Chapter 237 - 813 - 821

Post-battle Review

'That was close!' Steve could feel some cold sweat on his palm. Only he knew how dangerous that had been.

Once he regained his senses, he glanced at Leylin. The youth now had a crossbow in his hands, and there was a merciless expression on his face. Isabel had pushed her way to stand beside him, and aside from her Jacob and a few other soldiers had rushed over in a hurry as well.

With Isabel delaying them, Leylin had enough time to defeat the enemy and even seize the pirate ship. Now, Jacob brought the rest of the soldiers and the many crossbows in the Faulen Family's collection and surrounded the area.

The Faulen soldiers had gained the upper hand in all the other zones, and more and more soldiers gathered together. Under the light of the flames, Steve's face turned pale as a corpse. He knew very well that after the battle was over, the Black Tigers might just be erased from history.

'What's going on? Why did things turn out this way?' Steve was completely dazed.

However, his fox-like cunning that had been honed over the years told him that this was the time to escape. As long as there were some people left alive, he would be able to pull the Black Tigers back together, and bring about their rise once more. When the time came, he would exact extreme vengeance on this young wizard!

"Shoot!" But how could Leylin give him the chance to do so? With his command, the countless crossbows that Jacob directed on his own produced terrifying sounds. Numerous arrows blocked all the escape routes that Steve had.

"Damn it!" Steve cursed, his figure twisting at a strange angle in midair. A dark shield appeared, crashing into a sharp arrow.

The dark-coloured shield shattered to pieces, but the power of the arrow was greatly reduced. It could only leave a shallow cut on Steve's body.

*Boom!* Steve's body fell freely to the ground. He glared at Leylin venomously, and then rushed out of the camp. Once he got outside, he would definitely be able to leave with ease. He was still a rank 10 fighter after all.

At this moment, things suddenly changed! A huge white spiderweb opened up from the ground, shrouding him in darkness.

'But when did he–?' Steve's expression filled with fear as he recognised this web, 'Rank 2 spell, Web. Once it twines around me, I'll be caught…'

He looked fierce as he raised the sword in his left hand. However, Leylin had long since set this trap. How could he give Steve the chance to escape?

"Ray of Enfeeblement! Sleep! Restrict!"

A few rank 1 spells flashed over Steve's head. With the drain from the huge battle just prior, Steve was unable to dodge them in time. Immediately after, he felt a sense of confusion, as his body suddenly weakened.

*Clang!* His machete fell to the ground, and immediately after Steve was caught up in the web. It was extremely sticky, and even a reckless bull would not be able to escape from it.

"Take aim. Prepare to shoot! The opponent is a rank 10 warrior, so be careful!" At this moment, the soldiers holding crossbows aimed at Steve calmly. Only morons would miss an immobile target like this.

"You're still thinking of running because you have a trump card up your sleeve, don't you?" Leylin approached the spiderweb, watching Steve from above, eyes full of mockery.

"Don't think you can hide the Lifesteal effect on your right hand. I'm a wizard!" When Leylin said this, he could see that Steve's eyes were first filled with fear and despair, followed by a desperate struggle.

Leylin snickered, quickly retreating and dodging the bloody rays shooting from his hand.

"Be careful. The hook on his right hand has the Lifesteal effect. Don't let it touch you, or your life force will be absorbed…"

Leylin smirked at Steve, causing him to pale even further The terror from being completely seen through caused the pirate to feel muddle-headed. "You're a devil. A devil!"

"Knock him unconscious," Leylin's eyebrows furrowed, "And then get rid of his arms and legs!" Without the assistance of a powerful cleric, such terrifying injuries would end up crippling him.

As for how to deal with this person, Leylin did not have plans yet. As he had been at the forefront in hindering the Faulen Family, he should have made contact with Viscount Tim before, which made him a pretty good witness. But who would believe the words of a pirate? At the most, it would cause some slight trouble for the Viscount.

"His true value is in keeping him from Tim…" Leylin watched the amputated Steve who was now unconscious, his eyes profound. In his view, the pirate only had two functions. One was as bait, attracting more assassins and experts over from the other party so he could ambush them. However, things could easily go wrong that way. If an existence that Leylin could not deal with arrived, that was just shooting himself in the foot.

On the other hand, he could use Steve to negotiate with Tim, forcing the Viscount to back off. After all, the Faulen Family wasn't the only one with land in the seas. Once his side showed their power and sent Steve back, saying that they had no plans to go to war, he could be able to achieve a period of harmony.

Of course, Leylin never counted on the benevolence and hesitation of his enemies for his own safety. However, giving himself more time was a good method. After all, his strength was still increasing by the day, and on top of that with the complete wipe-out of the probing on the Faulen Family, perhaps they would pause for a bit anyway?

Leylin stroked his chin, "Be quick about it. Bring all the slaves. Kill those who resist."

""Understood!"" Numerous soldiers yelled together. After seeing that their leader, Steve, had been taken captive, most of the pirates had lost their morale, and with the suppression by Isabel and the crossbowmen they were utterly defeated. Even those futilely thinking of swimming across the sea were killed by the sailors on the ship, not letting any leave. Soon, a whole region of the sea was dyed red.

In this situation, even the fiercest pirate would involuntarily have thoughts of surrender. Soon enough, the sounds of weaponry being tossed to the ground sounded. The soldiers hurried to tie these people up and sent them to the ship.

"Set fire to this place before we leave," Leylin commanded.

Following that, he returned to the double mast ship he had arrived in. At the moment, the seized pirate ship had been tied up behind theirs. It was the spoils of their battle.

Seeing the sea of red, Leylin listened as Jacob reported, "Nine soldiers are dead, fifteen critically injured. The rest have some form of light injuries…"

This was even though this was a surprise attack and they had the advantage in equipment. Jacob could not help but feel embarrassed at the results. He'd gotten a better understanding of the ferociousness of pirates today. If the Black Tigers had managed to set foot on Faulen Island, the consequences would've been dire.

"Mm. What have we captured?" Leylin looked calm, not minding such a tiny issue.

"We have killed 37 pirates and taken 52 prisoner. There are a few with unknown whereabouts. We have taken Steve, and the Black Tigers can be said to be completely wiped out." At this point, Jacob began to look excited, "It's a pity that there aren't any spoils. There's only some rum and jerky. We haven't found any letters or anything…"

Leylin shook his head and laughed involuntarily, "Pirates are poor anyway. What more do you want?"

These low-ranked pirates did not have much money on them anyway, and if they were lucky enough to get a large amount, that would quickly be wasted on the bad alcohol in the harbour, barbequed meat and gambling dens. When, on the next day, they had not a single copper in their pockets, they would follow their captain to sea like wolves, roaring as they attacked other ships.

'Even if you add up the wealth of all the prisoners, that would still be nothing compared to Steve's own private hoard!' Leylin chuckled.

'I really need to interrogate Steve well. Though it's unlikely that he has a letter from nobility, I need to know about his stash and things like that…'

If he could find evidence of a connection with Viscount Tim, Leylin would not have to be vexed. However, this was impossible.The other side would not be so foolish as to leave letters and the like behind. Hence, Leylin could only give this a try without placing too much hope in it.

As for money… that was just a consolation prize. At the very least, these soldiers would need to be rewarded amply for the deaths, else nobody would be willing to work under him.

Having taken care of everything, Leylin walked to the hold of the ship. As there were many more captives to return with, the concealed hold was very squeezy and somewhat chaotic. Leylin naturally would not imprison the group on the pirate ship behind them, that would only be creating trouble for himself.

Even in this situation, Isabel had a room of her own. This was a privilege reserved for the nobility and the strong.

"Can I come in?" Leylin asked after walking up to her door.

"Please!"

Opening the door, Leylin entered the room and cast a silencing spell. This immediately resulted in a serious look on Isabel's face.

Leylin twitched his nose. There was a herbal smell in the air, and Isabel's clothing was slightly in disarray. Evidently, in her hurry, she had not had everything arranged properly.

Thoughts

"You won't be able to do things like that easily on your own, you know." Leylin chuckled as he sat beside Isabel, pulling at her arm.

"Don't…" Isabel began to struggle.

"Sit properly!" Leylin's thunderous expression made Isabel's momentum to flag. Even the strength she possessed seemed to weaken greatly.

Leylin rolled Isabel's sleeves up. What he saw was not the pale and exquisite skin belonging to a young girl, but a strange arm filled with scales. On the upper arm, there was a curved injury that had been caused by Steve.

"Demonification? And it seems to be a rather high-level conversion ritual…" Leylin raised his shoulders, and then skilfully used magic energy to heal her wounds. He then bound them.

"It's ugly, isn't it…" At some point, Isabel turned away, her voice choked with sobs.

"No, in fact it's still alright," Leylin answered seriously. He didn't look much better when he transformed as a Warlock, and became an existence which had practically abandoned its human form.

"One more thing…" Leylin appeared to be focused on healing her, and he spoke softly, "I want to set up a private fleet. I hope for your help."

"Become a pirate? Why?" Isabel was dazed for a moment. A private fleet was only a dressed up way to refer to a pirate crew.

