Mystery: I Married the Queen of Mystery

Old York, the owner of the general store, noticed a marking resembling a lion etched on one of the cannons, the insignia of the "Red Lion" pirate crew.

Old York almost blurted out, "These are 'Red Lion' cannons!"

The surrounding pirates watching the spectacle were surprised, as they had all heard that the "Red Lion" pirates had recently fought a major battle with the "Sea Wolf" pirates nearby, and it was said that the "Red Lion" pirates had taken a bit of a loss.

However, the so-called "bit of a loss" usually meant slightly more damage to the ship's hull or a few more deaths, not the capture of so many cannons!

To have sixteen cannons seized was not just a "bit of a loss," but a crippling blow.

One of the pirates asked Odis, "How did you do it?"

Odis was taken aback, "How did I do what?"

"How did you steal so many cannons from the 'Red Lion' pirates?"

Odis smiled, "Couldn't it be my spoils of war?"

The pirate was visibly stunned for a moment, glancing towards the harbor, "Do you have another ship?"

"No."

"Hahaha…"

"Hehehe…"

Odis's answer drew laughter and sneers from many of the pirates.

They had all seen Odis unloading the cannons from that small sea vessel, while the "Red Lion" pirate crew had a large pirate ship, and Taylor himself had a bounty of 6,800 pounds.

Moreover, the pirate crew had a total of three ships, each much larger than Odis's.

The pirate who had asked the question suddenly drew his sword, "Your answer better be a joke, or don't blame me for being rude."

Drawing a sword and pointing it at someone was a unique form of communication among pirates, sometimes even involving pointing guns at each other.

This pirate had a sword, while Odis did not, so in this "exchange," everyone felt that the pirate was the dominant one.

Before Odis could say anything, Old York interjected, "Put your sword away. This is a general store, not a fighting arena."

The owner of the general store quietly observed the "Argo" docked at the pier, and then looked intently at Odis.

He then glared at the pirates, indicating that he sided with the young man.

The pirate snorted coldly, but obediently sheathed his sword, knowing the background of Old York and his general store, and not daring to fight there.

Odis ignored the pirate and asked Old York, "Old man, what's your price?"

"As we discussed before, 20 pounds for each cannon, and the other supplies aren't worth much," Old York said.

"All the items together are worth at most 350 pounds, but you seem new to this area. Let's be friends, I'll give you 400 pounds."

The watching pirates were slightly taken aback, as Old York rarely offered such generous prices.

Some pirates were already speculating that the young man with the leather bag around his waist was very strong and had truly crippled the "Red Lion" pirate crew, as Old York's eyes were always accurate in judging people.

However, most pirates thought that it was because Odis looked fair and clean, unlike most pirates who had seen a lot of storms and had rough, dark skin, leaving a good impression on Old York, which was why he was lucky enough to get an extra 50 pounds.

Some pirates were already eyeing the 400 pounds, as this was already a fortune in a small port city like Chackle Island.

Odis didn't expect to sell the supplies for much money. Besides keeping some canned goods for himself, he didn't care how much the unloaded supplies would sell for.

"Thank you," Odis said with a smile.

He quickly received 400 pounds in cash and returned to the "Argo."

…

In a narrow alley in Chackle Harbor.

Bartholomew, carrying a leather bag, knocked on a dark-colored door.

The door was opened by a middle-aged man in his forties, covered in tattoos.

He was somewhat surprised to see Bartholomew, let him into the house, and then closed the door before whispering, "I just heard a couple of days ago that you were in Byam."

Bartholomew placed the leather bag on the table, "I joined another pirate ship and am currently the first mate of the 'Sword of Dawn' pirate crew."

The middle-aged man was even more surprised, but then he smiled in relief, "That's right, it's been several years, and there's still no hope of avenging Taylor's death."

He sighed, "Maybe it's time to give up…"

Bartholomew smiled, "The reason I joined this ship is because the captain promised to help me get revenge."

The tattooed middle-aged man was stunned, "You believe that?"

Bartholomew didn't speak, but opened the leather bag and took out Taylor's head.

The middle-aged man's emotions went from surprise to anger to joy in a couple of seconds, and finally his eyes filled with tears, "You really did it."

"Yes, I did it, with the help of the new captain," Bartholomew said, "I killed Taylor with my own hands, watching his blood flow into the sea."

The middle-aged man smiled, "Today is a good day, we should have a good drink. Let's go, I'll treat you, you can drink whatever you want."

"Wait a moment, I have one more thing," Bartholomew put the head back into the leather bag, "This is a very strong captain, and has the backing of 'Element Dawn', and is also a good person, very worth following.

