Chapter 1 The Crisis

At this moment, Little Fogg had already reined his horse back to the harbor, berating the guards in a stern voice:

"You blind fools with eyes in the back of your heads! You can't even handle this scum. Erect crosses in the harbor square and nail the corpses of these damned fellows to them, so they know the consequences of causing trouble in the sacred and free port of Tortuga! Their corpses will rot in the sun, their souls will whisper in agony in the square, and before the clock strikes midnight tonight, I want to see the rest of the criminals nailed to the crosses as well! Go now!"

After speaking, Little Fogg didn't linger. He spurred his giant demonic horse, Momoer, and slowly headed back towards the still-smoldering castle. Watching his departing figure, the chaotic harbor guards, the majestic castle and black smoke in the background, a feeling Fang Senyan couldn't quite describe welled up in his heart.

Just then, he suddenly heard a low, hoarse voice say, "All show and no substance." Hearing this, a meaningful smile appeared on Fang Senyan's lips. He couldn't help but turn his head, but the crowd was too chaotic, and he couldn't find the speaker. However, he could clearly see that many pirates had a strange and greedy glint in their eyes.

…………….

"Little Fogg's behavior is quite foolish."

Thirty minutes later, on the bow of the Bells and Wine Glasses, Armand stood with his hands clasped behind his back, speaking softly. Beside him stood a man wearing a brown top hat, none other than the navigator, Sharle. At this moment, Sharle appeared very humble before Armand, his respect akin to a servant's, even bending his back when stepping back.

"This place has enjoyed peace for far too long. I wonder how many eyes are fixed on today's riot. If the Fogg family had silently arrested and executed all the criminals, then perhaps everyone would still feel that the Fogg family's control over Tortuga had not waned… but now, heh heh…."

Armand's eyes flickered as he reached out and caressed the smooth hilt of the sword at his waist, muttering:

"However, it would have been even worse if Little Fogg hadn't shown his face. Those foolish guards are fine for minor disturbances, but once something major happens, they're like headless chickens running around aimlessly. If Little Fogg hadn't ridden that demonic horse Momoer out to kill and establish his authority, I'm afraid even the ordinary pirates would have been tempted."

Sharle raised his head slightly and looked at the port of Tortuga under the sunlight. Greed also flickered in his eyes, along with a hint of ambition. Tortuga was located on the golden route of the Caribbean Sea, and the wealth accumulated from seventy years of peace could probably buy half of England. But now, as the sun set in the west, Armand's shadow covered his body from above. Sharle frowned slightly, lowered his eyes, and said calmly:

"Perhaps Little Fogg is doing a terrible job at his official duties, but we also saw earlier… the power of that gun, that sword, and that horse! As long as these three things, known as the Holy Artifacts, are still around, no one will dare to ignore the former glory of the Fogg family!"

A mocking smile appeared on Armand's cold face:

"If the entire Fogg family is only supported by those three things that already belong to the dead, then its end is not far off. Neither Old Jack, the master of the Black Pearl, nor Blackbeard, the master of the Queen Anne's Revenge, will take the three Holy Artifacts seriously."

"It is said that Old Jack has become a Guardian of the Code, and he is also the chief of the American Headhunter tribe. Blackbeard has been proficient in Voodoo black magic for ten years, and now he is said to be looking for the secret to completely transforming the Queen Anne's Revenge into a killing machine! If it weren't for Davy Jones, the captain of the Flying Dutchman, maintaining a neutral and ambiguous attitude, Tortuga would have been swept clean long ago!"

Sharle paused slightly. He suddenly felt that Armand was saying too much today, and the information he was revealing was the kind of secret that could only be exchanged for blood, heads, and gold pounds. Armand took a deep breath and continued solemnly:

"The wind in the Caribbean Sea already carries the sound of blood and screams. I feel that there will probably be a major change in the next few days. I usually don't care about your and Scarface Henry's affairs, but at this time, everyone on the Bells and Wine Glasses must unite and seize this opportunity where the risks are high but the benefits are even greater!"

Under Armand's hawkish gaze, Sharle naturally dared not have any other thoughts besides nodding, but what he was really thinking in his heart was hard to guess.

