Luca could guess what these people were thinking. After all, if Seaway City had the ability to deal with these pirates, they wouldn’t just sit by and let them rampage without doing anything about it.
But just because they couldn’t do anything, didn’t mean Luca was powerless.
“A group of ants actually wants me, a King-level monster, to take action. What do you take me for?” Jormungandr hovered in the air, visibly annoyed that Luca had disturbed her sleep, grumbling incessantly.
She was a legitimate Abyssal King, but now, in this human’s hands, she had become nothing more than a tool.
Whenever he needed her, he’d call on her; otherwise, he couldn’t even be bothered to look her way. He was nothing but a complete jerk.
Luca glanced at Jormungandr, her cheeks puffed up in frustration, and smiled. “Didn’t you always want to eat something to replenish yourself? This time, I’ll let you eat as much as you want.”
“Are you serious?” Upon hearing this, Jormungandr’s eyes instantly lit up.
Although her strength had already returned to the Superclass level, if she kept hiding in the contract space to slowly recover, who knew how long it would take to return to her peak form?
And Luca wouldn’t let her kill anyone, so during this time, Jormungandr had nearly gone crazy from the lack of action.
“Of course. This time, you can eat as much as you want.” Luca glanced at the pirates surrounding them and narrowed his eyes.
He didn’t care what Haillan County had been like before, and frankly, he couldn’t be bothered.
Now that Haillan County was his domain, he couldn’t guarantee he’d be able to govern it perfectly, but Luca could promise that, as long as he was here, no pirate would dare to invade any of its cities or towns.
Just then, a group of elegantly dressed individuals suddenly blocked his path.
The leader was a plump man with a handlebar mustache and a warm smile, wearing a specially tailored mage robe. Behind him, there were others who were equally well-dressed, including several nobles, even counts.
“Can I help you?” Luca sized them up and had already guessed their identities.
Deputy Mayor Tark whispered, “This is Geo Sack, the Vice President of the Five Seas Chamber of Commerce. Recently, they’ve been trying to take over the maritime trade in Haillan County.
“He’s come in person, so he’s probably here to discuss this matter with you.”
As expected, no sooner had Tark finished speaking than Geo Sack got straight to the point: “I wonder if the Lord Mayor has some time to do some business?”
“Not interested, move aside.” Luca turned his gaze away. The Five Seas Chamber of Commerce wasn’t a local merchant guild from the Clinton Empire, but rather a multinational conglomerate spanning three great empires.
Their headquarters was in the Via Empire. The merchants there were of a certain kind—if they could squeeze out even a single coin, they would leave not a single copper behind. Ethics, law, humanity—those were long abandoned.
While doing business with people like them could be profitable, the money was stained with too much blood, and hands would be dirty from handling it.
Geo and the group of merchants froze for a moment upon hearing Luca’s words. They hadn’t expected him to reject them so decisively, without a hint of hesitation.
Geo furrowed his brows, suppressing the anger rising within him, and forced a smile. “Lord Luca, perhaps you should reconsider. You haven’t even heard our terms yet. I’m sure once you do, you’ll—”
“I said, get out. Didn’t you hear me?” Luca interrupted him coldly before he could finish his sentence. His gaze hardened as he stared at Geo and the merchants, whose faces were turning from pale to red. “We know what you’re after.”
Luca’s tone grew colder. “Let me give you some advice: If you want to make money, do it honestly in Seaway City.”
“Otherwise, Milo will be your fate.”
At the mention of this name, the faces of Geo and the others instantly changed. “You know Lord Milo? What do you mean by that?” they asked, their voices tinged with disbelief.
The news of Milo’s death had been intentionally suppressed by the people of Dawn City, and it hadn’t spread yet.
Geo and the others, as of now, still had no idea that the once-prominent diplomatic minister had been reduced to a pile of broken flesh and parts.
Luca wasn’t interested in explaining any further.
“We’re leaving.” He waved his hand and motioned for his soldiers to follow him as they made their way toward the harbor, his expression as cold as ice.
He didn’t know how the various factions had previously exchanged or divided their profits, but he understood who those profits came from.
The nobles, draped in their human skins, looked all proper in their castles; the merchants, sipping blood wine at lavish banquets, chatting and laughing; the pirates, on their ships, devouring human flesh in large bites.
The leftover bones were ground into powder, mixed with mud and cement, and used to make bricks for building the city of Seaway. This, they called their prosperous world.
And in the end? It was the ordinary people who died.
When these people were full, perhaps they’d even mock: “A bunch of stubborn, foolish pigs! I gave you the opportunity to prove your worth and feed your families. You should be grateful to me!”
Luca had long thought this world was completely unreasonable.
They ate people and still spoke so sanctimoniously about it. Damn it, they had no shame.
