novelhk Chapter 139 Avoiding Urgency and Seeking Stability
Chapter 139 Avoiding Urgency and Seeking Stability
Chapter 139 Avoiding Urgency and Seeking Stability
"I won't say anything—"
"But I'm willing to say anything—"
"Call your boss here—"
"I only told him—."
"I won't say anything."
"But I'm willing to say anything."
Chris had been whipped for a day and a night, leaving him delirious and only able to rely on instinct to murmur those repetitive words.
He was exhausted and sleepy, almost collapsing from exhaustion.
Perhaps confessing honestly will bring me relief.
But he didn't choose to do that. Hmph, this little bit of pain is nothing.
Compared to the physical and mental torment he suffered when he gouged out his own eyes, the whips beating him now felt like a game of pleasure.
But there was no point in being stubborn; he already sensed that his will was on the verge of collapse.
He could only pray that the leader of these people would agree to see him as soon as possible.
A few days ago, the captain of the ship Chris was on was killed by the corrupted sea.
Chris and the remaining crew members escaped by sheer luck.
He hadn't even had a chance to celebrate—no, he did say a few words of celebration—but after that, things took a sharp turn for the worse.
Several pirate ships surrounded Chris's ship.
A single slave ship is no match for the pirate fleet's encirclement.
The crew said that pirates were cruel by nature, and Chris was prepared to die.
To Chris's surprise, when the pirates intercepted his ship and occupied the longship, they did not go on a killing spree on the deck.
They simply tied up Chris and the others, hijacked their ship, and sailed to the island.
To the pirates, Chris was just a burden. He didn't know why the pirates didn't kill him, but he understood that it must be fate.
That's right, that must be the reason!
He continued his westward search for the pottery jar, on his journey to find a signifier of destiny.
I won't die, Chris thought obsessively, fate won't let me die!
After being brought to the island, the pirates immediately locked him in this small dark room and tortured him.
Currently, the punishments are just cold water showers and whippings, which seem rather uncreative, but Chris doesn't want these pirates to suddenly start using their own creativity.
The questions they asked were very basic: "Who are you?", "What is your purpose?", "Who instructed you?"
But no matter what they asked, Chris remained silent.
Although he arrived here by chance, he must do everything in his power to save himself in order to survive.
There is no benefit in giving information to these lackeys. Once the information has been extorted, they lose their value, and their lives will be in grave danger.
He was a fraud, and his value lay in his lies.
But the person who decides their life or death is not in front of him. No matter how eloquent he is or how skillful his deception is, he cannot deceive people from behind.
Therefore, the prerequisite for his survival was to be able to speak with the leaders of these pirates, namely the so-called "Eight Great Leaders".
So from the moment he received his first lash, Chris demanded to meet with the leaders.
However, there has been no response to this day.
How long will this last?
Fate is either cyclical or ascending. He felt that he was currently in a cycle, but the prerequisite for ascending was not to sink into the cycle.
Chris felt his body growing heavier and his head becoming foggy—
"Whoosh~"
The sound of rushing water filled his ears, and the coolness instantly alerted him.
Extreme exhaustion had left him too weak to react much; he could only gently lift his head and open his right eye to look ahead.
Chris smiled.
The person in front was not holding a whip.
With a flick of his right hand, two men stepped forward, untied Chris from the stake, and then led him to another location.
Chris quickly seized the opportunity to analyze the situation.
What is certain is that those "leaders" finally intend to meet with him.
In other words, Chris has something they want.
Chris wasn't the only one being interrogated; the other crew members had no reason to be stubborn and must have already revealed Chris's "identity."
Therefore, his strategy of playing the role of slave king Valen remains unchanged.
But what did these pirates want to get from the slave king Valen?
Chris never imagined he would have a sea voyage.
Therefore, we have not yet investigated the power dynamics and conflicts of interest at sea, and thus cannot draw accurate conclusions at this time.
