Pirate Kingship-Chapter 684 - 467: Since Ancient Times, Spear Soldiers Have Fortune E, So Do Their Chests_2

Apart from a handful of confidantes, no one else knew. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

After discussing official business, the two looked back at the sailboats gradually appearing behind them, their movements mysterious and unhurried.

Knight Isaac frowned. "Those ships might look normal, but if you look closely at the number of concealed gunports on both sides of the hull, they're probably Pirate or other countries' Privateer Ships, right? Is the Treasure Fleet always followed like this?"

The red-haired female Captain, obviously accustomed to this scene from frequently sailing this route, smiled nonchalantly. "Knight Isaac, you need not worry. The Old Continent goods on board right now are valuable, but they're nothing compared to what we'll carry on the return trip—not even worth a single strand of hair. For such small pickings, any pillager would be striking a losing deal by clashing with a heavily defended Fleet. In this world, some people commit murder, but no one makes a losing bargain. They're just following us, hoping to pick up scraps. Indeed, if we encounter a Storm, some might be forced to drop anchor and fall behind.

"By October, on the return journey, with the help of the [Treasure Ship's Key], we'll mask our presence so completely that even if loaded with treasure, no one will find us. This time, the three Keepers of Secrets are His Majesty the King, Puppet King Louis, and the Sailboat Collector Mordent Gray. No one can coerce them into revealing secrets through violence. Never mind mere Pirates; even Privateer Ships from hostile nations won't be able to track us down."

However, just then, The Golden Deer, known for its unrivaled speed, suddenly burst into the middle of the two fleets that had been coexisting peacefully, triggering its Mandate of Heaven: Who dares to be faster than me!

"Aboard this ship, you are the fastest men on the seas; others are only fit to eat your wake. When traveling in formation, you can only be the lead ship; you can never fall behind the others."

Uncontrollably accelerating forward, and then further forward, it seemed poised to overtake the entire Treasure Fleet and charge right to the front of the line. Many sailboats followed the Fleet, riding its wake, but only The Golden Deer stood out so remarkably, instantly drawing the attention of many People of Castilia.

Byron himself felt this behavior was a bit showy.

But glancing at the two slightly quivering Puppet Threads on his ship's bow and on the Flagship of the great fleet, the corners of his lips curled up slightly. Interesting. The Puppet Threads I attached half a month ago were actually for the Treasure Fleet? Is that Puppet King Louis plotting something against the great fleet, wanting to lure me into the fray to pull the chestnuts out of the fire for him and act as his cannon fodder? Otherwise, I really can't think of any reason why he's gone to such lengths to arrange this unexpected meeting here.

In fact, his previous entry, "I don't eat beef," was targeted at the taboos of Bizarre Evil Spirits or the control-type and rule-type abilities of other Transcendents. To a certain extent, it breaks the rules set by oneself or others. The degree of weakening depends on one's own Supernatural Rank. At its highest, it can weaken by one level, reducing Fifth Order rules to Fourth Order, reaching a level where one can contend.

Once "I don't eat beef" is declared aloud, Byron can become the most unscrupulous practitioner of Contract Fraud, deftly navigating all sorts of contracts, rules, and taboos. If he wished, he could resist this kind of interference from Fate.

But rather than actively avoiding the minor inconvenience before him, Byron was more interested in using this opportunity to figure out exactly what Puppet King Louis was up to, and whether it might hinder his own raiding actions.

Meanwhile, the Sailing Logbook revealed new writing: [Hidden: The Crisis of the Treasure Fleet, Historical Influence 28, Decryption Rate 15%].

This made Byron's eyes light up. I was just worrying that the Spirituality of myself and my two sisters was progressing too slowly, and we haven't even used the new entry 'Why not eat meat porridge?' yet. This is like a pillow appearing just as I was dozing off.

