Chapter 22: The Ruthless Soren
When Soren walked out of the Ocean Temple, everyone’s attitude towards him was completely different. The temple guards who had previously ignored him now slightly bowed in respect. These were warriors serving the deities, tasked with guarding the Ocean Temple. Unless there were special circumstances, only the Naga Priestess could command them. This was a formal armed force of the temple, sometimes replacing local laws by acting according to the temple’s rules.
Soren had effectively acquired the label of the Ocean Church.
Anyone confronting him had to weigh the power of the Ocean Goddess, but power also represented obligation. When necessary, Soren would need to serve the Ocean Church again.
The Ocean Goddess would not grant such a great boon without reason!
Soren did not have too many concerns; he believed in eating well first and worrying later. The Ocean Goddess was different from other deities; her enemies were not many. She almost monopolized the ocean, having only minor conflicts with the Lord of Storms. As for other deities, unless their domains were directly related to the ocean, they mostly maintained a neutral stance. The Ocean Goddess’s greatest enemy was the Abyss; unlike other deities, many of their enemies resided in the Material Plane.
This was also one reason Soren accepted her blessing after consideration—at least he wouldn’t attract a whole bunch of enemies just for accepting a deity’s favor.
It was known that the Chosen Ones were highly regarded by hostile believers; they were eager to k*ll the Chosen of adversary deities.
This could lead to a high-profile sacrificial ceremony!
…
Soren went to check on Vivian.
The little girl was still asleep, but upon sensing Soren’s presence, she seemed to relax significantly.
Her consciousness could perceive the outside world, but she could not yet awaken.
Soren sat on the edge of the bed, gently caressing Vivian’s hair and kissing her forehead. He then began preparing many things. Since he had received the Ocean Goddess’s blessing, the pace of his plans could accelerate. However, two main points were crucial. The first was to absorb divinity to strengthen his own powers and quickly gain some divine characteristics to boost his attributes. The second was to support Adele in becoming the Pirate Leader near Shipwreck Bay and leverage her power to establish a fleet, all while acquiring the background specialty of the “Butcher.”
At this point, he would have the ability to attempt to devour the divinity of fear. Vivian might awaken as a result.
Night fell.
Soren stored the complex spell scrolls away, stretched his neck, and then removed his clothing, embracing the petite Vivian. Her breathing seemed to become more even, and Soren smiled, kissing her lovely cheek, murmuring, “Soon, you’ll be able to wake up! It won’t take long!”
“Once we have our own power, we can venture into the Overseas Islands.”
“At that time, you can also rely on the strength of elemental spirits to enhance your divinity; even the most potent fear divine power won’t impact you under the will of the Demon God of Fear.”
Overseas Islands.
Population, wealth, power.
Here, he and Vivian could obtain a source of divinity and potentially cultivate the first batch of believers. If Soren’s plan succeeded, he could provide Vivian with better foundations; by then, even against the Vampire Son, Vivian would have no issues. Whether it was the Demon Son of Fear or the Abyss Demon God, no one could block Vivian’s rise!
The path of the divine.
Vivian undoubtedly had more talent than he did; her potential for growth was far greater than Soren’s!
After all, Soren had to climb from being a mortal step by step.
…
As dawn broke.
Soren’s figure appeared near the harbor, facing the serious expression of Adele Isabel and the pirates she had recruited last night. As the daughter of a former Pirate Leader, she naturally had her channels; recruiting some hands was undeniably simple as she had been familiar with the ropes since childhood. Taro Port also provided enough manpower. However, to Soren, those she recruited could only serve as sailors since most were ordinary people.
Or rather, strong ordinary people, some even missing limbs.
Soren had no expectations for the personnel recruited overnight. He merely shot a cold glance and said, “Let’s depart. We don’t have much time.”
To rise in a short period, he naturally needed to leverage the strength of the Ocean Temple.
Although Soren could no longer control The Requiem, he borrowed a warship from the Ocean Temple.
