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

Chapter 150 Bounty Soars, [The Cult of the Deep]!
After seeing the young man at the bar.

A very complicated expression immediately appeared on Mr. Heller's face.

At first, there was surprise and curiosity, but it quickly turned into astonishment, awe, and even a hint of excitement.

Upon seeing this, the nearby pirates were all surprised, including the regulars who frequented the Greedy Bar.

This was the first time they had ever seen Mr. Heller express such emotions.

However, from their perspective, it was impossible to tell which person Heller was looking at in the crowd.

Heller didn't immediately approach the handsome young man at the bar; instead, he focused on finishing his work first.

Several arrest warrants were posted on the bar's notice board.

The pirates, always eager to join in the fun, crowded around, commenting on the wanted posters and lists.

In the pirate world, where information flow was somewhat restricted, the importance of intelligence was self-evident.

Many pirates come to the Greedy Tavern to gather intelligence about the seas.

As an official federal announcement, an arrest warrant naturally carries credibility.

At the same time, pirates would also judge the strength and status of other pirates based on the amount of the bounty.

Rhodes curiously joined the search and quickly found his own wanted poster, discovering that his bounty had increased from 90 to 100, which made him somewhat smug.

"Wow, it's actually increased by 10 gold dragon coins compared to before? As expected of me."

Just then, a small gasp of surprise erupted from the crowd.

"New arrest warrants have been issued for the crew of the Black Swan!"

"let me see……"

"【Black Knight, Anne, suspected to be a second-tier 'Knight' profession in the Secret Path, characterized by being fully covered in armor! — 120 Gold Dragon Coins!】"

"【White-haired banshee, Joey, suspected to be a second-tier 'Scholar', with siren blood, proficient in magic—130 gold dragon coins!】"

"【Blood Moon Traitor, Fei Ya, suspected to be a Tier 2 'Priest', has a certain tendency towards violence, is skilled in using steam-powered machinery, and can be captured alive for a larger bounty—300 Gold Dragon Coins!】"

Finally, the pirates' eyes fell on the wanted poster at the top.

[Black Death Bird, Shane]

[Captain of the "Black Swan", a Tier 3 Mystic]

[Occupation unknown, race unknown, abilities unknown.]

[It once decisively defeated the "Blood Duke," breached the defenses of Duke Island and Silvermoon Island, and killed the current governors of both islands!]

[Warning: This person is ruthless and extremely dangerous! Extremely dangerous! Extremely dangerous!]

[If you encounter someone who is not a Tier 3 Path user, please try to escape at all costs!]

[—2600 Gold Dragon Coins!]

The text following "warning" is highlighted in red and bold, conveying a strong sense of warning.

"How many, how many?"

Rhodes couldn't help but widen his eyes, his breath catching slightly.

As far as he knew, the bounty for a typical Tier 3 Mystic was usually only 500 to 2000 gold dragon coins in the Federation.

Right now, the captain of the Black Swan has seen his score soar to 2600!

Including its crew, the bounty for the entire ship has exceeded 3000! That's 3 silver snake coins! Or 30 million copper Na coins!
Thirty million coins—enough to kill someone by throwing them!
This huge sum of money is enough to buy a small island in the Federation.

"The person who posted the bounty really wants to kill this black dead bird..."

Rhodes was still reeling from the shock.

He wasn't too surprised by the name "Black Dead Bird".

The previous "Black Swan" was just what these pirates called it, while "Black Dead Bird" was the official code name used by the Federation.

However, Rhodes quickly realized that no matter how high the bounty for the Black Death Bird was, it had nothing to do with him, a mere second-tier Mystic.

This kind of thing is best left unseen.

But then, Rhodes's gaze fell on the portrait on the wanted poster.

Because there are professionals in this world who specialize in the "Painter" profession, the accuracy of the portraits on wanted posters is relatively high.

Pale golden hair, deep blue eyes.

His features were exquisite, yet he possessed a cold and dignified air, reminiscent of the unfathomable depths of the ocean.

"Wait, him!?"

Rhodes stood there dumbfounded, his heart churning with turbulent emotions.

The other pirates were also suddenly startled and quickly turned to look at the area next to the bar.

The handsome young man from before had vanished, leaving only empty plates and wine glasses as proof that he had once been there.

……

……

"call--"

The young man walked out of the tavern and exhaled a long breath.

"I haven't had food from this kind of pub in a long time, and I didn't expect it to taste so good."

"I need to buy a cookbook sometime so Joey can learn a few more recipes."