But whatever those people want, Chris has to have it, or at least make them believe that Chris has it.
Walking along the road, Chris, who hadn't seen the sun all day, took a while to adjust before he could see the scenery on the island clearly.
Although the island is not large, every direction has been transformed into a dock.
Countless ships adorned with various skull and crossbones flags are moored at the dock, and longships are constantly arriving and departing.
The island has almost no flat land; the terrain rises gently towards the center of the island, forming a gentle slope.
At the very center of the island stands a towering, precipitous rocky mountain.
It stands tall in front of us like a giant pillar.
Viewed from below, it resembles a graceful woman swaying her hips.
Chris immediately knew where he was; he had heard of the island's name before.
This is Goddess Island!
Chris had heard people talk about such a major event as the pirates taking over Goddess Island many times.
At the same time, he also learned why the island was called Goddess Island.
Chris was quickly taken to a wooden cabin at the foot of the mountain.
The pirates pushed Chris into the house, causing him to fall to the ground.
Looking up, I saw a large round table in front of me, with six men sitting around it on chairs.
After being doused with cold water and walking for a while, Chris became much more conscious.
He understood that the people in front of him were the "Eight Leaders".
But why are there only six?
Oh, right, the spiky voice mentioned that the Clown Islands are the territory of the talkative Benson and the Navigator.
Excluding these two, there are exactly six leaders left.
In other words, the island is jointly governed by six leaders.
Chris noticed that everyone was giving him cold stares and warnings.
He had heard that the pirate world was cruel, and that those who could survive in such an environment and rise to a high position must be extremely cold-blooded.
Such strong people often despise the weak.
Therefore, Chris also had to act tough.
He immediately got up from the ground, raised his head, and mustered his courage to say:
"I am Varen, the slave king."
"snort!"
A round-faced man sitting at the very back snorted coldly and said disdainfully,
"So what?"
We cannot lose our momentum.
Chris puffed out his chest and raised his chin even higher:
"Isn't it because of who I am that I'm standing here!"
The pirates exchanged glances for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Chris was a little confused by this reaction and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly.
"Isn't that right?"
"Slave King? Just a slave trader! Besides, pirates never ask who their victims are." A tall, thin leader sitting next to the man from before sneered, then suddenly narrowed his eyes and stared at Chris, a look that sent chills down Chris's spine.
"Your nose seems a little too upturned."
Chris then realized that he had overdone his performance.
Pirates may not sympathize with those who wag their tails, but they may certainly dislike those who are arrogant.
Chris immediately straightened his head. He realized that these leaders might be a bit rougher than the ones he had dealt with before, but they were in no way inferior in terms of cunning and shrewdness.
Based on their answers, Chris was completely baffled as to why these people weren't killing him.
If it wasn't because of his status as a slave king, then what was it?
Fortunately, they immediately gave Chris the answer through questioning:
"Where did the giant arrows on that ship come from?"
"Hmm?" Chris couldn't help but let out a puzzled exclamation.
So that's the reason?
"What's wrong?"
A short leader noticed Chris's confusion and immediately pressed him for an explanation.
Faced with the questioning, Chris immediately realized that he had lost his composure.
He shook his head and quickly began analyzing the little bit of information he had gathered.
Indeed, the reason Chris wasn't killed must be because those pirates immediately recognized the value of the ship's crew.
They couldn't have the Slave King on the ship immediately, especially since Chris was an imposter.
But if it's because of that conspicuous giant arrow stuck in the deck, everything makes sense.
But what can a giant arrow possibly prove?
There was an information gap involved, and Chris was unable to draw a conclusion.
Moreover, in this situation, lying rashly could easily be exposed.
If these people get angry, only death awaits Chris.
Chris chose to extract information from others: "My ship has been attacked."
"By whom?" the long-faced leader asked.
"Boat."
"Don't try anything funny, you slave trader," the round-faced chieftain glared at Chris. "Tell me the truth, whose ship is it?"
