Chapter 33

Unable to achieve the expected ideal results, Luo Zhengdao used the opportunity of the artillery assault to temporarily suppress the undead's counterattack. He then took the chance to leap over the ship's railing onto the ghost ship, standing alongside the sailors. Seeing this, the pirates, who had just suffered a minor setback, were greatly invigorated. There was an old saying in the Old World: "The courage of the soldiers is the courage of the general." A commander who stays in a completely safe place while directing the army is unlikely to be respected by their subordinates, especially in an era when long-range striking power was not well developed. Ensuring that the commander's image is visible to the soldiers at all times is one of the main responsibilities of a commander.

Vina Dubov, seeing Luo Zhengdao's reckless move, hurriedly shouted, "Will, come back, it's dangerous over there."

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao didn't even turn his head, and said with great confidence, "Don't worry, I have a plan."

The magic card Luo Zhengdao used earlier seemed to have more thunder than rain, showing no significant effect. However, the power of a magic card master is not just a show of words. The effect of the hexagram magic card was simple: within the range of the magic array, it reduced the enemy's attributes by 20% and increased the attributes of friendly units by 15%. This might not seem impressive at first glance, but the comprehensive suppression effect meant that all attributes of the enemy were reduced. In simpler terms, the health, attack, defense, evasion, and recovery abilities of the enemy were all reduced by 20%, while the friendly units were enhanced by 15%. This difference of more than a third was a terrifying cheat, which could make the enemy, if they had blood vessels, burst with indignation.

"Charge!"

With his subordinates engaged in battle, Luo Zhengdao couldn't just stand by. He shouted, crouched down, and drew his sword, charging forward. Inheriting the sword skills of his predecessor, Will Needham, who had trained for many years, Luo Zhengdao wielded his long sword with great ease, almost as naturally as using chopsticks. In a moment, he rushed to a skeleton soldier clad in rusted chainmail. Successfully blocking the soldier's saber slash, Luo Zhengdao then flipped his wrist and smashed the brass counterweight at the end of the hilt into the skeleton's weakest point, the facial bones.

"Kwa!"

With a hoarse, strange sound, the skeleton's faint soul fire could not withstand the heavy blow, and its entire skeleton collapsed, the dry bones scattering on the deck of the ghost ship. This was a good omen for Luo Zhengdao's first victory. Seizing the momentum, he raised his sword and loudly encouraged his subordinates, "Attack! Everyone, put in more effort and send these dead bones back to their graves."

"Kill! Get rid of them! Sonic, don't step on my foot..."

...

"Is this junk the loot?"

After about an hour of battle, the heavily damaged ghost ship disappeared in a dazzling blue light. As the dust settled, the bloody fight came to an end. Luo Zhengdao looked at the pile of loot in front of him, his brows furrowed, as if he had just drunk a pot of bitter wine.

The pirates had paid a heavy price in casualties, completely annihilating the undead on the ghost ship and winning the encounter. However, victory did not always bring genuine joy, especially for pirates. They risked their lives for wealth, and battles with little reward were not something they were willing to participate in. If it weren't for the ghost ship initiating the conflict, the pirates would have preferred to ignore it and avoid a fight with these poor creatures.

The ghost ship was a wanderer of the Sea of Death, existing for countless years. The undead, unlike living beings, did not need supplies or wealth, and could be described as utterly destitute. In the limited time before the ghost ship disintegrated and sank, the pirates found very little valuable loot, which was why Luo Zhengdao was so disheartened. Let's take a look at what the loot consisted of: a pile of rusty iron weapons, rotten cloth that crumbled at a touch, a few gold and silver coins. There was nothing of real value.

Flipping through the old junk, the boatswain, Zola Hegel, shook his head in disappointment. Then, he seemed to have another idea and said to Luo Zhengdao, "The treasure map we found in the captain's cabin is probably the most valuable loot. Are you interested in buying it, Captain?"

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao rolled his eyes, knowing that Zola was trying to take advantage of him. However, the pirates had worked hard for nothing, and if the treasure map didn't sell for a good price, everyone would be very disappointed, which would be bad for morale.

