Star Forge Titan

Afterwards, they will be even more embarrassed.

Chapter 5: Calm Sea

If we say that the vampire who was defeated by the ancestor of the Grand Duke of Blood Dragon before was a genius meeting a super genius whose talent crushed his own and was also extremely unpretentious.

The vampire pirates who fled the land and hid far away on the sea after that were simply complacent and addicted to the safe environment brought by the vast ocean and the false superiority brought by slaughtering the weak, and were eventually completely blinded by their arrogance.

There are currently seven vampire pirate leaders active in the Northern Ice Sea, the Southern Thermal Sea and other sea areas. According to them, they are seven lords, seven pirate kings, and seven nobles of the night.

Among them are Elegy of the Dead Sea, Blue Moon of the Ice Sea, and Wave of Blood. Each name sounds better than the other, but the strength of this group of guys stops at the third level, which is very strictly equivalent to the rank of vampire earl inherited by them.

The strength of the third level is not weak, and in essence it is even the initial level when entering the higher level.

But what is ironic is that in the new era when countries rise in the future, extraordinary information begins to circulate widely, and various forces greatly increase exchanges and cooperation, there are still only seven vampire pirate kings. However, their titles have all been promoted, and one after another began to call himself the noble Marquis.

However, this time, the strength of the pirate kings who bore the title of Marquis was not strictly equivalent to the vampire rank as before. These guys were still at the third rank...

Of course, this doesn't mean that Tier 3 Transcendents were weak back then. In fact, Tier 3 Transcendents are the backbone of all major factions, both now and in the future. However, those who become senior cadres usually strive to reach Tier 4. To be more blunt, aside from purely civilian positions, there are basically no senior cadres below Tier 3 in Transcendental forces, and this is especially true for generals and leaders of Transcendent Knight Orders.

This is also the fundamental reason why the original vampires later completely became wild monsters in the sea.

Alvin had not participated in the early vampire-related missions. Firstly, his area was far away from the ocean, and secondly, he had no interest in the drops of the vampires.

However, he did participate in a spontaneous group activity among players later, so he was not completely unfamiliar with vampire pirates.

During that time, the vampire pirates were collectively driven to the southern Atami due to changes in the world.

Local merchant caravans usually traveled in large groups, so they could not spread out and plunder merchant ships as usual. Instead, they could only vent their anger by killing the indigenous people of the nearby southern islands.

A large number of the archipelago's native inhabitants were hunted and eaten, and the largest local tribe, the Laramine, was reduced to half its former size! These cowardly vampires, who took up the butcher's knife against the weak, even claimed that it was a rare and tender delicacy. They had completely forgotten the past of their vampire ancestors, who regarded the hunting of the blood of the strong as a glorious history.

As for the so-called Lalamini, they are a group of small people whose appearance is similar to that of human children, but their body proportions remain largely unchanged even in adulthood, and they remain chubby. Their level of civilization remains at the primitive tribal stage, but their cute appearance has made them quite popular among the player community.

Many players even gave up other high-value races and opened a Laramini to experience the special feeling of "seeing the world from the perspective of an upright cat" in the promotional animation.

It is precisely because of this that after the vampire pirates ravaged the Southern Islands, the forums were outraged, the community went berserk, and players from other camps flocked to the southern hot seas in large numbers using steamships or even airships.

Alvin, who had become a fourth-level steel servant at that time...

Pulling his thoughts back to the past, the black-haired boy looked at the blood servant who had recovered.

Judging from the recovery speed, Captain Henry must have received a lot of blood from his master.

In other words, even among blood servants, he was very close to being a true vampire. Consequently, his body began to exhibit various vampire characteristics. Before long, aside from the particularly severe wounds beneath his clothing, Henry Gonsalves's body was free of any visible injuries.

He had actually woken up.

"Tell me, who do you work for?" When asking the question, a red light appeared under Ivan's shirt on his chest. It was the activated Heavenly Armament - Burning Justice.

