When the envoy mentioned the five great pirate fleets, Yechui’s and Debbie’s eyes instantly lit up. The sea was the ultimate romance for adventurers, and they had long ago decided that if the chance arose, they absolutely had to sail out and live freely on the waves for a while.
The most thrilling part of any sea adventure, naturally, was encountering pirates.
The Castro continent boasted a long coastline teeming with countless pirates, yet the most famous ones operated around the Tide Empire, the heart of island nations.
Countless islands dotted the waters around the Tide Empire, most inhabited by islanders. Those pirates made their living by plundering the islanders, and the trade routes connecting the Tide Empire to the mainland offered them even richer opportunities. Amongst all pirates, the ones around the Tide Empire were the most organised and powerful.
Still, Yechui and Debbie had only heard vague rumours before and never knew the specifics. Only now did they learn that there were actually five major pirate fleets.
Yechui immediately asked, “Among these pirate fleets, is there a Pirate King or Pirate Emperor whom all the others obey? Did the Church befriend or control him, and that’s how they managed to invade the Tide Empire?”
“A… Pirate King? Pirate Emperor!?” the envoy asked in astonishment.
“Yes, yes, doesn’t a Pirate King or Pirate Emperor sound incredibly cool?” Debbie added excitedly. The last time Yechui comprehended rubber magic, Debbie, Lesa, and the others had asked how it worked, so Yechui told them the story of the man who wanted to become the Pirate King, along with the tale of the effeminate captain. Ever since, Debbie and the others had been filled with longing for the sea.
The envoy’s expression turned strange. These two were clearly major figures who shook the empire, yet the moment pirates were mentioned they grew as excited as children. He hurriedly shook his head and explained, “There is no such thing as a Pirate King or Pirate Emperor. Most pirates are selfish opportunists who fight amongst their own crew, never mind electing some grand leader. They would never submit to one person’s command.”
This left Yechui a little disappointed. He asked, “Then how did the Church manage to control the pirates?”
“That is a long story…” The envoy sighed. He was now a captive, an outcome that filled him with endless worry for his family, yet a small part of him felt relief. If he could fully inform Yechui about the current situation in the Tide Empire, perhaps he could seek help from the Star Empire and Yechui himself to save his homeland. After a pause, he continued, “President Yechui, are you aware of the Twelve Phantom Beasts of the Tide Empire?”
Yechui nodded. “What do pirates have to do with the Twelve Phantom Beasts?”
“They are deeply connected. So that I may tell you everything that has happened in the Tide Empire, please listen carefully…”
With a steady tone, the envoy began his tale.
…
The Tide Empire consists of islands. Long ago, to survive the harsh environment, its people used the power of summoners to create phantom beasts tied exclusively to the royal bloodlines of the Tide folk: the Twelve Phantom Beasts.
The Twelve Phantom Beasts are: Ancestor God, Witch, Sea Demon Beast, Falcon Eagle Beast, Fire Marten, Water Spirit, Berserk Dragon, Savage Ox, Shadow Serpent, Bewitching Lantern, Puppet God, and White Ship.
Not all phantom beasts take the form of beasts. Some revered people or objects, blessed by constant prayer, can also become phantom beasts.
For example, the Ancestor God and the Witch were originally human, the ancestors of the island people. After death, the blessings of the people transformed them into powerful phantom beasts.
The Bewitching Lantern and the White Ship, meanwhile, are phantom beasts born from objects.
The Bewitching Lantern was originally a lighthouse that stood at the harbour for countless years, guiding fishermen home. When the lighthouse finally collapsed from age, the gratitude and longing of the people gave it consciousness, turning it into the Bewitching Lantern phantom beast, a creature capable of illusion, guidance, and creating mirages.
As for the White Ship, it was a ship-shaped phantom beast voluntarily created by the island people to protect fishermen from ferocious sea beasts. Commanding the White Ship on the ocean grants complete mastery, and it can lead countless vessels in a charge.
The twelve phantom beasts are controlled by twelve clans, and these twelve clans form the royalty of the Tide Empire. The leader of the Ancestor God clan is the hereditary emperor of the Tide Empire, though in the Tide Empire the ruler is called the Heavenly Sovereign rather than emperor.
The Heavenly Sovereign inherits the glory of the Ancestor God and can summon the Ancestor God phantom beast to fight.
