This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 127. Betrayal
Pirate captain Casper stepped onto the deck of the Windfeather with a sense of smugness.

The captain of this merchant ship was quite experienced and reacted very quickly after discovering it. In the past, it would have taken two ships half a day to catch up with the Blood Shark.

However, with the wind magician he had recruited at great expense, the situation changed completely. Ordinary merchant ships were like adults and children in front of the Blood Shark at full speed.

Magicians rarely want to stay on a ship for an extended period of time.

If all that's needed is a mage to produce fresh water, that's fine; a low-level mage can do the job. But if you want to keep the sails blowing continuously, you'll need at least a gold-level mage.

Even setting aside the harsh life on the ship, for a mage, improving their magic level requires a stable environment for meditation, and learning spells requires a place to acquire knowledge—things that are not available on the ship.

Generally speaking, only high-level mages who have given up on self-improvement or are extremely short of money will choose to board a ship. Moreover, the ships they board are all regular large ships. Ordinary merchant ships like the Wind Feather rarely have enough mages to hire, let alone pirates.

Not long after Casper took over the Blood Shark, he recruited a Wind Mage who was wanted by the authorities, which is why Casper persuaded him to join the pirate ship. Casper felt that this was a sign of good fortune, and that everything indicated his luck was about to change.

Boarding the ship was risky, so he didn't bring any mages who weren't familiar with ropes. He only brought the first mate, the second mate, and more than thirty men. He had already figured out the strength of the Wind Feather through his inside contacts, and these men were enough.

Captain Gerhard of the Windfeather and his crew gathered at the edge of the ship's deck. Although they had already hoisted the white flag, they had not put down their swords, clearly indicating that they had not completely given up and still wanted to bargain.

Casper wasn't in a hurry; he had already decided to take the ship.

A rather astute pirate swaggered out and came to the sailors' quarters. He grabbed the tall stool, which was about the size of a bucket, and weighed it in his hand. It was much lighter than he had expected.

Lin Jun & Dylan: ? ? ?

The surrounding sailors all seemed very nervous, many of them gripping their scimitars tightly, but the pirate seemed oblivious, deliberately circling around in front of the sailors before offering the stool to Casper with a fawning expression.

After the pirates arrogantly left, the sailors' already low morale visibly plummeted.

Dylan reached out his hand, but didn't know what reason to give to stop the pirate. In the end, he could only watch in horror as Casper plopped down on him.

Kasper gave his subordinate a satisfied look; he was bold and clever, and the position of boatswain was conveniently vacant…

I wonder if it's just my imagination, but this stool seems a bit soft?

To avoid being detected, the scout, Puji, strained to keep his body straight.

Casper subtly wiggled his hips, then thought it was just his imagination.

Of course, even if the stool was made of paper, he would still have to squat down in a horse stance to put on the act, otherwise the pressure he had just exerted would be wasted.

The results were indeed quite good.

Seeing the sailors' timid expressions, and even the first mate Galon's shifty eyes, which had no deterrent effect whatsoever, Gerhard had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward.

"People of the Blood Shark, this ship is delivering the Breath of Oblivion to Lord Grossa. We are willing to give up one-third of our cargo in exchange for your safety!"

Grossa, one of the three major slave owners of the archipelago, is also the controller of Silver Sand Bay, Dylan's final destination. The Breath of Oblivion is a commonly used potion for training slaves.

Dylan looked at the captain with some surprise; he had no idea that the ship was also working for Grossa.

Gerhard mentioned Grossa's name because even pirates in the archipelago have their rules, and many pirate leaders, if investigated further, are somehow related to one of the three major slave owners.

These pirates ruthlessly slaughtered ships belonging to the three major slave owners, while taking only a quarter of the cargo from ships belonging to the other two slave owners.

This was a method used by the major slave owners to eliminate other emerging minor powers in the archipelago, and also a way for them to engage in a game of power without open conflict.

The captain of the Windfeather was only willing to give up one-third of the cargo because the Blood Shark crew had come on strong and acted somewhat unpredictably, leaving him unsure of their intentions. He figured he could only risk a little more for peace of mind. However, Casper merely scoffed, "You think you can get rid of me with just one-third?"

"So what do you want to do?" Gerhard tried to keep his voice steady, but he couldn't hide his guilty conscience. Kasper would admit defeat even if he was only halfway through leaving.

"I want them all!"

"Are you trying to break the rules?"

Casper grinned: "I want not only all the cargo, but also your ships and your people!"

"You...you want to start a war? Where's Wright? I want to ask him that!"

Dylan and the passengers had no idea who Wright was, but the pirates on the Blood Shark across from them clearly did.

They looked at each other and suddenly burst out laughing.

Casper said smugly, "That coward Wright is already fish food. Now the Blood Shark listens to me, Casper. So what if it's Grossa? We stole Grossa's ship!"

"Bullshit!" Knowing there was no way to resolve this peacefully, Gerhard raised his knife and shouted at the sailors, "Hand in your weapons! If you don't want to become slaves and be tortured to death, then all of you, take up your weapons!"

The sailors, and even a few passengers, gripped their weapons tightly—the pirates clearly had no intention of treating them differently.

Gerhard pointed the knife at Casper again, "Don't push me, or there won't be much cargo left on this ship!"

Gerhard is also a Gold-level ship. Even if he is no match for Gerhard, if he is determined to cause destruction, he might actually sink the ship and cause mutual damage.

In this situation, this is the only way he can threaten the other side.

Kasper watched the Windfeather captain's performance with a cold eye, then raised his right hand, drawing everyone's attention, wondering what he meant.

As Kasper clenched his right fist, a dagger pierced Gerhard's chest!

"Garon?"

Galon's dagger was originally aimed at his heart, but Gerhard, being a Gold-ranked warrior, managed to react at the last second and shift his body, preventing himself from being killed instantly, though the outcome wouldn't have been much different.

Gerhard turned around and unleashed a furious attack, which was dodged by Galon, who was prepared. Before the others could react, Galon quickly ran to Casper's side and bowed, saying, "Lord Casper, as you requested."

"Good, good, good!" Casper patted Galon on the shoulder. "Not only did you lose the guiding beacon along the way, but you also solved this big problem. You deserve the most credit for this trip. I will definitely recommend you to the lord when we get back!"

Upon hearing this, Galon couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile.

"Garon! You've been with me for eight years!" Gerhard cursed angrily, lying on the ground and spitting blood.

"Don't say that, Captain. We're all just out here making money. Blame yourself for not being careful enough." Galon said casually, without a trace of remorse.

"You!" Enraged, Gerhard spat out another mouthful of blood. Trembling, he took out a bottle of life-saving potion and gulped it down.

The pirates, of course, couldn't wait for him to recover slowly.

Casper waved his hand, "Take it all! Ooo ...

(End of this chapter)