Transmigration

"Karl, hurry and check how many of the people lying on the ground are still alive! And you idiots, get to work inspecting and repairing the hull! I want my ship moving as fast as possible!"

Old Quill roared at the surviving sailors like an enraged lion. He was in a terrible mood.

Old Quill was already fifty-nine this year. For someone who had spent his whole life making a living at sea, surviving to that age was no easy feat.

Becoming captain of the Giant Tooth, the White Elephant Chamber of Commerce's newest ship, should have been the crowning moment of Old Quill's life.

As a three-masted armed merchant ship built at enormous expense by the White Elephant Chamber of Commerce, the Giant Tooth not only carried twenty-four cannons.

It had also been assigned a five-person squad of Second-Tier Professionals with an average Biological Level above 8.

Given the importance of this shipment, they had even assigned a Third-Tier Professional with a Biological Level as high as 13: Pols, the [Tide Rider].

Thanks to the characteristics of his class, few Third-Tier Professionals could threaten him at sea.

In an era when the wildest days of the Age of Exploration had already passed, a force like this could be said to face no threats along this main shipping route, provided it did not encounter a pirate king.

What was more, the White Elephant Chamber of Commerce itself had some ties with the pirate king who held sway over this route.

Yet an unforeseen incident struck when they were well over halfway through the voyage.

The Oathkeeper Pirate Crew.

Gannis the [Oathkeeper] was a pirate who had risen to prominence in recent years. Thanks to the characteristics of his [Oathkeeper] class, his combat strength ranked among the best of Third-Tier Professionals.

He was widely considered the person most likely to become the next pirate king.

For that same reason, the various pirate kings disliked him, so he kept roaming from one shipping route to another.

No one had expected him to happen upon the Giant Tooth.

Pols the [Tide Rider] led the squad of class holders into a fierce battle with Gannis. Their powerful defenses inflicted heavy losses on Gannis's pirate crew.

The Giant Tooth's defenses far exceeded Gannis's expectations. Gannis, who had never suffered such heavy losses even while being hunted by pirate kings, tore Pols to pieces in his fury.

Had Old Quill not recognized the danger and immediately led the entire ship in surrender, Gannis, still enraged after killing the squad of class holders, would likely have slaughtered everyone aboard.

When the most turbulent period of the Age of Exploration ended, the Nine Pirate Kings jointly issued a Pirate Code.

The very first article of the code stated that anyone who surrendered to pirates must be guaranteed their life, and only half their cargo could be plundered.

Anyone who violated the code would be hunted down by the Nine Pirate Kings.

After issuing the Pirate Code, the Nine Pirate Kings established its authority through widespread slaughter.

Of course, even so, many pirates still refused to abide by the code. After all, on this vast ocean, as long as they left no loose ends, the sea would conceal everything.

Pirate kings were merely stronger pirates. They could not use Divination, nor were they detectives.

Especially in a situation like this, where the intended victims had inflicted heavy losses and then actually wanted to surrender, practically no pirate would still care about that damned Pirate Code.

But Gannis had no choice but to care.

[Oathkeeper] was the name of Gannis's third-tier class. Its abilities required the class holder to select an oath to uphold.

That oath would, in turn, grant the Oathkeeper corresponding power. The stricter the oath's restrictions, the greater the power it granted.

But once the oath was violated, that power would also be greatly weakened.

The oath Gannis had chosen was the Pirate Code. As a code that restricted pirates, it would undoubtedly grant an [Oathkeeper] tremendous power at sea.

At the same time, since this code had been written for the chaotic group that was pirates, its restrictions on an [Oathkeeper]'s own conduct would be relatively lenient.

Having spent years making his living at sea, Old Quill had undoubtedly heard of the [Oathkeeper]'s reputation. Thus, the moment he saw that defeat was certain, he decisively led the entire ship in immediate surrender.

In the end, after venting his impotent rage on the Giant Tooth's deck, Gannis the [Oathkeeper] departed resentfully with half the cargo he had plundered.

He left behind a few unlucky souls knocked unconscious by various pieces of debris.

"That damned [Oathkeeper]. Half the ship's cargo lost, and a Third-Tier Professional dead. Even if it wasn't my fault, the White Elephant Chamber of Commerce will probably kill me to vent their anger." As he watched the sailors get to work, Old Quill's gaze flickered.

"And that damned Charles. You could've just activated [Wave-Breaking Charge] and avoided the [Oathkeeper]. If you couldn't beat the [Oathkeeper], why the hell did you go up there and show off?"

"At this point, there's no other choice."

"I'll have to become a pirate."

In a corner on the other side of the deck, one of the unlucky souls caught up in Gannis's outburst slowly opened his eyes.

"Where... am I?" Looking at the unfamiliar yet familiar surroundings, the unfortunate sailor struggled to clear his head.

Just as he tried to recall what had happened, a sharp pain tore through his head, nearly knocking the sailor unconscious again just as he had begun to regain his senses.

The intense pain made the sailor's body twitch intermittently. Only after lying there for a long time did he recover.

"So, I've transmigrated." Dunn Campbell was this body's name, and without a doubt, it was now occupied by a transmigrator.

Dunn Campbell was twenty years old. He had joined the White Elephant Chamber of Commerce's fleet as a sailor a year ago, and several months ago, he had been assigned to the newly launched Giant Tooth.

The Campbell Family had once been nobility in the Kingdom of Lyon. Their ancestors had enjoyed prosperity-tremendous prosperity.

Over a century ago, their ancestor Als Campbell had attained legendary status and been invited to join the Kingdom of Lyon as one of its legendary protectors.

Als's son had been made a duke of the kingdom. If nothing unexpected happened, the Campbell Family would become another legendary family of the Kingdom of Lyon.

Unfortunately, shortly afterward, the legendary wizard Ocean's Touch discovered the New World, ushering in the Age of Exploration.

As a newcomer to the Kingdom of Lyon, Als volunteered to take part and secure benefits for the kingdom in order to gain more benefits for himself.

Unfortunately, everyone underestimated the upheaval this Age of Exploration would unleash. The war between the two continents ultimately drew over a hundred legendary figures into a chaotic conflict lasting decades, with dozens of them eventually falling. This was the largest battle involving legendary figures the entire world had seen in nearly ten thousand years.

Als Campbell had the misfortune of becoming a background statistic in that battle.

After their legendary ancestor fell, nothing melodramatic happened.

The Kingdom of Lyon treated the Campbell Family generously. Not only did it preserve their title, but after the war ended, it also granted the Campbell Family a portion of the territory conquered in the New World.

Unfortunately, the Campbell Family's descendants proved unworthy, squandering their considerable wealth over the next few generations.

By the time it passed to Dunn's father, little remained apart from the title of count. Later, Dunn's parents used what little wealth remained to set out to sea, hoping to get back up where they had fallen. In the end, both husband and wife died in a shipwreck.

Ultimately, Dunn, who had inherited the title of count, chose to join the White Elephant Chamber of Commerce as a sailor to avoid starving to death. Then he had died of fright during Gannis's outburst.

Yes, the body's original owner had died of fright. After all, because of his oath, Gannis had deliberately held back. The sailors caught in the aftermath had suffered, at worst, a few broken bones.

But faced with the terror of an enraged Third-Tier Professional, the original Dunn had sensed death's presence and ultimately been frightened to death.

After briefly digesting the memories that had merged in his mind, Dunn, who had already fully accepted the fact that he had transmigrated, reached into his clothes and took out an exquisite card.