Chapter 393: Hunting Preparations
Temple Port, also known as the "City of Sailors" and the "City of Elves," earned its first name because it served as the gateway to the Sea of Mists and was the largest harbor in the southern continent. Seventy percent of its permanent residents were sailors or people who made their living from maritime trade.
Its second name came from the fact that it had once been the capital of the Elven Kingdom of Temple.
According to the game's lore, after the Elf King Alfred was defeated by the gods, his descendants fled here with their people and managed to hold out for around forty years. In the end, however, they couldn't withstand the advance of the human armies and escaped into the depths of the Sea of Mists with countless elven treasures. That hoard became one of the most famous maritime treasures—the Treasure of the Temple Kingdom.
Zhou Ning had read about this treasure in the background information during the War of the Gods simulation. The Lucky Clover, which he had once found both tempting and disappointing, was said to have come from this very treasure—back when he was known as Pirate King Zhou Ning.
Because the main faith in this port city was that of the Sea God, it had already been mentioned before that the deity not only ruled over the seas and currents but was also the patron god of sailors, courtesans, and prostitutes.
That was why Temple Port's nightlife was just beginning to heat up. When Zhou Ning packed his belongings and left his cabin to disembark, the deck was already crowded with passengers waiting to go ashore. Since official entry required identity verification, the line moved slowly.
At that moment, Richie Burke emerged from below deck. He came up beside Zhou Ning, gazed at the glittering, neon-lit port, and chuckled. "Heading down tonight too? Wanna hit the red-light district together? Back when I was a pirate, I sneaked in here a few times. The girls here dress up as priestesses of the Sea God Church—it's quite the experience. The only problem is that they play their roles too well. Sometimes they act so devout, I start worrying they really are priestesses who'll recognize me as a pirate and arrest me in bed."
If Richie Burke were actually caught naked like that, he'd instantly become a legend in the pirate world—famous enough to change planets and start anew.
Zhou Ning couldn't help but want to laugh, but he simply shook his head expressionlessly. "I have other plans tonight."
While disembarking, he spotted two men in black who looked like bodyguards escorting a plump, middle-aged gentleman who was also preparing to go ashore.
The man wore a red coat, his blond hair neatly combed back. Zhou Ning noticed the man's hand bore a large emerald ring—possibly a space-type artifact of unknown origin.
Zhou Ning didn't pay much attention to it. While waiting in line, he opened the forums and browsed the day's professional league results.
Three rounds had taken place over the past two days. The Wolf-Dog Squad, in whom he'd placed high hopes, had mostly advanced smoothly—except for XB, who had been knocked out in the fourth round by a knight. Jinse, Sunken Star Beneath the Water, and Wrath of Thunder-Chasing Winds had all advanced without issue.
In the fifth round, Jinse even defeated another top player from the Star Moon Club—the Mammoth Fruit user Moonlight Star—once again proving her strength.
Other major contenders, like Big Wave of Heat and Super Powerful Bluecat, also advanced easily. With so many players showing off their skills in the preliminaries, nearly seventy to eighty percent had already been eliminated. After a few more rounds, the intense Top 64 stage would begin, ushering in best-of-three matches.
As match quality improved, the win rate of Wandering Gunslingers had finally started to drop—but they still dominated with an impressive 61.8% win rate. Zhou Ning casually shared the update, riding the wave of popularity.
Just then, he noticed Richie Burke had gone still, his expression slightly tense.
Richie's eyes were fixed on a spot in the harbor.
Zhou Ning tilted his head toward him, silently asking, What's wrong?
"I think I just saw Sea Serpent Steinbeck…"
"He's the second mate on the Wind General."
"The Wind General?" Zhou Ning frowned slightly. It was rare for pirate generals to enter major ports like this, but not impossible—perhaps he'd come for the upcoming Supernatural Gathering.
Following the line down the gangway, Zhou Ning inevitably ran into a few local players. When they recognized him, they rubbed their eyes in disbelief before swarming toward him excitedly.
Soon after, a new post titled 'Wayne Sturwell Sighted in Temple Port!' appeared on the forums—and quickly exploded in popularity.
This was a mid-level zone where most players had already completed their job transfers, so the main activity was buying general skills. After briefly entertaining a few fans, Zhou Ning followed the street signs and found a tavern called The Old Battle Rat.
It was a typical sailor-style name, full of grim humor. Outside the tavern stood a notice board filled with postings—ship recruitment notices alongside a dense array of bounty posters.
