Chapter 19: This Group has No Future
Nightfall
Bai Ya dragged his exhausted body back to his sailor cabin.
The cabin had a hinged window.
The gigantic circular window made of a glass-like substance a meter thick.
Outside the window was dark seawater.
However, Bai Ya saw his own bright future in that dark seawater.
He took out a pen, ink, and paper, knelt to the ground, and with the bed as his table, he began to write.
Dear Miss Xi Qui:
At this moment, I am excited to write you this letter, I have happy news to give you.
Today, I and my companions tried many battle qi techniques.
I didn’t think that so many battle qi techniques suited me!
This gave me hope.
In the future, I hope to become a knight!
However, the situation is not all good.
From the captive pirates, we learned the pirate throne has reappeared.
When I consulted my companions, I understood how significant that was.
It actually means a new Pirate God is to be born!
A new god.
Heavens!
Can you imagine that? As long as one sits the throne, they will become a god!
I am not exaggerating, there have already been six pirate gods in history. The first Pirate God created the throne, and when she fell, the throne was destroyed with her.
A few centuries later, the throne manifested again, and when a pirate finally defeated all of their competitors and sat the throne, they became the second Pirate King and became a god.
Currently, all pirates in the world have gone wild.
They are looting everywhere, slaughtering everywhere, all for the purpose of obtaining the Pirate God’s divine favor.
Da Zhao’s pirate group was a subordinate to Rou Zang’s pirate group. Rou Zang ordered him to brutally massacre Stone Egg Island and take the rest into slavery.
The more pirate activity one does, the more the pirate throne will acknowledge them.
Ultimately. The one with the strongest favor will be the only one qualified to sit that throne.
This process is filled with carnage, I cannot imagine how many lives will be lost, it makes my head feel numb.
But regardless of how many challenges the road ahead brings, I will not give up.
Thank you, Miss Xi Qui. Every time I confide in you, the pressure around me lightens and I am filled once again with the determination to go onwards.
I ask that you forgive me, because I cannot send you this letter too.
I pray for your health and happiness.
Accepting he could send out this letter, Bai Ya raised his mattress.
The letter went under it.
He placed it on top of a pile of other letters.
He then sat down on his mattress, cleaned up his pen and ink, but didn’t go to sleep just yet.
With knees and elbows pressed against the mattress, his hands fists and his eyes closed, Bai Ya began to pray.
“Great Hunting God, my master, I faithfully pray to you my wish that we achieve our goals…”
Praying before sleeping was one of the habits of a believer.
Fei She was also praying.
“I, I love the Wealth Goddess, I face you, I appeal to you, I pray that after we redeem ourselves, we can keep as much of our riches as possible, our riches…”
In another sailor room, Mu Ban was bowing to a pocket sized idol, “Smithing God, I ask that you bless and protect the Deep Sea Monster Fish, under your blessing it will exhibit even greater might and grant your devoted believer protection…”
The cockpit.
It was currently Zong Ge’s turn to control the Deep Sea Monster Fish.
Tripleblade was reporting to the half beastman on everyone’s attempts at cultivating battle qi techniques and his dark opinion on the situation,
Zong Ge laughed, “So the big guy actually has the highest aptitude.”
“A likely gold level potential? That is quite unexpected.”
“His body already exceeds that of others, if he is allowed to become a cultivator, he will accomplish much on the battlefield.”
Zong Ge looked at it from the angle of a high-ranking military officer, giving an amusing impression.
Tripleblade did not have such high hopes for the big guy, “His intellect is too limited, he studied the most basic of battle qi techniques, but hadn’t succeeded even once the entire afternoon. I think that even if he succeeded once by a fluke, he would still fail the next attempt. Allowing him to cultivate battle qi will only injure him constantly and ask for trouble.”
Zong Ge shook his head, “It is still possible. There are many exquisite eastern imperial battle qi techniques. Some monks can imbue their own battle qi into their disciples and guide their battle qi circulation.”
If a battle qi cultivator helps guide him, there will inevitably be a day when the big guy is able to cultivate battle qi alone.”
Tripleblade replied, “The Captain wants to improve individual strength through battle qi techniques, I believe he is setting about it wrong. How many are talented enough to become a magician? Battle qi techniques are also no good. The people who boarded ships towards the Wilderness Continent were the at the lowest rungs of the Sheng Ming Empire. If they had the bloodline and the aptitude, they would’ve already had a life of abundance. Why would they brave the dangers of the Wilderness Continent?”
