Chapter 141 - - 141 Herd Island_1

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After settling the crew, Duge, Vito, and Barry took a small boat and snuck onto Herd Island.

Duge, now a renowned figure, boarding the island with his fleet would be a challenge to everyone, not worth exposing himself just for one lead.

…

Herd Island lies in the center of the East Sea and the South Ocean, governed by Mahamadu, the King of the East Sea on one side, and by Safra Kaniel, the King of the South Ocean on the other.

There’s no naval presence on the island.

Due to its unique geographical location, this place is essentially lawless territory.

The island features a bustling black market trade, supplying pirates who can’t enter ports with resources and handling their loot laundering.

Here, you can find wanted criminals on the navy’s list, pirates who’ve lost their ships, mercenaries out for quick money, and so on.

Mixed in are also many Bounty Hunters, lying in wait to hunt, grabbing heads and fleeing, but they are pursued by all pirates, and only the favored by the heavens escape…

Amidst the chaos, there’s a semblance of order.

In the four major seas, there are many islands like this one, but Herd Island is one of the most famous. The long-term residents, plus the transients, total at least one hundred thousand people.

…

Walking on Herd Island, looking at the staggering drunks, the iconic one-eyed pirates with hooks for lost arms, and prostitutes in revealing clothes soliciting customers by the roadside.

Listening to the unabashed swearing around.

At this moment, Duge truly felt that he had arrived in this world.

The people at the ports had been too kind before.

“Captain, when should I go find Mahamadu? I feel like I’m no longer playing a big role on the team,” Vito, walking beside Duge, said with a strangely worried expression.

Antonio’s navy had blockaded the shipping route to Herd Island. Over a hundred warships formed a menacing line, their cannons aimed at Herd Island. A pirate ship flying the Jolly Roger provocatively approached Antonio’s fleet but carelessly entered the range of the heavy guns.

The artillery fired all at once.

The pirate ship was instantly torn to shreds, and its sailors, powerless, struggled in the water before being swallowed by the sea, a sight that deeply shocked Vito.

It finally shook his long-held preference for keeping a low profile.

As Duge had said, under such an assault, if he fell into the water, it was likely he wouldn’t even make it to shore.

Duge was impulsive and made enemies of the world, even coming up with rotten ideas like making the crew dance on the deck to please their enemies, making them too conspicuous and highly likely to be targeted.

For his own safety, Vito began consciously trying to ingratiate himself among the pirates, but to little effect.

Paul was not swayed by his flattery, and he couldn’t use Duge’s pirate crew to leave any significant mark on the world. All orders came from Duge, and to improve his attributes significantly, he would have to leave.

Flattery was simply not compatible with chaos.

These days, Vito’s ranking hadn’t improved much, constantly fluctuating around four hundred seventies or eighties, close to the bottom.

…

“Didn’t I tell you? After the battle of Herd Island,” Duge glanced at Vito and chuckled, “I’m convinced that our pirate crew will make a name for itself in this great battle. After that, all we need to do is stage a little ruse, and you’ll quickly gain Mahamadu’s trust.”

Vito looked at Duge, about to speak but holding back.

“Vito, don’t rush. One day, you’ll astonish everyone,” Duge said with a smile, “Moreover, you need to understand the main storyline of the world, right? Blindly joining Mahamadu, with all intelligence coming from people around you, will leave you blind and deaf, and that will lead you to make many wrong decisions.”

“Alright, you do have a point.” Vito pondered for a moment and reluctantly nodded.

The Witch’s Cottage, where He Ya lived, was an old house with a history of two hundred years, where the witch made her living by telling fortunes and selling medicines.

With Vito there, they easily found out her residence. His skill in flattery was hard to guard against.

Duge walked the streets, vigilantly observing his surroundings.

Now.

His five senses could probably cover a distance of 50 meters.

The witch He Ya was the main clue to the Sea God Scepter and would surely attract a large number of examinees to gather here or stand guard, so being cautious was never a mistake.