At the top was the Northern Pirate Emperor, "Lord of Weather" Valentine, with a bounty of 600,000 Vecktas. Below were the Three Kings and Five Pirate Generals, with bounties ranging from 100,000 to 300,000. Further down were smaller pirate captains and crew members. In a less noticeable corner, Zhou Ning even found Richie Burke's name—worth a modest 500 Vecktas, about the same as a reindeer.
"Heh." Zhou Ning chuckled, shaking his head as he pushed open the tavern door. The Old Battle Rat was the most famous gathering place for adventurers and sailors in Temple Port. He planned to make preparations and see if he could gather intel on high-tier creatures—just in case tonight's hunt didn't go smoothly.
A wave of heat and noise hit him as he stepped inside.
At the center stood a raised platform, about eight feet wide and ten long, fenced in by railings. Two marmots were locked in a fierce brawl, shoving and biting at each other while a rowdy crowd of sailors cheered them on. Below the ring, two plates were piled high with betting money. Around them, adventurers whispered quietly, trading rumors.
"Go, Gary! Bite it to death!"
"Come on, Tom, you're the best!"
Zhou Ning wasn't interested in that kind of spectacle. His gaze swept the room and settled on a middle-aged man in a pirate hat with black mutton chops sitting in a corner.
In a heavily guarded port like Temple, how had a pirate like him even slipped in?
Using Observation Haki, Zhou Ning could tell the man's strength was at least at the transcendent level—but he posed no threat to Zhou Ning.
Several burly sailors sat around him, all radiating strong auras. They clearly weren't ordinary men.
Just then, a sailor pushed open the tavern door and approached the man, whispering:
"Sir… someone saw the flagship of the King of Ravidus near the eastern Grant Island. It's anchored there now—his destination might be Temple Port."
"Saroyan came too?" The man frowned. "Let's get back to the sea. If anything happens, we leave immediately."
"What're you looking at?" One of the sailors at the table noticed Zhou Ning's gaze, slammed the table, and stood up. But when Zhou Ning merely lifted his head and gave him a calm look, the man froze in terror and slumped back into his seat, pale and trembling. Even the middle-aged pirate beside him felt the pressure, gripping the table in shock.
Between Zhou Ning's 100% intimidation effect on pirates and the additional 20% boost from his First Emperor title, ordinary pirates couldn't withstand even a glance from him.
The King of Ravidus?
Zhou Ning ignored the stunned sailor and the wary look from the pirate captain. Frowning, he thought to himself—it was strange. He'd just heard that name yesterday, and now the man's fleet was nearby. Was this the "protagonist's halo" at work?
Honestly, Zhou Ning had no desire to run into the King of Ravidus. A demigod-level pirate lord like that was bound to have his own trump cards.
Even with his own ace—the White Emperor's Descent card that made him nearly invincible in naval battles—it wasn't guaranteed victory. Reality wasn't a game; sometimes, reason had to outweigh recklessness.
The middle-aged pirate captain put down his glass, stood up, and, as he passed Zhou Ning, shot him a long, thoughtful look before leading his men out of the tavern.
What are you staring at? Zhou Ning almost wanted to say the old meme aloud, but remembering his current persona, he simply stayed quiet and lingered in the tavern a while longer.
To be fair, the drinks here were excellent. The famous brewing island of Cristatia lay just west of Temple Port, sending fresh champagne shipments daily. From here, they were distributed across the continent.
The Cristatia Champagne that Zhou Ning had once tried at Browne Lambert's—a rare one that could slightly boost mental attributes—was reasonably priced here.
After removing his ring, he downed three to four glasses, earning a +1 to his Spirit stat. He stopped there, satisfied.
Unfortunately, he hadn't picked up any valuable intel during his stay. The adventurers here were more obsessed with rumors of lost treasures than with the real dangers of the sea. The only remotely useful information was vague at best: someone had supposedly seen a sea monster's shadow southwest of Temple Port.
The problem was, the ocean was full of sea monsters—what he needed was one of the transcendent kind.
Zhou Ning shook his head slightly, checked his pocket watch—it was already 10:40.
He set down his glass and walked out of the tavern, returning to the docks. The harbor was still brightly lit. If he summoned the Ghost Ship now, far too many would see it.
Using Observation Haki, he confirmed that no one was around, nor was anyone paying attention to him.
After a moment of thought, he opened his wardrobe interface and switched to his Dark Knight Zhou Ning outfit.
In an instant, he was clad in pitch-black armor, a dark mask covering everything but his mouth and jaw. His chest bore the insignia of a bat, and a serrated black cape fluttered behind him in the night wind—like a great bat emerging from the darkness.
The hunt was about to begin.
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