242 Captain Saleen Part 1 (1/2)
Saleen did not know that even though these pirates dominated the seas, looked ferocious, and robbed people of their treasures, there were actually not many rich pirates around. To a pirate, the most valuable item was the pirate ship. The pirate ship belonged to the captain, and was unrelated to the underlings.
Saleen had killed the captain and hijacked the pirate ship, so these pirates did not feel any tangible pain or loss at all.
The pirate with a yellow mustache mustered all of his courage and took a step forward, before looking up at Saleen and saying, ”Great mage, my name is Jupiter.”
”Oh? Haha.” Saleen laughed. Currently, the emperor of the Cloudflow Empire was also named Jupiter. This pirate’s name was certainly interesting.
”Jupiter, are you literate?”
”Great mage, I can write Qin words,” Jupiter replied honestly.
”Record everybody’s information. I want it by tonight. As for the others, they shall camp on the beach, and move everything off of the ship.” As Saleen instructed Jupiter, he felt that he was not suited to be the leader of these pirates. Chaos would surely ensue since Saleen was the sole commander. However, he could not look to Lex for help either. She was an authentic noble, so she could not be the one commanding a bunch of pirates who only committed crimes. Saleen, on the other hand, did not think that he was of that high of a status yet.
Saleen swiftly delegated the tasks that needed to be completed before nightfall, and the boisterous pirates dispersed. Then, he said to Daniel, ”Stay here and keep an eye on them. I will go and discuss the matter of our departure with Lex.”
Without waiting for Daniel’s response, Saleen had already cast his unique flying skill. He was then enveloped in a cloud of mist and flew away. As Daniel watched Saleen fly in midair, he felt bitter. Saleen can fly already? Is he already grade-5?
Grade-5 mages could fly for short distances with the help of alchemical equipment, but grade-4 mages could not.
Saleen did not care about Daniel’s thoughts. He simply returned to the magic tower and went to Lex. ”Lex, I have captured more than one hundred pirates. They will be our free labor.”
Lex glanced at Saleen’s excited face, and held onto a giant piece of alchemical equipment in front of the magic tower for support. Then, Lex sighed and said, ”More than one hundred pirates? One squadron of my cavalry would be able to slaughter all of them in five minutes. And you want to rely on these pirates to take us back to the Myers Mainland? Unless we are fortunate enough to not run into any ships from Cloudflow or Alchemy City.”
The organizational structure for the Qin army was as such. Ten thousand soldiers formed a camp, one thousand soldiers formed an emblem group, two hundred soldiers formed a brigade, forty soldiers formed a squadron, and eight soldiers formed a squad. Only the numbers of support troops and mages were not fixed. Hence, Lex was not boasting when she said that her squadron of forty cavalry troops could slaughter all those pirates.
”Lex, this is not a war. I believe you do not want people to know about the alchemical boat when you bring it back, right?”
”Not at the moment.”
”Then how do we return to Alchemy City?”
At this moment, Lex then understood that Saleen wanted to use these pirates as a cover to conceal the secret of the alchemical boat.
”We have to go back. The main task has not been completed yet,” Saleen said with a smile.
Lex then said firmly, ”Saleen, all those pirates will be under your control. I won’t care about their development. And don’t think of using them for your own gain. Pirates have their own methods of survival, and furthermore, you are a mage. Are you really going to live with them at sea? Once you get to Qin, I don’t care whether you set them free or sell them away, but I am definitely not bringing them back to the Bitter Water Prefecture.”
Saleen was stumped for words. He rubbed his eyebrows and said in frustration, ”These people have been very obedient, I can’t possibly kill them, can I? I don’t need to control them with money. I just have to supply their meals.”
”I would rather spend money hiring innocent swordsmen,” Lex rejected resolutely. In her ideal country, she would not want these criminals, and even though they were obedient, she also did not want them as her subordinates.
”Then you do not object to me leading them, right?” Saleen could only settle for the second best option. He had no one under him right now, aside from Daniel who was still undecided. Saleen could not possibly delegate everything to Sika and Nailisi. If those pirates were well-trained, they could be of help as well.
”Then you will lead them. I will not be responsible for caring for them.” Lex was firm and decisive. There was no room for negotiation.
”Lex…”
”Saleen, don’t go on anymore. If you want loyal subordinates, I will give you an emblem group when I return to the Bitter Water Prefecture, and you will have one thousand swordsmen following you for the rest of your life. These pirates cannot be trusted.” Lex raised her eyebrows, and her eyes had a serene look to them. As the setting sun shone on Lex’s face, it left a layer of pearly glow on her fair skin, causing Saleen to be stunned in that moment.
At the very end, the cogitation of a noble was still different from that of a businessman. Saleen admitted that Lex’s explanation was logical. Professional soldiers were stronger and easier to manage than pirates, and they would not go renegade without any rhyme or reason. Since the Bitter Water Prefecture lacked manpower, Saleen had always thought that Lex should not refuse if she could receive additional benefits.
This group of pirates might not have been some powerful force, but they were still proficient sailors. Furthermore, there were at least hundreds of such pirates on the eastern sea of Qin. If all of them were integrated together, a formidable force could still be formed.