"So I hope you can find the others and go to Byam to await the new captain's orders."

The middle-aged man nodded, "Okay, I'll leave tomorrow… no, tonight."

Since they were still staying on the sea, it meant they still hoped to find opportunities in the Violent Sea, which was why Bartholomew recommended them to Odis.

For these ordinary pirates, being able to join a strong captain was a very good opportunity.

Bartholomew had the man go to the bar to wait for him, as he still had to deliver Taylor's and his crew's heads to the military contact.

…

Odis found Elijah in the "Argo's" card room, playing chess with a student.

After calling the old navigator to the conference room, Odis said, "I have something to ask you."

As he spoke, the two sat on either side of the conference table.

Elijah, with his white beard, asked, "What is it?"

"I want to learn about Krus Island," Odis had seen the island on the sea chart, but didn't know the specific situation.

"That island is far from the main shipping lanes," Elijah recalled, "There's a small town on the island that pirates and refugees built decades ago, but it's not very big, and there are no valuable specialties. Pirates usually don't want to visit it."

Odis smiled slightly, further confirming his guess, and asked, "How big is the island roughly? What is the population? What are the pillar industries?"

Seeing the captain asking in such detail, Elijah further replied, "Krus Island is actually not small, but there are many mountains on the island.

"In the mountains, there live many highly aggressive natives. The people living in the town often clash with the natives.

"The island is divided into three types of people. One group is pirates and refugees from various countries. They are the builders of the town. Because they have firearms, they basically rule the island.

"The second group is the natives who have accepted the rule of the people from the North Continent. Most of them live by the sea, in about a dozen villages.

"The third group is the natives who constantly clash with the people from the North Continent. They live in the deep mountains and are said to have dozens of villages of all sizes.

"The exact population of the entire island is hard to estimate, but it should be around thirty to forty thousand."

Elijah recalled and added, "As for the island's industries… on Krus Island, there are only farmers and fishermen. There is some fertile land by the sea, but in the Violent Sea, the one thing that is not lacking is grain."

Although grain prices in some large cities in the North Continent are sometimes relatively high, in the Violent Sea, on the islands that the gentlemen consider to be barbaric lands, crops can be harvested two to three times a year.

The process of growing grain here is simply scattering some seeds in the ground and then not caring much about it.

Because even without much management, there is enough to eat, and there are many fruits on the tropical islands to fill the stomach. When there is leisure, one can also go out to sea to fish.

There is no need to worry about food, but this is definitely not a paradise, because many people die from natural disasters every year, causing huge economic losses.

The natives who usually live by the sea have to rebuild their houses two or three times a year.

If pirates visit often, family members are easily killed and robbed.

Thinking of this, Odis asked, "Does the island have a port?"

"There is a small port," Elijah said, "It can only dock small ships."

Odis pondered for a moment, "How about we go and take a look at that island?"

Elijah paused for a moment, suddenly understanding, "You want to make that island your base?"

For great pirates, it is not necessary to have their own fixed base, but if there is a hidden or remote island to hide in, it would be ideal.

Pirate ships cannot sail on the sea forever, and pirates cannot never enter ports, but no matter what kind of port they dock in, there is a certain risk, after all, it is someone else's territory.

Having a base of your own allows you to dock there for a period of time and rest properly.

If you offend someone you shouldn't, you can also hide there and disappear for a while.

This is why treasure maps often appear in the Violent Sea, precisely because some great pirates have established their own secret base and hidden many of their gains there.

That place becomes a treasure.

Most pirates who spend their lives on the sea have relatively short lifespans, and the legendary "Great Pirates" are no exception.

For example, during a voyage, a pirate crew might be attacked or encounter extremely bad weather. In any case, the captain dies!

The first thing the captain's subordinates would do is return to their base and divide the captain's wealth.

But the problem is that there is no trust among pirates.

When there is a captain, everyone can barely cooperate. Without a captain, they almost scatter in all directions.

Moreover, whether it's a naval battle or bad weather that kills the captain, there won't be many survivors. The pirate ship might even sink or become unusable.

In such a situation, it's difficult for the survivors to return to their base on their own. If they can't cooperate, they will easily end up cooperating with other pirates or adventurers.

At this time, a treasure map is something that can be used to gather other forces to cooperate.

Of course, most of the treasure maps circulating on the sea are fake. People are often fooled because, in everyone's mind, every great pirate must have their own secret base where all the wealth they plundered is stored.

However, the truth is that only a few great pirates have their own secret bases because there are not many islands that meet the criteria for a secret base.

