'I'll go around and look.'
Since Happy was bored, once he observed the situation for a while, he went downstairs, to the bow of the ship
Xu Hong was at the deck. When he heard the sound of footsteps, he turned his head around and cast Happy a glance, but he did not say anything. He held a map in his hands and stared ahead with a few armed escorts.
Happy was not concerned.
Unless something special happened, NPCs would not acknowledge players.
Once Happy observed the situation at the first level, he turned around and went to the bilge, which was where the salt bags were contained. After all, the salt was the main protected items in his quest. Perhaps he could find some clues there.
But after wandering around the bilge, he found nothing.
When he understood that there was nothing to be found there, he returned to the second level.
The fleet continued to sail forward calmly, and nothing strange happened.
'What exactly am I supposed to do for this quest?'
Since Happy was on a ship, he had a limited space to move around. He frowned and thought about it while feeling quite bored. He suddenly regretted his decision to accept the quest a little.
'Could this be just a normal item protection quest? Am I just to kill pirates?'
If it was the latter, that the quest was simply a waste of his time.
Hence, Happy opened his Universe Bag and started sorting out the remaining spoils from his trip to the royal mausoleum.
Aside from equipment and masterpieces, his greatest reward was Nation Protecting Divine Sword and Golden Armor. Even though the former was only semi-completed and the latter was so heavily damaged that he could not equip it, there was a chance for Nation Protecting Divine Sword to enter the ranks of demon vessels as long as the time was right.
As for Golden Armor, once he reached Baokang and found a crystal mine, getting Stone with Water and Unakite would no longer be a dream. Once he repaired it, Golden Armor would be as good as new, and it would become incredibly domineering!
Happy looked forward to that day!
There were also a few other spoils. One of them was the miracle medicine for treating wounds, Small Reversion Pill, which the Murong Clan Lady had rewarded him, and the thousand-year red ginseng which he took in the royal mausoleum and which could stimulate the potential in a human body. Within a short period of time, it could increase a player's qi realm as well as 10% of their combat abilities.
Happy had also received a few martial art manuals.
The damage of Lancet Knife Throwing Technique could no longer catch up to Happy's level. The new throwing knife technique came at the right time, and its damage was pretty good as well. The effect of the knives splitting basically meant that he would deliver three times the damage. However, he would be using a lot more throwing knives in the process, because he had to throw three knives at once. He also had to aim even more accurately than before.
The other manual was for Shadow Sword Technique. However, this technique was something that Happy would never practice. He was prepared to give it to someone with the Black Demon Sword he had deliberately kept instead of selling to Beautiful Robes Faction.
The Three Lonely Wolves' strength was considered to be below average in Beautiful Robes Faction. Due to the lack of time, many people caught up and surpassed them. But Happy knew that the trio loved the game, so it would not be good if they got too far behind. Hence, Happy had been thinking about finding a special martial art technique for them.
Coincidentally, Shadow Sword Technique fit his requirements.
But right then, he was uncertain as to when he could hand the technique over.
Chapter 303 - Pirates Attack
Bang!
The twelve large cargo sh.i.p.s looked like a long and heavy dragon when they traveled together. Under the guidance of the strong wind, they rode through the waves and traveled along the large river. Their grand momentum gave others a different experience from wandering through the plains, but it was also quite enjoyable.
Happy sat cross-legged at the hall located on the second level of the cargo ship traveling right in front of the fleet. He sensed the clear and refreshing wind on his face while he used Constellation Breathing Technique so that his sight and hearing could be improved to the max. He quietly observed the situation around him on the river.
A few minutes ago, he had noticed that the frequency of the shouts from the armed escorts around him gradually increased because some small boats occasionally passed by them. Even though the boatmen on those small boats quickly moved their sh.i.p.s away with great fear on their faces, they still caused Happy to be on guard.
The boatmen on those small boats were strong young men or built middle-aged men. When he looked over, he could vaguely see faint cold light shining at the bottom of their sh.i.p.s.
Thud!
Another small ship knocked into the flank of the ship where Happy was. The action was sudden, and it seemed to be influenced by undercurrents.
'Is this really a normal item protection quest?'
Happy ignored the shouts from the armed escorts at the bow as well as the cries of surprise and begs for mercy from the boatmen in the small boat. He snorted, drew his Silver Wolf Emperor Breaker Sword, got up, and went to the side of the ship.
There, he saw a few armed escorts. They had their weapons drawn and pointed at the master of the small boat while they scolded him furiously.
"Get lost!"
"Are you asking for death?!"
The boatman had an expression of anguish while he continued to beg for mercy.
"Brother, I really didn't do it on purpose. Please forgive me, I have a wife, children, and my parents to feed…"
"What's going on?"
Happy could see everything from his position above, and he noticed when Xu Hong arrived and began to question the event in a loud voice with his eyebrows were drawn tightly together. "We are protecting a cargo, so no other sh.i.p.s are allowed to get close to ours, understand?!"
"Boss Xu, that boat seemed to have been pushed forward by an undercurrent," an armed escort by the side of the ship quickly explained, and the people beside him nodded in agreement.
