I Ascend to the Divine Throne through Arcane Means

Pearl Sea outer sea, Mord Commerce merchant ship.

The sky was overcast, and the sea breeze above the ocean was somewhat

Captain Hoel's face was somber as he commanded his crew to hoist the sails, doing everything possible to increase the speed of his merchant ship.

The entire deck was a scene of chaos, with the sailors' faces showing a hint of fear and dread as they desperately made preparations for defense.

The cause of all this was the pirate ship that closely followed behind, waving a skull and crossbones flag that unabashedly proclaimed its sinister intent.

"Hurry it up, and if it really comes to it, throw the heaviest cargo overboard!"

Hoel, manning the ship's wheel, ordered his crew nervously.

At that moment, he could no longer care about the losses. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire

God, Hoel was just an ordinary captain for Mord Commerce, and this merchant ship merely carried goods between the Coastal Islands; why would pirates target his ship?

Wouldn't it be better to intercept those long-distance vessels laden with goods instead?

Hoel felt very uncomfortable because only he himself on this ship possessed the Silver Level strength; the rest of the sailors were either at Bronze Level or just ordinary people.

There was simply no way to fend off an attack from a band of pirates!

If it had been before, Hoel might have given up struggling.

Because of the presence of the Boditch Kingdom Navy, these pirates would not dare to be too rampant. Generally speaking, Hoel's rather ordinary merchant ship, which didn't have much wealth, would end up giving some gold coins to the pirates and that would be the end of it.

Although it would be painfully costly, at least they wouldn't lose their lives or become slaves.

Even the pirates wouldn't reject this sensible act; after all, being too rampant could easily provoke pursuit from the navy.

In the Pearl Sea, the Boditch Kingdom Navy was still the strongest force.

But now, the situation had changed!

The full-scale withdrawal of the Kingdom Navy's influence had unleashed more and more pirates' ambitions and greed.

After testing and finding out that the navy had indeed given up sailing, many pirates completely disregarded the unwritten rules they once adhered to.

No matter the situation, they would skin and strip their prey, draining the last drop of blood.

Recently, Hoel had heard about many similar incidents from other places. Although this did not mean that all pirates were like that, Hoel dared not gamble.

That was his life at stake!

The pursuing pirate ship was getting closer and closer to them, a mere two hundred meters away; Hoel could even see the pirate leader on the bow, waving his cutlass.

That man was brazenly shouting toward Hoel's merchant ship:

"Damn scum, you still dare to run?"

"Stop for the great Hett right now, or I'll throw you all into the sea to feed the sharks!"

Hoel heard it loud and clear and was even less inclined to stop.

He had never heard of this pirate's name before, indicating he was a new pirate force that had entered the Pearl Sea.

It was people like him who were the most ruthless and had no bottom line.

Hoel's face turned pale, and the sailors on the ship were still making a final effort, trying to make the ship beneath their feet run a bit faster.

"Captain!"

The sailor stationed in the crow's nest observing their surroundings shouted down to Hoel:

"Another ship has appeared just ahead on the diagonal!"

"What?"

Hoel was a bit surprised; he had been focusing on the pirate ship closely pursuing them and did not expect another ship would appear ahead.

Just don't be an enemy!

Hoel quickly picked up the telescope and looked in the direction the sailor had indicated.

He saw a merchant ship about the same size as theirs approaching their direction.

The flag flying from its mast was that of an eagle, presumably indicative of the merchant ship's affiliating power.

It's good that it's not another pirate ship!

Although Hoel did not recognize the eagle flag as belonging to any of the major powers he was aware of.

Hoel was an experienced captain and immediately recognized it as a medium to small merchant ship like theirs, which would likely likewise not have any strong Professionals on board.

Watching the ship quickly approach, Hoel felt puzzled.

"That ship... seems to be moving a bit too fast, doesn't it?"

In Hoel's view, the merchant ship that had been but a tiny dot a moment ago had suddenly expanded several times larger.

It was moving much faster than the pirate ship behind them!

"Captain, that ship is heading towards us, what should we do?"

The sailor in the crow's nest shouted loudly, his voice tinged with urgency.

"Send a signal with flags!"

"Tell them we need help!"

Hoel did not hesitate and immediately issued the order.

No matter what, the appearance of this helper meant a concentration of forces that might be able to stand against the relentlessly pursuing pirate ship.

Hopefully, they could secure a chance to negotiate!

The sailor in the crow's nest quickly waved the flags in his hands, conveying a message to the incoming merchant ship using common semaphore signals.

Even though the action might be noticed by the pirate ship behind them, Hoel and his crew had no other choice.

The sailor repeated the flag signal several times in the strengthening sea breeze, but there was no response from the approaching merchant ship, which instead continued closing in even more rapidly.

On the blue ocean, rippled by waves, the swift merchant ship was slicing through the water, its white wake speaking to its rapid advancement.

Hoel, too, noticed this and was left stunned, standing aghast on the spot.