What is the most important thing for a pirate captain?
The answer, of course, is the ship!
Without a ship, even the most elite pirates would be immobilized.
Faced with the imminent peril of Iron Anchor Bay, Byron needed a fine warship for battle or flight!
The deaths of Salman and a group of pirates had not slowed down the renovation progress of the Man-Eating Shark at all. Other than providing money, they were really of no help. After Byron hastily held a pirate funeral for Salman and his crew (in reality, no sooner had they been thrown into the sea than they all ended up in the stomach of the Man-Eater Shark), he spent the bulk of his days discussing renovation details and supervising the construction progress with Old Hans.
When other people’s matters suddenly became his own, the level of his involvement was naturally incomparable to before.
Although Bridgetown’s unique V-shaped hull was hard to modify, the horizontal, vertical, and columnar sail configuration posed no problem. The armaments also definitely needed further strengthening.
The ship’s new owner, Captain Byron, was all set to invest more and renovate the Man-Eating Shark inside and out.
Not only that, but he also felt that this pirate ship carried too many negative marks left by the previous "Ghoul" captain. This pirate ship carries too many negative marks left by the previous "Ghoul" captain.
To completely sever ties with the ship’s notorious past, Byron renamed the Man-Eating Shark to the Golden Deer!
It was also the first ship on which Byron, in his past life, had managed to complete a global voyage alive.
Indeed, not only do the Titles deeply entrenched in the hearts of Transcendents contain power, but many warship names also carry supernatural strengths. Many ancient warship names have been blessed by the Silver Law and the hopes of the people, possessing special powers. For instance, the Hightings Navy’s Indefatigable and Fearless... No one knows how many times they’ve been rebuilt, yet they always retain the same names. And with each rebuild, they become even stronger!
This revealed Byron’s ambition for his new ship. Of course, his journey as a captain had just begun. The Golden Deer was only a transition; his ambitions went far beyond.
Wonder Ship Figureheads, Battleships, Heavy Cruisers, Wonder Battleships, Ghost Ships, contracted Sea Monsters, Legendary Warships...
There are so many powerful warships on this vast sea! And I long for every one of them.
"The new Pirate’s Ten Commandments are also completed."
In Byron’s room, his hand slowly moved away from a brand-new piece of parchment, as the power of law faintly flashed and merged into it. It was he who, by invoking the power of the Silver Law and the Pirate Code, had redrafted a new Pirate’s Ten Commandments.
"The Pirate’s Ten Commandments (Golden Deer):
1. Everyone has an equal right to vote. However, the captain’s orders must be executed without question.
2. Fair treatment for all: the competent shall rise, the incompetent shall fall.
3. Outside of wartime, lights out at eight in the evening. After that, alcohol is forbidden. Sheep, the only permissible use is for consumption!
4. Weapons must be kept clean and ready for use at any time.
5. Women are not allowed to join the crew. If a crew member brings a woman aboard, he will be executed, unless the woman is a Transcendent.
6. Delay in battle will result in death. Deserters in the face of the enemy will also be put to death.
7. Private dueling is strictly forbidden. Anyone who kills a comrade without cause will be tied to the dead and given a sea burial.
8. Those crippled in battle may remain on the ship without having to work and receive 40 Gold Pounds from the ’common treasury.’
9. Traitors will be executed. However, no one’s talents will be overlooked. Accumulate merit to gain resources, Transcendent knowledge, and Promotion Ceremonies!
10. All loot must not be hoarded. The captain gets 15%; pirate officers, assault troops, carpenters, doctors, and cooks take 25%; ordinary crew members get 40%; and the remaining 20% serves as a fund for repairs and common savings.
After a vote by the entire crew, the Ten Commandments can be modified."
He deleted the part from the third commandment that said, "It is strictly forbidden to go on deck between two and four o’clock." Salman had set this rule so he could legitimately eat crew members who broke it. There was no need to keep it.
He also added: "Sheep, the only permissible use is for consumption!"
This was his, a former chef’s, final respect for the ingredients.
These commandments will be trialed for a while. If they don’t work out, I can always take a step back and designate a... red-light district in the sheep pen for the more energetic crew members.
Most importantly, the ninth commandment, the opening up of Extraordinary Power, gave all pirate crew members the chance to climb the social ladder!