Xu Hong said nothing for a moment when he heard that. After a while, he lowered his guard and waved his hand impatiently. "Then hurry up and make him leave!"
"Yes, Boss Xu!"
"Come, everyone, lend a hand and push the boat away."
A few armed escorts brought out tools and weapons in a flurry of motion to cut off the small boat that had been tangled up in the ropes of the cargo ship.
Xu Hong sighed and cursed his misfortune before he shook his head, prepared to leave.
At that moment, a change happened!
Bang!
Bang!
The water around the small boat suddenly imploded! As the continuous stream of sounds rose into the air, armed, half-n.a.k.e.d pirates suddenly broke through the surface of the water!
Thud, thud!
The pirates kicked at the air with their feet, and like huge birds, they landed on the deck and the sides of the ship with abnormal agility and ease. The armed escorts were unable to react in time, and they were cut down or kicked into the river.
"Enemy ambush!"
The cargo ship instantly burst into commotion. Twenty or so armed escorts quickly drew their weapons.
But the pirates were definitely not few in number. There was an endless stream of half-n.a.k.e.d men who appeared with water splashing everywhere in their wake when they landed on the deck. In a flash, nearly half of the armed escorts on the ship were dead.
"Haha!"
"Capture Xu Hong alive!" he shouted out loudly.
The pirates answered his call with a roar. They pressed toward Xu Hong and the rest, who defended the bow with unpleasant expressions.
"Water Rascal, it's you! You bastard!"
Xu Hong's expression was full of shock, and he cursed the pirate. "You sure have
guts! How dare you target the Murong Clan's salt ship?!"
The large man on the small boat was actually the leader of the pirates. When he heard those words, he shook his head and smiled.
"Boss Xu, what you're saying is incorrect. I, Water Rascal, am not afraid of anything. Who would I not dare to touch among all those who come here? Last time, I didn't bother to attack you because your goods weren't good enough for me, but now, hehe, even if the lady of your clan personally escorted the items, I, Water Rascal, would still come and go as I please!"
Right after he finished speaking, a clear voice came from above Water Rascal's head. "Really?"
Water Rascal's expression changed.
Dozens of pirates looked up to see a young man in blue robes with an eye-catching sword standing of the second level and staring down at them. He cold gaze was focused on Water Rascal.
"Do you think we need the Murong Clan Lady to personally attack a nobody like you?"
"Who are you?!"
When Water Rascal saw that there was only one person above him, he quickly calmed down. A few pirates quietly leapt to the second level and surrounded the man in blue robes.
Happy smiled coldly.
Clang!
A loud sword w.h.i.n.e rang high up in the air above the river.
Splash! Splash!
Four pirates fell down like four kites whose strings had snapped. Their blood spilled in the air, and they were flung out of the ship. Red pools of blood rose on the river.
The half-n.a.k.e.d water pirates might have good fighting abilities, but their defenses were simply bad. They could not withstand a single hit from Happy's Seven Stars Sword Styles, which was already near Grandmaster Realm.
Water Rascal's expression changed. He took a step backwards and shouted out, "Kill him!"
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Happy saw through Water Rascal's intentions with a single glance. He shouted loudly, and dozens of pirates who tried to get close to the second level rushed to the deck with waves of sword attacks, but all of them were torn to shreds. Their blood spilled on the deck as they screamed and fell.
"Make sure he stays!"
Happy didn't care for the normal pirates. His target was the leader—Water Rascal.
"Attack!"
As expected of an old timer who had run wild in the land, Water Rascal was incredibly cunning. He pretended to run, and once Happy rushed over, he turned around and produced a cold glare that appeared as quickly as lightning.
"What a cheap trick!"
Happy snorted, and golden light exploded from his body.
Clang!
A black needle instantly rolled on the deck.
"Block him!" he cried out loudly while rushing to the river himself.
"You're still thinking of running?"
At the same instant, Happy activated his Phantasm Body Movement Skill and caught up to Water Rascal. He formed his left hand into a claw, and with Dragon Capture, he seized Water Rascal's ankle.
Bang!
Water Rascal was like a dead fish. He screamed in pain as he was thrown back on the deck. Before he could get back to his feet, he heard endless clangs, and a few swords that shone with a chilling glare were placed against his throat. His face instantly turned pale, and he no longer dared to move.
Once the pirates saw that their boss had been caught, they instantly panicked and jumped into the water to flee.
"Damn it!"
When he saw that all his comrades had run away, Water Rascal fell into despair.
Upon seeing the Murong Clan man approach him, Water Rascal put on an anguished expression with the acting skills of an Oscar-winning actor.
"Brother… don't kill me, I was asked to do this by someone…"
"I know." Happy's expression did not change. When he reached Water Rascal, he looked down at him and said, "You've got two choices. Either tell me about the person who is commanding you, or die!"
Chapter 304 - Mastermind
In truth, when Water Rascal led his pirates to take action, Happy had received a few notifications for a chain quest. His first quest was to protect Xu Hong so that he was not injured. Once he defeated the group of pirates, he got his second quest—capture the pirate leader, Water Rascal. Then, he triggered his third quest, which was to figure out the mastermind!
