The deep sea regions were a place of terror comparable to hell and the abyss for many sailors.
Beneath those dark, blue-black ocean surfaces lurked countless grotesque sea monsters, greedily watching the ships above—or rather, the living beings upon them!
Should one encounter those sea monsters after a shipwreck, the chances of survival were virtually nil.
For sailors, only those who could conquer the deep sea were truly formidable powers worthy of reverence!
Night deepened steadily, and the dark ocean surface resembled a monstrous beast with its gaping maw wide open, lying in wait to devour everything.
A massive pirate fleet now shattered the calm, cutting rapidly through the deep sea waters with the imposing air of conquerors.
Upon the largest magically-armored warship flew a blood-red flag.
Upon that crimson-stained banner was the mark of a dagger and a skull—a terrifying legend throughout the outer seas of Dambres!
The Crimson Tiger Pirate Fleet! A massive pirate outfit that had crushed the former Tiger Sharks and Black Skulls to dominate the entire outer seas!
Rumor had it that the leader of the Crimson Tiger, the Crimson Witch herself, was a demon from the Abyss who bathed in the blood of the living every day and devoured three fresh, beating hearts to maintain her power and beauty.
By now, the Crimson Witch's infamous reputation had even spread to the mainland, becoming a name in the Kingdom of Dambres that could silence a crying child at night.
And at this moment, the dreaded Crimson Witch stood upon the deck, gazing into the distance with a faint hint of anticipation in her eyes.
"It's been so long, Cousin
A black shadow descended from the sky like a night hawk, stirring up a violent gust of wind.
"You only remembered me now?! It's been four years—four whole years!!!"
Isabel spoke in a vicious tone, though her eyes glistened with what seemed like unshed tears.
Then she turned and roared at the startled pirates behind her: "What are you all coming out for?! This isn't an enemy attack! Get back inside, every last one of you! Or I'll hang whoever's slowest from tomorrow's flagpole for three whole days, then cut off his manhood to go with the drinks!"
It was clear that Isabel commanded immense authority here—after her roar, all that could be heard was the sound of doors and windows being shut.
"Hehe... you haven't changed one bit!"
Linley rubbed his nose and chuckled. Isabelle was still the same as she had been years ago, though her golden hair had been cut much shorter, deliberately covering certain spots on her forehead.
"Milord!" "Milord!"
By now, several other leaders had also rushed onto the deck, their faces alight with excitement.
"Good!
"By the gods, everything's been decent!" Robin had originally been a guard of Linley's family, and he was the first to step forward and speak.
"Excellent! We'll have a meeting later!"
Isabelle roughly dismissed the other leaders. Then her eyes fixed on Linley, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
"Where's my gift?"
"This one?" Linley gave a wry smile, then produced the Crimson Dragon Longsword. "I thought it would suit you perfectly — I mentioned it in the correspondence before..."
Boom!
Isabelle wasn't listening to any of that. The moment she laid eyes on the red-scaled scabbard, a strange light rose in her eyes.
And then, with almost savage force, she snatched the longsword from Linley's hands and wrenched it free.
"Roar!!!" A faint wave of dragon might erupted, carrying the distant roars and fury of a great dragon. Red light flickered along the blade, trailing wisps of flame.
"Legendary! A legendary-grade item! And masterfully enchanted on top of that!"
After all those years of piracy, Isabelle's eye for valuables had sharpened considerably, and she recognized it instantly.
"So? Do you like it?" Linley asked.
"It's mine now!" The question hardly needed an answer — one only had to look at Isabelle's expression to know everything.
"Good! I'm glad you like it! Also, there are some matters we should discuss. How about we go to your room?"
Linley suggested, and then he caught a hint of a blush on Isabelle's face. He rubbed his nose awkwardly, feeling he might have been a bit too forward.
However, Isabelle still meekly led Linley to her bedroom afterward.
Pink bed curtains and gauzy drapes, a bright crimson carpet. Artworks of various styles were mixed together in a unique, eclectic arrangement — all treasured pieces Isabelle had plundered.
A rich, heady incense drifted faintly around Linley's nostrils, masking the lingering smell that came with prolonged life at sea.
It was obvious. Girls were always more attentive than boys.
"In truth, I came this time with the intention of resolving the Barbarian Pirate problem once and for all. Ogede and Tylen have been looking restless lately..."
Linley's gaze rested on Isabelle. "But now it seems we have a more important matter to deal with than the Barbarians..."