Later, Luca realized that in this world, there was no real reason. If you wanted people to reason with you, you had to first raise your fist.
Watching Luca’s retreating figure, Geo’s expression shifted through a range of emotions.
“President, this brat is being far too arrogant. Should we teach him a lesson?” A count hurriedly stepped forward and suggested.
However, Geo shot him a fierce glare, replying, “If you want to die, don’t drag me into it.”
These nobles, perhaps too low-ranking to know, didn’t understand what kind of commotion Luca had caused in Dawn City. But Geo knew all too well. Milo had sent word that this guy had killed Lyon and his son, Queen Matilda, and even the Goddess of Dawn God Sect, all in front of countless witnesses.
Not to mention, even the current Empress had nearly been killed by his associates.
Even now, Geo couldn’t understand why such a villain had been proclaimed an imperial hero and was now swaggering into Haillan County to take up office.
But one thing was undeniable: Luca was now one of the top, youngest, and most powerful figures in the Clinton Empire, and perhaps even the entire Eternal Continent.
Many speculated that he had used some forbidden secret technique back then.
After a brief pause for thought, Geo spoke in a low voice: “The Chamber’s original plan is on hold for now. When I return, I’ll report the matter to the president. We’ll see what the president decides, then we’ll act accordingly.”
“Report to the president?” The others were a little surprised at this.
The president of the Five Seas Chamber of Commerce was named Rod Valvis, and not many people knew his name.
But his other title was almost universally recognized across the Eternal Continent.
The King of the Five Seas!
Rod Valvis was the founder of the Five Seas Chamber, a widely acknowledged Transcendent-level powerhouse, and one of the eight ruling councilors of the Via Empire.
A person who stood at the pinnacle of the continent, unmatched in power, wealth, and influence.
One of the Via Empire’s own merchants hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Geo, is it really necessary to trouble the president over something like this?”
Geo shook his head. “We’ve spent years searching for that thing. We can’t afford to be careless. And…”
He paused, glancing toward the direction Luca had gone.
For some reason.
He had a strong feeling that this young man had come to the Western Sea for a reason, and it wouldn’t be long before he stirred up quite a bit of trouble…
Luca and his soldiers made their way through the streets, moving quickly through the alleys.
It wasn’t long before.
They reached the docks by the coast.
From a distance, they could already see large ships lined up in neat rows.
The ships were adorned with brilliant blue runes, exuding an aura of something extraordinary.
Although the soldiers of Seaway City seemed somewhat disheartened, their ships were still impressive, equipped with magical cannons from the Via Empire and magic-powered engines. Even a high-ranking powerhouse would likely have a hard time breaking through these ships’ protective shields.
In addition, there was a crowd gathered at the docks, murmuring as they watched the scene unfold.
As they approached, the crowd began to whisper among themselves.
Eyes turned toward Luca, the leader of the group. His presence sparked not only curiosity but also a mix of contempt and mockery.
Luca looked around and was surprised to spot a number of pirates among the crowd.
The hostile glares directed at him were unmistakably from them.
These bastards really don’t take me, their city lord, seriously!
Luca’s lips curled into a slight smile. He suddenly stopped walking and ordered, “All soldiers, listen up!”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it seemed to carry an unnatural force, resonating in everyone’s ears, as if it had been imbued with magic.
The sudden command caused over a thousand soldiers to halt in their tracks, turning to look in Luca’s direction.
Even the onlookers stared at him in confusion.
The young man pointed toward several pirates, who looked stunned, and spoke in a calm, indifferent tone, “From today on, I don’t want to see a single pirate near Seaway City. Throw them all out!”
“If anyone dares to resist, they will be killed without mercy!”
His voice was composed and unruffled.
Yet it felt like a bomb had exploded in the crowd.
“What?!” The entire street erupted in astonishment!
Even Tark, Nicholas, and the others stared at him in shock, wondering if they had misheard.
Forget about how many pirates were in Seaway City, and how much retaliation this could provoke—just rounding up these pirates was a problem in itself.
After all, these beasts didn’t have any extra limbs. When stripped of their clothing, they looked no different from ordinary people. If it were that easy to clear out pirates, they would’ve done it long ago.
Yet now, Luca seemed to believe he could simply get rid of them with just a handful of soldiers.
Was he dreaming?
Sophia glanced at Luca, her expression calm, standing quietly behind him without saying a word.
From what she knew of her junior, Luca’s sudden decision to purge the pirates likely had some deeper plan behind it.
From within the crowd, a burly man with curly hair and a scruffy beard raised his hand, pointing at his own nose. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
He looked around in confusion and said, “Hey, did you hear that? This brat said he’s going to throw us all out of Seaway City?”
“Brothers, did I hear that right?”