One Sneeze Destroys A Magical Civilization

Chapter 18 Merchants and Pirates

"If you don't want to die, hurry up! Throw all these ballast stones into the sea! Otherwise, those damned pirates will catch up to us, and we will all die."

A middle-aged man in his fifties with a bushy beard was standing on the deck yelling at the busy sailors.

It is not difficult to see from the way he is dressed and giving orders that he is the captain of the ship.

And those sailors who were yelled at didn't care about their captain's bad attitude.

One by one, they exerted all their strength to lift the heavy ballast stones up from the lowest cabin, and then quickly threw them into the sea water.

Because the sailors know that the old captain is right.

If the pirates at the rear catch up, with only the small number of people on their own ship, it is estimated that they will all be chopped to the ground within a few minutes.

What's more, most sailors on merchant ships are just coolies and have not learned how to fight.

But unfortunately, the shape and structure of the ship determine that even if they throw all the ballast stones, cargo and supplies, it is impossible to go faster than a warship specially modified for pursuit and combat, or a pirate ship.

The distance between the two is still getting closer.

After a while, the owner of the ship, a male businessman in his thirties from Askatra, the capital of the Amn Empire in the north, finally couldn't sit still anymore.

He put down the valuable binoculars in his hand, walked quickly to the old captain, and asked in a slightly trembling voice: "Bass, are we going to die? What will those pirates do after they catch up? Kill everyone Kill them all? Or imprison them and hold them for ransom?"

"I don't know. It depends on which faction of pirates they are, and whether the leader is human." The old captain named Bass replied with a wry smile.

Gudong!

Hearing this sentence, the businessman swallowed subconsciously immediately: "I... I seem to have seen orcs, hobgoblins and ogres on the pirate's deck just now."

"What? Hobgoblins and ogres!" The old captain opened his mouth in surprise, followed by swearing through gritted teeth. "Damn! How could we be so unlucky! That must be the ship of Harlett the Bloody Hand! Only he can control and command those ogres with infinite strength and low intelligence."

"Hallet the Bloody Hand?"

When the businessman heard this name, he couldn't help shivering.

Because of all the merchants who transported by sea in the Sea of ​​Swords, there was no one who would not know this vicious pirate captain.

It is said that he was originally the son of a nobleman from the Kingdom of Tethyr.

He was later exiled for unknown reasons and eventually became a murderous pirate.

But it's different from ordinary pirates who just want to plunder wealth.

In addition to plundering wealth, this guy also likes to get involved in things involving conspiracy and betrayal.

For example, accepting the entrustment of a nobleman or the heir of a chamber of commerce, intercepting the target designated by the latter on the sea.

The targets are generally the client's parents, uncle, husband, wife, siblings, etc.

As long as these people disappear, the former can immediately inherit the territory, title, chamber of commerce, and an astonishing amount of inheritance.

After completing the task, Hallett will not kill the captives immediately.

Instead, they will be taken back and imprisoned, and the client will be required to fulfill the previous rewards or promises made.

The high price is often almost all the savings in a noble territory, or half of the property of a certain chamber of commerce.

If the client does not intend to keep his promise, Hallett will make a similar deal with the captives in captivity, and then help them regain what they lost.

In retaliation, the pirate captain catches the client who violated the contract.

Order those who have been murdered to dig out the heart of their own son, wife, nephew or sibling with their own hands.

This is where the title "Blood Hand" comes from.

"Blood hands" does not mean that Hallett's hands are covered with blood, but that he can make other people's hands stained with the blood of their loved ones.

No one knows whether this almost twisted and pathological preference stems from his own bad personality or his own growth experience.

But through this method, Hallett obtained a huge wealth that other traditional pirates could not match, as well as a huge intelligence network spread across cities along the coast.

Even the famous Shadow Thief of Amn occasionally chooses to cooperate with him.

"Mr Bernard.

I think we had better presently abandon the ship and all its cargo, and escape to the island in a small boat to hide.

Although taking out those special goods and distributing them to the sailors may be able to resist for a while, but defeat is only a matter of time.

Moreover, once the pirates suffer heavy casualties, they will definitely kill everyone in retaliation, and they may even set fire to the ship. "

The old captain of Bass gave a suggestion with a solemn expression.

He wanted to use this method to confirm whether "Bloody Hand" Harlett came here for the goods on the ship, or for the son who was most relied on by the owner of the Roldan Chamber of Commerce in front of him.

if the latter one……

That means that he is involved in a power struggle within the chamber of commerce.

The businessman named Bernard was obviously aware of this, and his brain quickly flashed through several brothers and sisters who were usually in competition with him, trying to find someone who had the motivation and ability to do this, and finally took a deep breath and clicked Bottom: "Yes!

When the boat was about to run aground when entering the shallow water area, we went directly to the island by rowing a boat.

But there is a small problem.

In order to save costs as much as possible when the ship sailed, it was not equipped with enough small boats.

In other words, we have to abandon some sailors. "

"What? Not enough boats?"

The captain froze for a moment, and subconsciously glanced at the number of small wooden boats fixed on both sides of the ship.

It turned out that except for the four ships near the bow that are often used, the rest are random pieces of rotten wood.

If this thing is thrown in the water, it is guaranteed to fall apart in less than a minute.

Four small boats, based on the fact that one can hold up to six to eight people, can only carry twenty-four to thirty-two people at best.

And this large merchant ship employed more than 60 sailors.

Old Bath couldn't guarantee that when he announced that he could only take half of the people away and the other half would stay to face the vicious pirates, whether the angry sailors would immediately riot.

Bernard noticed the nervousness in the captain's eyes, and immediately lowered his voice and said, "Actually, we don't need to tell the sailors the truth. We can sneak a few cronies and land on the island in a small boat while everyone is not paying attention. After all, the fewer the number of people, The easier it is for us to hide, the less likely we are to get caught."

"But doing so will destroy the reputation I have built up over the years!" Old Bath growled angrily.

Without a good reputation, it is impossible to recruit sailors who are willing to go to sea with you, let alone gain the trust of employers.

This is undoubtedly fatal for a captain, even enough to ruin his life.

"At this point, what bullshit reputation are you still thinking about?

If something happens to me, do you think my father will let you and your family go?

And as long as I go back safe and sound, not only can you stay in the chamber of commerce and continue to be the captain.

I will also use the right at hand to help you change to a bigger ship and enjoy a higher share of trade profits. "

In order to get out of the extremely dangerous situation at the moment, Bernard also went all out. He changed from his usual gentle and amiable manner to make money, and he used threats and temptations.

He didn't want to be a prisoner of "Blood Hand" Hallett, let alone die at the hands of vicious pirates.

After some inner struggle, the old captain finally gave in.

Taking advantage of the panic caused by the moment the ship ran aground, he secretly took Bernard, the bosun and the first mate, a total of four people, put down a small boat and rushed to the beach with oars.

By the time others notice, it's too late.

The helpless sailors could only curse loudly, while watching the pirates who caught up began to jump, and one by one they boarded the deck with shining scimitars.

(end of this chapter)