Chapter 276: Chapter 244: Secret News: Whale Oil Power Revolution!
"Could it be that the legitimate rule of the Aztec Empire is not the Royal Court, which hates us to the bone, but... you, who took the ’Golden Code’?!"
"Please save me, save us!"
Schneider, as if waking from a dream, clutched Byron’s boots, knocking his head against them in worship as if he couldn’t feel any pain.
His two brothers promptly followed suit.
However, these men, originally undercover agents planted in the Kingdom of Castilia by Blue Hair, clearly had different faiths. One kissed the tip of his boot, while another simply adopted the prostration used in the Native Empire’s worship of the ’Father of Healing’. The three chose the highest rituals from three religions, displaying a flexible devotion. Moreover, they were even less principled than the Barbary Pirates, switching allegiances without any psychological burden.
"As long as you save us, we wouldn’t even mind being slaves; we’ll do whatever you ask of us."
Alfred, known as ’Blood-Red Whiskey’, who always acted as the company’s black gloves and was infamous for his low moral standards, suddenly felt an intense sense of crisis.
They’re stealing my business! You bastards, I’m the Captain’s right-hand man!
Byron paid no attention to the minor motives of his crew and nodded with satisfaction at the three defectors.
"Good. Since you’ve abandoned darkness for light, you are all one of us now."
What he saw was not merely these three men, but many more ’living dead’ on the Banta’an Archipelago. Even after a long time had passed, there must still be several thousand survivors from the looters of the Imperial City. But what they took from the Imperial City wasn’t Gold; it was their ’ransom money’!
Only those who had gone through such excruciating torture as living death could appreciate the value of a normal life. If Byron were to appear before them, offering to remove their curses as a condition for them to join him at sea, probably not a single one would refuse. Even like these three, they would be willing to sell everything to the Devil!
Most importantly, the Colonizers who dared to trek all the way to the Royal Capital of the Native Empire for a zero-cost acquisition were undoubtedly elite forces from major powers. Thousands of desperadoes cornered into a tight spot were clearly a formidable force not to be underestimated. Some small countries’ garrisons in their colonies might not even match this scale.
Few among them had managed to obtain a treasure map to come to Silvergold Island, seeking to lift the curse of the living dead with an Azkek’s Cursed Coin. Outside of Silvergold Island, many more ’living dead’ were struggling in agony, waiting for Lord Byron to lead them out of misery.
Byron activated his Spirit Vision and saw the curse’s dark grey aura entwined around the three men. It was incessantly bubbling forth, GLOOMP GLOOMP, coalescing into the hate-filled heads of shamanistic priests.
He simply extended a fingertip, casually manipulating a bit of the Authority of the Golden Law, and gently pressed it onto them. The faces of the shaman heads showed signs of submission, and the curse’s aura instantly retracted back into their bodies, gathering at the position of their hearts into a ghostly grey skull Gold Coin mark.
"I’m restored! HAHAHA, my senses have truly come back!"
"Me too! I can smell fragrance again!"
"Thank you, Mr. ’Mad Hunt,’ thank you, thank you!"
The three men cried tears of joy. The first thing they did was to lie on the ground, eagerly licking up the seawater. Having eaten nothing but ’sand’ for months, they were starved and dying of thirst; even the taste of seawater seemed blissfully nostalgic.
Although the curse was only temporarily suppressed, they probably wouldn’t escape Byron’s palm for the rest of their lives. But a bad life was better than a good death; they didn’t want to live through the grey, impotent days of the past for even one more day.
Of course, that was because they didn’t know that Byron was the one who had cursed them.
If they had known...
Well, it wouldn’t have made much difference.
The ’switch’ for great harmony in their lives was held firmly in someone else’s hand; they didn’t even have the opportunity to slack off at work. They had no choice but to be submissive and obedient.
After dealing with the superfluous personnel, Byron once again paced back to face ’Bald’ Halding. This pirate prince, who had been returned to his original form, was holding his head in his hands, looking utterly dejected. Normal baldness at least had a semblance of a hardworking leader, but on him, it was nothing but laughable. As his subordinates were killed, mystically processed, or forced to surrender one by one before him, he merely cowered in the corner, showing no inclination to stand up for them.
As his power vanished with his hairstyle, his overbearing arrogance dissipated too. He just wanted to avoid drawing any attention.
