Chapter 6: Mall Unlocked and Pirate Outpost
The Narrow Sea, somewhere in the waters of The Stepstones.
The predecessor of The Stepstones was the Arm of Dorne. During the Dawn Age, the original inhabitants of Westeros were the Children of the Forest, and they went to war with the first men who had just migrated there.
Because the disparity in strength between the two sides was too great, and the number of first men was increasing, the Children of the Forest could only call upon earthquakes and storms through the power of the old gods.
Faced with that terrifying power, the Arm of Dorne connecting Essos and Westeros was completely destroyed, and the remaining parts became today's Stepstones.
Among the Nine Free Cities on the continent of Essos, Myr, Tyrosh, and Lys were also part of the former Arm of Dorne.
Since it is shrouded in rain and fog year-round, and the forests on the islands are exceptionally dense, over time, it became one of the pirates' paradises.
Combined with its unique geographical location, this made The Stepstones an existence similar to the Caribbean Sea of Earth.
At this moment, near an archipelago that the occupying pirates called "Cutthroat Isle," the now-reassigned "sea fox" was slowly advancing toward the largest island.
During the previous ship-seizing operation, Jon's miracle-like actions directly conquered everyone.
Furthermore, after that, Jon used a vulnerary to save a dying crew member. From that moment on, everyone began to regard him as an existence like a messenger of the gods.
Upon realizing the potential in this, Jon took advantage of the momentum to preach to everyone, claiming he was guided by the New and old gods to liberate all enslaved and oppressed believers.
Jon also constantly declared to the crowd that the miraculous abilities he displayed came from the favor of the New and old gods.
Most of the people on the ship were natives of Westeros; many of them were second sons or bastards who could no longer survive in their original homes.
Jon's preaching gave them a goal to strive for and a direction to move forward, giving them a glimmer of hope.
Of course, mere verbal promises weren't enough to make these guys follow Jon with absolute loyalty.
At this time, the system very thoughtfully sent him a grand gift: the system mall.
Just as Jon had initially guessed, Soul Energy was indeed related to human souls, but because everyone's status and abilities differed, the system's judgment of these existences also varied.
Consequently, the Soul Energy value each person could generate was different. Take the first mate Jon killed with his own hands, for example; he contributed 200 Soul Energy points to Jon.
Captain Gusta, who was killed by the Direwolf Ghost, contributed 300 Soul Energy points, while the remaining two small-time thugs contributed 30 and 20 points respectively.
Although he knew the general pattern, the specific values still had to be figured out by Jon bit by bit.
In his subsequent explorations, Jon discovered how to open the system mall. He also found that these Soul Energy points allowed him to buy various items and props in the mall. Among these props, the most miraculous were the Class Change Items.
The system seemed to be set according to a certain tactical RPG Jon had played in his previous life. Besides familiar physical classes like Knight, Myrmidon, Soldier, and Archer...
There seemed to be staff-using magic classes and elemental magic classes. Unfortunately, this interface was currently in an unclickable state.
However, these things already gave Jon the feeling of being hit by a massive stroke of fortune. Although a basic Class Change Item cost 500 Soul Energy points, such an item that could allow an ordinary person to ascend to the heavens in one step was enough to drive many people mad.
One must know that for an ordinary person to become a soldier or a knight, the time, money, and resources consumed were completely incalculable.
But now, Jon possessed these instant-success items that could transform ordinary people into warriors. If he managed these well, Jon would become the god of everyone.
"Lord Jon, Cutthroat Isle is just ahead. According to those guys, this is one of Gusta's supply points. The pirate leader inside is 'Skull' Bill, with over 100 men under him, and the outpost entrance only allows one ship to enter at a time."
Narsas, with his golden hair, now had a temperament and physique completely different from before.
When the gray cloak covered him, it made his entire person appear very, very ordinary—the kind of ordinary that wouldn't stand out even if thrown into a crowd.
The reason he had become like this was entirely because Jon had spent 500 Soul Energy points to change his class to a System Thief.
The System Thief is a very powerful class, possessing talent with daggers and shortswords. The item it comes with, called the Thief Key, allows a thief to open most locks in the world.
