Chapter 84

(Please note: There are currently a few hundred words left in 3 chapters, and there will be another update at 6 PM. I continue to seek recommendations, subscriptions, and monthly votes, hoping to make it to the recommendation list. As long as I can maintain my position, I will use the saved chapters to release extra content on Saturday and Sunday. Thank you for your support.)

Legend has it that in the depths of the Blue Sea, there is a giant creature of immense size, often seen with its head but not its tail. Whenever it moves, it brings storms and tsunamis. No one knows where it is or how long it has lived, making it the greatest legend of the Blue Sea, almost existing only in myths and legends.

Legend also tells that in ancient times, there was a very prosperous city in the western part of the Blue Sea, called Mobi Mobi. In the desert language, it means "pearl, pearl," and it was known as the most prosperous Pearl Capital in the western Blue Sea, the most valuable city in that desert region. However, this city was destroyed, and the reason for its destruction was that it was swallowed whole by the giant creature in the depths of the Blue Sea. This gives an idea of how enormous and terrifying the creature must be, a disaster beyond human control.

However, since then, every hundred years, unknown strangers have emerged from the depths of the Blue Sea, carrying large amounts of natural treasures or body parts of fierce beasts, selling them along the coasts of the Blue Sea. They gained enormous wealth and purchased various types of supplies, then disappeared back into the depths of the Blue Sea. Thus, a rumor spread that perhaps Mobi Mobi was not destroyed but continued to exist inside the giant creature's belly. Mobi Mobi became a city of dreams, a city that exists only in legends and dreams. Some people dismissed it as a rumor, some believed it deeply, and some spent their entire lives searching for it, but the mysterious city of dreams remained elusive, its true face unknown.

However, Hao Qi believed he had found a clue to Mobi Mobi, and that clue was... Lan Ling'er!

There were too many doubts and too many clues, from the words and phrases used, to the inconsistencies in behavior, and the way Sutuka treated Lan Ling'er, all pointing to the same thing. However, Hao Qi was not entirely sure, so after obtaining Sutuka's promise to answer his questions, he asked his final question about Lan Ling'er's family background. The answer he received was unexpected, but it confirmed certain things for him.

Lan Ling'er, from the Lan family, the guardians of the Blue Sea, the Azure Giant Yamonhadi, the city of dreams Mobi Mobi, the miracle of continuing to exist inside the giant creature's belly, the group of people who appear every hundred years, and the national fugitives of the Sea Kingdom, the pirate group known as the Shadow of the Blue Sea, who are difficult to trace, and the island mentioned by the crew members, which moves frequently and is hard to locate...

When all these clues were connected, the answer was...

The captain of the Sea Kingdom and the several crew members he brought controlled the entire giant warship. Some non-critical positions were given to the pirates, but the key positions, such as the ship's control and the weapon storage, were controlled by the crew members of the Sea Kingdom.

The pirates then led the way, claiming that their pirate island continuously drifted and moved. If they left for more than five days, the island would not be in its original position. However, they had a special compass that could always lead them back to the pirate island.

During the voyage, the pirates tried their best to impress, and some even offered their personal treasures and gold to bribe the crew members of the Sea Kingdom, hoping they would plead for mercy on their behalf, claiming they had no choice but to become pirates to avoid being killed...

However, when Hao Qi reduced two of the pirates to flesh and blood, not only the pirates but even the crew members of the Sea Kingdom were terrified. No one dared to make any promises or accept any bribes. The atmosphere remained tense and fearful, and after five days, the warship finally reached its destination.

In the vast Blue Sea, there was indeed a huge island, covered with dense trees and green grass. On one side of the island, there was a modern port, though small and without any incoming or outgoing ships. However, there were more than ten ships of various sizes docked at the port. A road led inland from the port, flanked by buildings, making it seem like an island city.

Hao Qi stood at the front of the warship, silently watching the pirate island draw closer. The pirates on the ship grew increasingly fearful, with some even shooting themselves or jumping into the sea, for the things on the island were absolutely unspeakable, especially to someone like Hao Qi, who detested evil. Once he saw them, they would have no chance of survival.

