After realizing that Muria didn't care about the Black Knight Pirate Group, Gibbs felt relieved and started to lead the way more earnestly, which was a basic operation for a guide.
"This tavern is too small. How can we recruit any excellent crew members here? Let's find another one." When Gibbs led Muria to a tavern, Muria looked disdainfully at the tavern, which was about the size of a stadium.
"Captain Sparrow, this is already the largest tavern on this street. If you want something bigger, we'll have to go to the central area, but the recruitment prices for crew members there will be more expensive."
Gibbs said nervously. He could tell that Muria was very tight with money, just like the dragons in legends.
"Then let's go to the largest tavern at Blackstone Harbor. I want to recruit the best crew members." Muria spoke grandly. Even though these crew members were only for disguise, Muria still wanted the best. He wouldn't allow his subordinates to be a bunch of worthless people.
"Alright, as you wish, great captain."
Under Gibbs' guidance, Muria, along with two Seraphim and a group of liches, arrived at the largest tavern in Blackstone Harbor. Perhaps calling it a tavern was a bit of a misnomer. The so-called tavern was actually a steel ghost ship placed on the ground, with a length of five thousand meters from bow to stern. The number of undead coming and going was so numerous that it stunned the liches following Muria, making their eyes gradually reveal a greedy light. No lich would ever think they had too many intelligent undead.
"Let's go inside and have a look." As Muria and his group walked in, a delicate-looking ghost maid quickly came to greet them and inquire about their needs.
"I'm here to recruit crew members." Muria explained to the ghost maid.
"That's no problem, sir. Would you like a private room for the recruitment?"
"One room isn't enough. Give me ten. I want to recruit the best undead to be my crew members." Muria, looking like a wealthy tycoon, made the ghost maid smile very happily, as this meant she would get more commission.
"Captain, how much are you planning to spend on recruiting crew members?"
"What are the normal prices?"
"For silver-tier, ordinary crew members usually require one thousand wraith coins a year, gunners fifteen hundred, and navigators three thousand. The prices triple for gold-tier..."
"Very well. The salaries for my crew members will all be doubled. However, anyone wanting to join my pirate group must pass a test to become my crew member." Muria set the recruitment standard.
Soon, Muria's recruitment conditions and requirements, along with the various benefits he offered, were posted in the Black Soul Tavern. The ghost maids circulating in the tavern spread the recruitment news to every homeless undead inside.
"Two thousand wraith coins a month, and if there's a battle, there's a bounty of three hundred wraith coins per head. Only half of the loot needs to be handed over, and we can keep the other half. My goodness, these terms are too good."
"Could it be a scam?"
"It's posted here. How could it be a scam? Look at their recruitment criteria. They only want elites, and you have to pass their interview to join."
"By the way, which pirate group is this? They're so wealthy."
"Let me see, the Black Pearl Pirate Group. Sounds pretty ordinary. Let's go, let's go. I'll go for the interview now. I wonder if it's hard."
Soon, Muria's recruitment order caused a sensation in the tavern. Self-confident undead flocked to the ten interview rooms Muria had booked. No one would turn down money, not even the undead who had died once already.
However, as the interviews continued, a wave of dissatisfaction gradually spread through the tavern, filled with cursing voices.
"What kind of recruitment is this? It's too hard. They clearly don't want us to join. Just for a crew member position, they want us to master an advanced skill? What a joke. If I had such skills, why would I be a crew member?"
"This is ridiculous. They're just messing with us. No sincerity at all."
"This Black Pearl Pirate Group is just playing with us! Damn it."
"Half a day has passed, and we've only recruited this many? What's going on?" Muria frowned as he looked at the nine undead in the room, feeling that something was off.
"Didn't you say this was the largest undead gathering place in Blackstone Harbor? It should be easy to recruit crew members. Why have I only recruited this few after so long? Are my conditions not sincere enough?"
"Captain, your conditions are sincere, but your requirements are too high, so there are too few undead who meet them." Gibbs said, wiping non-existent sweat from his forehead.
