Chapter 420 Claiming sovereignty over the island
join the Church of MissRaven and become a Sequence 9: Reader p atreon.com/KeyofStars for more chapters
Of course, Hobert remembered Lorotta's request and the huge bounty for taking down "Vice Admiral Dusk."
Before, when Hobert was still Sequence 6, he knew he didn't have the strength to kill "Vice Admiral Dusk," so he never considered it.
Now it's different. Having advanced to Sequence 5, Hobert was eager to spar with a "Pirate Rear Admiral." If possible, he could directly eliminate the opponent and collect a large bounty.
Edwina and several of her crew members re-evaluated Hobert.
Logically, a 30,000-pound bounty should indicate a "Pirate Admiral"-level powerhouse, but why had they never heard of a pirate named "Jeffrey?"
Nor had they heard of any pirate with a 30,000-pound bounty.
Edwina didn't dwell on the issue. After considering it, she said, "I can help you find traces of 'Vice Admiral Dusk,' but I won't provide further assistance."
Hobert nodded: "That's fine."
Of course, he knew that the relationship between the forces behind "Iceberg Admiral" and those behind "Vice Admiral Dusk" wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either. Rashly engaging in a violent conflict wouldn't be worthwhile for "Iceberg Admiral."
At the same time, she was willing to provide some information detrimental to "Vice Admiral Dusk." Although there were no deep-seated grudges between "Pirate Admirals," conflicts occasionally occurred.
Edwina was happy to send another "Pirate Admiral" an enemy, making things difficult for a potential rival.
This response was similar to Hobert's expectations: "However, this means I can't share the spoils with you."
Edwina hummed in agreement: "How can I contact you?"
Hobert took out the fountain pen from his pocket: "I'll give you the method to summon my messenger."
Edwina handed over her notebook. After Hobert finished writing, she took it back and read the incantation and the reward for sending the message: "Your handwriting is good."
Hobert capped the pen and smiled: "It's alright, I've practiced since I was young."
He said: "Then let's begin. I discovered a notebook of Duke Southville of the Tudor Dynasty in some ruins in the suburbs of Backlund.
"He once served as a guard to the Night Emperor and was deeply trusted by him.
"During the Four Emperors era, he was assigned by the Night Emperor to set a trap against the Underworld Emperor…"
Edwina asked, "A trap against the Underworld Emperor?"
"Yes, but Southville didn't record the specifics of the trap in the notebook."
"Iceberg Admiral" nodded slightly, gesturing to "please continue."
Hobert continued: "Later, when I was exploring a hidden island with a friend, we encountered a ghost ship at the intersection of the spirit world and the real world.
"Through communication with the ghosts on the ghost ship…"
"Please wait." Edwina interrupted Hobert again: "You said you communicated with the ghosts on the ghost ship? Also, under what circumstances would you encounter a place where the spirit world and the real world intersect?"
Hobert said half-truthfully: "This was caused by the special environment of that island. I'm not very clear about the specific situation."
To explain it clearly would require discussing the formation process of the Berserk Sea. Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that "Vice Admiral Iceberg" knew this information, but if she didn't, this information combined with the information about "Vice Admiral Dusk's" location would be unequal.
To avoid trouble, Hobert simply used this ambiguous answer to brush it off.
"As for communicating with ghosts, I don't think it's an incomprehensible thing." Hobert smiled slightly: "It's similar to the process of communicating with spirit world creatures or underworld creatures."
"You were lucky." Edwina said, "As far as I know, ghosts on ghost ships generally carry strong malice."
Hobert nodded earnestly: "Thank you for your reminder. I will be careful when dealing with similar events in the future."
He continued: "According to the information obtained from the ghosts, the Underworld Emperor saw through the trap. He grabbed the island where the trap was created from the northern Berserk Sea and moved it to the south."
"And he gave the Tudor family members who created the trap a vicious curse. Those cursed members took the 'Tudor Dynasty Empire' and fled, disappearing in a huge storm."
Hobert spread his hands: "The treasure information of the 'Empire' may be true, and there is indeed such a large ship.
"But there is probably no treasure on it. It's just a giant ship cursed by the Underworld Emperor. The purpose of building this ship was not for the Tudor family members to escape, but a trap set for the Underworld Emperor."
Edwina was a little disappointed: "What a pity."
For her, who chased treasures, this result was indeed regrettable. After all, that was one of the six great treasures at sea.
