"My Master… Your beautiful power is like a resplendent gemstone, filled with dazzling radiance…"
"Enough! Everyone, rise!"
For this outcome, One-Eyed Dragon and the other pirates who had surrendered earliest were already well aware, so they weren't particularly surprised. But the newly recruited pirates — even Ronald and the others — were thoroughly shaken.
"So? Any objections to me being your leader?"
Leilin swept his gaze across the crowd. None of the other pirates dared meet his eyes anymore, their faces filled with awe.
"Good! I like the look in your eyes — full of reverence!"
Leilin nodded, and his subordinates immediately brought out two crates brimming with silver gellers and copper coins. This was the payment he had received from selling off most of the goods in his possession.
Madam Tireen, apparently still looking to vent her anger, had slashed his prices mercilessly.
Still, with this wealth, the pirate crew could sustain itself for several more months.
And after a few months? With the riches of the entire open sea, would he ever have to worry about not being able to feed his men?
"The compensation I promised before will not be reduced in the slightest!" Leilin opened the crates, letting countless silver glimmers flash out, blinding most of the pirates.
"Every sailor aboard our Scarlet Tiger will receive a regular monthly salary on top of their share of the plunder!"
Leilin announced loudly. This policy, so utterly different from that of ordinary pirates, immediately drew thunderous cheers.
Though doing so was like punching a gaping hole in the finances, all Leilin needed was to assemble the strongest pirate crew in the shortest time possible. He couldn't afford to be cautious about that.
To govern a group, relying solely on high-handed oppression and the threat of death was far from enough. One also had to establish a complete incentive system.
Otherwise — with so many pirate crews out there — why would anyone come serve under a capricious leader like Leilin?
Presumably, once word of this spread, no matter how ruthless Leilin's reputation might be, he wouldn't have to worry about a lack of recruits.
He might even attract a few professional warriors, and then Leilin would be laughing himself to death.
"These pirates really don't have an ounce of loyalty…"
Watching the newly recruited pirates immediately perk up with fighting spirit after receiving their pay — as if they had completely forgotten the other mutinous sailors who had just been killed — Leilin silently shook his head.
But this was simply the reality of the situation. There was no way to change it, and Leilin could only accept it as it was.
Unless a long period of time passed during which his authority became thoroughly entrenched and confidence was built through continuous victories, any pirate captain's control over his subordinates was simply going to be like this.
Otherwise, Leilin never would have been able to subdue the original Black Tiger Pirates outright and use them as the foundation of his crew.
"Incentives… still seem insufficient…"
Leilin's eyes flickered. He strode onto the raised platform: "Giant!"
"Here, Boss!" The Giant's mountain-like body immediately dropped to one knee.
"Last time you followed me and helped kill ten enemies. You're also the highest-ranked professional warrior under my command. I'm going to reward you!"
Leilin waved his hand, and a piece of studded leather armor resembling a vest flew to the Giant's front. Iron plating reinforced the vital areas.
"This is… a magical item!"
The Giant donned the leather vest, and his expression suddenly changed as a layer of spell-light blazed across the surface of the armor. He couldn't help crying out in delight.
"A magical item!" This immediately drew envious stares from the other pirates.
Even the cheapest wizard's item required the support of basic alchemy and was worth at least several hundred gold coins!
Moreover, something that could save your life was worth more money could ever buy.
"That's right! It has three castings of Fortify固化 on it — even a heavy hammer would have trouble breaking through your defense in a single blow!"
In truth, the raw material for this leather armor was a trophy Leilin had taken from the captain of the merfolk pirate crew. He hadn't considered it worth keeping himself, so after some modification, he'd repurposed it to equip his subordinates.
"Heh heh…"
The Giant was at a loss for words, so he just scratched his head with a dopey grin, drawing a wave of jealous looks.
"And… Ronald!"
Leilin's gaze turned to Ronald.
"Young Master, you called!" Ronald dropped to one knee, feeling a strange premonition stir in his heart.
"Yes. Through your previous actions, you proved your loyalty to me. I bestow upon you this Ring of Swift Burst!"
This, too, had come from the unfortunate merfolk pirates' contribution. Leilin felt not the slightest twinge of guilt.
"Thank you…" Ronald felt as though his chest had been struck by a hammer.
Although he knew he had happened to arrive at precisely the moment when Leilin needed to set an example for the newly joined pirates, his heart was still overwhelmed with tremendous joy.
This was a magical item! It was something that could serve as a treasured heirloom for commoners — even for knights and barons.
