Chapter 1 Suren Returns to Blizzard City

Suren returned to Blizzard City again.

This time, he didn't bring the airship too close, scuttling it a few kilometers from the coast. Then, using the Spider Spear, he walked on the water and quietly slipped into the city, finding a hotel to stay in.

For the next few days, his life was very regular.

He rested in the hotel during the day, tinkering with puppets and machines. In the evenings, he would frequent various taverns to gather information.

Suren's purpose in returning was to find a way to access the "Void Armor," not just to join any pirate crew. He needed to find an affiliated pirate crew closely related to the King of the North Sea.

Now that Oleg had crowned himself king and the Great Pirate Era had begun, the North Sea Fleet was indeed recruiting. However, after inquiring for several days, the only one in Blizzard City was Kris "Whale Hunter," the leader of the Third Division of the Seventh Fleet. Unfortunately, he only recruited Vikings, trolls, and other northern races, and wasn't very welcoming to humans.

Just as Suren was racking his brains to find another way to sneak in, he heard another explosive piece of news.

Rafael the Grand Duke's secret sea prison had been raided!

Previously, near the Berman Islands, Rafael the Grand Duke had annihilated the King of the North Sea's Ninth Fleet. But the fleet commander, "Gluttonous Admiral" Ikhshiel Peon, and several key members hadn't died; they had been captured alive, presumably to be sent for trial and execution.

However, for some reason, this news was leaked.

Then, the King of the North Sea sent people to attack the escorting sea vessel, rescuing the prisoners along the way. They also released a bunch of accompanying hardened criminals.

Suren wasn't interested in the news of those great pirates escaping.

Prison breaks and jailbreaks were commonplace for pirates.

But he was more interested in another piece of news: that the pirates who raided the prison and were rescued might arrive at Blizzard City for supplies in the next day or two.

Suren thought this was a good opportunity.

...

That day, at the Walrus Tavern.

The Sailor's Tavern had been trashed by Qian Tiao and his crew, so this was now the most bustling tavern in Blizzard City, and a favorite hangout spot for various great pirates.

As the sun set, Suren, dressed in inconspicuous pirate garb, went out to the tavern as usual.

From this time until midnight, the tavern would slowly become lively.

Entering the tavern, there weren't too many patrons yet. Three or five bald strongmen were throwing darts, several bearded men were playing pirate cards, and scantily clad girls were dancing around a pole on the stage...

Suren skillfully went to the bar, sat on a triangular high stool made of jujube wood, and snapped his fingers at the bartender, "A glass of silver rum."

Having come every day for the past few days, the bartender recognized him and greeted him with a smile, "Hey, Johnny, haven't found a suitable crew to join yet?"

As he spoke, he took out a stemmed glass, opened the cork of the oak barrel, and poured a full glass of wheat-colored rum.

Twelve-year-old silver rum was recognized as having the best taste, and its price on the liquor market was even higher than some gold rums. Pirates were the best drinkers, and what they plundered was always consumed themselves, rarely sold. So this stuff wasn't necessarily available in large taverns in Luying's major territories, but there was plenty in pirate taverns.

Suren flipped a coin, took the glass, and sipped. He seemed to savor the mellow aroma of the alcohol dancing in his mouth, exhaled a breath, and then said, "Oh, Mark, old friend, you know I'm not just looking for any crew. I'm a pretty good gunslinger, looking for a pirate crew that can really make big money."

He was now called "Johnny," a somewhat famous gunslinger from a small city in Anlogos County in southern Luying.

This was the persona he had been building for himself these past few days.

At least when people came to inquire, they could get some clues from the mouths of various drunkards, instead of him appearing out of nowhere.

Moreover, the identity information was all fabricated, pieced together from many fragments of memory to create a person whose "experience could withstand scrutiny."

Hearing this, the bartender replied with a smile, "Hey, I have some news here that you'll definitely be interested in."

Suren guessed what he wanted to say, but still pretended to be curious, "Oh?"

The bartender said with a slightly smug expression, "You know, Captains under Lord Oleg might be in Blizzard City tonight. I think there's nothing more suitable for you than those big shots' fleets."

Upon hearing this, Suren feigned surprise, "Oh, that's great!"

In fact, he had already heard this news from the information merchant yesterday, but it was only a "possibility."

This bartender, however, confirmed the news and even confirmed that the time was tonight.

It wasn't surprising that these taverns were backed by major pirate groups, so they knew some confidential information.

