After going into the sea, I met the witch.

This was a small, high-level meeting of the Black Rose, and the topic of the meeting was of paramount importance, concerning the destination of the upcoming voyage.

After a night of resupply, the Black Rose's voyage baggage is ready, and it is about to set sail.

According to the usual rules of pirate crews, once they reach a supply point, they would let their crew relax there. After all, long voyages put a lot of mental pressure on the crew, and if they were under high pressure for a long time, it would easily lead to mutiny.

But for the Black Rose, there was no need to worry about such things at all—all the pirate crew members had been cursed by Freyne, and for the sake of their own lives, no one dared to disobey Freyne's orders.

Freyne explained earnestly:

"Firstly, if you want to go to the 'Central Sea Area' or the central sea area, the Whirlpool Islands are the last supply point on the route."

"Secondly, the appearance of a moon wolf often foreshadows the appearance of some kind of treasure. Of course, this is not the key point. The key point is that I need material from a moon wolf."

"Thirdly, both the main ingredients for Cecilia's potion for advancement and the main ingredients for your 'Pirate Path' Tier 2 potion, Mr. Ryan, require the body material of a sea monster that inhabits the area around the Whirlpool Islands."

"In conclusion, we must go to the Whirlpool Islands."

Cecilia never expressed any opinion on Freyne's decision, only offering silent support. Ryan, however, after some thought, said with some concern:

"Lady Freyne, what you say makes a lot of sense. However, the appearance of the Moon Wolf has led to a large number of pirates heading to the Whirlpool Islands. This raises concerns about our safety..."

Ryan's tone was very tactful.

In fact, none of the three of them are suited to be in crowded places.

Ryan himself is the problem of the "blood mark," while Freyne and Cecilia... not to mention their complicated backgrounds, their appearances alone are the greatest original sin!

For unscrupulous pirates, especially the big pirates, treasure, strong liquor, and beautiful women are all things they covet.

Frey understood the implication in Ryan's words, and she waved her hand dismissively: "Don't worry, I have my own way of handling this."

Since the witch, who was the captain, had said so, Ryan had no choice but to obey: "I understand."

"Let's go! Destination: Whirlpool Islands!"

Freyne slammed a small flag onto the nautical chart, marking the location of the Whirlpool Islands, and shouted excitedly.

……

With everything ready, at 8:00 AM sharp, the Black Rose departed from Wolf Fang Island port, heading southeast.

Meanwhile, a dozen nautical miles away, the lookout, who was constantly monitoring the movements of the Black Rose through a special telescope, immediately reported this information to Lord Slop in the captain's cabin.

Upon hearing this news, Lord Slop's eyes lit up with excitement after waiting all night.

He had originally thought the Black Rose would stay on Wolf Fang Island a little longer, and he was already preparing follow-up plans for it. He never expected that they would choose to leave early the next morning.

Lord Slop stepped onto the deck, waved his hand triumphantly, and declared, "Target: Southeast, the [Skull]!"

"kill!"

"Kill!" all the navy soldiers shouted excitedly.

Chapter 45 Methods of Spiritual Enhancement

The sky is clear and the air is crisp; today is a perfect day to set sail.

The Black Rose sailed smoothly on the sea.

At the bow deck, Ryan carried his greatsword on his shoulder, maintaining a "charging" posture.

He appears still, but if a discerning observer were to look closely, they would notice that every muscle in his body is contracting and tensing, like a spring being compressed and compressed again.

Ten seconds later, Ryan slowly relaxed, and the greatsword, still sheathed on his shoulder, fell onto the deck with a low "thud," drawing awe-inspiring glances from the surrounding pirates.

"Hu Chi... Hu Chi..."

He was breathing rapidly, and it took several seconds for Ryan's breathing to calm down.

Looking at the greatsword in his hand, he silently pondered:

"Through power-building training, the body gradually adapts, thereby accelerating the power-building speed..."

"This method is indeed effective, but it requires a long period of practice."

With nothing else to do, Ryan began training in Storm Sword Techniques on the deck.

The reason for choosing this location is twofold: firstly, the cabin is relatively cramped, making it inconvenient to maneuver; secondly, Ryan also wanted to understand the true meaning of "breaking the waves" by listening to and feeling the waves up close.

The inheritance crystal given to him by Freya contains the complete inheritance of the [Storm Sword Technique]. Among them, [Storm Sword Skill - Wave Breaker] is only the most basic. After that, there are other sword skills. However, in order to obtain the inheritance of more sword skills, he needs to cultivate the [Wave Breaker] skill to the level of "three-stage charging".

This is not an easy task. Even if one's physical and spiritual qualities meet the requirements, it is still extremely difficult to succeed in the practice.

Diligent practice and a certain level of comprehension are both indispensable.

As for diligence, Ryan doesn't consider himself lazy, and as for comprehension, he can't really say for sure; he can only try to find as many opportunities as possible to gain insight.

The "energy-accumulation" training is extremely taxing on physical strength, mental and spiritual energy. It takes at least fifteen minutes to recover after each training session, and that's only if Ryan is wearing the "Necklace of Abundance." Otherwise, it's hard to say how long it would take.

After resting, just as Ryan was preparing for his next training session, a crisp voice interrupted his movements.

"Mr. Ryan, please pause for a moment. There is something quite important I need to tell you."

Ryan turned his head and looked at Freyne, who was standing at the door of the captain's cabin in the distance with a smile on her lips.

The sea breeze lifted the openwork lace trim on the girl's hat, causing it to flutter in the wind.

"Something quite important?"

