Meanwhile, in Seaway City.
The azure sea was covered with a dense array of ships, big and small. At first glance, it appeared chaotic, but in reality, the entire coastline of Seaway City was completely sealed off. The pirate flag with a skull dog’s head fluttered in the wind, making the countless civilians who saw it tremble in fear.
The Dawnstorm Pirate Group!
“Boss! Boss! The news is true! Seaway City really has no one left!” On the flagship at the front, a sleazy-looking pirate hurried over to the captain’s quarters, excitedly shouting.
The door to the captain’s quarters opened.
Before the pirate could say another word, a large hand shot out, and with a slap, it struck his face hard. The immense force sent the sleazy pirate spinning around five or six times before he finally regained his footing.
He held his face, looking aggrieved as he said, “Boss, why did you hit me?”
“I’ve told you countless times—knock on the door, knock on the door! Did an eagle mouse gnaw at your brain? How can you forget such a simple thing?” A thin man, dressed in luxurious clothes and adorned with jewelry, stepped out from the captain’s quarters.
He was grumbling, his rows of gold teeth gleaming brightly as he spoke.
“I’ll remember, Boss!” The sleazy pirate hastily nodded, then, as if to make amends, knocked on the door twice, prompting Kalon to glare at him in frustration and mutter to himself.
He really couldn’t understand why he had chosen such an idiot as his first mate.
Too tired to argue with the fool, Kalon turned his gaze toward the direction of Seaway City and asked, “Did that kid really take all the people away?”
“It’s true! The entire Seaway City’s garrison was taken away by him. Now, Seaway City is completely empty!” First mate Matt Hayden, forgetting about the sting of the slap, spoke excitedly.
“Thank the Storm God, it really isn’t a trap!” Kalon muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming with greed. Then, he turned to his men and commanded, “Prepare to enter the city, boys. This time, we’re going to make a big score!”
The wealth and prosperity of Seaway City were renowned throughout the Western Territory. When the Phillips family and the other factions withdrew their people, Kalon had already been itching to take action. But before he could make a move, the brash kid from Dawn City had used a Superclass monster to violently suppress the entire city. When Kalon first heard this, he nearly soiled himself. He immediately crushed the thought of raiding the city and put it out of his mind.
But the next day, he learned that Luca had gone off to deal with Evans.
Kalon was certain this was the Storm God’s blessing on him.
If he didn’t seize this opportunity, he would surely be punished by the gods.
So, he had come. And he had brought with him a pack of hungry dogs.
“All you mutts! Your chance to make a fortune is here!” Kalon stood on the deck, pointing at Seaway City, his voice booming with enthusiasm. “Listen up!”
“Whoever is the first to charge into the Lord’s Mansion today, I’ll reward him with one thousand gold coins!”
“Besides that, I’ll also let him choose two beauties first!”
“Listen carefully, two!”
The pirates aboard the ship were excited, their faces turning red as they raised their voices in unison, shouting: “Boss is brilliant!!”
After lying in wait outside the sea for so long, the Dawnstorm Pirates suddenly made such a big move, and it was impossible for the people inside Seaway City not to notice.
Through the gaps in the doors and windows, people saw a group of pirates disembarking from their ships, rushing toward the city. Whether they were the nobles or commoners of Seaway City, they were all terrified, their faces turning pale.
In an instant, the streets were filled with the sound of doors and windows being slammed shut, and the entire city became eerily silent.
At the same time, in the meeting room of the Five Seas Chamber of Commerce, merchants and nobles from Haillan County were gathered.
“This damn bastard! It’s all his fault for killing the pirates in the city. Now, the pirates are here for revenge, and he’s run off,” one nobleman shouted, his face turning green with anger as he pounded the table.
“Think of something quickly! I don’t want my wealth falling into the hands of these filthy insects,” a corpulent merchant said, his face filled with worry. Just the thought of the pirates entering the city made his fat quiver with fear.
Someone else chuckled bitterly, “That’s Hyena Kalon we’re talking about! A Superclass practitioner at the peak of Earth-level, there’s no one in Seaway City who can compete with him.”
The group exchanged nervous glances, their eyes filled with terror. Was there nothing left to do but wait for death?
“What does Lord Geo think we should do?” someone asked.
All eyes turned to the vice president of the Five Seas Chamber of Commerce, Geo Sack, seated at the head of the table.
“Don’t worry,” Geo said calmly, leaning back in his chair as he sipped tea, his ears deaf to the shouting and killing sounds outside. “Even if the entire population of Seaway City were wiped out, you wouldn’t be in danger, unless that hyena has truly gone mad.”
He squinted his eyes with a smile and continued, “And besides, isn’t this also an opportunity for us?”
“Opportunity?” The others looked at him, confused, not understanding why he would say that.
