered choosing the exact right moment.

Inside the pavilion, upon hearing that the three major pirate fleets possessed at least six powerhouses of the nine-star realm, Bodong couldn't help but twitch his eyebrows... Under normal circumstances, Bodong certainly wouldn't care about the three major pirate fleets. As a dark archmage, even if he couldn't beat them, could he not outrun them?

But this time the situation was different!

There was someone inside the tall ship who was of paramount importance to him. Whether he could return to the Dark Empire with his head held high depended entirely on the young man residing at the bottom of the ship's cabin.

Even if the entire crew of the ship had to be sacrificed, Xu Wen could not be allowed to suffer the slightest mishap.

When faced with such matters, it was best to be cautious!

"If we take a detour, can we definitely avoid the pirate fleets?"

"This..." The veteran captain shook his head:

"I can only say the probability of encountering a pirate fleet will be reduced to a minimum. Completely avoiding the areas where pirate fleets operate is simply impossible; anywhere on the sea that has been explored and deemed safe will bear the traces of various pirate activities."

"What if we sail into uncharted waters..."

As soon as Bodong uttered those words, the complexions of the group in the wheelhouse paled slightly.

The veteran captain wore an expression of intense awkwardness, wiping the sweat from his brow while not daring to show the slightest disrespect:

"Uncharted waters carry even higher risks! Undercurrents and whirlpools are everywhere, hidden reefs are deadly... and there is no shortage of nine-star magical beasts. Even we wouldn't dare to step foot there lightly..."

Bodong's gaze chilled slightly.

He could naturally perceive the awe and terror those men held toward uncharted waters from the captain's tone!

For a group of eight-star experts to fear them like poisonous snakes and scorpions meant the danger went far beyond mere nine-star threats. Even for someone like him, escaping unscathed from those waters would likely prove extremely difficult.

Forward was impossible, and avoiding them was unfeasible... No wonder a group of eight-star experts had to cower miserably in the wheelhouse, agonizing over the tall ship's next course of action.

"Since taking a detour cannot completely avoid them, we shall continue along our original route!"

Acting decisively, Bodong made his final verdict.

In the wheelhouse, the complexions of several men shifted drastically!

"This..."

Just as someone wanted to speak up, they were cut off by the veteran captain's furious roar:

"Shut your mouths!"

The words teetering on the men's lips were instantly swallowed back down.

The veteran captain cupped his hands respectfully:

"We will strictly follow Your Lordship's command!"

Since he had obtained the consent of the employer's friend, he had nothing left to worry about.

Although the Arrowfish Mercenary Group lacked a nine-star powerhouse, it boasted over thirty experts of the eight-star realm. Bodong's strength went without saying—he was a nine-star expert. With his words, should anything truly happen, the man certainly wouldn't stand by with folded arms.

By then, even if the leaders of the three major pirate fleets arrived in person, as long as the number of nine-star powerhouses didn't exceed two, the Arrowfish Mercenary Group could completely handle the situation—the tall ship possessed formidable combat capabilities that ordinary pirate fleets simply could not match.

Having instructed the veteran captain to continue along the original route, Bodong vanished from the pavilion.

Meanwhile, inside a gloomy room at the bottom of the ship's hull.

Crouched at Xu Wen's feet, the Three-Eyed Flame Tiger seemed stimulated by some external force. It snapped its eyes open, its body suddenly springing up, and the vertical slit between its brow cracked slightly open, revealing a pale golden radiance.

Roar!!

Accompanied by a low roar brimming with beast-king pressure, the room's Black Wind Condor reflexively fixed its gaze on a patch of shadow rapidly materializing in the corner.

Although the arrival of the unusual guest triggered the vigilance of the contracted beasts, neither displayed hostility or aggressive intent!

Sitting quietly in place like a wooden statue meditating undisturbed for dozens of days, Xu Wen reached out in the second following the appearance of the black shadow and gently patted the Three-Eyed Flame Tiger's thick leg. The beast immediately and obediently settled back down.

At that moment, Xu Wen opened his eyes. Bodong caught a faint, divine gleam rapidly retracting and vanishing within his pupils.

"Something the matter?"

"I heard you possess medicinal pills capable of concealing cultivation."

"What are you trading with?"

Xu Wen flatly closed his eyes, leaving Bodong with a face full of utter astonishment.

(To be continued)