Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

Li Jiu welcomed Lin Shier with the warmest welcome.

From the gate of the village to the Hall of Righteousness, two rows of pirates raised their long swords, crossing them in mid-air, leaving only a narrow path beneath their blades.

Upon seeing this, Lin Shier sneered, then straightened his chest and walked slowly under the blade without looking to the side, completely disregarding the steel blade above his head.

As Lin Shier walked and looked around the village, he frowned. The village was littered with vomit and excrement, and a strong stench assaulted his nose.

What was even more unbearable for him was the terrifyingly strong odor emanating from the two rows of pirates. In no time, Lin Twelve could no longer maintain his elegant gait. He would occasionally lift his foot to avoid the "landmines" under his feet and forcibly pinch his nose to prevent himself from sneezing from the stench.

When Lin Twelve finished walking the path in front of the Hall of Righteousness, he let out a long sigh of relief. He had originally thought that the most terrifying thing about this kind of scene was the swords, but now that he had walked through it, he realized that the most terrifying thing was actually the stench emanating from these people.

Upon entering the Hall of Righteousness, Lin Twelve looked up and saw a burly man sitting at the head of the table. He wore coarse linen shorts and was shirtless, revealing his scarred body. This must be Li Jiu, the pirate leader.

Two men sat on each side of the seats, one of whom was Li Kui, the third leader of Nangantang Island, whom Lin Twelve had seen from afar.

Lin Twelve stepped forward calmly, then crossed his hands in a salute and said, "Lin Twelve of the Four Seas Gang greets all the leaders."

"Boy, you're young, but you've got guts. You actually dared to come see me, Li Jiu, alone." Li Jiu, sitting at the head of the table, spoke in a loud voice, like thunder. Combined with his imposing physique, he certainly gave people a strong sense of pressure.

"I have long heard that Chief Li is a famous hero in the Fujian sea area. Since you have come to meet a hero, I am naturally overjoyed. What is there to be afraid of?" Lin Twelve said neither humbly nor arrogantly, while also flattering the other party.

Clearly, the other party was very pleased with this, and their gaze towards Lin Twelve softened considerably.

"Hahaha, you've got good taste, kid. Tell me, what exactly is this Four Seas Gang? And what do you want from me this time?" Li Jiu leaned back in his chair and said lazily.

"It's like this," Lin Twelve said, "our Four Seas Gang is a group of pitiful people, just like our leader, who were forced by the government to make a living at sea. But some time ago, one of our gang's ships was captured by our leader's men, so I have come here on the orders of our leader to ransom the people on board."

"Oh? Is that so? We've plundered quite a few ships recently. Who are you talking about?" Li Jiu scratched his head and asked, pretending not to know.

If it weren't for the intelligence from the spies clearly stating that it was Lin Jiu himself who arrested Lin De, Lin Twelve would likely have been deceived as well. However, he couldn't expose him, so he cupped his hands again and said, "Reporting to the Chief, the person arrested is our Inner Hall Master, Lin De. At the time, there was a whole ship full of timber on the Master's ship. I wonder if the Chief remembers?"

"Oh... now that you mention it, I see. So his name is Lin De." Li Jiu said with a sudden realization, then asked Lin Twelve with a puzzled look, "Since you've gone to sea to become pirates, why did you buy so much timber on your ship? It's making it difficult for us to sell this batch of goods."

Lin Shier wondered why the other party asked this, but still replied, "Please forgive us, Chief. We are new to this place and unlike you, Chief, we don't have such a large village to live in. There are still many people living in thatched huts, so we can only buy some wood to build houses."

"Nonsense! Your village is quite large, and there's plenty of timber on the mountain. You can build houses anywhere. Why waste money buying timber?" Li Jiu said angrily.

Lin Shier was immediately speechless: No, what business is it of yours how we spend money!

"Ahem, Boss, let's talk about the ransom. We were wrong to not pay our respects to you beforehand, which led to this misunderstanding. Our Four Seas Gang is willing to pay one thousand taels of silver to ransom all our personnel. As for the ships and cargo, we will hand them over to you as a gift."

