Chapter 337: Chapter 288: One is Bad News, the Other is Too
As the crew of the Cold Raven disembarked in formation, everyone realized that the ostensibly Third Order assassin, ’Hawkeye’ James, actually had an ace up his sleeve: Reanimated Corpses!
They were a group of sturdy men in tattered clothing. Their eyes glowed a ghostly green, their skin was dark and bluish, and their canine teeth were pronounced. Even after being treated with Black Sorcery, a lingering scent of herbs and the stench of death clearly emanated from them. Apart from a few Transcendent pirate officers, most of the crew on this adventuring ship were not living humans at all. Instead, they were a group of Reanimated Corpses, the kind Byron and Violet had once encountered on Silvergold Island (Chapter 229).
He, however, wasn’t as surprised as the others. From the moment he began to read the information about the Cold Raven, he had also taken a passing glance at James, the assassin captain. The information regarding those of the same tier was fairly complete, so naturally, he had seen the cards James held.
One must not underestimate these adventurers who are active on the front lines year-round and still manage to thrive. Compared to pirates, they are more suited to the saying ’the last one standing is the king.’ Operating on the border between the Humanized World and the Natural World, one never knows what astounding aces they might have hidden; none of them are simple to deal with.
The knowledge to create Reanimated Corpses came from the Voodoo Sect’s forbidden book, the Fudu Sect Ritual. These Reanimated Corpses lacked intelligence and felt no pain. They were incredibly strong, moved swiftly, and were unfazed by common bullets. They were often used to replace draft animals for labor or as cannon fodder. They required only a few human commanders to unleash their considerable power. During long ocean voyages, they could enter a dormant state. This greatly reduced their consumption, alleviated logistical pressures, and increased the endurance of a single voyage. Once their numbers reached a certain point, they became an absolute catastrophe.
Byron had also heard that the Voodoo Sect’s development was extremely rapid within the Bantaan Archipelago, with many branches appearing on the major islands in the Sapphire Sea. The Black Tongue Brotherhood he had encountered previously was one such branch, adhering to the principle: "All members are brothers, keep secrets for one another, and would take a knife for a brother." He hadn’t expected to encounter one here so suddenly. However, it was still unclear where ’Hawkeye’ James Kent had learned this forbidden knowledge, or whether he had joined the Voodoo Sect.
Just a moment ago, James had been somewhat demoralized for being outmatched in the art of assassination. But now, seeing his prized creation, he immediately perked up again, boasting with pride, "How about it, Your Excellency the Governor, my crew members are quite impressive, aren’t they? Reanimated Corpses have already died in the flesh. This makes them one of the most suitable types of troops to face the Coral People, as there’s no worry about them being parasitized by the coral disease. Moreover, most of these Reanimated Corpses were formerly my assassination targets and enemies. I don’t need to clear the battlefield like other assassins. After my targets die, their bodies will naturally rise again to clean up the aftermath and thereafter serve me with absolute loyalty—truly making the most of them. Isn’t this ’assassin and laborer all-in-one’ idea great?"
James felt that although he lagged in the art of assassination, he had at least regained some ground in the utilization of ’spoils of war.’ His confidence was instantly somewhat restored. His chest puffed out naturally.
Byron didn’t further dent his confidence. Thinking of his series of factories at Torrentfort, he even nodded in approval, "Hmm, they are indeed quite impressive. If used for simple, repetitive tasks, they’d even save the wages of assembly line workers. I think this concept is indeed worth initiating a project for; our Pioneer Bank should also invest."
The civil officer following him immediately took note, planning to approach Catherine for funding to mass-produce an army of these ’laborers.’
"Captain ’Hawkeye’ James, please. I’ve just taken office, and many affairs in the colonies have yet to be handed over. I’m also not quite familiar with the Celestial Orbital Belt. I hope that you, as an expert, can bring me some good news."
In reality, the souls of the Newman brothers had become members of the Mad Hunt Legion. Additionally, the former military chief from Beret Tanya, who held the [Preempting the Enemy] ability, was also present. Byron’s understanding of the colonies far surpassed anyone else’s. However, in other respects—such as the current exploration progress on the Celestial Sphere Circulation by the first and second echelons, and the number of frontline adventurers—he was far less knowledgeable than James.
Acting as host, Byron led the party back to the sitting room of the Governor’s Mansion. Sitting opposite him, James brought an unexpected yet, in hindsight, logical piece of bad news.
"I do have two pieces of news to share with you. For the first piece of news, it would be best not to hold out too much hope for this batch of reinforcements. Apart from the strongest People of Castilia, I don’t think any Fourth Rank Heroic Level Transcendents will be returning."
Byron had already sensed this, but his heart still sank when James confirmed his conjecture. "What do you mean?"
James didn’t beat around the bush. Shedding his flamboyance, he spoke earnestly, "Your Excellency the Governor, as you know, the May Wind, steered by the Fourth-order Heroic Adventurer Balboa, stands out even among the first and second echelons of various nations and major powers. Apart from a handful of Fifth-order Legend adventurers, he was truly a first-rate existence. Otherwise, even with the Sacred Relic: Desire Compass in hand, he wouldn’t have been the first to reach the New Continent. This indirectly led to him and his entire crew losing their lives. But that’s the nature of adventuring; no one knows whether tomorrow or an accident will arrive first. The others will not shrink back. Instead, they will take the misfortune of their predecessors as a lesson, become even more cautious, and then advance by stepping over the bones of those who came before..."
