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nChapter 34

nThe pirates looked greedily at the Mithril mine on the rock bed.

n“If we can dig out all the Mithril ore, we’ll definitely be able to sell it for more money than the goods on that merchant ship. What a pleasant surprise! ”

n“Yes, let’s hurry back and report to Boss…”

n“Report what? The more people who know, the more we have to split the money. Let’s keep it all for ourselves!”

nAnd so, the pirates put on a performance in front of Ji Chen, demonstrating how to keep secrets from their boss and how to divide the spoils amongst themselves.

nHe let out a sigh, realizing that this group of pirates had a clear lack of conscience.

nIf he were their leader, their deceitful actions would surely have angered him to no end.

nAfter distributing the loot, it appeared that their focus had shifted towards the Mithril ore, leaving them unaware of the Demon Frog lurking in the water.

nJi Chen waded through the shallow water, approaching the Mithril and causing ripples to form on the surface.

nThe Demon Frog, sensing the disturbance, slowly opened its eyes.

nIts bulging belly suddenly contracted, and from its open mouth shot a stream of acid like an arrow, hitting one of the defenseless pirates who were unaware of its presence.

nThe pirates were caught off guard and took the full impact of the acid stream. The acid stained their exposed skin, and the sound of sizzling corrosion was sudden and intense. The strong acid immediately ate away their skin and a large chunk of flesh.

n“Ah!”

n“There are monsters in the water!”

nAs the pirates scrambled out of the shallow water, four badly mutilated corpses floated to the surface.

nThese were the unfortunate ones who had been corroded by the acid. Ji Chen couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

nAs expected, these greedy pirates, willing to risk their lives for a merchant ship, could not resist the allure of rare resources like mithril and let their guard down.

nEven he had to rely on the map to discover this group of Demon Frogs with hidden colors, let alone these pirates.

nReturning to the shore, the pirates regrouped and finally became smarter. They stood at a safe distance and fired their crossbows.

nThe bolts pierced through the air and killed four or five of the Demon Frogs in an instant.

nSeeing their companions dying one by one, the remaining Demon Frogs widened their eyes and jumped forward with their hind legs stretched.

nThey drew an arc in the air and landed among the group of pirates.

nThe pirates discarded their crossbows and drew their curved swords to hack away.

nWith the advantage in numbers, they managed to kill six or seven of the Demon Frogs in a flash, but suddenly, several excited pirates stiffened and fell to the ground.

nUpon closer inspection, their lips had turned purple.

n“There’s poison in these toads’ bodies!”

nThe pirates immediately retreated in panic.

nAfter a flurry of counterattacks, the Demon Frogs all collapsed to the ground.

nHowever, there were less than 30 pirates standing.

n“We finally got rid of these disgusting toads. They killed so many of our comrades.” One of the pirates slashed the Demon Frog’s corpse a few more times as if he was venting his anger.

n“But with fewer people, we get more money. Not bad.” Other pirates were quite happy.

nJi Chen, who had watched the entire process, sneered and had no patience to continue watching.

nThis group of pirates had completed their task, and it was time for him to make his appearance.

n“Alice.”

nA beautiful song sounded, echoing in the forest.

nThe pirates, who had just emerged victorious from the battle and were basking in their dreams of riches, had slipped into a state of stupor.

nThe Naga Warrior roared and waved his ferocious bone blade as he rushed out. He slashed crazily, and pieces of broken limbs flew into the sky.

nA few minutes later.

n“Ding ~ The battle has ended. You have obtained a glorious victory…”

nYou have received 700 EXP. Current EXP is Level 468%

/100%

n“Naga Warrior has leveled up (2→3). Current EXP is Level 32%

/100%.”

nLooking at the lifeless bodies of the pirates lying on the ground, he felt a sense of satisfaction.

nBy eliminating these poisonous Demon Frogs, the pirates had met a deserving end.

nHe had also effortlessly gained control of the Mithril Mine.

nAfter allowing the Naga Warriors to clean up the battlefield, Ji Chen’s mind began to race with new ideas.

nPreviously, his plan had been to seize the White Sand Princess, but now that he had learned of the presence of the pirates and their ship, he was reconsidering his options.

nAccording to what he had heard from the pirates, their ship was currently anchored near the coast and undergoing repairs due to the recent storm, just like the merchant ships.

nThis new information sparked a different thought in Ji Chen’s mind: was it better to seize the pirate ship instead?

nUnlike Raymond’s merchant ship, Ji Chen didn’t feel any guilt about robbing the pirates.

nIn fact, he saw it as a matter of justice.

nFurthermore, he recognized that the prosperity of his territory was dependent on the natives who had been farming there for generations.

nRaymond had the backing of a Chamber of Commerce, and establishing a relationship with him could provide an opportunity to use the Chamber’s influence to establish a regular sea route between his territory and the mainland.

nAs the old saying goes, “to get rich, first build roads.”

nIn the context of the ocean, building roads meant constructing sea routes.

nWith a steady flow of merchant ships, the necessary resources and population could be brought to the archipelago for its development.

nHis previous plan was to seize Raymond’s merchant ship, but circumstances had changed.

nToday, he decided to target the pirate ship instead.

nHe would uphold justice and give those pirates a taste of their own medicine!

nHowever, the first thing to do was to confirm the location of the pirate ship.

nAfter cleaning up the battlefield, they followed the direction where the pirates came from and groped their way forward.

nAfter trekking several kilometers to the west in the jungle, they finally reached the other side of the main island.

nThe scene before his eyes suddenly became clear. In front of him was an endless sea.

nTwo small rowing boats were parked on the nearby beach, likely used by the pirates for landing. Judging by their size, it seemed that only a small group of pirates, perhaps the 40th pirate and a few others, were sent ashore using them.

nJi Chen looked at the sea in the distance. A black pirate ship was anchored on the surface of the sea. Some pirates were repairing the slightly damaged hull.

nUnlike the merchant ships that had only two masts, this pirate ship had three masts, two at the back and one at the front.

nMore sails meant greater power and combat effectiveness. Moreover, there was a horn wrapped in metal at the bow of the ship, which interpreted the aesthetics of violence.

nThe more Ji Chen gazed upon the pirate ship, the greater his satisfaction grew as he began to envision it as his very own.

nTime was of the essence, as any delay could result in unforeseeable changes.

nIf the pirates sent to the island failed to return, those on the pirate ship would undoubtedly take notice.

nThus, he decided to take action that very night, taking advantage of the cover of darkness to quickly seize this powerful pirate vessel.

nThis would allow him to move forward with his plans with peace of mind.

nWith a wave of his hand, he led Alice and the Naga Warrior back to the beach near the Bass Fishery.

nRaymond and the others kept their promise and stayed obediently on the beach.

nSeeing this, he felt at ease, recalling the Murlocs lurking in the shadows.

nTonight’s battle for the ship would require him to mobilize all of his troops.

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