Chapter 209: Isle of Fear

Chapter 209: Isle of Fear



Veronica, with her sparkling eyes, scrutinized Rain as if she was getting to know him all over again.

"Baron Rain, your combat strength feels stronger than a Great Knight, no, even stronger than an average third-level Wizard Apprentice."

"Major Marika mentioned you before, and I thought there would be some exaggeration, but now it seems there was no exaggeration, and the evaluation was even conservative!"

Rain smiled slightly and said, "Miss Veronica, in terms of actual combat strength, I should be no match for you. A third-level Wizard Apprentice with Wizardry Scrolls would be more than a match for even a Great Knight."

"It's just that, for these two, I may not have any weaknesses they can exploit, so dealing with them is relatively easier." Rain pointed at the two men lying on the ground and said.

"Rain, excessive humility is a form of pride." Major Marika, who was standing nearby and had overheard their conversation, walked over with a smile and said to Rain.

Although she had witnessed Rain's battle prowess during his investiture ceremony, Rain's strength had significantly improved again after two months.

The challenges that were difficult for ordinary knights to overcome seemed completely irrelevant to Rain.

Originally, Marika had always believed that the combat powerhouse among their group should be Veronica, the third-level Wizard Apprentice, but now it seemed that Rain was the most suitable candidate.

"Yes! Rain, by the way, I also want to thank you for avenging my Big White!" Veronica stroked the giant white owl, almost as tall as her, and curtsied gracefully to Rain.

"Oh, is Big White injured?" Rain carefully examined Big White's injured wing, which seemed to have been wounded by Phil Krauz's signature skill, 'Blood Fury Strike', as a faint blood-colored aura lingered around it.

"Hoot!" Big White, showing a very human-like behavior, hooted twice at Rain, and then, imitating Veronica's curtsy, spread its wings slightly and bowed to Rain, obviously expressing its gratitude.

"Yes, this is my contracted beast, Big White, a modified white owl. Baron Rain, Big White just said that it's grateful to you for avenging it." Veronica said with a smile.

"Hmm, no need to thank me, Big White. It's what I should do." Rain carefully examined Big White and, judging by its aura, this giant white owl, Big White, was likely no weaker than a Senior Knight.

If it had been a different opponent, rather than someone like Phil Krauz who was extremely skilled in archery, the combination of Veronica and Big White would have easily overwhelmed them.

Big White could act as a meat shield while Veronica cast her spells from behind.

"By the way, Rain, I think we should find a safe place now and then thoroughly interrogate these two." Major Marika extended her fair-skinned hand and pointed at the two dejected men on the ground.

"Of course, why don't we head to Fishing Harbor Town now? The interrogation of these two may not be a quick process, and there should be a detention room in the town's administrative hall, which would be more convenient for the interrogation." Rain nodded.

If the interrogation methods are appropriate, they should be able to extract many 'secrets' about the God of Sea Church and the Black Sails Pirates.

"However, Major Marika, these two are hard-core members. If we use ordinary interrogation methods, the subsequent interrogation may not yield much effect." Rain glanced at Knight Flado beside him and reminded Marika.

"The cultists are indeed extraordinary! Miss Veronica, we may need your wizardry to help at that time." Marika's expression turned solemn, knowing that Rain's concern was not unfounded.

Knight Flado's interrogation methods might be considered formidable for ordinary pirates, but they may not be sufficient for these two.

She still needed to think of a way.

"Of course, Major Marika, you can come to me anytime. I have a few bottles of truth serum, which should have some effect." Veronica nodded and said.

After the battlefield was cleared, the cavalry took charge of escorting the two important figures, Phil Krauz and Miarko, towards Fishing Harbor Town.

About a quarter of an hour later, the dense houses in Fishing Harbor Town came into clear view.

However, it was quite eerie that there were still very few pedestrians on the roadside.

Rain squinted and looked into the distance, noticing that many of the town's peripheral houses had collapsed, seemingly after a fierce battle.

He thought that the pirates might have had the strength to capture Fishing Harbor Town, but to avoid imperial attention or for other reasons, they had mainly looted the town.

Soon, Rain and his group arrived at a temporary roadblock set up on the street, guarded by vigilant peace officers who scrutinized Rain and his party.

