"A priest of
Leilin halted his steps. "If that is the Master's wish, then so be it..."
In truth, he had no intention of killing anyone here — after all, this was enemy territory.
"Lord Priest, please let me—" The assassin on the ground had dragged himself to his feet, his eyes burning with hatred as he stared at Leilin.
"Enough! Stand down!" the priest thundered at the assassin, his voice sharp and commanding, instantly crushing the man's momentum.
"Just you wait!"
The assassin shot Leilin one venomous glare, made a throat-slitting gesture, then vanished into thin air.
"Heh heh... Kolay is far too impulsive and reckless. Honored guest, please follow me!"
The priest of the God of Murder made a courteous beckoning gesture toward Leilin.
Leilin rubbed his nose and walked straight ahead...
After a long while, having obtained what he came for, Leilin departed with satisfaction. The priest, meanwhile, continued winding through the underground labyrinth, eventually leaving the Thieves' Guild and arriving at a hidden chamber.
Flickering flames cast an eerie glow on all sides. At the very center stood an altar consecrated to a terrifying deity — Cyric, the God of Murder!
Before the statue, a wizened elder covered in wrinkles was praying in a slow murmur, waves of powerful divine energy pulsing from his body.
"Your Eminence!" the priest from before bowed respectfully.
"Has he left?" The elderly bishop opened his cloudy eyes, yet they seemed to carry a light that could pierce straight into a man's soul.
"He has. He purchased a great deal of intelligence on Marquis Louis!" The priest recounted every one of Leilin's actions without daring to hold anything back.
"I have seen it. He is the wellspring of future chaos — countless murders and upheaval. He will surely delight our Lord beyond measure!"
The bishop murmured.
"Then what should we do? Help him?" the priest asked, somewhat bewildered.
"No need... hehe... Just maintain neutrality — that will suffice, for the moment. They will certainly come begging for our help..."
The bishop sneered coldly. "And send word of his arrival here to the Savage Pirates. Also, warn Corlay not to let the death of one brother delay our Lord's great undertaking — or I will surely pass judgment on him..."
The punishments of the God of Murder were notoriously brutal, and even the priest couldn't help but shudder from head to toe.
"I understand! The glory of our Lord shall surely spread across the entire earth!"
The priest offered a prayer and took his leave with reverence.
"The God of Murder, hmm? Interesting!" From the other party's behavior today, Lei Lin had clearly sensed their connection to the previous wave of assassins.
However, those assassins had always been the sort who worked for money. Perhaps that Mank had previously pledged allegiance to Marquis Louis, or perhaps he had simply accepted a commission — but the man was already a pile of dry bones, and Lei Lin couldn't be bothered to care about him anymore. What did concern him was Corlay — as a high-ranking assassin, he was a threat that could not be taken lightly.
"It seems the Thieves' Guild is another neutral faction as well — operating under the rule of the Savage Pirates while maintaining ties to Marquis Louis..."
Lei Lin let out a cold laugh.
These priests and clergy of the various religions only ever looked at things from their own perspective. Worldly disputes were nothing but passing clouds to them — as long as their own dominion was maintained, it didn't matter one bit who held the throne.
The Church of Knowledge was like that, and the Church of Murder was no different.
"But the Outer Sea is a newly opened territory — and already it has drawn the attention of gods? If that's truly the case, then my plans need to be accelerated..."
Lei Lin's expression darkened somewhat. But by the time he returned to the inn, his composure had long since been restored, without the slightest trace of his earlier mood showing on his face.
"Chief!"
In the hotel lobby, the Giant and Hulk rose to their feet along with several dozen pirate sailors, and Ronald was among them.
"Mm." Lei Lin's gaze swept over the group of pirates, and every person who met his eyes felt a sharp sting and had no choice but to lower their head.
"Tell them — the roast meat and rum for the next few days are all on me!"
He had to admit, these people had left a decent first impression — at the very least, they were reasonably tough and competent ordinary pirates.
Of course, that was as far as it went. Mid-tier and above professionals weren't so easy to recruit.
"Master! Lady Tyren requests that you come to the back!"
"The poison on your body has been removed?" A flash of blue light passed, and Raylin asked with some surprise.
Although Raylin could have formulated an antidote for the poison on her with a bit of effort, Lady Tyren's willingness to act first demonstrated a favorable attitude.
After all, behind her stood the Barbarian Pirates — the only force currently in the outer seas capable of rivaling Marquis Louis.
