Sources of Slaves

Inside the tent.

Soren stood solemnly in the center. Before him stood a surprisingly well-dressed and refined-looking man among the pirates, who even wore a monocle. But don't underestimate this fellow; the calluses on his slender palms revealed his skill with short weapons and considerable Throwing Dagger technique. He was one of the few literate pirates and also their healer, proficient in various surgical procedures and possessing remarkable Heal skills.

The man, who looked like a noble tutor, reached out and checked the unconscious man's breath on the ground. He then lifted the man's eyelids to examine his eyes, opened his mouth to check his tongue, and slowly said, "Sir! It seems he hasn't been poisoned, just temporarily unconscious. However, when he will wake up depends on his Constitution. Under normal circumstances, he should wake up by tomorrow morning; this fellow's Constitution is quite good."

Soren nodded upon hearing this, then walked around the spot once.

He actually sent out quite a few scouts, but it seems only one of the five will return. The other four, if not killed by the natives, were probably captured by them. This island is actually quite large, about 500 square kilometers. Due to its Tropical Rainforest -like climate and its connection with other islands, the possibility of native tribes living here is quite high.

Soren had sent men to explore the area long ago, but lost three to five men in the process.

Currently, the exploration area of the entire island is mainly concentrated within about ten kilometers of the camp. The most dangerous place is still the remains of those strange plants, which even Soren himself dares not easily explore. Then there is a relatively dangerous area near the southern coast, where there is a high cliff inhabited by about three groups of about ten large Pteranodon. Then there is the northwest direction. Crossing the jungle and a large river, there is another area full of strange flowers and plants.

As expected!

The indigenous tribes are over there, about 30 kilometers away from Soren, separated by several dangerous areas, including the territories of dangerous and ferocious creatures in some Overseas Islands.

"Your Mightiness?"

A Baldy, ugly pirate looked up at Soren and cautiously asked, "Should we teach those native Monkey a lesson?"

Soren turned and glanced at him, then slowly shook his head and said, "No rush."

"This is still their territory after all. These natives are more familiar with the terrain and environment than we are. Our most important task is to figure out the surrounding environment, make sure there are no Army Ant or flying insects nearby, and then have a good fight with them. If we want to turn this place into our territory, we must get rid of these natives."

"When we move, it must be with the force of thunder!"

We must not act rashly.

Soren was well aware of the troubles caused by the natives, as they operated under a fragmented tribal system. Maintained by shared Totem and kinship, communication between tribes in different regions was fraught with difficulties. He didn't want endless wars, so if he were to wage war against the natives, he had to crush them swiftly and decisively; otherwise, these creatures hiding and harassing him would be a nightmare. The natives practiced a semi- Slave system, with ordinary people and Slave forming the main workforce. The Slave were mostly obtained through inter-tribal warfare.

The indigenous people belonged to a certain sense of separation between soldiers and farmers.

Indigenous people who are qualified to become professionals are selected, trained, and then participate in hunting expeditions.

These natives are top-notch Warrior and Hunter, extremely dangerous, even more so than many professionals. They are responsible for raising the Challenge Rating of the entire Overseas Islands. This group can be seen as Warrior trained from childhood, proficient in Stealth, archery, tracking, and other skills. And the vast majority of their missions are hunting and combat.

The wars between indigenous tribes are Cruelty and bloody, and occur frequently throughout the Overseas Islands.

Within an indigenous tribe, the most crucial elements are the Shaman Priest and the warriors. Most ordinary people serve as laborers. The tribe has a very strict hierarchy; a tribe's strength is measured not only by its population but also by the proportion of Warrior within that population. For the indigenous people, conquering and defeating another tribe allows them to capture a large number of Slave, who are essentially wealth and goods akin to gold. The Slave Trade in Overseas Islands developed in this way, with the vast majority of indigenous Slave not being Warrior.

From childhood, they lived a life similar to that of Slave, responsible for supporting the entire tribe's leadership.

Soren took out a quill pen and drew several circles on the map. These were the areas that had been explored, as he was in charge of overseeing the camp, and the best pirates were sent out to scout. The five most dangerous places were located on the west, south, and north sides of the camp. The first was the area with strange plants, the second was the nest of a large Pteranodon, the third was the swampy area inhabited by crocodiles, the fourth was the territory of a group of man-eating insects, and the last was the River Goddess that separated the island in the center.

