Julio soon arrived at the pilothouse, and reported to Lin Li that The Star was ready to set sail. He had already guessed where The Star was going. After all, he had just been asked about that sea.
If he had just stepped on The Star, he would have definitely chosen to leave the ship immediately lest he died along with the destruction of the ship.
However, after seeing the battle between Lin Li and High Priest Poer, Julio knew that the young Sanctuary powerhouse of the Tower of Dusk was just as powerful as High Priest Poer. He felt that there would be nothing to worry about when going to the cursed island with such a powerful person.
In the dark, The Star slowly left Helena Port; the process was silent due to the use of an alchemical power system. It was not until the dawn of the next day that the people at the port discovered that the massive battleship had disappeared from the port overnight without making a single sound.
Lin Li was no longer concerned about what reaction he would spark among the people in the Gilded Kingdom. At this moment, Lin Li was standing on the deck of The Star with Connoris and the others as they sailed to the north of Four Seasons Island.
Almost at the same time, several large battleships with pirate flags were sailing quickly against the wind on an abandoned route that was far away from The Star. When Lin Li saw these pirate ships, he was surprised to find that they belonged to the same band of pirates that had fought a battle at sea, with the one in lead being Sea Demon which was saved by the Fifth Fleet at the last moment.
In the pilothouse of Sea Demon, the three leaders of the band of pirates, the Sea Demon King Omula and his brothers Garat and Sobnar, did not seem arrogant or tyrannical at all. Instead, they were all full of respect. There was a thin old man with white hair standing opposite them with his back facing them and looking out of the window of the pilothouse.
“High Priest, the battleship is now traveling at maximum speed. If nothing goes wrong, we will be able to see that island after traveling at this speed for about 10 days or so,” said the esteemed Sea Demon King Omula, who was nodding while reporting to that elder at this moment.
“Yes, you just have to maneuver the vessel and lead the way so that there will not be any accidents,” the high priest said while turning around to look at Omula and the others. It was High Priest Poer who had suffered a loss because of Lin Li previously.
Upon hearing High Priest Poer’s words, Omula frantically bent forward even lower, and respectfully said, “Yes, High Priest, with you three godlike Sanctuary powerhouses, I believe that even if we encountered a nine-headed sea dragon, it still wouldn’t hamper us.”
It turned out that there were two other figures apart from High Priest Poer sitting in the seats that originally belonged to Omula and the others in the pilothouse. The one in the leader’s seat was the black-robed man who had sent the signal to summon the Fifth Fleet. At this moment, he was still wearing a hood with his face covered, just as before. Hence, no one could see his current appearance.
The one seated in the second seat was the white-haired old man who was none other than Elder Zumar of the Illuminati. When Omula reported to High Priest Poer, Elder Zumar frowned slightly, but he did not say anything to intervene. He simply glanced at High Priest Poer from time to time, seemingly hesitating to speak.
Seeing that the other two were not intending to speak, High Priest said to Omula and the other two, “Just work on your duties carefully. If you complete this successfully, I will pardon you on behalf of the kingdom. The three of you and your subordinates will also be given a lawful status. You guys are aware that the Fifth Fleet is now being rebuilt, so it’s not impossible even if you want to join the fleet. As for the curse on you, Elder Zumar of the Illuminati will also help you break it.”
“Thank you for trusting us, High Priest, we will definitely work hard so as not to let you down.” Upon hearing High Priest Poer’s promise, Omula and his brothers immediately thanked High Priest Poer to express their loyalty enthusiastically. They were almost baring their hearts to him.
“Enough.” High Priest Poer waved his hand in annoyance, and said, “Don’t make empty promises, I just want to see the results. If you guys mess up, I reckon you can imagine the consequences even if I don’t tell you!”
Omula and his brothers who were initially exhilarated immediately broke out in a cold sweat when they heard what High Priest Poer said afterwards. In the face of the Sanctuary powerhouses, the Sea Demon King was still like an ant even though he dominated the seas. The Sanctuary powerhouses could destroy them effortlessly.
“Yes, High Priest, rest assured that we won’t have the slightest negligence in handling this matter,” Omula said, resisting the urge to kneel down as they made a promise to High Priest Poer.
“You are dismissed.” High Priest Poer did not say anything more, since he had already promised them the benefits, and even issued threats. He reckoned that the pirates wouldn’t be able to get up to any tricks anymore.
Omula and the other two smiled and saluted continuously after hearing High Priest Poer’s words. At the same time, they hastily exited the pilothouse, but as soon as they left, their faces turned sullen altogether.
Well, most people probably wouldn’t look too happy to hear that they were going to the Ominous Land which had been rumored to be sinister for thousands of years. Even the pirates wouldn’t be entirely fearless. Omula and his brothers had heard plenty regarding the legend of the cursed island.
However, when faced with three Sanctuary powerhouses, Omula and his brothers were like insignificant ants who had no right to say no. They didn’t have to guess it at all. As long as they showed some unwillingness in front of the three Sanctuary powerhouses, they would immediately disappear from this world without a doubt.
Although in a certain sense, Omula and his brothers would definitely gain a lot out of this matter, the pirates would never be able to enjoy glory openly. Once a pirate, forever a pirate. Their future descendants would also have to be hated by everyone.
As long as the matter was completed, Omula and his pirates would end up with bloodstained hands, but they would also become lawful citizens of the Gilded Kingdom. In fact, according to High Priest Poer’s promise, they would also be allowed to join the kingdom’s navy, which was more glorious than being a pirate.