This blond youth was none other than Xia En, who had just been offered a bounty of 2600 gold dragon coins.

After capturing the two large islands, Duke Island and Silvermoon Island, he acquired a large amount of spoils, and didn't even have time to deal with the previous escort ships.

Shane urgently needs to monetize these spoils and transform his wealth into tangible combat power.

Money in your hand is just money.

It only has meaning when it becomes a component, equipment, or tool that is useful to oneself.

The lawless and chaotic Sin Islands were undoubtedly the most suitable place for him to trade.

"Conservatively speaking, if I sell the ship and all the useless antiques and jewelry in my space ring, plus Duke Nova's savings, I should be able to hold more than 3000 gold dragon coins."

"Wow... that's 3000 gold dragon coins!"

As the salty sea breeze blew, Xia En felt a strange mix of emotions.

Unbeknownst to him, his wealth had accumulated to a level he could never have imagined before.

Who would have thought that just six months ago, he was in a terrible predicament over a mere three hundred silver snake coins?
"Unfortunately, we failed to sink the Viper."

Because Xia En was worried that the attack on Duke Island would make Silvermoon Island more vigilant, he transferred third-tier powerhouses from other vampire islands.

Therefore, his actions were exceptionally swift and decisive. Almost immediately after raiding Duke Nova's stronghold, he rushed to Silvermoon Island at full speed.

Fortunately, the Viper was out on missions, thus escaping disaster.

Shaun simply stormed into the castle on Silvermoon Island, killed the acting governor, looted it a bit, and then left.

Of course, doing these two big things not only made Xia En famous, but also caused his bounty to skyrocket from 200 gold snake coins to 2600.

This shows that the importance attached to vampires has increased.

They no longer regarded Shane as a minor character who could be easily crushed, but instead added him to their kill list.

Xia En was neither surprised nor afraid of this.

From the moment the vampires issued the bounty, they were already enemies, so naturally they wouldn't mind deepening that enmity even further.

"only……"

Xia En stroked his chin, his mind racing: "I wonder what the Federation's attitude is towards this?"

Although Carles said she would try to push for punishment of Silvermoon Island and cancel the bounty on her.

But now that I think about it, as a third-tier Mystic, her words didn't actually carry that much weight.

Previously, Xia En already knew that within the Federation's high-ranking officials, there were factions that rejected vampires as well as factions that were close to them.

With the huge incident he's caused this time, he might very well be permanently labeled a pirate.

If we had to put it in perspective, this action greatly increased Shane's reputation with the Chaos faction, but significantly decreased it with the Lawful faction.

Even so, Xia En had no regrets.

If given another chance, he would still make the same choice.

"At worst, I'll just become a pirate. It's carefree and unrestrained, which isn't bad at all."

Just as Shane was pondering these questions, a voice suddenly rang out beside him. "Captain Shane, could I have a moment of your time?"

Xia En's eyelids twitched, and he turned around abruptly.

Mr. Heller, whom he had just met at the bar, was standing behind him, speaking in a strange tone.

"I would like to introduce you to our God and Savior, the all-knowing and all-powerful Lord of the deep."

"...?"

Xia En tilted his head in confusion.

He had noticed before that Mr. Heller was looking at him strangely.

But what does this sentence mean?
The Lord of the Deep?

Shaen certainly hadn't forgotten that he had encountered a being called the "Deep Child" during his ascension ritual, and had obtained a unique skill called "Deep Touch".

He even heard cryptic phrases like, "Greetings, Lord of the Deep."

But in reality, or rather on the island, this was the first time he had ever heard this name from someone else.

Heller noticed Shane's confusion and offered an explanation.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Heller Smith. I am the owner of this island and one of the seven deacons of the Chaotic Sin Islands."

"But at the same time, I am still a faithful follower of the [Deep Lord]."

When talking about the first two identities, Heller's tone was calm and composed, but the last sentence revealed a proud and self-satisfied expression.

Island Master... Seventh Deacon...

After hearing these words, Xia En's heart was filled with turmoil.

Before entering the Chaotic Sin Islands, he had inquired about the situation in this area, and thus knew—

Although the Chaotic Sin Islands are chaotic, they are not entirely without order.

First of all, each island here has its owner, and the ability to firmly hold the position of island owner among fierce pirates is enough to demonstrate their strength.

Secondly, there are seven deacons on this archipelago.

They weren't like governors; they usually stayed in their respective territories, rarely interacted, and basically didn't manage the pirates on the islands.

But when the Federation attacks, the seven deacons will unite to fight against the Federation Navy.

—The Federation has naturally launched several extermination operations against this lawless land.

