Chapter 1 Unexpected Contact

"I didn't expect you to contact me first, Father."

After the communication array lit up, Yalburt emphasized the word "Father," his tone clearly lacking respect.

The Pirate King said calmly, "What's the matter that you're looking for me at this time?"

"Answer my questions seriously next. This is not the time to argue."

High Priest Gelo could sense the rejection and disrespect, but this was not the time to spend hours arguing with the other party about their relationship.

The situation was urgent, and since he had already made a decision, the old man was unwilling to waste words. He said in a deep voice, "After obtaining the fragment of the Source Water Soul, are you still near Joysea?"

If Aimon were here, he would surely have an epiphany.

Three months ago, the Twilight City Temple was attacked by pirates. At that time, High Priest Gelo was leading more than half of the temple's clergy to the suburbs to comfort the many farmers whose harvests had failed due to abnormal weather. The remaining temple guardians had almost no power to fight back and were robbed of a 'Source Water Soul fragment' stored in the temple's secret vault by the aggressive and well-prepared pirates.

Although the pirates had breached the temple due to the Lord of Judgment's punishment, they did not cause any casualties. However, the timing and preparation of the pirates' attack were too hasty. After receiving the report, the Central Sanctuary felt that there must be a hidden story behind it. If there were no insiders in the temple, it would be impossible for the pirates to do so smoothly and perfectly.

Aimon was dispatched by the Central Sanctuary to investigate the situation. He had indeed confirmed that there were insiders within the temple who were very familiar with the secret vault, but the matter was stuck here—there were seven people who knew about the temple's secret vault, and each of them had a deep background, making it extremely difficult to investigate.

Twilight City was, after all, the largest city in the Far East region of the Holy Fire Continent. It was an area directly under the jurisdiction of the Central Sanctuary, and the temple leader, High Priest Gelo, was known for his simple life and was loved by the people. Not to mention his authority over the area for more than fifty years, his strength as a peak Chosen One, second only to the blessed ones, allowed him to make independent decisions regarding all matters of the local temple. Although he was very amiable to Aimon and showed great remorse for this matter, he refused to budge, believing that all his priests were 'unbelievably loyal to the Lord.'

Unable to find a breakthrough, he could only bide his time. However, before Aimon could find the next clue to continue the investigation, he encountered the Lord of Judgment's divine descent, which temporarily interrupted the operation.

And now, Gelo's communication with Yalburt proved that the insider in the Twilight City Temple was none other than the leader of the entire temple, the old high priest who had served in Twilight City for more than fifty years!

Not to mention that Yalburt, one of the Seven Sea Kings, actually called him Father, which was beyond everyone's expectations! It should be known that Gelo's two sons had died one after another in previous years, and his grandchildren were now studying in the Central Sanctuary. No one knew that he had a third son, who was also a Pirate King.

But no matter how unbelievable it was, the fact was so.

At this time, Yalburt felt Gelo's solemn attitude, and immediately, he frowned slightly and became serious.

Although he was not very respectful to this 'Father' in his words, and his attitude was not good, Yalburt was very clear that his conflict with Gelo was only some boring issues in his youth. He and the other party were grasshoppers tied together by interests and blood.

So he said in a low voice, "Indeed. My ritual failed, and I am still on the edge of the Outer Joysea… What's wrong?"

"Leave now."

Gelo didn't waste words. He said solemnly, "The Lord of Judgment has truly descended. He has come here and showed miracles in the city—if you are in Joysea, you must have seen that scene."

"My Lord's divine punishment may not be able to enter the sea, but if my Lord knows of your existence and plan, then you will surely die without a burial place… Leave now! The sooner the better!"

Although the words were harsh, the concern was not false.

The stories in this world are nothing new.

Fifty-seven years ago, when Gelo, who was only an initiate-level priest, came to Twilight City with his teacher, the former maritime economic and trade center between the Holy Fire Continent and the New World had already become dilapidated due to the large number of pirates that had suddenly appeared due to the 'Rebel Incident' decades ago.

At that time, the entire Joysea, and even the offshore areas around Twilight City, were full of crazy pirates and bandits. Affected by them, even fishermen could not go far out to sea to fish, let alone merchant ships—the entire maritime trade of the Holy Fire Continent was completely interrupted and could not operate at all. Twilight City, which needed to import a large amount of food, fell into a perennial famine, and many residents fled, and the entire city was about to be completely abandoned.

Gelo's teacher was a truly good priest and a pragmatist—while rectifying the治安 (zhì ān – public order) of Twilight City, he personally led the way to develop the land outside the city and plant crops, gradually increasing the city's food self-sufficiency rate and stopping the phenomenon of population fleeing Twilight City.

But pirates, only pirates, could not be eradicated at all.

Gelo's teacher was unwilling to use purely violent methods to fight against the pirates—of course, he also had no way to deal with so many pirates at sea, and the covenants made it impossible for him as a priest to take the lead in attacking, unless the Lord of Judgment issued a divine decree.

