With the total annihilation of Marquis Louis's naval forces, the situation across the outer seas shifted dramatically in an instant.
Before, under the crushing pressure of Marquis Louis's formidable power, both Leilin and the Barbarian Pirate Group had been forced into an alliance, pooling their strength to share and counterbalance the threat.
But now, with Black Skull and Tiger Shark destroyed — and especially after the bulk of their painstakingly assembled armed fleet had been sunk — the pressure from Marquis Louis had vanished without a trace. In its place arose a new rivalry between the newly ascended Crimson Tiger and the Barbarian Pirate Group.
Of course, since there was still a large prize left unclaimed, the two sides' conflict had not yet escalated to that degree. But a future confrontation was already inevitable.
Leilin had long been prepared for this.
"Move out! We're heading for Port Bodi — straight into that old fox's stronghold!"
At Leilin's command, his pirates cheered and set the Crimson Tiger, a behemoth of the seas, roaring toward the Bodi Archipelago.
……
Crash! Smash!!
The sharp sound of glass and porcelain shattering rang out in rapid succession, punctuated by occasional furious roars.
Every maid and servant in the Marquis's estate held their breath, terrified of becoming the target of his wrath. Ever since the news about William had come back, Marquis Louis had descended into complete hysteria. Several servants had already been dragged out and beaten to death, including a few personal maids the Marquis had once been quite fond of.
Under such circumstances, the servants' terrified silence was entirely understandable.
For reasons he himself could not fully explain, seeing this scene filled Dim with a secret sense of satisfaction — even a soothing feeling of vengeance.
"That damned William has been completely fed to the fishes, has he?"
Dim laughed wildly on the inside, though he dared not let even a flicker of it show on his face. "If the old man finds out about this intelligence, will he keel over dead on the spot?"
"Father! There is new news about the family fleet!"
Dim's voice was tinged with unease and apprehension, like a condemned prisoner awaiting the final hour.
"Enter!"
The voice that came from within the room was Marquis Louis, barely containing his fury. Dim gave a cold inward laugh and stepped inside.
The Marquis's study was in utter disarray. The floor was strewn with shards of broken glass and porcelain, and on the desk lay the lifeless body of a young woman.
She had been a very young and beautiful maid, her eyes still似乎 carrying a lingering attachment to life. Her body bore the marks of violent abuse everywhere, but it was the livid bruise around her throat — the very thing that had taken her life — that stood out most.
"Someone! Clean this up!"
Marquis Louis straightened his collar. At his command, an expressionless butler led several maidservants in, and the study was quickly tidied up.
Once the door closed again, only Dim and Marquis Louis remained.
For some reason, seeing the Marquis apparently restored to calm after venting his fury sent a fresh chill through Dim's heart.
"Father…" Dim tried his best to make his voice sound sorrowful.
"Speak… Were those idiots all wiped out?"
Marquis Louis sat in his plush armchair, his expression devoid of either grief or joy.
"Yes! Our family's armed fleet was besieged by the Crimson Tiger and the Barbarian Pirate Group. It has been confirmed — the entire fleet was destroyed near Haige Island…"
To Dim's surprise, upon hearing this earth-shattering news, Marquis Louis's expression barely shifted, as though he had anticipated it all along.
"I see… After Black Skull and Tiger Shark fell, our family fleet followed the same path, did it? Heh… From this day forward, the Golden Thorn Family's dominion over the outer seas of Danbules is彻底 destroyed…"
The Marquis's eyes were threaded with abnormal red veins — the mark of a lifetime's work being obliterated, a mixture of anguish and madness.
But seeing this, Dim actually felt considerably more at ease. A Marquis in this state was one he could manage.
"Pass the word — we are preparing to leave this place!"
Marquis Louis said to Dim.
"Leave? Go where?"
Dim's face showed confusion.
"Back to the mainland. To the royal capital of Danbules! This place is no longer safe. Our family's strength has been severely depleted, and those pirates will come swarming like starving wild dogs… We must leave as quickly as possible, while their attention is still on other ports and riches…"
Marquis Louis explained a few things in a flat tone, and as he looked at Dim, a trace of gentleness appeared in his eyes. "Dim, now you are the only one of my children who has come of age… But as long as we are alive, the Kingdom will not sit idly by and let the Bodi Archipelago change hands…"
This belated trust sent two hot currents surging through Dim's eyes, crashing wildly against each other.
