Chapter 68

From a bird's-eye view, the new world resembles a giant pizza, a magical realm composed of diverse races and civilizations, kaleidoscopic and unpredictable, far more colorful and rich than the old world where humans fought among themselves. The rise of human dynasties dates back only four to five thousand years, a mere blink in the history of ancient civilizations whose architectural ruins have been abandoned to the elements for tens of thousands of years. The time it took for humans to rise as an intelligent race was incredibly short.

Before the Bright Dynasty, human dynasties generally practiced a feudal system. Whether they were human nobles or tribes of other races under the rule of the human dynasty, all were issued credentials by the imperial government, establishing a stable hierarchical relationship. The feudal lords and vassals each bore limited obligations and rights. The nobles, who were half a step lower when they met the emperor, were still absolute rulers in their own fiefs, wielding administrative, judicial, military, and financial powers. This situation of ruling as a king behind closed doors continued until the founding of the Bright Empire by a穿越者 (穿越者: time traveler).

Influenced by the unification mindset of Chinese culture, the Bright Emperor found the feudal system, where imperial power did not extend to the regions, to be unacceptable. After all, this system had been marginalized in China after the Qin and Han dynasties. Upon ascending the throne, he immediately began to implement a centralized system, weakening the power of the regional nobles.

This energetic time traveler spared no effort throughout his life to achieve a new ruling method where imperial power extended to every town. There was no doubt that any groundbreaking innovation would face fierce opposition from those with vested interests, especially such a radical change to the country's ruling structure. Not only did former enemies oppose it, but even among his own people, there were those who held different views. After countless battles, both overt and covert, and a mix of bloodshed and power struggles, the time traveler emperor finally suppressed the resistance from all sides. He successfully relocated all the human noble fiefs to the outer edges of the main continent, particularly to remote islands like Qiongzhou.

The tribes of other races that originally dominated the inland areas of the main continent were difficult to control and often ignored imperial edicts. The lands they occupied were often barren and inhospitable, and sending a large army to subdue them would have been a losing proposition.

Having finally pacified the human nobles and feeling his age, the Bright Emperor lacked the energy to undertake such a massive transformation again. He reluctantly accepted the continued existence of races like goblins. He never imagined that this act of weakness would plant the seeds of the Bright Dynasty's downfall, a testament to the saying that even the wisest can make mistakes.

A beam of bright sunlight filtered through the colorful stained-glass porthole, illuminating the entire cabin. The air was filled with the distinctive smell of herbs, which, despite being diluted by incense, still felt a bit unusual.

"Vina, how are you feeling? Are you better today?"

Pulling back the white silk curtain to ventilate the room, Luo Zhengdao, with a radiant smile, placed a bouquet of flowers in the glass vase by the half-elf beauty's bedside. He then greeted Vina Dubov, who was lying in bed, her face not as rosy and fair as usual but still exuding an intellectual beauty. The gunshot wound she had suffered had caused severe blood loss, a fatal injury for a human. If not for her half-elf constitution, which was slightly better than that of a pure human, Luo Zhengdao would have been laying flowers at Vina Dubov's grave instead of bringing them to comfort her.

"Thank you, I feel much better. Thank you for your concern, my lord, and for the flowers."

Turning her head to look at the violet bouquet in the wall-mounted vase, Vina Dubov, lying in bed, winked at Luo Zhengdao playfully. Her beautiful face now looked somewhat haggard.

Seeing this, Luo Zhengdao, still feeling somber, nodded and pulled a chair over to sit down. He said, "Rest well! I will settle the score with Najef, that bastard. If you need anything, just let me know. Oh, to take care of your daily needs, I hired two maids at the last port. They will follow your instructions."

With that, Luo Zhengdao snapped his fingers and called out, "Come in!"

Two sturdy middle-aged maids entered the room one after the other. Luo Zhengdao pointed to Vina Dubov in bed and said, "From now on, your only responsibility is to take care of Ms. Dubov. If you encounter any problems, you can come to me at any time. If anyone says or does something you find inappropriate, notify me immediately, understood?"

"Yes, my lord," they replied.

According to the unwritten rules of pirate gangs, women and children were not allowed on board during voyages. If anyone violated this rule, they would be thrown overboard along with the violator.

