CHAPTER 500: CHAPTER 250 PIRATE PURSUIT

Last night’s heavy snow enveloped the entire Island in a layer of white.

Accompanied by the chaotic sound of boots crunching through the snow, a group of people headed out from the small town towards the outskirts.

These people wore somewhat dirty and dark cotton clothes, with scarves around their necks resembling torn rags. They all looked a bit scruffy; not a single one appeared clean or tidy. And they didn’t seem to care about their appearance either. They walked with a staggering, careless gait.

Noticeably, nearly everyone was armed, and most of them were human.

The leader, a man with slightly dark skin, looked into the distance. A ferocious scar ran from the corner of his eye down to his mouth, adding an extra layer of menace to his already fierce face. His slightly yellowish eyes, carrying a hint of ruthlessness, darted around in their askew sockets as he observed the surroundings. He seemed to remain vigilant at all times.

"PTOOEY! It’s so damn cold." A burly man following behind him rubbed his arms, only to be stung by the coldness of his own palms and quickly withdrew his hands. Then he looked at the leader ahead and asked, "Captain, what are we doing out here in such cold weather? On such a cold day, we shouldn’t..."

Upon hearing this, the leader turned, glaring askance at the questioning burly man. The sight of his scarred profile was enough to silence the man immediately.

"If I remember correctly, I told you all last night, didn’t I? Are you treating my words as if they’re nothing? Hmm? Jiro?"

A small fellow next to the burly man jumped up and slapped the back of his head, sending the burly man stumbling forward a few steps with his head lowered.

After landing the blow, the small fellow cursed, "You idiot! I told you not to drink last night. We’re going to make trouble for that group, got it?"

The burly man nodded repeatedly. "Got it, got it."

The captain said nothing more, turning back to continue leading the group forward.

"Captain, what exactly are we doing today? Reconnaissance, or direct..." A man who clearly seemed to be his deputy approached and asked.

The captain didn’t stop walking, but his voice carried over quietly. "Sal, share what information you have."

"OH HO HO! Of course, my dear captain." A limping old man with a messy beard, leaning on a cane, staggered quickly out of the group, moving in a clumsy yet brisk manner. After emerging, he didn’t forget to pull out a well-polished flask from inside his clothes and take a swig.

"Ah, this damned weather is truly cold." He licked the liquor from his lips, afraid to waste a drop.

After tucking the flask back into his clothes, he began to speak, "We all know Balazs’ big ship only comes to this damned place around this time. But the last time he made a shipment, it wasn’t just materials; there were quite a few treasures mixed in too."

"Everyone knows this cursed place is dangerous and doesn’t have anything valuable—except those damn ruins."

"I’ve been wandering this Island long enough. The villagers all said there’s a ship that constantly roams around the Island. They come ashore every day to dig in those ruins... and there are quite a few valuable items there. Moreover, our friends in the trade convoy said their captain was the one who dealt with the people from that ship. And apparently, these people aren’t that strong."

After saying this, he couldn’t help but take another swig, but this time he didn’t continue speaking.

Indeed, even these pirates, with their almond-sized brains, could understand his meaning. And the eyes of the pirates following him began to glimmer with excitement.

In their eyes, Alka and his group had become lambs to be slaughtered, their bellies hiding golden treasures.

"Treasures! How I love treasures!"

"I love all kinds of treasures, HEH HEH HEH."

"But are they strong? They dare to stay here for so long; surely they have some skill, right?" a slightly more rational pirate whispered, having clearly let some of the previous talk go in one ear and out the other. Although they were pirates, they knew there were many they couldn’t provoke; otherwise, they’d have been wiped out long ago.

The deputy following the captain said, "I asked our old friends. When they saw the people from that ship before, they didn’t find them particularly dangerous."

The captain remained silent, just continuing to walk forward, looking ahead.

However, the deputy whispered from behind, "Is it worth it, Captain?"

He felt that it wasn’t wise to fight another ship’s crew for something of uncertain value.

"Those people are very suspicious," the captain said, a slightly menacing smile appearing on his face. "They’re definitely hiding some secret, and I’m very interested in it. They surely know which of these ruins are dangerous and which hide treasures, and these ruins are scattered all over the Island."

Constantly circling at sea but rarely anchoring at the port town—that was abnormal. Very abnormal. If they were just passersby, or ships only intending to purchase materials from this Island, they certainly wouldn’t care about such things. Those familiar with this Island and its surroundings wouldn’t come here without good reason. Unfamiliar people, on the other hand, would be more cautious on the Island, not looking to intentionally cause trouble.

But pirates are different.

Especially for pirates of the Endless Sea, finding a chance to plunder wasn’t that easy.