Byron knew very well that rules always favor those who make them. The strength of swords can only secure a moment, but a set of game rules that can unite everyone can plan for eternity.One day, this set of Pirate’s Ten Commandments will unite countless people by my side, gradually becoming my own Iron Laws of Sovereignty!
Byron estimated that the renovation of the Golden Deer would take about half a month. As long as they followed his blueprints and worked in an orderly fashion, they could remodel it into a pirate ship with the best seaworthiness in the North Sea at this stage.
My only concern is that I can’t leave port until the ship is repaired. At most, I can only move within the island’s confines.
There was a certain chance of running into the conspiracy that the Navy Department was brewing.
But Byron never intended to hide in the first place. That soul, yearning for freedom and adventure, was destined to chase after all sorts of unknowns and secrets. With the Storm Sigil Ring shielding his presence, his ability to survive had greatly increased. He was preparing to trace back to the root and thoroughly unravel those two secrets.
"The biggest problem now is that I don’t have enough people. With merely a dozen or so, I can’t even operate the ship," he said.
Byron opened his Sailing Logbook.
The situation of the Golden Deer pirate ship became clear at a glance, as convenient as playing a real-time strategy game.
Captain: Byron Tudor (Lancaster)
Bloodline: North Bay Folks
Racial Maxim: Revenge is a must! Sequence Maxim: Force prevails over hard toil! Professional Maxim: I lead the charge!
Title: The Last Lancaster (Permanent Hunt, Never Rest)
Legend: [15] (With the spread of the wanted poster, increased by 3 points from the beginning)
Spirituality: [1.8] (Increased by 0.3 after taking office)
Profession: Storm Knight
Class: First Order Servant
[Weather Intuition], [Cognitive Revision] (Under the effect of the Storm Sigil Ring shielding Spirit Vision, it is almost impossible to be seen through, but the limit of disguise can only be of the same rank.)
Professional Abilities: [Mastery of swordsmanship], [Mountain Goat Steps], [Riding]
Forbidden Knowledge: [Ritual - Holy Grail of Blood]/[Blood Brew] (Finished products: Azure Blood Springs*2, Berserker’s Frenzy Water*3. With this, Salman’s stock was completely depleted.)
Hidden: [The Shadow of the Red and White Rose War (Historical Influence 31, Decryption Rate 20%)], [The Conspiracy of the Navy Department (Historical Influence 20, Decryption Rate 5%)]
Entries: [Historical Reviser] (Activated); [Heartfelt Trouble]
Warship: Pirate Ship Golden Deer (Being Refurbished)
Miracles: [Storm Sigil Ring], [Bloody Mary’s Gourmet Cookbook], [Warrior’s Cup]
Contracted Entities: 27 Mutated Man-Eater Sharks
[Cook Jon, 19 years old, North Bay Folks, Loyalty: 95
Title: Eight Fingers/Honest Man...]
[Eight Fingers] indeed wasn’t a fond memory for Jon, and Byron had given him another nickname, [Honest Man].
Jon’s aptitude might make him a candidate for a very powerful profession among the Bayfolk: Berserker.
[Berserkers] know nothing of fatigue, nor are they hindered by fear on the battlefield. They will fight with superhuman stamina and will until the end of the battle or until death.
Other crew members with the potential to become Transcendents included Carpenter Little Hans, Apprentice Navigator Thomas, and Parry, all with loyalty above 80.
The remaining ordinary pirates numbered nine. This was the entirety of Byron’s current crew.
Although they had clean backgrounds and high loyalty, aside from Old Hans, the rest of the young men lacked the necessary skills and experience. They could only form a basic framework at first. Then it would take a massive amount of resources to slowly nurture them.
"What I lack the most now is a reliable first mate in terms of character and capability, who could act as my assistant and oversee the entire ship," Byron mused.
Byron’s gaze drifted unconsciously toward the window, in the direction of Sorenburg, his domain within the Strait Islands, and he softly uttered a name:
The candidate he unconsciously thought of was his own Guardian Knight, who was both fiercely loyal and extraordinarily capable. He also thought of the anchor rope that had gradually thinned during the Promotion Ceremony.
But apart from feeling irritable, there was nothing he could do right now.
I must survive! The Guardian Knight and their lord are entwined by fate through the power of their oath. I believe that no matter how vast the sea, we will meet again one day!
Byron composed his heavy heart.
He then issued his first order as the newly appointed captain.