Chapter 49 My First Naval Battle (The original text describes the darkness...)
The original book provides a very detailed description of the dark vortex of Sang Zhitao.
This is a once-brilliant civilization that was buried beneath the endless ocean after a great flood. The civilization that was rebuilt on the remaining land seems to float without roots. They do not remember the great miracles created by their ancestors, nor do they know the feats they have accomplished.
Until one day, a whirlpool appeared in the ocean, and the pirate ship that was caught in it returned unharmed, carrying with it endless treasures from before the great disaster.
In particular, books and works of art that symbolize civilization have become something that every country tries its best to acquire.
The pirate ship that initially returned with treasures became the Earl of the Holy Spirit Kingdom, the most powerful nation at the time, thanks to a box of books, thus bidding farewell to a life of trials and tribulations and entering a life of wealth and pleasure.
Therefore, the Dark Vortex became the target pursued by every pirate. Artworks that could be exchanged for countless silver coins, books that could be exchanged for titles, and countless more tangible gold and silver jewels, each of which was enough to drive pirates crazy.
But the dark vortex is never born of human will; it always comes and goes quietly, with only the trembling waves and boundless colorful clouds that precede its appearance serving as proof of its arrival.
The book describes how, when endless colorful clouds appeared in the sky, a dark vortex quietly appeared at the starting point of the rippling water, returning the treasures that had been preserved for humankind to humanity.
Sang Zhitao looked at the faintly visible colorful clouds in the distance, and then at the ripples on the sea that could only be seen with careful observation, before turning to Baron: "It's always the big pirates who fight for the Dark Vortex. What makes you think we can win?"
"Adventure is our destiny. Winning or losing doesn't matter, as long as we can get our blood pumping." Baron laughed with a rare flamboyance and enthusiasm.
Sang Zhitao raised an eyebrow, looking at the rare youthful spirit he exuded, before smiling and saying, "I think we might need a battle."
Sang Zhitao recalled that in the original novel, after the female protagonist hurriedly returned to the ship, she urged Baron and his party to go to the Dark Vortex. Later, they encountered a storm and had to stop on a reef island. However, on the reef island, they found other pirates' hidden treasure and a mysterious treasure map fragment.
She thought about it. In the book, she had written that the female protagonist had escaped a group of pirate ships because she was sick, and thus went around in circles and got lost before finally finding the reef island. But if the female protagonist had faced the pirate ships directly, she could have reached the reef island directly and even escaped the storm.
"What battle?" Baron looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Sang Zhitao looked at the distant coastline with a playful smile on her face: "You'll find out tonight."
As she spoke, she shouted to Eureka above, "Eureka, turn the rudder 15 degrees to the southwest!"
"Understood!" Eureka, without asking any further questions, simply gave the order.
"15 degrees southwest? Is there anything over there?" Baron became even more curious, stopped fishing, and leaned closer to ask her.
"Don't sleep too well tonight, you'll know what to do," Sang Zhitao said, handing him the fishing rod before yawning and going back to her room.
Seeing her feigned mystery, Baron became even more puzzled. After thinking for a moment and looking at the two fishing rods in his hands, his interest in fishing vanished instantly.
He quickly cast the two fishing rods onto the deck, ignoring the fish that was jumping around on the deck, and gestured to his subordinates: "Take it to the galley and deliver it to the captain tonight."
Without waiting for the pirate's reply, he looked up and gestured to Eureka before heading towards his room.
After meeting with Eureka, he briefly recounted his conversation with Sang Zhitao, then frowned slightly and asked, "What do you think the captain meant?"
Eureka casually put her hands behind her head and walked forward, not forgetting to reply, "Whatever, all I know is that tonight... I should be able to fight."
Baron looked at Eureka's face as she turned around, at the fearless expression on it, gasped, gritted his teeth, and couldn't help but say, "You really never intend to use your brain!"
Eureka raised an eyebrow and replied in a deliberately sarcastic tone, "Didn't you always say I traded my brains for force? Now I'm handing everything over to you, my external brain~"
As she spoke, Eureka staggered toward her room.
Looking in the direction he left, Baron suddenly said, "Is the captain still not planning to sleep in the captain's cabin?"
Eureka didn't even turn her head, but waved her hand and said, "She said she doesn't live in the captain's cabin, which means that if someone tries to assassinate her, I can take the blame for her, so that's it."
Baron stroked his chin, frowned slightly, glanced at Eureka's side, then at Sang Zhitao's side, thought for a moment, and decided not to ask any further questions. He simply gave a few instructions to everyone to be careful and then went back to his room.
Time always passes faster than expected. When the moon hangs high in the sky, the entire sea turns dark blue, and the moonlight spills onto the surface, creating cool ripples.
The pirates didn't know what the first mate's orders meant, but as always, they remained vigilant against any potential killing intent emanating from the depths of the sea.
The sound of the ship piercing the sea was louder than expected. The sails, carrying the scent of the sea breeze, approached from afar, along with the fresh, pungent smell of blood.
"Bang!" Sang Zhitao kicked open her door, holding a long stick as thick as her wrist.
She walked on the deck carrying a stick, the sounds of iron and wood clanging echoing all around her.
"Knock, knock, knock!" She knocked on Eureka and Baron's door with a stick until they were awakened and came out.