"I don't know," Chris said, "but it must be pirates."
The long-haired leader said, "Your men confessed that another ship is chasing you."
"Yes."
"Was it that same group of pirates?"
"Um?"
"What's wrong?" the long-faced leader asked.
"I'm curious why you think that," Chris said. "My men should all know about that ship..."
These were originally ships from our fleet.
The scarred leader explained, "Your men suspect that the ship was hijacked by pirates."
Sure enough, Chris thought, those slave traders had confessed everything they needed to.
Perhaps it was for this reason that the leaders agreed to meet with Chris, who had remained silent all along.
"But I don't think the people who hijacked that ship were pirates."
"Who is that?" the scarred leader pressed.
"I don't know, but—" Chris paused deliberately for a breath, "I think it might be the Unswearing Knights."
"Who is that?" the round-faced leader asked.
"The mercenary groups active in the Kingdom of Great Glory," said the short leader. "You can occasionally hear their names in the Weeping Gorge." "Aren't they impressive?" the long-faced leader asked again.
"Impressive," the short chieftain nodded, "but only on land."
Listening to their conversation, Chris judged that these people knew very little about things on land.
The tall, thin leader then asked, "So, the two ships that attacked you are unrelated?"
"Probably not," Chris replied.
"Whose pirate ship is that?"
Chris shook his head: "I don't know. My ship started to escape immediately and didn't pay attention to who it was. Otherwise, I think it would have been sunk by now."
As soon as he finished speaking, the leaders at the front began to discuss it.
The Scar Chief said, "Elvis, Mortimer, you two should just admit it. This might be your ship. The Weeping Canyon is your territory."
"Jer, tell me, why should we lie?" the short chieftain frowned. "It's just attacking a slave ship, what's there to be ashamed of?"
The long-haired leader nodded, "Besides, we've brought all the ships carrying giant crossbows to Goddess Island. How are we going to fire those crossbows?"
The long-faced leader said, "But if it's not the two of you, then who is it? The rest of us have no interest in the Weeping Canyon."
"Damn it, how would we know?" said the short leader.
"Enough!" the tall, thin leader shouted. "If it really is one of us, it doesn't matter who attacked the ship. That's not what I want to confirm."
The round-faced leader nodded, then beckoned to Chris, signaling him to come over.
Chris walked over and saw two flags on the table.
One of them is a skull and crossbones flag with big lips, while the other flag has a very simple design: a black cross at a 45-degree angle.
"Did you see those two flags flying on their ship?" the round-faced leader asked.
Chris shook his head: "No, I didn't see anything."
The long-haired leader immediately said, "Oh well, forget it. We won't get anything out of them. These slave traders don't know anything. In my opinion, it must be either the navigator's or the talkative ship."
"But why are their ships in the Weeping Canyon?" Scarface leader Jer asked.
"More importantly," said the long-faced chieftain, "if it was a gossipy ship, why attack the ship of this so-called slave king? I've heard he's very close to Benson."
"Hey, slave trader," said the short chieftain, "is your relationship with the gossip just a pretense?"
The imposter obviously couldn't know, but Chris had to rely on the rumors:
"No, it's true. Otherwise, how could the ships I've slain dare to approach the Clown Islands?"
"Then why did their ship attack you?" Jer asked.
Chris immediately thought of a reply: "I'm on good terms with Gossip, but that doesn't include his men."
"Those equipped with giant crossbows, could they be ordinary subordinates?" the round-faced leader questioned.
Upon hearing this, Chris realized that the giant crossbow was a weapon only equipped on ships of high-ranking officers.
Such a person would never stand up to their boss.
Just as Chris was racking his brains trying to figure out how to fill in the gaps in his language, the tall, thin leader suddenly said:
"But what if that's Henry's ship?"
"The Navigator?!" The long-faced leader frowned. "So what? Aren't he and the Talkative One in cahoots?"
