Before the Smuggler's Guild could react, Su Lun had already sent Jik off on a merchant ship bound for the Kingdom of Ruying.
As for his disciple, Su Lun felt he had done all he could—the rest of the journey was for Jik to walk on his own.
Leaving the docks, Su Lun changed his attire and blended back into the crowd.
He wasn’t overly concerned about retaliation from the Smuggler's Guild.
For one, he had been careful, and it was unlikely they even knew of his involvement.
Even if they did come looking, it wouldn’t be much of a problem.
He had already checked—the leader of this gang was only a fourth-tier.
In the underground city of Old Lunden, joining a gang was a matter of survival, and the harsh environment meant the three major gangs were filled with ruthless, capable individuals.
But in the surface world, most gangsters were lazy good-for-nothings, with few truly skilled among them—at least, that was the case in small cities like Blizzard City.
Even if he couldn’t win a fight, Su Lun was confident he could escape unscathed.
Having stayed indoors for days, Su Lun wasn’t in a hurry to return. Instead, he wandered the market to stock up on alchemical materials.
The magic cores from the Northern Wastes were high-quality and cheap, richer in elemental diversity than pure dark energy curse crystals, making them ideal for alchemy. He also needed to replenish some enchanted consumables.
Next, he visited the black market, browsing nautical shops for scattered sea charts and maps of the "Silent Forest."
Yes, the *black market*.
In this world, detailed sea charts and maps were considered military contraband. Cartography was a rare and prestigious profession, monopolized by the nobility. Printing unauthorized maps was a serious crime, punishable as espionage. As a result, most maps in circulation were hand-drawn versions by sailors and adventurers—prone to errors and inaccuracies, and exorbitantly priced.
But something was better than nothing. Su Lun, ever the pragmatist, figured it was wise to stock up on maps, given his tendency to need sudden escapes.
After a fruitful shopping trip, Su Lun had gathered plenty of useful materials.
News of the Ironforge Inn massacre—where twenty-odd men had died—had likely reached the higher-ups of the Smuggler's Guild. The streets were crawling with thugs searching for suspects.
Unfazed, Su Lun casually checked into another inn.
---
**The next morning.**
Su Lun arrived at Blizzard City’s docks early.
The "Sun Slave Trading Company" was scheduled to ship its latest batch of slaves to Ruying today.
Su Lun arrived a quarter-hour ahead, strolling the docks to confirm the Dalu tribespeople were aboard the slave ship.
Hidden among the crowd, Yota caught the scent of her kin.
The two boarded separately, pretending not to know each other.
Su Lun noticed one of the three stalkers from before had followed Yota to the docks.
But the man didn’t board.
Su Lun doubted they had given up.
If anything, this was a clever handoff tactic—blending into the crowd, making it impossible to pinpoint the real tracker.
Still, it deepened his curiosity: *Why were they tailing Yota?*
Before long, the fleet weighed anchor. Ten three-masted ships set sail, their canvas swelling against the horizon.
The Sun Trading Company, being a major enterprise, had its own armed escort and didn’t need hired adventurers. Su Lun and Yota blended into the merchant vessels trailing behind.
The voyage to Ruying was long, offering plenty of opportunities to act.
Su Lun’s original plan was to wait for a moonless, stormy night—when fog and darkness would provide cover—then strike from the sea, hijacking the slave ship.
With **[Stanitz’s Chessboard]** and **[Oz Iceman’s Shroud]**, he could move undetected. Even if the fourth-tier escort leader was aboard, he could neutralize the threat without raising alarms.
The ideal scenario? Seizing the slave ship unnoticed, slipping away before anyone realized.
The only wild card was Yota’s stalkers.
Their motives unclear, Su Lun grew warier.
His perception couldn’t cover the entire fleet. He had no way of knowing if an overpowered adversary lurked in the shadows, watching.
---
**Daytime sailing was smooth, the weather fair.**
Fortune seemed to favor their heist—as night fell, a thick fog rolled across the waters.
The air turned damp and chilly. Reading in his cabin, Su Lun immediately noticed the change.
