The pirates looked greedily at the Mithril mine on the rock bed.
"If we can dig out all the Mithril ore, we'll definitely be able to sell it for more money than the goods on that merchant ship. What a pleasant surprise! "
"Yes, let's hurry back and report to Boss…"
"Report what? The more people who know, the more we have to split the money. Let's keep it all for ourselves!"
And so, the pirates put on a performance in front of Ji Chen, demonstrating how to keep secrets from their boss and how to divide the spoils amongst themselves.
He let out a sigh, realizing that this group of pirates had a clear lack of conscience.
If he were their leader, their deceitful actions would surely have angered him to no end.
After distributing the loot, it appeared that their focus had shifted towards the Mithril ore, leaving them unaware of the Demon Frog lurking in the water.
Ji Chen waded through the shallow water, approaching the Mithril and causing ripples to form on the surface.
The Demon Frog, sensing the disturbance, slowly opened its eyes.
Its bulging belly suddenly contracted, and from its open mouth shot a stream of acid like an arrow, hitting one of the defenseless pirates who were unaware of its presence.
The pirates were caught off guard and took the full impact of the acid stream. The acid stained their exposed skin, and the sound of sizzling corrosion was sudden and intense. The strong acid immediately ate away their skin and a large chunk of flesh.
"Ah!"
"There are monsters in the water!"
As the pirates scrambled out of the shallow water, four badly mutilated corpses floated to the surface.
These were the unfortunate ones who had been corroded by the acid. Ji Chen couldn't help but smile at the sight.
As expected, these greedy pirates, willing to risk their lives for a merchant ship, could not resist the allure of rare resources like mithril and let their guard down.
Even he had to rely on the map to discover this group of Demon Frogs with hidden colors, let alone these pirates.
Returning to the shore, the pirates regrouped and finally became smarter. They stood at a safe distance and fired their crossbows.
The bolts pierced through the air and killed four or five of the Demon Frogs in an instant.
Seeing their companions dying one by one, the remaining Demon Frogs widened their eyes and jumped forward with their hind legs stretched.
They drew an arc in the air and landed among the group of pirates.
The pirates discarded their crossbows and drew their curved swords to hack away.
With the advantage in numbers, they managed to kill six or seven of the Demon Frogs in a flash, but suddenly, several excited pirates stiffened and fell to the ground.
Upon closer inspection, their lips had turned purple.
"There's poison in these toads' bodies!"
The pirates immediately retreated in panic.
After a flurry of counterattacks, the Demon Frogs all collapsed to the ground.
However, there were less than 30 pirates standing.
"We finally got rid of these disgusting toads. They killed so many of our comrades." One of the pirates slashed the Demon Frog's corpse a few more times as if he was venting his anger.
"But with fewer people, we get more money. Not bad." Other pirates were quite happy.
Ji Chen, who had watched the entire process, sneered and had no patience to continue watching.
This group of pirates had completed their task, and it was time for him to make his appearance.
"Alice."
A beautiful song sounded, echoing in the forest.
The pirates, who had just emerged victorious from the battle and were basking in their dreams of riches, had slipped into a state of stupor.
The Naga Warrior roared and waved his ferocious bone blade as he rushed out. He slashed crazily, and pieces of broken limbs flew into the sky.
A few minutes later.
"Ding ~ The battle has ended. You have obtained a glorious victory…"
[You have received 700 EXP. Current EXP is Level 4[68%/100%]]
"Naga Warrior has leveled up (2→3). Current EXP is Level 3[2%/100%]."
Looking at the lifeless bodies of the pirates lying on the ground, he felt a sense of satisfaction.
By eliminating these poisonous Demon Frogs, the pirates had met a deserving end.
He had also effortlessly gained control of the Mithril Mine.
After allowing the Naga Warriors to clean up the battlefield, Ji Chen's mind began to race with new ideas.
Previously, his plan had been to seize the White Sand Princess, but now that he had learned of the presence of the pirates and their ship, he was reconsidering his options.
According to what he had heard from the pirates, their ship was currently anchored near the coast and undergoing repairs due to the recent storm, just like the merchant ships.
This new information sparked a different thought in Ji Chen's mind: was it better to seize the pirate ship instead?
Unlike Raymond's merchant ship, Ji Chen didn't feel any guilt about robbing the pirates.
In fact, he saw it as a matter of justice.
Furthermore, he recognized that the prosperity of his territory was dependent on the natives who had been farming there for generations.
Raymond had the backing of a Chamber of Commerce, and establishing a relationship with him could provide an opportunity to use the Chamber's influence to establish a regular sea route between his territory and the mainland.
As the old saying goes, "to get rich, first build roads."
In the context of the ocean, building roads meant constructing sea routes.
With a steady flow of merchant ships, the necessary resources and population could be brought to the archipelago for its development.
His previous plan was to seize Raymond's merchant ship, but circumstances had changed.
Today, he decided to target the pirate ship instead.
He would uphold justice and give those pirates a taste of their own medicine!
However, the first thing to do was to confirm the location of the pirate ship.
After cleaning up the battlefield, they followed the direction where the pirates came from and groped their way forward.
After trekking several kilometers to the west in the jungle, they finally reached the other side of the main island.
The scene before his eyes suddenly became clear. In front of him was an endless sea.
Two small rowing boats were parked on the nearby beach, likely used by the pirates for landing. Judging by their size, it seemed that only a small group of pirates, perhaps the 40th pirate and a few others, were sent ashore using them.
Ji Chen looked at the sea in the distance. A black pirate ship was anchored on the surface of the sea. Some pirates were repairing the slightly damaged hull.
Unlike the merchant ships that had only two masts, this pirate ship had three masts, two at the back and one at the front.
More sails meant greater power and combat effectiveness. Moreover, there was a horn wrapped in metal at the bow of the ship, which interpreted the aesthetics of violence.
The more Ji Chen gazed upon the pirate ship, the greater his satisfaction grew as he began to envision it as his very own.
Time was of the essence, as any delay could result in unforeseeable changes.
If the pirates sent to the island failed to return, those on the pirate ship would undoubtedly take notice.
Thus, he decided to take action that very night, taking advantage of the cover of darkness to quickly seize this powerful pirate vessel.
This would allow him to move forward with his plans with peace of mind.
With a wave of his hand, he led Alice and the Naga Warrior back to the beach near the Bass Fishery.
Raymond and the others kept their promise and stayed obediently on the beach.
Seeing this, he felt at ease, recalling the Murlocs lurking in the shadows.
Tonight's battle for the ship would require him to mobilize all of his troops.