Pant! Pant! Pant!Ho Ri-Na"s chest was swaying back and forth, highlighting the soft shapes that could be glimpsed from her robe. Her spirit power was now completely exhausted, and she had various wounds on her body, although none was fatal. Her hands began to tremble as Jin-Sang"s body became hotter and hotter until it smelled of burnt flesh. Inside her, she still couldn"t believe her eyes even though she had been the one to give the final blow.
"I did it? Is it really over?" Ho Ri-Na wondered in a low voice with a silent murmur addressed to no one in particular.
"Yes, captain. You did it. From now on, you are in charge of all the Forgotten Ocean"s waters. You are the Pirate Queen." Won Byung-Chul rea.s.sured Ho Ri-Na of her victory.
The Steam G.o.ddess, the first Pirate Queen in the history of piracy in the Forgotten Ocean, looked incredulously at the man next to her - Won Byung-Chul, her right arm.
He was the son of one of the elders of a medium sect and was considered one of the most exceptional geniuses, especially because he had awakened the bloodline of the fire mouse. However, Won Byung-Chul didn"t like the life of the sect, preferring a freer and less duty-oriented lifestyle. So one day, he fled secretly and embarked on one of the many unknown pirate groups. Whether it was fate or not, it happened that Ho Ri-Na was also in the s.h.i.+p he embarked on.
Won Byung-Chul quickly became attracted to Ho Ri-Na"s beauty, especially her serious expression combined with her long gray hair. It could be said that it was love at first sight. Since that day, Won Byung-Chul had never stopped staying by her side for a day. Despite his talent and bloodline, he rejected any proposal from various groups, including his sect of origin. He renounced his past, his family, his name of birth, all to stay with the one who had decided to serve for the rest of his life.
Ho Ri-Na had always felt guilty because, even if involuntarily, she was the reason why Won Byung-Chul had given up honor and fame for himself in order to help her achieve her dream. But now her dream had finally come true, and for the first time, she no longer felt guilty but was happy that Won Byung-Chul had chosen to stay with her.
Ho Ri-Na took Jin-Sang"s body, still held by Won Byung-Chul, and threw it to the side. Then she rushed over to the man who had never left her in his life and gave him an intense kiss on the lips. She had kissed many men in her life, but this was the first time she kissed for love and not to kill the other person.
Won Byung-Chul was caught off guard. He didn"t expect such a reaction from Ho Ri-Na but did not hold back. Putting his hands behind her back, he squeezed her against him and responded to her kiss with as much pa.s.sion as he could give off. He wanted to convey all the emotions he had repressed all these years at her side.
Watching the two main leaders of their crew exchange effusions with such pa.s.sion, Ho Ri-Na"s pirates launched whistles of approval. All around, there were shouts of triumph for the miraculously obtained victory. The survivors of Jin-Sang"s crew instead fell to their knees in despair. With the death of the Red Devil, it was now over for them; they could only hope for the clemency of the Steam G.o.ddess.
From the deck of the main war galleon, Ho Yeon-Hong looked up at her sister with a beaming smile as Won Byung-Chul was holding Ho Ri-Na. She knew that the silent and always faithful right arm had strong feelings for her older sister, and she had always hoped that one day they would be free to be together. Unconsciously, her gaze was drawn to the figure of another man standing in midair.
Hei was not far from where Ho Ri-Na and Won Byung-Chul were. He didn"t pay much attention to the affections exchanged by the two pirates, concentrating instead on recovering the s.p.a.ce ring from Jin-Sang"s corpse. However, his little sisters and Lian didn"t seem to share his disinterest. In fact, they were carefully staring at that exchange of affection with extreme curiosity.
Although they were divine beasts, "women" tended to reach maturity faster on certain subjects than men. It was no wonder then that the two little divine beasts were watching this scene amused, making comments in a low voice. Lian also watched the scene, maintaining her usual silence. From time to time, however, she would cast fleeting glances at Hei as her cheeks became slightly red.
"Jin-Sang"s ring. As I thought, the fragments are inside. Now I have the complete map." Hei thought to himself as he clenched his left fist tightly to express satisfaction in his heart. This long treasure hunt would finally come to an end.
Ho Ri-Na and Won Byung-Chul broke free from their pa.s.sionate kiss. Evidently, after the first moments of complete transport, they had resumed part of their self-control and separated from each other, a little embarra.s.sed. After all, they kissed in front of hundreds and hundreds of people.
"The new Pirate Queen should say something. Your men are waiting for you to proclaim victory." Hei, with a composed face, turned to Ho Ri-Na, who was still red in the face.
"What? Ah, yes... of course... How did I forget it?" Ho Ri-Na stammered as she tried to catch her breath and resumed her usual pragmatic att.i.tude.
"SILENCE! Let"s listen to what our captain has to say!" At her side, Won Byung-Chul shouted loudly, amplifying his voice with spirit power. Immediately, the underlying pirates fell silent and stood up to hear their captain"s proclamation.