Peering through the ventilation shaft, he saw tendrils of mist creeping over the waves.
The humidity suggested the fog would thicken.
*A good sign.*
The ship’s navigator must have noticed too. Soon, the first mate knocked on doors, warning adventurers: *"We’ve entered a fog bank. Stay sharp for pirates!"*
Fog at sea was routine. Sailors and adventurers alike took it in stride—some slept, others chatted idly.
Su Lun estimated the mist would peak around midnight—the perfect time to strike.
But before he could act, someone else moved first.
A sudden commotion erupted from the rear ships—gunfire, clashing steel.
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
The fleet burst into chaos.
*"Battle stations!"*
*"All hands, prepare for combat!"*
Deckhands scrambled, cannons were loaded. Flares streaked into the sky, illuminating the scene.
*"Damn it, it’s Hoji again! He’s raiding the slave ship!"*
*"Phew—thought it was pirates. Hoji’s no pirate. He only frees slaves, doesn’t touch honest merchants. No need to panic."*
*"But we signed a mutual defense pact. If he steals Sun Trading’s slaves, we’re liable for breach!"*
Su Lun mingled with the crowd on deck, listening.
The attacker was none other than **"Fist of Justice" Hoji**—a man infamous for liberating slaves.
Too many coincidences.
Pieces clicked in Su Lun’s mind.
*"Were Yota’s stalkers Hoji’s men?"*
The more he thought, the likelier it seemed.
Countless slave ships left Blizzard City daily. Why target *this* one?
The only difference was Yota—a high-ranking druid of the Dalu.
But *why?*
To curry favor with the Dalu? For some ulterior motive?
Su Lun recalled recent intel: Hoji was a rising star in the "slave liberation movement," beloved by non-humans, leading a growing faction.
*"Interesting..."*
If Hoji’s motives were pure, Su Lun might have respected him.
But now? The man reeked of manipulation.
The stalkers were *professionals*—trained spies, not grassroots activists. Hoji wasn’t some lone hero. Behind him stood a powerful backer—likely a top noble house or even the Ruying royal family.
Their goal? The vast Northern Wastes and its native tribes.
Before Su Lun could ponder further, the battle escalated.
---
Su Lun’s vision surpassed the others’. Through the mist, he spotted the ship flying the "Norson Trading" flag—men fighting on deck.
They were seizing control.
Resistance was futile.
Because on that deck stood a hulking figure in silver lion armor—**Hoji Soriano**, the fifth-tier bounty hunter who had slain pirates with bounties exceeding a hundred million!
With him present, the merchants’ guards and adventurers stood no chance.
Hoji leaped onto the deck, his voice thunderous:
*"I am Hoji Soriano! We are here to liberate slaves, not harm the innocent! But hinder us, and you die as slavers’ dogs!"*
The declaration cowed the fleet.
Gunfire from supporting ships sputtered out.
Hoji’s reputation preceded him. Slave traders despised him, but ordinary merchants held no grudge. He kept his word—only slaves were freed. Risking lives for slavers’ profits? Foolish.
---
A fifth-tier combatant appearing out of nowhere made Su Lun frown.
But he felt no threat.
Hoji wasn’t after *him*.
In fact, their goals aligned—freeing the slaves.
With a fifth-tier handling the heavy lifting, Su Lun’s job just got easier.
He saw no reason to intervene.
From the deck, he watched the spectacle unfold, amused.
Meanwhile, Yota’s voice came through the communicator:
*"Mr. Su Lun, I’m going to check on my people!"*
Su Lun considered.
If Hoji wanted goodwill, he wouldn’t harm the Dalu.
Yota would be safe.
*"Go. But stay alert—that man might be behind your stalkers."*
*"Understood!"*
With that, a figure dove into the sea.
---
The skirmish ended swiftly. Hoji’s men overwhelmed the opposition.
Soon, slaves streamed from three holds.
Then, through the mist, silhouettes of approaching ships emerged—Hoji’s reinforcements.
Su Lun thought this was a tidy conclusion.
The slaves were freed, saving him the trouble.
But then—unexpectedly—disaster struck.
