Chapter 286: Captured
15,000 Vecktas in hand!
Zhou Ning's gaze quickly settled on the pair of red gloves worn by Aaron Ingersoll.
Just as he had suspected, the reason Aaron Ingersoll, despite being only level 59, could suppress level 61 Richie Burke, then progress so quickly that even the official high-tier professionals of the Ravendell Maritime Kingdom couldn't handle him, was all thanks to the power of these gloves.
On the surface, the gloves looked like nothing more than old, wrinkled leather—ordinary and unremarkable. Yet they were indeed an unidentified artifact.
Unidentified Artifact [Will Lagrie's Placement]: Grants the wearer two chances each day to cast a random necromancy spell (level 1–5). On the night of a full moon, the power is doubled. However, equipping them also amplifies one's flaws. They were created by Will Lagrie, the first necromancer in history, who soon died in a magical accident.
Effect 1: Two random necromancy spells per day. (0/2)
Effect 2: ?????
On the surface, the attributes didn't seem impressive. If you rolled a level 5 spell, it was top-notch. But if it was just level 1 or 2, it was barely worth anything. Still, Zhou Ning figured, just like with the mirror, there was definitely more to it.
He suspected Aaron Ingersoll's bloodthirsty nature was likely tied to these gloves.
Zhou Ning put the gloves away, stood, and swept his gaze across the battlefield. As expected of the pragmatic Northland pirates, once Aaron Ingersoll died, about half of his men were knocked unconscious by Zhou Ning's Conqueror's Haki, while the rest had lost the will to fight and were now busy cleaning up the battlefield.
High above, on the Myrny Rooster, the pirates who had stayed behind to fire the cannons had witnessed the whole battle. A trembling pirate sailor asked, "The captain's dead… Bosun Berg, what do we do now?"
"We run!" a dark-skinned pirate replied without hesitation. As a high-level professional, he knew full well how strong their captain had been. Charging in now would just mean throwing their lives away. Better to retreat and save their strength.
Moments later, the stern propellers began to turn, preparing for escape.
"Boss Wayne, what do you think?" Richie Burke crept closer, cautiously pointing to the ship in the sky.
If his fear of Zhou Ning had been a five before, it was now a ten. Zhou Ning had just slain his lifelong nemesis Aaron Ingersoll, yet his clothes were still immaculate, his hair untouched, as though he hadn't even exerted himself. Richie Burke couldn't help but feel grateful that he had chosen wisely to back down earlier—otherwise, he would have become nothing more than walking bounty money.
"Take him in. I'm cashing him for the reward." Zhou Ning pointed at Aaron Ingersoll's corpse.
"Got it." Richie Burke shivered. Sure enough, anyone who defied him ended up as bounty money. His fear of Wayne Sturwell deepened further. He nodded quickly and got to work. Pirates of the North were no strangers to bounty hunting; they were quite adept at it. "But… what about the ones in the sky?"
"Wait." Zhou Ning smiled inwardly at Richie Burke's nervous, schoolboy-like behavior, but outwardly kept his expression calm.
From his last run in the Pirates of the Caribbean dungeon, he had gained another weapon—Triton's Sword. Equipped, it could control every ship within a two-kilometer radius, making them "come alive."
That ship overhead was sitting in the perfect range.
By now, the battlefield had mostly been cleaned up. Most of Ingersoll's men had surrendered. The players had completed their missions and gained a huge chunk of experience. Some curiously watched the exchange between Zhou Ning and Richie Burke, while XB's livestream was still running. Viewer count had already surged to a staggering 11.25 million.
"Another 40k experience! So jealous of XB. Having such a dad to carry him all the way—no wonder he's the number-one 'Call Daddy' of Apocalypse. This stream's too easy for him."
"Don't hate. XB's the kind of mature man with his own unique charm. He could even make it as a facecam streamer."
"Facecam streamer? You mean ugly or skimpy?"
Reading the idiotic barrage, XB nearly broke. Laughing and crying at once, he muttered, "Keep it up and I'll start banning people. I got here mainly by myself! Even riding coattails is a skill—holy crap!!!"
XB couldn't help but curse. Zhou Ning had casually rested his left hand on the hilt at his waist, gazing at the three-masted ship above as if in idle thought. Then, with his right hand, he made a beckoning gesture.
Instantly, the ship that had been preparing to speed away froze in midair, halted dead. Then its bow tilted upward, stern downward, plunging toward the ground at an angle—like it was responding to Wayne Sturwell's call.
"Holy crap! Unreal! He just said 'wait,' and the ship fell down? What skill is that?!"
"Man, just a few days and the MC's already gotten stronger again?"
"Maybe that's the power of a growth-type protagonist!"
The livestream chat went wild, spamming comments to vent their collective shock.
Boom!
Before it could crash, the ship miraculously adjusted its angle. Keel down, it slammed onto the ground in a stable landing.
Not bad! Zhou Ning released his grip on Triton's Sword, a faint smile curling at his lips. As expected of something made by the simulator—always quality goods.
"Come on, let's check it out." Zhou Ning smiled.
By now, Richie Burke's men had finished tying up the enemy pirates and gathered them together. Someone had bagged Aaron Ingersoll's corpse into a body sack and slung it over his shoulder. All eyes turned toward Zhou Ning with deep respect.
Richie Burke dared not meet his gaze, just gave a quick grunt. If not for his crew watching, he would have eagerly gone to lead Wayne Sturwell aboard.
Following Zhou Ning, Richie Burke boarded the long-lost Myrny Rooster, unable to suppress a wave of emotion.
But once on deck, he was stunned again. At some point, all the pirates left aboard—the cannoneers and even Bosun Berg—had been strung up by ropes, dangling helplessly.
"How the hell…?" Richie Burke was floored. To him, Wayne Sturwell seemed more unfathomable by the minute.
Zhou Ning strolled around the ship. As a vessel capable of sailing through the Sea of Mist, its sturdiness was unquestionable. Inside, it housed a complex alchemical array that absorbed and stored wind power to drive the stern propellers, said to reach speeds up to 17 knots.
Sixteen volcanic cannons lined her sides, firepower more than sufficient.
At least in the early game, it made for one very flashy ride.
"Rest here for a day. Tomorrow we set out to find treasure." Zhou Ning waved casually.
As the former bosun of this ship, Richie Burke knew her inside and out. He quickly resumed command, and once everyone was aboard, his men spread out to their posts, taking over seamlessly.
Naturally, Zhou Ning claimed Aaron Ingersoll's captain's quarters for himself.
As a pirate's cabin, the place reeked—sweat and foot odor thick in the air. But on the bookshelves were three neat rows of volumes, most of them well-thumbed. To his surprise, Aaron Ingersoll had been something of a reader.
Even more unexpectedly, the shelves held not only works on the occult but also texts on crafting advanced talismans.
Zhou Ning opened the window to air the place out, then pulled one such talisman-making book from the shelf and sat at the bed's edge to read. This, after all, was part of the discipline required to maintain his family's tradition.