Pirate Kingship

Among all the exploration ships, the first to meet the tsunami were naturally the Golden Deer and the [Musketeer], the closest to Silvergold Island.

SPLASH...

A snow-white line of water, carrying a massive volume of seawater, looked like millions of white steeds shattering the waves, charging toward them in an instant.

"Hard to port, tack with the wind, climb that wave!" Byron gripped the wheel, issuing commands with calm composure.

All experienced captains knew that when facing a tsunami, ships at sea should absolutely not rush back to port or shore. Instead, they should immediately head for deep water.

This is because a tsunami is a long wave. Out at sea, the waves have a long wavelength but low wave height. The wavelength could be hundreds of kilometers, but the wave height might only be one or two meters. At this time, even a lighter-tonnage adventure ship, as long as it turned its bow to face the crest of the wave, could forcibly ride it out.

Once the tsunami entered the continental shelf, the wave height surged due to the rapidly shallowing water depth. It could rise to terrifying 20- to 30-meter waves in an instant, destroying everything in its path.

Luckily, this area was already in the deep waters of the Sapphire Sea, with only sporadic islands scattered within. The wave height raised by the tsunami was only 1.2 meters.

Although the Golden Deer and the [Musketeer] were closest to Silvergold Island, almost right on its edge and theoretically facing the highest waves, a mere 2.5-meter crest was far from enough to destroy the two fine warships.

Byron personally took the helm, his Knightly riding skills pushed to their utmost limits. As a Storm Knight, only one step away from a Third Order Storm Admiral, he merged with the Golden Deer in an instant. Even the sea beneath seemed to breathe in unison with him.

The Golden Deer cut through the wind and waves, soaring on the peak of a wave, then landing safely in the trough. It looked perilous on the surface, but it sturdily rode over the biggest wave crest.

Although as a Knight, instinct can't refuse catching a dream Dragon like the Mithril Dragon to serve as a Mount, reason tells me, perhaps finding a Ghost Ship similarly endowed with a soul, equivalent to an alternative type of Undead Creature, is the best choice for me, as a Storm Knight.

The other adventurers daring enough to come here and test their mettle also took the same actions. All of them had at least passed through the perilous First Circulation Zone and, after much hardship, obtained a treasure map. Not a single one was an inexperienced rookie.

When the circular tsunami centered on Silvergold Island struck out in all directions, all the sailing ships on the sea collectively turned without hesitation, conquering the tsunami beneath them.

Very few unlucky souls were wiped out by this danger.

Watching the glowing, gigantic island drawing closer, Byron couldn't help but sigh. "No wonder this island appears in the world for more than half a month each time. Such a large island! Let alone exploring it completely, even just getting from the perilous outer reaches of the vast rainforest to the treasure cave at the island's center isn't something that can be done in three or five days."

He then turned to order the two pirate ships, "Pull together a crew from the ships to form an elite fifty-man Marine party. The Golden Deer will land with me. The [Musketeer] will rendezvous with the Flame Rose, which is rushing in behind, and stay outside for support. Let's learn from our mistakes. Last time, we barely escaped being ambushed by Barbary Pirates en route back from our adventure in Aztec Royal City. This time, it's our turn to play Fisherman for once. Of course, that's if anyone... can really return fully laden from this Silvergold Island."

As he said this last sentence, Byron's expression was profoundly meaningful.

"Aye, Captain."

Without any delay, the smaller and shallower-draught Golden Deer soon stopped on a relatively calm, white sandy beach that glowed faintly. They lowered the sails, dropped anchor, and applied some camouflage.

This was also the landing site of the Lancaster Family's adventure team 11 years ago.

Byron, leading his core pirate officers and elite Marines, jumped off the ship and took out a treasure map. Interpreting the cryptic message on it, he emphasized the points of caution for the adventure once again to all the crew members:

"Rule one: everyone must bribe the Gold-devouring Ants guarding the beach with two Gold Coins to land on the island. The weight of a Gold Coin must not be less than 40 grams. (Most of the dangers on the island can be averted with money. As long as you have enough of it, you might be able to reach the treasure cave without encountering any danger.)"

Byron had seen this rule before, but he couldn't help shaking his head every time he read it.

Close your eyes when it's dark, pay up when in danger? As expected, even a Secret Realm is snobbish. Money isn't a problem if you have it, but my only problem right now is that I'm out of money. After all, why would I be treasure hunting if I weren't short on cash?

He continued reading, "Rule two: you must restrain your greed and be clear about what you want from this island, understanding what to keep and what to let go. Otherwise, greed will turn your blood into gold."

This rule sounds full of metaphors, like it's just being deliberately mysterious. After all, how could blood turn into gold? he thought.

Then he went on, "Rule three: the rainbow lights above the island will diminish layer by layer. When the last layer of rainbow light disappears, the island will once again sink into the sea and await the next prime number year to re-emerge."

The rules of the island were clearly not limited to these three. However, exploration progress had been too limited so far, and no one possessed a method to pass through unhurt.

Geographers and Astronomers have already proven that the world they live in is a giant sphere. But the Church's Book of Creation likens the Material World where humans live, as well as the collective subconscious of mankind, to a massive ship sailing on the Primordial Ocean. There are likely many similar worlds.

From the "cracks in the ship's planks," the Source Tide and secret knowledge that seep into this world have created all kinds of Extraordinary Powers. Unlike in a magicless world, not a single person dares to say the Church's theories of Mysticism are wrong. On the contrary, after adventurers left the Old Continent and set sail, more and more discoveries have proven the accuracy of this theory.

Many Secret Realms, forbidden areas, and special zones formed because the gap between the Material World and the Sea of Origin Matter was accidentally breached. This caused relatively enclosed areas to not only feature all kinds of bizarre beings from human history and fantasy but also, much like those Bizarre Evil Spirits, to develop various strange taboos due to the struggles between Divinity and Beastliness, Order and Chaos. Only by earnestly observing the respective rules can one avoid an easy death.

Adventurers of the Wilderness Sequence, and Naturalists and Prophets of the Tower Sequence, are the most proficient in decrypting Secret Realms. They can usually deduce some superficial rules directly from the air as soon as they enter a Secret Realm.

Of course, the decryption effect of the Sailing Logbook's core ability, Echoes of History, would not be inferior to any decryption expert.

Moreover, the treasure map in Byron's hands contained one more sentence than the others: "Warning: when you hear the sound of cicadas in your ears, no matter how tempting the treasure in front of you, you must withdraw immediately."

This was also the intelligence sent back by the Lancaster Family's expedition team in their final moments before they were utterly annihilated. It implied that there was something on this island that even a Third Order Transcendent could hardly resist, leading to their complete annihilation.

Byron silently mulled over the rules.

Cicada sounds? What exactly does that refer to?

At that moment, Bruh, who stood by his side, suddenly tugged at his sleeve and, his expression solemn, gestured with his eyes towards the lush mangrove forest.

Byron looked up and saw a crooked mast standing amidst the dense foliage, covered in moss. At its top, a tattered flag, with only half remaining, was still fluttering in the wind. Even though it was nearly indistinguishable from a piece of rag, Byron recognized it at a glance—it was... the Lancaster Family's Red Rose emblem!

At this time, the Decryption Rate for [Hidden: The Mystery of Silvergold Island's Wealth Increase, Historical Influence 29] also quietly rose from 18% to 25%.