"What's wrong?" Baron looked at her attire with surprise. It was an exquisitely crafted women's outfit, making her look like a noble young man dressed as a pirate, except this young man was carrying a long stick. "What are you doing?"
Sang Zhitao smiled smugly: "How's this outfit? It's my first battle in life, so of course I have to look my best."
"Huh?" Baron looked at him blankly.
Eureka, who had been yawning and waiting nearby, asked impatiently, "Where are we going to fight?"
Sang Zhitao turned to look at the dark sea, a smile playing on her lips, and pointed to a tiny black shadow in the distance, no bigger than a grain of rice, saying, "Look, here it comes."
"Are you sure?" Baron frowned and looked at her.
Sang Zhitao knew what he was asking and nodded, replying, "Don't worry, we'll definitely run into them, and besides, it's Batia's ship..."
Seeing Baron's face suddenly turn ugly, Sang Zhitao couldn't help but add fuel to the fire, saying, "So? Baron doesn't want to kill him?"
Baron's gaze instantly turned fierce as he swept it towards Sang Zhitao, and he asked sharply, "How do you know! You're just a princess, how could you know about things on the ocean?!"
Sang Zhitao had already prepared an excuse, so she wasn't afraid of Baron's questioning. She smiled and replied, "Baron, you underestimate the royal family. You always think that you're free to sail the seas, unrestrained by any land-based nation, but..."
Sang Zhitao paused, noticing the change in Baron's expression, before saying, "We know more than you think, and we control more. The sea is not a lawless place, and the land-based nations have never been useless."
This was no different from a direct explanation. Baron's expression, though still unpleasant, was better than before. He looked at Sang Zhitao with a hint of warning in his voice: "I think Your Highness would not do anything to harm the Anling."
“Of course,” Sang Zhitao replied without hesitation. “I am the captain of the Anling. I am a legal raider. With me on board, the Anling will have nothing to fear.”
After hearing this, Baron was speechless.
"Alright, everyone's almost boarding, let's hurry up!" Eureka had long been impatient with the two of them and shouted, pointing to the Red Shoes, which was already very close.
"Come on, Your Highness, let's see what real pirate life is like." With that, Baron jumped off the deck with his musket.
"I'm off!" Eureka shouted, grabbing a sail rope and flying towards the opposite ship.
"Bang bang bang!" Gunshots shattered the silence of the night. The pirates roared and brandished their muskets at the opposite ship without hesitation. Only after the two main ships were joined together did they charge into the crowd with their newly acquired weapons.
Cries of agony and shouts of joy rose and fell, mingling and creating a cruel symphony on the sea.
Sang Zhitao wasn't as brave as she had appeared earlier. After all, she was born in a peaceful era, and she was quite unaccustomed to the scene of severed limbs, remains, and blood.
However, she was the one who started the trouble, and her subordinates were still fighting to the death below. She couldn't just quietly hide after stirring up trouble, and had to shamelessly come out later to accept the cheers of victory.
Gripping the iron rod tightly, Sang Zhitao leaped from the deck, landing right in front of an enemy pirate. With a swing of her rod, she knocked the pirate's broadsword away, then lashed out with her other hand, sending the pirate flying a great distance before lying motionless, blood slowly seeping from beneath him.
"Thank you, boss!" The pirate she rescued wasn't very old, and his eyes were shining with admiration as he looked at her.
"It's you?" Sang Zhitao looked at him in surprise. This boy was the one who brought her fish that afternoon.
"Boss, I... be careful!" The boy hurriedly got up from the ground, unable to hide his joy and wanting to introduce himself to her, but his expression changed and he exclaimed in surprise.
Sang Zhitao instinctively swung her hand backward, and with a shout, a pirate flew far away. She paused for a moment before turning to the boy and saying, "You should hide first."
Without waiting for the boy's reaction, he grabbed an iron rod and charged into the crowd.
As screams rang out, people were visibly thrown out of the crowd, crashing into various objects before falling silent.
When such incidents occurred frequently, especially after Sang Zhitao swung her stick and sent several people flying, the scene of the fierce battle instantly quieted down.
The pirates of the Red Shoes stared in terror at the petite girl before them, while the pirates of the Anling couldn't hide their pride, shouting, "Captain! Captain! Captain!"
“Sylph!” Baron and Eureka quickly finished their battle and then brought a huge humanoid creature to Sang Zhitao.
"This is...?" the three asked in unison.
"This is Bhatia," Baron introduced, pointing to the enormous, inhuman-looking creature.
Sang Zhitao pointed to the three people lying not far away, groaning in pain, and said, "They were beaten with sticks."
They glanced at each other, both looking somewhat incredulous and bewildered, before continuing in unison, "Oh, okay."
After a moment of hesitation, Baron asked helplessly, "What about the rest?"
Sang Zhitao's fingertips trembled slightly as she looked at the blood-stained stick in her hand. After a pause, she said, "I'm leaving it all to you."
He then turned and walked towards his room.
"Captain..." The boy she rescued reached out his hand somewhat blankly, but did not call out to her.
Baron looked at her retreating figure and the iron rod, and instantly understood. He sighed softly before saying, "Alright, let's deal with this first."
The remaining pirates followed the old custom and collected their spoils, boasting about their achievements to each other. The commotion lasted for a long time before it finally quieted down.
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Author's Note: I'm feeling a bit disheartened about signing a contract, and I'm thinking about whether I should start a farming novel to try and turn things around.
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