My esoteric uncle Jules

Chapter 156 Beat those bastards up!
Upon hearing this, Jules frowned slightly, got up, and walked out of the cabin.

On deck, sailors were running around busily, while the captain stood at the bow, holding binoculars, his face grim.

Ram followed behind Jules, saying worriedly:

"Sir, is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not urgent……"

Jules squinted and looked out at the sea.

In the distance, a black ship cuts through the waves, its sails adorned with a huge, menacing skull.

Due to the great distance and the dense fog, the figures on it could only be seen as small dots.

But just by looking at the pirate ship's distinctive flag, even if you can't see it clearly, you can recognize the ship's identity at a glance.

“Pirate ships of this era might already be equipped with cannons…” Jules frowned slightly.

He wasn't worried about his own safety, but if something happened to the boat, the others would probably have to go into the sea and become fish food.

Without the merchant ships as cover, it would be much more difficult for him, who had swum ashore, to get into London.

He turned to the captain and said in a deep voice:
"Can we shake them off?"

The captain lowered his binoculars and shook his head:

“Their boats are lighter and faster than ours, and the wind direction is unfavorable, so we can’t shake them off.”

He paused, then lowered his voice:
"Sir, if a fight breaks out, you and your servant should hide in the cabin first. The pirates should only rob you and not hurt you."

He knew that the gentleman before him was a distinguished guest of the Baron.

Although he didn't know what the other party was there for, the fact that the Baron attached such importance to it meant it was of great significance, and he dared not be negligent.

After saying that, he picked up his binoculars again and began to observe the pirates in the distance.

At the same time, he was issuing commands in a methodical manner:

"Prepare guns and weapons, but be careful not to discharge them accidentally; they're just for deterrence. Helmsman, you're in charge..."

Seeing this, Jules walked over to Ram and whispered:
"Take good care of yourself later and try to prepare to save your life in advance."

Upon hearing this, Ram nodded.

At this moment, the captain had not yet finished issuing his orders:
"...Sailor, check the grappling hooks and planks, be ready at any moment...hmm?"

The captain suddenly let out a soft exclamation.

Even from behind, Jules could see the captain's facial muscles working up due to his confusion.

"What's wrong? Is there any new information?"

The captain lowered his binoculars, his expression somewhat strange:
"Those pirates seem to be... fleeing for their lives."

"Run for your life?" Jules raised an eyebrow and said:

"show me."

Picking up his binoculars, he finally managed to make out the figures on the distant ship through the thick fog.

The captain was right. The busy figures on the pirate ship showed no excitement about about to pull off a heist; instead, they were filled with fear.

The helmsman, responsible for navigation, looked back three times a second, as if some terrifying thing was chasing them.

“It really is…” Jules put down the binoculars in his hand, his expression somewhat subtle.

"Captain, what do you think?"

Upon hearing this, the captain pondered for a long while before saying:

"Never mind, since they don't have time for us, let's just leave quickly."

He turned and shouted:

"Helmsman, adjust course and avoid the pirate ship's path!"

"But wouldn't that provoke that ship..."

"Just do what I tell you to do!" The captain waved his hand impatiently at first, before beginning to explain.

"That pirate ship seems to be in dire straits itself and is also fleeing for its life. It probably can't be bothered with us!"

Upon hearing this, the previously tense sailors on the ship all breathed a sigh of relief, and some even started chatting and laughing.

The helmsman struggled to change course, trying to avoid the direction of the pirate ship.

However, after a while, everyone discovered a fact—

The pirate ship did indeed escape, but it seemed to still be chasing them!
"What should we do, Captain?" The helmsman's face was extremely grim.

"We're not as fast as them. If this continues, we'll definitely be caught up."

While the captain was still deep in thought, Jules narrowed his eyes and said:
"Let everyone prepare yourselves. We may be facing more than just those terrified pirates."

As the distance between them closed, the [Silent Bone Flute] he had acquired earlier began to generate a strange sensation.

The pursuers of these pirates seemed to be some kind of undead...

The captain raised an eyebrow, as if he had thought of something, and quickly raised his binoculars to look behind the pirate ship.

After seeing clearly what the pirate ship was chasing, he exclaimed in surprise:

"Ghost ship!"

Upon hearing this, the sailors' faces all changed.

However, it wasn't fear, but mockery:

"Captain, wasn't the legend of this ghost ship proven false more than a decade ago?"

"Yes, navigation technology wasn't advanced in the past, but now that industry has developed, everyone knows that those legends are mostly..."

"You know nothing!"

The captain was so angry that he glared at the sailors with a look of utter disappointment.