As he spoke, Suren, knowing the rules, threw out a few more silver coins as a tip for the news, "Can you tell me more details? I'm very interested in this news."

The bartender happily pocketed the money and said, "I'm not too clear about the specifics. But didn't the Ninth Fleet have an accident? Lord Peon will most likely rebuild the fleet, so, Johnny, you must seize the opportunity..."

"I see..."

Suren listened, took a few swigs of wine, and chatted with the bartender.

...

As night deepened, the tavern became more and more crowded.

Suren drank several glasses of wine at the bar, listening to the information the pirates were talking about.

"Hey, have you heard? There's been a big commotion in the Silent Forest!"

"What happened?"

"I don't know what's going on with the demihumans, but a mysterious expert suddenly appeared. Several large slave hunting groups have all been defeated, suffering heavy losses. It's also rumored that the mysterious expert wants to ban the slave trade in the Silent Forest. Whoever goes will be killed. Now the depths of the Silent Forest have become a forbidden zone..."

"What's so big about that? Didn't that come out before?"

"There's more to this! Those slave merchants suffered heavy losses this time, so naturally they won't allow anyone to cut off their business. They hired 'Thief Emperor' Carlo Merdis to deal with it. However, news just came today that the team that went to cause trouble was almost completely wiped out by the demihumans. 'Thief Emperor' Carlo was also seriously injured, and his life or death is unknown..."

"Heavens, Carlo is one of the 'Ten Legendary Bounty Hunters,' who once killed a seventh-order expert. His strength is ridiculously high. He was actually seriously injured? What's the background of that mysterious person in the Silent Forest?"

"I don't know. He seems to be wearing a golden-patterned cloak. News has it that he's from some 'Mirror Organization'..."

"..."

Suren wasn't surprised at all when he heard this news. He expressionlessly took a sip of wine.

Now that Blizzard City had been occupied by pirates, although the slave trade had stagnated, the pirates had also taken notice of this business, and the number of slave hunting groups going to the Silent Forest hadn't decreased.

But with Mr. Jing around, those "Top Ten Bounty Hunters" would naturally be beaten up if they went.

After this, things would probably quiet down a lot.

After listening for a while, besides some lewd jokes, Suren heard another piece of information he was interested in.

"Have you heard about the bizarre disappearance of the 'Iron Crocodile Crew' a few days ago? Today, a crew that docked brought news that someone saw the 'Thousand Blade Rakshasa' pirate crew heading towards Pirate City..."

"Are the Dawn Crew people still alive? How is that possible! What about the 'Iron Crocodile Crew,' the 'Flamingo Crew,' and the 'Iron Hammer Crew'?"

"If the Dawn Crew is still alive, then that means 'One-Eyed' Sork and his crew must have been killed."

"This news is too outrageous, isn't it? Sork and his crew were also veteran pirate crews. How could they all be killed without even a message being sent out? I'd rather believe it was the Deep Sea Kraken that did it!"

"Yeah. Not a single survivor. It's too damn weird. Saying that the Dawn Crew did it is too much of a compliment to them. It was probably a shipwreck, or a Deep Sea Kraken..."

"Tch, the newcomers who have been appearing at sea recently are getting crazier and more wicked. It's not necessarily certain. Have you heard? Lord Oleg's Fourth Fleet has a new mechanic who just showed his face and was promoted to squad leader. I heard that during this prison break, that guy directly swallowed a Luying warship..."

"..."

At the next table, several pirates were getting more and more excited as they talked.

Suren listened intently, having mingled in pirate taverns these past few days and learned about the deeds of many "new pirates."

"Thousand Blade Rakshasa" was naturally Qian Tiao. The guy who played with crows was the former boss of the Crow Gang, "Crow Godfather" Gwenbu Marley. The one who awakened the gravity talent was most likely the boss of the Cross Society, "Arbiter" Chuck.

Now hearing about a mechanic, he naturally thought of the former boss of the "Steam Party," "Butcher" Banner. There were no technological talents among the pirates; not everyone was qualified to play with machines. So, there was a high probability that the newcomer was Banner.

"Banner, huh..."

Suren was slightly distracted, thinking of something.

He had learned a lot of information from Shabina, so he naturally knew that the guy wasn't as simple as he looked.

...

As the drinks went on, it was midnight, and the tavern street suddenly became lively.

