"For now, just ensure the safety of the shipping routes. If you encounter anything you can't handle, record it and hand it over to me!"
After running through several key points, Leilin ended the communication.
"With the vastness of the Outer Sea, even after cutting out the ones that are too powerful or have backing, there should still be plenty left!"
Leilin's eyes gleamed. He immediately thought of the barbarian altar from last time.
"And it wouldn't take many — finding around ten native sacrificial sites like the barbarian tribe's from last time would give me enough accumulated energy to advance all the way, and even glimpse the realm of [Legendary]..."
Following Leilin's command, the entire Outer Sea immediately erupted into action. Numerous pirates roared forth, and under the banner of the Crimson Tiger, swept through the native islands along the major trade routes.
Aside from tribes with particularly strong backing or protected by powerful individuals, virtually every native tribe was subjected to a bloodbath. The adult males were cut down in droves, and the survivors were directly enslaved.
The flood of supply was so massive that the price of native slaves in the Outer Sea plummeted by half overnight, driving many slave traders into bankruptcy.
Of course, the Faolan Family, thanks to its timely intelligence and abundant supply, seized the lion's share of the slave trade in one fell swoop.
No matter how fierce the storm, it could only weed out the small merchants. The real apex predators used such upheavals to flood the market, drive out all competition, and ultimately form a monopoly.
This was a game Leilin had long since mastered.
Alongside the war, all manner of plunder — alongside the slaves — was shipped back to Faolan Island. Some of it even included the totems and ritual vessels of dark gods, which gave Leilin no small amount of new insight.
Moreover, these items all carried traces of the power of faith to varying degrees, which was not without benefit for Leilin at his current stage.
After years of steadfast effort, the forces under his command had gradually taken shape. Many matters no longer required his personal involvement — his subordinates handled everything with perfect efficiency.
This was the privilege of leading a great power.
"No wonder even the gods must establish churches and diligently manage them. It may seem sacred, but the underlying principle is exactly the same..."
Leilin felt he had gained a deeper understanding of the gods' ways. But then a communication shattered his contemplation.
Crack! Crack!
A faint sound of splintering came from beneath the hem of Leilin's coat, and his expression shifted slightly.
Leilin reached into his pocket and pulled out several crescent-shaped rune fragments. What should have been a single, connected jade piece had shattered into countless tiny crystals, its luminous glow fading in an instant.
"Trouble?"
Leilin's gaze remained steady, but his mind raced. These were the communication runes he had specially crafted for his cousin
The sudden alarm meant that Isabel, who was sweeping through the Outer Sea, had run into serious trouble. So serious, in fact, that all information had been completely cut off, leaving her no choice but to use her last resort!
"Pass the word — I'll be gone for a while!" Leilin said calmly to the tower spirit. The intelligence core quickly grasped his meaning and relayed the order.
"Why leave now? Don't you know our experiment has reached a critical stage? Oh, and your family — business is booming. Poor Lane has to keep the lamp lit and do the books until midnight every night..."
Ernest grumbled.
"The experiment can wait. Based on my earlier observations of those gem seaweeds, it will take at least two more years to fully activate them. And there's nothing to worry about with the family business — if anything comes up, just go to my father, Baron Jonas. The various temples will help as well!"
Leilin shrugged.
"Alright... it seems your resolve is firm. Can you tell me why?" Ernest's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Let me guess... it's for... a woman, isn't it? Only a beautiful woman could make someone your age act more like a boy..."
"What do you mean, 'more like a boy'?" Leilin stared at Ernest, exasperated.
What concerned him most was the potential blow to the Crimson Tiger pirate force he had established. His cousin Isabel's safety was naturally paramount as well — and she was indeed a beautiful woman — but he couldn't see how that had anything to do with what Ernest was implying.
"Youth... don't worry, I'll explain things to your father!"
Ernest winked at Leilin, his expression carrying an indescribable meaning.
"Fine! Fine!"
Leilin shook his head and walked out, exasperated. He had a nagging feeling that Ernest had seen through something and was doing all of this deliberately.
...