If the truth of its existence had never been verified, then this treasure would have always existed for them, but now that they learned the truth from Hobert, this treasure disappeared from their "treasure hunting goals."
"I don't think so." Hobert smiled slightly: "The ship itself is a huge treasure, but it's hard to find it, and even if you find it, it's hard to utilize it."
Edwina smiled slightly: "You're right."
"Your erudition is impressive, and my conversation with you has been very rewarding," Hobert smiled slightly: "I hope to have the opportunity to continue discussing issues in the future."
Edwina also said: "Your adventure experience is enviable. I hope to have the opportunity to hear your adventure stories in the future."
"No problem." Hobert smiled slightly: "Then, everyone, I'll take my leave first. Remember to write to me when you have news of 'Vice Admiral Dusk.'"
The others couldn't wait for Hobert to leave and enthusiastically saw him off.
After Hobert walked away, a sailor said, "Captain, this guy is bragging, right? How could he have a 30,000-pound bounty! That's higher than your bounty."
"Iceberg Admiral's" pirate group had always been keen on finding various treasures at sea, so although Edwina's strength had reached the level of "Vice Admiral," her bounty was not high.
Edwina looked at the sailor: "If you wore such thick clothes in this weather, wouldn't you feel hot?"
"Yes! So, he's either a madman or a fool."
"How many times have I told you, don't judge a person so arbitrarily." Edwina criticized like a strict teacher: "You must observe carefully. The more bizarre a person's behavior seems, the more carefully you must observe.
"Didn't you notice that he didn't sweat a single drop?"
Orvus had noticed this a long time ago and knew what it meant, but at this time he still cooperated and said: "In other words, his bounty really is 30,000 pounds?"
Edwina: "Adding the mystical items on him, almost."
…
When he reached a deserted place, Hobert used "Traveling" to leave. After several transfers, Hobert returned to his study.
Sitting in the chair and taking a sip of tea, he sighed: I didn't expect that the island was where the "Tudor Dynasty Empire" was built.
I believe "Miss Iceberg" will give up searching for this treasure after learning the details of the "Empire."
He planned to go back to the ruins when he had time to see if he could find any clues about the "Empire."
For others, that cursed ship may be difficult to find, and even if found, it would be difficult to utilize.
And Hobert was a descendant of the Tudor Dynasty. As long as he found the "Empire," he would have the opportunity to explore it. Maybe the ship could accept the descendants of the Tudor Dynasty?
Hobert re-examined the entire clue of the "Empire" and made a similar judgment to before: This ship is in some corner of the Berserk Sea. The most likely place is where the spirit world and the real world intersect.
Occasionally, it can also return to the real world, so people have been witnessing this ship.
As for the specific situation of this ship now, Hobert estimated that it should be full of the smell of death, full of the atmosphere of withering.
The Underworld Emperor's curse should still be all over the ship. I wonder if the spirits of the Tudor family members are still on the ship?
It sounds scary, but if a way to utilize it is found, this must be a good "passive skill."
As for that nameless island, Hobert suddenly had some new ideas.
…
Saturday morning, central West Balam, the suburbs of Crowley City.
Dozens of elite family members secretly gathered together to listen to the task assignments made by the elders.
The Blake family's operation in Crowley City had not been in vain. So far, the "Rose School" still had not discovered the gathering of the Blake family's extraordinary powers.
Of course, it was also possible that the "Rose School" members in the city were just bait, and the "Rose School" was waiting for the Blake family to gather its forces and then eliminate them in one fell swoop.
In short, this battle was full of uncertainty.
Elliot was assigned to the ambush group, responsible for ambushing the enemy's reinforcements.
Just as everyone was dispersing, they all looked towards the position at the door, where a man wearing a black crystal mask, a Loen-style windbreaker, and a black crystal scepter on his waist appeared.
Many people immediately put on a fighting stance. If there weren't too many family members participating in this operation, it would be necessary to gather together to emphasize discipline and reaffirm the confidence to win.
Otherwise, they would never gather together on the eve of the raid, which would give the enemy the opportunity to destroy them all at once.
The demigod elder Chester, who was responsible for assigning tasks, asked, "Who are you looking for?"
He didn't feel any malice from the other party.
Hobert was prepared to meet Elliot's companions, but he didn't expect to come at such a good time, right when they were holding a general meeting.
He said coldly, "Elliot."
