Chapter Sixty-Seven: Source of Slaves
2015-02-20
Author: Soren (Character Name)
Inside the tent.
Soren stood in the center with a serious expression. In front of him was a surprisingly neat and scholarly-looking man among the pirates, who even wore a monocle. But don’t underestimate this guy; just look at the calluses on his slender palms, and you can tell he is skilled with short weapons and has quite good throwing kn*fe techniques. He is one of the few literate individuals among the pirates and serves as their physician, proficient in various surgeries with considerable medical skills.
This man, who resembled a noble family’s tutor, reached out to check the breath of an unconscious man on the ground, then flipped open his eyelid to take a look, followed by opening the mouth to inspect the tongue. He then slowly said, “Your Excellency! It appears he is not poisoned—just temporarily unconscious. However, when he will wake up depends on his constitution. Normally, he should regain consciousness by tomorrow morning; his constitution is quite good.”
Soren nodded upon hearing this and walked a circle around the place.
He had actually dispatched quite a few scouts, but it seemed that only this one among the five could return. The other four must have either died at the hands of the indigenous people or been captured by them. The area of this island is quite large, approximately 500 square kilometers. Due to the tropical rainforest-like climatic conditions and its connection to other islands, there is a high possibility of indigenous tribes being distributed here.
Soren had sent people to explore the nearby areas long ago and had lost three to five individuals doing so.
Currently, the scope of exploration on the entire island is primarily concentrated around ten kilometers from the camp. The most dangerous places are the ruins of strange plants, which Soren himself wouldn’t dare to explore lightly. The next dangerous area is near the southern coastline, where there is a high cliff inhabited by about three groups of large pterosaurs totaling around ten beasts. Following that is the northwest direction. Beyond the jungle and a large river lies another area filled with strange flowers and grasses.
If nothing unexpected occurs!
The indigenous tribe is over there, approximately 30 kilometers away from Soren, with several dangerous areas in between, including territories inhabited by fierce creatures from the overseas islands.
“Your Excellency?”
A bald, ugly pirate looked up at Soren cautiously and said, “Should we show those indigenous monkeys a lesson?”
Soren turned to look at him and slowly shook his head, saying, “Not yet.”
“After all, this is still their territory. These indigenous people are more familiar with the terrain than we are. Our most important task is to understand the surrounding environment, ensure there are no army ants or flying insects nearby, and only then can we engage with them properly. If we wish to make this our territory, we must deal with these indigenous people.”
“We must act with the force of thunder when we decide to move!”
No rash actions should be taken.
Soren understood the trouble posed by the indigenous people due to their scattered tribal system, maintained by interconnected totem beliefs and kinship relations. There are very troublesome ties between the tribes. He did not wish for endless wars; thus, if he were to go to war with the indigenous people, it must be with overwhelming force. Otherwise, this group would simply hide and h*rass him like a nightmare. The indigenous people have a semi-slave system, with the majority of the laboring members being commoners and slaves. Most of the slaves come from warfare between tribes.
In a certain sense, the indigenous people embody the separation of soldier and farmer.
Those qualified to become professionals among the indigenous people are selected for training and then participate in hunting operations.
These indigenous people are first-rate warriors and hunters, quite dangerous and more threatening than many professionals. The challenge level of the entire overseas islands is heightened by them. They can be considered as warriors trained from a young age, skilled in stealth, archery, tracking, and other skills. Furthermore, most of their tasks revolve around hunting and fighting.
Warfare between the indigenous tribes is brutal and bloody, frequently occurring across the whole overseas islands.
Within the structure of an indigenous tribe, the most important figures are the shamans and combat members. Most other commoners serve as labor. The social hierarchy in the tribe is quite strict, measuring a tribe’s strength not just by population but also by the proportion of warriors within that population. Because for the indigenous people, conquering and defeating one tribe allows them to capture a large number of slaves, and this population is akin to wealth and goods like gold. The slave trade in the overseas islands has developed in this manner, with most indigenous slaves not being from the warrior class.
They have lived a life akin to slavery since childhood, responsible for supporting the high-ranking members of the entire tribe.
