Alright, the infiltration plan is ruined now...
Then again, if I didn't hide my strength and could use my magical items freely, even if the Captain, First Mate, and Second Mate all came at me, I'm confident I could wipe them out. But I can't do that. 'Black Sail' definitely knows when I became a Beyonder, after all, they even know about 'Butcher's' toothpick.
Knowing the approximate date I became a Beyonder, if I then displayed my Pyromaniac abilities, they'd wonder how I managed to advance to Sequence 7 in less than half a year.
Even if I could explain Acting, what about all those magical items? Many of them can't be bought. I can't exactly say I picked them up on the street, can I? Wow, the cannon fire is really loud.
Bang, bang, bang—
On the deck, deafening cannon fire and the smell of gunpowder filled the air. Lex, Edward, and two others were launching the small boat they had rowed from the dock earlier. They needed to use this boat to approach the pirate ship.
The Wavebreaker would draw the pirates' attention, but someone acted faster than them. As soon as the Wavebreaker began its bombardment, Quincy leaped into the water and disappeared.
Watching Lex and the others lower the small boat, watching them row around to the other side of the Sea battlefield, approaching the pirate ship from its stern, Ken Angus smiled and said loudly, "Hit them harder! Also, prepare for boarding!"
The Boatswain, Roger, walked over, adjusting his hat. "That young noble is more capable than I imagined."
The Captain produced another cigar from somewhere, cut it, lit it, and exhaled a puff of smoke. "From the information we've obtained, Mr. Lex's mother is also a Beyonder. Such a performance is not surprising."
"If he didn't have such abilities, his family wouldn't have sent him here."
Boatswain Roger said with a smile, "I have to say, the Church's intelligence is really good. We 'Black Sail' just started, and they've already inserted people."
"Without the support of the Storm Church and the Church of the Night Goddess, it would be difficult for us to establish 'Black Sail' against certain pressures. Those from Military Intelligence Section 9 are not happy to see another 'themselves' growing on the Sea, and those gentlemen from the Conservative Party also believe that what we are doing will intensify certain conflicts."
Ken bit his cigar and sneered, "Damn conflicts. Will conflicts disappear if we do nothing?"
"Oh, right, inform Vincent and the others to keep an eye on the new recruits. Only intervene to save them when their lives are in danger."
The Boatswain nodded and turned to leave.
Ken walked to the other side of the deck and saw Lex's small boat already approaching the pirate ship.
At the bottom of the pirate ship, Lex looked up at the several-meter-high hull. "Alright, the next question is, how do we get up?"
Edward stood up and said, "I can solve this problem. I'll climb up first, then lower a rope for you."
Lex stepped back and handed a coil of rope to Mr. Poet. Edward slung the rope over his left shoulder and took out a pair of gloves from his pocket. Lex noticed that the palms and fingertips of the gloves were covered in fine barbs.
He didn't know if it was a tool or a magical item. But Edward, using these gloves, effortlessly climbed the pirate ship like a gecko.
At the same time, the Wavebreaker had already closed in. As the two ships drew alongside, many Sailors from the Wavebreaker set up wooden planks with hooks on both sides of the gunwales, securing them with the hooks on the planks, and then charged across.
Some Sailors also directly grabbed ropes and swung from the mast, dropping from mid-air to ambush the pirates on the ship.
For a time, there was fighting everywhere on the pirate ship's deck.
Swords clashed fiercely, bullets whizzed back and forth, crates of cannonballs were haphazardly stacked on the deck, next to unmanned cannons.
When Lex climbed up using the rope Edward had thrown down, he saw a scene described in novels or newspapers.
"Our target is those big pirates, ignore these small fries." Lex said with clear intent. Just as he was looking for his prey, several screams suddenly rang out near the cabin entrance.
When Lex looked, he only saw splashes of crimson flying in the air. Several Sailors from the Wavebreaker retreated repeatedly. As they fell, large amounts of blood spurted from their chests.
And after the Sailors fell, Lex saw a man with a twisted expression and malevolence flowing in his eyes. His hands had sharp claws, and with a swing, he could easily snap even a mast!
Butcher!
Perhaps because it wasn't a full moon, this great pirate hadn't completely transformed into a Werewolf, but he possessed all the terrifying strength, agility, and speed that a Werewolf had.
In the blink of an eye, two more Sailors lay down forever. Although it deviated from his plan, Lex couldn't worry about that now.
"Edward!"
Lex called out, then charged towards the Werewolf, but he didn't sprint at full speed. He merely pointed Blood Praise at the Werewolf and fired a few shots.
Butcher's body swayed several times, taking a few shots to the shoulder and chest. The impact of the bullets made him retreat a few steps. After he stopped, his muscles wriggled, squeezing out the bullets embedded in his body.
Unfortunately, the Beyonder effects attached to the bullets could not be expelled from the body, so Butcher's chest bled continuously, and the wounds were difficult to heal, which was almost impossible for a Werewolf.
Coupled with a crimson flame inexplicably rising from his shoulder, and a sudden feeling of weakness, Butcher immediately understood: "These are injuries caused by a magical item?"
At this moment, Edward's melodious voice drifted across the deck.
"Ah, the menace of the threat, the crimson hope!
At least one thing is true: this life flies by.
One thing is true, all else is a lie,
The flower blooms once then will bid the world goodbye..." (Note 1)
Everyone around, both pirates and Sailors from the Wavebreaker, felt a momentary trance, as if they saw a serene lake surface under the moonlight. Their eyelids immediately felt heavy as if weighed down by a thousand pounds, and a wave of sleepiness washed over them.
For a moment.
Everyone around Lex fell to the ground with thuds.
Not far from Lex, in the shadow of some clutter, a small man also collapsed to the ground. Lex glanced at him and his eyelids immediately twitched.
This was the pirate ship's Second Mate, 'Silver Tongue', who had been hiding in the nearby shadows, and Lex hadn't noticed him. This was an 'Assassin's' ability; they are always good at hiding in shadows.
If not for Edward's 'Poem' assistance, Lex might have been backstabbed by him!
Lex secretly rejoiced.
Fortunately, when they came, he and Edward had already discussed the chanting order of the 'Poem'.
Edward mastered three different types of poems: one for inducing sleep, one for improving teammates' Physique, and one for slowing down enemies' actions.
Having dealt with 'lunatic' and 'Werewolf' before, Lex knew that these two types of Beyonder could resist mental influences, and the sleep-inducing 'Poem' would be greatly discounted on them.
But considering there was also an 'Instigator' on board, and without being able to guarantee that the 'Instigator' would leave the deck, Lex had the 'Poet' first chant the sleep-inducing poem.
This decision was now proving effective!
With the 'Instigator' collapsed nearby, Lex naturally lowered his elbow, pointed Blood Praise at the pirate Second Mate's head, and squeezed the trigger.