The existence of magic in the new world greatly reduced the negative impact of gender differences on individual combat power, but the cramped living conditions on warships were no different from the old world. Simply put, the living environment on a sailing warship was quite poor, especially in the lower decks where the air was humid and stifling, making it unbearable for sailors to work there even in the hottest weather. Allowing men and women to live together would indeed lead to many problems.

Imagine working hard on the deck all day, then lying down in a hammock at night, only to hear a shameless couple in the dark corner of the adjacent cabin engaging in sexual activity. The air, already stuffy, would be filled with the smell of the sea, making it impossible to sleep.

Why should you get to have fun every night while I suffer? Jealousy, gossip, and conflicts would inevitably arise. Even homosexual relationships, which were strictly against pirate ethics, would occur, and the common punishment for such behavior was a flogging with a cat-o'-nine-tails dipped in saltwater.

Previously, the half-elf beauty had stayed on the warship as a professional. Now, with her gunshot wound requiring long-term bed rest, she needed specialized care for her daily activities. It was clear that assigning this task to the rough sailors would be problematic. Luo Zhengdao, therefore, made an exception and hired two maids to take care of Vina Dubov. This was possible because his investment in the privateer fleet had grown, and his mysterious magical powers inspired awe among the pirates, giving him significant authority within the gang. Even Zola Hegel, who disliked everyone, was reluctant to offend Luo Zhengdao, let alone the others. Thus, his unconventional actions were overlooked.

After visiting Vina, Luo Zhengdao returned to the deck. He exchanged a glance with the boatswain, who was on patrol, and they both went to a secluded corner at the stern. Luo Zhengdao said, "Zola, have you given the message?"

"Captain, rest assured, no one will dare to say or do anything."

Luo Zhengdao shook his head slightly and said, "Better to be cautious. I don't want to have to order the execution of some fool who can't control himself."

At that moment, a sailor on the side of the ship shouted, "Hey, there's something floating in the water ahead."

Encountering floating debris in coastal waters was not uncommon, but it was rare to see anything floating on the ether sea during long voyages, unless it was broken driftwood. Luo Zhengdao was not concerned and waved his hand, saying, "Zola, take care of it."

The stern-faced boatswain went to the side of the ship and called to his men, "Lower the lifeboat and check it out."

"Aye!"

The pirates quickly lowered the lifeboat and moved toward the floating debris. Soon, they shouted back to the ship, "Boatswain, there's a woman here!"

Every sailor harbors a deep respect and fear for the unpredictable sea, as well as a fear of their own potential fate of capsizing and drowning. No matter how strong the ship, even the largest warships could be brought down by a natural disaster. Rescuing survivors at sea was a moral imperative, even for pirates who were used to killing and plundering. They might laugh and joke when forcing victims to walk the plank, but failing to rescue a drowning person was a cardinal sin at sea.

The logic was simple: if you don't save others today, no one will save you when you're in trouble. Even the most ruthless pirates had a sense of respect for fate.

Luo Zhengdao, who had been watching from the deck, was momentarily taken aback. He exchanged a look with Zola and then leaned out over the side of the ship, shouting, "Alright, bring her aboard, don't waste time."

The woman the pirates rescued from the water was plain-looking. By Luo Zhengdao's initial impression, if she had been in the old world, she would have blended into the crowd within five seconds and been forgotten. Her face was so ordinary that she could have been a perfect candidate for a secret agent.

For some reason, as Luo Zhengdao examined the woman's face, he felt something was off. He cautiously asked, "Where are you from? What's your name?"

The woman shivered and said, "My name is... Yasha. I... escaped from a disaster."

Luo Zhengdao paused, looking at the empty sea, and the feeling of unease grew. After a moment of silence, he continued, "What happened to your ship?"

"I... I don't know. I heard chaos outside, and then the ship capsized. I don't remember anything else."

This was truly a case of "I don't know" for everything! Luo Zhengdao's suspicion grew rapidly. The woman seemed to have prepared her answers in advance, and her stammering, which was supposed to convey fear, felt overly deliberate.

---

**[End of Page]**

---

**[Start of Next Page]**

---

Luo Zhengdao's unease deepened as he continued to question the woman. Her responses, though seemingly fearful, felt rehearsed. He decided to keep a close eye on her, sensing that there was more to her story than she was letting on.