Hearing the noise outside, Suren immediately knew that the King of the North Sea's fleet commanders had arrived in Blizzard City.

Now that there weren't many places to stay in the city, those guys came to the tavern street en masse.

The patrons were all watching those imposing great pirates arrive, talking about these legendary figures in the pirate circle.

"The opportunity has come..."

Suren wasn't in a hurry to join the excitement, sitting in the tavern. He didn't need to deliberately inquire; now that these real people had arrived, the information merchants would have a lot of information tomorrow morning.

He sat at the bar, glancing at the people passing by.

The King of the North Sea's Fourth Fleet that had come this time was the fleet that had raided Old Lingdun before.

So Suren recognized many of them.

Fleet Commander "Frost Troll" Gaal Popov, Deputy Fleet Commander "Sunfire Lieutenant General" Gradys Olmedo, First Squad Captain "Flower Knife" Krolyn, Third Squad Captain "Human Demon" Marbrit, Fifth-Order professional "Shadow Demon" Tim Ashley...

All were big names with red notices on the bounty list.

These guys were deliberately exuding their aura as they passed through the tavern district, probably to show off their strength.

How terrifying was the pressure of a group of strong people?

Gathered together, it swept through the entire street like a torrent, attracting the attention of everyone.

"They're strong indeed."

Suren restrained his aura, afraid of being recognized.

Taking this opportunity, he also carefully remembered the soul fire characteristics of each person.

The pirates under the King of the North Sea were the ceiling of the pirate world. These guys were the elite among pirates, and their combat power was not comparable to that of the previous "Iron Crocodile Crew."

Just those fifth-order squad leaders could pose a fatal threat to Suren.

However, there were many people in the Walrus Tavern, and those pirate troops didn't come inside, but went elsewhere.

But at the end of the team, more than a dozen people walked in.

They wore checkered suits, vests, woolen coats, and leather gloves, clearly in the style of Old Lingdun.

...

"Look, that's the very famous newcomer recently, the newly promoted Nineteenth Squad Captain!"

"It really is!"

"..."

As soon as this group of people in black walked in, someone recognized their identities.

Leading the way was a gloomy middle-aged man smoking a cigar, with a mechanical arm and a fierce aura between his brows.

Seeing the leader, Suren muttered to himself, "It really is Banner."

As a former gangster boss, his aura was naturally not low.

Suren's gaze fell on Banner's mechanical arm, taking another look.

This mechanical arm was much more sophisticated than the one he had seen before.

Moreover, he saw many exclusive parts of the Mafa mechanical armor on those components. [MF911 Magic-Energy Mechanical Arm Boiler], [TU-0 High-Frequency Vibration Instrument], [Dragon Scale S-Explosion-Proof Baffle], [T-shaped Alloy Power Shaft]...

The parts seemed to be directly removed from the mechanical armor, and they were very complete. Not only were there "Colonel-level" armor parts, but even "Major General-level" high-tech components.

"Banner's mechanical body has probably increased in combat power a lot compared to before. Not to mention the fourth-order, if the ability doesn't restrain him, I'm afraid even the fifth-order can't do anything to him..."

Suren had a deep research on Mafa's mechanical armors, so he naturally saw the technological content of Banner's mechanical arm at a glance.

Moreover, this was just one exposed mechanical arm.

He knew that this guy wasn't just a half-modified mechanical warrior... but a fully modified one!

Those mechanical parts made Suren a little envious.

Now, the throne of the King of the North Sea was still conferred by the emperor of the Mafa Empire, and the relationship between the two forces was very ambiguous. It was said that Mafa also provided technical and equipment support.

He didn't know if the source of these mechanical parts was plundered by the King of the North Sea in the past, or if they were sponsored by the Mafa Empire.

"But then again, if it's the latter, wouldn't it be possible to get some Mafa mechanical armors through the King of the North Sea's channel?"

Thinking of this, Suren's thoughts became active.

Among his current mechanical puppet legions, the only one that could really be displayed was a [Colonel-level Ship-Slaying Type 9 Mechanical Armor], and there was still a long way to go to crack the technology.

If there was really a channel to get more armor parts, the formation time of his mechanical legion would be greatly shortened.

Thinking of this, he found himself more reasons to join the North Sea Fleet.

Moreover, Suren was more concerned about something else.

He focused his attention on the people accompanying Banner.

...

"Where did Banner get this neuro-mechanical technology from?"

Suren narrowed his eyes slightly and quickly sensed that there were several souls among those people behind him that were a little special.

