novelraw Chapter 75: The Blood Blade Pirates and the Blade Witch
Chapter 75: The Blood Blade Pirates and the Blade Witch
The sea breeze blew, carrying fallen petals and leaves into the distance.
"Pleasure doing business!"
Chen Qi and the Flower Witch high-fived, completing their first transaction on Flower Island.
The Flower Witch repeatedly emphasized her important mission and begged him not to reveal her whereabouts. If he could truly obtain the Dragon's Breath Grass, she assured him she'd find a way to locate him.
Before departing, the Flower Witch retrieved two vials of enhanced healing potion from her withered medicine pouch and handed them to Chen Qi:
"According to my information, this Dragon's Roost rift doesn't belong to the Blade aspect, but the Floral aspect. There might be special methods to clear it. This is all I have now - I hope it helps. Please be careful."
She shook her head ruefully. Her ship had been attacked when entering Beiguo's waters, causing her to lose all possessions. That's why she'd been reduced to eating grass earlier. Now, using funds from previous hunts to purchase ingredients, she'd barely managed to brew these two potions. But between travel expenses and material costs, she was penniless again.
Chen Qi accepted the potions.
[Enhanced Healing Potion:
Aspect: FloralDescription: A supernatural potion that comprehensively boosts stamina and strength for ten minutes while accelerating bodily recovery.]
Premium goods! Such potions were worth at least 30,000 Shell Coins each. And if personally crafted by the Flower Witch, their value would be even higher.
Chen Qi stored them away:
"Thanks. I'll do my best to get that Dragon's Breath Grass."
After sealing their deal, the Flower Witch bid farewell and disappeared into the woods.
Chen Qi clapped his hands and returned to Flower Island's village to gather more rift intelligence.
......
At the hunters' coastal settlement on Flower Island, Chen Qi arrived to find preparations underway. The Dragon's Roost rift remained continuously accessible but required nighttime entry. A specialized rift-clearing team called the Red Crystal Hunters had assembled here.
Scanning the area, Chen Qi spotted Pelu questioning people nearby, along with some well-dressed individuals who appeared to be village officials and wealthy merchants.
The crowd was substantial. Chen Qi blended into the traveling supernatural beings and joined their discussions about battle plans.
"Let's face it - driving out dragons from Dragon's Roost is impossible. Our mission should focus on herb collection. As a Floral aspect rift, its plants contain unimaginable supernatural properties."
"Don't be so sure! The Red Crystal Hunters' leader claims united effort can defeat the dragon. Besides, Dragon's Roost dragons aren't as formidable as our Witch Sea's sea dragons."
"Exactly! Look at our numbers!"
"Right! These villagers still look down on us despite our strength."
"Keep it down. Better not provoke the locals since we're outsiders."
From the chatter, Chen Qi discerned three factions present:
First, solo operators like himself.
Second, the organized Red Crystal Hunters - professional rift specialists called "hunters" who formed clearing teams called "hunter squads," a term also adopted by gaming guilds. The Red Crystal Hunters were officially registered, with all members being second-tier experts.
The third faction - and most dangerous in Chen Qi's estimation - were the villagers. Many stood gazing at the distant sea.
As the moon rose, a thunderous steam engine roar interrupted discussions. All eyes turned toward the horizon where a crimson flag fluttered - depicting a longsword plunged into a sea of corpses.
"The Blood Blade Pirates' standard!" Chen Qi gasped.
Some villagers smiled knowingly - they'd been awaiting the pirates' arrival. These coastal waters belonged to pirate jurisdiction. Without powerful protection, fertile Flower Island's thousand inhabitants couldn't maintain normal life. Where the navy abandoned, pirates governed.
Surprisingly, Flower Island fell under one of the Four Pirate Emperors - the Blood Blade Pirates!
Chen Qi drew his black blade as hunters readied weapons.
"That's a Blood Blade ship! No former navy personnel here, right? Or Blackfin Crew members?"