"snort!"
The round-faced leader sneered and gestured with his short chin to the tall, thin leader beside him.
"Shut up! Back when Riley and I were secretly competing with Henry, Benson was just one of Henry's lackeys. Now he's on equal footing with us!"
"That's right," the tall, thin leader Riley nodded. "Benson might want to be on Henry's side, but the navigators' subordinates are unlikely to consider Benson's ideas."
“But even so,” said the short chieftain, “why is the navigator sending ships to my and Mortimer’s territory?”
"I've never been able to figure out what that old bastard Henry is thinking," said the round-faced leader. "From the first time I dealt with him, I always felt like I was being left behind. I can only say that he's a true son of Joachim."
Riley said, "And I even think that it wasn't the Navigator's subordinates at all, but the Navigator himself!"
The long-haired leader, Mortimer, widened his eyes: "The Navigator himself? What proof do you have?"
"There's no real evidence, just what I know about Henry."
Riley shrugged.
"I've been dealing with the Navigator for over a decade, and he never plays by the rules. He's also decisive and never hesitates. You've all heard about that massive naval battle of the Sheep Hunt, right? He even asked us to send ships to help him."
"But before that, he also fought a battle in the South China Sea with the Kingdom's combined fleet. However, in that battle, he was not forced into battle, but rather took the initiative to fight..."
"...Could it be," the short leader Elvis suddenly interjected, "that during the Battle of the South China Sea, the number of ships the navigator had whittled down wasn't at a significant disadvantage?"
The round-faced leader, Angry Fang, shook his head. "No, the gap is still huge, although it's much smaller in scale than the Sheep Hunt naval battle."
Jell asked incredulously, "If that's the case, why did the Navigator accept the challenge?"
"I don't know the specific details," Riley said, "but one thing I'm sure of is that Navigator Henry is a gambler."
He has a penchant for adventurous activities; once he sets his sights on something, he pounces on it relentlessly, regardless of the consequences, and always does everything himself.
"So you think this was also an operation personally carried out by the Navigator?" Elvis asked.
"Yes," Riley nodded, "that's why I'm so concerned about a giant arrow."
"Snapped!"
Suddenly, a loud bang was heard as the long-faced leader slammed his hands heavily on the table, then abruptly stood up, laughing loudly, and said:
"Ha! I get it! The navigator must have discovered something lucrative and wants to get it quietly."
That's why he personally steered the ship to avoid being discovered! He's already plucked the fruits of the New World; this time, we can't be left behind. Everyone, get the ships ready, let's catch up and get a share!
The other leaders nodded in agreement.
Only Riley, dressed in a commander's coat, smiled slyly with his weasel-like face and shook his head, saying:
"You're wrong, Nelson. You'd be the real fool if you followed."
The long-faced leader, Nelson, frowned. "What do you mean?"
"The Navigator was certainly a gambler, but not everyone has his extraordinary ability to snatch profits from the fire," Riley said. "Think about the Navigator's story. Which of you dares to say you can replicate it? He made his fortune through speculation, but I can't do that. We can only operate steadily."
Nielsen asked, "Then tell me, how do you operate to ensure stability?"
"Now that the navigator's ship is likely in the Weeping Canyon," Riley said, "who's in charge of the Clown Islands now?"
Upon hearing this, the other five leaders all held their breath and stared at Riley.
After a long silence, Elvis said:
"Talkative Benson?"
He grinned angrily, "Henry may deserve my respect, but what kind of trash is Benson?"
Mortimer suddenly realized and said, "Could it be that you intend to attack the Clown Islands?"
"If the navigator were here, I would never have thought of this," Riley nodded. "But if he's not here, the talkative Benson is nothing to fear. We have a huge numerical advantage in warships and troops, and we have a very high probability of winning."
"Haha," Jer laughed loudly, "Damn it, what's there to be afraid of, Mortimer? Fuck, pirates aren't afraid of war."
