Chapter 49: Unexpected
The sea surface was calm, and the speed of the Doom Number had slowed. Su Xiao stood on the deck at the bow, looking at the compass in his hand. If the sea chart was correct, Turtle Island was in the nearby waters.
A few minutes ago, the Doom Number had passed through an underwater current, where a horizontal whirlpool beneath the surface kept the water above churning continuously.
Considering that Turtle Island drifted slowly, Su Xiao steered the Doom Number along the circular current. Sure enough, in less than an hour, an island floating on the sea came into view.
No wonder pirates called this place Turtle Island. From a distance, it looked like an ultra-giant sea turtle, or rather, this relic was crafted using some kind of super-massive sea turtle as a prototype.
The Doom Number circled around the approaching Turtle Island. Upon getting closer, it was clear that the island moved very slowly, only a few meters per hour.
Behind Turtle Island were dense chains, each tied to a pirate ship. Compared to the island, the massive five-masted sailing vessels were as small as matchboxes.
Just as they reached the rear of Turtle Island, three small boats rowed near the Doom Number. Hooks latched onto its gunwale, and a bare-chested pirate climbed aboard.
"This ship..."
The pirate, whose head was covered in small braids, clicked his tongue in amazement, since the Doom Number had no sailors or helmsmen.
"First time at Turtle Island?"
*Ting~*
As the pirate finished speaking, Su Xiao flicked a gold coin.
"We don't usually give change."
Catching the coin, the drenched pirate grinned.
"Keep the rest."
"Generous."
The pirate stowed his hook, leaped off the Doom Number, and soon a chain was tied to its bow, connecting to the tail of Turtle Island. A few "water ghosts" swam near the Doom Number, using crude tools to clean the hull underwater, mainly scraping off barnacles.
When dealing with pirates, as long as you were strong enough, being generous didn't hurt. If you weren't strong, don't flaunt your wealth.
A buffer frame was quickly set up between the Doom Number and Turtle Island to prevent the ship from bumping into the island if it stopped drifting at night.
Stepping onto the buffer frame, Su Xiao boarded Turtle Island. Amu and Beini stayed to watch the ship, while Su Xiao only brought Bubu Wang and Baha.
The rear edge of Turtle Island was made of metal, with a sizable dock slightly above sea level. The dock was crowded with pirates, laborers, and slaves.
Various goods for sale were piled up on the dock, and some iron cages held slaves. Such slave traders were rare; the Black Sea King didn't rely on the slave trade but on the more profitable shipping business.
Su Xiao searched the dock for a moment and spotted a man with a black headscarf and a scarred face. On his bronze arm was a crow tattoo, which on the sea represented the Black Sea King.
"You, come here."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, the burly pirate was stunned for a moment. He pointed at himself in confusion, as if to say, "Are you talking to me?!"
"That's right, you."
"Uh~"
The strong pirate hadn't fully recovered. The last person who spoke to him like that had been chopped up and thrown into the sea to feed the fish.
"Give this to the Black Sea King. I'll wait here for your reply."
Su Xiao sat on a wooden stump at the edge of the dock and tossed out the right arm of the Ancient God Nigadi, along with a money pouch.
"Both of these?"
The burly pirate weighed the pouch in his hand. It contained 15 gold coins, nearly half a year's worth of his hard-earned pay.
"If you don't care for wealth, you can give it all to the Black Sea King. But..."
Su Xiao didn't finish. Some things didn't need to be said so directly.
"I'm on it, I'm on it."
The burly pirate hurried off with a smile, his fierce face even managing a friendly grin to show goodwill and enthusiasm.
Clearly, the situation of being targeted everywhere didn't apply to Su Xiao. He was strong enough that provoking him came at a cost—a very high one. Pirates, who were as cunning and shrewd as ghosts, wouldn't easily mess with him.
Su Xiao waited for over twenty minutes. Several pirates approached from a distance, led by a one-armed old man with a crow tattoo on his face.
