Chapter 48 The Pirate Captain Only Wants to Retire <TOC> Chapter 50 The Seventh Fleet
Translator: SumTLMan
The night raid proceeded smoothly.
The pirates were entirely unaware of Zhou Yi’s forces infiltrating from the seabed. Once the battle-hardened Warrior Crab set foot on the ship, the enemy immediately surrendered without resistance, raising their hands and kneeling in submission.
The pirate captain, Yuan Tong, had hair streaked with white, a thick beard, and darkened teeth, with a face weathered by age. He was a genuine middle-aged man. He wore a wide-brimmed hat with two metal clasps attached to his belt.
Zhou Yi later discovered that these clasps were one of Yuan Tong’s minor inventions. He required each crew member to wear one, so that during turbulent seas or external impacts, they could secure themselves to the ship’s ropes. Even if they fell overboard or were blown off, they had a chance of survival.
Yuan Tong wore a black leather strap slanted over his head, covering his left eye. Only his right eye remained functional.
Through the [Bird’s-Eye View] of Red Falcon, Zhou Yi read Yuan Tong’s thoughts in real time.
“Now, I ask, you answer.”
Yuan Tong nodded.
Following Zhou Yi’s signal, the Warrior Crabs escorted the other pirates to the stern for unified management. Only Zhou Yi and Yuan Tong remained on the bow deck.
Zhou Yi placed his hand on the ship’s railing, gazing at the mist-shrouded vastness of the Dead Sea.
“So, tell me how you got into this line of work.”
Yuan Tong began to talk.
Zhou Yi was a bit surprised. The pirate captain had once been a shipyard craftsman, with a background in technical work.
Zhou Yi asked: “Are there many cases like yours?”
“If you mean becoming the captain of a pirate crew, not many. Craftsmen are specialized in technical skills. But there are quite a few who end up as pirates, unable to leave the ship after serving as mechanics.”
Yuan Tong pondered for a moment: “Later, I discovered that shipyards have dealings with pirates due to business interests. These connections vary in depth depending on the shipyard.”
“Knight Orders usually have their own shipyards, but pirates need to buy ships from outside; otherwise, they can’t enter the Dead Sea. Once they have ships, becoming pirates makes it harder for the Knight Orders to hunt them down.”
“The pirate crews that make up plunder squads are important clients for the shipyards, but transactions go through intermediaries, very discreetly.”
He continued: “Each pirate has a territory. They usually operate in their designated area for income. Most pirates, if paid a bribe, will allow ships to pass, commonly called a ‘sea toll.’”
“But when not paid, they intercept smaller merchant ships, deciding whether to seize goods or the entire ship. Operating an enhanced vessel on the Dead Sea is costly, requiring a balanced income.”
“Captured ships are often sold to certain shipyards, which modify and resell them…”
Zhou Yi interrupted him: “Does the territory division among pirates come from the demands of the Dead Sea Knight Order?”
“Not just them, but larger pirate crews all have backgrounds.”
As Yuan Tong spoke, his beard quivered: “Some pirates belong to particular cities, while others are backed by trade groups… There’s a lot of variation among pirates.”
“Our small crew, for instance, collects sea tolls and provides ocean-going ships with nearby monster movements, marking whirlpools and light burst zones to help them avoid maritime disasters.”
“In the long term, if merchant ships decrease, pirate revenue also declines. That’s my take on it. The more merchant ships, even if we collect less, we can still survive.”
Zhou Yi studied this technically skilled pirate captain.
Before launching the raid, he had read the thoughts of the pirates, gaining some understanding of Yuan Tong’s crew’s non-lethal approach to plundering and their challenges with retirement. Although his subordinates had their misunderstandings and complaints about their leader, they were surprisingly loyal.
Now, it seemed Yuan Tong indeed had a deep understanding of seafaring plundering.
Zhou Yi asked: “What do other pirates do?”
“For crews our size, one to three ships, options are limited. Generally, they rob small merchant ships or intimidate medium-to-large transport ships in a rush, taking a bit of sea toll.”
“Some even go ashore near the Dead Sea to rob ordinary people.”
After a brief pause, Yuan Tong said: “But other pirates are different. Near our area, there’s a crew that specializes in abducting women and children for human trafficking, their main source of income.”
“Two years ago, there was a crew that captured live humans for dark rituals, extracting hearts to sacrifice to the Heart Eater. This made their ships faster and stronger. They were wanted by all sides, but eventually, no one knew where they fled to.”