Leylin smirked at the question. "They've come and bullied us, it's only fitting that we repay the favour."

"As for the people to be used… I was planning to use my status as the master of the territory here to hang the Black Tiger pirates. Let's just consider it recycling our trash!"

"In addition, I've found a pretty good first mate for you. Robin Hood performed well today, and more importantly, he is used to the ways of pirates. With our people as the backbone and the pirates at our foundation level, we can use the pirate ship we seized and Steve's wealth to quickly assemble a crew. I'll need you to control them tightly…"

Leylin swiftly bound her wounds in gauze, and Isabel wiped away the tears on her face, regaining her robust and healthy image. However, Leylin felt that the crying girl from before more suited the memory of his young cousin.

"Why do you think I will agree?" Isabel looked at Leylin.

"Because it's a request from your dear cousin!" Leylin chuckled, resulting in a flush on Isabel's face.

"I'll consider this matter. Go out first!" Evidently, Isabel was feeling cramped in the narrow hull alone in a room with Leylin.

"I quietly await your favourable response!" Leylin headed out, closing the door politely. In reality, he knew that she would agree; this was also good for her.

'A high ranked demon? Goodness…' Leylin stroked his chin, his eyes twinkling.

Controlling a pirate crew may seem slightly immoral on the surface; after all, it was dishonourable for a noble to do something so sinful. However, Leylin knew that under the cover of glory, sophistication and grandeur, the nobles of this world all concealed some sort of evil within them. Every gold coin they used was stained with the blood and tears of innocents.

Even his father, Baron Jonas, had always wanted to obtain support from some pirates, or create a raiding fleet to attack others himself. He had been working hard on this, but he had been a noble for far too short a time. It was difficult enough to just get his own territory organised, so he had yet to fulfill his wishes.

As for offending pirates? Heh, no noble was going to care about that!

'This outer sea was discovered recently, so there aren't a lot of great powers operating here. It's still a piece of blank paper. How could Marquis Louis alone get all the benefits on the sea?' Leylin snickered. Whether it was purchasing high-grade spell materials or creating a wizard tower, everything required a huge amount of resources and gold coins. How could he surrender the profits he could get on the outer sea?

On top of that, he wasn't one to take beatings without retaliating. He would definitely ruthlessly pay the Marquis back for his 'favour'. He was just someone with control over the Baltic archipelago, a trade fleet, and a few pirate groups, so was he that amazing? If not for having apprehensions about the families on Faulen Island, Leylin alone could take him on in a war, and give him a huge headache.

'After establishing a pirate group, cousin will have a place to take shelter. After all, the gods don't focus much on a place like the outer sea where crooks mingle with honest folk. The occasional sacrifice can be hidden as much as possible…'

Whether Isabel could understand the reasons behind Leylin's painstaking efforts was another matter. Leylin was sure that as long as he was the one making the request, she would not reject him.

The waves kept crashing into the body of the ship, shaking it slightly. A few seagull-like birds were soaring in the sky, producing cries from the distance.

"This isn't too far from Faulen Island. It's a short journey, so this shouldn't be a problem…" Leylin held onto the railing, watching the dark sea below him. The sea was never a peaceful place. Tsunamis, storms or even numerous deep-sea creatures could destroy a whole fleet in an instant.

Hence, for sailors on the outer sea, it was like treading on thin ice every single day with the possibility of entering the embrace of death at any moment.

'There seem to be countless gods with dominion over the sea, like the Storm Goddess that Steve worships.' Leylin began to look serious.

Steve surprisingly had some abilities as a cleric. While he could only cast low-ranked divine spells, that was enough for Leylin to be on his guard.

Fortunately, the Storm Goddess was known for being temperamental. She regularly caused tsunamis and storms, destroying numerous ships and fishing boats. Her faith stemmed from the terror she induced.

As a result, Steve must have made the Storm Goddess feel delighted during a certain ceremony or while praying, which was why she had made an exception and bestowed some divine force to him. If not, no matter how Leylin looked at it, he could not link Steve to a clergy.

Even so, that was still very troublesome. No matter how much of a bastard Steve was, he was a cleric, and Leylin could not get rid of him easily.

If he was alone outside, he could eliminate him easily. As long as news did not get out, all was fine. However, there were too many people here and so many prisoners. There were also the escapees. There was no way to dispute the fact that Steve was in his hands. If he were to die, things would be difficult to handle.

Leylin did not want to attract even attention of the church of a real god, much less hostility.

'What a pity. He's a rank 10 warrior, and a cleric at that…' A hint of red light appeared in Leylin's hands. The Devilblood Dagger flew between his fingers, rippling with a dangerous luster that quickly died down.

While he could now transform the flesh devoured into spiritual energy and hasten his advancement as a wizard, it wasn't without any requirements.

He needed to completely digest the energy he absorbed between successive devourings. In addition, this sudden increase in power would be a great test in his control as a wizard.

If a rank 1 wizard rapidly became a Legend, he would first be destroyed by the berserk, uncontrollable magic in his own body. Thankfully, Leylin had a huge advantage in this area. His main body was already half god, and his control of energy was exquisite. Magic was similar both here and in the Magus World, and his strength as a wizard was only equivalent to that of a rank 1 or 2 Warlock.

This set of worries was why Steve had been lucky enough to survive this far. Otherwise, Leylin would have long since reduced him to a pile of bones.

Leylin had specific requirements when it came to flesh now. Only Professionals or powerful demonic beasts met his requirements for life force. As for those pirates? They were nothing to Leylin, and even if he were to devour all of them, they could not be compared to Steve. This was even ignoring the impurities in their energy.

"The ranking of energy in this world is very strictly regulated…" Leylin took a look at his stats. As he had not used the Devilblood Dagger, they stats were the same as before.

"For an adult, 1, 10 and 20 are all thresholds!" Leylin had a greater understanding of these numbers.

It was difficult for a normal human to break past the value of 1 in any stat, becoming a Professional. And these difficulties compounded in the future the stronger one became.

10 points was a huge threshold to break through. Leylin's own greatest stat was his spirit at 7. Based on his calculations, it was only after he became a rank 10 wizard that he could break through this barrier.

'Wizards above rank 10 are considered experts in the World of Gods… So is this the boundary line that divides us? Just one stat breaking past 10 makes one an expert…' Leylin had a feeling that increasing his stat points in this world would be very hard, increasing in difficulty the further he got. Once his spirit reached 10, and especially after he became a great wizard, perhaps even the Devilblood Dagger could only give him light support.

'A stringent world that suppresses power that is out of the ordinary. Even the gods have to abide by the rules of the world…' Leylin's eyes burned with fervour, eager to give this a try.

At this moment, he heard cheers elsewhere, "We're here! I see the lighthouse at the harbour!"

Leylin raised his eyes and looked into the distance. As expected, there was a yellow light seen from within the fog. It represented the warmth of the Faulen Harbour, and Leylin could not help but reveal a smile.

Return and Secret Plans

The moment he got off the ship, Leylin saw someone unexpected. The housekeeper of the manor, Leon, had come before him. It was evident that he had been waiting for a long time, and there were even water droplets on his clothes formed from the mist. "Young master, young master! The master is back, and he's said that you are to notify him once you're on shore!"

"Father has returned? Good, I'll see him right away. Take care of the things here, as well as the spoils of war and the captives…" Compared to sneaking around during the last attack, Leylin was now strutting about boldly. He was even hoping to intimidate those who were harbouring unlawful thoughts with this victory.

However, the only ship entering the harbour was Leylin's own warship. The Black Tiger itself had disappeared with his cousin Isabel, accompanied by a portion of the pirates.

Only a few unlucky pirates were here besides the few spoils of war. Of course, there was also the ex-captain, Steve.

"Understood, young master!" Leon bowed low. Just the injuries from the soldiers behind Leylin alone made it clear that this battle had been very intense.

"Mm. Jacob, get Steve. Let us be off!" Leylin got on the carriage by himself, followed by Jacob with their prisoner. Steve had a black sack over his head, as Leylin did not trust such a high-ranking captive to his subordinates. If he did, there was a chance of something going wrong.

"Father…" The moment the carriage got to the manor, Leylin saw his current parents, Baron Jonas and Lady Sarah. They stood in wait at the door of the manor, eyes full of worry.

Leylin immediately got off the carriage and was pulled into Mistress Sarah's arms, "Oh, my poor child…" It was obvious that even though she somewhat had an idea of what Leylin had done, Mistress Sarah was still worried.

"It's good that you're alright!" Baron Jonas maintained his poise as a noble, though there was a hint of joy in his eyes.

Leylin looked past his father, and then at his mentor Ernest. The wizard gave him an encouraging look of approval, and dragged his wizard robe closer around himself, hiding with the crowd. Wizards weren't that good at expressing themselves.

At this moment, Leylin saw numerous elite troops behind Baron Jonas, all wearing armour. Their cold gazes made him feel a sense of danger.

"Rank 5 warriors! And there are so many at that. Father, where did you get them from?" Leylin could see respect in the eyes of the fighters, especially from their leader, but there wasn't the reliance and concern that their own men had. These troops were evidently reinforcements from an external source.

