Chapter 62: A Knight Who isn’t a Knight!
The Snake Rat Island tavern.
Customers were discussing amongst themselves.
“Did you hear? Tan Qiu’s tax collector ship was plundered.”
“The Two Headed Pirate Group was also the culprit!”
At this time, Lan Lu was very lively. On the contrary, Rou Zang’s pirates were nonexistent.
“How much of the taxes did they loot?”
“A lot!”
“Tan Qiu’s fleet didn’t protect it?”
“That I don’t know.”
“Our overlord’s taxes weren’t being protected? Oh dear…”
News of the stolen taxes quickly set the entire island abuzz.
The survivors also learned of this information.
As this was within Cang Xu’s purview, he knew what was going on, “There are many islands under Snake Rat Island’s jurisdiction, not just Stone Egg Island. If every island’s tax collector ship had a fleet protecting it, Tan Qiu’s fleet would be at least ten times its current size.”
Zong Ge analyzed, “Tax collector ships move on the same route, said routes are rigorously kept confidential. In the boundless ocean, it is difficult to catch swift ships. The Two Headed Pirate Group being able to accurately capture one indicates that Tan Qiu likely has a pirate spy in his inner circle!”
“That isn’t difficult to analyze.”
“Right now, Tan Qiu’s wish to establish an alliance has become more difficult. Unless he is able to uncover this traitor.
The dragonman youngster expressed his doubts, “Is there not a safer way to collect taxes? With the Pirate Throne appearing, the pirates have been moving more rampantly. Tax collector ships are optimal plundering targets for pirates. While having a fleet to escort them is too costly.”
“There is.” Said Cang Xu, “Generally, major imperial cities or territories that contribute a lot of taxes will build a fixed teleportation formation. These teleportation formations are either quite hidden or have a massive military presence guarding it.”
“Snake Rat Island has only been briefly developed, Tan Qiu also doesn’t have enough funds to support a mass construction of teleportation formations.”
“However, the Sheng Ming Church over there has a teleportation formation.”
“That is a Sheng Ming Church parish, they also collect taxes. Of course, it isn’t called taxes, rather it is monetary church donations.”
Compared to small noble like Tan Qiu, the Sheng Ming Church’s patron is far larger, they were easily able to install that teleportation formation and now have a stable channel of collecting taxes.
“If this matter continues to expand, Tan Qiu might have to rely on the church to collect taxes.” Cang Xu speculation was quickly validated.
After the tax collector ship was plundered, Tan Qiu found the church priest to discuss a matter they could collaborate on.
Both parties quickly reached an agreement.
During that process, the survivors also obtained something they wanted.
The space lock!
Well only the foundation of one.
If the space lock was complete, it would have been a gold level item.
The space lock (base) currently only had a pedestal, this pedestal looked circular, and if one looked down at it, it would resemble a gigantic magnifying glass that was 2 meters in diameter.
The inside of the circular pedestal was made out of a crystalline slab, while the exterior was wrapped by around by a metal structure. The alternating white and gold gave it a classical arrangement.
“We were very lucky, we only had one chance, yet we managed to refine it.” Cang Xu rejoiced.
In order to create this thing, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ external procurement strength had been reduced by 80%. Equipment purchases had stopped completely, and they took a risk to sell many flame crystal clusters and tide snake eggs.
Thanks to the dragonman youngster and Zong Ge’s prior success in wounding Rou Zang, as well as the rampant pirates creating a dangerous environment, Tan Qiu and the other powers restrained themselves, none of them acted against the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
Activation testing.
Paired up with the Deep Sea Monster Fish’s detection equipment, the space lock first scanned the entire town.
They noticed many spatial nodes.
The Sheng Ming Church had the most spatial nodes and the most stable ones.
The survivors were surprised, the Sheng Ming Church used them to collect monetary donations.
The Hunting Guild and the Clam Cloth Merchant Alliance storefront also had a few spatial nodes.
Zi Di surmised, “Those should be communication devices. Those few spatial nodes cannot form a teleportation formation, they can only deliver information.”
Everyone also noticed that in the depths of Tan Qiu’s castle, there was a pile of spatial nodes.