"This way, sir. I'm Turt."
The one-armed old man smiled, his wrinkled face looking kind. In reality, he was a famous figure on the Viking Sea: Mad Sea Bull Turt, the Black Sea King's second mate. Despite his lean frame, in his youth, he had wrestled a super sea beast in the ocean, earning him that nickname.
"This way, please. The Black Sea..." Turt paused, then added meaningfully, "The great Black Sea King is already waiting."
Turt made a gesture and led the way toward the town on Turtle Island. Indeed, this drifting island had a town, showing just how massive it was.
Su Xiao followed behind, seeing all kinds of pirates along the way. His purpose in coming to Turtle Island was twofold: first, to ask about the location of Terror Island, and second, to buy sea beasts.
Hunting sea beasts one by one was too slow. Su Xiao now had plenty of gold coins, so he planned to buy recently killed or even live sea beasts from pirates. Pirates had a habit of hunting sea beasts; capturing one alive meant a huge fortune.
Obtaining sea beasts would not only strengthen the Doom Number—that was just a side benefit—but the main goal was to boost Bubu Wang's strength.
Lost in thought, Su Xiao arrived at the town on Turtle Island, called "Spray Town." The name was indeed fresh and refined, but the town itself was far from it. Merchants, pirates, prostitutes, and killers—two of the three oldest professions were present here.
After walking for over ten minutes, Su Xiao reached a small building with light red walls. The courtyard was planted with various rare plants and had a small garden. It was worth noting that the Black Sea King's hobbies didn't quite match his status as a sea overlord.
Turt pushed open the door of the building and stood by it with his hands folded, saying, "The master is waiting for you on the second floor."
As soon as Su Xiao entered, Baha was blocked outside. As for Bubu, once it blended into the environment, it could go anywhere without hindrance.
"Free to act."
"Got it."
Baha flew off, but in reality, if a fight broke out here, it could reach the battlefield in three seconds and find a chance to assassinate the Black Sea King.
Inside the building, a faint fragrance drifted into his nose, like the scent of green oranges.
Following the stairs, Su Xiao went up to the second floor. A figure lounging in a wooden chair came into view, sitting sideways to Su Xiao, holding Nigadi's right arm and examining it with a magnifying glass.
"No need to search. I am the Black Sea King. Don't ask why I'm a woman—that's just how I was born."
The Black Sea King crossed her legs, wearing brown riding boots, with thin leather cords hanging from the back of her calves.
The Black Sea King being female surprised Su Xiao a bit. "Black Sea Empress" would have suited her better than "Black Sea King."
"Don't ask why I don't call myself the Black Sea Empress either. Those wandering poets are too annoying. Any other questions, Kukulin Bai Ye?"
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He just pulled over a wooden chair, lit a cigarette, and sat down.
"Nightmare God Nigadi is dead? You killed him?"
The Black Sea King, Agati, turned her head to look at Su Xiao. Inside her sleeve was a short blade. Negotiating with a monster that could kill gods naturally made her cautious.
"Yes."
Su Xiao exhaled a faint wisp of smoke. If an outsider were present, they would notice that, deep in the pirate stronghold and alone, Su Xiao's presence was no weaker than that of the Black Sea King Agati, who commanded thousands of pirates. Back in the Black King World, Su Xiao had been a legion commander with hundreds of thousands of troops under him.
"Heh. Then tell me, what do you want from me?"
The Black Sea King Agati placed the ancient god's arm on the wooden table beside her and took a sip of black tea.
"Where is Terror Island?"
"You'll have to ask Redbeard. In this 'rotation,' only he knows where Terror Island is."
Agati stared at Su Xiao for a moment, her brows furrowing deeper. For some reason, she felt that Su Xiao had ill intentions.
PS: (Haha, the mosquito's neck is much better. Thanks for the concern, dear readers. I didn't dare write too fast today, stopping and starting, often resting. The update is a bit late. I'll keep working hard tomorrow.)