Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

Following Li Jiu's order, someone immediately stepped forward and led Lin Shier out of the Juyi Hall, where he was properly taken care of.

As soon as Lin Twelve left the Hall of Righteousness, the people inside cheered loudly.

"Hahaha, this kid's really easily intimidated. He actually agreed to 15,000 taels!" Li Jiu laughed loudly. He seemed extremely pleased.

"That's right, Big Brother is truly brilliant. He easily obtained 15,000 taels of ransom from the other party. How many hostages would you have to kidnap to earn that much? This guy named Lin De is really valuable." The Fifth Leader said with a smile.

"Brother, the Lin family is so wealthy, why should we wait for them? Let's just storm Dongluo Island and rob them of their wealth," another man suggested.

"Second Brother, you don't know this. Although the Lin family of Dongluo Island is wealthy, their most valuable assets are the cargo they robbed some time ago, but those goods haven't returned yet. If we act rashly, we might end up losing more than we gain," Li Kui said with a shake of his head and a smile.

"Oh, I see. I had no idea," the man Li Kui called Second Brother said meaningfully.

"Ahem, second brother. This matter was personally investigated by third brother. Because it is of great importance, we did not tell everyone. But the news is indeed true," Li Jiu explained.

"May I ask, brother? If that's the case, then why did we seize their ship? Wouldn't that alert them?" the man finally asked, frowning.

"Fourth brother, you may not know this, but I originally planned to wait for their ships to return so we could wipe them all out in one fell swoop. But my scouts sent word that they've been sending ships out to make purchases one after another. I've roughly estimated that they've spent at least several thousand taels of silver during this period alone."

Li Jiu slammed his fist on the table, then cried out in anguish, "This is all my money! My money! And they're wasting it so carelessly! My heart is bleeding! Who allowed them to squander my money?!"

The four people below were stunned for a moment, then understood what their eldest brother was thinking.

"Brother, you're brilliant! Let them give us the silver on the island first, and then we'll rob them of the silver they earned in Southeast Asia. All the silver will be ours." The fifth leader immediately showered them with flattery.

"If they really pay the money, will we release them?" the fourth leader asked hesitantly.

"Hahaha, fourth brother, how can you still be so naive?" Li Kui laughed loudly.

If the other party has indeed handed over the money, then naturally we should find a way to make them hand it over again. We should continue until the entire Lin family is drained of their resources, and ideally, they should even lend us money – that would be the perfect scenario.

"I see. But what if they refuse to pay? After all, we didn't capture any core members of their family!" the fourth leader continued to ask.

"Hmph, if they refuse to pay, then keep harassing them. Make sure they can't spend a single penny. When the time comes, we'll go straight to the island and ransack their homes; the money will still be ours," Li Jiu said coldly.

......

In a dark, damp, and cold prison cell, Lin Twelve met Lin De, the head of the inner hall of the Four Seas Gang.

"Master, you've suffered so much," Lin Shier said sadly.

The cell was filthy and reeked of a foul stench. Lind, who was usually impeccably dressed, now huddled in a corner like a beggar.

"It's Twelve!" Lin De looked up and saw Lin Twelve, then smiled broadly and said, "You came faster than I expected. It seems I'll be able to leave soon."

"Please rest assured, Master, the young master will rescue you and the brothers soon. How many of our brothers are still alive?" Lin Shier comforted the other party, then began to search the room with his eyes.

"Fortunately, apart from one brother who died at the very beginning of the battle, the rest of us are still alive. At the time, we were surrounded by five pirate ships. Seeing that there was no hope of escape, I told everyone to surrender. I don't know if that was the right thing to do," Lin De said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"Before I came, the young master specifically instructed that the safety of the personnel should be the top priority. The hall master is certainly right to do so."

Lin Shier comforted the other party for a few words, and then said to the other captured crew members, "Don't worry, everyone. I have reached an agreement with their leader, and we will be able to rescue you all in a few days."

He then said to the head of the prison guards, "I have reached an agreement with your boss to redeem these people for 15000 taels. If these people are still in the same condition as they are today on the day the money is paid, I will reduce the ransom and explain the reasons. You tell me, who will bear the responsibility for this crime then?"

The leader was stunned upon hearing this. Who would take responsibility? If even a tael of silver was missing, he would likely lose his head.

Cold sweat instantly trickled down his scalp. He stammered, "Well... there's not much I can do. That's just how the cells are. At most, I can move them to a cleaner cell. There's nothing more I can do in my position."

"It's alright, take this, I'm sure you'll have a way." Lin Twelve reached out and placed a large silver ingot in the other person's hand.

The leader was taken aback for a moment, then quickly put the item away and assured him, "Sir, don't worry, I will treat them like my own father. I guarantee that when you come to pick them up, they will be well-fed and plump."

After Lin Shier was released from the cell, he headed directly to his assigned lodgings under the watchful eyes of several pirates. Halfway there, one of the pirates suddenly said, "You guys go gamble and eat first; I'll take him there alone."

Overjoyed at securing such a large deal, Li Jiu announced that the entire village could drink and eat meat tonight in celebration. A lively atmosphere quickly filled the village.

Upon hearing this, the other two were overjoyed. One of them asked worriedly, "Chen Er, are you sure you can handle this? If someone gets away, the boss will chop off our heads."

"What are you saying? He's not a criminal, why would he escape? Didn't you hear what the boss said before? To treat him like a distinguished guest. Fine, if you two don't want to go, then come with me and finish this job." The pirate named Chen Er said impatiently.

"No, my dear Brother Chen, since that's the case, then we'll leave it to you. We're off to have a drink." Upon hearing this, the two men immediately forgot about their sense of responsibility and left impatiently.

Once the two men were out of sight, Chen Er's expression changed drastically. He nodded and bowed to Lin Twelve, saying, "Sir, you've suffered. I'll take you to your lodgings."

"No rush, take me around the village and tell me about it."

This Chen Er was one of the people who came to Dongluo Island with Li Kui to investigate.

Li Kui went to Dongluo Island to indulge in womanizing at the Red Chamber. The others, on the other hand, pretended to be ordinary villagers and worked on Dongluo Island.

Little did they know that the Lin family had already discovered them. However, the Lin family did not expose them. Instead, they became even more generous with their wages and upgraded the workers' meals to a higher standard.

While the group was working, Lin Shier had already subtly gathered information about their situation.

These men came from impoverished backgrounds. Seeing how generous the Lin family was with their money and how lavishly they were being fed, they immediately decided to seek refuge with them.

Then Li Kui spent all the money at the Red Mansion. He then set his sights on the wages of the group of men, and blatantly robbed them of everything.

After that, Lin Shier only sent someone to make brief contact and managed to win them all over.

Now is the time for these people to shine.