However, this was a trivial matter.

"Child, don't get so reckless in the future. It's unbecoming of a noble to rashly lead troops alone…" Jonas admonished Leylin. If his only successor were to die in this battle, he would not be able to handle it.

"By the way, Father, please allow me to show off my spoils as well as the captives…" Leylin clapped his hands, and Jacob himself brought Steve up.

Though his limbs had already been cut off, and he was basically a cripple without the help of high-level divine spells, he still needed to be watched.

"Oh?" Baron Jonas' eyebrows lifted, not reacting at all to the captives and junk blades that Leylin showed.

In his opinion, Leylin had merely eliminated a small wave of pirates, maybe less than 20 in total. They were probably fishermen who had lost to their desire for wealth, which was why he didn't pay much attention to them.

But then Leylin lifted the black sack over Steve's head, exposing the malicious face to the daylight. Due to the blood loss, his face had paled, which did nothing to reduce the fear caused from looking at his face. Even Mistress Sarah shrieked, taking a few steps back in her shock and disgust.

"Leylin, you frightened your mother. You shouldn't dirty the eyes of a noblewoman with such a lowly captive…" Baron Jonas had been born as a noble of a military family, and he did not feel uncomfortable when met with this situation. But even his brows furrowed slightly.

Jonas could not understand why Leylin had brought a disgusting captive with sweat, blood and grievous wounds in front of him. What he did not see was that the elite warriors behind him now had a different look in their eyes.

Although Steve was crippled, the thick calluses on his body and the firm muscles mixed with the powerful aura of a high-ranked fighter that had yet to dissipate. They had an inkling about what this was.

"This is Steve, leader of the Black Tigers." Leylin said simply, but that caused Baron Jonas' eyes to widen.

"Gods!" Baron Jonas no longer cared about the filth on Steve's body as he approached him, pushing aside the messy hair at his forehead to size him up carefully.

"Indeed it's him. This is the leader of the Black Tigers, rank 10 fighter Steve! Numerous large chambers of commerce have jointly set up a bounty of 500 gold coins for his capture! One of the bounty postings is even at our port, I couldn't get it wrong…"

A long while later, the baron sighed and stared at his son with a complicated expression. This child seemed to always surprise him. His expedition might even have resulted in him being killed by assassins had Leylin not requested Ernest to come help out.

Still, he asked with disbelief, "Since Steve is here, where's the Black Tigers?"

"They've been wiped out," Leylin answered lightly. Jacob and the soldiers behind puffed up their chests in pride, staring hard at the elite warriors behind the Baron.

"Good! Seems like we need to have a serious talk." Baron Jonas had a complicated expression on his face.

After Leylin came back, laughter and merriness returned to the manor once more. Even the housekeeper Leon, who always looked gloomy, revealed a rare smile as he directed Clara and Claire to prepare the banquet.

During this period of preparation, the baron stayed in his study room, having chased the maids out to leave only Leylin and Ernest behind other than himself.

"The information Leylin provided was very helpful. Even though I had to pay a huge price, I'll take care of the issues with the church of knowledge…" Baron Jonas' voice was hoarse and low. Leylin astutely noticed his bloodshot eyes and thebits of white hair near his ears.

It was obvious that being oppressed by a person of high status like Marquis Louis left the baron stressed and vexed. Though they could now act a bit more freely, the trauma from the Marquis' actions had yet to dissipate.

"It's only my duty. After all, I'm part of the Faulen Family!" Leylin appeared to be very humble.

This attitude had Baron Jonas nodding inside, "Since we know who our opponent is, things will be easier. Though I met with a few assassination attempts during the trip to the continent, I'm thankfully unharmed. I even got to see Earl Griffith!"

"Earl Griffith, the warlord of that place?" Leylin's eyes twinkled, immediately remembering him. It seemed that Baron Jonas had paid a price, yielding a share of profits to acquire some support from the regional nobility.

"They've dispatched a group of horsemen with numerous rank 5 fighters. The leader is a rank 9, which will be enough to ensure the safety of our manor…" Baron Jonas watched Leylin with a sorry look in his eyes.

He believed that the assassination attempt on his son was because he had taken most of the elites. If not for that, he wouldn't have been forced to struggle against a terrible group of pirates.

He had tried to leave behind Ernest and Jacob who were both Professionals to protect the port. However, relying on the protection of others was not a long-term solution. Leylin frowned slightly.

Baron Jonas saw all this, and it caused him to nod even more. 'This child already has enough wisdom to lead our family.'

"Well then, how do you think Steve should be dealt with? After all, he is your prisoner…" Baron Jonas chuckled, wanting to see how Leylin would act.

"Dispatch a messenger to make negotiations and then return him to Marquis Louis. In exchange we can set up a peace treaty. How about that? Our family is quite weak after all…" Leylin did not hold back as he spoke.

"Good!" Baron Jonas was on the verge of applauding his child. He definitely had not been so rational at such an age; he would have complained about his vengeance after the humiliation.

Seeing this ability to give up and maintain a low profile, Baron Jonas would hand the family over to Leylin even if he was useless in other areas.

"Who do you think is the most suitable?"

"Bishop Tapris of the church of knowledge. He's a friend to both sides, so he would make a suitable messenger." Leylin emphasised that he was a 'friend', and Baron Jonas obviously could tell what Leylin was implying.

He muttered to himself, "He is a good choice…"

With his status as a bishop of the church of knowledge, Tapris was the most suitable mediator. He could even increase the prestige of the god of knowledge this way, so he probably wouldn't reject them.

After everything was settled, Leylin mumbled, "Father, I still have some things to tell Master Ernest…"

Trade

Leylin's solemn tone immediately had Jonas on his guard. He glanced towards Ernest, and the man immediately flicked his fingers. He'd cast Nondetection and Sound Isolation.

With all the preparation done, Leylin spoke quietly, "I've already become a rank 7 wizard…"

"What? …. Wha– what?" Ernest's eyes grew as round as saucers. He'd been completely thrown off his lack of reaction.

"Hasn't it been less than a year since you broke through to rank 6?" Ernest's expression was comical, as if he wanted to both cry and burst out in laughter.

"Oh Goddess, do you speak the truth?" Ernest's face was on the verge of pressing into Leylin's nose.

"In the name of the Goddess of the Weave, Mystra, I swear that all I say is true!" Leylin looked serious as he swore on the name of the goddess that numerous wizards held faith in.

The price of offending the Goddess of the Weave was that one could possibly be permanently restricted from using the Weave, rendering them a piece of trash. Leylin's pledge was very serious, and Ernest believed him immediately.

"Heavens, what are you? A bastard son of Mystra?" This rate of advancement immediately depressed Ernest. He was still a mid-rank 9 wizard, so by the looks of it Leylin would probably catch up to him in a year or two.

It was normal to be overtaken by one's student, but to be surpassed by a punk who wasn't even twenty yet? Ernest grew very dispirited, almost on the verge of hiding away into a corner and drawing circles on the ground.

Meanwhile, Baron Jonas turned awkward, not getting it at all. He truly knew little about wizards, so he immediately suppressed his awkwardness to ask, "Ernest, my friend, what does this mean? Why the reaction?"

"Oh, my apologies, my friend!" Ernest flushed, and then replaced that with more fervour, "Leylin is a fifteen year old rank 7 wizard! From what I know this talent puts him among the top hundred talents of the past 300 years!"

At this point, he turned serious, "Don't underestimate this ranking. Many of them became great wizards in the future, with some even becoming Legends…"

"…Cough cough… So…" This instantly shocked Baron Jonas. He watched his son, eyes full of disbelief.

"While I don't have any acknowledgment from the wizard guild, it's no problem to cast rank 3 spells…" Leylin looked towards his mentor, "If news of this gets out during negotiations, do you think Marquis Louis will back off?"

The great chances of Leylin becoming a great wizard was enough to inspire fear. After all, few high-ranked wizards in the Dambrath Kingdom obeyed the royal family. If they found out that the Faulen Family had a genius wizard, the possibility of the other side conceading was high.

Of course, the other possibility was that they would be driven into a corner, sparing no expense to eliminate Leylin so as to avoid any repercussions. This way, they would not be harmed.Of course, they might be driven to a corner and spared no expense to kill Leylin in order to take care of whatever repercussions there might be. This way, they would not be at harm.

"Well, that's very possible, but there are also other options. After all, growth and talent don't represent power…" Ernest warned.

"No, no! This news absolutely cannot get out. I will send down an order for everyone to keep their lips sealed!" Baron Jonas immediately understood. Even if there was a mere 0.0001% possibility, he was unwilling to risk Leylin dying.

After all, with Leylin's talent, it would only be a matter of time before he became a high-ranked wizard if nurtured well. He even had hope to become a Legend! Compared to that, the losses now meant nothing.

Seeing his father and master so resolute, Leylin could only laugh wryly and toss this thought away.

"Alright! However, Father, please allow me to train my magic in secret outside the manor in the future…"

"Training in secret…" Ernest could not understand it. Wizards weren't the kind to practice hard like that; was there a need to abandon a life of luxury in order to train one's will?