"You've got two choices. Either tell me about the person who is commanding you, or die!"
Happy might not have run into similar quests before, but he had already acc.u.mulated enough experience. He instantly figured out the key to the situation, and he even manipulated Water Rascal's cowardly nature, which had showed at the very end.
Instead of wasting his breath for idle chit-chat, he used the most direct method to destroy the pirates' morale. When he spoke to Water Rascal, his voice was cold and emotionless, which immediately struck at the pirate leader's greatest weakness.
When Water Rascal looked at the blood dripping down Silver Wolf Emperor Breaker Sword, he shuddered and hastily confessed!
"It's the imperial court's navy, General Yang!"
"Huh?" Xu Hong shuddered, and his expression turned extremely sour. "You're lying!"
Naturally, Happy took note of Xu Hong and his group's reactions. His gaze turned cold, and the sword glare of his Silver Wolf Emperor Breaker Sword instantly brightened.
"Don't! It's true! I didn't lie. It's really the navy general of the imperial court. General Yang had someone come into contact with me, and I even have the token they gave me…"
Water Rascal was terrified, so he swiftly brought out a black iron plate with trembling hands. He also told everything he knew in one go because he was afraid that the sword would reach for his neck.
A cold breeze blew over from the river. The people on the deck were so taken aback by Water Rascal's words that they could not say anything for a long period of time.
He was telling the truth, after all.
Ever since the Murong Clan ventured into the salt business, General Yang had sent people multiple times to secretly come into contact with their fleet to show his willingness to escort them. However, the Murong Clan had always refused his offer by stating that they had enough power to protect themselves.
Those who conducted businesses through regular means had to pay him protection money. Those who did not soon found bandits at their doorstep and ended up losing money and their lives!
General Yang had bandits or pirates take care of those who did not pay him money. Once they began to pay him every month, they were given an amulet from the navy that would allow them to move around in the area.
The Murong Clan did not know all that transpired behind the scenes, so once they began to trade, they offended General Yang!
However, the fact that the Murong Clan's strength was matchless in all of Gusu City and they had countless elites in their family made General Yang incredibly wary of them, so he did not dare to attack them carelessly.
Besides, the Murong Clan did indeed have the power to protect themselves and venture out!
Over the years, the business of the Murong Clan had become more successful. They would even sometimes take the initiative to protect other sh.i.p.s, which made General Yang and the pirates along Changjiang very displeased.
Recently, however, they had heard that the leader of the Murong Clan had brought a large group of elites away from Gusu City to Beijing. Not only did he take a part of the elites who protected the salt sh.i.p.s, but only a woman was left as the leader of the clan for the time being.
When General Yang learned of all that, the idea to attack the Murong Clan instantly bloomed in his mind, and he made preparations to have the most cunning pirate in Changjiang—Water Rascal—to rob them.
"Everything I said is the truth! It's real! I'm not lying to you!" Water Rascal knelt on the deck and swore as he pointed at heaven.
Happy frowned and looked at Xu Hong. "Officer Xu, what do you think?"
Xu Hong's face was red with rage. It looked as if there wa
s a thundercloud hanging over his head when he sighed.
"I have wandered the rivers for years, and I have heard quite a number of merchants mention General Yang's deeds. But since nothing had ever happened to us, we didn't pay too much attention to it. I didn't expect that he would actually ignore the Murong Clan's prestige and attack our fleet! I must tell the clan leader about this."
"But we can't just believe in a pirate's words!" Happy cast a glance at Water Rascal.
Xu Hong nodded quietly as well. He felt regretful.
"That's right. The imperial court and the wanderers will definitely not believe in a pirate. Even if we tell the clan leader, we might still not be able to take down a high-ranking official in the imperial court. Besides…"
When he said that, he stopped. Happy looked at the indignant look on Xu Hong's face, and he understood what he was trying to say.
Even though the Murong Clan had great strength, they were only an aristocratic family that did not have any position in court. Since they were the descendants of the former dynasty, their status and position in the country was incredibly s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e. If they went up against a high-ranking official in the imperial court recklessly, it would be the same as them bringing trouble to themselves.
At that moment, the system sent Happy a notification.
"Ding! Use Water Rascal as a hostage and draw General Yang out! Gather evidence that General Yang is working together with the pirates!"
Right when the system finished telling Happy about the quest, Water Rascal raised his head tentatively. "Mister Hero, I've told you everything I know. Could you release me now?"
"Release you?" Happy smiled. "If I release you, how am I supposed to know whether what you told me is true or false?"
When Xu Hong heard this, his expression instantly filled with surprise.
"Officer Happy, are you saying…"
"The pirates who fled just now should have already spread word of what happened. General Yang definitely knows that Water Rascal is in our hands." While he spoke, Happy grabbed the black plate in Water Rascal's hands and smiled coldly. "Say, do you think General Yang will still be able to sit by the docks and act like a fisherman waiting for the fish to come bite his bait?"
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