Chapter 894
All the fleets of the Gorgon Pirates were arranged in an orderly formation, lined up at the boundary of the cursed waters. Once the strange energy field surrounding this sea was broken, they would immediately break out and escape their predicament. Countless Gorgon pirates held their breath, some even clasping their hands in anticipation. They had tried to escape this place countless times, only to end up back where they started. The constant, despairing outcomes had nearly broken their spirits.
But this time was different. His Highness Douglas had performed so many miracles; surely, he could save them all. Some of the Gorgon pirates, unable to bear the pressure, even fell to their knees and began to pray. They prayed to the sea god and the heavenly gods. And then, a thought suddenly surfaced in many of their minds. What if they hadn't followed Douglas, but had followed Shen Lang instead? What kind of ending would they have met?
"Your Highness..."
Hione called out to Douglas in a tense voice, and he replied with a smile.
"Don't worry. Everything is going according to plan."
"Won't that despicable Shen Lang try to ruin our plans?"
"Even if he had such thoughts, he lacks the ability. He doesn't even know which ancient core energy I'm going to detonate, and with his abilities, he can't reach the seabed."
"That's true. I've never seen a bigger piece of trash in my life."
"Enough. It's coming soon!"
This royal of Seiren was naturally intelligent and had laid out all his plans long before executing them. Douglas began to count down silently.
'Ten, nine, eight, seven...'
Suddenly, he leaped onto the crow's nest atop the flagship's mast. He stood dozens of meters high, looking down upon the Gorgon fleet. Tens of thousands of Gorgon pirates raised their heads to look at Douglas. Just then, the sun shone on his body, casting a golden glow around him. The moment had come for Douglas to perform his mysterious miracle.
Douglas shouted loudly.
"Brothers of the Gorgon Pirates, the moment to witness a miracle is upon us! I told you I would save you, and I will! Five, four, three, two, one. It's here! Sea God, protect me!"
Douglas, having calculated the time precisely, spread his arms wide and pointed his hands to the sky. At that moment!
*BOOM!*
A series of earth-shattering explosions erupted one after another. Three ancient core energies, stretching over hundreds of miles, detonated in succession.
As Douglas's arms pierced the sky, the pirates could clearly see astonishing fireballs erupting far behind him. The fireballs shot up from the seabed, reaching for the heavens. No one had ever seen such massive fireballs before. The sight of giant fireballs bursting through the seabed and soaring thousands of meters into the sky was truly like a miracle.
Soon after, an earthquake shook the seabed, and a fierce, small-scale tsunami surged as if a million-strong army were charging. In the eyes of the Gorgon pirates, this heaven-and-earth-shaking spectacle appeared to be orchestrated by Douglas himself, making him seem like a god. It was a hair-raising sight. The astonishing explosions, followed by the fireballs bursting from the seabed and the surging waves, became the backdrop for the miracle Douglas was performing. And at the same time, the strange island with the face of a human and the body of a snake, which had been visible just moments before, vanished.
"The island is gone! The boundary of the cursed waters has disappeared, and the strange energy field is gone! We're saved! We're saved! His Highness Douglas has succeeded!"
The pirates all shed tears of joy. They hugged each other and frantically banged on their weapons. Douglas shouted.
"In this moment, I am a god! Brothers of the Gorgon Pirates, will you bow before me? Will you pledge your loyalty to me?"
The pirates, steeped in frenzied joy, trembled until the hair on their arms stood on end, waving their arms and shouting.
"Long live His Highness Douglas, long live! We will bow before His Highness Douglas!"
Hione pointed at Douglas and exclaimed.
"I know that many among you wavered and were tempted to believe in Shen Lang. But now, it has been proven that the Sea God is with His Highness Douglas, and that he is the true savior. In comparison, that pretty boy Shen Lang is nothing but a despicable fraud. Do you really think he scared away the sea monster? No. He is cursed, so everyone and everything that approaches him is destroyed. He is an ominous person, which is why he was chased out of the Eastern world and fled to the Western world."
"My heart aches when I think of the seven thousand brothers left behind. His Highness Douglas has led us home, but those seven thousand were deceived by the despicable Shen Lang, and now they can only wait to die in that cursed land. Damn that Shen Lang, that despicable bastard! Let us have a moment of silence for our seven thousand brothers. That cunning liar deserves to fall into hell and be torn to shreds. Heavens, strike that liar down with lightning! He almost buried the fate of the Gorgon Pirates."
Douglas Seiren lowered his hands and spoke slowly.
"Brothers of the Gorgon Pirates, do you wish to pledge your loyalty to me?"
"We do! We pledge our loyalty to the great His Highness Douglas! We must cast aside that cunning liar Shen Lang, step on him, and spit on him. He is not even worthy of polishing His Highness Douglas's shoes."
Douglas was extremely pleased with the result of this performance of a 'mysterious miracle,' especially with the acting of the hundreds of his plants in the crowd.
"Brothers of the Gorgon Pirates, I, your lord, will take you home. Let's go home!"
"Let's go home, let's go home!"
"Long live Douglas! Long live the savior! The Gorgon Pirates will forever pledge their loyalty to His Highness Douglas!"