On the other side, Khayon also wore a cold fake smile, raised the thirteen and a half inch long, birch wood black dueling wand in his hand, and drew a small circle in the air.

At the same time, a purifying fire, symbolizing the convergence of pure positive energy, suddenly erupted from Irvin's fingertips, illuminating the dimly lit room ablaze. Seeing this, Captain Henry let out a hissing sound and raised his hand to shield his face.

The golden eagle eye that had opened briefly and then closed had already made Henry Gonsalves miserable, and this wisp of red flame, though small, had the power to burn him completely to ashes.

"Don't even think about getting any news about Lord Lesenbra from me!" the captain, who had turned into a blood servant, shouted righteously.

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked shocked, completely unable to understand why he could directly say the Earl's name.

Seeing this, the young wizard standing behind the black-haired boy curled his lips and quietly put away his wand.

"Oh, it turns out to be the guy from the Lesenbra family who calls himself 'Blood Wave'." Ivan showed an understanding look, then narrowed his eyes.

"Do you know him?" Ka Yang, who had just cast a spell in secret to influence the other party, asked.

"I don't know him, but I know some relevant information. He is a pirate king who likes to watch ordinary people fight with low-level vampires or beasts. His strength should be around level three." Alvin frowned. He had never participated in the "Blood Feast" mission, but judging from his behavior, there is a certain probability that the native vampire believes in the evil god from outside the domain, and he has a large number of subordinates around him.

"Vampire Pirate King? That's a bit difficult." Khayon also frowned.

He was currently a second-tier mage who had already mastered soul power. In terms of combat power alone, an ordinary third-tier transcendent wasn't necessarily much stronger than him. While escaping a third-tier vampire pirate king wouldn't be a problem, the probability of winning in a head-on battle was extremely low.

"Well, it's a bit difficult to deal with the things around him." Ivan echoed:

"Yeah... wait! What you mean by a bit difficult is this???" Khayang nodded halfway before realizing that the other party seemed to be thinking about different things from him.

"What else? A third-level creature itself isn't too difficult to deal with, but as a pirate king, he obviously won't act alone. By then, there will be at least a hundred descendants and blood servants around him. If a fight breaks out, the situation will become very chaotic. It will be difficult to deal with if we let a few of them escape." Alvin said with a frown.

"..." Khayon fell silent.

As a second-tier Samurai, he felt it was difficult to face a third-tier vampire pirate king. This thought was quite arrogant, but why was this first-tier barbarian in front of him actually considering how to annihilate the entire pirate group? Was he worthy of it?

Oh, wait, he seems to actually be worthy of...

"By the way, have you ever considered the option of controlling this ship and heading directly to Linde?" Kayang couldn't help but ask.

"I haven't thought about it." Ivan answered without hesitation:

"Those vampires have more than one ship like this. Since they've already started preparing for the blood feast, the victims on those other ships must number in the hundreds. I don't think we can just turn around and leave now."

"Do you think you are the savior? You can never handle this kind of evil." Kayang couldn't help but raise his tone, and an inexplicable sense of familiarity surged in his heart.

"I'm not a savior, at most I just dislike you. Anyway, I'm happy to do whatever I can to help you." Alvin shrugged and said as a matter of course.

Elrond swears! I remember now! I felt the same way when I advised Afrediya not to mess with the downtown gangs over a decade ago!

Howoldareyou? Why are you here again! Elrond swears! Elrond swears!

Hearing his words, the necromancer started cursing in his heart and couldn't help but kick Captain Henry hard, who was about to collapse because of the leak.

"Tell me! How many of you are participating in the 'Blood Feast' this time? If you lie, I will hang you on the mast in the sun during the day, and roast your feet with positive energy flames at night!" While scolding, he pulled out his wand and began to use the most vicious mind-intervention magic in necromancy to directly interfere with the other party's consciousness.

Inside the silent barrier, Captain Henry's screams made Alvin's face twitch, and he finally covered his ears and turned his back.