His first step was to bring that ship back and directly attack other pirates around Shipwreck Bay, using the simplest and most brutal methods to quickly enhance his strength. The sailors before him would soon be eliminated; Soren understood well what kind of sc*m pirates were. These guys were spineless, typically responding only to force. As long as your fist was strong enough, they would know what respect and humility meant. As for those who disobeyed, Soren would not hesitate to reap their heads.
Half a day quickly passed.
The manpower recruited by Adele immediately proved useful when they encountered another pirate ship. It undoubtedly excited the low-tier sc*m just getting by, and there were even some familiar faces whispering among themselves.
One night’s time.
Adele could not establish authority in the eyes of these people.
“Captain,”
A fierce-looking pirate, missing three fingers, leered at Adele’s ample bosom and lewdly laughed, “Now we have two ships! What should we do next? Shouldn’t we rob some easy prey?”
This was an old pirate.
He had been around for quite some time, thus gaining some respect, seemingly having his entourage with him.
When he spoke, many others began to respond as if he were the captain. This guy clearly relished in his moment and provocatively glanced at Soren, suggesting that Adele hadn’t said much when recruiting them. This made Soren rather pleased; he didn’t need these trash pirates to know who he was, as long as they feared him.
Adele’s expression turned ugly, her beautiful visage betraying a hint of anger as she placed her hand on the hilt of her blade, coldly stating, “We’re going to Snake Island!”
The captain had the authority of a captain.
This authority didn’t necessarily require mercy but definitely required respect; she had yet to instill that respect in the pirates before her.
“What!?”
The fierce-looking pirate’s face changed dramatically, incredulous as he said, “Are you crazy? That’s the Narwhal’s territory! With our numbers, we’ll be devoured in an instant!”
“Hey hey.”
“Maybe you’ll even be caught… tsk tsk!… Captain, I know you want to restore the glory of the Tiger Shark!… But you should also consider your own strength!… Let’s wait until we have enough wealth and manpower before considering swallowing other pirates!…”
His tone turned unkind, seemingly devoid of any respect.
The other sailors and pirates on the ship looked grim as well; being seasoned veterans, they knew well what Snake Island entailed. Given their underwhelming strength, venturing there was tantamount to s*icide. Soon, chaos erupted, with over seventy percent of the pirates questioning Adele’s orders, while a few others watched coldly. One young man with elven bl**d stared intently at Soren, seemingly realizing that Soren’s strength was the most formidable.
He was the true leader!
Adele’s expression grew cold, as she drew her weapon, seemingly ready to maintain her authority as captain with bl**d.
However, faster than her was Soren.
Soren lightly raised a finger, and several Arcane Missiles materialized at his fingertips. Then he witnessed the fierce pirate being sent flying, a bloody hole appearing in his chest.
Dealing with such trash, a single Arcane Missile was enough to eliminate him!
“W-wizard!…”
A gasp echoed through the pirate ship; the Spellcaster’s intimidation was revealed in an instant.
Even Adele’s glamorous face was filled with shock, for Soren had hardly utilized any spells when subduing her. She only now realized that he was also a wizard and seemed to be of fairly high profession level.
Clop clop clop!
Soren, draped in a dark red cloak, was not easily discernible, yet this in no way affected his intimidating presence, instilling a hidden sense of fear. He scanned the crowd before him, his gaze appearing to be filled with immense dread, causing many to tremble slightly, some even taking a step back. His expression was cold and imposing as he walked directly up to the still-breathing fierce pirate and crushed his skull underfoot.
Red and white splattered everywhere, the force of the step shaking the deck and leaving faint cracks.
Soren stopped.
Frowning at the bl**d and brain matter splattered on his shoe, he coldly glanced at the others before finally fixing his gaze on the silent, cold-eyed half-elf young man and slowly said, “From now on, you are the first mate of this ship.”
No unnecessary chatter.
Soren frowned, staring at the garbage before him, and spoke in a deep voice, “I will cut off the Narwhal’s head, plunder the wealth of Snake Island. Those who follow me will be rewarded; the rest will be sent to hell.”
“Set sail! Depart!”
“Anyone who disobeys will face the same fate!”
Soren had no mood to waste too much time with this trash; he would simply k*ll all who did not obey.
After all, their only role was to sail the ship!
……(To Be Continued ~^~)
