Pirate Kingship

Since the beginning of this century, after decades of colonial development, the Adventurers, Naturalists, and Cartographers who set sail together had endured tremendous hardships and even sacrificed their lives to roughly grasp information about the Bantaan Archipelago. They produced a rough nautical chart. The archipelago consists of several thousand islands, roughly distributed in an east-west direction. The eastern side is the area currently occupied by colonies of various countries from the Old Continent and is also the final stop of the Erkadna Triangular Circulation's First Circulation Zone. On the largest island to the west are two Native Empires, Aztec and Taya, which, though heavily damaged, still stubbornly resist with the support of Extraordinary Power. The central area is dotted with numerous small tribes and city-states.

The richness of the Bantaan Archipelago had long been known throughout the Old Continent. Located in the tropics, most islands are lush with vegetation and bountiful in resources. The output of various crops and medicines from the surface alone far exceeds what the Old Continent can offer. Not to mention the gold and silver mines and the special Spices produced here, which make those impoverished Colonizers from the Old Continent flock here despite the high cost.

However, this overseas archipelago promises not only milk and honey but also blood and death. Here, there isn't strong enforcement of the Silver Law. The violent Source Tide has spawned countless Transcendent demon monsters, Evil Spirits, and Bizarre entities... Coupled with the Blood Sacrifices prevalent among the native tribes and their belief in All Things Have Spirit, many islands are extremely dangerous, even becoming strictly off-limits to outsiders. Many human colonies interlock unevenly with these forbidden areas. It is not unprecedented for a frontier town to completely vanish overnight.

Earl Catherine and Governor Byron's new territory, the Tayman Archipelago, is located at the intersection of the east and west. To the west are the fragmented native lands, and to the east lies the troublesome neighbor, the Kingdom of Castile. Of course, compared to the full scope of the maritime Overlord's colonies, this is just a very small private autonomous settlement. If not for the valuable Spices it can produce, official maps might not even mark Tayman Brak Island, which is only 24 square kilometers in size.

RUSTLE, RUSTLE, RUSTLE...

Although the Bantaan Archipelago also has wet and dry seasons, it is located in a tropical marine climate, perennially hot and rainy. Even during the dry season of winter, the rain is only slightly less. When it rains, you can't do anything.

As the sky grew darker, in the tavern at the center of town—one that was indispensable—a group of patrons enjoyed aromatic beer, assorted fruits, cheese, and freshly roasted beef with a crisp char. It was evident that the residents' consumption level here was not low. Of course, the main event would not be complete without the fiery beauty of the Dancing Girl!

On the simple stage in the middle of the tavern, a fair-skinned, blonde girl from Castilia twirled her waist to the beat of a long drum, performing a lively, exotic dance filled with the Banta'an ambiance. She even imitated the local native attire: red parrot feathers in her hair, a colorful regional woven fabric around her waist, and accessories made of animal teeth on her wrists and ankles. The girl's entire being exuded an exotic charm and wild beauty that captured all attention. Paired with her glowing, fair skin, every gesture and smile seemed to beckon and bewitch.

CLAP! CLAP!

As the girl spun and lightly clapped her hands, the already scant fabric on her body began to fall away with her grand dance moves. Gradually revealing her slender, supple waist and long legs, she continuously challenged the fragile nerves of the men in the tavern. Most of the patrons were locals who had rooted themselves on the island for many years, and they seemed to handle the girl's performance somewhat better. Some younger men even appeared wary of something, deliberately averting their gaze from her enchanting steps. However, among them were six outsiders, clearly not from the vicinity, who could not help but stare wide-eyed, as though they wished they could absorb the beautiful girl with their very gaze. Their eyes grew increasingly hazy as they muttered to themselves:

"Beautiful, she is simply too beautiful! Who would have thought such a beauty could exist in this remote place? We must thank the afternoon sea breeze for bringing us here. No, this is the will of the creator!"

"Perhaps only in the grand theaters of The Holy Silver Empire's Peridot could one find a Dancer to match her. I have decided: I must marry her, and in the future, she will dance only for me."

"No, I should be the one to marry her..."

The distances between the islands of the Bantaan Archipelago vary, but travel between them is not inherently as perilous as on the high seas routes. Inter-island travel and goods transportation are considerably easier, achievable by schooner, small fishing boat, or even rowboat. This group of outsiders was a band of rovers who traveled between various islands, transporting goods, delivering letters, occasionally engaging in petty theft, and dabbling in the Intelligence business—they were "merchant adventurers." Even though these men were worldly and possessed admirable adventuring experience, they were hopelessly enraptured by the young girl's dancing.

What was even more captivating was that she continued to dance her way down from the stage, twisting and turning right beside them. As the drumbeat quickened, pearly beads of sweat rolled from the girl's pristine belly, down her rounded thighs, and onto the floor. A fragrant aroma spread throughout the already fervent tavern.

GULP.

One of the young men could resist no longer; he stood up excitedly and began moving his body with the girl's dance. The rest soon succumbed, leaving their drinks to join the girl in her dance, their faces glowing with intoxicated bliss. Even the sole First Rank Transcendent in their group was no exception. Yet, they failed to notice that the drumming had ceased and the other local patrons in the tavern had silently risen, watching them with cold eyes—no mockery, no pity, just an indifferent numbness that seemed all too familiar.