"Stand down! No unnecessary conflict with the Blood Blade Pirates!"
"Why would they come here?"
Nearby, Pelu recoiled in rare fright. As a notorious provocateur in coastal regions, she had reason for concern.
A massive red steamship anchored amid crashing waves, deploying a gangplank.
Fifty uniformed Blood Blade pirates disembarked in formation, chests bearing heavy firearms from Magic Bullet Company. Their red-and-white naval-style uniforms reflected the crew's origins - founded during naval civil wars by a former admiral, maintaining military discipline while ruling numerous offshore islands.
Were any rift participants Blood Blade members? Chen Qi felt unease.
Under collective scrutiny, two figures descended: a petite woman in red cloak and a towering young man wearing wolfskin coat adorned with a terrifying black wolf emblem - celebrities Chen Qi recognized from newspapers.
Fenrir the Direwolf and Little Red Riding Hood - infamous pirates currently making waves.
Little Red Riding Hood: slight-framed second-tier supernatural being, [Blood Soldier] class, 3 million Shell Coin bounty.
Fenrir the Direwolf: third-tier supernatural, Blood Blade executive, 13 million Shell Coin bounty.
"Little Red Riding Hood...of all people..." Chen Qi marveled privately. Both were Witch Sea legends and forum celebrities, especially Little Red Riding Hood.
Her appearance and Blood Blade affiliation confirmed it - he'd encountered an important future NPC here. In coming times, she'd earn another title: the Blade Witch. Unlike the gentle Flower Witch, the Blade Witch was notoriously temperamental - though currently, none knew her future identity.
Frankly, Chen Qi wished to avoid her. Countless players had joined the Blood Blade Pirates attracted by her beauty only to die by her blade.
The pirates' arrival caused palpable tension. Fifty-plus lives could be extinguished if hostilities erupted.
Chen Qi steadied himself. The Blood Blade Pirates prized honor - especially these two, who valued reputation more than the navy and wouldn't attack without cause.
Little Red Riding Hood scanned the assembly - Red Crystal leader, village chief, Chen Qi, reporter Pelu. The chief silently signaled toward the provocative journalist.
Suddenly, a crimson crystalline spear materialized in Little Red's hand - a [Blood Soldier] skill called Blood Manipulation Art. She leveled it at Pelu:
"Reporter, we won't harm you out of respect for The Press. But we expect no newspaper coverage of our movements tomorrow."
"Y-yes ma'am," Pelu surrendered meekly, raising her hands. The Blood Blades loathed the current navy, and Pelu's recent naval associations made her vulnerable.
After the warning, Little Red addressed the crowd:
"Listen well! Unlike the Blackfin Crew's bullying or navy's backstabbing, we Blood Blades have rules. Harm none, and none harm you. We're rift participants like you - fellow power-seekers on these seas!"
Fenrir added lazily: "We're just escorting our dashing Little Red here. Though payment would secure our protection - rest assured, all Blood Blade contracts are legally binding."
Chen Qi gripped his blade tighter. With such formidable competition entering the rift...
The pirates established a naval-style encampment, joining the hunters' vigil until nightfall when the rift would manifest.
Unlike simple E-class wormholes, higher-tier rifts required specific entry methods. Here, mysterious unmanned flower-laden boats appeared nightly when the moon rose - the only passage to Dragon's Roost until the rift's clearance.
Around campfires, anxious whispers spread. The Blood Blades' presence suggested the rift might fall tonight.
"No time left..."
"This may be our only chance..."
After deliberations, the Red Crystal Hunters prepared full mobilization. Both they and the Blood Blades likely knew about the hunter's treasure... Chen Qi observed from the trees.
As the Flower Witch predicted, they faced threats from both dragons and men. Tension hung thick until midnight, when mist revealed over a hundred flower-bedecked ghost boats approaching shore.
Finally, the rift's prompt appeared:
[Inspiration check in progress...]