In the meeting room of the "Argo," Odis saw that Yileize had guessed his thoughts. He neither admitted nor denied it, but simply asked, "What do you think?"

Yileize stroked his gray beard and thought for a moment, "If the 'Argo' were an ordinary ship, then Cruz Island, though hidden, would be too remote and inconvenient."

"But for the 'Argo,' it doesn't matter."

After all, this new type of ship, when sailing at full speed yesterday, traveled more than four hundred nautical miles in twelve hours. With such speed, no matter where the 'Sword of Dawn's' secret base is, it can't be considered remote.

Yileize said, "We can go take a look at the port there."

Odis nodded. "Okay."

The two got up, and Odis put his hand on Yileize's shoulder. They used the "Travel Ring" to arrive at a deserted beach on Cruz Island.

Odis first used an "Invisibility Scroll" to hide himself and Yileize. Then, he used a "Flight Scroll," while Yileize, as a "Wind-Blessed," could already fly.

The two flew towards the port at low altitude.

While flying, Odis looked up at the interior of Cruz Island.

As Yileize said, the island has many mountains, and these mountains are relatively tall. Odis couldn't even see the other side of the island.

Odis noticed that such peaks were unusual. Generally speaking, islands in the sea do not have very high mountains.

Most islands are formed by volcanic activity, so the mountains on those islands are relatively gentle, after all, they are built up little by little by lava.

But the mountains in front of Odis were different. Several of them were somewhat majestic and imposing, and in some places, hard rocks could be seen.

This led Odis to make a preliminary judgment that the island was likely once part of the mainland. When the land connecting the North and South continents collapsed at the end of the Fourth Era, when the 'Nether Emperor' fell, some high mountains formed islands.

Odis believed that this place should have been at a relatively high elevation during the Fourth Era, so even when the land collapsed, these mountains remained above the sea.

Lost in thought, Odis and Yileize arrived at the port.

The shape of this port is very special. It is a crescent shape with a large gap on the sea-facing side.

It looked as if a meteorite had fallen, creating a meteorite crater here, forming a circular lake connected to the sea.

In this way, the seawater in the port is relatively calm, making it a good place for small boats.

But the disadvantage is that it is easy for the enemy to trap you in the port.

The dock on the shore is small, with only some fishing boats and small boats docked there.

On the inner side of the port, there is a small town built against the mountain, which is not very large in scale.

Yileize looked carefully and said, "The 'Argo' can dock in this port, but large ships can't get in."

This is relatively advantageous for the "Argo." Even if the enemy traps the "Argo" in the port, they won't be able to enter.

Odis also smiled and said, "This place is good."

The two looked at the small dock again and then returned to the "Argo."

Odis sat in front of the nautical chart and pondered for a moment, then said to Yileize beside him, "I'll go to the bar again."

Currently, there is an excellent reason to enter this island.

Odis came to the bar again, and at the entrance, he indeed saw the young man and the two natives still waiting there.

The young man, who was obviously a Luenese, immediately greeted Odis when he saw him and said, "Sir, are you going to help us?"

Odis just smiled and said, "Let's talk on the beach over there first."

The three petitioners, with injured faces and wearing local clothes, followed Odis's pace.

Odis asked the young man, "What's your name?"

"Donahue Sasso," the young man replied immediately.

At this time, the group had already arrived at a deserted beach. Odis, who was walking in front, suddenly asked, "Which pirate group wants to plunder Cruz Island?"

The young Donahue quickly said, "The 'Deep Blue' pirate group."

Odis turned to look at the three petitioners. "Now you can tell me the truth, right? What good things did you find on the island? Why do the pirates suddenly want to loot Cruz Island?"

No mistake, one first, one release, one inside, one content, one look, one look!

Donahue immediately denied, "We didn't find anything. They... they just want to kill people and set fires."

Odis smiled. "It seems you don't know much about pirates. Pirates don't kill people and set fires for the sake of killing people and setting fires, but to plunder wealth.

"Moreover, the 'Deep Blue' pirate group is not an ordinary pirate group. Captain Egbert is a 'Great Pirate,' and it is said that his flagship, the 'Ghost,' is a ghost ship.

"For such a pirate, as long as it is not on an island on the main sea route, he can kill people wherever he wants. There is no need to go to such a remote place to carry out a massacre.

"Unless the people of Cruz Island are particularly fun to kill."

He had obtained information about the "Deep Blue" pirate group at the intelligence exchange meeting.

Donahue swallowed and didn't speak immediately.

"I'll give you ten seconds to think about how to answer my question just now," Odis said.