A cacophony of *caws* pierced the air.
Dark shapes flitted overhead.
*"Crows?"*
Su Lun looked up, his expression darkening.
In Old Lunden, he had killed a crow-user himself. He knew these omens of misfortune well.
Crows couldn’t fly long distances over sea.
Their presence meant only one thing—someone aboard had brought them.
And the growing flutter of wings signaled an *army* of birds.
A bad feeling settled in Su Lun’s gut.
Then, a dozen red-eyed crows alighted on the masts of his ship.
*Red-eyed crows.*
Su Lun’s mind flashed to a man he’d seen three days ago in the pirate tavern—**"Crow Father" Gwenbu Mari!**
*"Oh no—"*
Before he could react, the crows’ eyes gleamed crimson. They dive-bombed the deck, attacking indiscriminately.
The adventurers fired back, guns blazing.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
A few crows fell, bursting into bloody mist.
No one paid it much mind.
*"Ugh! Damn crows, even at sea!"*
*"Hah! Nice shot—got two with one bullet!"*
They didn’t see what Su Lun did—the mist wasn’t just blood.
It was a **curse**.
*"So it’s *that* technique..."*
Su Lun’s eyes narrowed. He recognized it instantly—**[Plague Crow’s Bloodrot Curse]**.
Last time, he hadn’t understood the mechanics. Now, his enhanced perception revealed everything: the exploding crows released soul particles, fine as dust, saturating the air in seconds.
The blood was a **curse vector**—a parasitic medium.
*"This fleet is in deep trouble..."*
Acting fast, Su Lun disguised himself, donning a plague doctor’s mask.
Others weren’t so quick. Those who inhaled the mist began clawing at their throats, as if choking.
Then—horror.
Fingers dug into mouths, pulling out *live crows*.
More and more people succumbed, vomiting birds onto the deck. Within moments, the ship swarmed with flapping black shapes.
Su Lun’s expression turned grave.
This curse was *far* stronger than the one he’d faced before.
*"A fourth-tier caster’s curse… no joke."*
*"The hell is this?!"*
*"It’s a curse! Don’t touch the crows!"*
*"A parasitic curse—not instantly lethal, but it’ll drain us dry!"*
*"Damn it, basic antidotes don’t work! Anyone got a high-grade curse potion?!"*
*"Pirates! Must be that new crew—the ‘Crows’!"*
Panic spread. No one knew what was happening.
The decks and cabins echoed with screams.
---
Su Lun was baffled.
Why would Hoji’s raid trigger this?
Was Hoji working for the **Northern Pirate King**?
But no—Hoji himself looked just as alarmed, staring at the approaching ships in the mist.
Su Lun followed his gaze.
Emerging from the fog were massive vessels, their sails emblazoned with a **spiked-club-and-skull** flag.
The Northern Pirate King’s fleet.
And leading them?
**Gwenbu Mari—the Crow Father.**
Su Lun connected the dots instantly: *Hoji had been set up.*
The Northern Pirate King had let Hoji build his reputation, then sprung the trap at sea.
Hoji’s growing influence among the northern tribes was a direct threat to the Pirate King’s dominance.
Of course they’d eliminate him.
Glancing at Yota, Su Lun saw the curse didn’t affect her. She was already dispelling the blood-mist from the slave ship with druidic magic.
For now, Su Lun stayed put, observing.
---
Soon, the lookout’s cry confirmed the worst:
*"Pirates! It’s the Northern Fleet!"*
The fleet erupted into chaos.
*"Turn back! Full retreat!"*
*"Signal the others—form a defensive line! Ready the cannons!"*
But merchant ships, burdened with cargo, were slow. Pirate ships, built for speed, closed in fast.
Fighting was their only hope.
Surrender meant death—or worse, for the women.
Cannons roared. The sea trembled.
---
Hoji knew the pirates were here for *him*.
If he stayed, the freed slaves would be caught in the crossfire—undoing all his work.
Without hesitation, he abandoned the slave ship, leaping onto a commandeered merchant vessel.
Seeing this, Su Lun made his move.
He dove into the sea.