Hearing James’s account, Byron gradually understood the full picture. Adventurers were a group that forged ahead, driven by the maxim: "I came, I saw, I conquered." The previous master of the Tayman Archipelago, known as ’Nine Lives Cat,’ died an unfortunate death during an adventure, leaving the hard-won colony to Byron and Catherine. This Fourth-order Heroic Adventurer, Balboa, though he fell during the adventure to conquer the New Continent, also proved to other adventurers that the New Continent truly existed.
Everyone only remembers the first; no one ever cares who comes second. Knowing that someone had almost snatched the first place that rightfully belonged to them, all the top-echelon adventurers were nearly driven mad. Especially those powerful Fifth-order Legends, who felt they were just one step away from ’safely’ reaching the New Continent. Even though officials from various countries had already issued conscription orders due to the blockade of sea routes and disputes over the Right to Protect. But unless they were the unlucky souls who had accepted royal or official funding and were burdened with defense contracts, the true masters paid no heed to those decrees. At this critical juncture, nothing was more important than discovering the New Continent. They wanted to be pioneers, forerunners, to leave their names in history! As for the crisis in Banta’an? Let’s deal with that when we return, they thought.
Byron couldn’t help but fall silent for a moment. I knew it. The Kingdom’s urgency to integrate its colonial forces must have meant they anticipated this situation. So, the returning reinforcements are those dependent on the Kingdom’s funding, with no Fourth Order individuals, and at most, they might bring back a few Wonder Adventure Ships?
Even if one reached the pinnacle of the Transcendent path in this world, they could still be overwhelmed and killed by a mob of those of Low Order. There was never a rule stating one couldn’t defeat enemies of a higher tier. To take down a Fallen Fourth Order individual, there are two methods: one is a head-on clash using overpowering High Order strength, and the other is the wolf pack tactic employing a large number of Low Order attackers. The confident People of Castilia chose the former; Hightins had obviously chosen the latter.
James spread his hands, indicating that was exactly the case. "Because I started as a privateer captain and only later became an adventurer. The Transcendent knowledge of Phantom Blade came from the York Family. I had to come because I signed an agreement with the Kingdom and received promotion resources for the Third Order Middle Sequence. The true elites are still racing against time to replicate the May Wind’s route, hoping to be the first to land on the New Continent."
Maids served them—Byron and James—and the assembled pirate officers cups of Blue Mountain coffee, produced in the Newman Family’s territory in the Blue Mountain range.
Byron took a sip of the aromatic coffee, calming the disappointment in his heart, before continuing, "And the second piece of news?"
James picked up his coffee cup. He carefully checked its contents, ensuring there was nothing related to sea creatures, before daring to take a sip, a hint of lingering fear on his face. "The other isn’t good news either. On our return journey, we deliberately passed through the route the May Wind took when it fought its way back to the Bantaan Archipelago from the Celestial Orbital Belt. But we unexpectedly found that many native islands along the way had fallen into an eerie silence. Shattered shipwrecks littered the coastlines, and Coral People, developed to their extreme stage, were fused with reefs and ship planks. Barnacles, corals, and various other strange growths released large swathes of white fog. Within the fog’s range, a tenacious hypnotic effect permeated, causing everyone on the islands to fall asleep. Once asleep, not even fire could rouse them, and their bodies were slowly mutating. I dispatched a team of Reanimated Corpses to land on an island and investigate when a strong wind temporarily dispersed the fog; that’s how we discovered the anomaly."
"Oh, and I also saw a lot of leftover carapaces. I suspect those natives fell into a deep slumber due to the white fog or from consuming contaminated food. In other words, a significant portion of the seafood along the May Wind’s route of activity might have been contaminated. The characteristics and transmission methods of the coral disease have become more varied. My advice is to avoid eating seafood for the time being, especially raw seafood."
As soon as he finished speaking—
"PFFT!"
Byron, along with Alfred of Blood-Red Whiskey—who had just finished digesting a ’Squid Seafood Thick Soup’ from his culinary life list—both spat out the coffee in their mouths. Alfred’s latest entry on his culinary life list, a ’Squid Seafood Thick Soup’ sourced from an Octopus Warship, had only just finished digesting. Naturally, he had also invited his captain, who shared his penchant for ’squid,’ to partake in the delicacy. The two gourmands’ verdict had been: a taste of paradise, with a lingering fragrance so delightful it made them involuntarily loosen their clothes in sheer satisfaction.
At this moment, Alfred could only console himself: It was cooked. Those squid tentacles were definitely cooked. There shouldn’t be a problem.
Byron, on the other hand, wasn’t too worried. Even if his abilities were suppressed by his Rank, resulting in incomplete information from his readings, he doubted he’d make such a basic error.
Besides, I have the Blood of Immunity. Even if the Kraken itself came, I’d dare to grab its leg and take a fierce bite! A small scene like this is no big deal.
「In the days that followed」
With the return of support forces from various countries, the Bantaan Archipelago became lively once again. But just as James had said, most countries had only brought back a number of Wonder Warships, comparable to Fourth-level Nominal Battleships, undoubtedly opting for wolf pack tactics in unison. Jamestown Royal Harbor also welcomed back the Boar Warrior and the Butterfly Fish. These, along with the Golden Deer, the Cold Raven, and the Fourth-rate Ship Support—Major General Newman’s former flagship—formed Hightins’ "Zoo Front."
「They didn’t have to wait long.」
The Governors of the various nations in the Bantaan Archipelago were soon convened for a war council jointly hosted by the Lighthouse Union and the Church. The mission to intercept and destroy the May Wind officially began.