The Witch phantom beast clan consists mostly of women who call themselves shrine maidens. Each clan leader is known as the Heavenly Witch, regarded as the purest symbol of the Tide Empire. By tradition, every Heavenly Witch becomes the wife of the Heavenly Sovereign, the Heavenly Empress.
The founding Ancestor Sovereign and Witch of the Tide Empire were originally husband and wife.
It must be mentioned that although the Heavenly Witch is usually female, history records one male Heavenly Witch whose beauty put women to shame. He became Heavenly Witch as a man, yet no one discovered the truth until after he married the Heavenly Sovereign. Upon learning the truth, the Heavenly Sovereign magnanimously forgave this cross-dressing master, and they lived a harmonious and blissful life together.
This was once passed down as a beautiful tale, celebrated as a symbol of loyal love…
The people of the Tide Empire have always held steadfast reverence for the Ancestor God and the Witch. Even now, with civil war raging and the Church seizing power, they dare not usurp the throne, for only the heirs of the Ancestor God and Witch can truly rule the Tide Empire. Thus, the current Heavenly Sovereign and Heavenly Empress remain confined in the Heavenly Palace, unharmed.
Among the twelve clans, the Falcon Eagle Beast, Fire Marten, and Sea Demon Beast clans resisted to the death; their leaders were thrown straight into prison.
The Savage Ox, Shadow Serpent, Water Spirit, and Puppet God clans sided with the Church from the start and helped it seize power.
The Bewitching Lantern and Berserk Dragon clans remained neutral, neither accepting the Church’s overtures nor aiding its tyranny.
…
When the envoy reached this point, Debbie counted on her fingers and said doubtfully, “Falcon Eagle Beast, Fire Marten, Sea Demon Beast, Savage Ox, Shadow Serpent, Water Spirit, Puppet God, Bewitching Lantern, Berserk Dragon, Ancestor God, Witch… that’s only eleven clans and beasts. What about the last one, the White Ship phantom beast?”
“The White Ship…”
The envoy sighed again, his gaze drifting to the tiny window where faint light trickled in. Slowly he continued, “The main reason the Church has been able to invade the Tide Empire today is precisely the White Ship phantom beast… It is the only one of the twelve phantom beasts that has been lost!”
…
The duty of the White Ship phantom beast is to guard the island nation and protect its safety.
Every leader of the White Ship clan served as an admiral of the Tide Empire navy.
For countless years the Church tried to spread its faith in the Tide Empire, but the people worshipped their Ancestor God and paid no heed to the deity preached by the Church. The empire’s rulers were openly hostile towards the Church and strictly limited the number of missionaries.
The missionaries therefore tried to sneak in, but the White Ship clan tightly controlled the coastline, preventing entry.
Fifty years ago, desperate to counter the White Ship, the Church unleashed a devastating weapon: they had missionaries summon an Apostle, the Sixth Apostle, the Sea Angel!
It was a monstrous sea creature resembling a gigantic octopus, far more terrifying than even the strongest Sea Demon Beast. Every sweep of its tentacles could whip up storms that devastated the islanders along the coast.
At that time, the leader of the White Ship clan was the renowned Captain Dalin Proudmoore, a man with a blood-red beard. Under the Heavenly Sovereign’s orders, he set out to slay the Sea Angel, a journey almost certain to end in death.
His beloved wife watched his fleet depart and stood upon a cliff, waiting for his return.
The battle between Captain Dalin and the Sea Angel lasted seven days and seven nights.
On the seventh day, as the southern horizon just began to pale with dawn, a battered great ship appeared in Lady Dalin’s sight.
It flew black sails!
According to Tide Empire custom, when a captain falls, white sails are changed to black. Seeing the black-sailed ship, Lady Dalin was overcome with grief and leapt from the cliff to her death in the sea below.
Yet tragically, Captain Dalin had not actually died.
The fight with the Sea Angel had lasted seven full days and nights, but both emerged gravely wounded; neither managed to kill the other.
…
“Captain Dalin didn’t die? Then why did the returning ship fly black sails?” Debbie asked curiously at this point, while Yechui’s eyes also shone with interest.
The envoy gave a deep, weary sigh and said quietly, “The Sea Angel closely resembles an octopus. It can also spew ink… Captain Dalin’s ship was accidentally stained black by the ink…”
Yechui and Debbie: “…”
Bloody hell, what an unjust death!