Ho Ri-Na took one last deep breath and began her speech, "Today, I, we, have accomplished a great feat. Together we have defeated the fearsome Red Devil who threatened our lives. Today we have emerged victorious from this clash. As the last of the Pirate Generals, from now on, I will a.s.sume the t.i.tle of Pirate Queen. The whole Forgotten Ocean will be my domain. No, it"s not correct. It will be the domain of my entire crew. If anyone has something to say, then they will have to deal with me!" Ho Ri-Na raised her sword triumphantly.
The pirates in the s.h.i.+ps broke out in loud applause as they shouted the name of the woman who led them to victory, "HO RI-NA! HO RI-NA! HO RI-NA!"
Ho Ri-Na replied with another gesture of celebration as she continued to wave her sword. There was a beaming smile on her face. After years of tension, nervousness, and preparations, her efforts had been fulfilled, and her dream had come true. She had even finally accepted Won Byung-Chul"s love in public. What else could she wish for?
As the rejoicing cries of her subordinates continued, Ho Ri-Na noticed a detail. A particular person, no, two people, and their two spirit beasts were still there.
"I thought you were already gone. Didn"t you get Jin-Sang"s ring?" Ho Ri-Na asked, turning toward Hei. Her smile was still bright with the victory she had achieved.
"Would you let us go? Even if I possess all the map fragments?" Hei replied without giving a precise answer.
"We had an agreement if I"m not mistaken. You would have helped me to defeat Jin-Sang and become the Pirate Queen. In return, I would have given you the parts of the map he owns."
"We both know that these promises can always be broken. You and I are alike, Ho Ri-Na. For your crew, you would be willing to fight on the front lines, even at the cost of your life. The same goes for me; for my family, I would be willing to do anything, even to get my hands dirty with the most heinous crimes." Hei looked at Ho Ri-Na with a cold look as he transmitted a feeling of darkness from his body. "If I wanted, I could take out both you and the rest of the pirates at your service. In that way, I should not worry you could go on your word.
Hearing those words, Byung-Chul Won moved directly in front of I NRi, stretching his arms as if he wanted to be her s.h.i.+eld.
"b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Was that your intention-?" As Won Byung-Chul railed against Hei, Ho Ri-Na laid a hand on her most trusted man"s shoulder.
"Ri-Na?" He asked, perplexed.
"Don"t worry. If Hei wanted to do it, he would have done it already. Tell me, Hei, what do you want?" Ho Ri-Na cracked a half-smile. She had begun to understand this young martial artist who came from nowhere.
"I will be honest with you. Before long, Lian and I, together with my spirit beasts, will leave the Forgotten Ocean. Our destination during all this time has always been one - to reach the Sun Empire."
"Impossible! You can"t enter the empire-" Won Byung-Chul replied, but he stopped when he realized that it wasn"t the time for him to speak.
"For the others, it may be impossible, but Lian and I have the qualifications. I won"t go into detail, but it is so. We will first reach the Dream Island, and from there, we will try to reach the Continent. However, our helmsman, Old Tohyon, will remain here. In exchange for your lives, I want you to promise that you will not harm him; instead, you will welcome him as one of yours. I will leave the artifact s.h.i.+p to him, so it"s only good for you to make him your subordinate." Hei explained in a calm voice while examining Ho Ri-Na"s reactions.
From below, the various pirates were still prey to the euphoria of the victory to realize that something was wrong. However, Ho Yeon-Hong, whose eyes had always been fixed on Hei, noticed that strange interaction with her older sister and doubt arose in her heart.
"To reach the continent? To enter the territories of the Sun Empire? They say they have qualifications but is it really so? I know that sects have special formations left by the empire and that there is indeed a trial that grants the permission to the Continent. However, I have never heard of anyone who has made it. There is no way that one of the sects of the islands won"t bask in the glory that one of his disciples has pa.s.sed the trial deemed impossible."
Ho Ri-Na was doubtful. All Hei had said was absurd, but the constant miracles he had generated were tangible proof of his talent. If there was someone with a chance of being accepted, then Ho Ri-Na would definitely have named Hei. But it was so difficult to accept all this.
"Ri-Na. I believe him." Won Byung-Chul sensed the doubt of the woman he loved and expressed his opinion.
Ho Ri-Na looked at her trusty subordinate, and her mind cleared. "Yeah, me too. If you wanted to lie to me, you would have used something better. All the more reason, if there is a possibility that you have the qualifications, then I should stay on good terms with you. Maybe someday I could use your strength." Ho Ri-Na smiled as she stepped forward to Hei. "I guess as cautious as you are, you won"t be relaxed without a pact of blood, right?"
"Ri-Na?"
"No, let me do, Byung. I have no intention of attacking them as they recover Hae Seong"s treasure, and honestly, I wouldn"t mind having that artifact s.h.i.+p in my ranks. Making a blood pact doesn"t change anything in the end."
