I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 807 - 807 806. Pirates

Chapter 807: 806. Pirates Chapter 807: 806. Pirates Shia was the first to react. There were no windows in the kitchen. Taking three steps as if they were two, she passed through the narrow cabin and saw the chaotic sailors moving back and forth on the deck, their shouts intermingling with the booming of cannon fire, immediately transporting her back to the battlefield.

Bang—

A whistling sound approached her, and Shia saw a dark lead cannonball speeding past the gunwale, carrying some wood splinters with it, heading towards the mainmast at a sharp angle.

If the cannonball hit the mainmast, it was highly probable, perhaps nine times out of ten, that the ship was done for. In this era, powered by sails, a broken mainmast was usually a death sentence; the only option would be to abandon ship.

There was no time to react. Shia stood still, and some invisible force immediately bound the cannonball.

The fuse was already burning into the cannonball, about to make intimate contact with the gunpowder to bring forth a tiny spark of civilization.

But that flame was extinguished by the invisible force and failed to fully emit light and heat, not being able to offer its youth.

Beyond the cannonball, Shia saw three ships in the distance.

These three ships were slightly smaller than this one, with only two masts each. Such ships were nimble and fast with the wind, and they were cheap to build, usually used as short-distance merchant ships or costal guard vessels.

However, at the top of the masts of those ships flew black flags.

The black flags bore the symbols of swords and skulls, a clear indication that they were pirates.

Shia did not know which waters they were in, but since they had sailed a while without docking, it must be the open sea, where pirates commonly appeared.

This also meant there must be islands nearby that served as bases for the pirates.

These pirates possessed cannons and three ships with plenty of men; they must have already plundered several vessels. Since schooners were not suited for open sea voyages, a significant portion of their wealth was likely not spent and left on the island.

Meaning, these pirates, they must be rich!

With this thought, Shia could no longer contain herself.

“Pirates, pirate attack!”

A sailor perched at the very top of the mainmast shouted. Amid the cannon fire and chaos, it was impressive he could be heard at all—this is why sailors needed to have powerful voices.

The ship quickly organized a counterattack. Captain Zhang Zheng turned the wheel, directing the ship toward the three pirate ships to effectively reduce the hitting surface and prevent being turned into a sieve.

Of course, this tactic meant fewer cannons could be used, only the two at the bow could directly face the enemy, the others had to wait until maneuvering before they could fire sideways.

Another volley of cannon fire sounded, but this time most of the cannonballs fell short, splashing into the water.

In this era, although cannons were powerful, their accuracy was a constant source of complaint; often two ships could bombard each other for half an hour and both emerge completely unscathed.

Thus, a common tactic was for ships to approach one another closely and exchange fire at short range, betting on whose ship was more resilient. This led to the evolution of ever more robust warships that could endure numerous cannon hits without faltering. Subsequently, weapons experts began researching how to increase the size and strength of the cannons, ushering in the era of great ships and big guns.

Of course, all these developments were later changed by air superiority, aircraft carriers, and then the era of missiles—but that’s a story for another time.

Shia looked ahead to see the three pirate ships gradually spreading out to encircle from three directions, ensuring that no matter how Shia’s ship moved or maneuvered, it would inevitably face being caught on the flanks.

On the sea, numerical superiority was overwhelming.

That is, relying solely on ships.

Shia moved to the bow, where sailors were still busily loading cannons, preparing to attack the ship right in front of them. Noticing Shia, they tried to persuade her to leave.

“Miss, it’s dangerous here, you should leave…”

One of the sailors kindly advised.

But before he could finish, he saw Shia raise her right hand.

A kind of palpitation that even common people could not ignore spread and diffused through the air, a moment of quiet enveloped the sea.

It was like a noisy classroom during a self-study period, when everyone was speaking freely, and suddenly, in a coincidental moment, all the voices disappeared.

The sailors looked at each other, feeling a hint of fear; the girl clad in armor seemed to be disturbing reality.

The next moment, something twisted escaped momentarily from Shia’s hand.

Only under the most intense sunlight was it possible to see these twisted entities, palm-sized orbs of light, completely transparent, only the wind could decipher their shapes.

The orbs of light started off slowly, like a snail climbing step by step, but quickly, they began to accelerate, becoming extremely fast, surpassing cannonballs and heading straight for the pirate ship in front.

On the pirate ship, the fierce pirates were busy loading cannons and sharpening knives, preparing for the upcoming boarding battle; some noticed that the gun fires of another ship had suddenly stopped and before they could celebrate, they felt something hit their own vessel.

“Did we hit a reef?”

The pirate ship’s first mate, holding onto the railing, couldn’t help but ask.

“Idiot, we are in the deep sea, where would the reefs come from?!!”

The captain cursed angrily and looked forward, trying to figure out what they had hit.

However, it wasn’t long before he didn’t need to search any longer.

For as soon as the invisible orb of light touched the hull of the pirate ship, it exploded the bow in an instant, shattering one-third of the ship along with the pirates and cannons.

Even the ship hadn’t had time to react; it kept moving forward.

The ship, as if bitten by some massive beast, had its missing section quickly start to affect the remaining parts as copious amounts of seawater rushed in, causing the ship to begin sinking.

“Abandon ship, save yourselves, it’s beyond hope, abandon ship!”

Someone shouted, and the sailor standing at the top of the mast quickly climbed down, grabbed a plank, and leaped into the sea.

“Getting out of here.”

The captain also decisively grabbed his belongings and prepared to abandon ship.

“Wait, shouldn’t you, as the captain, go down with this ship?”

The first mate immediately blocked the captain.

“Have you been reading too many novels? We’re pirates, not soldiers; when it’s time to run, we run. Get moving!”

The captain rebuffed him, then stepped past the first mate and leaped, about to hit the water.

But the next moment, the second orb of light arrived swiftly.

This time, with no ship bow to obstruct it, the orb of light went straight into the ship’s hull, dropping into the ammunition depot.

Boom—

A huge explosion and flash of fire occurred; in an instant, the ship turned into a fireball on the ocean surface, burning like a fleeting tombstone.

“I want to give it a try too.”

Lu Ban, eager to try, rolled up his sleeves.

But seeing this, the other two pirate ships immediately ceased their cannon fire.

Before long, a white flag was raised.

The initially boastful Lu Ban suddenly deflated.