Therefore, he planned to make a covenant with the pirates through peaceful means, so that at least they would not interfere with each other.

However, pirates do not talk about contracts or morality. Even if they make an agreement, they never abide by it. They superficially agree to Gelo's teacher's conditions, but they have repeatedly and brazenly broken the agreement, which is extremely troublesome.

Until Gelo's teacher passed away regretfully, the problem of pirates and bandits around Twilight City was not solved.

And Gelo, who took over his teacher's responsibilities, completely abandoned any illusions.

The only thing that can defeat pirates is pirates.

What is the point of reasoning with villains? The Lord of Judgment's holy words say: 'Repay happiness with happiness, and repay pain with pain'—since villains disturb the people, then use villains to eliminate villains!

As a priest, a Fire-born person restricted by covenants, Gelo had no way to personally go and exterminate the countless villains in the sea, but the covenants did not say that priests could not cultivate pirates themselves—therefore, using the resources of the temple, he secretly cultivated a group of fierce Sea-born teams, using violence to control violence, and eliminated most of the scattered bandits in the sea around Twilight City.

And Yalburt was then the descendant of Gelo and a Sea-born woman, that is, an illegitimate son—naturally, Yalburt was regarded as the core of Gelo's continued control of his pirate team, pouring a lot of resources into him, and continuing to fight with the many pirates in Joysea.

Unlike his teacher, Gelo had his own ambitions… He wanted to use his own strength to control the entire Joysea, and then open up a new trade route to the New World.

In this way, he would not only be able to leave his name in history, but also get rewards from the Central Sanctuary. In the future, he might even become a blessed one!

But how easy is it to be used as a chess piece and a combat tool by one's own father?

Like his father, Yalburt also had his own ambitions—so suddenly one day, Yalburt suddenly showed the strength of a Chosen One, completely controlled Gelo's pirate group, and then left Joysea and disappeared.

And when Yalburt returned again more than ten years later, he had already stood at the peak of the Chosen Ones, had a powerful magic ship, and fused with the 'Source Water Soul fragment', becoming the Sea King of Trouble Sea.

The Source Water Soul fragment—the magical object derived from the 'Source Water Soul', which is said to be the origin of the sea.

Its shape is like a transparent crystal sea urchin, with crystal clear cyan-blue water element light inside. If you swallow it, you can obtain incredibly powerful magical abilities.

However, in addition to the extremely unpalatable taste and flavor, taking the Source Water Soul fragment is also an extremely dangerous thing—it will completely transform a person's body and soul, and that feeling is like tearing the body and soul into pieces inch by inch, and then soaking them in salt water, and finally sewing them into a new shape inch by inch.

If you cannot survive this painful process, the taker's body and soul will completely collapse and become nourishment for that Source Water Soul.

Therefore, any pirate who has taken the Source Water Soul fragment is a true powerhouse in terms of willpower.

After returning, Yalburt, who contacted his father again, reached an agreement—Gelo would help Yalburt collect the Source Water Soul fragments as much as possible, as well as various resources he needed, and Yalburt would also ensure the stability of Twilight City and provide Gelo with some overseas exotic objects he needed.

The relationship between this father and son is not good. In essence, the two sides use each other.

But after all, blood is thicker than water. Gelo has not abused Yalburt, and has also provided Yalburt with the resources to grow, but he has not given his care and love, so the relationship between the two sides is relatively subtle. Compared with all the coastal cities in the Far East, Twilight City is indeed the most peaceful place, and Yalburt also listened to Gelo's opinion and did not kill anyone when attacking the temple.

And recently, in the mysterious plan about all the Seven Sea Kings, Gelo, as Yalburt's father, naturally fully supported him, providing almost all the convenience in the temple.

So Yalburt did not think that Gelo would deceive him in this regard.

Outer Joysea, three thousand meters underwater.

In the dark and lightless deep sea, a giant ship glowing with a ghostly blue magical light is moving silently underwater, like a ghostly light in the abyss.

In the captain's control room in the center of the *Deep Diver*, Yalburt held the communication array. The tall pirate was sitting on his whale skin-covered captain's seat. His face was majestic, like a stone sculpture, and his red beard, almost the same style as his father's, was tied into rough braids.

Listening to Gelo's warning, the Pirate King was silent and fell into deep thought.

"The Lord of Judgment, who hasn't even descended, let alone given a divine decree or a response to prayer, in three hundred years, has actually descended…"

Although he had guessed it, he couldn't help but mutter to himself: "Damn it, why didn't he descend at any other time, but at this time!"

That being said, Yalburt is actually a little grateful now—after all, he didn't stupidly rely on the *Deep Diver's* diving ability to run to investigate the situation, but coerced another group of pirates to find out the situation.

Otherwise, if he were discovered by the Lord of Judgment, his fate would probably be to be turned into ashes by lightning.

"Yalburt, the ritual you are going to perform may have been destroyed by the Lord of Judgment who descended that day—is it possible that the Lord descended for that matter?"