Hione waved his arm and shouted.
"Set sail, let's go home!"
At Douglas's command, the Gorgon fleet lined up on the sea and began to sail north. The farther north they went, the more joyful everyone became. Because the scenery had completely changed. The cursed waters had been nothing but sea in all directions, without a single island, but now there was an island roughly every hundred miles, covered with lush green trees and red flowers, full of the breath of life.
'We did it, we succeeded. We've really escaped the cursed waters.'
The Gorgon pirates were soon overcome with frenzied joy, all shouting "Long live Douglas" in unison. Everyone was desperate to return home. How could they not be ecstatic, finally leaving that godforsaken place and being able to go home? It was like leaving hell and returning to the world of the living. They could return to the waters they knew, back to Gorgon Island, and see their children.
The Gorgon fleet, immersed in joy, sailed on, north and north.
Five days passed, then ten, then thirteen. The scenery of the sea during the voyage was picturesque, indescribably beautiful, and distinctly different from the cursed waters they were used to.
"We must be arriving at the Seiren Empire soon, right? Which city will we see first?"
"It'll be home soon. We're almost there."
Calculating the journey, they realized they should be arriving at the continent of the Seiren Empire soon, and many eagerly awaited it. All who sail yearn to reach land, and for the Gorgon pirates, this longing was even greater. Having been trapped in those cursed waters for over a decade, how could their yearning be any less? Their hearts had already flown to the land, to their homes. Eventually, someone, unable to wait any longer, stood at the highest point of the mast. That way, they could be the first to see land.
Suddenly, a pirate shouted.
"We're here, we've arrived! Brothers of the Gorgon Pirates, I see land! It's the land of the Seiren Empire! We're home! After wandering for over ten years, trapped for over ten years, we're finally home!"
Soon, the other pirates all saw the land too. It was a dark night, but unlike the reflective surface of the sea, the land appeared pitch black, dotted with countless lights, making it easy to recognize.
"Hahaha, we've reached land! We're home! We've arrived at the Seiren Empire!"
"Long live His Highness Douglas! He saved us, he brought us home! Let's pledge our loyalty to His Highness Douglas!"
The pirates were so excited they were crying and sniffling. They cheered and hugged each other. They were finally going home.
As they got closer to the land, the Gorgon pirates could see a large crowd of people on the shore, as if to welcome them. Everyone was holding a torch, and at a glance, it looked like a scattering of stars.
"Your Highness, is this your arrangement?"
Hione asked excitedly, and Douglas Seiren replied.
"Yes. I calculated the exact time we would land on the coast. This is White Harbor, the southernmost city of the Seiren Dynasty! I had people arranged to greet you here. You are heroes, and you deserve a hero's welcome. Brothers of the Gorgon Pirates, your expedition is over. Your adventure is over. We have returned home in triumph."
The pirates once again erupted in thunderous cheers.
"Long live His Highness Douglas, long live, long long live!"
Douglas shouted loudly.
"Brothers of the Gorgon Pirates, prepare to land and enter the city."
Just then, the people on the shore also shouted as if their blood was boiling, waving their torches enthusiastically, seeming to cry out.
"Welcome home!"
The pirates of the Gorgon fleet, unable to hold back any longer, leaped from their ships all at once and swam straight for the shore. Their eyes filled with hot tears.
'We're finally home. Thank you, Your Great Highness Douglas. He saved us! He led us out of the cursed waters!'
The Gorgon pirates swam across the several hundred meters of shallow water and then ran like madmen towards the welcoming crowd on the shore.
Douglas Seiren was lifted and carried by numerous Gorgon pirates as if he were a god. From this day on, he was the lord of the Gorgon Pirates. Surrounded by the crowd, Douglas Seiren stepped onto the land, feeling utterly triumphant.
'From this day forward, this invincible Gorgon fleet is entirely mine. Shen Lang, you are nothing but a rampant clown; no matter how entertaining your performance, it's useless. You will remain in the ruins of the Lost Kingdom and die there. Your food must have run out, so just starve to death. The seven thousand who pledged their loyalty to you will realize they've been deceived and will surely tear you to shreds. Shen Lang, compared to me, Douglas, you are nothing. I am the true savior of the Gorgon Pirates.'
However, the Gorgon pirates who had rushed onto the land were soon taken aback.
'Why do the people welcoming us on shore look so familiar? I feel like I've seen them somewhere... That's right. Aren't they... the pirate brothers who remained in the ruins of the Lost Kingdom? And isn't that Shen Lang among them? Jack Dan and Hela are there too?'
Hione and Haimon were also completely stunned.
'Why is Shen Lang here? This is supposed to be White Harbor in the Seiren Empire, isn't it? Did they fly out of those waters or something? Why on earth are they right in front of us?'
They could soon see the familiar scenery even more clearly. Not far away were the massive ruins, and in the distance, a ten-thousand-meter-high mountain, with the pyramid at its peak emitting a glow.
'Th-this isn't White Harbor of the Seiren Empire?! This is clearly the ruins of the Lost Kingdom!'
Contrary to their beliefs, they had not left the cursed waters. Just like before, they had returned to their starting point.