But watching this student of his, a 15 year old who had become a rank 7, Ernest wisely chose to shut his mouth. Leylin's achievements would represent everything. Who knew, this method could allow him to make rapid progress.

Ernest touched his chin, feeling that he might should probably start training like this.

"Since your mentor isn't against it, I have no opinions. Remember that you're the future of our family, always prioritise your safety! Even if I were to lose the Faulen Island, I can't lose you. Do you understand?" Baron Jonas warned.

"Yes!" Leylin nodded then followed up, "There's something else, and it regards the management of the family."

"Oh! Seems like you're giving me a lot of surprises today!" Baron Jonas was actually extremely fatigued now, but he still rubbed at the area between his eyebrows, looking like he was listening closely.

"I think we should alter our system of giving rewards based on the services rendered at our family port."

Leylin's first words were already astonishing, "I noticed that this occurred because we're too weak to protect our own territory. It's likely that we'll have a lot of enemies coveting our land. We need to recruit even more soldiers and Professionals to expand out power, which means we need more sources of revenue."

"That's easy to say, but most of the trade on these seas is taken up by Marquis Louis' Baltic archipelago. What can we offer?" Baron Jonas smiled wryly. No noble would reject opportunities to expand their strength and wealth. He'd also explored this before, but had not gotten any gains.

"Leylin must've mentioned this because he has a proposal. Let's consider it first." Ernest was aware that this student of his always made plans before acting, and would never say anything without thinking it through beforehand. This aroused his interest.

"I've checked, and there are only three things that make great profits with a foundation in sea trade: slaves, sea salt and sugar," Leylin's eyes glinted, "The slave trade has a bad reputation and it's been controlled by Marquis Louis. We can't interfere with that, so I'd choose sea salt and sugar!"

"Sea salt and… sugar?" Baron Jonas scratched his hair in confusion, "But our island isn't anything like those in the south with spices and cane sugar. Those plants can't survive here…"

"No! I plan to buy coarse sugar, and then refine it into high-grade white sugar for sale. As for the sea salt, I'm planning to use fish floss!"

"Fish floss?!"

"Yes! Mash the flesh of the fish and dry it in the sun, and then use techniques to preserve it for a long time. Because there's salt and meat, I'm sure it will be welcomed by the commoners and adventurers on the continent!"

Leylin was someone who'd travelled over from another world. He'd be foolish if he didn't use the knowledge he gained from his previous world to gain some benefits.

Though there were differences in the physical laws of the two worlds, there were still some similarities. Concerned about the family's strength, Leylin was trying to expand their revenue to help himself in the future. He'd long since thought this through.

While he only somewhat remembered the methods to refine sugar and create fish floss by drying them in the sun, that was alright. He was a noble! As long as he supplied them with a general idea, his underlings would make it a reality.

Though Leylin remembered a lot more as well, he'd run tests through the years and he realised that he could only build an industry around these two items, they complemented the laws of the World of Gods.

As for other techniques, it wasn't that they could not be used, but they would destabilize the situation now. Paper would definitely be valued highly by the church of knowledge, so he could easily gain the favour of Oghma. However, he would attract the ire of the other gods, and Leylin was afraid of that.

Refined sugar and fish floss were two things that wouldn't have as great an effect.

After Leylin explained his thoughts on this industry, Baron Jonas sank into deep thought. While he did not know about this, Leylin's words seemed to be plausible. At the very least, Ernest beside him had eyes that were twinkling as if he had seen sudden huge profits.

"In that case, you can try that!" At the end, Baron Jonas agreed. After all, Leylin had proven with his battle achievements that he was not just a braggart. What was the harm of letting him try? At worst, it could be considered business training.

As a successor of a noble family, one might not need to know how to manage businesses, but they couldn't afford to be cheated by businessmen.

"However, be cautious!" Jonas warned after thinking it over once more. He was still worried.

"I understand. Many thanks, Father!" Leylin stood and bowed.

In reality, he just needed to have the approval of the Baron in name. As for the people and money? Steve would probably be more than 'willing' to provide that.

"The banquet's almost prepared, let's go together. By the way, where's your cousin Isabel?" Jonas asked suddenly at the end.

"Oh… I let her leave…" Leylin's eyes flashed with his unhesitating answer. He still didn't want to divulge the fact that he was establishing a pirate crew.

"Is she gone? That's good too!" Baron Jonas nodded and did not ask more, leaving with his hands behind his back.

It was evident that he'd long since had his own conjectures on Isabel's change. However, the situation had been urgent then, and he'd felt bad about abandoning a diligent branch member of the Faulen Family. That was why he'd said nothing then, and now that she'd left, there would now be no awkwardness between them.

Tim

'Looks like Father already knew about it long ago…' Leylin immediately arrived at his own conclusion after listening to the baron's words. Had he not promptly made the decision to send Isabel away, the baron would perhaps have dealt with her upon his return.

After that, terrible rumours might have spread, and his cousin might even have 'died of illness'. After all, the churches in this world did not even slightly tolerate the followers of devils and demons, and even their friends and family would be implicated.

With a tacit mutual understanding, the father and son went to the banquet, as if they had completely forgotten about Isabel.

The banquet was bustling with noise and excitement. Xuno, that wandering bard who had been seen at the port lately, had come to perform. His voice was as sweet as a skylark's, and the few short poems he recited earned cheers from the whole hall.

However, when it was over, Leylin saw that Xuno was invited to his father's study room. It seemed like the Baron had not invited him purely for the performance.

However, that meant nothing to Leylin. He was planning to move out after the banquet, giving the pirates their orders and settling matters regarding the trade.

Of course, he had to ease the tension in his family's relationship with Viscount Tim, handing over the prisoner and signing an agreement.

...

*Thump!* A crisp slap landed on a young man's face, making his fair skin swell into a bruise.

"Gods, how could I have gotten such a stupid child like you!"

A furious middle-aged man dressed in exquisite noble attire stood in front of the youth. Complex designs were sewn in with golden thread on the fringe of his clothing, fully in the elven style. Exotic rings laden with precious gems lined all ten of his fingers in varying colours, and a few of them emitted powerful magical light.

This was the person controlling the Baltic archipelago, the younger blood brother of the Dambrath King. It was Marquis Louis.

The king obviously was not stingy when it came to titles, bestowing a dukedom upon him, but Louis evidently thirsted for power. Hereditary land was something even the children of the King might not be able to obtain.

Marquis Louis was very satisfied with the kingdom's offshore development and the growing trade profits. The only thing that made him frown was that in this vast open sea, there was some land that belonged to small noble families, as well as a bunch of disobedient and barbaric pirates that were a thorn in his side. Hence, when his useless son begged for some territory, Marquis Louis had agreed.

However, looking at Viscount Tim in front of him now, he couldn't help but feel resent for failing to meet his expectations. "You're a disgrace! You do things without following any kind of rules. Not only do you try to assassinate someone on the continent, you can't even take care of the sea! You even lost the Black Tigers…"

At this point, Marquis Louis felt a little sorry. While the deaths of those filthy despicable pirates didn't faze him regardless of numbers, a rank 10 fighter like Steve was still a capable underling. On top of that, his own group of bandit assassins had been lost.

"Also!" Marquis Louis' chest kept heaving up and down as he flung a letter at Tim's face. "Look. This came specially for us from Griffith. Not only did you gain no advantages at all, you even pushed the Faulen Family towards those hicks!"

Tim let the letter smack on his face, feeling the unceasing stinging pain that caused his eyes to be filled with fiery fury.

Viscount Tim looked extremely similar to Marquis Louis, though he was much younger and had a pair of long and narrow eyes. He was now bowing respectfully, "Father, please give me another chance! As long as you assign Boruj to me, I can definitely…"

"Scram!" What answered him was only a hysterical yell from the Marquis.

The door slammed shut, and Tim gently caressed his swollen face. The stinging pain doubled the fury in his heart.

The surrounding maids and the like naturally did not dare provoke Tim, who was in this state. All of them fervently wanted to be ostriches so they could bury their heads in the carpet. However, another noble youth strolled in with a mocking expression.

"Haha… my beloved little brother, you seem to have met with some trouble!"

"Big brother!" Tim clutched his face, feeling dazed and awkward when looking at the new arrival. This was the marquis' first son, born of his primary wife. Hee would one day take over the Baltic archipelago. Given that his mother was a noble as well, his status was much higher than that of Tim, who could only rely on the whims of the marquis.

"Oh my, are you injured? Quick, get a priest!" The young man shouted at the servant behind him, as if he was an elder brother caring for his younger brother. However, Tim could see the mockery deep inside his eyes…

"Damn it. Damn it!" Only when he'd walked out of the mansion did Tim's expression darken. "I'll never let the people who've humiliated me off. I swear on it!"

"And then there's the Faulen Island, and that little noble called Leylin. I'll definitely force you all to hell and have you repent there!" Tim's expression was sinister, like a savage beast that was letting out howls of pain.

...

Leylin naturally knew nothing of this, but he could somewhat guess what was happening. However, his attention was now focused on other matters.