……………

Under the strict orders of the contemporary Lord Fogg, all the guards in Tortuga went into a frenzy, turning the peaceful port into a smoky, chaotic mess. Fang Senyan was now a crew member of the Bells and Wine Glasses, so he could naturally watch from the sidelines. He only felt that although the guards here were quite strong, their quality was worse than urban management officers. During the search, they were extremely rude, shouting loudly and extorting bribes, and finally randomly arrested a few vagrants who seemed unable to even walk to hand in. Seeing this kind of behavior, it was no wonder that those wolf-like pirates would have ulterior motives. For them, only knives and strength could command their respect!

At this moment, a muffled explosion suddenly came from the street on the west side of the harbor. This sound might be quite unfamiliar to the pirates in the harbor, but Fang Senyan could tell that it was the sound of a grenade exploding. Without a doubt, the local guards' search had played a certain role, and they should have found the lair of those lurking contractors.

Fang Senyan was standing on the hillside in the distance at this time, so he could clearly see that two houses in the harbor, which were already old and dilapidated, shook twice unwillingly and collapsed, stirring up dust in the sky. Five or six figures fled in different directions, but the guards surrounding them numbered less than three, and were obviously at a loss. The reinforcements rushing from afar were still hundreds of meters away.

So naturally, a chase scene began to unfold. The pirates in the harbor had no intention of being good citizens and helping out. Instead, they laughed loudly on the sidelines, and there were people whistling and cheering everywhere. Seeing this scene, Fang Senyan's heart stirred slightly, and he immediately aimed in the right direction and rushed over. Before long, a contractor, panting for breath, and a Tortuga guard chasing closely behind, appeared ahead.

This contractor looked no different from an ordinary pirate, with dark skin and the appearance of a man between thirty and fifty years old. A black headscarf was wrapped messily around his head, and the cheap seashell necklace around his neck had been thrown to the back. He wore a close-fitting coarse linen shirt, and his pants were made of grayish-black linen, covered in dust. On his feet were long socks and tattered felt shoes. He was panting heavily, and every few steps he would look back in a panic, obviously very uneasy in his heart, with even a hint of fear in his eyes.

Without a doubt, maintaining a high speed while running uphill was very physically demanding. Therefore, the contractor's running speed began to slow down significantly, and the distance between him and the guards behind him was getting closer and closer. Fang Senyan used his Insight ability on the guard chasing after him, and obtained first-hand attribute information:

"Dice" Kurtis

Tortuga Port Rank II Guard

Height 5 feet 7 inches, Weight 73kg

Strength 7

Agility 8

Constitution 5

Perception 11

Charisma 7

Intelligence 3

Spirit 6

Basic Melee Lv1, Basic Stamina Lv1

Rank II Guard Special Passive Ability: Teamwork Lv1. For guards who are accustomed to group living, their strength will be greatly improved if friendly troops are nearby. Each additional friendly troop nearby increases all personal attributes by 10%, up to a maximum of 100%.

Rank II Guard Special Passive Ability: Tenacity Lv1. Adds an additional 200 points to maximum health.

While Fang Senyan was browsing the guard's attributes, the contractor had already plunged into the half-abandoned shantytown on the hillside -- the place where Fang Senyan had been when he first entered the world. Obviously, the contractor realized that he was about to be caught, so he wanted to use the complex terrain to shake off his opponent. Fang Senyan first turned his head to look at the port below. As he expected, the three guards reinforcing from behind were very relieved about the situation here -- probably because it was a 1v1 situation here -- so they all chased after the other contractors who were fleeing. Fang Senyan watched this series of events unfold, a profound smile appearing on the corner of his mouth, and then he slowly approached the shantytown, using the buildings for cover.

Perhaps because he had entered the complex terrain of the shantytown, "Dice" Kurtis began to feel a little uneasy, so he pulled out the sailor's knife from his waist and threw it when he got closer to the contractor. The result was a very accurate hit to the enemy's thigh. A scream rang out immediately, and the contractor rolled on the ground, still staggering and crawling forward, trying to escape.

But he soon felt something was wrong. He turned his head and saw that "Dice" Kurtis behind him was grinning and folding his arms across his chest, following step by step. The sailor's knife that had successfully hit him had also been picked up and hung back on his waist. His appearance was no different from a cat playing with a mouse.

The contractor gritted his teeth, a look of despair in his eyes. He pulled out a dagger from his waist and shouted loudly:

"Don't come any closer!"