As The Golden Deer drew closer and closer to the Fleet, aboard the [Hard-to-Come-by-Swift-Steeds] at the rear of the Fleet, Captain Jeanne suddenly heard the voice of the Treasure Fleet Commander:

"Order: '[Hard-to-Come-by-Swift-Steeds],' engage! Kill this chicken to draw blood and serve as a warning to other ill-intentioned parties!

"If we don't show some backbone after this, others might start thinking that we People of Castilia are all pushovers."

Whether they were the escort vessels of the Treasure Fleet itself or the private militias of Nobility hitching a ride, once they joined the formation, they had to obey the Fleet Commander's orders. Even if the female Captain and the Fleet Commander were of the same Extraordinary Level, and her liege was Princess Isabella of the Royal Family, she could not break the rules. Moreover, everyone in Castilia, from top to bottom, viewed overseas interests as their personal treasure and looked down on other countries, regardless of faction.

"Aye aye, Commander."

The female Captain responded with a hand to her chest, a gesture that seemed to stir a tumultuous surge of energy around her. She then ordered the entire ship, "Trim the sails for a tailwind! All gun crews, load cannons! We're going to sink that insolent Warship!"

"Aye aye, Captain!"

As the crewmembers bustled about, some pulling at the rigging, others running to their battle stations and readying the cannons, the female Captain leaped to the helm. While personally Steering, she bellowed, "Contracted Heroic Spirit... Don Quixote, I summon thee!"

The Silver Law manifested, and a tall, skinny Knight riding a worn-out horse suddenly leaped from it, diving into her body. At the same time, the four Sacred Relics placed around the ship began to emit a Divine Light: a horse skull at the bow, an ancient shield on the port Bulwark, a rusty iron lance on the jib boom, and a suit of Knight Armor bound to the mainmast.

NEIGH—!

With a piercing whinny that seemed to tear through the heavens, a mountainous apparition of a Knight loomed over the entire Warship. With sails as its steed, Bulwarks as its shield, and cannons as its lance, the ship charged toward The Golden Deer like a Full-Armor Knight, moving on a trajectory that completely defied wind direction and speed.

The female Captain shouted her family's maxim: "Freedom and dignity are worth risking one's life for! To be enslaved without freedom is life's bitterest affliction!"

Jeanne d'Arc Don Quixote was evidently a Fourth Order Oath Knight and also Princess Isabella's Guardian Knight. She hailed from the illustrious knightly family of the Kingdom of Castile: the Don Quixote Family. Her Oathsworn Spirit was none other than the famous Knight who arose from the lands of Castilia during the Dark Millennium Era, the "Absurd Knight" Don Quixote. She also inherited the title passed down through generations within her family: Don Quixote. This title represented high moral principles, a fearless spirit, heroic actions, a firm belief in justice, and devotion to love.

And... the conflict between ideals and reality!

Title, Heroic Spirit, combined with the Sacred Relics set "Heart of Don Quixote, the Knight": an aged shield, an iron lance, a suit of armor, and a horse skull originally belonging to the Mount "Numa Nande," capable of activating a divine skill: "Absurd Absurd."

"While performing acts of chivalry, by unleashing one's imagination and shouting 'Absurd Absurd,' one can freely alter the form of surrounding objects, turning ideals into reality! Windmills become giants, flocks of sheep become armies, barbers become Knights... Far more powerful than the Phantom Blade of the Fantasia Armory."

Mandate of Heaven: Due to the Absurd Knight's extremely absurd nature, the side effects of the Mandate of Heaven affect each heir of the Don Quixote Family differently, though all manifest in a rather absurd manner.

For instance, the side effect that this generation's Don Quixote, Jeanne, randomly received was:

"Lancers have always had E-rank luck, and her bust size... is also E!"

Although she occasionally suffered from bad luck, becoming entangled in all sorts of unexpected troubles, she also gained a bust of equivalent size, experiencing its unbearable weight from a young age. Although outsiders could not fathom whether this Mandate of Heaven was a negative effect or a positive boon for a beautiful woman.

But strong she truly was!