Pirate Kingship

The Blood Moon slowly rose.

Deep within the vast forest, there were no villages, no signs of human activity, no fields or farms, just a small house built under three oak trees.

In many places on the ground, wild grass had grown, and climbing ivy covered half of the wall.

Only the dim orange light inside the house slightly dispelled the eerie and terrifying atmosphere of the dark forest beneath the Blood Moon, exuding a rare warmth, peace, and tranquility like a harbor in a storm.

It was also the only light in this forest.

"Look, there’s a light over there."

"There really is, that’s great, we can finally find someone to ask for directions."

A sudden noise broke the quiet night.

A slave-catcher team of seven or eight people burst out of the forest, equipped with nets, catapults, crossbows, and flintlock guns, their faces lighting up with joy when they saw the forest cabin.

The middle-aged leader also sighed in relief:

"All because of chasing that escaped slave, we got lost in the mountains and forests and accidentally entered this forbidden area that we were repeatedly warned not to enter.

Once we find someone to ask for directions, we need to get out quickly and forget about that trouble-making slave who’s caused so much harm and escaped.

With the strict orders from Master Wizard, the estate manager Mr. Smith should understand our hardships in losing track of that escaped slave, right? He should..."

But as he spoke, he became less certain by the end.

The others also had ambiguous expressions and internally answered the leader’s question:

"Probably, maybe, most likely not. After all...

Last night, he was eagerly expecting his wife to give birth to a child, either a daughter or a son, but when he held it, it was... pitch black?!!

So dark, that even with the whale oil lamp, it was hard to find.

Mrs. Smith argued plausibly, saying it was because she ate too much chocolate and coffee and accidentally got colored.

Come on, the Black Iron Race in the southern continent has been slaves for over a thousand years, that obvious reason is practically a joke now, isn’t it?

Oh, right, everyone considers illiteracy and not reading a matter of pride; Mrs. Smith probably doesn’t even know that the reason has been used by other women many, many times before."

Everyone felt immense sympathy for Mr. Smith’s ordeal and held deep resentment for the escaped slave.

Women were scarce on the estate. Although Mrs. Smith was a bit hefty, and her voice somewhat loud, she was still a woman, after all.

Even the few of us... cough, cough.

After coughing twice, they automatically skipped over this sorrowful topic.

Silently, they walked towards the small house with the light.

The mountain forest under the Blood Moon appeared dangerous, but it was far from safe.

If they hadn’t accidentally gotten lost during the day, they would’ve returned by mid-afternoon at the latest.

As mortals, they only knew the wilderness was dangerous, but had no idea how dangerous, or what dangers it held.

Because once you know too much, chances are you’ll actually encounter it and then never come back again.

A young man in the group looked hopeful and suddenly asked his companions:

"Boss, do you think there are really wizards in this world?"

The Eastern Continent strictly enforces the policy of separating the Transcendent.

Wizards, Demon Monsters, Transcendents, and so on are secrets known to only a few; most people never encounter them in their lifetime.

Even they, who belong to an outer mortal organization responsible for supplying the Wizard School, have only heard scattered bits and pieces, never seen a living example.

Thanks to that "fool’s boundary" of knowing nothing, it’s not that easy for all sorts of sinister things to find them.

Even when they look up at the Heavenly Time, there are no images of Mother of Creation, Lilith, on the moon—just a seemingly normal crescent Blood Moon.

Yes, that’s normal.

Since their grandfather’s grandfather was born, the moon has always been that way, and they never thought there was anything strange about the Blood Moon.

The leader obviously acted cautiously, always remembering the taboos that needed to be followed, and did not reveal his "knowledge" randomly to his team members, but said meaningfully:

"Perhaps there are."

In fact, a year ago, he personally received a female wizard who appeared rather old.

Though he didn’t know the level of her power, he saw Mr. Smith on the estate treat her with great respect and comply with her requests.

He also served as a guide, personally leading that old woman into this forest.

Halfway, it seemed he heard her musing to herself while examining the terrain:

"Here, one side is coastal turbulent flow formed by Skull Coast, and the other side is a newly established site by the School; there’s even a Second Level World Rift nearby.

Even if defeated, it shouldn’t involve anyone else..."

After all was heard, he completely didn’t understand what she meant.

After leaving her in the forest and returning alone to report at the estate, this area was listed as a forbidden zone, no longer allowing anyone near, and now, over a year has passed.

The vitality of the Eastern Continent is too vigorous, and terrain changes too fast—having not visited for more than a year, he, the former guide, no longer recognized the way.

Now, he just wanted to quickly ask for directions and leave, to avoid angering the upper management.

Knock, knock, knock...

After hesitating slightly, he stepped forward and knocked on the door.

But the door was not securely shut, it merely moved slightly and "squeaked" open on its own.