The River Goddess through the entire island, passing by adjacent islands, and then flows all the way to the sea.

Strictly speaking, this River Goddess is the most dangerous place, but only if a person falls in. It's inhabited by a large number of Piranha, each only half the size of a hand. These Piranha have extremely sharp teeth, and when they swim in groups, they can devour any creature that falls into the water. They can even eat an elephant clean in a short time, leaving not even bones behind. These Piranha are distributed in many Overseas Islands, and this is one of them. Their numbers are so vast that they are counted in the millions, and they are extremely sensitive to the smell of blood.

You have to use a boat to cross the river!

Even the natives couldn't swim across, let alone the giant electric eels inside.

Electric eels, creatures that live near land, can stun an adult male with their electric shocks; those that live here are even more difficult to deal with. Large electric eels are almost equivalent to Spell attacks, generating extremely dangerous currents. Some special mutated electric eel bosses can directly electrocute a third-tier professional.

"Your Mightiness."

A One-Eyed pirate beside Soren, who was deep in thought, cautiously asked, "What do we do now? Are we just going to ignore them? If we don't teach those native Monkey a lesson, they'll think we're easy to deal with!"

The indigenous people deserve a beating.

They are extremely xenophobic; if you don't scare them into submission, they will treat you like an easy target.

Even the pirates knew this!

Soren glanced up at them and ordered, "Ignore them for now. Have your men prepare plenty of food and bring out the wine from the ship. It's almost New Year's, so let the rest of your men enjoy good food and drink first. Then we'll deal with them properly. In the meantime, I'll personally investigate their situation. For now, no one should stray too far from the camp."

Because Soren was a teetotaler, the pirates also prohibited alcohol during this period.

The pirate henchmen below had been complaining for some time, but out of fear of Soren's authority, none dared to speak out openly. There were quite a few drunkards among the pirates, and many had been secretly taking a few sips lately, but few were openly drinking. There were too many alcoholics among the pirates, Soren had to keep an eye on things, otherwise his men would be drunk all the time. Soren wasn't against them drinking, but he absolutely wouldn't allow anyone to drink and interfere with important business.

The pirates quickly retreated from the tent.

Although it's still unclear why Soren is letting them celebrate the New Year, the pirates below are indeed exhausted lately, and many have been complaining. A little celebration with food and drink will appease them. After all, pirates aren't soldiers; their Discipline is low, and their obedience stems more from awe.

The lifting of the alcohol ban quickly sparked cheers throughout the camp.

Many pirate henchmen secretly took out a small bottle, put it to their lips, and took a big gulp. This was standard equipment for pirates, containing strong rum. This liquor had a high alcohol content and could be used for disinfection when necessary, a custom that originated from North pirates. Perhaps because the New Year was approaching, the pirates' tempers had improved considerably, and they didn't even beat or scold the Slave much. Chests of supplies were brought out, containing Smoked Meat, vegetables, salted fish, and so on.

Soren's preparations were actually quite varied, including almost everything his pirate crew considered unnecessary.

The day passed just like that.

Soren observed the rare joyful atmosphere in the camp, a smile playing on his lips, though it appeared somewhat Cruelty.

"Let them have a good New Year."

He looked up into the distance and murmured, "Next year will be the most difficult year. Whether we can gain a foothold here depends on whether we can wipe out those natives next year."

Other dangerous areas and various wild monsters can wait.

Because monsters have designated areas where they can move around.

If no one provokes them, the monsters of those Overseas Islands won't easily venture into other territories. Even the most aggressive and predatory large Pteranodon have mostly fixed hunting ranges. So the most troublesome ones are the natives. Once you defeat the natives, you'll have plenty of time to deal with other minor troubles.

Moreover!

For Soren, the natives held even greater significance; the Slave population and labor force he needed for his growth and expansion would ultimately have to be derived from the natives.

If that's the case, then we need to seriously consider this matter!

(P. S.: I'm feeling much better after adjusting. I'll be back to my usual two updates a day, and I'll update more at the end of the month.) (To be continued~^~)