The place that Leylin had chosen to hide away in was at the other end of the Faulen Island. Since they hadn't occupied this place for a long while, they didn't have as many farmers and slaves as they'd need to occupy the whole island. Leylin chose this area because there were few people, and also because he favoured the low-lying shoal nearby. Such a level terrain was very rare on the Faulen Island, and enough for Leylin to do a great many things.

Up till now, Leylin had only built a few wooden plank houses nearby, as if preparing to go into training. He was kept updated on his family through Jacob.

"The prisoner was handed over, but Tim refused to sign an agreement?" Leylin stared at the coastline in the distance, his eyes flashing.

"Yes, young master!" Jacob stood behind Leylin, looking humble and respectful. After the few battles before, he was completely subservient to Leylin, and his loyalty could even be comprable to Baron Jonas'.

Staring at the blue surface of the sea for a long while, Leylin suddenly laughed and spoke slowly, "Seems like he's unreconciled to this."

"That's for sure. However, he hinted that there would be no attacks against our family for now. The Baron has also agreed."

"It's just temporary peace. His plans were disrupted, so he needs to reorganise everything. We need to amass some strength here." Leylin could already tell what this was. It was no peace, just a temporary armistice. Once they reorganised, they would definitely attack the family once again.

Of course, Leylin did not mind this, what he needed right now was time.

"How's the preparations on the slaves we need, the coarse sugar and the fishing boats?" Leylin enquired. This was the preparation for the sugar and fish floss trade that he had brought up with the baron earlier.

"I've already found a merchant in the port, and he's willing to give us a channel for the slaves and sugar. As for the fishermen and fishing boats, an announcement has been pasted on the territory; commoners who come willingly will get a discount from taxes…" Jacob reported deferentially.

"Good. Don't worry about the finances. Steve's little treasury should somewhat be enough for the initial investment. Father has already to let me use everything…" Before handing the slave over, Leylin had naturally squeezed out all the value that Steve had left and obtained his precious wealth.

He'd also learned of the locations that had treasured buried in them. Pirates usually used gold which was a stable currency, and the habit of hiding it on barren islands.

It all added up to around a thousand gold coins, which was enough early money. There would be more money required near the end, but Leylin had already prepared Isabel and the pirates for that.

"Slave trade? I'll need slaves that are proficient at carpentry and masonry. I don't mind if they're pricy…" The Dambrath Kingdom was expanding into the seas, and numerous barren archipelagos were found.

There were many natives, tropical forests, minerals, primordial creatures on the islands. Of course, there were also many diseases and death. As the commoners of the continent rarely agreed to follow their master and find new land, slaves were essential if one wanted to completely develop an island.

Marquis Louis of the Baltic archipelago was the one with the most profits from the trade. He had a tremendous supply chain that had deals with pirates and its own slave hunting outfit.

Untrained slaves were naturally the lowest class, and could only be used in wrestling rings or as sacrifices to gods. Once they were tamed, natives would be worth twice as much, and if they could plow land or had skills with carpentry and masonry, the price would keep going up.

However, they were still the lowest of the low. High-grade slaves were actually Professionals, or gorgeous women who had gone through special training. Every one of them could be sold in the continent for an astronomical price!

Pirates

"Slave trade, hehe…" Leylin snickered. While Marquis Louis' business was focused on the slave trade, Leylin wouldn't believe that the Baltic archipelago wasn't involved in the sugar trade and the like. At the most, they would be side businesses is all.

He knew very well that if he was successful in forming a supply chain with this, his profits would be massive! It would bring about a lot of envy and hatred, causing conflict with Marquis Louis.

However, even if he didn't delve into these two very profitable businesses, the Faulen Island wasn't going to be ignored anyway. What was the point of trying to get along with them?

As he was speaking to Jacob, a group of slaves were rushed along to the beach by his soldiers, accompanied by carriages of food and the like.

"Jacob, let's go and take a look as well." Leylin brought Jacob to the front of the group.

"Young master!" The soldiers bowed, and the slaves lowered their heads, peeking at their future master with humble eyes.

"Are these… the natives of the outer sea islands?" Leylin knew that most of the slaves traded in the outer seas were natives. In fact, the higher grade ones were picked out and sent back to the mainland. Transporting slaves from the mainland to the outer seas was expensive, and slave traders would be satisfied if they didn't make a loss with such a thing.

The natives here were very short, coming up to Leylin's shoulder at the tallest. Most did not have any clothing, revealing their thin limbs and tanned skin. It reminded Leylin of chimps.

"Young master, there are a total of twenty slaves. With three of them being carpenters and another two stonemasons, it comes up to a total of 321 gold coins…" In reality, the price of these stonemasons and carpenters probably took up more than half of the total price.

"Mm…" Leylin nodded. Even this slight amount had caused him to spend a portion of his recent profits. Relying on slaves in order to build up the business he was thinking of was a pipe dream, Leylin wouldn't put his hopes on it.

"Your mission is to build a camp for me here. Of course, fences are necessary as well." Leylin naturally did not understand the language of the natives, but that was no issue for wizards. Comprehend Languages could solve that. While these low-ranked spells could not analyse the languages of demons, the heavens, and all sorts of highly ranked languages of law, it would be more than enough for these natives.

After hearing Leylin's words, the group of slaves began to get restless.

"Quiet!" Leylin flicked his finger, and a ray of lightning shot out.

*Pila!* As if something huge had happened, many of the natives crouched down or even knelt after the violent streak of lightning passed.

Rank 0 spell: Lightning Lure!

"As you can see, I am a wizard that possesses immense strength. These fully equipped soldiers will continue to monitor you, so don't even think about escaping or you'll all be hanged. On the other hand, if you're hardworking and complete your task in time, I'll give you a reward, and even dismiss you from slavery." Leylin's hands glinted with sparks, making him look like a god in the eyes of the slaves.

In reality, wizards had always been rare existences in the World of Gods; there likely weren't many even serving under Marquis Louis. This abnormal strength was the best way to terrorise these natives, having them believe he was a spirit of the elements or worship him like a god.

At this moment, there was a disturbance amongst the slaves. One of them who looked rather old crawled to Leylin's feet, kissing the ground. "Powerful being who grasps the power of lightning, Nunooker is willing to listen to your teachings and obey your commands!"

"Very good! Nunooker, you shall lead these slaves from now." They'd already been tamed by the trader's leather whips, so Leylin could understand this situation. Whatever it was, the first ones to surrender their loyalty to him would be rewarded.

Nunooker was elated and he kowtowed again and again, "Esteemed master, Nunooker will definitely manage your assets well."

"Mm… Tell them that those who are diligent will have enough black bread and fish soup." After taking care of these matters, Leylin retreated to his own room. He just had to give the slaves a general idea, they would do the rest. The remaining bit would be left to Jacob to handle.

The first thing the frenzied slaves built were a few simple and crude houses. These would be their temporary residences as they built to the plans that were created by Leylin, making good use of every inch of land here.

Night fell. Having stuffed themselves with black bread, mushy fish meat and seaweed soup, the slaves slumbered deeply. In their eyes, someone like Leylin who possessed extraordinary strength yet was benevolent enough to let them eat well was a good master that was hard to come by.

A few soldiers patrolled next to the slaves' accommodations, swapping out from time to time. While it wasn't likely that the slaves would escape, Jacob had still arranged this.

In the deep, quiet night, the soldiers huddled around a bonfire. They looked listless, their eyelids about to fall shut at any moment. None of them noticed that their young master had left.

Fly! Leylin's body soared into the air, flying at a speed of 60 feet a second. He quickly left the vicinity of the camp.

"I can finally fly, but it's so slow!" Having grasped rank 3 spells, Leylin now had the ability to fly again, but the speed was not enough to please him.

In reality, wizards that could fly not only possessed the ability to quickly leave the battlefield in dire situations, but also to turn into death gods in the skies. Since most troops lacked the ability to fend off aerial strikes, wizards could hover in the air and cast spells from above like a nightmare!

Under the bright white moonlight, the surface of the sea was clear and gleaming, having a cold aura. The deep sea was filled with dangers, and numerous sea monsters began foraging for food in the night.

A black pirate ship was still, anchored on the surface of the sea. A swordswoman with a black longsword was standing on the deck, clad in skintight armour as if in wait for something.

*Whoosh!* A dark shadow slowly appeared by the horizon, and then turned into a human figure.

"Cousin Isabel, Robin Hood!" Leylin landed on the deck and acknowledged the two.

"Kid, why are you only just getting here!" Isabel whined, though there was no trace of discontent in her expression.

"Young master!" Compared to her, Robin Hood was more respectful. After all, a wizard that could fly had immense destructive power when above the sea. Robin Hood knew this very well.

Most of the times, such wizards could send their opponents on their way before the ships could even line up with each other for battle.

"Call all sailors to deck!" Leylin commanded. Followed by a disturbance, numerous sailors gathered together. Amongst them were guards originally from the Faulen Family, although most of them were Black Tigers.