The next morning, when the sailors woke up with throbbing heads, they found that an old sailor among the night watchmen was missing. All that was left was an empty rum bottle and a row of dry footprints covered with high-sugar liquor that disappeared on the side of the ship.

The sailors went to find the captain with some anxiety, but found that he had an abnormally bright and sunny smile and told them not to worry, saying that the old man must have fallen into the water after getting drunk.

Let us pray for his poor soul!

Chapter 6: Sheep in the Tiger's Mouth

After the tragedy, the seemingly peaceful journey did not last long.

Soon, the captain of the "Beautiful Brigade" suddenly called everyone to the deck.

"I'm really sorry, there's some problem with our ship. The bottom layer is leaking, and it can't be repaired on site under the current conditions. We need to turn around and return to the nearest port immediately." The bald man with a big beard stood on the deck and kept bowing to apologize.

"Then what should we do? The tickets we bought are for Genoa!" one of the passengers asked loudly in great dissatisfaction.

"Please rest assured, we have contacted another ship on this route through the seagull. Their destination is also Genoa, and there are many empty seats on the ship, and they are willing to accept everyone. By the way, it is a luxury cruise ship built with Linde's latest technology." Captain Henry gestured exaggeratedly with his hands.

"Although the price of the cruise ticket will be much more expensive than the tickets you have! But this part of the price difference will be made up by me personally, and you just need to enjoy the wonderful journey on the luxury cruise ship!" The captain bowed again and said loudly.

"Is there such a good thing?!" The passengers started talking to each other.

Finally, they unanimously decided to continue to Genoa on the luxury cruise ship.

"Carrying so many burdens into the dangerous area, don't you feel any hesitation or confusion?" Khayang had his usual smile on his face, but his tone revealed a hint of confusion.

He originally thought that the other party was a character like a paladin, but now the black-haired boy's behavior does not seem so... righteous?

"This doesn't sound like a question a necromancer would ask." Alvin listened calmly to the question posed by the mage.

"Even a necromancer would occasionally talk about boring topics." Khayang kept smiling, but did not avoid the topic.

"Well, to be honest, I don't want to put other innocent passengers in danger if I can, but the reality is very helpless." Alvin leaned back against the side of the ship with his hands flat on it.

He seemed very relaxed, not at all like someone who knew the cruel truth behind the gift.

"You know, there's a pirate ship following us the whole time. As a warship, their performance is far superior to this old sailing ship. Even if we use force to control this ship and turn around and escape, they will only destroy it and everyone on board along the way. We two might survive, but none of the other ordinary passengers will be able to escape."

"In that case, why not solve the problem from a different angle?" Alvin glanced at the sea level in the distance, his eyes calm and firm.

"Once you're on their cruise ship, even if the vampire pirate ship is equipped with Linde-made cannons, it's impossible for them to fire at the ship where their master is."

"That's what you said, but I just want to know what you would think if someone died because of this?" Khayon's tone was a little subtle, as if he was expecting something.

"I won't think about anything." Alvin chuckled, and he slowly stretched out his five open fingers towards the sky, as if he wanted to hold the burning sun in his palms.

"Strength allows people to choose the path with less confusion, so I am not confused at all now."

"What confidence you have." Ka Yang said with a hint of sarcasm but also with great envy.

"It's just because I want that kind of future." Alvin smiled and shook his head, then looked at the sea level in the distance again.

Following his line of sight, Khayon noticed a column of smoke rising from the sea. The calm sea was broken in the center by a huge ship, and the waves rolled to the left and right. On each side of the ship was a huge paddle wheel, half submerged in the water, which rolled up waves under the action of the machinery.

Even with the wind against it, the ship was able to reach a speed of ten knots (nearly 18.52 kilometers per hour, Note 1), which was an astonishing speed for that era.

"A steamship made in Linde! The cannons are fine, but how did those vampires get this most advanced thing?" Khayang's expression froze, and he couldn't help but clench his fists secretly.

"Thanks to money and hundreds of years of accumulation, most vampires are very rich." Alvin answered his question simply.