“Yes, an opportunity,” Geo said as he set down his teacup and walked to the window. He looked out at the horde of pirates coming closer, his small eyes narrowing. “From the failure of our previous negotiations, it’s clear that Lord Luca has quite the opinion of us.”
“Since he doesn’t want to cooperate with us, now is the perfect time to make him leave.”
“If Seaway City falls, no matter what kind of powerful backing Luca has, he won’t be able to stay in Haillan County anymore, right?”
“By then, we can safely complete the task the Empire has given us.”
Hearing this, everyone’s spirits lifted. The previously anxious merchant quickly asked, “Has the Empire responded?”
Geo slightly nodded, turning his back to the group. He extended three plump fingers adorned with gemstone rings and said, “After receiving the information from here, President Rod and the councilors held an emergency meeting overnight, and they have issued three orders to us.”
“First, we must secure the entire Western Sea’s trade routes at all costs. This is crucial to the Empire’s grand plan, and failure is not an option.” ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
“Second, Luca killed Lord Milo. He must pay for this, as the Empire’s authority cannot be challenged.”
“Third, something of great importance was lost from Lord Milo. It is highly likely that Luca has it, and we must recover it.”
Having finished speaking, Geo turned to face the group of nobles and merchants, their faces alight with excitement. A mysterious, multicolored mark appeared on his forehead.
He spread his arms wide, and a strange glint flickered in his eyes as he continued, “Gentlemen, the Empire has made a promise. If we can accomplish these three tasks, they will grant you the opportunity for ascension!”
“With it, you will no longer suffer from aging, disease, or limitations of talent and lifespan. You will gain true immortality!”
Looking at the fervent faces of the group, Geo pointed to the mark on his forehead and smiled, “Then, you will have your wish fulfilled and become ascended beings of the Empire, just like me!”
At his words, the breath of everyone in the room grew hurried.
Some even turned crimson with excitement, trembling as if they could already see the image of their eternal life before their eyes.
…
Meanwhile, on a safe course.
The ships of Seaway City sailed at a steady pace.
“My Lord Luca, it seems you’re not very concerned about Seaway City’s safety,” said a young man on the deck of the Wavebreaker. With fiery red short hair and dressed in a magnificent robe, Fink Richard furrowed his brow.
Fink couldn’t quite understand the behavior of the young man before him. Despite having informed him about the crisis in Seaway City, why was this person not only calm but also leisurely sipping tea and reading a book, as though there was no urgent matter at all?
“Why should I be worried?” Luca set the book aside and gave Fink, the uninvited captain of the Blaze Pirates, a bemused look. He couldn’t be bothered to comment on Fink’s tactics of “driving wolves to swallow tigers.”
But this guy—who didn’t even stay in his Mountains of Flame—dared to show up here and stir up trouble. Luca had to admit, this was a bold move.
“Sorry,” Fink sighed deeply, removed his gentleman’s hat, and bowed. “I thought you were the kind of person who would do anything to protect the common people. It seems I was mistaken.”
“Then let those civilians die! Anyway, even if they all die, it won’t shake your position as lord of the city!”
Fink spoke with a look of profound sorrow, as if, in that moment, he wasn’t the King of Pirates of the Western Sea, but a saint willing to shed blood and sacrifice his life for the common people.
Luca couldn’t help but be a little surprised. Your journey continues on empire
He had to admit, the sea really did have all sorts of people.
In a flash, Fink turned into a streak of fire and disappeared.
Only then did Tark dare to speak up. “My Lord Luca, is what he said true? Is Hyena Kalon really leading the Twilight Pirate Gang to surround Seaway City?”
Nicholas and Dacey also looked at Luca, their faces filled with concern. Not even Luca had expected the enemy to act so recklessly, actually daring to surround the city directly.
“It should be true,” Luca said, taking a sip of his tea, his expression unchanged. “You should know better than I do the nature of people on the sea. As long as there’s enough profit, they’ll do anything.”
“What should we do now?” Ellie asked anxiously. “Are we really just going to watch as they take Seaway City?”
If that happened, everyone in Haillan County would suffer, and Luca, as lord, would surely become the laughingstock of the entire Empire. She couldn’t bear to see that happen.
Luca couldn’t help but chuckle at her concern. “Don’t worry. They won’t be able to get into Seaway City.”
“Why?” Everyone looked at him, their faces filled with confusion and disbelief.
They knew that all of Seaway City’s soldiers had been taken out already. The city had no defensive forces left.
If Hyena Kalon attacked Seaway City now, he could easily capture it within half a day.
Luca looked at Ellie, a teasing smile on his face. “You should ask her.”
“Me?” Ellie pointed at herself, looking completely confused. Tark and the others paused for a moment, then suddenly understood, their faces lighting up. “Marquis Gerald?!”