"If I don't help you, what you found on the island will also be taken away."

After speaking, Odis took out his pocket watch and watched the second hand tick.

This action gave Donahue and the other two a great sense of oppression.

Moreover, what Odis said made sense. If he didn't help, basically no one else would be willing to help them.

Donahue remained silent for seven or eight seconds before finally deciding, "Please don't tell anyone."

Odis nodded. "Okay, speak."

Donahue looked around to make sure no one was there before whispering, "We found an iron mine in the mountains with very good quality."

Odis frowned, thinking that this was still not very reasonable.

It's not that the discovery of an iron mine is unreasonable. The mountains on the island were mountains on the mainland before, so it's normal to find mineral deposits.

However, a pirate group is unlikely to be interested in an iron mine. Odis thought for a moment and felt that it was possible that the forces behind Egbert were interested in the iron mine, so he didn't interrupt Donahue.

Donahue continued, "The 'Deep Blue' pirate group occasionally rests on Cruz Island. There are people on the island who belong to them, and some have always hoped to go to sea with them.

"So, not long after the iron mine was discovered, the 'Deep Blue' pirate group found out.

"They want to capture all the young and middle-aged people on the island to be slaves and secretly develop the iron mine.

"In order to avoid becoming slaves in the iron mine, we came out to seek help."

Odis pondered for a moment and then shook his head. "The Luenese on Cruz Island should be the mayor, sheriff, and so on. Would you also be captured to be slaves?"

Without waiting for Donahue to answer, Odis continued, "Is the mayor trying to compete with the 'Deep Blue' pirate group for the development rights of the iron mine, right?"

Many times, Odis can easily deduce the truth or falsehood of information. It's not necessarily because he has relevant professional knowledge, but because he understands human nature better.

Donahue was stunned. "No... it's not."

Odis looked into the young man's eyes. "This is already the second lie I've heard from you. From this point alone, you are very insincere.

"I suggest you continue to wait in the bar. Perhaps someone will take the initiative to help you."

After speaking, Odis pretended to leave.

Donahue quickly said, "Please wait a moment."

"Our island is too poor. My father is the mayor, but he can't even come up with 200 pounds.

"Finally, there is a chance to make a fortune…"

Odis interrupted him. "I have no interest in your experiences."

"We really need your help," Donahue said.

Odis said, "I don't want to hear any more lies."

Donahue quickly said, "I will never lie again."

"Well, tell me what's going on."

Donahue took a deep breath and said to the two people behind him, "You guys go wait for me at the entrance of the bar first."

One of the two natives questioned, "Is what this gentleman is saying true? You didn't fall out with the 'Deep Blue' pirate crew to prevent us from becoming slaves.

It's just because…"

"Enough!" Donahue interrupted, "We've already killed Egbert's men. When Egbert returns, I'll suffer a worse fate than you!"

The native who had asked the question was stunned for a moment, realizing that it was indeed the case, so he returned to the bar area as Donahue instructed.

Once they were far enough away, Donahue said, "Sir, you guessed correctly. Our dispute with the 'Deep Blue' pirate crew was indeed over how to divide the spoils.

Egbert's men attacked first. They planned to kill us all and capture the natives themselves to mine.

Fortunately, my father was prepared. Although we lost more than a dozen men, we managed to eliminate Egbert's men.

If Egbert doesn't receive a response from his subordinates, it won't be long before he comes here himself.

We have no choice but to come out and seek help."

Odis nodded. "So, you originally intended to cooperate with Egbert.

You would provide the manpower, and Egbert would contact the buyers."

Donahue was stunned for a moment before saying, "Yes."

He didn't expect this gentleman to guess so accurately, making him completely afraid to lie anymore.

Odis pondered for a moment and then asked, "I heard that the town on Cruise Island was built by pirates and refugees?"

"Yes, it was basically built by my grandfather's generation."

"What is the approximate population of people from the Northern Continent on the island?"

"About a thousand people."

Odis understood the situation. He said, "I can help you, but keep your money. As a reward for dealing with a 'great pirate' like Egbert, it's too meager."

He paused and said, "The reward I want is to be your town chief."

Donahue opened his mouth wide. After a long while, he asked, "You… you also want to develop that iron mine?"

"I'm not very interested in the iron mine, at least not right now," Odis said. "I want to build Cruise Island into my stronghold.

You mine your ore, and I'll be my pirate."

He smiled and said, "Being a pirate is more profitable than mining."

Donahue almost immediately said, "Okay, I agree."