Now, however, all that was left in their eyes was fear, and their numbers seemed to have lessened. Leylin scanned the area, and Isabel lowered her head with burning cheeks. Robin Hood stood out, "Young master, in order to tame the pirates, we had no choice but to kill a few people to set a precedent…"

'That's probably not all…' Leylin glanced at Isabel but did not pursue this further. All he needed was for these pirates to be obedient anyway.

Leylin's eyes scanned the crowd. He then announced, "I have gathered you now because I'm planning to establish a private raiding fleet!"

It seemed like these people had already had their suspicions. They accepted the truth calmly, and the eyes of Robin Hood and a few others even flushed red with desire.

There were few truly good men who accompanied Baron Jonas to the barren island as he developed the territory. His companions had likely done all sorts of things in their free time, including playing at piracy. They might even have had the baron's tacit approval and support/

Leylin made plans for the family of those who had been guards to move to his camp. This would allow him to care for them, and control the spread of the news. While it was impossible to hide this for long from the baron, things would have all been done by then and he could do very little to interfere.

As for the pirate slaves, loyalty, justice and things like that didn't compare to money for them. As long as Leylin achieved victory after victory as he led them to gain wealth, they wouldn't mind even if their leader was a demon!

Of course, his subordinates now were a standard mob, and Leylin urgently needed a victory to stimulate them.

'On top of that, I need to maintain my reputation, and I'll need to disguise this Black Tiger ship. At the very least, I'll need some remodeling…' Leylin stamped the deck under his feet.

"Don't call me young master in the future. Call me Captain or Sire, is that understood?" he commanded. While it sounded dreadful for a noble to partake in piracy himself, it was nothing new. However, he still needed to maintain a reputation. He couldn't do such things openly.

If Leylin were to be killed during a raid, the baron could not take revenge openly, and at most, do something in private.

"Yes, Captain!" Robin Hood quickly reacted.

"Good! Weigh the anchor! Set the sail! Let us plunder everything!"

Merfolk Pirates

A pirate ship drifted quietly in the pitch black of the night. A crimson skeletal flag fluttered in the wind, holding an aura of death.

Within the captain's room, the rocking hull did not affect Leylin the least. He was now on the upper levels with Isabel, Robin Hood and a few others, discussing their current target.

"We have over fifty sailors, but their quality is…" Robin Hood shook his head, evidently not thinking well of the sailors that had recently pledged their allegiance.

This was the truth anyway. Without the threat of death, they would not have submitted so quickly. However, having them show their loyalty was practically a joke. If there was a chance, they would definitely betray Leylin and escape without hesitation, even plunge a knife into his and the others' hearts.

"I know this very well, but loyalty can't be developed in just a day or two. Time will also help us phase out the people who intend to disobey…" Leylin's voice was very calm yet held an exceptional callousness. Isabel and Robin Hood felt like they could see the near future of the many pirates, and their executions by Leylin for all sorts of reasons.

"I'm planning to develop a base to produce fish floss on Faulen Island. We'll need a lot of money and slaves for it, and it's too much to handle if we depend on our territory alone. We need to get this done, by hook or by crook." Leylin stuck a dagger at a point on the map.

The primitive method of the accumulation of wealth was a drawn-out process. If one wanted to speed it up, there would definitely be blood and sin involved. Leylin did not have the skills to slowly guide an industry. He would only go on raid after raid to quickly build up a production line. Marquis Louis hadn't given him much time, and he was running out.

Leylin never believed in random outside protection, believing that it would only bring about tragedy to entrust his life to someone else. Hence, he would rather take some risks to increase his strength, and expanding his trade profits was just one part of it. After this was done, he'd launch a series of attacks to set his opponents back in the region.

While Isabel and Robin Hood were unaware of Leylin's thoughts, the murderous aura that he emanated caused them to involuntarily shiver.

"This is… the Half-Merfolk Island!" Robin Hood was the first to recognise the name of the island that Leylin had his eyes on, and he gasped, "There's a famed group called the Merfolk Pirates occupying the place!"

"A group that Marquis Louis controls," Leylin added coldly. How could he not have pried open Steve's lips for such information? The man had been the captain of the Black Tigers, after all.

It was undeniable that a rank 10 fighter had a stronger will, but he was only able to hold on for half an hour longer than the assassin from before.

'Hehe… He's but a cripple in body and mind now. Even if Marquis Louis heals him, he'll have a headache over this!' Leylin snickered inside. If there were grades for torture and interrogation, he would definitely be a grandmaster.

Having gone through his hands, Steve had completely broken down. Perhaps even if the highest-ranked priest cast Regenerate and other spells on him, it would be difficult for him to return to his previous state.

Leylin suspected that Louis' side would just kill Steve right away, it wasn't worth inviting a high-ranked priest to cast divine spells. Even if many priests cast divine spells to heal others for a fee, it was very expensive to invite a high-ranked one. Even the sale of a rank 10 fighter couldn't cover such a cost.

"The outer seas right now are just being discovered and developed. There's no order here, only chaos…" Leylin's palm caressed the map on the table, covering a large area, "Numerous adventurers, nobles and pirates rush to this place, but they can't even get to developing 10% of the islands. Just 10% alone signifies an astonishing amount of profit and wealth!

"Our final goal is to subdue or eliminate all the pirates in this region, making us the undisputed kings of this dark world. Let all those of other flags end up struck down to the bottom of the sea!" Leylin's voice was low, but these calm words seemed to be filled with an allure that caused Robin Hood's breathing to grow rough.

In some areas, Leylin was even better than a devil at persuasion and negotiation. The promise of a beautiful future seemed to have moved the first mate.

"We have a huge advantage here, compared to those regions where the power struggle is complicated. There are no extremely powerful organisations to hinder us, only our greatest enemy in Marquis Louis." Leylin smirked.

Marquis Louis had control over the Baltic archipelago and practically over 60% of the new trade in this region. Hence, he'd become the rule setter here, and his profits were unimaginable to most.

Leylin's goal was to eliminate him and become the boss! The smart followed the rules, while the wise created them themselves. Leylin was going to completely destroy Louis, and make his own laws.

To attack Louis, it was necessary to first eliminate his subordinates and the pirates he commanded.

"Do you still have anything against my decision?" Leylin glanced at Robin. As for his cousin? As long as this had anything to do with Louis' family, she was likely eager to join.

"No, Captain! I obey your every command!" Robin Hood immediately bowed, pledging himself with a serious expression.

"Good! There are only three large pirate organisations in this region, the Black Skeletons, Tigersharks, and Barbarians. Once we annex the Merfolk Pirates, we'll be somewhat comparable to them." What Leylin did not make clear was that the two of these three pirate organisations were linked in countless ways with Marquis Louis, and the Marquis might even be the one in control from the shadows.

If any of them had been sent to attack Leylin's family, his only choice would have been to escape with Mistress Sarah. However, Louis had evidently underestimated Leylin's side. That was why Leylin had managed to seize such an opportunity. Things would not be as easy the next time.

"Black Tigers, Merfolk, Black Skeletons and Tigersharks. These look like all of the pirates that Louis' family has control over…' Leylin's eyes glinted, 'If two of them are taken care of at one go, I'm sure he'll have a spectacular expression on his face!'

Robin Hood was a very good navigator, and after Leylin sent down the order he immediately used the stars to determine the location of the ship. He altered the shipping route so that they headed towards the Half-Merfolk Island.

The Black Tiger gradually left the shallow seas in the tranquil night, heading for the more mysterious and treacherous deep waters.

'It'll take a day or two of travel to get to Half-Merfolk Island…' Leylin's eyes twinkled. With the help from the A.I. Chip, his calculative abilities still far surpassed his first mate and navigator even without a moving scale or any tools.

Just when Leylin was about to blow out the lights, a disturbance was heard. There were even sounds of weapons clashing, causing Leylin to frown.

"What happened?" Leylin furrowed his brows, putting on a coat and heading out. Isabel walked over from the room next to his.

When they got outside, the yells and curses grew even clearer.

"The sailors are rebelling?" Leylin indifferently walked with Isabel to the deck.

Many of the prisoners stood together on deck, holding machetes and all sorts of weapons. They had forced Robin Hood and a few soldiers into a corner.

Compared to the thirty to forty people here, Robin Hood's few subordinates seemed lonely and weak.

"How senseless!" Leylin flicked a finger, and a few pirates that were in the way turned into ice statues. The rest of the pirates moved away in fear, allowing Isabel and him to walk all the way to the deck.

"My apologies, young master! After hearing that we're going towards the outer seas tonight, the sailors all began to rebel!" Robin Hood's forehead was beaded with sweat as he explained to Leylin.

Many dangerous sea monsters liked to forage in the night, and unless they were exceptionally powerful fleets, nobody dared to head towards the deep seas now.

On top of that, these pirate captives weren't all that obedient from the start, and were full of rebellious spirit. They were also a majority, which meant that it wasn't unexpected for them to rise in revolt, especially with people deliberately stirring up the situation.

"Seems like Isabel and Robin Hood listening isn't enough to control them…" Leylin sighed from the bottom of his heart, and then walked ahead, "Put down your weapons, or you'll regret it. When it comes to the outer seas, I can ensure that your safety is guaranteed."