"I shall be forever loyal to you!" Ronald kissed the ring on his finger and tucked it reverently into his bosom, drawing a massive wave of envious stares. Many of the newly recruited pirates even flushed red, looking at Leilin with expressions that suggested they were gazing upon their very god.
As long as you worked hard, there was hope! As long as you gave, there was reward!
This was all that the common folk ever asked for, yet so many in power still cruelly robbed them of even this.
Now, Leilin was showing them the hope of truly changing their fate! That alone was enough to ignite their blood and drive them to fight with everything they had!
"Set sail!!"
Seeing that morale was high and usable, Leilin issued the command in a booming voice.
"Oooh!" The pirates immediately scurried about like ants on a hot pan. Under the direction of One-Eyed Dragon, Hulk, and the others, the Scarlet Tiger was swiftly navigated out of the dock.
At that moment, in a patch of shadow nearby, the high priest and the priest of the Murder God's faith stood watching in silence until the ship departed.
"What do you think?"
After a long pause, the high priest finally asked in a soft voice.
"Decisive, resolute, and seasoned — it's hard to believe he's only fifteen!" The priest seemed somewhat reluctant, but he finally said it.
"But even so, do we really have to tell him about that?"
The priest was making one last effort.
"Hmph!" The high priest's cold snort was his only reply. "Colley has violated our Lord's teachings. He's even set on avenging his brother — who long ago betrayed the Church. Such conduct must be punished!"
In truth, all of this was merely an excuse. The real crux was that Colley had been obstructing his plans!
For those in power, when the greater plan was at stake, a single pawn was just a pawn — discarded without a second thought.
As long as the glory of the Murder God could eternally shine over the open sea, what were a few high-ranking assassins worth?
"Heh heh… As for that one, I have quite high expectations…" The high priest smiled, his figure slowly melting into the darkness.
The priest's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the spot where the high priest had vanished. Only now did he realize just how much the high priest valued that young noble — to an astonishing degree.
…
Beneath a sky of crystalline blue, the Scarlet Tiger sailed onward, slow in appearance but swift in truth.
"Ahead, five hundred meters! I've spotted an unidentified vessel — they're not flying a pirate flag!"
The lookout on the crow's nest shouted down.
"Boss!" The Giant, wearing his newly acquired leather armor, immediately appeared behind Leilin.
"I already made inquiries — they're just a pack of mutts coveting our wealth and our ship…" One-Eyed Dragon came to Leilin's side and reported in a low voice.
"A motley crew assembled by greed?" Leilin's brow rose slightly. "But their ship is decent, and we're still short on sailors and slaves, aren't we?"
Hearing Leilin's words, the Giant and the others began silently mourning the pirates aboard the opposing vessel. They would never know just how terrifying a person they had provoked.
"Prepare for naval combat! I want to see what these men can do!"
Leilin turned to Ronald behind him and gave the order.
"At once, Young Master! You shall see!" Ronald bowed respectfully and withdrew.
With a powerful wizard aboard their ship, he couldn't fathom any possibility of defeat.
The two ships closed in, and without a moment's hesitation or any exchange of shouts, both sides launched their attacks!
Whistling harpoons flew, several volleys of arrows rained down, and then the two vessels plunged into a brutal boarding battle.
"Haha…" The Giant roared with laughter, swinging his enormous spiked hammer, his body drenched in the blood of enemy sailors, charging at the vanguard like a demon straight out of the abyss.
Behind him, Ronald directed the newly recruited pirates into several simple formations, achieving good results — especially since Leilin had provided them with poison-coated weapons, lending their assault an almost unstoppable momentum.
"I didn't expect Ronald to be something of a military talent!"
Watching the fluid command artistry, Leilin couldn't help feeling a spark of appreciation.
"You all engage. I'm going to pay an old friend a visit!"
Leilin waved his hand, and his body rose directly into the air, landing on the enemy's deck.
Ice Ray! Fireball!
A hellscape of ice and flame spread outward, accompanied by the wailing and howling of countless pirates.
"He's a wizard!"
This overwhelming display of magical power dealt a crushing blow to the enemy's morale. The tide began to turn decisively in one direction.
At that moment, several threads of hidden killing intent had begun to creep closer through the shadows. That sharp, piercing aura — the hallmark of a high-ranking assassin.
"So it really is you!" A thin smile played at the corner of Leilin's lips as he tore open a spell scroll in his hand.
Blizzard!!!
An even wider blanket of ice and snow swept across the battlefield, carrying the devastating power of a fourth-level spell. In an instant, the area around Leilin was plunged into a frozen wasteland.