Observing Halding’s dramatic inward and outward transformation, which was nothing short of heaven-and-earth-shattering, Byron couldn’t help but feel contemplative:
Depend on mountains, and they will collapse. Depend on people, and they will flee. Ultimately, one must rely on oneself. This is true for Halding, and it is true for me. Noble houses boast great prestige, but those from humble origins must carve their own paths to power. When these two sides truly clash, few from the latter will flinch. Even with a ten-generation legacy, who can truly outlast another as the era relentlessly marches on? If one is inept, even if propped up, they will eventually fall again.
Byron referred to himself as the second generation in his speech. He naturally noticed Jacqueline’s intense gaze behind him and could roughly guess what she was thinking.
It would be great to have the support of the Iris clan, but he must enhance his strength step by step, at his own pace, and build his own foundation. Otherwise, what external forces could bestow, they could also reclaim at any moment. All achievements would eventually vanish without a trace like sandcastles on a beach. Therefore, his strategy was to ’show goodwill and cooperate within limits.’
Of course, even without Halding’s borrowed transcendent abilities, his brother was still his brother: a Fifth-Order Legendary Pirate King who led an expedition deep into the ’Serpent of the World · Celestial Current’! No one in their right mind would want to make a deadly enemy of such a formidable figure.
A prime hostage like ’Bald’ Halding should be well-fed and cared for, so his brother might send over some ’living expenses’ every now and then. This would assist his brother and, conveniently, assist me as well.
As for now, it was time to interrogate for key intelligence.
Byron leaned in front of the man, expressionless, and said, "Mr. Barbarossa Halding, we have a question for you. We were wondering if you would be so kind as to enlighten us?"
Halding slowly raised his head. He saw Fat Dragon on the ground again, SKRITCH! SKRITCH! grinding his axe, a pair of malicious eyes fixated on his remaining hair.
He shuddered immediately.
This, he realized, was the proper way to ’inquire about a matter’—with the interviewee as the fish on the chopping block.
Halding hurriedly adopted a subservient posture, nodding and bowing to Byron. "Of course, of course! Please, ask your questions, Mr. Mad Hunt."
Andrew at his side shook his head in some regret. The interrogation skills he had honed in life obviously had no place against such a spineless individual.
Because the matter was significant, Byron did not immediately ask. Instead, he read a small excerpt from the Sailing Logbook regarding the title effects of ’Blue Hair’ before warning Halding with a smile, "Do not attempt to lie or conceal key information. Since I can recognize your title’s effects, judging the truth of your words is naturally a simple matter for me. I truly cannot guarantee that if you lie, something unpleasant won’t happen—such as losing every last strand of hair from head to toe. If you cooperate, I might even provide you with a bottle of ’Instant Hair Growth Agent.’"
Then he gestured for Violet to come forward.
"Miss, you may ask."
Violet immediately stepped forward, dropping her Artisan disguise—one imbued with a scholarly air—and reverting to her true appearance as the Bayfolk Princess and Pirate Warlord of Iron Anchor Bay.
Seeing Violet reveal her identity, Jacqueline’s eyes shone even brighter. She had long known that Mad Hunt had deep ties to Iron Anchor Bay, but the true depth of their relationship still caught her off guard. The chances of a successful rebellion immediately jumped by a good ten percentage points. She resolved to write a letter persuading her mother to stake their entire fortune—to go all in. If they won, their family could ascend to the ranks of the Great Nobles, perhaps even transnational ones, overnight.
Meanwhile, Halding didn’t resort to any tricks and honestly recounted the conversation between the two Pirate Kings from that year:
"I was the only one present at that conversation. His Excellency Jack Harold, the ’Whale Hunter,’ didn’t say where he was going, nor did he strike any deal with my brother. He only provided us with an incomplete Nautical Chart and an unconfirmed piece of news. He said there was an inexhaustible whaling ground there. He urged us to set sail quickly to see for ourselves, and to lead the various forces of the Banta’an Archipelago further into the Celestial Current."
Byron and Violet exchanged a look.
"Whaling?" Byron asked. "What’s so special about that, to warrant a secret meeting between two Pirate Kings?"
Hearing this, Halding immediately shook his head. "No, no, no. Although His Excellency, the ’Whale Hunter’ Harold, left in a hurry and didn’t explain much to us, he did add that the whales there were not ordinary. They were Meis Leviathan giant whales that had escaped from the Ekdna Triangle. They are among the largest whales in the world. The Whale Oil within them carries high concentrations of Source Material. It can serve as the highest quality fuel, a pure energy source for driving spells and rituals, powering various forbidden knowledge applications, or propelling heavy machinery. For all human civilization, this could very well be a treasure more valuable than Spices. It’s a treasure capable of sparking a Whale Oil power revolution!"