We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 121 The Chase at Sea! Tearing open the wound!

"【Blood Duke】...Could it be?!"

Upon hearing the name, Feia immediately thought of Duke Island, where a joint manhunt had been launched against her and the captain.

"Is that ship here to hunt us down?"

I doubt it.

Looking at the fleet of ships not far away, Xia En pondered, "There are salvage ships among them. Their real purpose is to salvage the heritage in the Rusty Ruins."

"but……"

Xia En didn't finish his sentence, but all the crew members understood what he meant.

Now that they've run into each other in this sea area, the Blood Duke clearly won't let them go!
Not long after Shane arrived on the deck.

A sharp, loud whistle rang out from among the fleet of ships not far away!
The sound was like a bugle call to charge.

This also completely opened the curtain on this naval encounter.

In an instant, several smaller steamships rushed menacingly toward the location of the Black Swan, like a pack of fierce and greedy hyenas!
At this moment, Shane displayed the composure expected of a captain and gave the order.

"Everyone, return to your positions!"

"Raise anchor, hoist the sails, and set sail!"

"Proceed at top speed! Destination: Southeast!"

The crew responded in unison, "Yes, Captain!"

The situation was undoubtedly extremely dangerous, but with Shane on the ship, they felt a strong sense of confidence and security.

They firmly believed that the captain would lead them out of danger!
As the crew began to move, Shane once again walked to the helm and grasped the dark, sturdy rudder.

"Little Black, I'm counting on you this time too."

[I'm happy to help!]

"Woo——"

The long, drawn-out whistle echoed across the sea, and the Black Swan instantly went from still to turning, accelerating across the water and cutting through the waves!

……

……

【Blood Duke】.

Inside the luxurious cabins on the upper deck.

Deep within the pale purple curtains, the overlapping, vigorously moving figures paused temporarily for some reason.

"What a terrible man, he can't even satisfy me."

Duke Nova’s slightly hoarse voice rang out.

Upon hearing this, the handsome man inside the curtain trembled and hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, please...please..."

"I'm not feeling well today, but I'll definitely..."

The man's voice abruptly stopped, replaced by a strange sucking sound.

That was by no means a gentle and ambiguous caress, but more like a thirsty beast devouring its prey!
A moment later, only one breath remained inside the curtain.

"Dong dong!"

A knock came from outside the door.

"Oh, it's Bruno. What's up?"

The newly appointed butler, Bruno, entered the room. Compared to when he first took office, his appearance had visibly aged, and he had a few more gray hairs on his head.

The only thing that remained unchanged was the awe in his expression.

Bruno bowed his head and respectfully reported, "The lookout has spotted the Black Swan in the nearby waters."

"The Black Swan?"

Duke Nova pondered for a moment before remembering the origins of the ship.

"Oh, so it's that small boat carrying the [Silver Moon Traitor], the one that's wanted, right?"

Compared to when she last heard the name "Black Swan," she had some recollection of it, but still not much.

"I didn't expect such a pleasant surprise. Let's send a few ships to sink it."

Bruno nodded and said, "Four escort ships have already set sail."

"but……"

"But what?"

"Your Grace, if I may be so bold, those four escort ships alone are probably not enough to take down the Black Swan."

Bruno's tone was somewhat serious.

Unlike Duke Nova, he was deeply impressed by the Black Swan.

After all, he was able to become the Duke's butler precisely because of the conflict between Sage and the Black Swan.

Moreover, that ship was originally just a small, insignificant salvage vessel, but in less than half a year, it has made quite a name for itself on Silvermoon Island.

Its captain, Shane, went from an ordinary person burdened with debt to a second-tier secret path practitioner!
All signs indicate that this ship and its captain have amazing potential!
Bruno's idea was simple.

Since His Excellency the Duke has already made an enemy of the Black Swan, instead of underestimating it and giving it a chance to escape, we can wait until it grows stronger before returning to take revenge.

Why not take advantage of the current overwhelming advantage of the Blood Duke and go all out to crush it with swift and decisive action!

Bruno explained his thoughts to Duke Nova and said...

"I request... to use that forbidden relic, and to have the Blood Duke join in."

Duke Nova pondered for a moment: "What you said is not without merit."

"In that case, let's do as you say."

"As for the offerings, they shall be chosen from among the slaves."

"Yes!"

Soon, Bruno led several slaves to a room deep inside the ship's cabin.

He then proceeded to slit the throats of the slaves one after another.

Blood gushed out and gathered into a stream on the floor, eventually flowing into a scarlet ship sculpture in the center.

Nourished by the blood, the ship sculpture appears even more vibrant and lifelike, as if it has come to life.