"Linde's factories don't belong entirely to the emperor. His nobles and merchants control many magic factories. As long as they can secure their own profits, they don't mind selling weapons to enemies or non-humans."

The black-haired boy's mouth curved upwards in a sarcastic arc. Having stayed in Lind's camp for so long in the game, he was extremely familiar with the clumsiness of those guys.

They possess all the shortcomings of the unscrupulous capitalists of the early days, and they also have all the bad habits unique to the corrupt aristocrats of the later days.

It was only the pressure of war and the repressive rule of Emperor Linde that barely ensured the country's continued existence. But now that the Skeleton Frenzy has ceased to occur, what will happen to Linde, which has accumulated huge social contradictions?

Ivan shook his head, thinking that the future might be even more exciting than the plot in the game.

A loud whistle sounded, and the huge ship was approaching the "Beautiful Brigade".

The neatly dressed waiters lined up neatly on the deck, each of them showing a very bright smile, as if they were receiving a group of distinguished guests rather than a group of civilians whose clothes were so simple that they were even patched.

But Ivan and Khayon looked at each other.

"A familiar smell." The young necromancer sniffed, a smirk mixed with sarcasm appearing on his face.

"Indeed." There was a faint golden light flashing in Ivan's eyes. He could see the truth behind the disguise of those waiters with bright smiles.

Those were not living people, but a row of soulless puppets whose vitality and blood had been sucked out and only retained basic mobility.

In a sense, they are no different from the undead.

In addition to the waiters, there were many shadowy figures standing by the observation deck on the upper floors of the cruise ship.

These distinguished guests living in the first-class cabins were now looking down at the people who were boarding the ship below with critical eyes. Their bloodshot eyes showed undisguised hunger, just like diners watching fresh lambs walk into the slaughterhouse. Hunger and the appetite that followed made these guys almost unable to control themselves.

When all the passengers were on board, the captain of the "Beautiful Brigade" sailed away with the crew, carrying a box of gold coins.

"How much did you stuff in?" Alvin suddenly asked when he saw the mast of the sailboat sink into the horizon.

"Just two packs, how about you?" Ka Yang also asked a similar question.

"One bag." Alvin said absentmindedly.

"Wow, that's scary." Khayon chuckled.

Meanwhile, the sailors on the 'Beautiful Brigade' were excitedly preparing to divide the money.

They gathered together and looked at Captain Henry, who had an exceptionally bright smile, and felt inexplicably uneasy.

The captain has been acting very strangely since yesterday. He usually has a gloomy face and no expression all day long, so why does he look so happy today?

However, the transaction just now was no different from the past. He kept a stern face and remained silent, even when the waiters brought the gold coins.

Could it be that those masters who looked down on people and were particularly scary gave money particularly readily and generously this time?

Thinking of this, all the sailors who were involved in this evil transaction couldn't help but show an expectant look.

They had done the same thing many times before, and after each transaction, the captain would generously distribute most of the bounty to the sailors.

In fact, if you know the inside story, you won’t be surprised by this. As a blood servant, the master certainly doesn’t need to pay him. Even the remaining funds are used to maintain the ship and disguise itself as a merchant ship.

After calling everyone to assemble on the deck, Captain Henry walked to the front of the crowd with stiff puppet-like movements.

"Everyone, you're doing very, very well." The captain stammered, like a walkie-talkie with poor signal contact.

Then, in front of everyone, he suddenly opened his bulging coat.

The sailors collectively revealed expressions of horror, because they saw that under that old coat were two large, densely packed bundles of alchemical explosives! And a small bag of fire elemental crystals hanging around his neck!

"Ha, ha, ha, this is a reward~" Captain Henry, who was controlled by the curse, lit the fuse with a laugh.

The sailors subconsciously wanted to escape, but the fuse, which was only as long as their little finger, burned out quickly.

boom!

After a loud bang, there was no one left alive on the "Beautiful Brigade".

Moreover, the ship really began to leak water and soon sank completely in deathly silence.