Only God-Chapter 581 - 495: Xilan’s Journey Through the Storm (Two in One)

The waves rocked gently around the ship, with wind filling the sails and propelling the large vessel as it cut through the water. Such a ship was not capable of sailing against the wind and its speed was far inferior to other medium-sized vessels, which is why it often became a prime target for pirates.

Nobody could have predicted the arrival of pirates, not even Veldor.

They had been sailing smoothly for several days already, and even the captain had let out a sigh of relief, preparing to open a barrel of fine wine at the banquet that evening to celebrate.

But fate is often like that. The more you worry about something, the less likely it is to happen, and when you stop worrying, it happens right before your eyes.

Just when everyone aboard, from the captain down to the galley crew, thought the rest of the journey would be smooth sailing, a medium-sized ship with a dark grey silhouette emerged from the waves. Its bulging sails bore a chilling skull, and it rushed towards the large ship at high speed with the wind at its back.

"What is that!?"

The lookout on the crow’s nest spotted it and quickly sounded the alarm bell,

"Pirates! Pirates!"

Veldor, who stood on deck, was breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the salty sea breeze when the frantic shouting caught him completely off guard, leaving him rooted to the spot in shock. The deck rocked and the ship reacted swiftly to the sailors’ loud cries, suddenly accelerating and tripping Veldor, who fell to the deck.

It was only then that Veldor came to his senses. He looked around and saw a pirate ship sailing towards them from where the sky met the sea. Meanwhile, the passengers on deck had already succumbed to panic, desperately crowding into the cabins as the screams rose and fell without end.

"Mother of all Waters, Angel! We have not wronged you!"

"Sea God, please raise a mighty wave quickly!"

"Out of my way, let me in first, let me in!"

The noisy voices filled the deck. Veldor, in a panic, pushed his way into the crowd, but the continuous jolts of the ship caused the short-legged Dwarf to tumble several times, almost getting trampled by the humans and Three-eyed Ape People.

The pirates’ ship speed surprised almost everyone. Clearly, being able to be a pirate meant having a ship capable of this line of work; it was so-called specialization at its finest. In the jargon of the Dwarves, a blacksmith does not farm.

The sailors of the large ship raised sails and rowed hard, but they could never escape the pirate ship’s assault. As the pirates gradually closed in, a chill went down the spines of the passengers still on deck while those in the cabins were in a state of turmoil. It was the experienced captain who regained his composure first and shouted at everyone:

"Ready your purses, or I can’t decide whether you live or die!"

The captain’s shouts had an effect, and the passengers on the large ship began to rummage through their belongings for some coins. As the pirate ship’s horn grew closer and the threatening flag became more intense, the large ship started to slow down. The sailors, following the captain’s orders, ran onto the deck one after another, each holding a machete or spear taken from the armory.

The pirate ship also slowed down and drew alongside the large vessel. The captain had originally intended to present an air of readiness for death, hoping to negotiate favorable terms for his side, but when he saw the armored giants and the well-equipped Dwarves and humans on the deck, his heart sank.

"Stop peacefully, drop your weapons! No one wants to shed blood, right?"

On the deck of the pirate ship, a tall pirate with an eyepatch stepped forward slowly. He was clearly a mix of human and Dwarf, followed by armored giants as large as hills.

The passengers who hadn’t managed to enter the cabin had their legs go weak, and the atmosphere of fear spread across the entire large ship.

Cold sweat appeared on Veldor’s face as he observed the giants on the pirate ship. Being a Dwarf, he understood all too well the terror that a giant’s presence could incite.

The giants were like war elephants on the battlefield. No, they were even more commanding than war elephants, unafraid of fire, swords, bloodshed, and were obedient and fiercely loyal.

The deck filled with imposing pirates and giants made for a horrifying scene.

Cold sweat dripped down the captain’s forehead as he asked:

"What do you want?"

The pirates erupted in scornful laughter, looking at the trembling people on the ship as if they were clowns or mice.

As the pirate captain slowly raised his hand, the laughter finally quieted,

"Eight hundred Feron Gold Coins, or something else of equivalent value. If you can’t come up with it, count ten men or two women for one Feron Gold." He slowly called out a ransom demand akin to an astronomical figure.

The people on the large ship instantly broke out in a cold sweat. The sailors turned pale, and the passengers remaining on deck nearly collapsed to the ground.

Normally, a single Feron Gold Coin was enough to buy a pig, but eight hundred Feron Gold Coins would virtually require everyone on board to be stripped clean.

The captain and the sailors trembled, trying to say something.

But the pirate captain shut them all up with a single sentence,

"No more talk, your little lives are not in your hands, but in ours."

As he spoke, the cold glint on the pirates’ cutlasses was particularly harsh.

Veldor was gasping for breath, trembling. The comfort of Ajia Land had almost made him forget what fear felt like. Now he stood pale, at a loss for what to do.