The ship continued its journey towards the Realm of Pitch Darkness.
Alka went below deck, heading to the place where Old Bobby used to work.
As soon as he entered, he saw Gami, who had just joined, already busy forging inside.
"What’s the difference between a Blacksmith and an Engraver?" Alka asked curiously, observing Gami’s techniques.
He watched as several pieces of tal in Gami’s hands lted directly into liquid. Then, a chanical arm erged from the machine Gami was seated at. The arm, engraved with peculiar runes, glowed faintly as it shaped the molten tal in Gami’s hand. Before long, the original tal Ingots had transford into a cylindrical tal handle.
"Was the person on the ship before an Engraver?"
Alka nodded. Bobby’s main profession was an Engraver, though he also possessed so Blacksmithing skills, given his age.
"Engravers are more adept at inscribing and arranging Spells, while Blacksmiths lean more towards the overall modification and creation of items."
Then Gami turned to look at Alka and asked, "Are you also interested in these things?"
Alka nodded.
The two began to converse, with Alka mainly in the role of a student.
As ti passed, they gradually beca more acquainted. Alka also learned that although Gami appeared childlike, his actual age was already twenty. His congenital condition that prevented him from growing tall had, in return, granted him powerful magic control and a strong aptitude for the Blacksmith profession. The Church, intending to nurture his talents, had sent him to Andre’s ship.
This ant Gami might not stay on the ship for long. Perhaps a year, perhaps two, or possibly longer; no one could say for sure.
At that mont, the ship suddenly stopped.
Realizing sothing was amiss, Alka and Gami hurried to the deck. By the ti they arrived, everyone else on the ship had already gathered.
"Pirate... Pirates?" Alka stamred, his eyes fixed on the few Pirate Ships with black sails heading towards them. He couldn’t help but feel bewildered.
A Pirate Gang trying to rob a Treasure Hunting Team’s ship? They were certainly overconfident, or just plain foolish.
Jason, seeing Alka’s puzzled expression, chuckled beside him. "It’s quite normal. Not every area is as safe and calm as the Blood Gold Alliance’s waters or the Church Sea Region."
"We’ve already left the Church Sea Region. This vast area ahead has very little law enforcent. Encountering pirates is quite common."
This explanation made sense to Alka. The Blood Gold Alliance had several naval fleets constantly patrolling their waters to ensure the safety of their territory. Even so, pirates were occasionally sighted. Any pirate ships that did appear were easily discovered and typically destroyed after only a few raids. The Church Sea Region was even more incredibly safe. Forget pirates at sea; even violent brawls on the islands themselves were rare. Once outside the territories of such major powers, all sorts of problems erged.
After all, this was a world of oceans. Plunder and bloodshed were the norm.
Andre suddenly turned to Gami and asked, "Have you taken over so of the ship’s control systems?"
Gami nodded.
"Good. Then you destroy them."
Hearing this, Gami didn’t hesitate and walked to the ship’s rail.
By now, the Sea Fist had co to a halt on the water, its broadside facing the approaching Pirate Ships. The opposing Pirate Ships were no fools; two had already begun veering off to port and starboard, attempting to encircle them.
At this mont, Gami raised his right hand, his palm emitting a faint glow.
One by one, the cannon ports on the side of the ship opened, and the Vibrating Stone Cannons automatically extended their barrels. Gami’s eyes glinted, and then he decisively swung his right hand downward.
"BOOM!"
A muffled roar echoed, far louder than any discharge from the Vibrating Stone Cannons Alka had heard before! Actually, this was the first ti he had seen the Sea Fist’s Vibrating Stone Cannons fire.
Several cannonballs whistled through the air. They struck the enemy Pirate Ships with precision. The imnse power of the No. 3 Vibrating Stone Cannon tore straight through their hulls. One cannonball even scored a direct hit on an enemy ship’s mainmast. This already sealed the fate of that Pirate Ship. Another Pirate Ship inexplicably burst into flas; it seed a cannonball had struck a vulnerable spot, igniting sothing inside.
A single volley was enough to cripple two of the enemy Pirate Ships.
Witnessing this, the Pirate Ships that had been maneuvering to encircle them completely abandoned the attempt. They scattered, fleeing straight past on either side without a single look back.
It was all so effortless. Despite being targeted by four Pirate Ships, they hadn’t even laid eyes on the enemy.
Watching one enemy ship sink and another beco engulfed in flas, the Sea Fist simply resud its journey forward.
"Aren’t we going to collect the spoils of war?" Alka asked, puzzled. That’s incredibly wasteful.
Jason shook his head. "This Pirate Gang isn’t well-known; I’ve never heard of them. And look, even though they have four ships, they’re all old and dilapidated. They couldn’t even withstand a single volley. One’s already ablaze, another is sinking. Even if there’s cargo, it wouldn’t be worth much. It’s pointless—a sheer waste of ti and energy."
"Besides, we can’t afford to waste that much ti here right now."
After hearing Jason’s explanation, Alka nodded. To put it bluntly, they looked down on such ager spoils and couldn’t be bothered to retrieve them. After all, they were the Church’s Treasure Hunting Team, and its mbers, all of them touch-bearers, had little interest in items not even worth a single Golden Sail. Especially since they had just reaped a huge reward; they were feeling quite magnanimous right now. Even if so cargo remained intact, they would have to haul it into their own hold. Then they’d have to find a place to sell it, and it wouldn’t fetch much if sold off cheaply. Besides, it’s rare to find anything of value on Pirate Ships anyway.
Pirates are generally a reckless lot, living each day as if it’s their last. That’s why fighting pirates rarely yields much profit but often leads to casualties, making them widely detested.
After roughly understanding the situation, Alka nodded. He decided not to dwell further on this sudden interlude.
After a mont’s thought, he bid farewell to the others and returned to his cabin.
Lying on his bed, he began to channel energy through his Magic Circuits, working to strengthen them.
"Your ditation speed seems so slow to ," Lucilia remarked, sitting beside his bed.
"Slow? Why would you say that?"
Alka had asked others before; his ditation speed was considered above average.
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