He was the oldest among the crew members present; the other sailors were no more than thirty years old.

"They did disprove the ghost ship legend, but who said there's only one ghost ship at sea?!"

Upon hearing this, the entire ship fell into an unprecedented silence, with only the sound of the waves echoing around it.

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

The captain took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself, and said calmly:

"Regardless of the ghost ship, at least one thing is true—pirates are coming, so get ready to engage them."

The sailors got busy again, while Jules leaned against the mast, gazing thoughtfully at the approaching pirate ship in the distance.

"Master, what are you thinking about?" Ram asked from the side.

Jules stroked his chin and said:

"I'm wondering what exactly is chasing those pirates."

Could it be related to the lost authority of the tide?

After all, ghost ships are something that can be easily linked to the waves and the Black Skeletons.

And since they are undead, they might be able to connect with the Winter's Law.

After thinking for a while, he quietly slipped his hand into his sleeve and grasped the [Silent Bone Flute].

If it's a spirit, he might be able to try and control it...

……

The pirate captain kept turning his head anxiously to look at the approaching ghost ship, his eyes filled with despair.

The boat was dilapidated, its planks were cracked, and its surface was covered with a layer of damp green moss, emitting a stench that traveled far and wide.

The sails were riddled with holes, and strips of grayish-white cloth fluttered in the wind, with seaweed entwined around them, vaguely forming a twisted skull together with the holes.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but roar at the helmsman:

"What the hell are you doing?! Hurry up! That thing is catching up!!"

The helmsman, covered in sweat, said:

"Boss, don't be afraid, we're very close to that merchant ship."

The pirate captain stared intently at the wooden merchant ship not far away and said:

"Are you sure what you said before was correct? Throwing that treasure onto that ship will attract the ghost ship to change direction?"

A sailor who looked somewhat refined nodded quickly:
"Highly likely, after all, they are living people." "Phew..." The pirate captain closed his eyes. "Hopefully, it won't be like before, where we threw that thing into the sea, and the ring inexplicably came back, and then that damned ghost ship kept chasing us."

At this moment, Jules stood side by side with the captain at the bow of the ship, looking at the pirate ship not far away.

The captain was on high alert, while Jules appeared relaxed and at ease.

As the pirate ship drew closer, the captain cleared his throat and shouted:

"Friends over there, what are you doing?"

The pirate captain walked to the bow of the ship, exchanged a glance with the captain, and grinned maliciously.

"I'm giving you something."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sailor suddenly darted out from behind him, raised his crossbow, and fired in the direction Jules was!

Its speed was so fast that no one except Jules could react in time.

He easily dodged out of the attack range, followed by the sound of crossbow bolts hitting wooden planks.

Upon seeing the crossbow bolts fired, the pirate ship turned around without hesitation and began speeding away from the scene!

The pirate captain's arrogant laughter echoed through the waves:

Enjoy the gifts we've left for you!

"This..." The captain and the other sailors were completely taken aback as to why the other party was doing this.

Jules noticed that a small cloth bag was hanging from the crossbow bolt on the ground.

He bent down, picked it up, and opened it.

There wasn't anything special inside, just a ring, shrouded in a strong winter aura, clearly indicating it had been soaking in a pile of corpses for a long time.

The deck suddenly became noisy and chaotic.

"Oh no! That ghost ship is coming towards us!" someone screamed.

Upon hearing this, Jules looked up at the ghost ship that had been chasing the pirate ship.

At this moment, as the distance gradually closed, they were able to see through the fog with the naked eye and clearly observe what the ghost ship actually looked like.

"Strange, why are there no sailors?" He then noticed that there wasn't a single sailor on this ghost ship.

Even the most stereotypical ghost ship has at least two skeletons as sailors, right? What's going on here?

"Or perhaps... this ghost ship itself is that undead?" His eyes flickered slightly.

At this moment, the captain had already noticed the small cloth bag that the pirate ship had just shot at him.

When Jules took out a ring that was clearly quite old, he immediately became very nervous:

"I know, they're after this ring! Throw it away!"

Jules didn't throw it away immediately, but said leisurely:
"I'm afraid it's not that simple—if simply throwing it away could get rid of the ghost ship's pursuit, why wouldn't those pirates just throw it away and then rob us, instead of going through all that trouble to throw this thing into our hands?"

The captain was taken aback upon hearing this:
"what do you mean……"

“It seems we’ve been ‘marked’ by the ghost ship, just like that pirate ship,” Jules said calmly.

"What do we do?!" The captain looked at the other sailors on deck, his expression one of despair.

They were just a merchant ship, and even if they were equipped with some self-defense weapons, they couldn't possibly have any large-scale weapons of mass destruction.

What's more, they were facing a ghost ship! A being that even the pirate ship with cannons avoided!
"Don't worry, Captain, I might be able to give it a try."

Jules stood at the bow, facing the wind and waves, gazing at the approaching ghost ship.

The sea breeze grew increasingly fierce, carrying with it a fishy and rotten smell.

The outline of the ghost ship gradually became clear in the thick fog, its dilapidated hull appearing as if emerging from an abyss.

The seaweed wrapped around the sails swayed in the wind, resembling countless twisted fingers.

On deck, the sailors gripped their weapons tightly, their faces pale, sweat dripping down their foreheads.

The captain stared intently at the approaching ghost ship, his throat bobbing, his voice hoarse:

"Everyone, prepare for battle! Load your guns, get your grappling hooks in place!"

He tried to make his tone firm, but he couldn't hide the despair in his eyes.

The sailors moved stiffly; some cursed under their breath, while others trembled slightly with their hands gripping the hilts of their swords.

A young sailor couldn't help but shout:

"Captain, that's a ghost ship! How are we supposed to fight it?!"

"Shut up!" the captain roared, turning to Jules in a low voice, "Sir, do you really have a solution?"

Jules stood at the bow of the ship, his robes fluttering in the sea breeze, a faint smile on his face.

He lowered his head and stroked the [Silent Bone Flute] in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the ghost ship in the distance, his tone calm:
"Try it."

The ghost ship was getting faster and faster, and a deep rumble could be faintly heard from beneath the surface of the sea, as if some enormous creature was churning underwater.

Suddenly, the seawater surged violently, and dozens of enormous black tentacles burst forth from the waves, wrapping around the ghost ship.

The tentacles were covered in slime and bone spurs, appearing and disappearing in the mist.

Each tentacle was as thick as a bucket, splashing water as it swung, reaching out towards the merchant ship as if it were a living thing.

Upon closer inspection, it can be seen that these tentacles all extend from the ghost ship.

"My God... what is that?!" a sailor screamed, dropping his gun to the ground.

"Monster! It's a sea monster!" Another person collapsed to the ground, his eyes glazed over.

The captain staggered, gripping the railing tightly, his face ashen.
"It's over...we're finished..."

Faced with such a monster, even he couldn't muster the slightest courage to resist.

He looked at Jules, his voice trembling:

"Sir, do you have any other ideas? Please use them!"

The shadowy tentacles gradually approached the merchant ship; the ghost ship's hull was now within arm's reach, and a putrid stench filled the air.

The sailors on deck crouched down with their heads in their hands, and some began to pray in hushed tones. An atmosphere of despair permeated the entire ship.

Ram stood behind Jules, gripping his dagger tightly, cold sweat beading on his forehead, yet he remained rooted to the spot, whispering:

"Please be careful."

Jules waved his hand gently, signaling the other party to step back.

Then, he raised the silent bone flute, placed it to his lips, and began to play.

No sound came out, but a strange fluctuation permeated the air, as if invisible ripples were spreading outwards, heading straight for the ghost ship.

The tentacles suddenly stopped moving and hung in mid-air, as if bound by an invisible force.

The ghost ship shuddered slightly, and its previously frantic forward momentum suddenly slowed down.

The captain stared wide-eyed at what he saw in disbelief:
"It...has stopped?"

The sailors looked up and stared at Jules in astonishment.

Some people rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were seeing things.

Jules, however, continued playing the bone flute with an air of composure, his fingertips moving lightly as if conducting an invisible orchestra.

The eerie fluctuations grew stronger, and the tentacles of the ghost ship began to slowly retract, wrapping around the hull. The ship also turned and obediently stopped beside the merchant ship, no longer approaching.

"It's done."

Jules put down the bone flute, his tone relaxed, as if he had only done a trivial thing.

The captain stood frozen in place, mouth slightly agape, and it took him a long time to recover, his voice trembling:
"Sir, how...how did you do that?!"

Having drifted at sea for decades, he had witnessed many strange and unusual things, and he even knew that many of the ghost stories in the world were actually true.

But the scene before my eyes was still too shocking.

Jules gave the captain a meaningful look and said:
"secret."

Seeing this, the captain stopped asking questions and instead asked:
"What should we do next?"

Jules glanced at the pirate ship that hadn't gone far on the other side, a dangerous smile playing on his lips:

"What else can we do? Of course, we'll beat those bastards up."

(End of this chapter)