When she was in Old Lingdun, Shabina had been disguised in the Steam Party. Therefore, she was the only one who knew that Banner was a fully modified mechanical man.

Because Shabina was not absolutely loyal to the Umbrella Organization, this news had never been reported, and there was a tacit understanding between the two sides for their own needs.

But the question remained.

Who modified Banner's mechanical body?

"Neuro-mechanics" was a top-secret research project of Rafael the Grand Duke, and even in the laboratory in Old Lingdun, only a few high-level people mastered the complete technology.

And Shabina was certain that Banner's modification opportunity definitely did not come from the laboratory.

So... this became a mystery.

Before, the pirates raided Black Reef, and the tower-rushing operation was very hasty. After Suren came out, he felt that there was no chance to investigate, so he didn't think about it anymore.

Now that he saw Banner coming out, a certain thought in his heart was stirring.

"Neuro-mechanical technology, if I can really find clues from him, it will be much easier than finding the channel to Rafael the Grand Duke..."

Suren looked at Banner, with a thoughtful light flashing in his eyes.

...

Banner and his group entered the tavern.

The bartender also cleared out a booth for them.

All eyes were on this group of people, so Suren's observation was naturally not noticed.

The former "Steam Party" established itself as one of the three major gangs in the outer city with mechanical modification. Banner's mechanical knowledge was good, but even so, it was highly unlikely that he would master the top-secret "Neuro-mechanical Technology."

Therefore, there must be a "technician" behind him.

Before, there were too many places to hide in the outer city of Old Lingdun, and Shabina couldn't find any clues.

But now that he came to the sea and floated around, if it was really that important a person, they would probably be carried around with him.

Suren's gaze quickly locked onto an unremarkable middle-aged man with a mustache.

Although most of the people behind Banner had modified mechanical limbs, that person's soul fire was particularly erratic, and it was very different from other professionals.

"Bionic skin?"

Suren found the mustache very unfamiliar.

He thought of a possibility, that was a Super Mechanical Warrior!

Banner couldn't possibly bring some useless weaklings with him, and with this thought, the existence of the middle-aged man with the mustache seemed very special.

...

"He's really a mechanic."

"Tch, what kind of ability is mechanics? He's just relying on equipment. He can become a squad leader of the North Sea Fleet with that level? Give me the equipment, and I can do it too."

"That's right. Without equipment, a mechanical warrior is trash. The newcomers now are really crazy. With that look, they really think they're that powerful."

"..."

As Banner and his group entered the tavern, other patrons began to whisper.

In Luying, mechanical technology was backward, and professionals who played with machines were generally inferior.

Even in the pirate circle, mechanical warriors were at the bottom of the contempt chain.

Traditional professionals looked down on those mechanical modification warriors whose combat power relied entirely on external objects. And usually, those mechanical warriors' combat power was indeed much weaker than those of the same rank.

Clumsy, slow to react, limited upper limit... This was the public's view of machinery in Luying.

Only the high-level people in Luying knew about "Super Mechanical Warriors." Now, the concept of neuro-mechanics was still a completely unfamiliar field for most people.

In the eyes of most pirates, as long as the machinery was advanced enough, even giving it to a pig would achieve the same effect.

Therefore, there was no shortage of people despising Banner and his group as they entered.

Suren shook his head slightly, hearing those sour words, and muttered in a voice that only he could hear, "This guy is known as 'Butcher'. His temper is not that good..."

He knew that someone was going to be unlucky.

In Old Lingdun, the name "Butcher" was not just shouted randomly.

Sure enough.

Just after Suren's murmur, the people at the next table who were still whispering suddenly stopped.

The heads of two people crashed onto the table.

Looking closely, a bloody hole appeared on the top of their heads.

Suren naturally glimpsed it. At that moment, the nails nailed into the wood of the table suddenly flew out and pierced from the jaws of the two men to their heads.

"[A-043-Metal Devourer], his professional advancement has also gained the ability to control metal elements, tsk tsk..."

Suren expressionlessly drank his wine, not surprised at all.

He knew everything about Banner's information.

According to Shabina, this guy's job sequence was very special. Even with a completely mechanically modified body, he retained his talent ability.

Even without relying on machinery, this guy's combat power was very strong.

The King of the North Sea was the ceiling in the pirate circle. Who couldn't be killed?

It was expected that these people would be killed by Banner's violent temper.