"If you don't want to die, move quickly! Throw all these ballast stones into the sea! Otherwise, those damn pirates will catch up and we will all be finished."
A middle-aged man in his fifties with a thick beard was standing on the deck yelling at the busy sailors.
It is easy to tell from the way he is dressed and the way he gives orders that he is the captain of this ship.
And the sailors who were yelled at didn't care about their captain's bad attitude.
One by one, they used all their strength to lift the heavy ballast stones from the lowest cabin, and then quickly threw them into the sea water.
Because all sailors know that the old captain is right.
If the pirates behind them catch up, with just the few people on our ship, they will all be chopped to the ground within a few minutes.
What's more, most sailors on merchant ships are just coolies and have not learned how to fight.
But unfortunately, the shape and structure of the ship determine that even if they throw down all the ballast stones, cargo and supplies, they can't go faster than a warship specially modified for pursuit and combat, or a pirate ship.<
/p>
The distance between the two is still getting closer.
After a while, the owner of the ship, a thirty-year-old male businessman from Ascatla, the capital of the northern Amn Empire, finally couldn't sit still anymore.
He put down the valuable monocular in his hand, walked quickly to the old captain, and asked in a slightly trembling voice: "Bass, are we going to die? What will the pirates do when they catch up? Kill everyone
Kill them all? Or imprison them for ransom?"
"I don't know. It depends on which pirate force they are and whether the leader is a human." The old captain named Bass replied with a wry smile.
Gudong!
Hearing these words, the businessman immediately swallowed subconsciously: "I...I seemed to have seen orcs, hobgoblins and ogres on the pirate's deck just now."
"What? Hobgoblins and ogres!" The old captain opened his mouth in surprise, and then began to curse through gritted teeth. "Damn it! How could we be so unlucky! That must be the ship of Hallet the Bloody Hand! Only he,
Can control and command those ogres with great strength and low intelligence."
"Hallet the Bloody Hand?"
When the businessman heard this name, he couldn't help but tremble.
Because every merchant who conducts sea transportation in the Sea of ​​Swords knows about this notorious pirate captain.
It is said that he was originally the son of a nobleman from the Kingdom of Tethyr.
Later, he was exiled for unknown reasons and eventually became a brutal pirate.
But they are different from ordinary pirates who just want to plunder wealth.
In addition to plundering wealth, this guy also likes to get involved in things involving conspiracy and betrayal.
For example, accepting a commission from a noble or the heir of a merchant guild to intercept the target designated by the latter on the sea.
The targets are generally the client's parents, uncles, husbands, wives, brothers and sisters, etc.
As long as these people disappear, the former can immediately inherit the territory, title, chamber of commerce, and an astonishing amount of inheritance.
After completing the mission, Hallett will not kill these prisoners immediately.
Instead, they will be taken back and imprisoned, and the client will be required to fulfill the rewards or promises given previously.
The high price is often almost all the savings in a noble territory, or half of the property of a certain chamber of commerce.
If the client does not intend to keep his promise, Hallett will make similar deals with the imprisoned prisoners and then help them regain everything they have lost.
In retaliation, the pirate captain caught the client who violated the contract.
Order the victims of the assassination to dig out the hearts of their sons, wives, nephews or brothers and sisters.
This is where the title "Bloody Hands" comes from.
"Bloody hands" does not mean that Hallet's hands are covered with blood, but that he can make other people's hands covered with the blood of their loved ones.
No one knows whether this almost twisted and pathological preference stems from his own bad character or his own growth experience.
But through this method, Hallet obtained huge wealth that other traditional pirates could not match, as well as a huge intelligence network that spread throughout the cities along the coast.
Even the famous Amn Shadow Thief occasionally chooses to cooperate with him.
"Mr. Bernard.
I think it would be best for us to abandon the ship and all its cargo for now, and escape to the island in a small boat to hide.
Although taking out those special goods and distributing them to the sailors may be able to resist for a while, defeat will only happen sooner or later.
Moreover, once the pirates suffer heavy casualties, they will definitely kill everyone in retaliation, and they may even set fire to the ship."
Old Captain Bass gave the advice with a solemn expression.
He wanted to use this method to confirm whether "Bloody Hand" Hallet was coming for the goods on the ship, or for the son whom the owner of the Roldan Chamber of Commerce relied on most.
If it's the latter...
That means that I am involved in a power struggle within the chamber of commerce.
The businessman named Bernard was obviously aware of this. His mind quickly flashed through several brothers and sisters who usually competed with him, trying to find someone who had the motivation and ability to do this. Finally, he took a deep breath.
He nodded: "Okay!
When the ship entered the shallow water and was about to run aground, we rowed a small boat directly to the island.
But there is a small problem.
In order to save costs as much as possible when this ship sailed, it was not equipped with enough small boats.
In other words, we must abandon some sailors."
"What? Not enough boats?"
The captain froze for an instant and subconsciously glanced at the number of small wooden boats fixed on both sides of the ship.
It turns out that except for the four ships near the bow that are often used, the rest are all made of rotten wood and looked like they were randomly pieced together.
If this thing is thrown into the water, it is guaranteed to fall apart in less than a minute.
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Four small boats, based on the fact that one can hold up to six to eight people, can only carry 24 to 32 people at best.
This large merchant ship employs more than 60 sailors.
Old Bass couldn't guarantee whether the angry sailors would immediately riot when he announced that he could only take half of the people to escape, while the other half would stay to face the brutal pirates.
Bernard noticed the nervousness in the captain's eyes and immediately lowered his voice and said: "We don't actually need to tell the sailors the truth. We can just secretly bring a few cronies and board the island in a small boat while everyone is not paying attention. After all, the number of people is getting bigger and bigger.
The less, the easier it is for us to hide and the lower the chance of being caught.”
"But doing this will destroy the credibility I have built up over the years!" Old Bass roared angrily.
If you don’t have a good reputation, you won’t be able to recruit sailors who are willing to follow you to sea, let alone gain the trust of your employer.
This is undoubtedly fatal to a captain, and can even ruin his life.
"At this point, what kind of bullshit reputation are you still thinking about?
If something happens to me, do you think my father will let you and your family go?
And as long as I go back safely, you can not only stay in the Chamber of Commerce and continue to be the captain.
I will also use the rights at hand to help you change to a larger ship and enjoy a higher share of trade profits."
In order to escape from the current extremely dangerous situation, Bernard also risked his life. He changed his usual gentle and gentle demeanor and used both coercion and inducement.
He didn't want to become a prisoner of "Bloody Hand" Hallet, let alone die in the hands of the vicious pirates.
After some inner struggle, the old captain finally gave in.
Taking advantage of the panic caused by the moment the ship ran aground, he secretly took Bernard, the boatswain and the first mate, a total of four people, put down a small boat and paddled up to the beach.
By the time others noticed, it was too late.
Chapter completed!