However, after Sheyan's wave of fury had subsided and he had calmed down considerably, he became puzzled instead. Something was wrong. These b.a.s.t.a.r.ds had come too quickly. They had rushed over in such a hurry that they almost drowned their captain on the spot.

Sheyan quickly interrogated the crew. Only after he asked around did he know that half an hour ago, every member of the s.h.i.+p had received an "oracle", saying that their long-lost captain was doing a certain job which required their help to complete. If they worked hard, all of them would be rewarded handsomely upon the completion of the job.

The voice had appeared directly in the minds of all the crew. When the mysterious witch, Taitish, heard the voice, she had a look of reverence and bowed down on the floor in wors.h.i.+p. Now, Taitish was no simple woman. Besides Sheyan, no one else could command her. Because of that, when the other crew saw her att.i.tude, all of them instantly believed what the voice said.

Sheyan asked what the promised reward was. The pirates had no intention of hiding anything from him. They instantly took something out to show him.

The reward was a light blue liquid contained in a crystal-clear bottle. When Sheyan laid eyes on it, he felt as if his eyes were being soaked in clean, clear water. It made him feel very comfortable, and he was very reluctant to move his eyes away. The bottle was sealed tight, but for some reason, there was still a faint, pleasant smell coming from it.

"The G.o.d has promised to unseal the bottle for us after we help you complete the job," Redbeard told him honestly. "Not only that, everyone will also get an extra bottle. We've tried to unseal the bottle, but it won't open no matter what we do."

"What exactly is in the bottle?" asked Sheyan curiously.

"Water from the Fountain of Youth," Taitish held up her own bottle with a fanatical look in her eyes. "It'll double a person's life span, and the person's appearance will never age from the moment the water is drunk."

That gave Sheyan a real shock. The Realm had really done it this time. It had actually used something so valuable as a reward. It seems that in order to win, the Realm was willing to make some heavy investments to make sure that its subordinates work hard, even on these pirates.

Sheyan then received further notifications:

"Temperer 1018, your military rank has been confirmed. You are now officially promoted from Brigadier General to Major General. Your level of authority has greatly increased..."

"Finally!" Sheyan had waited too long for this confirmation. He feared that his Major General Blood Armour was starting to rust in his storage s.p.a.ce! Honestly, without the armour, Sheyan estimated that his chances of success would be at least 20% lower!

The Realm was favouring Sheyan. The terrain was the Anduin River, which Sheyan was most familiar with. He now had the help of a bunch of fanatical pirates who had almost gone mad with eagerness thanks to the temptation of the Fountain of Youth! A confident smile finally crept back into Sheyan's face after a long time.

"Hoist the sails!"

　　***

The water of the Anduin flowed quietly, and seemingly slowly. But if one drifted down the river riding the flow, they would quickly find themselves someplace far away in no time at all. Peaceful and beautiful sceneries filled the eyes, formed by lush vegetation and clear water. Gorgeous little boats could occasionally be seen on the banks. Everything was as quiet and beautiful as a painting.

However, a beautiful painting would not contain a thick wisp of black smoke that reached straight into the sky!

Before the advent of the steam age, most large cities were built next to water. Why? Because the prosperity of a city was inseparable from logistics. When the population of a city reached a certain figure, even basic things like food and clothes would reach a shocking number. And compared to land routes, water routes had their own unique advantages.

Therefore, there were many famous cities dotted along the great Anduin River. Even Minas Tirith was only situated ten kilometres away from the Anduin River in a straight line. Before the war broke out, Minas Tirith's commercial areas were bustling with activities, extending all the way to the bank of the Anduin.

But there was only one city fit to be called the Pearl of the Anduin, and that was Pelargir. The city of emerald green was always cool to the eyes. Unique houses and buildings could be seen everywhere. The rich city had attracted a lot of fruits and crops.

But right now, the city of Pelargir was as miserable as a person who had just been violated. The plundering activities by the Corsairs of Umbar were nearly coming to an end. Numerous pirates could be seen returning to their s.h.i.+ps with raucous laughter. Pirate s.h.i.+ps big and small densely packed a whole stretch of the Anduin. Several of the larger s.h.i.+ps had very high waterlines, obviously overloaded. The screams of the citizens and the laughter of the pirates weaved a tragic symphony.

It was at such a time that Sheyan encountered - or rather, confronted - the Corsairs of Umbar!

Pirates vs. pirates!

The Anduin River may be wide, but not wide enough for the Corsairs of Umbar to ignore the Dingyuan. The Corsairs' s.h.i.+ps were similar to the dhows commonly seen on the Nile River. Their lateen sails were triangular, very distinctive, and of course very large. The Dingyuan was also a big s.h.i.+p with five masts, but compared to the seven or so giant s.h.i.+ps of the Corsairs, it was like a child among men. There was nothing remarkable about the Dingyuan except for its unique design.

Of course, that was only the case in the eyes of the layman. The Corsairs of Umbar had been terrorising the coasts of Gondor for a long time; they were definitely no laymen. They could tell the Dingyuan was not that simple simply based on the fact that she dared to come to them by herself, as if trying to face off against a whole fleet with a single s.h.i.+p! Moreover, upon closer inspection, they could almost see blood seeping out of the strange-looking s.h.i.+p's mainsail. The more they looked, the heavier the aura of the s.h.i.+p felt, as if the s.h.i.+p was putting pressure on the whole river; even the waves dared not rise too high!

With the help of Taitish's black magic, an illusion of Sheyan, magnified dozens of times, stood on the bow of the s.h.i.+p. His voice echoed far on the river, making all the Corsairs turn to look at him in amazement.

"I am a messenger of Sauron, the Dark Lord! I bear his will! Where is your leader, Arathorn? "

Having witnessed Sheyan's power, the pirates did not dare take him lightly. Before long, the largest s.h.i.+p came up to the Dingyuan slowly with Arathorn standing at the bow. He sent a small boat over to pick Sheyan up.

But with a legendary wars.h.i.+p backing him, how could Sheyan so easily yield to Arathorn? He continued saying with the help of magic, "Arathorn! How dare you insult the Dark Lord? You should come aboard my s.h.i.+p to greet me, the messenger!"