“It would be better to just issue them some equipment, that will boost their individual battle strength far more.”
Zong Ge muttered to himself, “War Merchant’s entire stock consists of munitions, there are barely any weapons and armor.”
“Actually, it isn’t required to impose on them.”
“If it was me, I would arrange for them to mix in with the fleet’s lowest levels. That can also reinforce our control over the fleet and allow us to receive first-hand intelligence. If we force them to serve as middle-ranking leaders, after a while, the others will not accept them and give rise to discord in the fleet.”
Tripleblade responded “If they serve on the bottom, they are liable to be slaughtered during a battle. I don’t think our Captain wants to see any of his comrades die.”
Zong Ge coldly snorted, “That is exactly the biggest gripe I have about him. He is a little too charitable and benevolent. This time, he has gone so far as to want to release those fisher folk right away.”
Zong Ge was an imperial general.
Many times, people were only numbers in his mind.
In his eyes, cannon fodder tactics were a typical strategy.
As long as he seized victory, sacrificing some cannon fodder was completely worth it.
Tripleblade sensed Zong Ge was somewhat dissatisfied with the young captain and couldn’t help but laugh, “Lord Zong Ge, I have always believed that you are the most suitable person to lead us.”
“On the island, we lost because there were more of them and because the island had a special magic prohibition environment. But now things are different.”
“Of everyone here, your cultivation is the highest, peak silver, while I am a iron level fighter.”
“President Zi Di is already a ghost, and although Cang Xu is at the iron level, he is a necromancer, and can never enjoy popular support.”
“The most crucial point is that our Captain cannot use those strange beast forms. Those artificial magic beasts can only exist properly in a magic prohibition environment.”
“Unable to transform, he only has Zhen Jin’s appearance and physique. He has the White River battle qi and grasps only a few battle skills. This I observed in the magic image while you and him captured Da Zhao.”
Zong Ge waved his hand, cutting off Tripleblade’s words, “I know what you are saying.”
“But I am uninterested in becoming leader.”
Tripleblade stared at him.
Zong Ge continued, “This is not Mystifying Monster Island. Among this group of people, most of them are of the lowest level, their potential limited. Today’s battle qi techniques experimentations have already given an answer, most of these people cannot become cultivators.”
“What would my leadership do for them?”
“DO I want to use these people?”
“This is not a good group.” Zong Ge assessed.
“It has a giant hybrid, a ghost, a necromancer, a goblin, and me, a half beastman.”
“Mu Ban believes in the Smithing God, Fei She believes in the Wealth Goddess, Cang Xu believes in the Great Lord Spectral Soul, while we are nonbelievers.”
“Race, belief, social class, these things separate us. From the beginning, this group had a thousand cuts, a thousand holes, cracks growing out like a thicket.”
“Currently, because we find ourselves in the same plight, we need to solve the same problem together, nothing more.”
“If we successfully redeem ourselves in the future, why would we continue to be united? What would the captain use to continue to unite and lead us?”
“That our captain could become our leader was actually the result of many coincidences, it would be hard to reproduce.”
“He is a transforming monster, but he contains the spirit of a knight, this is why everyone is at ease with him.”
“However, that is also precisely his weak point.”
Zong Ge laughed heedlessly, “During our prior discuss on what to do with these fisher folk, we all had our own proposal.”
“If it were possible, the captain would have freely released these fisher folk.”
“But you, Zi Di, and Lan Zao had your respective opinion.”
“Even his woman and his most devoted subordinate are like this. What about the others? What about in the future?”
“The people support him because of his moral character. But his noble morality is also his weakness.” Zong Ge hit the nail on the head.
“Everyone seeks to benefit themselves, forever and always.”
“His moral character will inevitably conflict with everyone’s interests. The more times it conflicts, the more grievances everyone will have.”
“When that happens, what will he use to lead them?”
“This group has no future.”
“After we redeem ourselves, we shall head towards the Wilderness Continent and organize our own group.”
“Only with a common goal, with similar beliefs, identities, and social classes can an inseparably close organization be formed.”
“From beginning to end, this organization must have one voice.”
“If that happens, its every order will be executed without fail, everyone will be united, and its formidable power shall burst forth!
Zong Ge expressed his understanding of what he wanted for his own group.
Tripleblade listened with excitement, “I understand your goal, Lord Zong Ge. I am truly honored to be able to follow you.”