He stepped forward and gently brushed the tips of her hair.
Along the edge of the young woman's fair forehead, several strange scales had already surfaced.
"The demonic transformation has progressed this far?" Linley's brow furrowed slightly.
"Don't trouble yourself any further. In truth, I can feel the Abyss's call growing ever deeper. At any moment, I might simply fall in..."
Isabelle's face wore an expression of resolve.
"I reach the same conclusion! But it's not beyond saving!"
Linley stroked his chin and caught a glimmer of hope in his cousin's eyes.
"Then, do you trust me?" Linley asked, looking earnestly into Isabelle's eyes.
"If I can't trust you, then who else can I trust?" Isabelle lowered her head.
"Good!" Linley flicked his finger, and a layer of barrier materialized soundlessly around them.
"I need your full cooperation now. Do exactly as I say — is that clear?" Linley gave the instruction with the utmost gravity, a test tube filled with golden-red blood appearing in his hand.
"Mm!" Isabelle gave a soft nod, her cheeks flushing for reasons she couldn't quite explain.
……
The morning sun rose from the east, casting golden, fish-scale ripples across the surface of the sea.
"How do you feel?" Leylin looked somewhat tired at the moment, but his eyes remained bright.
"I feel... better than ever!" Isabelle touched her forehead. The scales there had already disappeared, and her originally short golden hair had turned a fiery crimson red.
"Fortunately, you didn't choose to sell your soul back then. The demonic corruption was minor, and it could be suppressed and neutralized using an even stronger bloodline power..."
Leylin commented.
"I didn't expect you could actually modify a bloodline user!" Isabelle looked at Leylin, seemingly recalling something embarrassing from the night before, and couldn't help but lower her head.
Now, she truly had no secrets left in front of this cousin.
"Not a bloodline user, but a warlock! A Dragon Bloodline Warlock!" Leylin corrected.
"A warlock?!" Isabelle pondered the term. "I've never heard of it..."
"I fused the bloodline of a Legendary Red Dragon with your constitution. From now on, you can command the power of the Red Dragon and awaken quasi-magical abilities!"
Leylin had no intention of explaining further. He then handed a Meditation Method to Isabelle. "This 'Dragon King Divine Power,' you can try to cultivate it in the future. It will be beneficial..."
"Dragon King Divine Power? Bloodline users—oh no! Do warlocks still need to cultivate?" Isabelle was puzzled.
"Of course!" Leylin nodded very seriously.
This "Dragon King Divine Power" was certainly not the high-grade Meditation Method Leylin had obtained in the Dark Dimension before, but rather added content on top of the original basis.
The specific details were things Leylin had found in the data left behind by those Arcane Archmage ruins, and he had used the Chip to integrate the two.
It could be said that, with both a Meditation Method and bloodline modification, Isabelle now had the potential to surpass those mere bloodline users!
Furthermore, with the power of the Legendary Red Dragon's bloodline, it would be sufficient to suppress that demonic corruption for a very long time.
"Alright! Let's go out and meet your adorable subordinates!"
Leylin stood up to leave, and Isabelle followed closely behind him. For high-level professionals like them, a night without rest was a trivial matter.
After opening the door and stepping onto the deck, Isabelle even caught a glimpse of Robin Hood and Karen giving somewhat ambiguous smiles.
Obviously, the news of Leylin staying in her room for the entire night had already spread, and it had sparked a lot of speculation.
Surprisingly, Isabelle did not get angry. On the contrary, she felt a secret thrill, though she still shot those guys a frigid glare.
"Enough! There's a lot to discuss this time — let's talk over breakfast!"
Leylin had long since passed the age where such matters bothered him. He waved his hand with a commanding air and led everyone to the dining hall.
Taking the opportunity, he also reacquainted himself with the leaders under Isabelle's command.
Some of them he knew very well, while others were complete strangers — likely people who had joined after the fact.
"The Scarlet Tiger has developed quite well these past few years," Isabelle said with a hint of pride on her face. "Especially after the Kingdom's navy withdrew, there hasn't been any force out in the open seas that dares to oppose us…"
"We currently have twenty large warships and over fifteen hundred crew members…"
"Mm! Excellent work!"
Leylin listened carefully, gaining an understanding of the Scarlet Tiger's recent developments. "What about the Barbarian Pirate Fleet?"
At the mention of that, Isabelle's expression darkened.