I Don't Agree to the Terms

"Cough, damn it!" Cai Jian spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling the fiery pain emanating from his wounds, his expression somewhat dark, "If I had known, I wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess."

Now, not only had he sustained serious injuries, but he had also lost all his family wealth, which he had acquired by selling off the Dark Demon Pirate Group's possessions. As a result, not only was it all gone, but he had also incurred a bounty from the Navy.

Generally speaking, as long as pirates do not act too maliciously, the Navy does not issue bounties; they usually only act during patrols and do not pursue further.

However, once a bounty was issued, it was a different story. There would be specialized Navy forces on his trail, and even Bounty Hunters would join the chase.

"One million, such a huge sum; selling my entire Pirate Group wouldn't cover it," Cai Jian muttered as he looked at his bounty notice, the seven-digit figure chilling him to the core.

For a typical family of three, monthly income was just ten yuan, and his large three-entry mansion only cost three thousand yuan. Even indulging in daily pleasures had only cost him over one thousand five hundred yuan until now, which made one million a truly astronomical figure.

With his abilities, he couldn't hope to reach such an amount.

As for how it had happened, he knew all too well. It was primarily a scare tactic. If you retire, then retire, but parading brazenly in public at a pirate execution by the Navy and continuing to indulge in luxuries—if nobody knew about it, it might be overlooked. But now that it was known, they had to capture him and make an example of him.

This meant he had become a typical case, with death being a probable outcome.

Thus, such a staggering bounty was offered, exciting many Bounty Hunters.

Aside from the difficulty of being captured alive, the other aspects weren't too troublesome mainly because Cai Jian was weak.

Otherwise, they would never offer one million for a corpse. For the Navy, money is not the issue; deterring pirates is crucial.

This served as a warning to pirates planning to retire: keep a low profile after retirement, or else you might be the next one with a bounty of one million on your head.

The Island Alliance wasn't short on money; stability was their primary concern.

"I need to find a new place to hide. Drifting at sea, I'll end up in the hands of the Navy or Bounty Hunters," Cai Jian thought bitterly. Amidst fleeing from the Navy, he had stolen a boat to sail the seas, but the supplies on board were limited and could not last long.

His main worry was falling into the hands of other pirates, who often doubled as Bounty Hunters, especially with such a huge bounty on him.

Against the Navy or Bounty Hunters, who are professionals, they would stringently follow the requirements of the bounty—pirates, on the other hand, were often reckless. It wouldn't be impossible for them to kill him and hand over his body.

With a body, there was still a bounty, although only ten thousand—a hundred times less.

Perhaps pirates would be more cautious due to the high reward, but Cai Jian didn't want to gamble on that.

So finding a new place to settle down was crucial. This time, he planned to lie low to the greatest extent and certainly not repeat his past mistakes.

Of course, he had no choice currently, as he was totally out of money.

The ship he had commandeered couldn't be sold for cash either; he planned to drift aimlessly at sea, otherwise, if he sold it, the Navy could easily catch him the moment he tried purchasing a property.

It was a legitimate merchant ship with registered numbers—once verified, they could trace whose ship it was. Such records were kept by the Navy, unless he sold it to pirates—but pirates are likely to kill and rob rather than pay honestly, hence their infamous reputation.

After managing to eat something and recovering somewhat, Cai Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Getting my identity cleaned again is impossible now. I need to…" Cai Jian analyzed his situation; he was a human-shaped currency worth a million. Seeking help to launder his identity again was out of the question. No one would do it; they'd sell him out for the money instead.

Working to earn a hundred or so versus selling Cai Jian for a million, with a legitimate, trouble-free business—anyone would choose the latter.

Disguises would have been an option, but he lacked the necessary materials, and unless he could conjure things from thin air to alter his appearance, he wouldn't have ended up being hunted so pitifully.

"Wait, that's the Sea Vortex!" Suddenly, Cai Jian noticed a vortex appearing in the distance.

Such a sudden appearance, and expanding rapidly, was surely the Sea Vortex.

"Heaven must be helping me. If I can acquire some powerful legacy from it, perhaps I can escape my current plight," Cai Jian thought, grasping at this lifeline.

"This size of a Sea Vortex should only have this one entrance." Using his experience, he quickly analyzed some aspects of the Sea Vortex. For him, this was good news; there would be no competitors, and whatever was inside was his alone.

"But are the things inside the Sea Vortex still useful now?"

The Divine had disappeared, even Transcendent abilities were gone, and it was said even the Royal Family on the islands had declined.

In the information Cai Jian had, the Sea Vortex was a divine grace—as he had heard, though it could also be a worldly gift, whichever it was didn't matter.