Bruno muttered to himself, "...With the sacrifice of living beings, please cast a curse upon the Black Swan."

However, the scarlet ship sculpture remained unmoved, as if waiting for something.

Bruno was startled. "Not enough offerings?"

He knew that the larger and more mysterious the ship, the greater the cost of casting a curse.

But the Black Swan is clearly just a small boat, so why does it need so many offerings?

But once the sacrifice has begun, it cannot be stopped.

Otherwise, it will backfire on the Blood Duke.

Bruno had no choice but to bring in more slaves and continue the process.

The more sacrifices were made, the more alarmed Bruno became. The number of people involved was enough to curse a large ship like the Blood Duke!
Until the blood of the 35th slave was absorbed.

The scarlet ship sculpture finally let out a satisfied sigh.

Then, a faint red light emanated from the ship sculpture.

A strange and mysterious power flowed from it, into the sea, and attached itself to the hull of the Black Swan.

……

……

on the deck.

Master... I feel so uncomfortable...

Xiao Hei's voice entered my mind.

Xia En's expression suddenly changed. He could feel some kind of cold, sticky force landing on the Black Swan.

This hindered the ship's progress, causing the ship's speed to gradually decrease.

Your ship is cursed by a forbidden artifact!

[Gained the status "Blood Sacrifice Curse"!]

[Description: A curse cast with the sacrifice of the living.]

[Black Swan's speed -10!]

Duration: 7 days!

Upon seeing these lines of information, Xia En's face grew even more gloomy.

It's not hard to guess that this was the work of the Blood Duke.

At the Black Swan's original speed, the distance between it and the escort ships was constantly increasing, and it was only a matter of time before it left them behind.

However, their speeds are now gradually catching up, and the distance between them is showing signs of shortening.

Worse……

Xia En looked at the enormous creature that had begun to move on the sea, his gaze turning somewhat cold.

At this moment, the Blood Duke also moved!
"It seems you really want to kill me!"

Xia En let out a long breath, forcing himself to calm down.

The only good news is that the attributes provided by [Captain's Majesty] are permanent and will not be affected by the curse on [Black Swan].

While keeping an eye on the escort ships chasing behind him, Shane quickly came to a conclusion.

"At the current speed, they will catch up with us sooner or later."

"But there's nothing to be afraid of in a simple boarding action with the escort ships. The key is not to let them hold you back."

"Otherwise, once the Blood Duke gets close, our chances of winning will be slim."

"The only chance is to tear a wound before the encirclement is fully formed and forcibly create distance."

Just as Shane had thought.

Upon discovering that the Black Swan's speed had suddenly decreased, the four escort ships began to rapidly approach in a pincer movement, forming an encirclement.

A cold glint flashed in Shane's eyes as he locked onto the escort ship closest to the Black Swan.

"Everyone, prepare for boarding action!"

"The battle must be ended within half a minute!"

The requirement sounded somewhat demanding, but no one questioned it.

The crew members drew their weapons, their faces hardening with determination, ready for battle.

……

……

On the escort ship [Iron Rhinoceros].

Captain Sanson looked at the Black Swan not far away, a glint of greed in his eyes.

In his eyes, this wasn't a ship, but 500 gold dragon coins!
If he could capture the ship's captain, he might even gain the Duke's favor and rise to a position of power on Duke Island.

at this time.

The Black Swan suddenly turned and accelerated, charging straight toward the Iron Rhinoceros!
"They're treating me like an easy target!"

Sang Song was taken aback at first, then sneered, "Perfect timing! I'll take your bounty!"

As a second-tier secret path practitioner, he had that kind of confidence!
Moreover, he didn't even need to fight the Black Swan to the very end; as long as he held out until the other escort ships arrived, victory would be within his grasp.

It was this moment of contempt in Sanson's mind that led him to make the worst decision of his life.

He neither accelerated nor decelerated, nor did he turn the ship around; he simply waited for the Black Swan to approach.

Thus, the flank of the Iron Rhinoceros was exposed to the Black Swan without any obstruction!
"Ship, Captain!"

Some sailors noticed the unusual activity and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"It's going to crash! It's going to crash!!!"

"What!?"

Sanson was shocked: "Has he gone mad?"

The Black Swan showed no signs of slowing down, charging forward like a mad bull with unstoppable momentum!

By this time, it was too late for the Iron Rhinoceros to change course!

Boom! ! !
A violent impact occurred in the next moment.

The ship of the Iron Rhinoceros shook violently, and a huge gash immediately appeared on the surface of the hull, which continued to widen.

Many sailors who didn't react in time were thrown overboard and into the sea.

Then, a fierce fireball and surging steam came together, starting the carnage on the deck.

(End of this chapter)