…
Discovering his wife’s body, Captain Dalin was consumed by grief and rage. He held her corpse and wept bitterly.
In that moment of overwhelming sorrow and fury, the White Ship phantom beast he controlled underwent a change. His soul fused completely with the White Ship, transforming it into a vessel of vengeance. Before the stunned eyes of all, he carried his wife’s body aboard the now terrifying White Ship phantom beast and sailed into the vast ocean, charging towards the Sea Angel.
Neither Captain Dalin nor the White Ship were ever seen again.
From then on, a “ghost ship” appeared on the seas, locked in endless combat with the Sea Angel.
The Sea Angel was immensely powerful, nearly unkillable, but Captain Dalin, now fused with the White Ship and become the ghost ship, was like a curse, eternally bound to his foe, ensuring the Sea Angel could never again threaten the Tide Empire!
That is the story of Captain Dalin.
Seizing the chance while Captain Dalin and the White Ship vanished, the Church ordered missionaries to flood into the Tide Empire. Several clans launched a rebellion and commanded the navy, once loyal to Dalin, not to interfere.
Yet the naval officers could not ignore their duty. Faced with missionaries entering the empire with hidden agendas, those who had sworn to follow Captain Dalin and the White Ship broke away from imperial control. The navy transformed into pirates.
Out of reverence for Dalin, these pirates gradually formed three great pirate fleets:
The [Bloodbeard] Pirates, named after Captain Dalin’s red beard.
The [Watchers] Pirates, named for Lady Dalin’s vigil awaiting her husband’s return.
And the [Black Sail] Pirates, named for the tragedy caused by the blackened sails.
These three pirate fleets became incredibly powerful, dominating the seas. Freed from imperial oversight, they thrived even more. Missionaries immediately faced massive resistance, and the rebellion inside the Tide Empire was swiftly crushed once Church support faltered. Yet the three pirate fleets had no intention of returning to the navy and remained on the open sea.
That region already harboured many smaller pirate groups who had struggled to survive Dalin’s pursuit. Now, with the rise of the three great fleets, life grew harder for the lesser pirates, so they banded together into a massive new fleet: the [Ocean Goddess] Pirates.
At the same time, the missionaries, facing extreme difficulty, formed their own pirate fleet, the [Missionary] Pirates, and began constant warfare with the three great fleets.
Fifty years have now passed, and the five pirate fleets each control their own territories.
The ghost ship still appears from time to time on the seas, and whenever it does, disaster follows, for wherever the ghost ship manifests, the Sea Angel soon arrives in pursuit.
…
“So that’s how the five great pirate fleets came to be.”
Hearing the envoy finish this part, Yechui nodded with some admiration. Not all pirates were villains; the Bloodbeard, Watchers, and Black Sail fleets had fought to protect the empire. Such pirates truly deserved respect.
Still, Yechui remained puzzled. He had originally assumed the five pirate fleets had united to invade the Tide Empire, but clearly that was not the case. So what exactly had happened? With the Bloodbeard, Watchers, and Black Sail fleets guarding the waters, how could the Church possibly invade?
He asked, “If that’s so, how did the Church manage to invade the Tide Empire?”
“Because…”
Sudden sorrow and despair filled the envoy’s eyes. “One month ago, when the Star Empire declared war on the Church, the Missionary pirate fleet controlled by the Church used a certain evil and immensely powerful curse magic. They transformed the Bloodbeard, Watchers, and Black Sail pirate fleets entirely into half-human, half-undead [Death Monks]!”
“Death Monks?” Yechui and Debbie exclaimed in shock, hearing the term for the first time.
“They are mindless corpses completely enslaved by the Church!” Terror coloured the envoy’s face, as if he were recalling the horrors he had witnessed. “Leading the missionaries and the rabble of the Ocean Goddess pirates, they invaded the territory of the Tide Empire… Meanwhile, the Church had long since secretly contacted the Savage Ox, Shadow Serpent, and several other clans. Under the Church’s hidden manipulation, these clans swiftly imprisoned the Heavenly Sovereign and Heavenly Empress, gravely wounded the leaders of the opposing clans, and seized complete control of the Tide Empire’s authority!”