"Are you agreeing on behalf of yourself, or on behalf of Cruise Island?" Odis didn't expect the other party to agree so readily.

"On behalf of Cruise Island," Donahue said. "We have no way out, and Egbert will definitely return to Cruise Island by next week at the latest.

Therefore, before leaving, my father gave me this authority."

After killing the men sent by the "Great Pirate" Egbert, the Rune people on Cruise Island split into two groups. One group blamed Donahue's father for being so impulsive. They had fled into the mountains or to the surrounding islands to escape Egbert's slaughter.

The other group is currently actively preparing to resist the "Deep Blue" pirate crew.

They are very clear that this iron mine is a very important asset for themselves and their descendants. As long as the iron mine is in the hands of Cruise Island, there will be endless wealth.

These people are all descendants of pirates and refugees. They generally have a gambler's mentality. For them, this matter is not about whether it is dangerous or not, but whether they have bet correctly.

However, Donahue's father, the son of a pirate captain, is also an extraordinary person.

He is very clear about the gap between ordinary people and extraordinary people. All the people on the entire island combined are not a match for the "Deep Blue" pirate crew.

So he sent his son out to find helpers.

After hearing Donahue's words, Odis said, "Okay, then it's settled. Pack your luggage, get on my ship, and we'll set off in the evening."

Donahue quickly bowed. "Thank you, thank you."

He quickly called the two natives to pack up and wait for Odis at the dock.

At this time, it was about five o'clock in the afternoon. The sun had fallen to the west of the sky, and the sea looked a little peaceful.

Many people on the dock noticed that a medium-sized pirate ship was heading towards the dock. The ship seemed to have suffered serious damage, and even the mast looked a little shaky.

…

Odis didn't return to the ship immediately, but went into the bar.

As soon as he entered, a drunk patron with a bulbous nose laughed and said, "Look, the person who attacked the 'Red Lion' pirate crew and seized more than a dozen cannons is here."

Everyone laughed along, but they didn't follow the patron's sarcasm, because the "Argo" had the flag of "Dawn of Elements," and they weren't too afraid to offend Odis.

However, they really didn't believe that the fair-skinned young man in front of them had severely damaged the "Red Lion" pirate crew.

Odis ignored the patron and came to the bar, taking out a 5-penny coin. "Another glass of white beer for me."

"Okay, sir," the bartender took the money and went to pour Odis a drink.

The patron with the red, bulbous nose felt a little embarrassed. He swayed over with his glass. "Tell me, how did you attack the 'Red Lion' pirate crew?"

Odis glanced at the other person. "If you delay my drinking, I'll knock your molars out onto the ground."

The surrounding patrons laughed together again. The bulbous-nosed patron laughed and said, "Really? I…"

Odis suddenly threw a punch, cleanly knocking the bulbous-nosed patron back two or three meters, overturning a table.

As the patron landed, several bloody molars also fell to the ground.

For a moment, the entire bar fell silent. Even the person whose wine had just been spilled didn't make a sound, because Odis's punch was too fast, and no one was confident that they could dodge it.

The bulbous-nosed patron also didn't dare to make a sound, spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva and limping out of the bar.

Odis sat down again and then flicked a 1-sou coin towards the bartender. "This is for the damage to that table."

The bartender quickly caught it. "Okay, sir."

Because the bar suddenly became quiet, everyone heard someone shouting loudly at the dock.

Odis took a sip of beer and asked the bartender, "Where can I find adventurers with 'special abilities'?"

The bartender quickly replied, "There are not many adventurers with 'special abilities' in this city. You can go to Delynius Island."

Delynius Island is an island on the main trade route. There is a medium-sized city there, and more adventurers seeking opportunities gather there.

Odis politely thanked him. "Thank you."

At this time, the conversation in the bar gradually resumed, and the patrons all noticed that the shouts at the dock were getting louder and louder.

One patron said with some annoyance, "What are those sons of bitches yelling about?"

A patron sitting by the window looked out. "It seems that a ship has lost control and is rushing towards the dock."

The laughter of the patrons in the bar suddenly grew louder, and many patrons had even gone to the dock to watch the excitement.

After a while, a drunk man shouted loudly as he came back, "It's 'Red Lion'! It's the 'Red Lion' pirate crew's ship! Taylor is dead, and only 8 of the crew survived!"

The bar suddenly fell silent, and everyone looked at the young figure at the bar.

Odis sat at the bar, quietly drinking his beer.

A reader friend said that using a computer to read books, can not see the group number, so the author Jun sent here.

The reader group number of this book is: 982200895

Welcome everyone to join the group to communicate.