"These conditions are high?" Muria showed a look of disdain. He had only let ten soul-will level liches sit in the interview rooms and let them freely assess. If they found someone exceptional, they could recruit them. If not, they would reject them directly.
After all, these liches ruled over millions of undead each. When it came to evaluating an undead's potential, liches were definitely better at it than he was.
"Captain, the real elites have already joined other pirate groups. Only a small portion remains unaligned."
"I see, so the ones in the tavern are all trash. No wonder I can't recruit real elites."
Muria showed a look of realization. But at this moment, a loud bang came from the room next to him. Muria extended his mental power and saw a group of undead knights blocking the entrance to his recruitment room.
"The guy who killed my brother, come out yourself. Don't implicate your pirate group." The leading undead knight, exuding a strong death aura, spoke coldly.
"Is there a problem?" Muria lazily strolled over to the group of undead knights. "I am Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl Pirate Group. If there's a problem, come at me, don't threaten my crew."
"So it was you who killed my brother." The undead knight, who was much larger than his subordinates, stared at Muria with bone-chilling killing intent.
"Your brother? I don't know, never heard of him," Muria denied immediately. "But I did just kill an undead knight who dared to block my way."
Hearing that Muria had killed an undead knight just because he was in his way, the surrounding undead were stunned. Such unreasonable undead were rare in Blackstone Harbor, as those this arrogant were usually killed. Those who survived were exceptionally powerful.
"You've got a lot of nerve!" The black knight who brought a group of undead knights to block the door looked at Muria coldly. "Do you dare to come outside with me?"
"What, you don't dare to fight here?"
The undead knight couldn't even be bothered to respond to such an obvious question. No one didn't know how powerful the background of this tavern was. Such a large steel ghost ship obviously had a powerful backer.
"Fine, I'll go out with you." Muria glanced back at the silent liches behind him. "One of you come with me."
"Doesn't seem like you're much of a captain." Seeing only one robed skeleton mage slowly walk to Muria's side, the undead knight mocked him mercilessly.
Muria gave him a glance and said nothing. He had just thought of a good idea. High-ranking undead had absolute control over lower-ranking undead. If a black knight pirate group with only a few soul-will level undead knights could be so rampant, why shouldn't he do something even more outrageous?
After stepping out of the tavern, the battle began and then ended quickly, much to the dissatisfaction of the undead who came to watch. They only saw the skeleton mage behind the so-called captain wave his staff, and all the undead knights fell, as if they were acting.
"Let's go. Take me to your ship. I want to see your captain." Muria kicked the temporarily immobilized undead knight in front of him.
"You... fine, I'll take you." Seeing Muria's arrogance, the undead knight complied. He had realized he couldn't provoke this mysterious guy and decided to let his captain handle him.
...
Half an hour later, on a ghost ship five hundred meters long exuding a murderous aura, five soul-will level undead knights knelt trembling at Muria's feet. Behind him, a legendary lich released his aura without reservation.
"Great Captain Sparrow, what are your orders?" The five-meter-tall undead knight leader asked respectfully, kneeling on the ground.
"Bring me information on all pirate groups stationed in Blackstone Harbor similar in size to yours."
"Why are there so few?" Muria was very dissatisfied looking at the list with only seven pirate groups' names and symbols. This was far from what he imagined. How could Barbossa have such a small force? It was absurd. It wouldn't be surprising for a peak legendary lich to have several legendary spirits serving him.
"Blackstone Harbor only has this many." The black knight pirate leader said nervously, knowing that Muria, who had a legendary lich standing behind him, was not someone he could provoke. He might even be on the same level as Barbossa.
"From what you said, it seems like the Sea of the Undead has more than one harbor?"
"This is common knowledge." The black knight pirate leader felt something was off but still answered honestly under the pressure of the legendary lich. "Blackstone Harbor is the largest port, but it's not the only one."
"How many ports are there in the Sea of the Undead?"
"There are ten ports in total, sir."
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