“It seems that Snake Rat Island’s overlord maintains an escape route for himself.” Cang Xu smiled.
That was normal.
If Snake Rat Island was besieged, the boundless ocean would make it difficult for a trapped overlord to escape.
Traditional secret passages were ineffective, therefore a teleportation formation was the best choice.
“Tonight, we will move this pedestal to the underground area. We will scan those gold magic beast territories.” The dragonman youngster issued his order.
Because of the addition of the space lock (base), headway had been made in their search for the Green Jade Gold Coffin.
Like Zi Di and Cang Xu had anticipated, the survivors only needed to walk around the edges of the gold magic beast territories to scan the condition of nearby space.
Every gold magic beast territory was eliminated.
The survivors had agreed that as long as they reclaimed the Green Jade Gold Coffin, they would depart this sketch area!
At the same time, the maritime situation also continued to get worse.
The Two Head Pirate Group was beginning to attack islands.
There was still no trace of Rou Zang, but his subordinate groups, the Straw Head Pirate Group and the Flower Wall Pirate Group had appeared, joining hands wit the Two Headed Pirate Group to successfully pillage three islands in a row.
More and more refuges were pouring into Snake Rat Island.
Snake Rat Island was gradually growing anxious.
“The pirates are too rampant. With two pirate groups working together, only Snake Rat Island is strong enough to defend itself.”
“What will our feudal report to his superiors? Could it be that his fleet is merely for show?”
“It isn’t like that, Tan Qiu has dispatched his fleet, but every time, they miss their target.”
“Snake Rat Island must have a traitor in it! A great traitor!”
“I think that our fleet shouldn’t go out so recklessly. Snake Rat Island only has one fleet, if it is ambushed, our Snake Rat Island will also be in danger.
The people began to lose faith in Tan Qiu.
The survivors’ mood was also growing heavier.
Besides the maritime situation growing worse, they had now scanned every gold magic beast territory, yet they didn’t discover any spatial nodes!
“The situation is terrible. It’s possible that War Merchant used a unique method to conceal spatial nodes. The space lock (base) we have cannot detect it.”
“Perhaps it was a single use teleportation formation. After the teleportation was completed, it was destroyed. After so many days, the space has also recovered its stability, and subsequently wiping any previous traces away.”
The survivors felt awkward.
They had spent a large sum to refine the space lock (base) so they could find the Green Jade Gold Coffin, yet in the end, they hadn’t.
“Perhaps, the Green Jade Gold Coffin was discovered. Maybe one of the island’s powers secretly collected it and even sent it way?” Zong Ge proposed a notion.
“Unlikely. If a divine artifact suddenly appeared, it would have incited a commotion. Even if it was covered up, Snake Rat Island would at least have a strong cultivator hidden behind the scenes and conducting a clandestine investigation.” Cang Xu analyzed.
What to do next?
Perhaps they should give up on the Green Jade Gold Coffin?
Everyone looked at the dragonman youngster.
At this crucial juncture, only their leader could make the decision.
The dragonman youngster was also hesitant, “Let me think it over.”
That night, more sad news arrived.
The Thousand Bird Island was invaded by pirates, most of the islanders were murdered and the pirates swaggered off before Tan Qiu’s fleet could reach them.
The Sheng Ming Church’s priest flew into a rage, he publicly expressed on the spot that these blasphemers would pay with their lives.
The priest’s change in attitude was obvious, because this time, the pirates had crossed the line.
Perhaps because of their repeated successes, the pirates had become savage and as they devasted the island, they unscrupulously overturned the Sheng Ming Church’s sacred altar.
Thousand Bird Island didn’t have a religious altar, only a simple one.
Sacred altars were very important, and anyone who destroyed them was blasphemers.
The gods could not be disgraced!
The priest got in touch with Tan Qiu, and changed his prior conditions, he now stated that he could distich the church’s small templar knight squad. Not only that, but he also wanted to personally go to war to crusade against the enemies of his god.
Tan Qiu was both angry and delighted.
He was angry that Thousand Bird Island was ransacked, and that a tax generating place had been severely damaged, this was all losses he suffered.
