The air was damp, and the faintly salty sea breeze seemed to carry the smell of gunpowder.
Though the ship had left the storm's raging waves far behind, low leaden clouds still hung over sea and sky, blotting out the last light of sunset.
The brutal fighting and the storm were over, but the glaring crimson stains and sticky feel of the deck fermented beneath the gloomy sky, turning the ship into something like a bleak, oppressive wasteland at the end of the world.
Xia Lun stood in the shadows, silently watching the survivors on deck.
After the storm, the monster, and a vicious struggle among themselves, the pirate crew that had once numbered nearly a hundred was down to just nineteen. Of the captive sailors, only four remained, including Xia Lun himself.
At the sound of a gunshot, twenty-two survivors, exhausted in body and taut with nerves, gathered around Captain Geliide. The air grew heavy with the stale reek of sweat and rainwater.
Xia Lun noticed that some of them did not seem pleased to see their captain return.
Some gripped their weapons. Some studied her with cold eyes. Some could not even be bothered to look up. One one-eyed old pirate spotted Xia Lun in the shadows and gave him a mocking grin.
Xia Lun smiled and nodded to the old man while his palm rubbed the grip of his flintlock pistol.
Before coming on deck, he and the captain had already discussed the situation aboard the ship, agreed on what they would do next, and prepared for anything that might go wrong.
The one-eyed old man was the boatswain. He, the Priest, and the gunner were the only three senior crew members left among the pirates. The gaunt, shrill-voiced gunner was a staunch supporter of the First Mate.
Xia Lun's face was calm, but he was on high alert.
Whether a second mutiny broke out depended on how well Captain Geliide played her part.
"Listen up, every last one of you," the captain called. The low sea wind carried her voice across the deck. "The rebels have all been executed. You don't have to worry about the First Mate threatening you or dragging you into his schemes anymore."
Step one: verbally pardon their crimes so potential enemies would not lash out in desperation.
The oppressive atmosphere on deck seemed to ease a little. Xia Lun saw some of those harboring hostility breathe a sigh of relief, though they still held on to their weapons.
"I know things are hard right now," the captain shouted. "But we all have one goal: survive and make it back to Perilous Earth Island alive."
"Chins up, lads! Make it back to Perilous Earth Island, and you'll have all the liquor you can drink, all the Gold Dragons you can spend, and all the whores you can handle!"
Captain Geliide's voice rose sharply as she swept the crowd with her bright eyes.
"If we get back alive, I'll pay for a month at the Red Mill for every one of you! On top of that, everyone gets an extra Gold Dragon as a share of the profits. If the common funds don't cover it, I will!"
She pulled a huge handful of gold coins from her bloodstained coat and flung them into the air!
Gold coins. Nothing but gold coins, glittering gold coins!
A shower of gold rained down onto their heads. The sharp clatter of metal striking the deck rang out—
The deck fell silent for an instant, then erupted in thunderous cheers!
Step two: give them a goal, promise them riches, and win over most of the sailors.
A faint smile crossed Xia Lun's face as he watched the crowd come alive.
Captain Geliide's promises were crude and blunt, but they were exactly what the dispirited pirates needed.
They did not need threats, careful calculations of profit, or grand speeches. They needed a strong, simple appeal to their desires and a clear goal they could see.
At this point, even if the hidden enemies tried to mutiny, they would never be able to drag so many others along.
A red-haired pirate suddenly threw himself to the deck and greedily scooped up coins. Another pirate promptly bit his finger and snatched a coin away.
Others picked up a few coins and stopped while they were ahead, retreating to the edge of the crowd to test the gold with their teeth.
"Stop fucking fighting over them! Once we're back on the island, this will be pocket change." The captain laughed as she scolded them. "Now get your spirits up!"
"Long live Geliide the Undying!" someone shouted excitedly.
"I'm not dying in a place like this, and neither are you! We've beaten impossible odds more times than I can count. This is nothing!" The captain laughed, her eyes almost glowing with excitement. "Set course for Perilous Earth Island! Full speed ahead!"
Step three: remind them of the past and make her story hold together.
Though the plan was going almost unbelievably well, Xia Lun stayed out of sight.
Like a shadow, he quietly watched the pirates.
As he saw it, those three moves would not only stabilize the situation but also draw the hidden enemies into the open.
He scanned the edges of the increasingly fervent crowd and spotted three senior pirates who stood apart from the rest.
The three were whispering among themselves.
First, the old man said a couple of things to the gaunt gunner. The gunner shot him an astonished glare, his expression souring, then glanced toward Xia Lun. The old man gave a few derisive chuckles. The gunner clenched his fist as though he had made up his mind and strode out of the crowd.
He took the bait—but that was almost too easy. Watching the gunner struggle to look composed, Xia Lun could not help thinking, Young man, don't be so naive...
The gunner was thin, but the muscles showing beneath his shirt were sharply defined. He planted a hand on the shoulder of a pirate blocking his way, shoved him aside, and walked toward the front of the crowd.
"The monster's still in the hold!" he said suddenly. "This is no time to celebrate. Someone needs to scout ahead and learn how that thing behaves."
He did not speak loudly, but his words struck the crowd like hail on a wheat field, chilling its fervor in an instant. Seconds later, the deck was deathly silent again.
The passion ignited by gold and desire had flared briefly, only to be snuffed out by the threat they still faced.
All eyes turned to the gunner. He answered them with a confident smile.
The captain raised an eyebrow, a faint, unreadable smile on her lips.
The gunner picked a gold coin off the deck and gave a flippant whistle. "Oh, come on, Geliide. The coin-throwing trick gets old when you use it every time. Ten years ago, when we robbed the governor of Scarlet Lantern Island, half our crew died right after your little shower of gold. Or are you about to tell us, 'I have an idea,' again?"
Though her fragile authority had been challenged again, the captain did not grow angry. "When you board this ship, you put your life on the line. There's no need to mock the brothers we lost or make snide remarks about them."
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