Chapter 799
Chapter 799
For the past month, Shen Lang had used a piece of saltpeter to write the names of his enemies on the ground every day. Ning Han, Ji Xuan, Ning Guang, Ning Wuming, the Great Yan Emperor, the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion, Mount Fudao... The list was long and grew longer depending on the situation. He needed an army, a nation, but on this desolate island, there was nothing he could do.
‘Qiu Yao'er, where in the world is your overseas empire? Oh, sea, when will you finally send a ship for me? Any ship will do. Whether it's a pirate ship, a thief's vessel, or a ghost ship. As long as it can take me away from this place. As long as it can take me to any country or city. I, Shen Lang, guarantee that within a month, I will stir up a storm there, and within half a year, I will rise to rule over others. Within a year, I will take control of that city, rise to power in the shortest time possible, and amass great strength. I, Shen Lang, will stop at nothing. My love, Mulan. You must forgive me. If necessary, I may have to use my handsome face. Whether it's seduction or taking advantage of chaos, I will do whatever it takes to make myself strong, and fast.’
* * *
Shen Lang prayed every day for a ship to appear on the sea. He still performed his daily skincare routine, trimmed his beard and hair, brushed his teeth three times a day, and bathed twice. Thus, he always maintained his state of absolute handsomeness.
‘I, Shen Lang, don't even have the strength to wring a chicken's neck, and in this strange new world, I might not even speak the language. Therefore, my sharpest weapon is likely my handsome face.’
Shen Lang even began to train his body. After all, a handsome face might not be enough when it came time to use his charms.
‘Sturdy, sturdy. Powerful, powerful. Stamina, stamina. One, two, three, four!’
But two long months passed, and still, no large ship sailed by. It was truly infuriating. What was the point of all this maintenance if no ships were coming and no one was around to see him? Finally, one day, Shen Lang grew so despondent that he didn't put on his mask or trim his beard.
‘Heavens above! Please, just send me a ship. Any ship will do. I've been on this desolate island for months now. If another ship doesn't pass by soon, I'll truly go mad all by myself. I've written the names of my enemies hundreds of times. I'll board it whether it's a ship of cannibals or a vessel of ghosts. As long as it's a ship that can take me away from here, anything is fine!’
Just then, the shadow of a mast suddenly entered his field of vision. It seemed a ship had arrived. Fearing it was a hallucination, Shen Lang quickly widened his eyes and watched intently. Fortunately, it wasn't a hallucination. It was a real ship, complete with a mast. The ship drew closer and closer, and upon careful observation, it became clear that its destination was not this desolate island; it was merely passing by. The ship was heading east. As it came close enough, Shen Lang could even see the flag hanging on the ship. A scorched octopus was painted on the canvas sail.
‘What in the devil is this? What faction's ship is this? A scorched octopus. Why not a squid? Squid is much more popular with people.’
There was no record of this flag in Shen Lang's memory. Soon after, Shen Lang quickly lit the firewood he had prepared. The kindling included seaweed, kelp, and dried dung. In an instant, thick, eye-catching smoke billowed into the sky. Soon, someone on the large ship spotted the thick smoke and began to approach the desolate island.
* * *
The ship was massive; just by looking at it, one could tell its displacement was over a thousand tons. Shen Lang began to pray inwardly.
‘Please, don't let it be a pirate ship. Pirate ships are usually crewed only by men, and their tastes are... uncertain, which makes it quite dangerous for a man of my supreme beauty. If possible, I hope this ship is filled only with women. And preferably, only beautiful ones. No! I just wish this was one of Qiu Yao'er's ships.’
Look at this. The human heart is endlessly greedy. It is human nature to want more once you have something. Just a moment ago, Shen Lang had said he wouldn't mind if it were a ship of cannibals, as long as a ship came, yet now he was wishing it was Qiu Yao'er's? And this, without even knowing where her empire was.
Soon, a small sampan sent from the large ship approached the island. Ugh! Shen Lang was a little disappointed. The ones rowing the boat were two strapping black men, and standing still was a man with brown skin. His eyes were sinister, his expression vicious, and he held a scimitar in his hand. There were no beautiful women on that boat. The sampan reached the shore, and the brown-skinned warrior stood before Shen Lang, looking him up and down for a long moment with a surprised expression. He was probably stunned by Shen Lang's handsome appearance. Then he muttered a few words, but Shen Lang couldn't understand a single thing he was saying. He just seemed a little excited.
‘What does this mean? Why is he so excited?’
Moreover, he observed Shen Lang up and down for a long time, even circling him to inspect him from every angle. Shen Lang tried to converse with him. Chinese, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French... But the other man didn't understand a word he said.
‘I'm screwed!’
In the end, the warrior gestured for the two black men, who came over, lifted Shen Lang, and carried him away from the small island. The small sampan was rowed towards the large ship. A moment later, as soon as Shen Lang boarded the large ship, he felt like a sheep thrown into a tiger's den. Unfortunately, it was a pirate ship, and it was filled with nothing but vicious pirates. When Shen Lang came aboard, the pirates stared at him, baring their yellow and black teeth in strange smiles. Their smiles exuded an innate wickedness.
