Temple of Bahru

Sarah briefly told us about the Hailan Family; apparently, they were a renowned magical family in Shurima, rumored to have the blood of the sea god flowing through their veins. 🐯🐝 ☮🍫

It's hard to say who the sea goddess really is, as people in different places have different beliefs. It wasn't until Gangplank promoted the Baju culture that people began to believe that the Serpent Mother was the sea goddess.

After hearing this explanation, I was even more confused. If the Hailan Family has the blood of the sea god, why not venerate them instead of using them for sacrifices? Aren't they afraid of incurring the sea god's wrath?

Another question is, who is performing the ritual? Could Gangplank really still be alive?

Sarah didn't understand my idea either; she only knew a little about the legends of the Hailan Family, and she couldn't guarantee their authenticity.

She was very concerned about Gangplank's survival; now that the fleet had disbanded, revenge would not be so easy.

For the next half day, we searched the southern region thoroughly but found nothing useful.

By this time, everyone was a little sleepy, so they returned to the slum to rest for the night. Although the conditions there were simple, it was the safest place, and they felt more at ease sleeping there.

As we were about to go out and search again after daybreak, someone brought us news that a ceremony was being held at the Temple of Bahru!

There was nothing going on when we went yesterday, so why did they suddenly start holding a ceremony today? We didn't have time to think about it and went straight to the temple.

The Temple of Bahru is located by the sea. The building was originally covered with brightly colored murals, but they have become somewhat mottled due to the erosion of the sea wind.

When we arrived, we saw a dozen people gathered there, and two children were hanging on a long pole; they were Yarlin and Maki.

But before we even got close, they cut the rope, and the two children fell directly into the water!

"You go and distract them, I'll go rescue the children!"

I greeted Riven and rushed into the water. At that moment, a whirlpool appeared on the surface of the water. The force was so strong that I couldn't control my body at all and was thrown out!

I tried three times, all to no avail. What kind of power is this? It can't even penetrate the gale.

Riven struggled against these people, not to mention Sarah; if Riven hadn't been there to help her, she probably would have been killed long ago.

I quickly went to provide assistance, and the situation eased.

These people were tall, dressed in brightly colored clothing like the murals, and had many braids in their hair that reached their shoulders; they were probably the priests of this place.

Each of them carried a shield, only slightly larger than a bronze mirror, and used the shield for both offense and defense.

It wasn't until we actually fought them that I realized how formidable they were! Although their attacks weren't strong, their defenses were impeccable, and they simply stood there like wooden stakes.

There were twelve of them in total, standing in a circle according to the clock's orientation, undoubtedly in formation. As for whether they were enhanced by magic, I have no idea.

However, we could vaguely sense a protective layer on them, as thin as flowing water, enough to withstand our Wind Force.

I found an opportunity to get Sarah out of position, otherwise we really wouldn't have had a chance to win.

The advantage of formations is that they can compensate for each other's weaknesses and provide support in combat. The disadvantage is also obvious: if one person falls, everyone will be affected.

Cover me!

"Good!"

After talking to Riven, I stopped defending and focused all my energy on attacking one of them, otherwise we wouldn't be able to outlast them.

This tactic proved effective; instead of remaining stationary, the men tightened their encirclement, allowing them to provide support more quickly.

Riven is going all out. Although I can't see her moves, I can tell from the sound of her greatsword clashing with her shield that she has pushed her skills to the limit!

Since arriving at the Bilgewater, the people here haven't seemed very strong. It appears there are many powerful individuals, but we've only just encountered them.

The person in front of me gradually couldn't hold on any longer; his defensive capabilities were getting weaker and weaker. Soon, I noticed a slight opening and directly channeled the Gale Force into him.

The protective membrane on his body stopped flowing, so I increased the Wind Force until I heard a crisp sound. The man could no longer hold on and stumbled back a few steps before collapsing to the ground.

One move affects the whole situation; I used my Wind Sword to intensify my attack and knocked down the rest of them!

All of this happened almost in an instant, and victory or defeat hinged on that slightest detail.

I was about to kill one of them to prevent them from regrouping when I suddenly heard someone shout from the side, "Stop! Do you want her to live?"

Sarah has been kidnapped, and the kidnapper is none other than Gangplank, the Terror of the Seas.

"You really didn't die!"

"So it really was you who set the ship on fire?"

This left me a bit confused. We were clearly together that day, so why was he asking this? Could it be... that the person from before really was a stand-in?

Do you know us?

"Who the hell do you guys know! But I heard from my men that two tough guys have arrived, so it seems like it's you!"

"So the person who was blown up here before was your double?"

"That's impressive. I didn't believe you survived that explosion and rescued these children at first, but seeing your skills just now, you're truly remarkable!"

"As the ruler of the ocean, don't you feel ashamed to survive by kidnapping a woman?"

"Hahaha... You want to talk about honor and shame with a pirate? Let me tell you, living is glorious, dying is shameful!"

"Okay, let's not talk about that. Why did you arrest so many children? You only needed two people."

"It's just a smokescreen, is that so hard to understand? If we were only after these two little ones, they would probably have been rescued and protected by you long ago."

"But now you've sunk them into the sea, and nothing has happened."

"It's all your fault for breaking the final summoning ritual! Damn it!"

Gangplank was furious, and the twelve priests around him stood up again, but they did not make a move. The battle had already been decided; if they angered them, they would all die today!

Do you intend to continue the ceremony?

"Of course, if you try to stop me again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"I really want to know if those two are still alive?" I glanced at the slowly expanding vortex, not knowing what it was.

"Nonsense, of course it wouldn't survive being sacrificed to the Serpent Mother."

"Fine, then you'll have to die with us!"

I suddenly pulled out my pistol and shot away Gangplank's hand that was aiming at Sarah. She immediately rolled away and aimed at Gangplank at the same time.

To my surprise, he caught the bullet I fired. No wonder he's a pirate captain; surviving a hail of bullets is no easy feat.

"You dared to shoot me? I could have easily killed this girl. Hmm? She looks familiar."

I bet you won't do that! Because if you did, you'd really have no way out!

"Hahaha, alright, then let me personally experience your skills!"

Gangplank attacked me, and the twelve people beside him interrupted the ritual again. They surrounded Riven, trying to separate us.

Suddenly the whirlpool disappeared, and a person emerged from the water!