Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 481 The Rules of Playing the Black Knight
"Captain, does he know Congressman Joel Reid?"

Anderson was also taken aback. After all, he cared a great deal about this demigod and needed to find him to eliminate his unfortunate constitution.

"He is a member of the life philosophy school."

Lu Ze laughed, looking at the very nervous Darkwell, "Right?"

Because he had changed his appearance, the acquaintance did not recognize him. He also didn't want Darkwell to recognize him, otherwise the fat pharmacist might ask about his sister's recent situation.

"Forehead"

Darkwell gave a forced smile, his face contorted in a grimace that looked more like he was about to cry.

He was indeed a member of the Life School. However, his mentor—his teacher—only taught him the most basic knowledge before kicking him out. He traveled around on his own, slowly working his way up to Sequence 8 before gradually establishing connections with the organization.

As for Darkwell's journey by ship, it was indeed to Oravi Island to find his teacher's teacher, Councilor Joreid. He simply hadn't expected to encounter this series of events along the way, much less that the infamous Blood Monk would see right through him.

"That would be great!"

Anderson was overjoyed to hear the good news. He walked up to the fat pharmacist and patted him on the shoulder as if they were old friends. "We were just about to visit that congressman. Now we're counting on you to introduce us!"

"Okay, okay."

Darkwell forced a smile, not daring to disobey.

He had witnessed Luzer's power firsthand; an entire warship and all the extraordinary beings on board were no match for him, let alone himself, a Sequence 8. So he could only obediently cooperate and stand aside with the sailors.

However, judging from their demeanor, they seemed to have no hostility towards the School of Life. Darkwell could only console himself that at least his situation wouldn't be worse than before.
Once his situation is resolved, it will be time to decide the fate of the others on board.

"Captain, everyone has gathered here."

Anderson asked, "What do we do next?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd visibly panicked, as the Blood Cultivator's fearsome reputation had spread throughout the Sunia Sea. The pirates were no longer at ease, for they knew that this man showed no mercy even to his fellow pirates.

Lu Ze looked at these people calmly.

The shadow beneath his feet swayed, allowing him to sense the decadent aura emanating from the shadows of people. Twistedness, hatred, jealousy, disgust, greed, lust—everyone has problems to some extent; everyone has a source of depravity within them.

Among them, the pirates were the most sinister, filled with malice, having committed countless murders, and riddled with sins; they were utterly corrupt. The situation of the ordinary passengers and soldiers was even more complex; some were relatively normal, while others had committed crimes and were shrouded in the stench of blood and death.

Next, we need to determine whether they should stay or leave based on their individual circumstances.
Lu Ze thought to himself, and suddenly felt a surge of irritation.

Why think so much? Everyone has evil thoughts in their heart anyway, and everyone is destined to embrace depravity. So let me just use my abilities to draw out the dark side of everyone's heart and make them a part of me!

When everyone falls into depravity, I become the one who bears all of their burdens. No!

He jolted awake and brought the crazy thought back to his senses.

The shadow beneath his feet swayed, constantly spreading his extreme thoughts, trying to make his emotions cold, to make him lose his humanity, and to be driven by the magic potion.

If I had followed the shadow's advice, I'm afraid I would have been the first to fall into depravity.
Lu Ze thought to himself, while simultaneously solidifying a resolve: the power of corruption must not be abused! This wasn't just to minimize harm, but also to protect himself. Using corrupted power too often would inevitably lead him to the brink of losing control.

As soon as this thought came to him, he felt that the potion in his body seemed to have been neutralized to some extent.

Indeed, this was the key to the role.
Lu Ze thought to himself.

Spread decadence, but do not wallow in it. Practice your beliefs through decadence, rather than being driven by it to pollute everything.

Depravity is a means, not an end.

A black knight is still a knight!

In a way, the Sequence 4 "Black Knight" is quite similar to a more powerful version of the Sequence 7 "Hermit." Besides the enhanced shadow abilities, there's also a closer approximation of the laws governing their actions. The "Hermit" needs to secretly spread forbidden knowledge, using various methods to try and corrupt people into madness. The "Black Knight," however, after gaining the ability to corrupt people at will, needs to exercise restraint to prevent themselves from becoming completely corrupted through the reckless use of their powers. However, the laws they embody are probably more than just these; they still need to explore further.

Thinking this, Lu Ze raised his head and faced his prisoners.

"brush!"

His shadow spread out, merging with the shadows of everyone present. To everyone's horror, a blood-red light emanated from the darkness beneath their feet, gradually drawing out the most insane and twisted thoughts from their minds.

Some people lack sufficient malice, so these thoughts merely surface and crowd into their minds. Others are already radiating sin; their bodies immediately resonate with the shadows, their flesh twisting and turning them into grotesque monsters.

The "Degeneration" of the "Black Knight"!
"Ahhh!"

The screams of normal people and the roars of the depraved rang out one after another, forming an extremely terrifying symphony on the deck.

Not only those shrouded in shadow, but also the subordinates of the Luze Pirate Crew looked uneasy upon seeing this scene, as if recalling a similar scene they had witnessed before, some of whom had even been part of it at the time.

Soon, all the pirates on deck had transformed into corrupted monsters, and some soldiers and a few passengers met the same fate. They turned into hideous, twisted monsters, roaring in the dark, swamp-like shadows.

"brush."

Luze controlled the encroachment of the shadows, halting the spread of "corruption" at the opportune moment. The dark shadows slowly retreated, engulfing the deformed and twisted bodies within them, swallowed by his shadow.

The magic potion in my body is slowly being digested.
He closed his eyes to sense it for a moment, then opened them and looked at Anderson.

"Anderson, the rest is up to you. Just do as I told you before."

He spoke in a deep voice to his first mate, then ignored the scene and rode back to the flagship.

"Yes!"

Anderson shook off Darkwell, stepped forward, and approached the survivors.

"Let me introduce myself first. We are a newly formed pirate crew. Our captain is Alexander Gascoigne, the 'King of Blood,' who also has another title: the 'Blood Monk'!"

The moment this infamous name, which resounded throughout Rune, was uttered, it caused another wave of panic among the crowd.

"Don't worry, the rest of you have all passed the captain's judgment and are safe."

Anderson explained with a smile:

"Those who cannot stay in the captain's shadow are those who have committed unforgivable sins."

He laughed as he spoke to the still-shaken people, spreading his arms wide in an exaggerated manner.

"Now that you have passed the captain's test, we will naturally not make things difficult for you any further. You may continue your voyage. When you return, remember to spread our fame and tell the five seas that the fifth king of the seas has been born!"

The crowd gasped for breath, seemingly unable to believe Anderson's words.

"Your Excellency, are you serious?"

The second mate in the fleet asked in a trembling voice.

"Of course, ordinary passengers can return to your ship, and we will not touch your cargo, property, fresh water, or food."

Anderson chuckled, then looked at the bound soldiers, "As for you, your ship has been requisitioned. You may leave after you have taught the sailors how to operate the steamship and cannons."

The biggest prize from this battle is this warship, and we must make good use of it.

After that, Anderson returned the lucky victims to the merchant ship and directed the sailors to sail away, towing another pirate ship with the captured warship.

(End of this chapter)