Chester winked at Elliot, signaling him to go over, and then signaled the others to leave quickly with his eyes.
Elliot stepped forward and said, "I don't seem to know you!"
Hobert's tone was no longer so cold: "The 'Creator' knows that there will be a fierce battle tomorrow, and asked me to bring you two things."
The people who were leaving suddenly stopped again and turned to look at Elliot and the "Windbreaker Man."
They had long heard the story between Elliot and the "Creator." Today was the first time outside the story that they had met other people related to the "Creator."
Chester immediately realized that the "Creator's" believers had a loose organization, which was the "Creator's" power in the real world.
Hearing Hobert say this, Elliot felt that the "Windbreaker Man" in front of him looked familiar. Judging from his figure, he looked a lot like the person who sold him the "Baron of Corruption" Beyonder characteristic: "Are you another believer of the 'Creator'?"
"I handle some mundane affairs for the great 'Creator.'" Hobert threw a black crystal mask to Elliot. On the forehead of the mask, there was a mystical symbol representing the "Creator."
He said: "This is the symbol of a believer. This mask has the ability to resist divination. Injecting spirituality can form a shield that lasts for one or two seconds, which can effectively block the attacks of Beyonder abilities! Most importantly, after wearing it, you will be less prone to losing control!"
The eyes of the people around him lit up. Even Chester was a little tempted. The Balk family members both hated and feared getting out of control!
Elliot thanked him excitedly: "Thank you…"
Hobert raised his hand: "Thank the great 'Creator'!"
He continued: "As long as you wear this mask, you will officially accept the identity of a believer. I will occasionally issue tasks to you. After completing them, I will give you some rewards, such as the main ingredients of the 'Mentor of Disorder' potion, or the main ingredients of other levels of that sequence."
Elliot bowed: "Praise the 'Creator.'"
Hobert gave him two more stones: "'Disorder Stones' can make enemies within thirty meters extremely prone to getting out of control. The activation incantation is 'Disorder.'
"Pay attention to recycling them after the battle. In the future, you can use the used 'Disorder Stones' to exchange for unused 'Disorder Stones' here. If there are any losses, report to me as soon as possible."
The eyes of the people around him became hot again. This was a good thing to deal with the 'Rose School'! Many members of the 'Hedonist School' were already emotionally unstable. A little stimulation might cause them to get out of control.
Even if they didn't completely get out of control, they would have to distract themselves to fight against getting out of control, greatly reducing their combat power.
Elliot praised the "Creator" again.
Hobert wrote the summoning method and reward for his messenger on a piece of paper in advance: "Write to me if you have any questions. You don't need to trouble the 'Creator' with such trivial matters as buying Beyonder characteristics."
"Yes." Elliot respectfully took the note.
Hobert waved his hand and turned to leave.
Chester immediately chased after him with a smile: "Envoy of God…"
"Call me 'God's Chosen'!"
"Oh, 'God's Chosen.'" Chester followed suit: "Does the great 'Creator' have any instructions for the Balk family?"
Hobert could hear that this was asking in a roundabout way: Didn't the "Creator" give the Balk family any mystical items?
He said: "Your patriarch only asked the 'Creator' to stop the 'Rose School's' angels and did not ask for other help."
The family members around him didn't know until now that the patriarch had asked for the "Creator's" help.
Chester opened his mouth, not knowing what to say for a moment, and could only watch Hobert leave.
He glanced at Elliot, who was wearing a mask for a while and playing with the "Disorder Stone" for a while, and could only sigh that his previous defensive psychology against the "Creator" was too strong, which led to the lack of certainty in this surprise attack.
If he had devoutly believed in the "Creator" earlier and prayed for this great being to send His followers to help, the probability of success in this battle would have increased a lot!
This idea was very beautiful, but Chester never imagined that even if the "Creator's" followers were all invited, the impact on the battle would not be very significant.
...
Feynapotter Kingdom, Jeffery Territory.
Hobert returned to his study and changed back into the attire of a baron.
Then he used the "Faceless Necklace" to guide him and found Seal again.
At this time, the "Hippo" had already docked at the port of Bugas City, and Seal and others had just checked into the hotel. Albert was also in Seal's room. He was going to rest and take the afternoon train to Canter Town in the southern part of Feynapotter City.
Seeing the suddenly appearing Baron again, the two were a little surprised and a little excited.
Hobert said, "Tell your subordinates that you are going out for a while. I want to take you to the Berserk Sea."