However, the benefits always went hand in hand with the risks. In order to gain more, one would have to take a corresponding amount of risk. They had already learned of that truth when they first started being pirates. They didn’t think that High Priest Poer would go back on his word, but they were really unsure if they could bear the risk.
Although the three Sanctuary powerhouses were presiding over matters here, Omula and the others weren’t fools, either. They didn’t think that the three Sanctuary powerhouses would really protect the malicious pirates if they really encountered great danger. They might even be used as cannon fodder against the enemies.
After racking his brains, Omula still couldn’t come up with a good solution. After all, he was facing unparalleled Sanctuary powerhouses, and under such circumstances, there was nothing they could do except resign to fate. Perhaps they could only pray that the three Sanctuary powerhouses would not kick them to the curb when they outlived their usefulness.
While Omula and his brothers were feeling conflicted over the mission, High Priest Poer was smiling and discussing with Elder Zumar the details of the mission in the pilothouse of Sea Demon. From the expression of High Priest Poer, it seemed that he was already certain that he would complete this mission successfully.
However, unlike High Priest Poer, Elder Zumar looked extremely worried, seemingly not too optimistic about this mission. After High Priest Poer’s excited speech, Elder Zumar shook his head, and said in a low voice, “Poer, I don’t think you should be that optimistic. That island has once destroyed our kingdom’s fleet, after all, which is something that neither you nor I can do. No matter what exactly was on the island, I have a feeling that this mission will definitely not be easy.”
“Haha, Zumar, you’re being too conscientious. Since the three of us joined forces, there’s nowhere in Anril we can’t go. Rest assured, if there had really been something that we can’t contend with on that island, the Gilded Kingdom would have long been destroyed by it.” High Priest Poer obviously did not take Zumar’s words to heart. Instead, he persuaded Zumar to stop worrying. He continued, “Besides, His Majesty Bradlor was the one who put us to this mission. We’re not just doing it for ourselves, but also for the future of the kingdom. Even if we really encounter any dangers, so what?”
In fact, High Priest Poer’s words did make some sense. In this world, Sanctuary powerhouses were already existences who stood at the peak of the world. Now that the three Sanctuary powerhouses had joined forces, they would have the power to fight even in the face of the gods. There was barely anything in this world that could threaten them.
Seeing that High Priest Poer had even mentioned the king and the future of the Gilded Kingdom, Elder Zumar couldn’t refute, and had no choice but to sigh helplessly. “Okay, put this matter aside for now. I hope that everything will go as well as you wish. However, Poer, can you forgo the grudge that you bear against President Felic? There are really no benefits to that.”
During the battle on Cage Island back then, the strength that Lin Li and the Tower of Dusk displayed had left a deep impression on Elder Zumar.
The power of the Sky Castle, which descended through space to the battlefield, could actually cause severe damage to the ancient dragon’s corpse. If it descended to the Gilded Kingdom, it would probably really cause a huge mess there.
However, Elder Zumar was not scrupulous about the powerful Sky Castle, but Lin Li whose strength seemed to be similar to his.
Although Elder Zumar had come to the conclusion that Lin Li’s strength could be compared to his after observing Lin Li during the battle on Cage Island, he somehow had a vague feeling that he would be the one losing if he fought with Lin Li.
Hence, on the account of their longtime friendship, Elder Zumar still wanted to remind High Priest Poer not to end up losing an out because of a moment of spite.
However, in the face of Elder Zumar’s persuasion, High Priest Poer seemed somewhat unimpressed. Although he had suffered a huge loss for no reason when they fought at Helena Port previously, and knew that he was probably no match for Lin Li, not everything could be determined by strength, and even if Lin Li was stronger than him, he wouldn’t necessarily be helpless when facing him.
“Zumar, stay out of the matter between me and Felic. He has himself to blame for being too arrogant. He actually destroyed the entire Fifth Fleet over a trivial matter, and made my son take all the blame. I will never forgive him for such a thing!” High Priest Poer answered resolutely in the face of his old friend’s persuasion. He didn’t hide his hatred for Lin Li.
In High Priest Poer’s opinion, he ought to be the one to teach his son a lesson even if the latter was truly incompetent. Outsiders would be insulting him if they tried to teach his son a lesson. If he couldn’t even protect his son as a Sanctuary powerhouse, he would be embarrassed.
Hearing his words, Elder Zumar frowned. On one hand, he did not want to see his old friend suffer, and on the other hand, he did not want this matter to affect the Gilded Kingdom and the Illuminati’s plans for expansion in the Breezy Plains.
After all, it wasn’t the time for the Gilded Kingdom to go to war with the Breezy Plains now. Currently, what they needed was peace, but the Gilded Kingdom definitely needed it more than the Breezy Plains, especially since they hadn’t retrieved the legacy on Cage Island yet. If they went to war prior to this, they would definitely encounter a huge resistance if they wanted to take the legacy of Cage Island in the future.
“Poer, the Tower of Dusk has an extraordinary status in the Breezy Plains, and almost all the forces of the Breezy Plains are now subservient to the Tower of Dusk. The issue between you and President Felic is not just between the two of you. It also concerns the future development plans of the Gilded Kingdom in the Breezy Plains.” Elder Zumar decided to raise the interests of the kingdom in hopes that High Priest Poer would put aside the grudge for the time being and consider the kingdom’s interests.
