Phil Gray and the invisible Frank stealthily continued deeper inside. They saw rows of small wooden houses and a large two-story wooden building, which were probably where the slaves and their managers lived.
At this moment, the place was in an uproar. The wooden building had been set on fire, and many barefoot slaves in tattered clothes were screaming.
Some pirate-looking men approached, carrying whips and knives. They wore white short-sleeved shirts, shorts, and leather boots, and shoved the slaves in front of them toward a certain place.
After they left, two other pirates used their divine power to summon some seawater, which extinguished the burning crops and houses.
Judging from the fluctuations of divine power, they were only at the Listening level. Being able to summon seawater, they should be the favored ones of the Goddess of the Sea. However, they did not exterminate the people of the manor, nor did they destroy the manor's environment.
These pirates seemed to be quite different from what he had imagined.
Phil Gray visited several more places and discovered that the plantation had been completely taken over by pirates.
Everyone on the plantation, including the owner and his men, as well as all the slaves, gathered in the open tobacco field.
As for the cannon that Frank mentioned, it was held in the hand of a man with a full beard who seemed to be a pirate leader. It was a cylindrical object inlaid with blue crystals.
Phil Gray sighed. It seemed the artillery here was not like the ones on Earth, but it was probably much more powerful.
The pirate captain surveyed his surroundings warily and urged his men to keep a close watch on the prisoners.
He sat lazily with his legs crossed in a luxurious chair, though the chair didn't quite fit the pirate style; it was carved with religious symbols, as if they had stolen it from some church.
Standing beside him was another young man, wearing a black hat, who looked polite and whose attire was more in line with the style of the Western Continent.
“Patrick, will you be among those slaves?” Phil Gray muttered to himself.
But when he scanned the captured slaves, he did not find his cousin.
However, he is favored by the gods, so he shouldn't have fallen into slavery.
Phil Gray moved closer, wanting to eavesdrop on their conversation again.
Who is it?
"Who's there? Is it someone who slipped through the net?"
The two pirates suddenly spoke up; they had spotted Phil Gray crouching in the bushes.
The pirate captain turned his gaze over, stood up, raised the cannon barrel in his hand, and revealed a fierce expression. "Come out now, or I'll turn you into charcoal!"
Phil Gray slowly stood up. He had put on the mask he had before entering the plantation, so he didn't have to worry about revealing his true identity. "Hello, I'm just passing by. I'm not the manager of this plantation, nor am I a slave. Please ignore me."
Everyone present saw him, including the owner of the plantation and the slaves. They all looked at this stranger who had suddenly appeared, puzzled.
The pirates looked on incredulously.
The pirate captain sneered, "Stop making excuses. Who would come here for no reason?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a barking sound was heard, followed by a cloud of dust as a line of hunting dogs came galloping towards them. Behind them were nobles and knights on horseback, their red cloaks billowing in the wind. The noble at the front had pale skin, sunken eyes, but an extremely arrogant expression.
The hounds transformed into a red light and merged into the leader's body.
Viscount Ward?
He actually came to this plantation?
Phil Gray felt a surge of joy at the same time as he saw his anger. Did this mean that the group selling counterfeit tobacco were indeed from Jonas Plantation, and there was no longer any doubt about it?
Upon seeing the newcomers, the pirates menacingly surrounded the nobleman and six knights who had barged in.
These pirates all looked vicious and ruthless, and half of them were favored by the gods. Some of them possessed great divine power and should also be considered prominent figures.
Nobles and knights are like chicks that have wandered into a wolf's den.
“Damn it! How could there be pirates on this plantation!” Viscount Ward cursed. He raised his head and said calmly, “I’m just here to find a group of people who sell counterfeit tobacco. I am a nobleman of the Kingdom of Puna. You don’t want to be wanted by the official authorities of a kingdom, do you? Let me go and hand over those counterfeit tobacco dealers, and we can be friends.”
The pirate captain laughed. "Friend? Hahaha, just a passerby appeared? And now another friend has arrived. Pei Ji, your plantation is certainly bustling!"
He pointed at Phil Gray and Viscount Ward with the fingers that weren't holding the cannons, then spoke to the young man beside him.
Phil Gray suddenly realized that this young man must be the plantation owner's second son, the one who had just returned a few days ago and was now leading pirates to attack his own plantation.
The village chief mentioned that he was selling counterfeit tobacco, so he was very likely the person who was in the capital of the Kingdom of Puna at that time. This guy probably knew Patrick's whereabouts.
Viscount Ward looked in the direction the pirate captain pointed and immediately spotted Phil Gray standing in the tobacco thicket. His face showed an expression of disbelief, clearly saying, "How could anyone possibly emerge from the Abyss of the Dead?"
He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating from excessive smoking, but found Phil Gray still smiling at him, only the smile was filled with cold hatred.
"Brother Colin, please don't hand me over. I gave you all the money I earned this time. Besides, how can pirates and nobles be friends? The Kingdom of Puna even issued a warrant for your arrest before." Pei Ji smiled awkwardly, with a hint of fear in his eyes.
"Of course, do you think I'm that easily fooled? All those nobles are like this pretty boy, looking like they're indulging in excessive pleasure. We look down on people like that, hahaha..."
Colin laughed and waved his hand. One of his brown-haired pirates picked up a longsword and swiftly slashed at Viscount Ward's horse, severing all four legs in an instant.
Viscount Ward, however, was prepared, landing steadily. The knights behind him all raised their swords and shields, wary of the pirates' next move. He glanced at Phil Gray with a grim expression, then addressed the pirates, "You really intend to attack me? I am not only a nobleman of the Kingdom of Puna, but also a member of the Church of War. Why make another enemy?"
"Hahaha! Enough nonsense. Now that you're here, why are you in such a hurry to leave? And that passerby, you all stay here and hand over your valuables. I'll send you to a better place!" Colin stroked the cannon in his hand, looking Viscount Ward up and down as if he were a little fat sheep. As for Phil Gray, he only glanced at him casually, because he didn't look like he was rich.
"Third Brother, didn't the Boss forbid us from robbing other people's money? If she finds out, we'll get another beating," the brown-haired pirate whispered, offering a warning.
However, the chosen ones present heard it clearly, since their bodies had been tempered by divine power, and their hearing had also improved considerably.
Phil Gray thought to himself, "So this guy isn't the boss after all." But whether he was the boss or not didn't matter. Now he needed to find Patrick and kill Viscount Ward, the one who had led him into the abyss. He calmly observed the situation.
"Shut up! Boss and Second Brother are having a sweet time lately, they don't have time for us. It'll probably be several days before they get ashore. You're not allowed to tell anyone about what happened today. Those two's money is going to end up in my pocket!" Colin patted his thigh and said with a smile.
"Oh? You're just going to lie to us like this?" A woman stepped out, her voice booming. She had long, red, wavy hair that reached her waist, and wore a light gold bodysuit. Her face was beautiful, yet she possessed a touch of heroism.
The surrounding pirates fell silent, watching her with awe. Beside her was a young man with red hair, and they looked very well-matched.
Colin froze, not daring to look back, as if he had already foreseen his tragic end.
Phil Gray wore the same incredulous expression as Viscount Ward had just done. How could this be?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com