However, due to the power of the Seven Deacons and some secrets in this sea area, the Federation's efforts to eradicate them were repeatedly thwarted, which gradually led to the tacit acceptance of the existence of the Chaotic Sin Islands.

Xia En carefully sensed Heller's aura and immediately felt a chill run down his spine.

One word: unfathomable!
This man is like a deep, dark abyss; the more you look at him, the more terrifying he becomes.

At least fourth-order, or... higher!
The pressure he exerted on Xia En was even greater than that on the Sea Queen.

It can be said that Mr. Heller, who believes in the "Deep Ruler", is the strongest person Xia En has encountered since his transmigration!
Shaun was inwardly horrified, but outwardly remained calm as he asked, "So, Mr. Heller, what brings you here?"

"Captain Shane, there's no need to be nervous."

Heller chuckled, a hint of naivety and friendliness appearing on his tattooed face.

“I swear to the Lord of the Deep, I will not be your enemy.”

"……what?"

Xia En was even more puzzled.

From what he knew, such believers were not joking when they swore oaths to the entity they believed in, and the other party even used the honorific "you" (您).

It's almost like...

Without his own knowledge, Shane had maxed out Heller's favorability rating.

That's why Xia En became even more vigilant.

He didn't believe in unprovoked kindness; Heller must have had a unique purpose in finding him.

At this point, Heller continued, "Captain Shane, have you ever heard of... the Cult of the Deep?"

"……No."

After thinking for a moment, Xia En answered very honestly.

Lying in front of such a powerful person is clearly not a good choice.

"That's understandable, our sect has been declining for a long time and is not recognized by the Deep Sea Church."

Heller sighed regretfully: "In fact, the omniscient and omnipotent Deep Ruler is the true master of this sea."

"As for the Storm Goddess, she was just a lucky girl who obtained a portion of Her power by chance."

"The Church of the Deep Sea concealed the truth and regarded the Lord of the Deep as evil."

"But it doesn't matter. Soon, that great ruler will awaken from his long slumber, return from the unfathomable depths of the sea, and mend the world back to its original state..."

Hearing his words and seeing his fanatical expression, Xia En's eyelids twitched even more violently.

Fanatic!
Moreover, the fact that this "Deep Sea Sect" is not recognized by the Deep Sea Church means that it is a completely evil sect.

Such evil sects are not uncommon in the Seven Seas.

After all, not to mention the [Secret Sea], there are many indescribable things in the depths of even ordinary oceans.

Judging from Xia En's previous contact with the [Deepborn], they are indeed a very sinister entity.

Normally, if Shane encountered such a fanatic, he would stay far away from him.

Because of their bizarre methods and their extreme mental obsession, it is no exaggeration to describe them as "madmen."

But today...

This is because we can't win!
After speaking at length, Heller looked intently at Shane.

"Captain Shane, you probably guessed my purpose. I want to invite you to join the Cult of the Deep."

Xia En felt a chill run down his spine.

—They really are here to preach!

He guessed that Heller might have seen something from his experience during the ascension ceremony, which was why he wanted to recruit him into the church.

Although Shane does have some connection with the [Deep Lord], it doesn't mean he wants to join this sect of unknown origin.

The problem is, will refusing this at least fourth-level Pathfinder anger him?
After hesitating for a long time, Xia En spoke cautiously.

"What if I said... I have no intention of joining your religion at the moment?"

Heller smiled and said, "That's fine, I won't force you."

"Furthermore, if you have any goods to sell or want to buy anything, you can come to me and I will help you solve it properly."

Xia En was quite surprised.

This attitude was far too friendly, and it was quite different from the cultists he had in mind.

……

……

Not long after.

Shane thanked Heller for his kindness and took his leave.

After his figure disappeared from sight, a shadow suddenly began to twist and writhe beside Heller, transforming into a human shape like a viscous liquid.

In the end, he transformed into a little boy who looked like a servant.

The little boy asked curiously, "Sir, why are you so interested in this captain?"

"Does he possess some precious treasure?"

"If that's the case, why not just kill him?"

Heller glanced at the little boy indifferently, his tone somewhat stern: "Don't let me hear that a second time."

The little boy's body began to tremble, and he became increasingly confused.

In the eyes of adults, this unfamiliar captain seems to be more important than themselves.

Heller murmured softly, "There's no mistake, he is the prophesied Son of Heaven. One day, he will open the gates of return for the omniscient and omnipotent Lord of the Deep..."

"Until then, all I have to do is wait..."

(End of this chapter)