‘W-what does this mean?’
Their gazes were truly like those of wolves that had just captured their prey.
*Bang!*
Shen Lang was immediately locked in a cabin, the door bolted from the outside. But strangely, the pirates didn't take any of his belongings; he was still wearing his backpack. This action could only mean one thing. In the eyes of these pirates, Shen Lang's value was extremely, extremely high. Far more valuable than the items in his bag. Not just the pirates on the ship, but also the warrior who had brought him from the island, had looked overjoyed when they saw him. It was the look of someone who had just found a treasure. A rare and incredibly valuable treasure, at that. What on earth did they plan to do with Shen Lang?
Everything that followed only strengthened Shen Lang's suspicion. Every day at the same time, the pirates brought him delicious food and new clothes. But they never opened the door, nor did they allow anyone to come into contact with him. They acted like someone who had found a giant panda and was carefully tending to it, worried that something might go wrong. It was all too bizarre. The person who brought him his meals each time was the same brown-skinned warrior he'd first met, and the look in his eyes as he gazed at Shen Lang grew stranger and stranger. He looked like a man about to hit a huge jackpot. It was as if Shen Lang was a treasure that would make him a fortune.
* * *
Since they couldn't communicate at all, Shen Lang had no idea what was happening or what the other party wanted. In any case, it was extremely strange. In this strange atmosphere, the large ship sailed for several consecutive days. During that time, the pirates gave Shen Lang perfumes, jewels, rings, necklaces, well-made shoes, silk clothes, and even a mirror.
‘Damn it! This is getting weirder and weirder. What are they planning to do with me?’
Shen Lang's hair stood on end, and a chill ran down his spine.
* * *
*Ding, ding, ding, ding.*
Amidst the strange atmosphere, the large ship finally finished its voyage. Then, the cabin window was opened for the first time, and Shen Lang quickly looked outside. And in that moment, he was dumbfounded. Before him appeared a massive city with a magnificent, exotic castle. The city was built in a bay, and everywhere he looked, it was golden. Just how much gold had been used? The streets were bustling with people.
‘What city is this? Whose city is it? Could it be a city from Qiu Yao'er's overseas empire? If not, then this city will soon be mine.’
A moment later, the cabin door opened, and the brown-skinned warrior appeared before Shen Lang once again. His smile was even stranger than before. This man was probably the leader of this pirate ship. He even made a "please" gesture towards Shen Lang. Dressed in a beautiful silk robe and carrying his backpack, Shen Lang walked out of the cabin and stood on the deck. Soon, he witnessed a very ugly scene. It turned out this ship was transporting numerous slaves, almost all of whom were able-bodied black men, each one tall and sturdy. They all had shackles on their feet, connected by iron chains. The slaves were all completely naked.
*Crack, crack, crack.*
The pirates whipped the slaves, urging them to disembark quickly.
"Aargh!"
A piercing, miserable scream came from the front. A brazier was placed at the disembarkation point, and inside it was a red-hot branding iron. All the black slaves had to be branded on the face with the hot iron as they got off the ship. The brand seared onto their faces could never be removed, meaning they would never escape their status as slaves for the rest of their lives. There were slaves in the Eastern world as well. For example, Shen Lang's adoptive parents had been slaves freed by Jiang Li. But their slave brands were on their backs, not their faces. A brand on the face meant one's status could never change.
A doubt arose in Shen Lang's mind. He knew that Qiu Yao'er had headed east, so she must have eventually reached the Western world. (Because the world is round. —Author's Note) As she sailed east, she would have liberated countless slaves, so there should be no slaves in her capital. So what was the deal with this city? Was it not one of Qiu Yao'er's cities? To engage in the slave trade so openly.
Furthermore, Shen Lang noticed that these were not just ordinary slaves. There were no women; they were all able-bodied men. Were they perhaps trying to form a slave army with them? These black slaves were extremely healthy, but also extremely docile, showing no signs of resistance. They dared only a single glance at the beautiful Shen Lang before lowering their heads and walking forward in silence. It was as if they were ashamed of their own wretched state. These black slaves even seemed to look down on themselves.
The brown-skinned pirate followed Shen Lang, muttering a few words behind him, but Shen Lang still couldn't understand. Judging from his expression, he seemed to be mocking the black slaves. Soon, it was Shen Lang's turn to disembark. The warrior at the exit instinctively tried to press the hot iron onto Shen Lang's face. Having done the same thing tirelessly in the same spot, his reaction to brand someone was purely mechanical. In the end, the pirate leader behind Shen Lang flew into a rage and rushed forward. He took out a whip and lashed the branding warrior fiercely until the man was wailing in pain. Then, without sparing the suffering man, he mercilessly pressed the hot iron onto his arm.
"Aaaaaargh!"
The warrior let out a horrific scream. Shen Lang frowned at the scene. The behavior of the people here was too barbaric. Finally, after finishing the beating, the brown-skinned pirate leader returned to Shen Lang and once again made a "please" gesture. He was being overly polite to Shen Lang. As soon as Shen Lang disembarked, he was ushered into a luxurious carriage, not needing to walk a single step. He entered the city under the envious gazes of countless people.