Pirate Kingship

The Eye of the Sun "Bright Mountain" targets the country.

The Moon’s Eye "Black Orlof" targets the individual.

The Sunship [Helios] targets both simultaneously, and in its quest to reclaim its two "eyes," has caused countless disasters.

Encountering this Sunship instills more fear in the people of the Eastern Continent than meeting the Ghost Ship.

Terror, eeriness, bloodshed; a mere name is enough to silence a crying child.

Meanwhile, Byron learned the taboo:

Never let your gaze fall upon the opposite, for this ship is especially sensitive to human eyes and will follow the gaze to snatch away one’s eyes.

"Golden Deer, activate [Navy is the Empire, Empire is Navy]!

Open the gun ports and prepare for a full salvo."

Upon Byron’s command, the entire fleet immediately merged with The Golden Deer.

He is armed with [My Rules Are the Rules], dismissing any concern for its taboo.

As Byron tightly fixed his gaze on the Sunship, he ordered The Golden Deer to fire a full salvo, wanting to see whether his own Legendary Warship was more formidable or if this Cursed Object had the upper hand.

Apparently sensing the somewhat overly "eager gaze" of more than six hundred ship-mounted heavy cannons targeting themselves, it suddenly made a... ninety-degree turn!

As if oblivious to this five-thousand-strong grand fleet, it turned and left, quickly widening the distance.

In the blink of an eye, it vanished through a World Rift, disappearing from the Material World.

Even the mist before their eyes dissipated completely.

Byron and the crew:...

This rapid transition from "come and face me" to "sorry to bother, goodbye" left them feeling as if they’d punched into thin air, exceptionally disheartened.

Saranthe, having grown up listening to tales of the opponent, couldn’t help but look embarrassed when faced with his cousin’s bewildered "is that it?" gaze.

He, too, was unaware that this entity would shy away from strength.

Fortunately, the impending "woo woo woo" wind sound broke the awkward atmosphere.

They finally arrived at Skull Coast!

"Skull Coast" has earned verification by the world itself, holding the title [World’s Most Dangerous Coastline].

Currents intersect, undercurrents surge, and beneath the surface hide an irregular array of reefs, while a thick sea mist drifts across the surface, obscuring the crew’s view.

Gale-force winds, at least Category 8, howl year-round, sweeping across the beach’s shifting sand dunes, producing a thunderous roar like the howl of fierce beasts.

The pale beach, torn by the fierce wind, is mottled and pleated, with the shore’s rocks sculpted into bizarre shapes, resembling monsters freshly struggling out of Hell, menacing in appearance.

Given such sea conditions, ships passing by naturally experience frequent mishaps.

Many survivors from wrecked ships staggered ashore, grateful to be alive, only to end up slowly tortured to death by the wind and sand, unable to escape the desert before dying.

Thus, Skull Coast is littered with various shipwrecks and crew remains, a glance revealing a blinding white.

The well-prepared [Golden Deer] was unaffected, easily navigating through the turbulent currents.

They saw a clearly defined line of forest separating north and south.

The southern side of Skull Coast revealed sprawling forests.

Hundred-meter-tall trees were plentiful, and those two to three hundred meters tall were not uncommon, with even a casual blade of grass taller than a young tree.

The size of creatures here exceeded those of the Southern Continent by a full circle.

The tallest tree in Hundred Beasts Paradise is the over one-thousand-meter-tall [Cloud Top Giant]; here, there may be even grander super tree kings.

Animals are similar; while not as exaggerated as the plants, signs of giant Demon Monsters’ activity were quite visible.

Attempting to lighten the mood, Saranthe lightly cleared his throat:

"It would be best if we could establish a base here.

The Second Circulation Zone has been cleared once, with minor issues left on the route.

Aside from the Mud Swamp Giant, the rest are not too difficult, one Fourth Order Heroic Rank Transcendent bringing along their Guardsmen should be able to charge through.

Though Skull Coast is dangerous, it mostly destroys poor-quality adventure ships, perhaps burying some inexperienced Navigators.

That Sunship doesn’t hunt everyone, even when ships sink, a few people tend to survive.

But why has no adventure Captain sent word back?"

Byron pondered:

"If the issue isn’t with the route, then it’s likely on the mainland."

Suddenly turning his head, he saw a girl wearing a Little Red Riding Hood, on the lush coast waving at them from afar.