Pirate Kingship
Chapter 59 - 58: Lack of Martial Virtue, Octopus Silver Coin

Chapter 59: Chapter 58: Lack of Martial Virtue, Octopus Silver Coin

Although Storm Knights must strictly adhere to the motto, "I am the vanguard!" Byron always acted without impulsiveness.

They started by only killing First Order Servants, which created the lasting impression that his Class was merely Squire Level, leading enemies to underestimate him.

In the alliance, Redbeard Edward was the only Mid-Sequences Transcendent.

Before each action, Gus would slip away to scout the Privateering Alliance’s anchorage beforehand.

Having ascertained the location of this Great Pirate and eliminated the biggest threat, they would not actively hunt down the remaining Second Order pirates, but they were also far from fearful! It was purely for risk management, believing Second Order pirates to be less cost-effective than First Rank ones.

Seeing the unfavorable turn of events, the Spirit Behind declared, "I’ll come back to kill you next time!" It then activated the power of its contract, floating into the air, ready to escape into the void.

This creature retained some semblance of Human Nature and wisdom, understanding the principle of avoiding harm and seeking benefit.

Not to mention that the Mad Hunt, who should have been a mere First Order Servant, surprisingly possessed a kind of forbidden knowledge that seemed particularly effective against it. Even if it couldn’t win in a short time, it wouldn’t be defeated either. The situation had changed from one-on-one to one-against-three. If it didn’t flee now, was it supposed to wait for death?

"Stay!"

Bruh, who had been on full alert and watching it closely, was even quicker, throwing a bottle of No. 2 Holy Water acquired from the black market.

It erupted into a pristine white mist.

The Holy Water had no real effect on the three living humans, but the Spirit Behind reacted as if it had fallen into concentrated sulfuric acid.

SIZZLE—!

The escape attempt was abruptly interrupted.

A Guardian Knight cannot have weaknesses, as any lapse in attention could lead to a breach in their lord’s defense, with unacceptable consequences.

Facing different types of enemies, they had corresponding contingency plans.

Generation after generation of the Kingdom’s Guardian Knights had collectively written a comprehensive training manual.

All one had to do was execute it with an extreme level of diligence.

In a world dominated by Extraordinary Power, no one understood Extraordinary Power better than the rulers themselves.

This was how a regular army fought!

Growing up together and almost inseparable, the rapport between Byron and Bruh allowed them to rush forward with the mist.

Their sword blades, ordinarily unable to harm a Spiritual Body, now blazed with ferocious flames on one and were soaked with Holy Water on the other.

"Die!"

Byron initiated the attack with the Rooftop Sword Style, unleashing a devastatingly powerful strike known as the "Old Man’s Slash."

It was said that a skilled Swordsman, driven by rage, could cleave a rock in two with a single strike.

With Volcanic Eruption bolstering his Sword Moves, Byron’s attack seemed to carry a measure of that legendary power.

Already suffering from the corrosion of Holy Water and in a debuffed state, the Spirit Behind couldn’t dodge in time and had half its left arm cleaved off.

Meanwhile, Bruh performed a ground technique, a roll followed by a Rooftop Spinning Slash, chopping off its right leg.

The instant the Spirit Behind lost its balance and collapsed howling, Gus seized the opportunity and activated a Whalebone Charm: Leech Vampirism.

Effect: Allows a weapon to be enchanted to absorb an enemy’s life force and heal the wielder.

He finally managed to stab his shortsword into the back of the Spirit Behind’s head and gave it a vicious stir.

Subsequently, the presence of a Second Order Fallen One was absorbed by him, and the Ritual: Serial Killings of the Phantom Assassin was instantly completed.

Gus thus successfully advanced to become a First Rank Phantom Blade, becoming the third Transcendent aboard the pirate ship Golden Deer, after Byron and Bruh!

Coupled with Byron’s versatile forbidden knowledge that benefited all crew members, this strength, even when compared to the collective might of the Privateering Alliance, could almost rank in the upper-middle echelon.

The corpse was not wasted either.

Byron pressed the Holy Grail of Blood imprint on his palm against the Spirit Behind on the ground and uttered a simplified syllable:

"Fir!"

The Fallen One’s body immediately vanished in a burst of crimson light.

It produced a cup of Blood of Metamorphosis with an unprecedented concentration of Divine Light.

The Blood Brew: Angel’s Kiss, which will help with the crew’s Spirit Awakening, is also accounted for. With the Privateering Alliance as a ’blood bank,’ the crew under my command on the Golden Deer will surely experience another surge in strength before we leave Iron Anchor Bay.

In fact, only Blood of Metamorphosis brewed using a Transcendent as the source material could be used to truly concoct an Extraordinary-Level Blood Brew.

The ones previously brewed by Salman were all defective products.

For others, achieving Spirit Awakening usually required continuous consumption of Spirit Awakening Elixirs or using precious Spices to aid in meditation.

Among the vast array of over a hundred Blood Brew recipes, there was one called Angel’s Kiss with similar effects.

Ingredients: 5ml of Blood of Metamorphosis from a Second Order or higher Transcendent, 15ml of dark sweet cocoa liqueur, 30ml of fresh milk, three drops of cherry juice.

As long as one had the aptitude and drank it over the long term, the probability of spiritual sublimation could be greatly increased.