At this time, Gelo's worried voice sounded from the communication array: "If the Lord had not descended, I would naturally support you—after all, if it succeeds, the order of this world may change greatly, and even for the residents of Twilight City, I would support you, not to mention that you are my child."

"But, the Lord has already descended, Yalburt, my child, you may not obey the gods or respect the covenants of the gods, but you should revere the power of the gods… Even if you succeed, you will just become 'another god', and besides, you have not succeeded."

Speaking of this, the old high priest sighed, and he said with worry: "Withdraw now, leave quickly, and you may be able to save your life."

"You old fool, how is it possible to withdraw now?!"

Hearing these words, Yalburt couldn't help but look ferocious, but soon, he suppressed the anger in his heart and just gritted his teeth and said: "I betrayed the oath, fled the continent, and struggled at sea for so many years… The plan has reached this point, and it is absolutely impossible for me to withdraw—whether it is the Source Water Soul fragment in my body, or the ritual itself, it can only go forward, not backward!"

"What's more."

Saying this, Yalburt's tone became peaceful, even with a hint of fanaticism: "You have never seen the truly vast world—Father, I do not respect you, but the fact is that you have wasted your whole life in this small place of Twilight City, repeating boring times day after day."

"But I was fortunate enough to see the scenery that transcends this world in the sea, the scenery of 'other worlds'! That is the splendor beyond this world, the magnificence that this small world cannot understand at all…"

At this time, the Pirate King's expression even showed a trace of true reverence. He seemed to recall the scenery he had seen at that time, saw the power and future displayed by those strange people, and then made a firm decision.

"Lord of Fire, Lord of Wind, Lord of Judgment? The Lords are indeed gods, and they have established the order of this world. I respect them, and not just for their power."

"But in the final analysis, they are just 'native gods' of our small world! Outside of this world, there are countless powerful beings that far surpass them!"

Yalburt asserted: "If our plan can succeed, whether it is the Lord of Fire, the Lord of Wind, or the Lord of Judgment, none of them will be worth worrying about—the power we obtain will far surpass them!"

"In the name of 'Pioneer', this world is just our stepping stone to the distant end, the first step beyond the horizon!"

At the other end of the communication array, Gelo was silent.

He is indeed old and cannot understand what his child is pursuing… He is indeed not a 100% law-abiding priest, but which priest in the Far East who has had contact with pirates will not be stained with a bit of gray area? His actions do not conform to the code, but they can bring true peace to the people.

But even so, he could not understand what Yalburt's fanaticism was at this time, and what the Seven Sea Kings' real plan was… His child wants to become a 'god', which is indeed blasphemy, but who can stop him?

After all, since that 'rebellion' a hundred years ago, the Holy See's belief in the Lords has long been not as solid as it used to be…

"In short, leave quickly."

He could only repeat helpless words like this. Gelo could only now admonish: "Leave Joysea as soon as possible, whether you continue your plan or listen to me and no longer get involved, leave as soon as possible…"

"Child?"

"Yalburt?!"

On the other side of the communication array, in the *Deep Diver*.

The communication array base was placed on the table.

And Yalburt, who was originally holding it, had already appeared on the deck of the *Deep Diver*.

"What's going on?"

The red-haired and red-bearded Pirate King was asking his crew at this time. His face was displeased: "Didn't I say, don't disturb me when I'm talking to someone?"

"Captain, something's wrong!"

However, what responded to him was the sailor's fearful response and a hand pointing to the depths of the dark sea: "Sea beasts! A lot of deep-sea beasts are coming towards us!"

"We're surrounded!"

"What?"

Immediately, Yalburt's expression froze—deep-sea beasts? What a joke, even 魔化 (mó huà - demonized) sea beasts wouldn't be idle enough to linger at this depth of three thousand meters, and there are so many of them? They would actually make his battle-hardened crew so afraid?

But soon, the great pirate saw it.

Under the ghostly blue light of the *Deep Diver*, in the deep ocean, there were thick tentacles with suckers, looming on the edge of the invisible darkness and the visible light.

And all around, dozens of distinct and diverse whale songs came at the same time, causing the deck to vibrate slightly.

In the depths of the dark abyss, dozens or hundreds of bright and cold eyes were staring at this place from afar, staring at the *Deep Diver*.

"This?!"

For a time, Yalburt's expression changed drastically when he noticed those gazes and was extremely familiar with those tentacles and whale songs—there was no doubt that those tentacles were the tentacles of the extremely dangerous sea monster, the 'Sea King Squid'! And those whale songs were the voices of the sea overlord, the 'Sea Demon Whale'!

But, aren't these two mortal enemies? Why are they appearing at the same time, and in such large numbers?!

"Are you Yalburt?"

Just as the man was in shock, Yalburt heard a voice with heavy echoes.

Then, before he could turn his head to look in the direction of the voice, Yalburt heard the next sentence.

"I am very interested in what you just said about the 'Pioneer'."