"Halt, who are you?"

Due to the sensitivity of the naval task force's identity, the cavalry did not directly reveal their own identity but instead stated Rain's position.

"This is the new Baron of Fishing Harbor Town, Baron Rain. We have some important matters to attend to."

"Hmm? Baron Rain?" The peace officers looked at each other in surprise.

They were unaware of this news.

"We haven't received any notification about the situation you mentioned. Due to the recent rampant piracy, please wait a moment while we report this to our superiors." One of the peace officers quickly ran towards the town's administrative hall.

After a few minutes, several cavalrymen at the front of Rain's group said to the peace officers, "Let's remove these roadblocks first! The pirates are unlikely to launch another attack in the short term."

"Hmm? Is there any new development?" After a few minutes, the peace officers were also able to confirm that the group was unlikely to be pirates. Although the cavalrymen were injured, they looked young and handsome, with white teeth, unlike typical pirates.

Two cavalrymen exchanged a smile, and one of them turned to the constables and said, "You should thank Baron Rain. He has cleared out the pirates who were occupying the roads leading to your town."

"By the way, they also caught two big fish!"

"What? Is Baron Rain that powerful?"

"The pirates occupying several roads in our town included members of the large pirate gang, the Black Sails, who are quite strong."

The constables were extremely surprised by this news and soon began whispering among themselves.

"Of course!" The cavalrymen patted the saddlebags on the side of their horses and presented their spoils of war.

The constables took a look and immediately recognized the weapons and some distinctive items, such as the skull scarves of the Black Sails, and so on.

After a while, the constables began to listen to the cavalry's suggestion and moved the roadblocks aside.

At this moment, two bearded men with bandages tied around their bodies and holding hammers and shields approached.

Both of them were family knights of Count Habs, and they had the strength of senior knights and were skilled in using hammers and shields.

From the obvious traces of bandages on their bodies, it was clear that they had endured significant pressure as the main defensive force of Fishing Harbor Town.

The Lemann brothers approached, and Rain, who was in the carriage, said to the two women, "Major Marika and Miss Veronica, please wait for a moment while I go and coordinate."

"Of course, Baron Rain," the two women nodded immediately.

Due to their special identities, it was natural for Rain to handle the local coordination work.

When the Lemann brothers saw how young Rain was, they were taken aback, and the younger brother, Konitte Lemann, spoke hastily, "You're Baron Rain? You're too young!"

"How could the Count send such a young knight?"

"Although your cavalry team looks elite, do you know that I previously led twenty elite soldiers, and more than half of them have been killed or injured? We barely managed to maintain the current situation."

Since the Lemann brothers were sent to Fishing Harbor Town before Rain's bloody duel with the Great Knight, they were relatively isolated from news.

They didn't know that Rain had fought and captured the 'Bloody Archer' Phil Krauz and the envoy of the God of Sea Church, Miarko.

However, at this moment, the older brother, Kobert Lemann, after carefully examining Rain, pulled his brother's hand and said, "I believe in him!"

The younger brother was puzzled and looked at his brother, while Kobert Lemann pointed to the large bow hanging on the side of the black horse and asked, "Doesn't this bow look familiar?"

The younger brother took a closer look and exclaimed in shock, "Isn't this the bow of the 'Bloody Archer' Phil Krauz?"

"How did it end up in his possession?"

"Could it be..."

This bow was very familiar to Konitte Lemann, as it was because of this bow that he and his brother were injured, and their wounds had not yet healed!

At this moment, a knight from the special task force couldn't hold back and blurted out, "The 'Bloody Archer' is right behind us!"

Upon hearing this, the Lemann brothers were shocked and exchanged glances.

Capturing weapons and taking prisoners were two different concepts!

They treated the situation as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

The next events unfolded smoothly.

Rain and his group were quickly taken to the town's administrative hall.

Meanwhile, the Lemann brothers, after completing the handover with Rain, were supposed to return to the county town. However, when they saw the cavalry escorting Phil Krauz into the examination room, they changed their minds.

Especially after Major Marika mentioned contacting the South Sea Fleet to dispatch interrogation experts, the brothers patted their chests and said, "We are the professionals for this job!"

"Even in Fishing Prison, they would invite us to interrogate the prisoners."