Of course, the side effects of various Blood Brews could not be ignored.

Some Blood Brews could only be used by Byron himself, who had mastered the forbidden knowledge; to anyone else, they would be outright poison.

Some Blood Brews, such as the rejuvenating Blue Blood Spring, had minimal side effects and were suitable for everyone.

Compared to Spirit Awakening Elixirs and Spices, which have no side effects at all, Angel’s Kiss would make them desperately crave... motherly love on the day they drank it!

Even a mimicked motherly love would do, at least the kind that requires a lullaby and a pat on the bottom to fall asleep.

Even if some aspects weren’t entirely satisfactory, the existence of Blood Brew had indeed saved Byron a significant amount of expenses.

This is the advantage of snowballing with strength. Defeat enemies, brew Blood Brew, enhance the strength of the group, then hunt more powerful enemies and brew higher quality Blood Brew. Repeat the cycle and successfully get on the fast track of positive growth.

Byron believed that it wouldn’t be long before the Mad Hunt’s ranks would consist of more than just the three of them. After all, in legend, the Mad Hunt was, by definition, a group. Only the Wild Hunt King was truly unique.

At this time, Gus, the money-grubber who had just completed his breakthrough, swiftly picked up the only piece of loot from where the Spirit Behind had vanished.

A small silver coin.

It bore a strange emblem that seemed to combine features of an octopus, a squid, and even a Human.

In the center, a ferocious-looking mouthpart was open, and two eyes, black and hollow like voids, were soul-stirring.

If one stared at the eight twisting tentacles, they would begin to feel an illusion that the tentacles were squirming, eerily so.

This was clearly a Miracle, but...

Tentacles? Tentacles!

Gus, that money-grubber, hadn’t yet figured out if this thing was worth any money when Byron, with an even quicker hand, snatched it away from him.

He fell in love with it at first sight and, as he looked at it... his mouth began to water.

[Tentacle Mania] activated!

The Miracle’s intrinsic level wasn’t high; it only took a small amount of Spirituality and the Echoes of History to successfully read its information.

"A Miracle silver coin forged using forbidden knowledge, which is part of a malevolent ritual.

Effect: Within a hundred meters of the silver coin, if a homicidal event occurs, the elements of the victim will be collected by it. It marks the most representative collective identity tags and presents them to the gaze of some mysterious, unknown entity.

Additionally, due to the high mystique of that entity, anyone carrying the silver coin can’t be divined by Divination below High Sequence, nor be tracked by the law.

Note: This silver coin is just one of a set of Miracles used for the ritual."

[Hidden: The Navy Department’s Conspiracy, Historical Influence 20] Decryption Rate immediately advanced from 56% to 70%.

[Hidden: The Shadow of the Red and White Rose War, Historical Influence 31] Decryption Rate also increased from 30% to 40%.

Byron’s eyes lit up.

He and Gus had already heard from the Sheriff that the Faceless Man and the Ripper were very likely the culprits behind the recent civilian disappearances (Chapter 48). But the law enforcement team had always struggled to locate them.

Combining the Blood Sacrifice intelligence provided by Bruh, they had practically confirmed Redbeard’s and the Privateering Alliance’s primary objective.

The evidence is conclusive; they really do want to replicate the Lancaster tragedy at Iron Anchor Bay. The recent spate of civilian disappearances is just a prelude to the Blood Sacrifice. And since the silver coins are part of a set, there must be other holders out there. Previously, Redbeard might have had reservations, but now that he’s been targeted by the Gunpowder Artist, he’s likely to release them all to expedite the process. As for me? Lancaster was marked long ago, so I’m naturally caught up in this. Is there a possibility to use this Miracle to my advantage?

As Byron thought this, he reached out to brew the nearby Omnitrix Franklin into Blood of Metamorphosis.

Unexpectedly, he found that this guy, under the side effects of the two whalebone talismans, had already become an Undead!

Having been used for over five minutes, his soul had been absorbed by the Mossy Tombstone within it, forming a special Extraordinary item.

Engraved in the center of the talisman was a tombstone with the name Omnitrix Franklin Joshua.

Below it, an epitaph read: "Privacy! Quickly tell me your privacy!"

"Effect: Before its grave, the deceased’s emotions are extremely stable; Human Nature has completely vanished, retaining only its knowledge and an intense desire to pry. You can ask it a question, but you must also honestly answer a question it poses.

Note: If you answer, it might broadcast your secrets via spiritual broadcast or by entering dreams to spread them to those around you. If you cannot answer, you will be subjected to a First Rank instant-death curse; if you fail the test, you will die on the spot. If left unchecked, after some time, once it has killed enough people, it would very likely transform into a new Cursed Object."

A question-answering machine? Sounds a bit like a Pen Immortal.

Byron didn’t use complex conjectures like Poincaré’s or the Riemann hypothesis to challenge the newly minted Pen Immortal. He simply asked a question that concerned him most:

I want to abandon the dark side for the light and become Captain Redbeard’s confidant. Do you think I still have a chance?

Now that they knew Franklin was bait, his identity as Omnitrix could no longer be used. But since he’s called Omnitrix, he must know who in the Privateering Alliance would be more suitable, right?

The Undead was silent for only a second before answering in an eerie tone:

"Of course!"

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