At this moment.

There were still over five hundred examinees left in the simulation test, with one or two being eliminated each day.

Obviously.

Without Duge leading the group that would flip tables, the examinees in the simulation were all following the normal rules of the game, and after these days of adjustment, the elites had found their place in this world.

What really stood out were probably only Duge and that suspected “killer”, Black Magic Hand.

A bunch of cowards!

Duge suspected that if it weren’t for the simulation announcing the top ten after a month by force, these guys could drag it out in the simulation until the end of time.

Being used to two fast-paced elimination games, Duge actually wasn’t very comfortable with this sluggish style of competition.

If Qiyuan Star kept training examinees in understanding keywords through such methods, they deserved to be beaten in battles on the Alien Battlefield…

Way too passive.

…

Walking from the pier to He Ya’s cottage, Duge hadn’t noticed anything unusual along the way.

Outside the witch’s cottage, over ten pirates were queuing up, eyeing each other with hostility, nobody was willing to talk to each other and nobody dared to cut in line here.

Occasionally, pirates who came out from the witch’s cottage would hurry away.

After moving 50 meters away from her cottage, they would take off running to meet up with their own crew members waiting outside, and then, the group would quickly depart.

Occasionally, pirates who came out from the witch’s cottage alone would also have someone tail them, following them as they left.

“Captain, the witch needs quiet when she is doing her divination, so everyone who comes here for divination or for her potions must keep silent. If there’s any disturbance in the queue, they would be expelled by the witch, or even suffer her revenge,” Barry explained in a low voice, watching the witch’s cottage from a distance, “The place within 50 meters of the witch’s cottage is known as the Cursed Land, where no one dares to cause trouble.”

“How does she usually take revenge on others?” Duge asked. Having entered the simulation twice, it was his first contact with such mystical powers, and he was inevitably curious.

“Rumored to be curses like confusion, insanity, that sort of thing,” Barry shook his head and said, “I’ve only heard about it; never really seen it. But in this world, no one wants to provoke a witch. Their magic is unpredictable. Captain, He Ya only does one divination for the same person within a month, and, her fees are exorbitant. Captain, you should value this opportunity.”

“Since these people are all here to inquire about the Sea God Scepter, just finding a person to take out the question and tell everyone else should do the trick. Even if a question sells for one Gold Coin, it wouldn’t take long to break even, right?” Duge said.

“Captain, you better not think like that. Witches make a living through divination. If she finds out who has broken the rule, she will retaliate fiercely,” Barry was startled, suddenly remembering that his master was the sort who even dared to make fun of Selma, and quickly reminded him, “Captain, witches are proficient in divination. It is said that everyone who has consulted with her will form a soul link. She can easily find out who leaked the content of the divination…”

“Is there anything else we should be aware of?” Duge’s gaze wandered among the pirates in the queue, failing to spot any examinee in disguise; he had to admit these folks were exceptionally good at concealing themselves.

It was just that Duge’s current attributes weren’t high enough, and his skills weren’t suited for combat.

In a past scenario, he would’ve already gone on a killing spree here.

After all.

Witch He Ya was essentially the perfect bait.

Perhaps someone had already done so.

After all, Duge was currently ranked 15th, with fourteen others ahead of him!

“That should be it!” Barry shook his head, “I have never dealt with a witch personally, this is all information I’ve heard from others.”

“Hmm, I understand,” Duge said with an ambiguous smile, signaling to Vito, “Let’s go queue up!”

“I’m going as well?” Barry asked.

“Since she only divines once for the same person within a month, of course we must treasure this opportunity,” Duge looked back at him, “Barry, don’t you want to know about your future destiny?”

Compared to probing the mystical powers of this world, Duge didn’t care about spending more money; after all, that money wasn’t his to begin with, and he couldn’t take it with him when he left.

Plus, with Vito’s ability to flatter, the information he got might be even more abundant and detailed, and maybe they could even turn the tables on the witch…

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