The two were slightly stunned, not expecting to take a "long trip" suddenly!
After saying hello to his subordinates outside, Hobert supported the shoulders of the two and used "Travel" to return to the lord's mansion.
He then ordered: "You have two hours to gather some helpers, bring some food and water, and follow me to kill pirates."
If someone else said this, Seel and Albert would definitely think it was a joke, but when the Baron said it, they had no doubts.
About two hours later, Seel and Albert each gathered a dozen people and came to the Baron's yard to wait.
Fors was still away during the day today, otherwise she would have come out to ask.
Hobert carried three rolled-up flags and pushed the door open from the courtyard. Many people thought they were seeing things. It seemed that they saw a dense forest from the courtyard door.
Hobert glanced at the loose formation and sighed in his heart: We must train a modern armed force as soon as possible.
After the Baron appeared, everyone immediately quieted down and looked at their lord.
"What you experience today must be kept secret!" Hobert gave the flag to Seal: "I will cut off anyone's tongue who tells it!"
Everyone responded in unison: "Yes!" "Don't worry, Baron!" "We will definitely keep it secret!"
Hobert waved his hand: "Go, follow me to kill pirates. There is a reward of 5 gold Solas for killing one, and there is a chance to share the spoils! If you cooperate to kill a pirate, you can divide the 5 gold Solas together."
Everyone was stunned, and before they could ask, they saw the lord push open the courtyard door.
At this time, they saw clearly that there was indeed a dense forest in the Baron's yard.
Some people have already understood why the Baron wanted them to keep it secret. This is simply an encounter from a fairy tale. They just passed through a door and came to another place.
"Change clothes!" Hobert said as he took off his winter clothes, and finally put on his outermost coat: "Wear long sleeves and trousers, the mosquitoes here are fierce."
Everyone took off their thick clothes by the door.
"The pirates' camp is on the beach, follow me and rush in!" Hobert drew out his knife and led everyone to the beach.
The people behind picked up various weapons and followed closely behind.
In the camp on the beach, there was a skull flag without a head. At this time, there were not many people in the camp. Most of them had entered the forest to find extraordinary creatures.
The people in the camp noticed Hobert and others and immediately took out their guns to aim. At this time, the highest commander in the pirate camp was a boatswain. He shouted: "I will shoot if you move forward."
After seeing the real guns, everyone was a little daunted, but fortunately, the lord was there, so there was no rout.
Hobert said to Seel: "Plant the flag!"
Seel planted the flag with the moon and lion painted on it on the beach. Hobert said in a solemn tone: "In the name of Baron Hobert, appointed by King Ferdinand II, I declare sovereignty over this island. From this moment on, this island is part of Jeffery Territory.
The 'Skull' pirate group ignores the sovereignty of Jeffery Territory and brazenly establishes a camp here. Now, I, Baron Hobert, declare war on the 'Skull' pirate group! Charge!"
As he spoke, he used "Corrosion" on the pirates!
A dozen pirates were about to rely on the camp to shoot at the enemy when suddenly they had serious infighting and began to kill each other. Therefore, before everyone rushed into the camp, they had already collapsed on their own.
When Seel and others rushed into the camp, they probably recovered from the state of "Corrosion", but at this time their guns were of little use.
Under Hobert's instructions, Seel and Albert besieged the boatswain, and others, either two or three people, or three or four people, besieged an ordinary pirate.
However, some people were confused after rushing into the camp and didn't know what to do, just running around with weapons.
The battle lasted for two or three minutes and ended. Only two of Hobert's subordinates were injured, but none of the enemies escaped and were all killed.
Next was to collect the spoils and board the ship. More than 30 people took away everything they could.
When the people from the "Skull" pirate group came back, they saw: their home was gone!
The camp was in a mess, and even the tents, the fish that had just been caught in the morning, and the rum were all stolen by some unscrupulous person.
At this time, the "Jeffery Army", which had already sent a batch of spoils back, led by Hobert, rushed into another pirate group's camp.
As before, Hobert declared sovereignty: "...Now I, Baron Hobert, declare war on the 'Black Whale' pirate group! Charge!"
"You are mistaken! We are the 'Black Seagull' pirate group!"
Hobert: "Then declare war on the 'Black Seagull', charge!"
join the Church of MissRaven and become a Sequence 9: Reader p atreon.com/KeyofStars for more chapters