Deep Sea Canteen

Late at night.

Dempsey sat in his study, quietly waiting for time to pass.

As the supreme ruler of Hard Biscuit Island, he kept a regular schedule like Jabus, but every ninety-nine days, he would spend one night awake until dawn, quietly awaiting the summons.

He took a Golden Card from his pocket. Looking at the pattern on the card, he could not help swallowing.

This Golden Card came from a mysterious place called the Deep Sea Canteen. It was said to lie in the deep sea of some waters and opened once every ninety-nine days. Only those holding a Canteen Card could enter.

The lowest-ranked Canteen Card was the Bronze Card, followed by the Silver Card, then the Golden Card.

Each rank represented one's spending power. At present, only he and several other lords possessed Golden Cards, so over the past few years, every opening of the Deep Sea Canteen had become a gathering for the lords.

At that moment, the Golden Card emitted a faint glow. A door abruptly appeared before Dempsey. He put away the card, rose, and stepped through it.

Beyond the door was a long corridor. Dempsey strode through it like a dragon and tiger, then arrived at the Deep Sea Canteen's Golden Hall!

It was a sealed room, with an enormous golden table placed in the center. He expertly walked to his own seat, pulled out the chair, and sat down naturally.

A moment later, a burly man emerged from the darkness. He likewise pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Dempsey, how have you been lately?" the man asked, looking at Dempsey.

This man was Mallory, lord of Blackwood Island. He wore dreadlocks, had slightly dark skin, and gave off a savage aura.

In truth, Mallory was indeed savage to the extreme. Once, over a trivial matter, he had charged straight onto Hard Biscuit Island and caused a huge commotion. Dempsey had suffered no small loss at his hands.

"If I could hear news of your death, I think I'd be doing quite well from then on," Dempsey said coldly, too lazy to exchange empty pleasantries with Mallory.

Mallory shrugged. "Then you definitely won't be doing very well from then on."

At that moment, another man emerged from the darkness. His face was covered by a black iron mask, he wore a black feathered coat, and he held a black cane in one hand.

"Aldrich, I'm really curious what kind of unspeakably ugly face you have beneath that mask. And it's the height of summer—aren't you hot wearing so much?" Mallory asked the newcomer in a roguish tone.

Aldrich, lord of Yazhong Island, could be called the strongest man in the Seven Seas.

In a one-on-one fight, none of the Seven Seas' lords was his match. The problem was that the other lords would not be foolish enough to sit around and wait for him to kill them one by one, only to face him alone afterward.

"If you don't want to die, you'd better shut up," Aldrich said indifferently.

Next, several other lords arrived one after another.

The lord of Ironcloth Island was Liam, a somewhat improper middle-aged uncle. The lord of Bottle Island was Conrad, a vampire who liked wearing dark red cloaks. And then there was Vitalia Island...

The canteen fell silent.

About ten minutes later, the darkness all around them abruptly vanished. The lights brightened, and the entire canteen instantly transformed from gloomy shadows into splendid golden brilliance.

"Jabus really didn't come. Looks like... the news is true." Mallory looked at Dempsey with a half-smile, his tone teasing.

Jabus was Dempsey's ally, so among those present, Dempsey was the one who least wanted anything to happen to Jabus.

"Whoever knows what happened to Jabus, I can give up one dish," Dempsey said with a grim expression.

"Deal," Conrad said. "Jabus has gone mad. According to intelligence from my informants, his madness is connected to the Son of Pirates."

"Son of Pirates? Never heard of him." Liam curled his lip.

"The Son of Pirates, real name Hawkins, is the son of Huo Blackblade of the Blackblade Pirates. According to intelligence, he has already obtained Cursed Relics, and more than one at that," Aldrich said impassively.

"A pirate has more than one Cursed Relic? Why didn't you kill him?" Liam asked in surprise.

Ironcloth Island lay in the upper-left corner of the Seven Seas, waters where the Blackblade Pirates were least active. Liam truly did not know much about the Blackblade Pirates' background.

"First, Jabus had already made his move at the time. Second, the waters he was in were ruled by Jabus and Dempsey. If I rashly interfered, do you think they would join hands to eliminate my subordinates?" Aldrich countered.

"Jabus suffered a huge loss at the Son of Pirates' hands and may even have gone mad because of him. Just an ordinary pirate? You underestimate him too much. Besides, now that Jabus has gone mad, who should rule Vitalia Island?" Aldrich looked at Dempsey and directly refuted him.

Liam, Conrad, and Mallory exchanged glances. Mallory then coughed and said, "Actually, Blackwood Island, Ironcloth Island, and Vitalia Island form a perfect triangle. We could completely establish a trade caravan..."