"Don't believe him! This son of a bitch and the woman from before just want us to die!" Just when the pirates were hesitant, a voice sounded from amongst the crowd.

"Come here!" Leylin's eyes narrowed, and the mooring ropes placed at the ship's railing seemed to gain lives of their own. They began to wave around, charging into the pirates like a python as they wrapped around one with triangular eyes, pulling him out.

"Vulgar maggot, did you think I can't do anything against you if you hide in the shadows?"

With a flick of Leylin's finger, a boiling hot fireball rushed out! It rumbled as it hit the bound pirate, lighting him up like a torch with sparks flying everywhere. Miserable cries sounded out, causing many pirates to retreat with fear on their faces.

"A wizard! It's a wizard!" The pirates exclaimed. Most of the pirates had melee professions. True tall, rich, and cool wizards were a rare sight even amongst huge pirate groups.

Smash

Wizards were often more intimidatingly powerful than high-ranking fighters, knights and other such Professionals.

"I'll count to three, and if you don't put down your arms and kneel in surrender, you'll follow his example!" With a tug of the rope, the charred remains were immediately scattered into the ocean. This intimidating strength immediately made many pirates think of retreating.

It was a pity that this was the ocean, and they were surrounded by water as far as the eye could see. Even if they wanted to run, they had nowhere to go.

"One." Leylin's face twitched as he announced without any hesitation.

"Two." Two rays of ice flew out, turning the fleeing pirates into ice sculptures.

"Three!" Leylin's eyes were filled with a heavy killing intent.

These terrifying eyes finally led to the collapse of the pirates. They abandoned their weapons one by one, and knelt on the floor while weeping bitterly.

"Robin Hood, tie them all up!" Leylin rubbed his hands together. After all, he could not possibly kill all of these captive pirates. If he did, who would sail the ship?

In this world, a captain could only fight to the death in the face of mass mutiny. However, powerful people like him could put down their entire crew with a hand tied behind their back.

"As you command, Captain!" Although this was not the first time they had seen the young master's power, the soldiers' eyes were still filled with respect.

Given that those pirates didn't dare to rebel, the soldiers on the deck could easily control them. Even if there were troubles on the ship, Isabel would resolve them before Leylin could even grow impatient.

Isabel would've taken care of the situation this time even if Leylin hadn't. It was just that the situation would have ended up with many pointless deaths.

In the end, all of the captives who had taken part in the rebellion had been tied together and gathered on the deck. The soldiers and the rescued pirates who had not taken part in the rebellion erected several enormous wooden crucifixes there.

Leylin peacefully stood in front of the pirates, but he did not say a single world. However, this made the pirates begin to tremble in fear. Leylin was determined to go through with this purge, and did not have any intention of letting them off.

"Find me the leader of the rebellion!" With Leylin's command, as well as the pirates identifying each other themselves, several wild and untameable ones were pushed out from the crowd.

"There's only four or five? This is far too few!" Leylin shook his head, "Robin Hood, pick one out of every five to kill!"

Soon after, the remaining pirates huddled together in alarm. Robin Hood counted here and there, and every fifth pirate was immediately dragged out by the soldiers. This repeated until 5 poor devils had been chosen.

This was a method from Leylin's previous life, called decimation. It was a way of investigation, used similarly to what he had employed to execute criminals.

"This is your sentence." Leylin waved his hand, and his subordinates quickly swarmed around the criminals, binding them on top of the crucifixes.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!* The other pirates were alarmed by the sounds as several nails were hammered into the offenders, even if they avoided the vitals. Drops of blood ran down the nails.

"Bastard! I won't let you off!" "Even if I die, I'll drag you to hell with me!" "My lord, please spare us! Please spare us!"

Blood-curdling screams rang out, intermixed with curses and pleas.

"Aren't you lively? I hope you can be like that tomorrow too!" Leylin smiled faintly.

This method of crucifixion was very inhumane. The targets inched closer and closer to death as they gradually bled out. The sort of fear it induced could lead to a nervous breakdown in normal people.

These physically strong people could perhaps stay alive until the second day. However, that was of no use; it only meant more insane pain and torment.

The violent sunlight of the sea would drain them of every drop of moisture in their body, until they were mummified. And in the end, they could only chose between bleeding to death, dying from sunburn, or dying of thirst.

Many of the captives who thought of this scene were so frightened that they couldn't help but wet themselves. They didn't even dare to meet Leylin's eyes; the smell of urine spread.

"As for the rest of you, I'll be gracious and show you mercy. You will only receive ten lashes. Now all of you, clean the decks immediately! If I see even a single speck of dust tomorrow, you'll have to lick it clean! Do you all understand?" Leylin shouted.

When grace was absent, the fear of death was an effective deterrent. Of course, the prerequisite was that one needed enough power. Still, who amongst Leylin's subordinates could surpass him in strength?

*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!* Leather whips specially soaked in seawater were used to punish these pirates. On one hand, the salt in the water would prevent the wounds festering, but on the other hand, the pain would be even more severe.

These lucky pirates did not dare to grumble, and they began to clean up the deck even more quickly. Those who were currently crucified were deeply reminded of their betrayal.

'Fear me, respect me, hate me!' Leylin stood at the ship's bow like a tall mountain, filled with a deep and immeasurable strength.

'The hate and resentment of an ordinary person seem to result in some additional spiritual force and soul force emanating from them.' Leylin shut his eyes, sensing the respect from the pirates on the ship.

'What a pity… If this number was multiplied by a thousand times, and continued for over 10 years, it would be possible for me to comprehend divinity, and become a divine being.' The power of fear was a standard tool for demons and devils. It was very effective, a god only needed to absorb the energy of faith arising from mortal fear. His subordinates' shifting moods had allowed Leylin to touch on a path to divinity.

'Pity. This method is completely undesirable, not to mention what the churches would do once they discover me trying to spread fear to become a god. Perhaps their first course of action would be to come and destroy me…' It was very foolish to peep into the realm of gods without even becoming a Legend.

"Cousin, aren't you going to rest?" Isabel arrived at Leylin's side at this moment. She was the only one who would dare to do so.

At the same time, Leylin noticed that Isabel was looking at these condemned convicts with eyes filled with regret. Naturally, she wasn't regretting their deaths, but she felt it was a great pity to lose so many sacrificial offerings.

"My dear cousin!" Leylin began as he watched Isabel, "You shouldn't just act according to the other party's wishes when dealing with an abnormal life form. Sometimes you need to negotiate, and even refuse… Perhaps this can help you."

Leylin took out a black notebook and passed it over to her.

"Rules of Negotiation with Abnormal Entities- Demon Edition!" Isabel let out a low cry. This book contained knowledge about demons, and to the churches it was a standard demonic item.

"This is part of my teacher's collection, I copied it out using magic. Perhaps it can help you, don't let anyone else see it," Leylin smiled faintly. In fact, this was from Beelzebub's memories. After all, he was the commander of the devils' army, and he had a deep understanding of those demons that were his enemies.

At the same time, devils were also the greatest experts in deceit, threats, and modifying contracts. With Beelzebub's knowledge, the least it could do was to ensure that she wouldn't suffer too big a loss when making deals in hell or the abyss.

"Even if you sell your soul, make sure it fetches a good price. Don't be swayed by a few words and offer it up without thinking it through. That would simply be too foolish…"

"T-Thank you!" Isabel hugged the black notebook close, as if it was her entire world.

"Also, it seems like we won't get any rest tonight…" Leylin waved his hand and said to Isabel, "Be careful!"

"What should I be careful of… AH!" Isabel was rather doubtful, but she immediately felt a huge jolt. As she was still firmly holding onto the notebook with both hands, she almost fell to the deck.

At this moment, a pair of powerful hands held her up steadily.

"If you feel that the storm is too much, go back to your room and leave this place to me," Leylin's words were filled with self-confidence, and it seemed to give her a great sense of security. Isabel agreed in a rather foolish manner, and really walked back to her cabin.

Yet after a short moment, she'd changed into her leather armour and grabbed her longsword, rushing back out.

"I've put away the thing you gave me!" Isabel's face was flushed as she flusteredly explained.

At this moment, Robin Hood's voice rang out, sounding completely exasperated, "Tigershark! It's a Mutant Tigershark!"

The expressions of the people on the ship immediately changed greatly. The Mutant Tigershark was a type of deep sea monster. It possessed an enormous body larger than ordinary whales, and it had a savage nature. It particularly enjoyed hunting at night.

This Tigershark's body could easily flip over the Black Tiger. Such a thing was exactly why these pirates were so afraid of sailing at night.

"What are you panicking for? Calm down now!" Leylin's voice spread immediately, charged with a pacifying force. In just a moment all of the alarmed pirates calmed down.

The ship's hull was tilted to an alarming degree, and it was tipping further. It was like a powerful monster was shaking the bottom of the ocean. At this moment, everyone on the ship could only pin their hopes on Leylin, the wizard.

Isabel stood the closest to Leylin, and she discovered that he had a strangely excited expression on his face.

"Finally! I've been waiting for this. This opponent is mine, don't interfere!" Without even waiting for her to respond, Leylin immediately jumped off the deck of the ship.

