**Chapter 48: Compensation**
Time rewinds ten minutes.
In front of the Ocean Temple, the Naga Priestess stands solemnly before the statue, clutching a scepter that represents the high priest of the Ocean Temple. She wears a deep blue robe adorned with strange patterns and a mysterious emblem that resembles a whirlpool. In front of her stands a familiar Naga Guard, whom Soren seems to have seen once or twice. The Naga Priestess gazes sharply ahead, her expression tinged with anger and killing intent as she says, “Has Asrold still not sent any news?”
The Naga Guard slightly bows and replies, “No.”
Clang!
Furious, the Naga Priestess snatches up a silver object and smashes it to the ground, then roars angrily, “How dare he! How dare he ignore me? How dare he disregard the power of the Ocean Goddess?!”
The Naga Guard falls silent. After a moment, he says, “The Ocean Goddess is responding to prayers less and less; many of the temple’s priests have been unable to get responses, and some apprentice priests are starting to lose the ability to cast divine techniques. It is rumored within the Naga that the power of the Ocean Goddess is weakening, which has led some to entertain other thoughts.”
“Asrold is unlikely to respond to your request! … He has acquired the wealth of Demon Island! …”
“The Swamp King has accumulated a vast fortune, and Asrold is said to be recruiting troops. He has even extended his tentacles into the coastal regions of the East, preparing to recruit those dangerous heretical deities among the Eastern Pirates.”
The Naga Priestess remains silent.
After pausing for a moment, she turns and walks toward the exit of the Ocean Temple.
The Naga Guard, seemingly surprised, raises his hand to stop her, but then lowers it, bowing his head and saying, “Your Excellency, are you really prepared to welcome that Throat Cutter personally? He is, after all, a human, an outsider!”
The Naga Priestess stops and turns to look at him, her face expressionless. “What else can I do now?”
“If I don’t go out to welcome him personally, I will lose even my last ally. The Sharkmen have suffered greatly in the battle against the Swamp King, and the Naga Royal Family is beginning to undermine my influence within the tribe. The Ocean Goddess is temporarily unable to respond to my prayers. Even you, whom I once trusted, have ultimately disappointed me.”
“Instead, it is an outsider, a human, who continues to surprise me!”
“If he hadn’t killed the Swamp King this time, my situation would be even more difficult. You are utterly useless, allowing Asrold to take the wealth of Demon Island right before your eyes.”
The Naga Guard’s face darkens, and a hint of shame colors his expression as he says quietly, “It is my incompetence. But he is one of the three Pirate Kings of the Southern Coast; I alone could not change the situation at that time.”
The Naga Priestess remains silent.
A sarcastic smile appears on her lips, and a glint of cold light flickers in her gaze.
The Naga Guard hesitates for a moment, then speaks again: “High Priestess, if you go out to welcome him personally, it represents the Ocean Temple’s official recognition of his status. His position will be on par with yours. If he manages to consolidate the pirate forces he has acquired after killing the Swamp King, he might very well become the new Pirate King!…”
“This will make him even harder to control! … From now on, the situation on the Southern Coast will undergo drastic changes because of him! …”
Hearing this, the Naga Priestess glances at him and slowly replies, “Do you think that if I don’t go greet him in person, the situation on the Southern Coast will not change? You all are itching to move, and you have your own hidden agendas as well. Perhaps I was indeed somewhat narrow-minded in the past, but now I clearly see that he has greater investment value and potential than any of you!”
“To be able to k*ll the Swamp King under such circumstances.”
“Perhaps my initial desire to fully control him was truly a mistake. Such a person cannot be completely controlled; he is deserving of an equal status with me.”
“Moreover.”
“If I do not greet him personally, does that mean he lacks the strength to become the new Pirate King?”
“He gathered nearly a thousand pirates in just three days, and more and more pirates along the Southern Coast wish to join him because he killed the Swamp King and proved his strength. This strength is even greater than that of Asrold, the traitor. Do you think he is bringing the corpses and head of the Swamp King here just for show?”
“He wants to force me to compromise, to make me bow my head and acknowledge that he possesses an equal status with me.”
“If I do not bow to welcome him, he may become my enemy. Everything is because of my mistakes; I trusted Asrold too readily, and I trusted you even more foolishly. I will not make the same mistake again. Go back to the depths of the Naga tribe’s canyon. Since you are hesitating and cannot entrust everything to the Ocean Goddess, then go back to that underwater gorge.”
The Naga Priestess turns her head, her expression icy as she says, “Next time, I will not show you mercy. You are truly disappointing.”
“My brother.”
“You need to make your own choice; do not force me to k*ll you myself! …”
Silence.
When the Naga Priestess finishes speaking, her gaze has turned cold, looking at the Naga Guard as if he were a potential enemy. Her figure leaves the Ocean Temple, and as she raises her scepter, the temple warriors nearby gather. They wear heavy full armor and wield identical tridents, not only as weapons but also as a symbolic reliance, for the fact that the Naga Priestess is personally coming out to greet Soren carries special meaning.
