According to the family history, the Barnes family was exiled from the Farlenben Empire due to certain crimes committed by their ancestors. After their exile, the Farlenben Empire was swallowed by a massive tsunami, sinking entirely beneath the ocean. They were never able to return, and this event became the Barnes family’s unresolved obsession.
Over the years, the family’s search never stopped. Every few generations, a Barnes family member would disregard all consequences and sail toward the unknown waters, seeking their origins. Ellie’s grandfather, Levin Barnes, was one such person.
When Ellie was young, Levin often told her of the Sea of Mist’s dangers, its eerie and mysterious nature, while cautioning her to never venture into those waters.
“That sea bears ill will toward our family,” he would often say, but Levin himself never ceased his search.
No one knew why, not even Ellie or Gerald. They only knew that he was always searching, always pursuing something, day after day, year after year.
Until one day, after a long voyage, he never returned, leaving only the inheritance that Ellie now held.
Ellie’s desire to go to the Sea of Mist wasn’t to find the lost empire and fulfill her family’s mission. She only wanted to bring her grandfather’s remains back and give him a proper burial. That was all.
After hearing this, Luca fell silent. He had originally thought it was just the rebelliousness of a young girl, but he hadn’t realized it was tied to so much more.
“I apologize for misunderstanding you,” he said.
“Then will you take me with you?” Ellie looked up at him with watery eyes, her pitiful expression making it hard to refuse.
“No.” Luca shook his head. Who knew if she was just making up a story? Even if it were true, he wasn’t about to carry the blame for the death of a young girl.
Ellie wiped her tears and begged, her voice trembling. “I won’t be a burden…”
“That doesn’t matter.” Luca gave her a stern glance. “If you don’t listen, I’ll have someone send you back right now.”
At his words, Ellie pouted and, with a sudden sob, began crying loudly. How had she never realized before that this man was so irritating?
Creak! At that moment, the door to the captain’s room suddenly opened, and Sophia, dressed in a blue long gown, appeared in the doorway.
She glanced at Ellie, who was kneeling on the ground, crying uncontrollably.
Frowning, she then turned her gaze to Luca, sitting in his chair, her eyes filled with a questioning look.
Luca’s lips twitched. “If I say I didn’t do anything, do you believe me, Senior?”
Sophia looked at him in silence for two seconds, not saying a word.
With a blank expression, she closed the door.
Bang!
The entire captain’s room shook in response.
Luca sighed.
…
Ellie’s arrival was just an episode. Apart from Sophia, who ignored him for two days, both the Windrunner and Black Thorn continued their steady progress toward Snake Island, with no significant incidents along the way.
During this time, Luca took the opportunity to forge the magic runes he had chosen. He ended up crafting 8 high-tier magic runes, 36 Superclass magic runes, and over 300 intermediate-level magic runes—he didn’t even bother to count the exact number.
With these runes, Luca felt a bit more secure. Now, he finally had the confidence to say, “No one under the stars can defeat me.”
At the same time, his wallet and storage ring had also become unusually empty.
After buying two warships and forging so many magic runes, his savings were pretty much depleted. There were less than twenty million gold coins left in his storage ring.
He’d need to find a way to make more money in the future, Luca thought, both pained and content.
That evening, they safely arrived at Snake Island.
Compared to before, Snake Island had changed considerably.
The watchtowers on the shore had been replaced by tall lighthouses, and their bright lights were visible from afar. As they got closer, Luca noticed the expanded docks, now crowded with ships of various sizes, mostly merchant ships.
The dense, untamed forest that once covered the island had been replaced with crude stone and wooden buildings. Pirates who had been brought in were hard at work, while soldiers stayed behind to guard them.
Women were selling various seafood and goods on the streets. On the newly paved cobblestone roads, merchants bustled back and forth, while the ships at the dock belonged to them.
Evans had taken control of Snake Island because it was located along an important trade route. Now that the Black Raven Pirates had been wiped out and the trade routes were reopening, Luca’s reputation was at its peak, and there was no fear of pirates daring to challenge him. Furthermore, with the new town being established and no trade taxes being collected, many sea merchants had started stopping by to rest and replenish supplies.
Overall, Snake Island now resembled a small town, teeming with life.
If it continued to develop steadily, it could definitely become a bustling maritime city in the future.
The Windrunner slowly docked at the pier. Luca and the others disembarked, having not notified anyone stationed here in advance, so there was no one waiting to greet them. However, with such large ships arriving, it was impossible not to draw attention, and before long, a crowd gathered.
The soldiers from Seaway City, merchants coming and going, and the women Luca had saved earlier—all together, there were thousands of people, their torches lighting up the scene in a spectacular display.
Upon seeing Luca, countless eyes turned toward him, most filled with curiosity and gratitude.
