Chapter 32 The Returning Frigate
[It's been 35 years since the Great Pirate Era began, nearly 15 years since Magellan's circumnavigation began, and the main fleet is still nowhere to be found.]
On September 27, one of Magellan's escort ships reappeared in the Sea of Destiny, embarking on its three-month journey back to the East China Sea...
Although the ship's hull is covered with barriers, allowing it to remain undetected like a ghost ship, it is still a formidable barrier.
Unfortunately, he ran into Xu Daming's team, who were preparing to return to the Orcish Continent!
At that moment, a ray of sunset was sinking below the horizon, and several giant ships were just leaving the East China Sea and entering the ocean, a symbol of cursed history.
Whirlpool Sea Area
The cries of seagulls from nearby islands, along with the gentle, rhythmic sound of the waves, dispelled the silence.
The sea breeze, carrying salty moisture, swept over the white downy feathers. Xu Daming was tilting his head back and vigorously rubbing his back against the mast.
The three-meter-tall body swayed slightly as the ship rocked, its white fur seemingly edged with gold by the setting sun.
His claws had only been pulled from the chests of a few foolish pirates for half a day, leaving a lot of bloodstains on the splint.
"Hmm, ha—"
His arched back cracked as he lazily yawned at the crimson clouds.
Sleepiness crept into his mind along with the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes, and he closed his eyes, trying to doze off for a moment.
Suddenly, a section of mast appeared on the distant horizon, followed by the faded sails of the Caesar Empire exposed to the setting sun.
"These are ships from the Caesar Empire?"
His pupils contracted sharply, and Xu Daming lunged forward, looking down as the bow of the ship suddenly dipped slightly.
He was puzzled: with the Black Death raging, had the Caesar Empire's maritime trade not stopped?
With this question in mind, he picked up the binoculars from his satchel and examined the ship more closely.
The arrangement of the corroded rivets is characteristic of dwarven craftsmanship, while the grand design of the magic circles on the hull suggests it was drawn by elves. Therefore, this ship is...
—This was done when the great powers united during the triangular trade period!
"This is Magellan's escort fleet during his circumnavigation of the globe!"
With that thought in mind, Xu Daming's fingernails dug into the deck. He pursed his lips and rubbed his eyes until he was certain of his thoughts.
"The main fleet didn't return, and they risked withdrawing their defenses to send the escort back, which proves that what's on board might be..."
He muttered to himself, and soon realized the only possibility.
"They've found it! Fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls—!"
"They've been gone for almost 15 years, and the rats have almost destroyed my house, but these guys haven't come away empty-handed!"
With a soft chuckle, the mocking voice suddenly froze. The nautical charts of the Triangular Trade unfolded in his mind, and Xu Daming extended his middle finger, making a gesture forward.
Seeing that they had been discovered, the soldiers on the frigate did not hesitate at all and immediately began to set up their cannons, the dark muzzles quickly pointing at Xu Daming.
"Hehehe, times have changed, adults. These guns and cannons are completely useless!"
He decisively turned off the live stream, waved to signal everyone to enter combat mode, and immediately led the ships to surround the escort vessel.
Amidst the sound of waves, there was a soft metallic scraping; he gripped the spiked club wrapped around his waist with his other hand.
"bump--!"
With his hands slammed onto the deck, Xu Daming arched his back again and entered a berserk state.
"boom--!"
All 26 cannons fired simultaneously, and the black shells approached Xu Daming in an instant.
"!"
As his body rose higher, an astonishing heat wave erupted outwards after he entered a berserk state, instantly blasting away the cannonballs that were right in front of him.
"Whoosh—!"
As the artillery prepared for its second salvo, Xu Daming appeared above the frigate as if he had teleported.
A blood-red glint flashed across the ocean as it swung its claws, tearing apart a thousand-meter-long vacuum zone that squeezed the seawater outwards.
The overflowing charge struck the barrier, and a violent electric arc instantly enveloped the entire ship. The thunderous roar caught up ten seconds later.
The claw-shaped trenches remaining on the sea surface were still steaming with seawater. The ship's barrier had been severely damaged by the attack, leaving only a few mages struggling to hold on.
"..."
"No wonder it's something the great powers put together; it's as hard as a tortoise shell!" Xu Daming cursed under his breath as he felt the vibration coming from his fingertips.
Meanwhile, viewers who had been lingering in Xu Daming's live stream began to speculate after he turned it off.
It wasn't until a viewer posted a screenshot comparing the frigate in front of them to the frigate Magellan used when he embarked on his voyage that the story came to light.
—They are exactly the same!
After ruling out all possibilities, they guessed what was on the frigate.
...
"Hey announcer! Xu Daming has found fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls! Hurry, or you'll miss out!"
"Isn't our Kaido-sensei planning to steal some fragments of the Four Seas Scroll?!"
"Shocking! Fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls have appeared! Hurry and grab them!"
"How can someone be called a Yonko without fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls?! Shanks has them, so why doesn't Kaido?"
...
The viewers, always eager for a good show, quickly headed to the sea to watch a live stream by a player from the demon race named Kaido.
The player who reigns supreme on the seas under the name [Kaido] is named [Kunimichi].
In reality, he is a 21-year-old Buddhist-style rich second-generation, and also a veteran of the first test.
It has been almost 10 years since Jiu Nian became the Queen of the Great Pirates in 1925. She has been based on the western part of the Sea of Destiny, and has more than 400 islands and an armed force of about 400,000.
Within his Beast Pirates crew, the high-end combat force includes 5 fourth-tier archmages, 40 seventh-tier mages, 300 eighth-tier mages, and even the lowest-level members are all advanced mages.
Jiu Nian has been stuck at the ninth-tier Grand Magister level for decades, desperately searching for fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls to find a way to break through to the level of a Dharma King.
"It's finally here? I've been looking for this for ages... Finally, once I break through to the Dharma King level, the three admirals of the Navy are nothing but bullshit."
He walked out of the captain's cabin with a cold laugh, his face downcast, his whole body trembling with barely suppressed excitement.
The moment he stepped off the ship, he roared at the top of his lungs: "Men, pay attention! Helmsman, take note! Turn left 60 degrees and move forward at full speed!"
"Are there any teleportation magic circles deployed near the Whirlpool Islands?!" Jiu Nian asked the pirate beside her, his brow furrowed and his nose pinched.
The pirate was taken aback at first, but after carefully examining the nautical chart, he saluted and said, "Reporting to the Governor! Yes! But it hasn't been maintained for a long time due to the Black Death turmoil."
His brows furrowed; the answer clearly displeased him. He let out a heavy sigh, and the surrounding air instantly turned cold.
"Is it still working properly?!" She gave him a knowing look, her voice rising several decibels.
The sudden change in atmosphere made the pirate tremble, and he quickly nodded: "Okay! But the magic crystals required are too many... it might not support our return..."
Looking into the distance, Jiu Nian propped her head up and sneered, "It's okay, someone will come and deliver this kind of thing to us."
Upon hearing this, the pirates on the ship acted swiftly, and the 20,000-strong pirate crew marched in a grand procession toward the coordinates given by the viewers in the live stream.
The viewers, who love watching the excitement, were not satisfied with just that. Whenever a player started a live stream, they would rush to the live stream to announce the release of new Dead Sea Scrolls fragments.
This forced Ye Feng and his two companions, who were still engaged in the defense of the capital in the Caesar Empire, to send Cliff to seize it.
The other players, whose strength was slightly lower, chose to go and watch the show.
And so, while Xu Daming was still desperately attacking, a large group of players had already approached his location