"No, that"s okay. I will trust you. I hope you won"t disappoint my expectations." With words that left a hidden meaning, Hei turned around, and with Lian, he started to head to the artifact s.h.i.+p. "Say h.e.l.lo to Ho Yeon-Hong and apologize to her for the events of the other time."
"It would be better if you told her yourself. But I suppose it"s your way to protect her. You, men, are really stupid when it"s about understanding the thoughts of us women." Ho Ri-Na replied bitterly to Hei"s last request, but by now, he was too far away to hear it.
Ho Yeon-Hong watched Hei and Lian landing on the deck of the artifact s.h.i.+p and going away. Within her, something broke again, but it didn"t hurt as much as the first time. Hei"s words were right - they belonged to two different worlds, and their paths were meant to travel separate roads. With bitter tears running down their eyes, Ho Yeon-Hong smiled and shouted to the rest of the pirates, "What are you waiting for? Tie up the prisoners and get ready to sail. We still have to give the good news to everyone!"
*
On a hidden island in the Forgotten Ocean, Hei was standing in front of a stone wall with strange symbols. By his side, Lian was examining the formation on the wall to find out how to access it inside; after all, it wasn"t advisable to enter by force, or they would run the risk of destroying what was inside.
They had been there for almost a day, and the blue-haired young woman, aided by Xing, had now almost wholly deciphered the opening mechanism. It wasn"t long before they could enter.
"Finished!" Xing exclaimed happily after tens of hours of work without stopping. The little spider was visibly tired, even though it was more tiredness due to hunger than physical or mental effort.
"Nice job, Xing, Lian. Have a little patience, I"ll cook something later, and we"ll be able to rest." Hei complimented the two of them. It had indeed been wise from his mother to have Lian and Xing study formations. But in the end, none of Bao Bei"s actions had been done by accident.
"Yup!!! I want to do three helpings of everything today. "(Ye)
"But you have done nothing but sleep until now, haven"t you? If anything, you should fast and give me your share of the dinner." (Xing)
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As the two little divine beasts entered a struggle to grab the largest amount of food, Hei entered the crevice that had been created in the center of the stone wall. Lian followed behind him with light and silent steps.
The interior of the room beyond the stone wall could be called a real treasure room. Treasure chests of all sizes were piled up everywhere, and the floor was covered with gold coins and jewels. It was the spoils that Pirate King Hae Seong had ama.s.sed during his lifetime.
However, Hei wasn"t enchanted by the gold or precious gems. In the end, they were objects that interested ordinary people and not martial artists. Had they had particular characteristics to the cultivation, then his opinion could have changed, but this time it wasn"t the case. Hei and Lian went deeper into the treasure room. As they went further, the value of the objects increased.
Hei recognized chests containing pills and medicines for spirit apprentices as well as first and second level spirit stones. But for someone of his level, this no longer possessed the attractiveness they had when he began the path of cultivation. Fortunately, it wasn"t that there was nothing exciting.
Further down the room, he began to find spirit stones similar to those within the Secret Dimension and plants and pills of unknown origins. He knew they were used to aid the cultivation of spirit soldiers, but he didn"t know their precise effects. Fortunately for him, Hae Seong was a provident man and had provided each chest with a guide, including the effects of the objects inside.
But if that had aroused his interest, what he saw afterward completely surprised him - a sack full of third-level spirit cores. Meaning, third level spirit beasts" spirit cores. Hei was amazed by that as he had never met such creatures. The strongest ones he had encountered were second-level spirit beasts. Also, there were pills and plants designed for the cultivation of spirit masters, the rank following that of a spirit soldier. There were also weapons of all kinds created with metals whose provenance wasn"t well known. And it was a metal that was the centerpiece of this treasure - to be precise, a series of glittering metal ingots of transparent color, almost like a gla.s.s.
"Spirit Metal." Hei read the name written on the jade tablet next to the metal ingots.
The jade tablet contained a letter from Hae Seong for the one who would find his treasure and thus recited.
"To the one who has found my treasure. I congratulate you for having gathered all the fragments. I bet there are many things whose effects are unknown to you; I left the descriptions of the effects, but it"s up to you to decide whether to trust me or not. As for these metal ingots, I advise you to keep them hidden, especially if you ever have to reach the Continent for some strange reason. These metal ingots are the reason why I had to run away. It is only for some abstruse reason that I didn"t die like my companions and managed to carry this loot with me. But after that day, I never had the courage to touch them again, and I left them buried here. I hope you will find a better use for them, something that can justify the value of my actions during my life."
That thus ended Hae Seong"s letter. It didn"t say anything in detail, but Hei was sure that these metal ingots should have great value. Her mother had also said something about the particular characteristics that certain materials had. But what they really were, it was something he could only discover after reaching the Continent.
"It didn"t go wrong; there are many useful things. But for some items, I think we should wait until we get to the Continent." Hei said with a smile to Lian. She, in turn, replied with another smile and a nod.
"Well, then. Lian, Xing, Ye. It"s time to reach the Dream Island! "