Waves splashed into the side of a majestic warship, yet it didn't falter at all. It stood tall like a mountain or reef, braving the wind and waves, advancing into the depths of the outer seas.
The ship was flying the flag of a scarlet skull and dagger. Numerous others followed behind it, with fierce cannons and countless pirates on board. Even the largest of merchant groups would be scared out of their wits at this sight.
This fleet was that of the Scarlet Tigers, the organization that controlled the outer seas of Dambrath. The Scarlet Tigers had the best of the best, with over two hundred large warships and more than ten thousand men.
All of them were followers of the Heavenly Serpent God Nāgarāja, as the Church of the Serpent God had a significant influence among them. Not to mention, the Church was also using the Scarlet Tigers as its recruitment ground to recruit and groom powerhouses from them.
"I never expected the native empire actually to exist…"
Isabel was on the bow of the Scarlet Tiger; her legendary Red Dragon Sword hung at her waist. She emitted a faint draconic aura, her bloodthirsty eyes staring pointedly into the horizon. She also wore tight-fitting, soft leather armor, her slender legs forming a beautiful arc.
Isabel Faulen was a cousin of Leylin Faulen, the reincarnation of Leylin Farlier in the World of Gods, and aside from the fact that she was his cousin, she was also his lower.
'But I never thought cousin Leylin would agree to this. He even came here himself…'
Isabel looked towards the ship's hold, seeming serious.
'Is this for faith, to become a god? Is a god going to be born out of our family?'
Meanwhile, Leylin was standing on the deck of the biggest capital warship that was leading the other ships as he looked into the horizon and pondered over some things.
Together with him, there were Tiff, several Bishops of the Church of the Heavenly Serpent and some Paladins. All of them were high-ranking Professionals, carefully nurtured by the Church and Leylin himself.
Now that he became a Divine Being, he could see the threats of Faith and Divinity from his Worshippers. He could easily see that Isabel had become one of Leylin's worshippers.
She even began to spread the faith of the Heavenly Serpent God Nāgarāja amongst the pirates, and even if Leylin wasn't a match for the Gods of the Storms or the like, her methods caused a portion of the pirates to change their faith.
It was due to her own effort that the entire Scarlet Tigers Organization were devout followers of the Heavenly Serpent God Nāgarāja and faithful to the Church of the Heavenly Serpent God.
'Truly interesting development...'
What surprised Leylin more was that Isabel's Faith in him was extremely firm and zealous.
Albeit slightly, it was even more sturdy than Tiffs...
This war could be said to be a selection and training for the priests.
With Leylin's foresight, he would definitely be able to discover a large number of people who would form the sturdy foundations for his Church in the future. He had two High-Rank Legendaries under him, Isdaabel and Tiff, and another three Legendaries in his army.
As well as an experienced army.
They were being led by a divine being in himself, and on top of that, they had the continuous support of the Faulen Family, which was a behemoth on their own due to his meticulous development over the years.
Right now, the power and influence of the Faulen Family were not inferior to some Royal Families of some average kingdoms across the World of Gods.
***
"Isabel, present the situation over there." In official settings, Leylin always called Isabel by her name and would still do the same after becoming a god.
For eternal gods, blood relations and whatever else was pointless. The only interest was in eternity!
"The native empire was found by a group of pirates under me. It is on a large island with an area of about the size of two or three Dambrath Kingdoms… The surroundings of the island is always filled with dangerous gales and ocean currents. There is only a slight period of time every year that ships can successfully sail past, which is why contact with the outer world is at a minimum. My underlings now have a clear idea of the patterns of the currents and have created an accurate shipping route…"
Identifying ocean currents and shipping routes were fundamental skills for the pirates under Isabel.
After determining the location, determining the shipping route was simple, with some time and many tests at the cost of lives.
"Hss…"
Isabel's speech immediately had gasps sounding from Tiff's side.
"The size of two or three Dambrath Kingdoms? That area is akin to like a small continent already!"
"The Dambrath Kingdom has a population roughly made up of a million people. At the most conservative estimate, the native population that we have to face is over 2 million? How frightening!"
Such a simple ratio immediately resulted in uneasy looks on some pirates' faces.
Even though they had around ten thousand soldiers in their army and several Legendary-ranked Professionals, the problem was that the population of the enemy was too high.
They could still overwhelm them with numbers rather effortlessly.
"Silence!"
Tiff yelled at the members and officers of the Scarlet Tigers, though even his own Paladins were rather nervous hearing the numbers. Even though most of the people that came from the Church of the Heavenly Serpent were powerful Professionals, the numbers were too high... against them.
"Are you trying to humiliate yourselves in front of Master? Or is your mind that weak? As long as we are faithful to the Heavenly God Serpent, the God of Devouring and Bloodlines Nāgarāja, we will win."
Such strict questioning and his status as a High-Rank Legend immediately caused everyone to quiet down. Tiff, as Supreme Pontiff of the Church of the Heavenly Serpent Nāgarāja, was an extremely powerful High-Rank Legend even compared to others of his Level.