………………
Soren took out a quill and drew a few circles on the map, denoting the explored areas. He had to oversee the camp, so the experts among the pirates went out to scout. The five most dangerous locations are southwest, north, and three sides of the camp: first is the area with strange plants, second is the large pterosaur nests, third is the marshland inhabited by crocodiles, fourth is the territory of a group of man-eating worms, and the last one is the river that divides the island centrally.
This river runs through the entire island, flowing from the adjacent islands and continuously towards the sea.
Strictly speaking, this river is the most dangerous place, but it only counts if someone falls in. Numerous piranhas, each about the size of half a palm, live in it. These piranhas have very sharp teeth. When they move in groups, they can devour any creature that falls into the water, even an elephant can be cleaned out within a short time, leaving no bones behind. This type of piranha is widely distributed across many places in the overseas islands, and this is one of them, numbering in the millions, and they are highly sensitive to bl**d.
Crossing the river must be done by boat!
Even the indigenous people cannot swim across, not to mention the presence of large electric eels.
Electric eels are capable of stunning an adult man when near land, and the ones here are even harder to handle. Large electric eels can generate currents equivalent to spell attacks, and their electric intensity is dangerous. Certain mutated electric eel bosses can directly electrocute a third-tier professional.
“Your Excellency.”
A cyclops pirate glanced at the pensive Soren and cautiously said, “What do we do now? Are we just going to ignore them? Those indigenous monkeys might think we are easy targets if we don’t teach them a lesson!”
The indigenous people are indeed troublesome.
Their exclusivity is quite strong; if you don’t scare them, they will see you as a soft target.
Even pirates know this!
Soren looked up at them and ordered, “Let’s not bother with them for now. Prepare ample food, and bring out the wine from the ship. The New Year is approaching, and let the others celebrate it with good food and wine. Then we will properly deal with them. During this time, I will personally investigate them; everyone should not stray too far from the camp now.”
Since Soren abstains from alcohol, the pirates have been forbidden from drinking during this time.
The pirates below have been complaining for a while, but due to their fear of Soren’s authority, no one dared to express it openly. Many pirates are heavy drinkers, and although some have resorted to sneaking drinks during this time, very few drink openly. There are too many alcoholics among the pirates, and Soren has to manage the situation; otherwise, there would always be drunken fools among his subordinates. Soren does not oppose them drinking; he just absolutely does not allow drinking while they are on duty.
The group of pirates soon exited the tent.
Though they still didn’t understand why Soren wanted them to celebrate the New Year, the pirates below had indeed been exhausted. Many have complained, and now opening wine and meat to celebrate can calm them down. After all, pirates are not soldiers; their discipline is quite low, and they obey orders more out of fear.
With the ban on alcohol lifted, cheers soon rose within the camp.
Many pirates secretly took out small bottles and drank a big gulp, a common pirate staple containing strong rum. This alcohol is highly potent and can be used for sterilization in emergencies; it is a habit passed down from northern pirates. Perhaps because the New Year is on the horizon, the temper of the pirates has improved a lot; they even showed little ferocity towards the slaves. Boxes of supplies were brought out, containing smoked meat, vegetables, salted fish, and more.
Soren’s preparations were indeed diverse, almost including things that the pirates considered useless.
A whole day passed like this.
Soren watched the rare atmosphere of happiness in the camp with a slight smile, though it appeared somewhat cruel.
“Let them celebrate the New Year properly.”
He looked up at the distance and murmured, “Next year will be the most difficult year. Whether we can establish a foothold here depends on whether we can eliminate those indigenous people next year.”
Other dangerous areas and various wild monsters can wait.
Because monsters have their activity zones.
If no one provokes them, the monsters of the overseas islands will not easily wander into other territories. Even the most aggressive and predatory large pterosaurs have fixed hunting ranges. Thus, the most troublesome issue is the indigenous people; once they are defeated, there will be plenty of time to clear up other small troubles.
Moreover!
For Soren, the indigenous people hold greater significance—as the population and labor force necessary for his development and growth, he would ultimately have to find a way to obtain them from the indigenous people.
If that’s the case, then the matter needs to be planned carefully!
………………
(PS: Adjusting things; the condition is much better now. Resuming the normal two updates, and will add more near the end of the month.) (To be continued ~^~)