“I’ve also heard of pirates targeting ships from specific cities. Initially, I thought it was directed by hostile city factions. Later, I learned it was orchestrated by merchants to create panic and manipulate the market for profit…”
After listening intently, Zhou Yi tapped his fingers on the railing: “Tell me about this ship.”
Yuan Tong immediately responded: “This is a modified light-enhanced ship, capable of holding up to 11 people, storing 15 days’ worth of fresh water and 12 days of food, with limited cargo capacity. The nearby ship is practically identical.”
“They can reach a maximum speed of 18 kilometers per hour, consuming 1 energy pack every 12 hours, with no weaponry. They rely on speed for harassment and interception.”
Discussing the ship, he became more talkative: “These two ships originated from the High Ridge Shipyard in Little Smoke Ridge, processed with standard light-print techniques. Their hull coverings are in good condition. Despite running for 12 years, the ship’s structure is still excellent.”
“Just last year, I reinstalled the E-Class light prints ‘Propulsion’ and ‘Light Float’ on both ships. With proper maintenance, they’ll last another four years.”
Yuan Tong ran his hand along the railing, a nostalgic look in his eyes.
Zhou Yi maintained his expression but mused inwardly.
What exactly is a light print?
He seemed to have heard of it a few times before.
He thought: “Red Falcon, search for light print.”
Moments later.
A synthesized voice echoed in his mind: “Light print is an applied technology developed through the technique of ‘light printing.’ The fundamental principle is to replicate the light-absorbing organs of various Light Absorber species by creating structures that replicate the original form as closely as possible without surpassing it.”
“Light printing arranges Dead Light through specific ring arrays, using stable materials like metal, wood, stone, or ceramics as a framework, ultimately producing functional light prints.”
“Light prints are a manifestation of light printing techniques. Each type has distinct effects but requires Dead Light energy to function. Its universal power source is the energy pack.”
“This technology has applications across various fields, from enhancing bodies to vehicle operation, weapon production, and ordnance encapsulation, all relying on light print structures.”
Zhou Yi recalled the captured Dream-Entrapment Grenade: “Is ordnance encapsulated with light print structures?”
“Correct.”
Red Falcon explained: “In military applications, common weapons like swords, knight firearms, and more complex equipment on ships, war chariots, and city defenses employ intricate light print structures. Cannons, for instance, directly unleash Dead Light energy for attacks.”
“The primary advantage of light print weaponry is stability. Once installed, it functions effectively within its range.”
“On the other hand, due to the bioreplicative nature of light print structures, pushing past their inherent limits is highly challenging. Extending range or enhancing power demands extensive calculations, research, and rigorous testing, making breakthroughs in light print technology rare.”
Zhou Yi understood.
Light print technology was essentially “synthetic skills.”
This was the core wasteland technology mastered by the new humans, fundamentally a replication of abilities found in various Light Absorber species.
No wonder, Zhou Yi mused, he had seen new humans initially using flintlock guns with lead bullets, then progressing to glowing cold weapons like spears, followed by Copper Bull’s rocket launchers and bizarrely short-ranged warship cannons… It all gave an impression of distorted, twisted progress.
While the new humans inherited some remnants from the ancient humans, their technological path diverged entirely.
Zhou Yi grew curious: “What about gunpowder?”
Red Falcon answered: “Gunpowder is an inefficient and unstable energy source, relatively outdated. It barely surpasses ordinary cold weapons and has several limitations in use. Against Light Absorber species classed D or higher, gunpowder weapons can’t even break their defenses.”
“In terms of destructiveness, explosiveness, sustainability, stability, and versatility, light prints far surpass gunpowder.”
Understood.
However, Zhou Yi had another question: “If humans have mastered light printing, why are they still suppressed by Sky Walkers and Sea Domain Lords?”
The drone answered immediately: “Mechanical lifeforms lead in this field, with large Light Absorber factions like those led by the Heavenly Kingdom conducting extensive research and achieving numerous practical applications. Humans, having started late, progressed slowly, primarily focusing on material processing, low-class light prints, and downstream roles in the light print industry chain.”
Zhou Yi sighed.
These Light Absorber species indeed possessed inherent physical advantages.
And their technology had advanced further.
The new humans truly had it rough…
Chapter 48 The Pirate Captain Only Wants to Retire <TOC> Chapter 50 The Seventh Fleet