Moreover, the Thief class also possesses special abilities like disarming traps and extraordinary vision. It can be called an all-rounder class. If it weren't for its lack of combat prowess, Jon would have wanted to spend Soul Energy to change into one himself.
"Hmm, good! Your intelligence gathering is very comprehensive. Then, according to the plan I mentioned at the start, let's give them a proper 'surprise'!"
"Yes, Lord Jon!"
After hearing Narsas's reply, Jon nodded with satisfaction.
"By the way, when the time comes, I will possess Ghost to help you. Although your abilities are powerful, it's much safer for you if some things are done by Ghost first."
After saying this, Jon walked toward the cabin, while Narsas cast a grateful look at Jon. As the first existence to be blessed by the "God," Narsas was extremely grateful and worshipful toward Jon.
Therefore, after Jon assigned the task, Narsas worked hard to complete it. Or rather, all those people now named "The Chainbreakers" by Jon...
...were all working hard to complete the tasks Jon assigned. They all hoped to gain the favor of the New and old gods and become powerful warriors... The entrance to "Cutthroat Isle" was called the "Bloodletting Port" by the pirates. Under normal circumstances, it was completely impossible for a large fleet or ship to enter "Cutthroat Isle."
Because the chain of islands around Cutthroat Isle perfectly protected the main island, combined with the pirates' continuous patrols, quickly wiping out the pirates here was an almost impossible task.
Soon, the slowly advancing "sea fox" encountered a patrolling pirate ship at the "Bloodletting Port." It was a pirate ship somewhat similar to an Ironborn Longship.
Its slender hull and ram were its features. The design of oars plus sails allowed it to quickly strike enemies in naval battles. Most of the time, pirates preferred longships because they were very suitable for sneak attacks.
"Who are you people?"
These pirates seemed very skilled in the act of boarding and inspecting. From the moment they appeared to the moment they boarded the "sea fox," only a few minutes had passed.
After they boarded, the leader looked at Narsas, who met them alone.
"You're Gusta's men, right? Where did he run off to?"
Since most of the faces on the ship were new, the pirate's words carried a hint of caution. Two of the sailors who came with him remained standing near the gunwale; if something went wrong, they would jump ship immediately.
"Uh, how should I address you, my lord?"
After hearing the suspicion in the other party's words, Narsas did not appear flustered but instead respectfully asked for the other's identity.
"I'm Pyce of the patrol. Where on earth is Gusta? I haven't seen you before."
"Captain Pyce, greetings! I am Narsas. Our Captain Gusta and some of the brothers caught a fever after encountering a storm last time!"
Narsas said this with a face full of sorrow, as if lamenting the brothers' hardships.
"I can take you to see them. We've already given them medicine, but they might have some trouble speaking."
After replying, Narsas made a motion to lead him there.
At this time, Patrol Captain Pyce caught the faint scent of herbs on Narsas as the sea breeze blew.
After scanning Narsas and the sailors behind him, the other party seemed to relax. He then spoke directly:
"Forget it, forget it. Just take us to inspect everything. Remember, every single place. Understand?"
"Of course, thank you for your understanding, Lord Pyce! Please, this way!"
Upon hearing the other party's words, Narsas secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Subsequently, the group inspected the deckhouse, the captain's quarters, and the hold in turn.
During this period, the other party also saw Jon and the others locked in the hold, and his suspicion of Narsas and his men was completely dispelled.
"You have more 'cargo' here than we do? That fellow Gusta has really struck it rich this time. lord of light be praised! He's truly lucky!"
"Lord Pyce, you are also very lucky! Look, this is a gift the 'sea fox' prepared for everyone: wine from The Arbor, two whole barrels of it!"
After hearing Patrol Captain Pyce's exclamation, Narsas immediately signaled a few sailors in the back to bring up two oak barrels.
"This... how can I accept this?"
Patrol Captain Pyce's eyes almost popped out when he saw the two barrels of wine. Although he said he was embarrassed, the longing in his eyes betrayed him.
"It's just a small token of our appreciation. We only want to have a good night's rest and get some water and supplies. We definitely won't cause any trouble."
Narsas's words were very sincere, making the patrol pirates feel very appreciated. Thus, with the help of the wine, the speed of their inspection increased significantly.
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