"A thousand taels? Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar? A thousand taels per person is more like it, but you think you can redeem the whole thing for a thousand taels? You're dreaming!" Before Li Jiu could even speak, Li Kui, sitting to his left, immediately rebuked him angrily. He knew all too well how wealthy the Lin family was.

"That's right, that's right. I heard you've given your subordinates several thousand taels of silver as rewards. If that's the case, why not spend tens of thousands of taels to replace your hall master? Is your hall master less valuable than your subordinate?" Another leader-like man below replied.

"Don't you know who these two are?" Lin Shier certainly knew Li Kui, but he pretended not to know at this moment.

"These two are the third and fifth leaders of our water stronghold. But what they said is exactly what I was thinking. A mere 1000 taels? Is the Four Seas Gang trying to play a trick on me?" Li Jiu slammed his hand down and said angrily.

"Then what does the chief think?" Lin Twelve asked, cupping his hands in greeting.

"I don't want more, just 2 taels. You can take all the people and goods." Li Jiu said directly with a wave of his hand.

"2 taels?" Lin Twelve exclaimed in surprise, then chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Thank you for your kind words, Chief, but 2 taels is truly beyond the reach of my Four Seas Gang. I beg you to make an exception. How about this, my Four Seas Gang is willing to offer 2000 taels to redeem all our personnel."

"Bang!"

A wine glass slammed down in front of Lin Twelve. Li Jiu threw the glass, then stood up abruptly, staring at Lin Twelve with a sinister gaze. "Boy, are you really trying to make fun of me? You actually dare to utter a number like 2000 taels? Do you want to die?"

As Li Jiu spoke, several steel knives were placed directly against Lin Shier's neck, as if he would behead him at the slightest provocation.

However, Lin Shier remained unfazed, straightening his neck and saying to Li Jiu, "I am not trying to mock you, Chief. Although my Four Seas Gang has only been in the business for a short time, we know the rules of the sea. The usual ransom is only a few hundred taels, and even nobles only ask for a thousand taels. 2000 taels is already the ransom for high-ranking officials. My gang leader is, after all, just a commoner, and he is only offering this price because of your influence, Chief. If you don't want to talk to my Four Seas Gang, then just take my head. My gang leader will avenge me."

After Lin Shier finished speaking, he closed his eyes and brought his neck close to the other man's knife. This caught the pirate with the knife off guard, and he immediately looked at his own leader.

Li Jiu stared at Lin Twelve with a sinister look for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Haha, not bad, not bad. You're not old, but you've got quite the nerve. No wonder the Four Seas Gang dared to send you here to negotiate with me."

Li Jiu turned around and sat back in his chair, shifting his position as if scratching an itch. After a moment, he picked up the new wine cup brought by a servant and casually drank it all in one gulp.

"Alright, I won't make things difficult for you. I'll set a flat price of 15,000 taels. And let me tell you, this isn't just ransom, it's your life-saving money. Someone told us to cause trouble for your Lin family. If you're willing to pay this money, things will be much easier later. But if you still disagree, then you're deliberately going against me, and I will personally go to Dongluo Island to demand it."

"Fifteen thousand taels is not something I can decide on my own. I need to report to the gang leader, and I ask that you be lenient with me for a while," Lin Twelve said, bowing.

As previously agreed, since the other party has offered such an outrageous price, Dongluo Island has no other choice but to find a way to eliminate them. Therefore, there is no need to haggle.

"Haha, it's alright. You can go and report to your gang leader to raise the money seriously. I have plenty of patience to wait." Seeing that Lin Shier had given in, Li Jiu was in a great mood and drank three cups in a row.

"Thank you for your understanding, Chief. There is one more thing. It is getting late, and it is dangerous to sail at sea. I would like to ask if you would allow me to stay in the stronghold for the night and return to the gang tomorrow to report back. Also, if you would like, please allow me to meet with my patriarch to confirm that he is safe and sound." Lin Twelve bowed again.

"Of course, of course. Someone, arrange accommodation for him. Don't neglect him. Treat him as the most respected guest."