In the pitch-black night, a pirate ship sailed silently through the waters, its blood-red skull flag fluttering in the wind, exuding an aura of death.
Inside the captain's cabin, the gentle rocking of the hull had no effect on Lei Lin whatsoever.
At the moment, he was discussing the details of their next target with Isabelle, Robin Hood, and a scant handful of the ship's other senior crew.
"We've got over fifty sailors now, but their quality…" Robin Hood shook his head, clearly having no confidence whatsoever in the recently subjugated crew members.
And rightly so — had it not been for the crushing threat of death, they would never have submitted so quickly. Earning their genuine loyalty? That was laughable to even suggest.
Given half a chance, they would desert without a moment's hesitation — or even plunge a blade straight into the hearts of Lei Lin and his people.
"I'm well aware of that. But loyalty isn't built in a day or two. Time will weed out those with treacherous hearts for us…"
Lei Lin's voice was calm, yet carried an exceptional coldness to it. Isabelle and Robin Hood both seemed to envision countless pirates in the near future being executed without mercy by Lei Lin for one reason or another.
"I'm planning to establish two production bases for white sugar and fish floss on Fairlan Island, so we're going to need a great deal of money — and slaves! These expenditures are far too great for the territory to shoulder on its own. That means we need to hit it big a few times!"
Lei Lin drove a dagger straight into the map.
The primitive accumulation of capital was the most drawn-out of all processes, and shortening that timeline inevitably meant a great deal of bloodshed and sin!
Lei Lin had no time to slowly work his way through industrial upgrades. For him, only through relentless plundering could production lines be established as quickly as possible.
Marquis Louis had left him precious little time — that much was certain.
Lei Lin never believed in the protection of any regional faction. In his view, entrusting your own life to someone else's guarantee was pathetic by nature! He would rather take the risk and grow stronger! Expanding trade profits was only one piece of the puzzle — after that, he would launch a series of attacks to cripple their trading profits!
Though Isabelle and Robin Hood couldn't begin to fathom the full scope of Lei Lin's thoughts, the killing intent radiating from his body made them involuntarily shiver.
"That's… Merfolk Island!"
Robin Hood was the first to recognize the name of the island pinned beneath Lei Lin's dagger, and he immediately drew a sharp breath: "There seems to be a band of pirates lurking there — the infamous Mermaid Pirates!"
"Moreover," Lei Lin added coldly, "that pirate crew is also one of the outfits secretly controlled by Marquis Louis."
Having already gotten his hands on Steve, the captain of the Black Tiger Pirates, there was no way Lei Lin hadn't pried his mouth open as far as possible, extracting every scrap of intelligence he could.
There was no denying it — that tenth-level warrior's willpower was genuinely resilient. He had actually lasted half an hour longer than the assassin before him.
"Heh heh… A man whose body and mind have both been utterly broken. Even if Marquis Louis ransomed him back, he'd surely find the whole affair rather vexing!"
Lei Lin sneered to himself. If torture and interrogation had ranks, then he would undoubtedly be a Grandmaster.
The Steve who had passed through his hands had suffered a complete mental collapse. Even if a high-level priest were to cast Restoration or similar divine magic on him, it would be extremely difficult to return him to his former state.
In truth, Lei Lin rather suspected that Marquis Louis's people would simply kill Steve outright — because the man's value clearly did not justify the expense of inviting a high-ranking priest to perform divine magic.
Although many temple priests charged for their healing services, the cost of inviting a high-ranking priest was still exorbitantly high.
A tenth-level warrior — clearly, even if they sold the man off, the other party couldn't foot the bill.
"The open seas right now are still in the early stages of exploration — rife with disorder and chaos…"
Lei Lin's palm swept across the map on the table, taking in the outlines of countless ocean territories. "Hordes of adventurers, nobles, and pirates have been pouring in here one after another, yet they've managed to claim less than a tenth of the islands. But even that tenth represents staggering profits and wealth!"
"Our ultimate goal is to either conscript or annihilate every pirate in this stretch of sea, and become the undisputed ruler of the underworld here! Any ship that doesn't fly our banner of protection will have only one fate — to be sunk!"
Lei Lin's voice was low and measured, yet this very matter-of-fact delivery was strangely suffused with a compelling allure, one that made Robin's breathing grow heavier.
In certain respects, Lei Lin was even more skilled at negotiation and persuasion than a demon. This magnificent vision and the promises that came with it seemed to have thoroughly captivated Robin.
"Moreover, compared to other sea regions that have been discovered for years, where countless factions are tangled up in one another, our territory here has one enormous advantage! No particularly powerful force has staked a claim yet. Our biggest enemy at present is Marquis Louis and his forces alone!"
Lei Lin said this with a cold smirk.
The Bodhi Islands under Marquis Louis's control accounted for more than sixty percent of all trade in this newly developed sea region. As a result, the Marquis had become the one who set the rules — reaping profits beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
And Lei Lin's objective was to eliminate him and take the throne for himself.
The clever exploit the rules; the wise create them. Lei Lin's plan now was to shatter the old system entirely and forge a set of rules of his own.