Riley, when are we leaving?
"We can't rush things. As I said, what we need is 'stability'."
Riley stood up with a smile, talking as he walked around.
"Since we want to be stable, we must find out the situation of the Clown Islands and carefully study the route of our advance, since we have already suffered a lot in the corrupted waters."
"If we take a detour, the navigator might learn of our movements, and if he returns in time, our plan will be ruined."
They then began discussing plans to attack the Clown Islands.
Chris, standing to the side, immediately sensed the danger through his intuition as a con artist.
Instead of avoiding Chris, these leaders discussed such an important battle plan right in front of him.
There's only one reason: they're not worried that Chris will leak information.
But there is only one type of person who will never leak secrets: the dead.
In other words, the people in front of them have made up their minds to kill Chris!
Chris couldn't help but swallow hard; his survival instinct was instantly triggered to its fullest extent.
He knew that if he didn't take control of the situation, he would surely die.
But what to do?
He is now playing the slave king Warren, who is a friend of the talkative Benson.
However, the pirate leaders in front of them were discussing how to attack the talkative Benson's territory.
In other words, the slave king's status makes him an enemy to the pirates before them.
But if he admits that he is just a fraud, his fate will undoubtedly be even worse.
What other way can he save himself?
Chris had followed the path of fate to this place, and he believed that he could not die easily.
Fate! Fate!
But fate only told him about the clay pot and the west—
Chris suddenly realized that his current location was to the west, which was away from his previous position.
Has he already arrived at the place his destiny has led him to?
So he immediately closed his eyes and gathered his strength, and began to try to interpret fate according to the method in the book.
Soon, he heard the prompt:
"Clay pottery jar—"
"West side—"
Still in the west? Chris was puzzled. Wasn't Goddess Island far enough west?
But what else could be found further west?
"Oh, I forgot about you," Riley suddenly said to Chris. "Someone, throw him into the corrupted sea as a sacrifice to those monstrous fish."
Upon receiving the order, the pirates immediately approached Chris.
"Wait!" Chris shouted hastily, "I can help you!"
"Help us?" Angry Fangs retorted. "What can you do to help us?"
Yeah, what help could a conman like him possibly offer?
But precisely because he's a conman, he can help with anything.
The key question is, what do these people need Chris's help with?
They want to attack the Clown Islands, so:
"I can help you take over the Clown Islands!"
Riley narrowed his eyes and took two steps toward Chris:
"How do you want to help?"
Chris himself wanted to know.
"The clay pot—" he heard fate say to him.
He repeated the shout: "Clay pot!"
Upon hearing this, Riley frowned and turned to look at the pirate leaders behind him.
Those people, too, looked confused and tried to escape.
Riley then turned to Chris again: "A clay pot?"
"Yes, a clay pot!"
Right about what? Right—right!
"It's from the clay pot!"
"What is it?" Riley asked.
"Money! Gold!" Chris said without hesitation. "War costs money."
But Riley's expression told Chris that the pirate leader wasn't very interested in it.
"And another thing!" Chris quickly added, "And another map! A map of the Clown Islands! And a list of longships belonging to the navigator and the talkative devil!"
Upon hearing this, Chris saw an interested gleam in Riley's eyes.
However, his eyes also betrayed his suspicion of Chris.
That's not enough, Chris thought, then—
"I won't help you for nothing; consider this my investment. Since you want to take over the Clown Islands, then from now on, I'll do business with you, just like I used to rely on Talkative Benson!"
People always believe that a stable relationship can only be truly established for the sake of common interests.
Fraudsters, of course, know this too, and are adept at using it.
Riley asked, "So, where is it?"
"The West" is what fate is telling Chris.
"West!" Chris repeated.
But what lies further west?
Ah... Chris suddenly realized... Oh, I see!
"I buried the pottery jar to the west!"
Chris, trembling, stretched out his right hand and pointed west.
"In the New World!"