Chapter 102: Soren’s Pet (First Update)
This was quite a boring seven days.
In fact, this kind of boredom was something others dreamed of, because if it wasn’t quite boring, it meant they had encountered sea monsters. This was undoubtedly a disaster in the vast ocean and an important reason for blocking the trade routes to the Overseas Islands. It turned out that Soren’s initial decision to align with the Ocean Temple was correct, as he had the support of the Ocean Goddess behind him. Not only did he not have to worry about deep-sea monsters with his warship, but even the other fleets under his command were also free from worries of monster attacks.
The only regret was that he had not yet established effective contact with the Sharkmen and the Naga Tribe.
Naturally, deep-sea trade was out of the question.
If the profits from overseas trade were enough for people to take risks, then the profits from deep-sea trade were enough to make one ignore their faith.
Unfortunately, deep-sea species were quite hostile toward land creatures.
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Seven days of sailing was not very long.
On the fifth day, Soren encountered a storm, but it wasn’t very serious and wouldn’t affect their course. Around the morning of the seventh day, Soren returned to the Southern Coast, but his first stop was not Taro Port; instead, he headed to Snake Island. Now Snake Island had become a storage base, staffed by about two hundred pirates. These pirates were all low-level thugs, with a small leader responsible for security here, while the real elite had mostly been taken by Soren to the Overseas Islands.
However, this did not mean that the defenses of Snake Island were weak; on the contrary, the defensive capabilities here were better than in other places.
Because there was a mutated giant tiger shark.
Soren had initially controlled the gigantic tiger shark blessed by the Ocean Goddess; whether it was because it had killed too many people or eaten too many, it had clearly begun to evolve into a mutated ocean monster. Thanks to the controlling effect of the Ocean Goddess’s blessing, it felt a sense of obedience towards Soren. This control was stronger than that of its previous owner, and due to its increased intelligence, it could now gradually distinguish between friend and foe.
It was evolving into a magical creature.
The size of the giant tiger shark had increased by about half compared to before. At this pace, it would likely grow to the size of a warship, at which point it could probably overturn a warship just like a giant octopus. Due to the unique perception ability of magical creatures and a certain implicit mental connection, as soon as Soren returned to the waters near Snake Island, the gigantic tiger shark swam over from elsewhere and surfaced piece by piece to greet him.
It swam around the warship, seemingly a bit joyful.
Soren stood on the deck watching the tiger shark swimming nearby, a smile at the corner of his mouth. After a while, he asked the subordinate behind him, “Are there any sheep left on the ship?”
One of the pirates behind him turned and ran to the cabin to check before returning, “Your Grace! There are three sheep left below. Half a deer, and some other things too.”
“Hmm.” Soren nodded and said, “Throw all the sheep overboard.”
Soon.
Two strong pirates each carried a sheep up. Seeing Soren nod in acknowledgment, they stepped onto the deck. The faces of these two pirates were filled with reverence mixed with a bit of fear as they glanced at the giant tiger shark swimming near the warship. Then, they tossed both sheep overboard. The tiger shark had a strong blood tracking ability and immediately swam over upon sensing the smell of blood in the water. It opened its mouth and swallowed both sheep, then quietly followed behind the warship.
This giant tiger shark was free-range. With the abundant fish resources along the Southern Coast, Soren didn’t need to specially feed it.
Feeding it was merely to increase intimacy.
The tiger shark accompanied Soren until it was near Snake Island, and then it gradually submerged into the seabed, swimming towards the outer waters. It now effectively occupied a territory as a sea monster, acting in the deep sea near Snake Island. Some time ago, subordinates had seen it fighting a giant octopus. At that time, a pirate leader had even ordered cannon fire to assist it; this leader was promoted by Soren to manage Snake Island because of that incident. Until the giant tiger shark completely left, the pirate sailors below were still discussing it, their eyes sometimes filled with reverence and admiration.
It probably wouldn’t take long before someone among them boasted about their experiences in the taverns of Taro Port.
There’s no doubt.
Pirates are quite fond of boasting, especially after they have had a few drinks, or to attract the attention of a barmaid.
The environment of Snake Island had changed significantly.
First, the area had increased considerably. Since it served as Soren’s transit point and storage, it naturally had to have enough space. Now Snake Island was the hub of smuggling trade in the entire South Sea; whether heading to Taro Port, the City of Wealth, or engaging in coastal trade towards Shipwreck Bay, Snake Island was an unavoidable place for them. Maritime smuggling was a major source of profit along the Southern Coast, as land trade had too many checkpoints, where guards, officials, and nobles often siphoned off profits, making it much cheaper to go by sea and avoiding most taxes.
This line of business has a survival base, much like the trade of smuggling salt.
As soon as Soren arrived at Snake Island, a responsible pirate leader came to greet him. Soren didn’t remember this subordinate’s name; however, he quite clearly remembered the details about his body, as this pirate leader only had one ear—the other had been cut off by enemies long ago. Snake Island had been refurbished several times; now there were roads built on both sides, leading directly to the encampment, and some of the snake dens had been cleared away. Currently, the snakes mainly operated in the southern part of the island.
Soren glanced at the pirate leader with only one ear and directly commanded, “Take me to see the warehouse.”
The pirate leader immediately nodded and bowed, “Yes, Your Grace, please follow me.”
A group swiftly went towards the location of the warehouse, with pirate guards opening the large door to the storeroom, revealing it filled with all sorts of goods. Pirates easily hoard items because after a raid, not all stolen goods can be sold off; only the sellable goods can be handed over to black market merchants, while other goods may be backed up for some time. After all, from an official standpoint, nearly every city and kingdom repels pirate black markets.
……………(To be continued ~^~)