Ryan was somewhat puzzled, but he still sheathed his greatsword and quickly walked over.

Leaning against the railing by the captain's cabin door, Freyne looked at Ryan and said softly, "I saw the 'line' approaching. Those guys who are tracking the 'bloody mark' are getting closer to the [Black Rose]."

Upon hearing this, Ryan's eyes narrowed and his expression immediately turned serious.

“The tracker of the ‘Bloody Mark’…”

Are they preparing to make a move?

“That’s probably true.” Freyne nodded slightly. “What, Mr. Ryan, are you scared?”

“Of course I was scared.” Ryan showed no embarrassment at all: “After all, the enemy’s strength is unknown. This kind of situation, where the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light, always makes people uneasy.”

"Don't worry." Freyne chuckled. "Mr. Ryan, humility is a virtue, but being too humble isn't good. With your initial mastery of the first move of the Storm Sword Technique, your strength isn't weak among first-tier professionals."

“Judging from the thickness of the ‘line,’ the tracker’s strength is no more than the first tier,” Freyne comforted. “However, they were just following before, but now that they’ve chosen to attack, they must have received reinforcements. Therefore, the enemy must have at least two or more professionals.”

"As your partner, we will help you."

Ryan took a deep breath: "Thank you for your help."

"By the way, Lady Freyne, can you determine the distance between the enemy ships and us?"

"Between five and ten nautical miles," Freyne estimated, her eyes slightly narrowed.

“This distance…” Ryan analyzed calmly: “Their ships should be better than ours, but the difference shouldn’t be too great. At a distance of five to ten nautical miles, it would take them at least three to five hours to catch up with us.”

“That’s about right,” Freyne nodded.

“Hoo…” Ryan took a deep breath: “Right now, all we can do is wait.”

Upon learning of the "Hunter's" news, Ryan lost interest in continuing training. The "energy-conserving training" was too taxing on his physical strength, mental acuity, and spirit, and it was not advisable to conduct it before a major battle. It was better to conserve his energy.

Looking at the girl whose hair was fluttering in the sea breeze, and at her delicate, smooth earlobes, Ryan thought for a moment and asked the question that had been bothering him the most since he became a professional.

"Lady Freyne, I have a question that I do not understand. May I ask you for advice?"

"Go ahead and say it," Freyne said softly without turning her head.

“It’s like this.” Ryan organized his thoughts, “After becoming a [Tier 1 Pirate], my elevated spirituality manifested in the mortal world. However, I have no clue how to improve it, and my daily training hasn’t improved it at all. With my current spirituality, I’m definitely not qualified to advance to a Tier 2 professional, right?”

“You’re right.” Frey smiled. “There’s a minimum spiritual requirement for a Tier 1 Formal Professional to advance to Tier 2 Elite Professional.”

"If one's spirituality is insufficient, rashly consuming a second-tier magic potion will only lead to being lost in the ocean of spirituality and becoming a walking corpse."

“You just started your job a couple of days ago. I was originally planning to wait a few days until you were settled in before telling you about this, but since you asked, I’ll tell you now.”

"Professionals walk within sequences, and each sequence is inscribed with the [Golden Rule]. Sequences are also called paths, and professionals who wish to improve themselves must walk the correct path. As for the correct way to walk..."

"It's actually not that difficult; it's all about 'fit'."

“A perfect match?” Ryan narrowed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

“Yes, a perfect match.” Freyne began to explain: “You’ve noticed it too, haven’t you? The names of the professions, such as yours [Pirate], Cecilia’s [Soldier], and mine [Scholar], the names of the professions are the key to the perfect match.”

"Take me as an example. The term 'scholar' means to acquire all kinds of knowledge. The more unheard of and novel the knowledge, the more it can deepen the 'scholar's' affinity. And the mainstream and conventional way to increase spiritual growth is to improve one's affinity with one's profession."

"When the compatibility reaches a sufficiently high level, one is qualified for promotion."

"The above mentioned the mainstream and conventional methods, so naturally there are also unconventional methods..."

Chapter 46 A Desolate Sword!

On the deck, Freya gazed at Ryan, her eyes serene and clear:

"Among the nations, on the high seas, there is a secret method that allows practitioners to strip other practitioners of their spirituality, thereby elevating their own."

"Those who use this secret technique are also known as 'killers'."

"Although this method leads to rapid spiritual growth, it is far more difficult for practitioners to advance in their careers than those who follow the 'Path of Harmony'."

"Speaking of which, the killers have also formed a religious organization called the 'Slaughter Church.' If you encounter such a being in the future, you must be extremely careful."

"Besides the 'Slayer,' there are other unconventional ways to improve, but they all have huge side effects. Unless you have no other choice, you should never try them."

“I understand.” Ryan’s expression hardened, and he nodded emphatically.

Seeing Ryan's reaction, Freya nodded in satisfaction: "I don't know much about your [pirate] profession, but I think that as long as you do things that are as compatible with pirates as possible in your daily life, you will definitely be able to gradually improve your spirituality."

"That's pretty much it."

After explaining the "method of spiritual enhancement," Freya took Cecilia back to the captain's cabin, leaving Ryan alone on the deck, lost in thought.

"A good fit...?"

Ryan muttered to himself, "Or rather, playing a role?"

"By engaging in behaviors similar to those of the profession, one can deepen their understanding of the profession, 'play' oneself as part of the profession, and thus walk on a 'suitable' professional path."

"So, what exactly constitutes 'fitting' the pirates' behavior?"

"Robbery? Murder? Alcoholism? Or perhaps, enjoying beautiful women?"

Ryan had a bit of a headache.