Chapter 107 - Four Pirate Generals (2/2)
”Yes, my spirit beasts got dirty by exploring the forest surroundings. And since the water was warm, we decided to take a bath too.” Hei replied promptly.
He had long since become good at lying to people who asked questions about him and his family. The trick was to tell only part of the truth to seem honest. Indeed, what he said wasn't false. Except it wasn't the whole truth, that's all.
Captain Fu had no suspicions since he could see the little spider and the little snake still wrapped in towels with their eyes closed. Despite their protests, Ye and Xing had ended up falling asleep as they were being dried.
”I understand. You should still get some sleep. At dawn, the boys will start the repairs, so there will be a lot of noise.”
”Yes, we just had in mind to do this. Ah, captain. You have been doing this job for a long time, so I bet you are expert with the stories of famous captains and pirates of the past, right?”
”I can't say I'm an expert, but I have my knowledge. Do you have any questions about it?”
”Does the name Hae Seong sound familiar to you?”
Since Hei and Lian knew nothing about the past of the Forgotten Ocean and the famous people who had sailed its waters, Hei decided to ask the person who had the most chance of knowing the answer.
”Hae Seong? Familiar, did you say? I doubt there is a single seaman who doesn't know that name. Pirate King Hae Seong. He is a pirate who lived a hundred years ago. As I suppose you know, the Continent doesn't accept us, martial artists, from the islands. But nothing prevents someone from the Continent from coming to us. But, the difference between the Continent and the islands is like the difference between Heaven and Earth. Even if they are at the bottom of the pyramid, hardly anyone will face such a long journey. The only ones who could do this are spirit soldiers or lower. However, if they ended up messing around, they would be killed by the coalition of martial artists from the islands.”
”And this Hae Seong was, therefore, a spirit soldier?”
”Not at all. Hae Seong was a spirit master and also a powerful one. I heard that he offended someone important on the Continent and ran away with his tail between his legs in the islands. During his escape, he suffered serious permanent injuries, which significantly reduced his strength. Even so, he was comparable to a just advanced spirit master. In a short time, he created his crew and sowed terror in the waters of the Forgotten Ocean, welcoming many followers. However, he eventually bit off more than he could chew and pissed off the big sects. Thus, a coalition of sects confronted Hae Seong's crew, ending that nightmare. Even today, although a hundred years have passed, it remains famous, mainly because his elusive treasure has never been found. And we are talking about the treasure of a spirit master of the continent.”
Hearing the words of Captain Fu, Hei was even more convinced. He had to go after that treasure even if he had to delay his arrival on the Continent. After all, even if he went to the continent, the problem of resource shortages wouldn't have disappeared. And on the Continent, the competition would have been more ruthless.
The Spirit Artifact had defined Hei and Lian as having high-ranked talents. But it wasn't like they were a rarity on the Continent. Besides, martial artists with inferior talent could still overcome them, thanks to the support of their families. Therefore, it was necessary to obtain as many resources as possible before reaching the Continent. Only then, he would have a stable support on which to base his future decisions.
”And what about a certain pirate named Jin-Sang? Are you familiar with him?”
This time, Captain Fu's expression and voice became harsh. His eyes gave a feeling of caution and suspicion.
”Why do you ask me that name?”
Listening to his grumpy response, Hei raised his eyebrows. Apparently, the captain of the crew to which the pirates killed in the forest belonged was someone dangerous.
”I just heard it around. You don't need to answer me if you don't want to.” Hei put up an excuse that appeared to be a poorly made-up lie. But the fact that he didn't try to insist made it less lie and more like the truth.
Still half dubious, Captain Fu sighed and answered.
”Well, it's not like it's a secret, and it's not unlikely that you've heard of it. It is one of the famous four Pirate Generals. These four individuals command the largest pirate fleets in the Forgotten Ocean. Son of the Wind, Hong Shin, Storm Lightning Kan Ki-Nam, the Steam Goddess Ho Ri-Na, and lastly, Red Devil Jin-Sang. They are spirit soldiers and govern the criminal world of the islands. However, they are intelligent enough not to affect the affairs of the big sects. Not to mention that their strength makes them rather difficult to get rid of. Among them, the Red Devil Jin-Sang is said to be a descendant of the Pirate King Hae Seong. But if this is true, it isn't known.”
While telling about Jin-Sang and the other Pirate Generals, Captain Fu's eyes had focused on Hei all the time. But the young martial artist had no particular reaction.
'Am I overthinking about things, and it is really as the boy says?' Thought Captain Fu to himself.
”Thanks for your answers, captain. So, Lian and I will take our leave to go to sleep. Goodnight, and thanks again.”
Hei's words brought Captain Fu back to reality, diverting him from his thoughts.
”Oh, yes. Goodnight.”
Since Hei asked no further questions and since he had no reason to question him, Captain Fu gave up on asking where Hei heard Jin-Sang's name. As an experienced seaman, he knew when it was better not to investigate matters that didn't concern him, especially if they concerned Jin-Sang. His name carried an incalculable number of corpses behind him, some even belonging to important sects.
Hei and Lian chose a quiet spot in the camp, separated from the rest of the ship's crew. Even though the sailors were sleeping, Hei couldn't sleep if strangers were too close to him. Even more, now that their mother wasn't there with him.
'So, it's decided, right?'
Suddenly, a spirit message came to Hei's mind. The sender was none other than Lian.
'Yup. Even if we were to step back, we still have a piece of the map. There is no way he won't come looking for the fragment. But even if he is a spirit soldier, we can still act. There are three other individuals on par with Jin-Sang, and there are chances that they too may have map fragments. So it's likely that we can use their rivalry to get in the way. But before then, we need to increase our strength. We must at least reach the rank of spirit soldier.'
'So are you saying we're going to piracy as well?' Asked Lian.
The only way to increase their strength and stay updated on the situation among the Pirate Generals was to become pirates themselves.
'Yes, but rather than attacking ships of innocent people, we will target pirate ships. If we manage to destroy the stalemate between the four Pirate Generals, then it will be only a matter of time that they will try to kill each other. The ideal would be to join the crew of one of the remaining three Pirate Generals and make him/her grow to become a threat that Jin-Sang cannot overlook.'
Planned their moves for the imminent future, Hei and Lian then closed their eyes and let themselves be lulled by the sound of the waves as they fell asleep. Among them, Ye and Xing were still sleeping blissfully, enjoying the warmth of the bodies of the two youths.