The crowd in front parts like the tide.
More than thirty temple guards clear a path ahead, and the Naga Priestess solemnly advances toward the dock. Everyone who sees her, whether they worship the Ocean Goddess or not, involuntarily bows slightly, expressing their respect. She represents the oldest power in Taro Port—the Ocean Temple’s weight is more significant than any other faction. The Naga Priestess rarely appears outside due to her race, making her personal appearance even more noteworthy, especially with so many pirates gathered near the port.
The crowd parts heavily.
The Naga Priestess gazes sternly at the warship before her, seeing the Swamp King’s Dragon Head Warship, the stitched-up corpses, and several large warships, along with quite a number of pirate fast boats. Such power is nearly capable of threatening the safety of Taro Port; after all, the guard numbers of any city in this era aren’t too large, and training professional warriors consumes too many resources. Those who usually farm and train during their leisure, possessing a certain level of combat skill, can only be regarded as militia in this world.
The total standing armies of all duchies in the Southern Coast area add up to fewer than two hundred thousand. Yet, if militiamen were called upon as soldiers, their numbers could swell to over two million.
Even the actual garrison force of Taro Port consists of only eight hundred.
The conventional military strength of many cities in the Southern Coast area and the West Coast only numbers in the thousands. The man before her has, unknowingly, built up such a foundation; he represents the rise of a new emerging force.
“Your Excellency!”
The Naga Priestess slightly bows her head. She can hear the stirrings of a great wave behind her, understanding that this bowing is a term of respect that gives the man before her great prestige, proving and solidifying the status he currently holds. If possible, the Naga Priestess would absolutely not wish to bow to Soren, but not doing so now means losing a powerful ally. She must make a compromise and retreat, and merely coming out to greet him may not even satisfy the man before her.
This is because the Naga Priestess sees a light in his eyes!
That is ambition.
He absolutely has significant ambition.
This realization makes the Naga Priestess feel a twinge of bitterness in her heart, as she believes she seems to have missed an important opportunity. If she hadn’t pressed so hard at the beginning and instead shown her sincerity to a greater extent, pouring more resources into the man before her, perhaps the situation wouldn’t be like this now.
But now, it is a bit too late!
If she had provided all this in the past, it would have been her favor—a reward from a high position.
But now it is different.
Now, the man before her is forcing her to give up everything; he believes he deserves it all. This means that even if she pays a considerable price, the reward will merely be restoring mutual trust and friendship.
………………….
Soren stands on the Dragon Head Warship.
He watches the Naga Priestess before him bowing her head. He also observes the murmuring crowd behind him. At this moment, his expression softens a bit; at least the Naga Priestess is not completely foolish, understanding that it is necessary to pay a certain price to restore the trust and cooperation between them.
However!
This alone is not enough.
Soren cannot simply let the past be forgotten just because the other party has come out to greet him. After all, the Pirate King ‘Asrold’ robbed him of the spoils he was entitled to, plundering the wealth of the Swamp King’s controlled Demon Island. This small compensation only proves that the other party still intends to cooperate with him; to truly make Soren relinquish past grudges, they must offer substantial benefits.
He is not someone who can be dazzled and confused by mere flattery.
Soren’s expression grows cold.
Perhaps due to everything he has been through during this time, his performance skills have unconsciously improved, especially after encountering so many troublesome adversaries.
Upon seeing Soren’s indifferent expression, the Naga Priestess’s heart sinks.
She realizes that her current offer falls short of making sufficient bl**d sacrifice, and she fears it cannot restore mutual trust. As things stand, she is already in a situation she cannot back out of; she has come out to welcome Soren. So regardless of whether they can come to an agreement in their discussions, Soren has already received the acknowledgment he deserves; his position is now pressing closely against the other Pirate Kings.
Thinking of this, the Naga Priestess grits her teeth, approaches Soren, and hands him an object.
“The Swamp King is dead!”
Though it pains her deeply, the Naga Priestess still maintains her original demeanor. Priests possess a certain performance skill; otherwise, they could not preside over a temple. She glances at Soren, then scans the nearby pirates, and with a tone imbued with a hint of sacred severity, she says, “You have killed the enemy of the Ocean Goddess! … The Ocean Goddess will gladly bestow a reward upon you! …”
“Please accept it.”
“This represents our friendship and signifies that we will join forces to eliminate other enemies! …”
In an instant.
Soren’s cold expression transforms like spring frost melting, because the Naga Priestess offers him an irresistible compensation. Even when her words hinted at a renewed alliance, he wasted no time in nodding in agreement. What the Naga Priestess handed over to him was the control item for the Ghost Ship ‘The Requiem,’ which is an allure Soren cannot refuse, even more so than the beautiful and wealthy countess heiress.
The Requiem!
A quasi-legendary Ghost Ship.
As the core combat force of multiple battles, Soren is acutely aware of the value of this Ghost Ship.
………………….
(PS: The author is sick… feeling a bit faint and slightly dehydrated… There will only be one update today… Hope to recover soon.) (To be continued ~^~)