This young lord, who had swept through the two great pirate kings in less than a week, becoming famous throughout the Western Sea, had already become a legendary figure in their eyes.
“Lord Luca, welcome back!” A soldier, with a rugged face and clad in armor, approached and bowed respectfully.
The soldier’s name was Merrick King, a mid-tier knight, who had originally been a captain in Seaway City’s garrison. He had performed admirably during the campaign against the Black Raven Pirates and the Dawnstorm Pirate Group.
Luca had granted him the title of Baron, and now he was responsible for leading the Snake Island Knight Order, which consisted of over a thousand soldiers—one of Luca’s key subordinates, and there were a few others like him.
“Has everything been quiet lately?” Luca casually asked as he walked toward the still-unfinished town.
Behind him followed Sophia, Ellie, Isaac, Gavin, and a group of carefully chosen warriors. No one spoke, but the imposing atmosphere was enough to move even the most seasoned merchants who had seen their fair share of high-status figures.
When had the Seaway City soldiers become so disciplined?
“Reporting, my lord, there haven’t been any major incidents on the island, but…” Merrick said as he reached into his chest and handed Luca an envelope.
He spoke with respect. “A few days ago, the Blazing Flame Pirate Group sent a letter. It’s from Windfire, addressed to you.”
“Windfire? Fink Richard?” Luca took the envelope, his eyes showing a hint of confusion. Why was this pirate king writing to him? Was he trying to cause trouble like Eva, that lunatic?
It wasn’t until Luca opened the letter and read it that he realized he had been overthinking. He couldn’t help but chuckle, though the situation was somewhat absurd.
Fink, it seemed, wasn’t writing to challenge him—but to surrender.
The letter was filled with excessive flattery and praise, with the core message being: “Lord of the city, we are willing to swear fealty to you and offer up all our wealth from these past years, hoping you will show mercy and grant us a chance to live.”
Luca had previously thought that the concept of honor was nothing but a joke to pirates, but now it seemed that even that was too much to expect from them.
“These pirate kings have managed to survive this long, and they’re clearly skilled at knowing when to yield and when to fight,” Luca muttered, shaking his head. Earlier that day, he had been wondering if he should find some excuse to wipe out the Blazing Flame Pirate Group—it would be a good way to replenish his coffers.
That night, the letter from Fink arrived. Luca couldn’t help but admit that the guy was incredibly lucky.
Taking out the golden storage ring hidden in the envelope, Luca casually burned the envelope to ashes. He glanced inside the storage ring, and the sight of a mountain of gold coins and Transcendent-grade materials almost blinded him with their brilliance.
Luca did a quick mental calculation, estimating that the total value of the wealth was at least over 00 million. He couldn’t help but sneer—these pirates were all ridiculously rich.
He knew exactly where this money had come from. As for returning it to the victims—well, that was impossible. Whether they were even alive was uncertain. After a brief moment of contemplation, Luca decided to use half of the gold coins for the development of Haillan County and Snake Island, while the rest would go into his private reserves to enhance his own strength. Regardless of anything else, the most important thing now was to raise his power as quickly as possible.
At this point, Luca and the others arrived at the newly built Lord’s Manor.
The previous palace had been demolished, and the golden bricks and jade statues inside had been sold off completely.
This newly constructed Lord’s Manor was very plain—just a three-story stone building that wasn’t very remarkable among the surrounding houses. However, its facilities were the most complete.
Inside the manor’s living room, a middle-aged woman had been waiting for quite some time. Upon seeing them, she quickly walked over and respectfully bowed. “Lord Luca, the accommodations have been prepared. You and your companions may rest at any time. Should you need anything, please don’t hesitate to give us instructions.”
Luca thanked her, as they would be setting off for the Sea of Mist the next day. He told Sophia and the others to rest first, and then turned to Merrick, who was standing nearby. “Prepare a ship to return to Seaway City. Tomorrow morning, make sure Miss Ellie is sent back. You will escort her personally, and I don’t want any accidents.”
Ellie, who had been trying to blend in with the crowd, froze. Her expression immediately soured, her face falling as she had thought that Luca might have forgotten about her.
Merrick acknowledged the order and left. Luca, without even sparing a glance at Ellie, who now looked as though she was about to cry, turned and made his way up the stairs to the room prepared for him on the third floor.
“No gentlemanly manners at all,” Ellie muttered irritably from downstairs as she watched Luca walk away. She was deep in thought, trying to figure out how to get Luca to take her to the Sea of Mist.
Originally, according to her plan, once they reached the Sea of Mist, Luca would have no choice but to take her along, but her plan had gone awry. She had drunk too much water before boarding the ship.
“Anyway, I’m definitely bringing my grandfather back!” Time passed, and finally, she gritted her teeth, stomped up the stairs, and headed straight for Luca’s room.