Level 1 Magic Weave

The bitterly cold seawater seemed to chill one to the bone as the mountainous black figure suddenly appeared in front of Leylin.

As the A.I. Chip finished scanning, the Tigershark's stats appeared in front of him. [Mutant Tigershark, Estimated Stats: Strength: 7+, Agility: 2-4, Vitality: 13+, Spirit: 3. Abilities: 1. Sharkskin: A Tigershark's skin has a slight resistance to physical and magical attacks. 2. Lesser Regeneration: Slight ability to restore a certain amount of life force.]

"Not bad, not bad. With this physique and abundant energy, it's worthy of being called a deep sea creature…" Leylin's eyes seemed to glow a crimson red.

Aquatic Swiftness! A glowing enchantment draped itself over Leylin's body, and he obtained greater speed in the water. It made him as nimble in the water as he was on land.

An enormous sound wave spread out, causing massive vibrations. The forcefield around Leylin's Mage Armour creaked, as if unable to bear the attack.

The Tigershark seemed to care very little for the insignificantly tiny Leylin, and it occasionally used its giant dorsal fin to smash against the Black Tiger. It looked like it wanted to flip the ship over.

In this situation, Leylin immediately arrived at the back of the Tigershark, and climbed up the coarse surface of the shark's skin.

"According to the perspective drawing on the map, it should be here!"

Numerous shadowy daggers suddenly appeared from Leylin's hand as he shouted, "Cloud of Daggers! Ice Knife!"

*Shlook!* The ice daggers plunged into the Mutant Tigershark's back, making it suddenly swing its entire body around. Copious amounts of fresh blood poured out from its wounds. Its sharkskin seemed like paper under Leylin's attack.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* At this moment, the Mutant Tigershark's body seemed to become a burden to it. As it was so enormous, it could only violently shake its body and hope that this would throw Leylin far away. It was to the point where the Tigershark once slammed the part of its body where Leylin was against the ship. It seemed to want to crush Leylin to death.

However, long before that enormous collision could occur, a glowing dagger that was the colour of blood appeared in Leylin's hand, the Devilblood Dagger.

"Its artery is here!" Leylin's eyes seemed to glow, and he stabbed down.

The Mutant Tigershark bellowed with rage, and its movements momentarily stilled. Afterwards, it began to sway and twitch even more violently than before, which made Leylin feel like he was riding a rollercoaster.

Leylin used Adhesion, and was finally able to stick firmly to the Tigershark's body like a lizard. He felt a strong heat flowing from his palm, the dagger in it like a greedy devil that was relentlessly absorbing the Tigershark's life force.

Accompanying the absorption of life force by the Devilblood Dagger, the Mutant Tigershark's back began to atrophy first, exposing dried-up and eroded flesh. Following this, the corrosion began to spread. The Tigershark's death throes were extremely violent. It gave up on the Black Tiger, and began to travel at a great speed into the sea, swimming deeper without stopping.

However, Leylin remained unmoved by the situation. The Tigershark had such a powerful body that the boost he gained from it was very considerable. He listened to the A.I. Chip's constant prompts and saw his own slowly increasing stats, clearly feeling the surging life force of the creature constantly being drained. The Devilblood Dagger converted its life force into another form of energy, and transferred it into his body.

Finally, the Mutant Tigershark had one last spurt of movement before it stilled. Its malevolent eyes lost their lustre, and it slowly fell towards the seabed like a sunken ship, dead.

It did not end just like that. The Tigershark's originally glistening skin had completely dried up, now looking like ancient tree bark even as it had shrunk to half its former size. If it was dissected, then it would be possible to see that the Tigershark's internal organs had also lost all their life force and had become a pile of waste.

[Beep! Host has killed the Mutant Tigershark, and received a boost from the Devilblood Dagger. Strength has increased by 0.1, vitality increased by 0.3, spiritual force increased by 0.009.] At this moment, the A.I. Chip sent over its final summary, and Leylin noticed his updated stats.

[Leylin Faulen. Race: Human, Rank 7 Wizard. Strength: 2.6, Agility: 2, Vitality: 4, Spirit: 7. Status: Healthy. Feats: Sturdy, Erudite. Spell Slots: Rank 3(1), Rank 2(3), Rank 1(4), Rank 0(???)]

'This Tigershark seems to be much stronger than the assassin from before. However it only raised my stats a little, and the most it did was to raise my vitality by 0.3. My spiritual force doesn't seem to have changed…' Leylin's expression was a little gloomy.

As his stats increased, and every stat broke through 10, the Devilblood Dagger would grow less useful. He would eventually grow completely immune to its effects.

'However, the open sea is full of resources. Many drops of water make up an ocean 1, so it should be enough to let me advance to become a rank 9 or even rank 10 wizard…' Leylin's expression clouded over.

This was one of his plans. The Devilblood Dagger's flesh devouring ability meant that outside of high-level Professionals, the only place that had enough flesh to feed it was the open sea. The bodies of deep sea creatures were terrifyingly massive, and organisms full of life force could be found everywhere.

Naturally, these monsters all had their own intelligence and faith, so slaughtering them as one pleased would damage one's reputation and could even attract an intervention from the gods of other races. It could even draw the attention of druids, who were all lunatics and naturally hostile towards those who destroyed nature.

Now however, the blood on the Black Tiger had attracted the spontaneous attack of many monsters so it wasn't possible to give them preferential treatment.

One could imagine that in the near future, more than one sea monster would be attracted by Leylin, and all of them would become an unending stream of life force, pushing forward his advancement.

Leylin's body split open the surface of the sea with a loud splash, and he landed on the deck.

"Cousin Leylin! Are you alright?" Isabel looked at him worry in her eyes.

"I'm alright, continue sailing!" Leylin waved his hand, and all the sailors who heard his command suddenly became sluggish.

He was alright, but it was clear that the terrifyingly powerful monster from earlier was still howling unstoppably on the seabed. They could guess at the powerful battle that occurred after Leylin jumped into the sea, while standing on the deck.

It appeared like their captain could kill even a Mutant Tigershark!

Very quickly, even the most frightening pirates looked at Leylin with eyes filled with respect. They only admired the strong, and now that Leylin had revealed his savage nature, he had also exposed his own powerful abilities.

This carrot-and-stick method was enough to subdue these old pirates. The subconscious actions of theirs made Leylin smile at the scene that would occur many, many more times in the future.

After the battle of Half-Merfolk Island, he would possibly possess an army of pirates that only listened to him.

...

Under the sunny and cloudless sky, Robin Hood's eyes were filled with unconcealed respect as he reported from behind Leylin. "Captain, we will arrive at Half-Merfolk Island in half an hourglass' time!"

"I know, pass on the order. Prepare for battle!" Leylin looked out towards the distance, and seemed to be rather distracted. Yet Robin Hood did not notice that, and immediately began to carry out his order.

In reality, Leylin was experiencing an enormous change at this very moment. Ever since he had fought that Mutant Tigershark, he had also attacked various other sea monsters. Under Leylin's Devilblood Dagger, they all became gifts of experience which helped his stats steadily rise.

The most important thing was that after the boost from this power, the A.I. Chip's rate of analysing the Weave had increased greatly. Many rank 0 and 1 symbols glowed in front of Leylin, as if forming the mystery of the universe in their array.

Only when he heard a sharp and clear ring did Leylin snap out of his trance-like state. The A.I. Chip displayed its newest progress in front of him.

[Beep! Rank 1 Weave has been fully analysed! Progress is 100%] [Weave Analysis Progress: Rank 0 Weave: 100%. Rank 1 Weave: 100%. Rank 2 Weave: 13.61%. Rank 3 Weave: 0.45%]

The higher the rank of the Weave, the harder it was to analyse it. This was especially true of the rank 3 Weave, the analysis of which hadn't even reached 1% yet. However, Leylin was already very satisfied.

[Beep! Rank 1 Weave has been fully analysed. The host now has all rank 1 magic models, and spells will not be deleted. Host is exempt from forgetting magic!] The A.I. Chip's prompts came incessantly.

Leylin now felt that a layer of the Weave had been uncovered, and many rank 1 spell models, from the most basic Alarm to the Endure Element spells and even frightening spells like the Necromancer's Ray of Enfeeblement were displayed before him.

After the breakthrough of the rank 1 Weave, not only did was he exempt from all the limitations of rank 1 spell models, he could directly use spiritual force to perform magic. It even gave him a lot of authority within the Weave.

It could be said that the benefits brought about by the advancement were of greater help to him than advancing to a higher rank as a wizard, especially when he was on the verge of attacking Half-Merfolk Island.

Leylin couldn't help but glance over his stats:

[Leylin Faulen, Race: Human, Rank 7 Wizard, Strength: 3.5, Agility: 3, Vitality: 4.5, Spirit: 7.9, Status: Healthy. Innate skills: Sturdy, Erudite. Spell slots: Rank 3 (1), rank 2 (3), rank 1 (???), rank 0 (???)]

Day after day of sailing, as well as constantly attracting sea monsters, had made enormous contributions to his strength.

1. Little things add up