He was delighted that the Sheng Ming Church’s attitude had greatly changed, and was now the most powerful advocate of the alliance.
Tan Qiu represented royal power, the priest represented divine right, and when divine right and royal power united, a great power began to form. Tan Qiu and the priest pushed with all their might, and the other powers were bound to join the alliance, one after the other.
In order to spur on the newly forming alliance, Tan Qiu and the priest endured all night to plan out a scheme. They mainly discussed how they would coerce and tempt all of the island’s powers to unite together. Their discussion focused on the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
At dawn, a magic ship floated into the port.
It was the Sapphire!
Tan Qiu mustered a large force and stood on the port in formation.
A tall human fighter stood on the ship and looked down at the troops, his tone tranquil, “Excuse me, are you the overlord here, Tan Qiu?”
Tan Qiu tightly gazed at the human fighter, the latter looked ordinary and normal, he was an exhausted middle aged man.
The silver level thief quietly whispered into his ear, and informed him of what she had learned.
Tan Qiu’s doubts quickly dissipated into pleasant surprise and respect. He saluted the middle aged man, “Lord Guang Ke, I am Tan Qiu, we are honored to see that you could make it here!”
But the human fighter sighed, “I am just a commoner, not a lord.”
“Lan Lu is my captive, this ship no longer has the power to resist. Overlord tan Qiu, you can take this person, and deal with the other ogre captives on board.”
Tan Qiu waved his hand, and the city guard commander immediately led his troops onto the ship and poured into the Sapphire.
Tan Qiu personally escorted Guang Ke off the ship cordially.
The Two Headed Pirate Group had been annihilated!
This was explosive news, and as soon as it was propagated, it immediately triggered a sensation.
The fighter who had destroyed the Two Headed Pirate Group was a man called Guang Ke.
A gold level!
Lan Lu was an ogre with both silver level battle qi and magic, and was capable of fighting against gold levels.
But Guang Ke was no ordinary gold level fighter.
He was a legendary character, and his story had been spread widely among the commonfolk.
He was born a commoner, but after cultivating the battle qi technique the Yao Wang Clan had disseminated, he became a remarkable fighter.
He then discovered his past, he was a bastard abandoned by some member of the Yao Wang Clan. His father had played with his mother, then dispassionately discarded the woman he once loved dearly.
The Yao Wang Clan wanted to recruit Guang Ke, and was willing to punish his father severely and give his mother preferential treatment.
His mother refused, but wanted Guang Ke to return to the Yao Wang Clan, so he could develop better.
But Guang Ke refused to join, he renounced readily available wealth and rank, and instead held fast at his mother’s side.
Not only that, but he also used his strength to freely assist the commoner friends at his side.
After his mother passed away, Guang Ke began to live like a knight-errant, he traveled the world, experienced heaven and earth, and intervened when he saw injustice.
He upheld justice for commoners many times, even if it angered local officials as a result.
He was the target of many assassinations, and even people he had aided betrayed him.
But when he noticed injustice and met feeble people who appealed to him, he still did his best to defend righteousness and to help the weak.
He would never become a night, for a knight was part of the nobility.
Therefore, he had a nickname – the Knight Who Isn’t a Knight.
Guang Ke didn’t accept Tan Qiu’s kindness or entertainment, and didn’t join the banquet.
He instead came to the home of someone asking for help.
This was the house of a commoner, the only residents in it were an old grandmother and her grandson.
“Your son asked me for help while he was dying. I am very sorry, I was unable to bring him back alive.” Guang Ke sorrowfully recounted.
The grandmother cried, but she wiped the tears away.
She expressed her most sincere thanks to Guang Ke, she had been prepared to hear news of her son’s death.
She wanted Guang Ke to stay so that she could make him dinner.
Guang Ke refused her too.
Because he knew that this dinner would probably use up the family’s most valuable supplies.
Guang Ke stayed at the tavern.
The tavern was surrounded and packed with people.
But regardless of whether it was the customers or those who had come he specifically for him, all were silent.
“Hush.”
“Don’t disturb Lord Guang Ke.”
“He is very tired, and needs to have a good rest.”
No one in the thronging crowd uttered a word.