"If the Son of Pirates is so dangerous, shouldn't we first discuss how to kill him before discussing the ownership of Vitalia Island? Or perhaps whoever kills the Son of Pirates first gets Vitalia Island?" Dempsey spoke up at that moment.

Aldrich rejected the proposal. "Vitalia Island cannot belong to only one person. I agree with Dempsey's suggestion, but whoever kills the Son of Pirates first will take one-third. That is my bottom line."

"What about the remaining two-thirds?" Mallory asked.

Aldrich was silent for a moment before saying, "The other four will divide it equally."

"Fine."

Liam and Conrad looked at each other, then agreed.

Whether or not they could kill the Son of Pirates, they would at least gain something. This proposal was undoubtedly well suited to people like them, whose hands could not reach that far.

At that moment, dish after dish began to be served.

"Now that we've finished talking about trifles, we can finally eat!" Mallory laughed loudly.

Three dishes and a soup appeared before him. The appetizer was a lump of dark red flesh. He immediately cut it open with his knife and quickly swallowed it.

A moment later, his whole body trembled, and he seemed to become four or five years younger at once.

"Such rich vitality—what a marvelous taste." Conrad let out a long sigh, then looked toward the main course.

Aldrich and Dempsey both paused their movements. A moment later, they resumed eating as if nothing had happened.

"He should have survived. After all, that was an ability we all envied. Just by dreaming, he could learn quite a bit of intelligence. Was there any ability more convenient than that?" Mallory laughed without a care.

Although the food of the Deep Sea Canteen was exceedingly delicious and came with all sorts of beneficial effects, today, the lords were clearly eating with their minds elsewhere.

"Forget it. Some things are better said openly." Conrad suddenly set down his utensils and looked at everyone.

"Are you interested in that girl?" Mallory joked frivolously.

"No, Hawkins!" Conrad sighed.

Liam hurriedly asked, "What do you know?"

"You should all know that my informants are bats. I have absolute dominion over bats, and Jabus has a subordinate whose ability is to transform into a bat. He... has been captured by Hawkins for some time now," Conrad said slowly.

Aldrich looked at Conrad and narrowed his eyes. "So what do you know?"

"Hawkins has become a Curse Caster, and his Curse Power is dozens of times that of an ordinary Curse Caster—at least dozens of times. He also has a combatant who is likewise a Curse Caster. His strength should be no weaker than mine, yet he is completely no match for Hawkins." Conrad closed his eyes and laid out all the intelligence he knew.

The main reason was that he sensed danger. Hawkins clearly had no intention of occupying Vitalia Island or Hard Biscuit Island, which meant Hawkins would definitely continue sailing the Black Knife through the Seven Seas.

Who knew whether Hawkins might suddenly get a whim and appear near Bottle Island?

Pirates were not frightening. But a powerful pirate wandering everywhere—that was frightening.

Conrad had to admit that he was somewhat afraid of Hawkins. That was why he had made up his mind to share the intelligence he knew.

"Dozens of times the Curse Power?! He really is a terrifying monster." Mallory sounded surprised, but his eyes brimmed with fighting spirit.

Liam pondered, "So in a one-on-one fight, the few of us might all be no match for Hawkins? A mere pirate can be that strong?"

"Curse Power does not equal combat strength. And you all know Jabus's ability. Who do you think can truly kill Jabus?" Aldrich said calmly.

Dempsey suddenly spoke. "Dream Realm!"

"Indeed, only in the Dream Realm would it be possible to inflict mental damage on Jabus. Looks like Jabus made a terrible move!" Mallory had fought Jabus before. Thinking of Jabus's near-bug-like ability, he immediately understood where the problem lay.

Although immense Curse Power brought many benefits, combat was absolutely not merely a contest of Curse Power.

The abilities of Cursed Relics were equally of paramount importance, sometimes even more important than the amount of Curse Power one possessed.

Aldrich's Curse Power was about the same as everyone else's, yet he was the strongest of all the lords because his cursed items were simply too terrifying.

"All right, today's gathering ends here. After returning, everyone had best be careful and think before acting. We must kill the Son of Pirates, who threatens the Seven Seas. I believe none of you wishes for another scourge like the Pirate Queen to appear in the Seven Seas!" Aldrich had finished eating and rose to conclude.

Dempsey also stood. "Don't worry. If I'm not certain, I won't act rashly. Besides... we still don't know what Hawkins's Cursed Relics are."

After saying that, he turned and left, his back gradually vanishing into the darkness.

Aldrich was the second to leave. Mallory rose and departed shortly afterward, leaving only Conrad and Liam still eating in the canteen.

The two ate while conversing in low voices. In the end, they laughed in unison, then rose and left one after the other.

After everyone had left, the entire canteen suddenly sank into darkness. Then came terrifying chewing sounds, along with the screams of several lords...