Rain was pleased to hear this, as he no longer had to wait for the Navy to send interrogation personnel.

So, he instructed Major Marika to dispatch Knight Flado and the brothers to start interrogating the prisoner.

In the following time, Rain followed the established rhythm, practicing meditation and wizardry in the administrative hall every day. At this rate, he would only need seven or eight more days to advance from Wizard Apprentice to level 6.

However, Rain didn't dedicate all his time and energy to cultivation.

Every day, Veronica's white seagulls would scatter and conduct reconnaissance work. Once they spotted pirate landing boats or groups of more than ten pirates, Rain would personally lead the attack to eliminate them.

Of course, if there were only a few pirates, they wouldn't bother with an attack.

With birds helping to detect enemy movements, within just a few days, the pirates around Fishing Harbor Town almost disappeared.

The lives of the town's residents gradually returned to their normal routine.

Every day, Rain would lead a cavalry team around Fishing Harbor Town.

Although this action was more symbolic and ceremonial, it effectively restored the town residents' confidence in the Empire's ability to eliminate pirates.

Even though Fishing Harbor Town couldn't resume normal fishing operations and production, law and order had been restored, and the pirates' arrogant flames had been effectively suppressed.

However, for Rain, the most important thing was that he steadily improved his hammer technique by fighting and capturing the 'Bloody Archer' Phil Krauz and the envoy of the God of Sea Church, Miarko.

Three days after clearing out a small group of pirates who had landed, Rain finally received the System Notification for the enhancement of Kadhar Fist Technique:

【Your skill Kadhar Fist Technique has been enhanced, experience points +59】

【You have experienced a battle, Extraordinary Knight experience points +16】

【Congratulations, your skill Kadhar Fist Technique has been enhanced to lv6】

Instantly, Rain's mind was flooded with fragmented memories of Kadhar Fist Technique training.

After absorbing and processing these memories, Rain felt as if he had been practicing Kadhar Fist Technique for half a year!

But just as Rain was coming back to his senses, he realized the System Notification wasn't over yet.

Another notification followed:

【Congratulations, you have unlocked the exclusive Secret Technique of Kadhar Fist Technique: Rapid Combo!】

As expected, after reaching the Mastery level in the control of Extraordinary Battle Techniques, he began to unlock Secret Techniques.

Rain saw a brand-new icon on his Extraordinary Knight panel, located above 'Kadhar Fist Technique'.

The icon depicted a strongman rapidly swinging his fists forward, with dozens of fist shadows in front, looking lifelike and immensely powerful.

In the lower right corner of the icon, there was a small line of text:

Rapid Combo lv1 (Secret Technique) Effect: Unleash as many fist attacks as possible in a very short time, including punches like the straight punch, left swing, right swing, and uppercut.

(Note: Rapid Combo is a Secret Technique and cannot be directly enhanced through skill points.)



(Rapid Combo lv2 requires the following conditions: 1. Kadhar Fist Technique lv8 or higher; 2. Strength 16 points or higher, Constitution 16 points or higher, Agility 18 points or higher.)



【Ding! Host's Kadhar Fist Technique has reached lv7, unlocking the exclusive Secret Technique of Kadhar Fist Technique: Rapid Combo lv2.】

【Ding! Host's Kadhar Fist Technique has reached lv8, unlocking the exclusive Secret Technique of Kadhar Fist Technique: Rapid Combo lv2.】

On the fourth day, the Lemann brothers came to report.

Previously, with the help of the 'Truth Serum' provided by Veronica, they had exerted great effort to finally get the other party to reveal some confidential information. After two days of repeated verification, they confirmed it.

Veronica immediately conveyed the locations of the Sea God Church's bases near Meyster County's waters and several major pirate gangs' bases to the Imperial Navy's South Sea Fleet through bird messengers.

Next, it was a waiting game.

After all, naval battles were not within the scope of the Navy Special Task Force and Rain's mission. It was better to leave it to the South Sea Fleet and Lieutenant Silva.

Soon, Rain and the Task Force received a reply from the fleet.

Lieutenant Silva asked Rain and the Task Force to prepare for defense near the coastal areas, as if the pirates were heavily damaged by the Imperial Fleet in the naval battle, they might panic and directly flee towards the coastal regions.

