Puppeteer

Because of the Falan Continent's exceedingly ancient history, the races and professions on the continent were truly numerous. Leaving races aside for the moment, even the professions were a dazzling riot of variety, far from as simple and singular as ordinary people imagined.

The continent's professions were basically divided into two types: combat-type and support-type.

And within the combat type, they were basically divided into two major categories: warrior-type and magic-type.

Among the warrior-types, aside from the two major professions collectively called warriors—knights and swordsmen—there were also assassins, thieves, archers, and so on. Basically, they were all professions that relied on battle aura to fight.

Among the magic-types, aside from the mages who made up the majority, there were also several relatively rare professions whose strength was astonishingly powerful. For example, Summoners who could summon mighty abyssal creatures to do battle; Spirit Molders who used elements to condense entities with real combat strength; Puppeteers who created dolls with equally terrifying defensive and offensive power to join the fight; and so on.

(Note: There are truly too many professions in this book, so they won't be described one by one here. Only a few basic ones are listed; the rest will be explained when they appear!)

Among these professions, the power and mystery of Puppeteers were beyond doubt.

Unlike other professions, Puppeteers did not require their own strength to be especially powerful. They basically relied on the dolls they created to fight. But in truth, the strength required to create dolls was also necessary, so on the continent, there had never yet appeared a Puppeteer whose own strength was low but who possessed powerful dolls.

Moreover, according to legends, a formidable Puppeteer could even create super puppets at the saint-rank level. The most terrifying thing was that after some puppets were created, after countless slaughters and battles, they could even develop their own consciousness and slowly evolve.

In the continent's legends, it had once been clearly recorded that there had been a puppet who evolved to the level of the Puppet King. At that point, the puppet could no longer be called a puppet. Not only did it have its own unique consciousness, its strength had already entered the level of a sub-god or even a god. Even compared with those legendary divine beings, it would not be inferior in the slightest.

However, for a doll to develop consciousness was far too accidental. Most were still only machines, able only to obey their master's commands in battle. And because the art of creation had declined on a large scale, creating a doll with formidable strength had become even more difficult. Wasting that time was not as worthwhile as cultivating martial techniques or magic. So on the current Falan Continent, Puppeteers had become fewer and fewer, and basically had already vanished without a trace.

What Liu Feng had not expected was that on this pirate ship, he would actually witness a Puppeteer, a profession that almost survived only in legend. How could he not be shocked?

And this legendary Puppeteer, who supposedly had to understand that incomparably obscure art of creation, was not some white-haired old man as imagined. Instead, she was a delicate, beautiful woman, making Liu Feng nearly swallow his own tongue.

Not only that, judging from the two dolls, each at least around three meters tall, with terrifying builds, wooden though they were, yet still exuding a powerful aura, these two puppets were definitely not low-grade. They were at least above middle-rank, and might even have already entered high-rank.

"Reporting to the captain, just now there was a fishing boat blocking our path. Because of Cross-eyed's vision problem, it ended up being rammed and overturned. I remembered that the captain said we've been short of hands on the ship lately, so I rescued the fishermen from the little boat and was just about to deliver them to the captain for judgment!" the Dwarf said respectfully, also pulling Liu Feng back from his shock.

But upon hearing the Dwarf's words, Liu Feng nearly choked again and fell straight into the sea.

This Dwarf did not seem stupid at all. First he took a jab at Cross-eyed, then he pushed the reason for Liu Feng's being hit onto Liu Feng's side, and incidentally even snatched the credit from that stuttering boy and made it his own. How did this look like someone with something wrong in his head? He was simply a damn talent!

But the beautiful captain was clearly very familiar with the Dwarf's temperament. Hearing this, she did not even offer a word of praise, only said faintly, "Be more careful next time. Alonso, this person is yours. Find out his origins. If there's no problem, take him to the back. Starting tomorrow, have him help carry goods!"

"Yes, Captain!" that stuttering boy immediately replied. This time, perhaps because he often said this sentence, he actually, rarely, did not stutter.

It could be seen that the beautiful captain valued this stuttering boy far more than the Dwarf and Cross-eyed. After nodding at Alonso, the beautiful captain did not even glance at Liu Feng, Cross-eyed, or the others, then turned and walked toward the back. The puppets' huge footsteps sounded heavily once more.

Seeing this beautiful captain leave just like that, as if treating him as air that naturally belonged there, and even arranging his future work without seeking any opinion at all, Liu Feng could not help giving another gloomy, wry smile.

This chick really is used to treating herself as a queen! Liu Feng secretly despised her, but his body moved toward the stuttering youth Alonso. With a smile, he said, "Brave warrior, from now on this lowly one will be following you. Please take good care of me!"

The small boat was already destroyed, so Liu Feng could only stay here temporarily and make plans later. In any case, it was nothing more than becoming a servant who did odd jobs. With Liu Feng's easygoing nature, he did not mind. Besides, this pirate ship would definitely have to keep sailing everywhere. Maybe one day he could even strike it lucky and run into Lost Island!

Since he wanted to stay here, he had better first build a good relationship with his immediate superior. Among these three pirates, Alonso was clearly the most pleasing to the eye, and the beautiful captain's instructions just now had already proven that this stuttering kid was relatively valued.

Sure enough, hearing Liu Feng's flattering words, Alonso's face could not help reddening slightly, and he stuttered, "N-no problem. You, you just work hard. The captain is a very good person. She w-won't kill, kill you!"

So he's taking me for one of those cowards clinging to life and fearing death! Liu Feng sighed with emotion, but felt that this was not bad either. At least it was more in line with a fisherman's identity.

Seeing this situation, the Dwarf and Cross-eyed were both greatly discouraged. But since the captain had already spoken, they did not dare make things difficult for Liu Feng anymore. They could only glare viciously at Liu Feng a few times before going off to who knew what.

After being carefully questioned again by Alonso in halting stutters, Liu Feng naturally had to fob him off once more. Fortunately, before going out to sea, Liu Feng had chatted quite a bit with the fishermen of York County, so he was able to speak fairly well about some basic situations of fishermen. It was just that his rather ill-matched clothes, and Liu Feng's fine, tender skin, no matter how one looked at them, did not resemble those of a fisherman who spent every day exposed to wind and sun.

However, it seemed this pirate ship really had been short of manpower lately, and Liu Feng's skinny appearance, along with the aura that made people utterly unable to sense any strength from him, ultimately could only make Alonso give up the questioning. Still, his wariness remained. He made Liu Feng follow him without leaving his side for even a single step; Liu Feng even had to ask permission to go to the toilet.

Liu Feng understood well enough the principle that when under another's eaves, one had to lower one's head with all one's might. He could only accept his fate, hoping that someday soon he would find Lost Island and leave this group of sea bandits who, at least for now, did not seem especially terrifying.

But where exactly was Lost Island? And when would he be able to find it? Lying on the deck and looking at the vast starry sky, Liu Feng passed his first night on the pirate ship in such confusion...