Although Hao Qi was mentally prepared, he never imagined the depths of human depravity. On the island, there were at least a thousand pirates, and the rest were all slaves, whether captured during raids or bought with the wealth from the raids. There were over twenty thousand slaves on the island, confined in several large enclosures. Men, women, old, and young, some were used for sexual gratification, some for labor, and these were considered the lucky ones. Others were tortured to death, and some were skinned and dried, with their skins and dried bodies sold to nobles and aristocratic families on the mainland, some of whom had similar collecting fetishes.

Some were used for various alchemical experiments. Hao Qi had seen the alchemical laboratory, and the sight was unbearable. People with rotting skin, infested with insects, and covered in mold, still alive and conscious, the scenes were indescribable.

Hao Qi even discovered a workshop on the island where slaves were used for experiments, or rather, for feeding. The workshop contained rare wild beasts, which the pirates claimed were obtained from the mainland. These beasts either had body parts that could be used to create powerful weapons or were valuable natural treasures. Feeding them human flesh was the most effective, so the workshop became a slaughterhouse, with countless bones piled up, and many people had become meals for the beasts.

The pirates had different ranks. Besides the two pirate leaders who were reduced to flesh and blood by Hao Qi, some were relatives of the leaders. Under Hao Qi's severe interrogation, they revealed many secrets, such as the deep connections between the Shadow of the Blue Sea and many noble families on the mainland. The pirates either eliminated enemies for these noble families or provided them with various materials, such as rare beasts fed on human flesh, certain human organs for alchemical components, or exotic women. In return, the noble families helped the pirates dispose of stolen goods, provided protection, and used their social influence to prevent powerful martial groups from opposing the pirates.

An old pirate also mentioned that the pirates had an even higher level of protection, known only to the two leaders. Some of the most powerful, thousand-year-old noble families also knew of a secret organization or family with immense power, even influencing the Inner Qi Realm. This organization or family was the true backing of the pirates. Each time, only one or two people from the organization or family would come to collect the rare materials, natural treasures, rare beasts, and exotic women, and then leave. The old pirate knew that the two leaders always respectfully called these people "Mr. Lan," regardless of who they were.

This was the pirate island, the headquarters of the Shadow of the Blue Sea, and this... was a living hell!

Hao Qi sent Zhang Heng back to the ship and instructed the captain and crew of the Sea Kingdom to return to the ship. He told them to come to the island the next day to rescue the slaves and transfer them to the ships at the port, remembering to do so the next day...

The next day, Hao Qi returned to the ship with a strong smell of blood. He did nothing, just lay on the deck of the warship, staring blankly at the stars. Zhang Heng approached him at some point, threw him a bottle of strong liquor, and said, "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"There is... You're not good at being cool. Next time, you should smoke a cigarette before coming over, or you'll just look like a kid," Hao Qi uncapped the bottle and took a big gulp before saying to Zhang Heng.

Zhang Heng chuckled, ignoring the blood on Hao Qi, and sat down next to him, taking a big gulp of the liquor. "No matter what, you did the right thing. I support your actions, no matter what."

"Of course, it was the right thing!" Hao Qi didn't look at Zhang Heng, still gazing at the sky. "There is evil in the world, and it must be punished. Don't say that the small fry are innocent; no one is innocent. They may be powerless to stop it, but they are still accomplices. The main culprits must be eliminated, and so must they. I will bear the psychological burden of what I have done, no matter how many I have killed. There is a saying I want to share with you..."

"Good and evil must be repaid, or the world is unjust. So! If heaven is not just, I will make it just!"

"Zhang Heng, remember to remind me of the noble families and their names, the names of the family members who traded with the pirates, and the names of the noble families involved. Remember to remind me..."

"When we return to the Sea Kingdom, remember to remind me!"

Outside the port, the buildings were burning, and the roads and streets were filled with bodies, covering the entire island...

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