The Dancing Girl gave a proud smile and, with light footsteps, exited the tavern, entering the church—or rather, the lowest-ranked chapel—built directly opposite. The six outsiders lined up neatly behind her, following her in lockstep. It was as though... they were marionettes.

Clearly, the girl was no ordinary person; she was a Second Order Professional Rank "Dancer" from the Hall Sequence. When the practitioner was female, she was typically called a "Dancing Girl." At the Second Order, her core ability was "Rhythm Dance," which could easily stir people's hearts. Those who enjoyed watching dances knew that even ordinary performances by beauties had a certain magical effect. They could trigger a debuff in gentlemen that accelerated the passage of time, causing them to forget meals and sleep, neglect their work, and grow increasingly gaunt as they watched. The "Dancer" was even more formidable. Through "Rhythm Dance," she could convey the emotions of various dance forms, manipulate the audience's minds, and bestow blessings, debilitations, or control, among other diverse effects. Her direct combat capability was negligible, but she could exploit openings when least expected, making her attacks incredibly difficult to guard against.

The dance the girl performed was the "Sacrificial Dance" of the native Banta'an people. As the name suggests, its purpose was to make offerings to the gods! Expressed through another form of "Bodily Rhythm," it could readily manipulate "living sacrifices," leading them to leap into the very mouths of the "gods" themselves. This spared them from crying and screaming, from profaning the divine.

BOOM!

The great doors closed once again. From the outside, the chapel still appeared to be a temple of the creator, and its residents devout believers. But with the opening of a secret passage behind the Silver Cross, a different world lay within. In a windowless secret chamber, a crowd of over a hundred had already gathered. It seemed all residents of this small colonial outpost were present. Many did not even conceal their Spiritual Radiance. In the Spirit Vision of a Transcendent, among this group of just over a hundred, more than a dozen had undergone Spirit Awakening. Including the Dancing Girl, there were a total of three Second Order Professional Rank individuals. This force was far more powerful than many notorious pirate ships in the Old Continent.

The reason was not difficult to guess: despite its size, this small colony was a major producer of high-quality Spices. Prolonged exposure to these Spices during regular work alone significantly increased their chances of awakening, far more than their counterparts on the Old Continent. Consequently, the proportion of Transcendents on the island was naturally much higher than elsewhere.

As the "Dancing Girl" led a group of newcomers into the secret chamber, the crowd parted automatically. An old man in black Priestly Robes, holding a Holy Emblem, projected a kind and benevolent impression as he instructed the girl, "Charlotte, begin the sacrifice."

"Understood," the girl named Charlotte responded crisply. She led the six individuals to a native stone altar in the middle of the secret chamber, an altar that seemed to possess some history. On it rested a spotless, flawless... Crystal Skull! It was a perfect replica of a human skull, yet its hollow eye sockets flickered with a sinister red glow. A single glance into them, and visions would swarm before one's eyes.

THUD!

The girl led the way, kneeling before the altar, and the six others quickly followed suit, kneeling beside her in a row. Six sturdy men holding logging axes strode forward. Upon a gesture from the old Priest, they suddenly chopped off the heads of the six outsiders. They then picked up the heads, cracked open the skulls, and poured the steaming blood and brain matter onto the Crystal Skull. The crimson light in the Crystal Skull's sockets burst forth, coalescing into a "corn insignia," a symbol of abundance in the Bantaan Archipelago. A nearly imperceptible wave of light erupted from it, instantly spreading across the entire island.

Watching as the townspeople dragged away the six corpses, the old Priest's gaze flickered slightly. He repeated the words he had uttered countless times: "Whether it represents the forbidden knowledge of 'Beastliness' or the Ladder of Glory of 'Divinity,' all transcendent ability requires a price. If we are not the ones paying, then someone else must. But this is not our true intention, merely part of the cost. The creator will forgive our transgressions and bear our sins."

At the same time, he silently thought:

Yes, He will definitely forgive us. Otherwise, when I was building this church, I would not have accidentally unearthed this wondrous Crystal Skull, which seems to belong to the Taya Empire. It is not a Cursed Object, but a great Holy Relic bestowed upon us by the creator!

「At that moment」

The Crystal Skull on the Holy Altar, having fed its fill, began to recite a poem titled "On Man":

"Placed on this isthmus of a middle state,

A being darkly wise and rudely great:

With too much knowledge for the Sceptic side,

With too much weakness for the Stoic's pride,

He hangs between; in doubt to act, or rest;

In doubt to deem himself a God, or Beast;

In doubt his Mind or Body to prefer;

Created half to rise, and half to fall;

Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all;

The glory, jest, and riddle of the world!"

With the Crystal Skull leading, everyone else joined in the chant. The firelight flickered, their long shadows writhing and clawing behind them, appearing as Sages one moment and Demon Monsters the next. Meanwhile, the tall, Spice-producing trees on the island began to exude red oil from their bark, like seeping blood. The branches rustled, as if to say, "Abundance, abundance..."