He pressed his lips together, but in the end said nothing.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The dull thunder of cannon fire, mingled with the pirates' wild howls, burst suddenly into the study. Even the room's excellent soundproofing could not contain it.
"What's happening?"
Marquis Louis rushed to the window and threw it open, making the sounds clearer. He could see several columns of black smoke rising, and even groups of pirates swarming through the streets.
"How did they break through so quickly?! What happened to the gun emplacements and watchposts the garrison set up before? Why were they completely useless? Could it be…"
Marquis Louis finally caught the scent of a conspiracy. Though the double blow of his beloved son's death and the annihilation of his naval fleet had left him dazed for a time, now that he was facing a life-or-death crisis, the man who had weathered countless political battles immediately snapped to awareness. But it was already far too late.
He spun around — and found himself staring into a pair of wolf-like eyes!
……
"Kill them!" "Hehehe… Charge!"
The pirates roared like madmen. After taking out the gun emplacements and several garrison rallying points, the rest of the pirates scattered in every direction, rushing into elegant shops and grand mansions like feral dogs.
The sounds of smashing and pillaging were everywhere. Occasionally, lone pirates could be spotted sprinting down the streets, draped in expensive silk and with pockets bulging with jewelry and gold coins.
And of course, there was slaughter and death — even children were not spared. From many a dark corner came the wailing of women being violated.
Expecting to keep pirates in discipline like a proper army was always a joke.
Having suddenly stormed the place and been刺激d by the enormous wealth on display, the pirates were like mice that had fallen into a rice bin, exposing the most depraved aspects of human nature.
Not to mention, in order to maximize the devastation, Leilin had deliberately lowered his standards and recruited a large contingent of miscellaneous pirate vassals to bring along.
This riff-raff of riff-raff immediately proved devastatingly effective.
It was easy to imagine that after this raid, the entire port would not recover its population for years.
Aboard the largest magical armored warship — the Crimson Tiger — Leilin lowered the spyglass from his eyes, a satisfied expression on his face.
"Excellent. That's exactly what I want. Kill them all, rob them all, burn it all! When we leave, I want nothing but ruins."
Leilin wore a silver mask at this moment, as did Isabelle.
After all, they still held the identity of upper-class citizens and needed to maintain appearances. Otherwise, if any magical images or recordings were left behind, it would cause trouble back in the Kingdom.
Even with his expression hidden behind the mask, Leilin at this moment resembled a demon duke from the depths of hell. The aura radiating from him sent other pirates scrambling away, their faces twisted in fear.
The Bodi Archipelago was, after all, a fief of the Kingdom, and Leilin could not very well occupy it openly. Therefore, what he needed to do was utterly destroy everything — transform this beautiful and bountiful archipelago into a living hell, ensuring it could never again compete with Faolan Island for the title of outer-sea trade hub.
"You'll see," Leilin murmured.
Isabelle's eyes had turned slightly bloodshot, and the aura around her body was surging once more.
This kind of slaughter and chaos was exactly what demons craved most. If she could perform a ritual before the plundering, the benefits she stood to gain would be even greater.
But Leilin would naturally not allow her to do so. The moment anything involved devils or demons, it would attract the attention of the temples — and he was still far from capable of contending with those colossal powers.
"According to the port defense maps, gun emplacement positions, and even information on the strength and residences of several key figures that Dim provided, destroying this port could not be easier…"
A port with a mole versus one without were practically two different places. And Dim's position was extremely high, providing Leilin with even greater convenience.
"Boss! The garrison here has been completely eliminated. Ronald is leading men to assault Marquis Louis's estate…"
At this moment,
"Marquis Louis must die here! The others don't matter…"
Marquis Louis was, after all, an old fox. If he managed to escape, there could be troublesome consequences down the road, and Leilin had no interest in dealing with that hassle.
"And Dim…" Robin looked as though he had something more to say.
"It depends on his luck. Louis still has a few underage children. As long as someone from the Golden Thorn Family inherits and the Kingdom doesn't reclaim the fief, that's all we need…"
Leilin waved his hand dismissively. "Come with me — there are more important things to do."
For Leilin, the most important treasures in this place numbered only two. One was the Marquis's estate, and the other was, naturally, the tower materials that Boruger had been collecting.