Elsewhere, scorching fireballs shot forth from the Red Dragon Longsword, instantly incinerating the writhing thorn vines ahead into ash.
"The seventeenth time!" Isabel sighed, though there was not a shred of weakness in her eyes. "Everyone, fall back to the cave! Hurry!"
[Red Dragon Transformation]! [Dragon's Breath]!
Without a moment's hesitation, Isabel activated her bloodline power. Her entire body transformed into a half-dragon form covered in crimson scales, and a pair of massive wings unfurled from her back.
The scorching cone of flame carved out a triangular clearing in front of her, and a few native warriors who couldn't dodge in time were struck directly by the flames, reduced to charred husks.
"Damn it! There's definitely something wrong with this tribe!"
After directing her surviving subordinates to fall back into the cave and hold their position, Isabel cursed under her breath. Her right hand grabbed a chunk of dark rock from beside the cave entrance.
The operation had started smoothly enough. The tribe they were targeting had no backing from true gods like the Ocean Goddess, nor any Legendary-level nature spirits or totem guardians. Their strength had been utterly feeble.
But just as Isabel was preparing to crush the entire tribe in one blow and enslave all its people, several unexpected things happened in rapid succession.
This tribe actually had connections with that legendary native empire — and their reinforcements had arrived at exactly this moment!
Thinking of the enemy's elusiveness in the jungle, Isabel's expression darkened.
The dark rock in her hand emitted a groaning, twisting sound before finally shattering, crumbling into flakes of lime that scattered to the ground.
This display of raw force made the other pirates shrink back, afraid that Isabel's palm might land on their heads next.
That was the hardest blue rock there was — worn smooth and polished by the ceaseless flow of water, its surface gleaming and unyielding, giving an impression of absolute indestructibility! Yet in Isabel's hand, it crumbled softer than fine white bread.
"Tch! A bunch of cowards!"
Isabel turned away with disdain. Ever since undergoing the bloodline warlock's transformation and fusing with the dragon blood of a Legendary-level dragon, her strength had been growing by the day.
Especially after meditating with the [Dragon King's Divine Power] every day, Isabel felt her power increasing further — it was as if a great dragon dwelled within her body!
If it weren't for the burden of her subordinates, breaking through the encirclement alone would have been trivially easy.
"The signal has been sent. Humph! When Leilin gets here, I'm going to burn these filthy monkeys alive!"
The longsword in Isabel's hand blazed with streams of light and shadow, and a torrent of crimson battle aura instantly tore through several swathes of tropical rainforest, revealing elite native warriors and other summoned creatures.
They were currently in the depths of a vast tropical rainforest, surrounded on all sides by native tribe warriors. But what drew Isabel's attention most were the elite soldiers from the empire.
"According to their dialect, the reinforcements that came this time are [Jungle Hunters] and [Amazon Warriors]?"
Isabel recalled the intelligence she had received earlier.
The profession system of the entire world of the gods was vast. Beyond the most common [Warriors] and [Thieves], countless other hidden profession systems existed, such as the lineage of [Arcanists].
In some remote corners of the continent, one might even find paths of power dating back to the Dark Ages.
That the native empire had its own alternative profession system was perfectly normal in Isabel's eyes.
"What I don't know is whether that native empire has any deities?"
Isabel suddenly thought of this. Though these natives were cowardly, lazy, and their faith was far less pure than that of ordinary people, they still had numbers. If one could truly discover a new continent — even a native empire without any gods ruling over it — even the deities themselves would be envious!
Rustle!
The natives, shaken by Isabel's earlier assault, pulled back their lines. Isabel's gaze fell on a corner of the battlefield.
Behind a thick-canopied broadleaf tree, a slender, agile figure slowly emerged.
"
"No!" The figure was Helen, the pirate crew's scout captain, a half-drow. She shook her head with some regret. "Those native leaders are extremely vigilant, and they seem to have solid counter-reconnaissance awareness. I couldn't locate their core..."
"Damn! Now we can only wait for reinforcements..."
Isabel sighed. For some reason, the thought of failing to carry out Leilin's mission left her with a deeply uncomfortable feeling.