Although they were a group of undisciplined soldiers, they still posed a significant threat to the coastal towns with weaker defenses. Once breached, the losses would be extremely severe.

On the fifth day, the Lemann brothers reported again.

"Baron, this is what we found from the seams of Phil Krauz's plate armor. It's said to be a treasure map of the Pirate King 'Shipburner' Vicente Sanborn, unfortunately, it's not complete, only a quarter of it."

"Hmm?" Rain's heart leaped, and he immediately took the parchment to examine it carefully.

Based on the texture and patterns, this was indeed the missing last quarter of the treasure map.

A quarter of the map was good, but who wouldn't covet a complete treasure map? After the two brothers left, Rain immediately took out the remaining three pieces and quickly assembled them.

When a complete treasure map appeared before Rain, he discovered that the center of the map depicted a ring-shaped chain of multiple islands.

However, the marked location was not on the ring-shaped chain but on a small island beside it.

Apparently, the small island beside it was the destination and the location of the treasure.

Rain pondered for a moment. He did not approach Major Marika or Major Maryka with the location depicted on the treasure map but instead decided to seek advice from someone else.

After quickly sketching a copy of the treasure map, Rain found Captain Cassan, an elderly man with gray hair and a pipe in his mouth.

"Baron, this necklace-shaped ring of islands, based on the number and shape of the islands, is very similar to the Sapphire Archipelago in the open sea."

"And this island is located on the east side of the Sapphire Archipelago. If I'm not mistaken, this should be the Isle of Fear."

"Isle of Fear?"

Rain's eyebrows furrowed slightly after hearing this name.

Just from the name, she could tell that this was no ordinary island.

"That's right! The reason this island is called the Isle of Fear is because it is inhabited by a group of Tri-headed Sea Lizards." Captain Cassan nodded, his expression grave.

"A-headed Sea Lizard? Is it some kind of ferocious beast?" Rain couldn't help but ask.

Rain had not encountered such ferocious beasts, but from Captain Cassan's slightly fearful expression, he knew these creatures must be formidable.

"Indeed, the A-headed Sea Lizard is an extremely formidable ferocious beast. Mature individuals possess the strength of Senior Knights, and there are even more powerful ones."

"Once, a group of pirates encountered a hurricane, and after their ship was destroyed and they perished, they drifted to the Isle of Fear. In the end, out of more than a hundred pirates, only one managed to escape on a small raft, while the rest were devoured by the A-headed Sea Lizards."

"Some stubborn pirates later went to observe the island from a distance, and indeed, they found a large number of A-headed Sea Lizards inhabiting it. This news spread, and soon, pirates and ocean-going merchant ships declared the island off-limits."

Captain Cassan slowly narrated the story.

Rain's mind raced with various feasible plans.

First, seeking assistance from the Imperial Navy's Southern Sea Fleet was an option, but it would change the nature of the entire matter.

Although Lieutenant Silva and Major Marika had a good impression of him, exploring the Pirate King's treasure with warships would make it an official matter.

Aside from the issue of potential combat, the problem of reward distribution would also arise.

Rain might not obtain the items he desired.

Moreover, there could be other unexpected problems during the mission.

After all, there might be individuals within the navy with ulterior motives who would covet the Pirate King's treasure, so Rain quickly dismissed the idea of inviting the Southern Sea Fleet to join him.

After careful consideration, Rain felt it would be more suitable to wait until he was capable enough to explore the treasure alone.

Time was of the essence, as in less than a month, he had to travel to Munster to participate in the Imperial Swordsmen Organization's assessment.

This matter took priority over the Pirate King's treasure.

Rain believed that once he joined the Imperial Swordsmen Organization, he could obtain various wizardry spells or other essential knowledge through the Special Item Exchange Catalog or the Mission Evaluation Medal system.

This would significantly enhance his strength and provide a more sustainable, reliable, and targeted approach.

The Pirate King's treasure, in a sense, was more like an additional flourish.

Furthermore, Rain was about to advance to the Legendary Weapon Master profession, and his Wizard Apprentice profession had reached the third level.

Rain was confident that once he became a full-fledged wizard, the combination of these two legendary professions would greatly boost his strength.

On the sixth day, news from the naval fleet arrived.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end