"Yes! They voluntarily dissolved my slave contract. From this day forward, I belong to Master!"
Karen had already changed out of the alluring maid outfit and into a fitted black leather suit. A black dagger holster was strapped to her thigh, smooth as ivory, lending her an air of sharp competence.
"Good. Take me to them!"
Raylin understood — she had finally reported his situation to the Barbarian Pirates behind her, and now it was time for a face-to-face confrontation.
It was the same private room from that morning, but now a giant had joined them inside.
It was a barbarian with greenish-blue skin, sitting sprawled across an enormous sofa with such heavy weight that the floor beneath had slightly caved in.
He wore a wrought-iron bull-horned helm, revealing a powerfully built upper body. His fleshy, brutish face held a pair of shrewd eyes that seemed entirely out of place.
To his right, a massive horse-cleaving saber of peculiar design rested in the perfect position for a sweeping strike, its keen blade covered in the glow of enchantment — clearly, it was a weapon that had been magically enhanced by an alchemist!
"Heh heh… the little young master of House Faolan!"
Lady Tyren was perched on the barbarian's lap, looking at Raylin with a radiant smile.
Her fiery red tail occasionally brushed across the barbarian's body, carrying a wild and alluring charm.
The sight of the two sitting together gave Raylin an odd "beauty and the beast" feeling, but Lady Tyren clearly didn't see it that way — her eyes were filled with affection as she gazed at the barbarian.
"My, my… to think that Young Master Raylin, heir to a barony, would become a pirate!"
Lady Tyren looked Raylin up and down, her eyes gleaming with an entrancing light. "Not only that — I hear that your talent in the magical arts is so great that even your mentor would feel ashamed. How impressive…"
Though her words were brief, it felt as though every scrap of information about Raylin's body had already been thoroughly investigated.
"So what if I am? The nobility won't acknowledge it — and naturally, neither will I!"
Raylin smiled and settled onto the sofa across from her. Karen stood behind him, her body trembling involuntarily, as if struck by some lingering psychological trauma.
In truth, once Raylin had revealed both his name and his identity as a mage, if the other party still couldn't dig up information on him, the Barbarian Pirates wouldn't be worth their reputation on the high seas.
Since he intended to form an alliance with them, a show of good faith was only proper.
"My, Master Raylin, you really do speak quite differently from those sanctimonious nobles!"
There seemed to be a deeply buried hatred lurking in Lady Tyren's tone. "Those nobles — on the surface they're all light and mercy, but in reality, they're worse than beasts..."
Throughout the entire exchange, the barbarian warrior seated to the side hadn't uttered a single word. Yet that oppressive weight emanating from him pressed against Raylin's mind like a mountain, relentless and unyielding.
"And this is..."
Raylin asked Lady Tyren directly.
"Oh! Look at me!" Lady Tyren patted her smooth forehead and shot Raylin a flirtatious glance. "Allow me to introduce you! This is Oggard Warhammer, my beloved! He is also the captain of the Barbarian Pirates!"
As she made the introduction, a faint ripple passed through Raylin's eyes.
The Chip's mechanical voice chimed, projecting a portion of the target's information directly before Raylin's vision.
[Name: Oggard Warhammer. Race: Barbarian. Estimated Strength: 15+. Agility: 10. Constitution: 14. Spirit: 9. Assessment: Estimated warrior level fifteen or above — extremely dangerous!]
Beside the data, a three-dimensional rendering of the man appeared, and that enchanted great-cleaver was clearly visible among his equipment.
From the image alone, Raylin could determine that the man possessed at least several other magical items on his person.
"A high-level warrior of fifteen or above! And with the barbarian strength bonus on top of that — someone of this caliber would be a renowned powerhouse even on the continent! Yet even so, with the advantage of his racial traits, this man was still on the losing end against the Marquis!"
Raylin realized he would have to recalibrate his assessment of Marquis Louis's forces.
In the World of the
Yet even a high-level warrior like this, backed by the full strength of his entire tribe, was still at a disadvantage against Marquis Louis — just how enormous must the Marquis's power truly be?
At that moment, Raylin felt a surge of relief that he had left immediately after conquering the Merfolk Island.
These thoughts flashed by in an instant. Raylin nodded to the high-ranking barbarian chieftain. "Greetings, esteemed powerhouse!"
A faint glow from the [Articulation Spell] shimmered into existence, allowing Raylin to accurately understand the other's meaning.