After thinking it through, Luo Zhengdao, knowing it was a trap, had no choice but to take the fall. He said with a bitter smile, "Alright! I'll give you fifty gold coins."

Zola Hegel, seeing this, thought it was too little and continued to persuade Luo Zhengdao, "That won't do, Captain. Your offer is too low. This is a treasure map of the great pirate king, Jess Barlock, not a cheap item from a market stall."

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao couldn't hold back his urge to criticize. He wanted to mock Zola but remembered that recruiting a capable boatswain was not easy. After several deep breaths, he suppressed his displeasure and said with a strange expression, "Zola, neither of us is a tomb raider. We are pirates, understand? Digging for treasure is unpredictable, so the value of this map is hard to determine. How about this: I'll add more, one hundred gold coins for the treasure map. Is there anyone on the ship willing to pay more?"

It was clear that the old, faded treasure map looked pitiful. Every new pirate had encountered similar dubious treasure maps, and everyone knew the likelihood of finding real treasure was low. Many people had left their families and worked hard to find treasure, only to end up with nothing or, worse, lose their lives. Those who found treasure and returned rich were rare, and the dream of getting rich from treasure was often unrealistic.

After Luo Zhengdao announced his offer, no one spoke up for a long time. He chuckled and said to the boatswain, spreading his hands, "It seems no one else is interested. Let's go with my offer."

The name of the pirate king was intimidating, but who could prove that this treasure map was from the famous pirate king? The more famous a person, the more people would try to associate with them. Over time, only new pirates, filled with legendary stories, would believe in such treasure rumors.

The title of pirate king was not something anyone could claim lightly. Even a powerful pirate leader with a vast fleet, whose sails could block the sky, would be ashamed to call themselves a pirate king without the Seven Seas Dominator's Proof. The pirate king Jess Barlock, mentioned in the treasure map, lived 4,900 years ago, during the age of the Aether Sea, when the Gnome First Empire ruled the mainland.

The famous Captain Jess was the fourth and last pirate king to be widely recognized in history. His fame among the new world pirates was as high as that of the entertainment stars in the old world. There were no fewer than two hundred ballads about him in the taverns.

In the process of verifying the authenticity of the treasure map, Luo Zhengdao learned a lot from the half-elf beauty. In brief, from the recorded history of the new world, which spanned from the ancient fairy civilization, dragon civilization, magic civilization, and the Gnome First Empire, to the subsequent human dynasties, a total of tens of thousands of years, there had been only four pirate kings. On average, one pirate king appeared every ten thousand years, showing how difficult it was to earn the title.

Treasure maps were a common method for pirates to hide their loot. After each raid, the loot had to be converted into cash and distributed. From large warships to small toothpicks, everything had to be handled this way, and the loot was then distributed to all sailors according to pirate rules. This process required a lot of time and effort.

Often, due to survival pressure or the need to capture more valuable prey, pirates did not have the time to distribute the loot in an orderly manner. In such cases, the loot would be temporarily stored in a secret location, to be opened at a suitable time. The treasure map recorded the information about the hidden treasure. However, pirates were not saints; they would guard against the theft or copying of the treasure map and be wary of the captain or other high-ranking officials trying to keep the treasure for themselves. Therefore, a treasure map was more like a puzzle than a clear map.

Solving puzzles always carried risks. If the later finders misunderstood the clues on the treasure map, they could die from the traps guarding the treasure or be led into dangerous situations. This was the main reason no one was willing to bid against Luo Zhengdao. Even if the treasure map was genuine, retrieving the treasure was a high-risk activity that required significant resources and the willingness to risk one's life, which the ordinary sailors did not have.

Luo Zhengdao solved the distribution problem by taking a loss. At this moment, he felt a slight discomfort and soon realized that the old problem of the荒神 curse was coming back. He quickly walked to his room and, before entering, instructed the sailor guarding the captain's cabin, "I need to rest. No one is to disturb me. If there is an emergency, the senior crew members will discuss and handle it on my behalf."

"Yes, my lord."

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