"Hmm?" Hearing Muria's words, the plump tax official squinted his eyes. "What? You don't want to pay? Let me tell you, this is a rule set by Lord Barbossa. Every ship docking at Blackstone Harbor must pay a docking fee, with no exceptions, not even for legendary undead ships. Are you planning to go against Lord Barbossa?"
After speaking, the tax official laughed arrogantly, then looked down at the densely packed wailing spirits bound to the deck. He grabbed one, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed, looking at Muria with a provocative gaze.
"Captain Sparrow, calm down." Seeing Muria step forward, Gibbs hurried over, nodding and bowing to the fat tax official.
"Sir, our captain is newly appointed and it's his first time here. He's not familiar with the rules yet. Please bear with us."
The skeletal figure of Gibbs, originally wearing a tattered captain's uniform, had now regained his human appearance and vitality. With a flattering smile, he handed a bag emitting wailing sounds to the tax official.
"You know your place." The tax official, so fat his eyes were nearly closed, accepted the bag, weighed it lightly, and showed a satisfied expression before glancing at Muria. "You should teach your captain about the rules of Blackstone Harbor. No matter how big his background is, it can't be bigger than Lord Barbossa's."
After saying this, the undead tax official turned into a black mist and vanished. Seeing this, Muria clenched his fists, restraining himself. Small impatience spoils big plans; he understood this well. He turned to Gibbs.
"How much did you give him? From his reaction, it wasn't just 3,600 wraith coins, right?"
"Captain, I gave him an extra 400 wraith coins," Gibbs replied sheepishly, hoping the captain would understand and reimburse him. "That was my hard-earned money."
"Oh, 4,000 wraith coins?" Muria nodded, keeping this account in mind. He planned to exact revenge by looting resources worth four billion from Blackstone Harbor once he understood the currency's value. Even though the 4,000 wraith coins weren't his, it was essentially the same. His subordinates' money was his money, after all.
Don't ask why the number was so high; Muria wasn't good at math, especially regarding compensation. He always rounded up: 4,000 times 10,000 equals four billion. He wasn't wrong, at least not until he looted four billion in resources.
"Captain Sparrow, please don't act impulsively! This is Blackstone Harbor. It's said there's a legendary undead here. Your background may be significant, but it doesn't matter here!"
"Oh, really?" Muria nodded indifferently. "Let's go and see what's so special about Blackstone Harbor."
...
"Captain, do you have any good goods to sell? Our Blackbone Trading Company will give you the best price, no tricks."
"Captain, do you have any live humans? Our Bluesoul Trading Company will buy a healthy human for a hundred wraith coins, the highest price in this region."
...
As soon as Muria disembarked, a group of undead swarmed him like bloodhounds scenting prey, clamoring to buy his spoils. After listening for a while, Muria realized these guys were here to purchase his loot.
Every ghost ship returning to Blackstone Harbor had some good items, and these traders were here to buy them, or rather, take advantage.
"Get lost, you damn hyenas, trying to swindle my captain!" Gibbs, who had been subservient even to the tax official, suddenly became aggressive, driving the traders away. The traders, with forced smiles, retreated.
"Gibbs, what's going on? You've changed sides, huh? Where's your Captain Martin?" a grinning undead trader asked.
"None of your business," Gibbs snapped, feeling a pang of sorrow for his former captain. Now, having his wound poked, he glared angrily.
"Interesting, more lively than I expected." As Gibbs drove away the traders, Muria curiously observed his surroundings, surprised by the bustling undead gathering. Unlike the dead silence typically associated with undead, Blackstone Harbor was full of activity.
"Captain Sparrow, don't be fooled by them. They're just small-time traders trying to take advantage. If you want to sell your spoils in the future, go to the large trading companies with stores in the harbor. They have deep pockets and won't play tricks, so you don't have to worry about being cheated." Gibbs led Muria through the area, explaining.
"It's no different from the human world!" Muria observed the chaotic scene, seeing undead brawling over minor disputes and fat abominations parading with ghostly beauties.
"Barbossa truly is a talent!" Muria shook his head in amazement. Undead, known for their strict hierarchy, had become chaotic under Barbossa's leadership. He felt like he was in a bustling pirate port, only populated by the undead.
"Stop! That armor of yours looks nice." As Muria explored, a group of twelve death knights blocked his way. The leading tall knight looked down at Muria arrogantly, demanding his armor.
"Take off your armor and give it to me. I am..."
Bang!
Before the knight could finish, a lich behind Muria stepped forward and silenced him with a death touch. His soul fire extinguished instantly, and his tall skeletal body fell from his mount, crashing to the ground with a dull thud.
The skeletal warhorse, now riderless, panicked, its ghostly flames flaring up as it prepared to charge at Muria.
"Quiet!" Muria's eyes flashed with the aura of a legendary lich. Feeling the lich's pressure, the warhorse's legs buckled, and it knelt, presenting its saddle to Muria.
"Good boy!" Muria patted the horse, satisfied, and mounted it.
"You dare harm..." Another death knight began, but before he could finish, a black light pierced his head, extinguishing his soul fire.
Seeing their comrades killed, the remaining knights tried to flee. But Muria's liches quickly exterminated them, wiping out the small squad in moments.
The commotion attracted the attention of only a few undead, who soon lost interest. This indifference deepened Muria's understanding of the harbor's chaos and the law of the jungle.
Muria appreciated this primal law. Apart from Barbossa, no one here seemed more powerful than him.
Muria rode the skeletal warhorse through the harbor, unconcerned about the knights' affiliations.
"What's wrong, Gibbs?" Muria asked, noticing the stout middle-aged man, restored to his human appearance, looking worried and glancing around nervously.
"Are you worried about those knights? Do they have a significant background?"
"Captain Sparrow, you acted too quickly. If I'm not mistaken, those knights were from the Black Knights Pirate Group."
"Who are the Black Knights?" Muria asked, intrigued by Gibbs' apprehension. "Do they have a legendary figure backing them?"
"Not a legendary figure," Gibbs chuckled nervously. "Just five soul-intent peak black knights, said to be close to breaking through to legendary status. They're seldom provoked in Blackstone Harbor."
"So just a few near-legendary knights can run rampant here?" Muria was surprised. Though the harbor was vast, its standards seemed lower than he expected.
"That's already impressive, Captain Sparrow!"
"Oh!" Muria dismissed the pirate group from his mind. "Where are we heading now? To recruit crew?"
"Yes, Captain Sparrow. We need more crew to man all those cannons. Although the ghost ship can fire on its own, its accuracy is poor. We need to recruit a lot of gunners, crew, and a navigator. My navigation knowledge is incomplete."
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter]