Chapter 30: Stormy Sea

Amidst this tense atmosphere, a man that looked like a barrel with legs came running out of the camp and made his way through the crowd to the front. Although he was also shocked to see Ji Chen and the Naga warriors, he seemed to handle the situation better than the others. 

[Raymond]

[Race: Human]

[Level: 5]

[Skill: Trade Scent (blue skill, has a very keen business sense, can find any opportunity to make money)]

Persuasion (Blue skill, eloquent, able to use clever language to convince others)

Luck (White skill, sometimes able to survive)

[Remark: Consul of the Chamber of Commerce, has good business talent.]

This fat guy was called Raymond. It seemed that he was the captain of this merchant ship.

Ji Chen planned to strike first.

He narrowed his eyes and said in an extremely unfriendly tone.

" I am the ruler of this archipelago and your intrusion is a great provocation to me."

"Although I don't know how you came here, I have the right to kill you all on the spot for trespassing without permission, a crime that even the Sea God can't forgive."

"But I am a merciful person and willing to give you a chance to explain." "I suggest you provide a reasonable explanation now, or face my wrath."

Ji Chen didn't hesitate to take the moral high ground and confront Raymond. 

The intimidating Naga warriors standing behind him raised their bone blades and hissed threateningly, adding to the pressure. 

Raymond was caught off guard and felt uneasy under the weight of their words as expected.

The sight of the fierce Naga warriors made him break out in a cold sweat. 

He never imagined there would be a lord ruling over an island in the Stormy Sea.

Due to his preconceptions, Raymond didn't question Ji Chen's claims and was too afraid to do so. 

The menacing snake-tailed warriors glared at them like hungry tigers, leaving Raymond with the sense that it was best not to provoke them.

Raymond spoke sincerely and apologetically, carefully choosing his words.

"Respected lord, please accept my sincere apologies on behalf of the crew of the White Sand Princess for our disrespectful behavior. Please allow us to explain our situation to you." 

Ji Chen's expression softened slightly at his humble tone. Raymond continued, "We had no intention of trespassing into your territory. We were actually fleeing from pirates who were chasing us. We had no choice but to seek refuge here in order to save our lives."

After some explanation, Ji Chen finally understood the origins of this merchant ship and this group of people.

The White Sand Princess, anchored on the sea surface, belonged to the Hanseatic League of the Western Continent. 

It was a long-distance merchant ship that sailed on the intercontinental route. Raymond was the consul of this merchant ship, which was returning from the Eastern Continent to the Western Continent when it was attacked by pirates. 

To escape the pirates' pursuit, they had no choice but to seek refuge in this area and inadvertently discovered this archipelago.

After hearing Raymond's explanation, Ji Chen was able to gather some important information. 

He learned about the Mid-Earth Ocean and the Stormy Sea, with the former being an ocean on earth, much like the Mediterranean Sea on Earth. 

The Mid-Earth Ocean had many islands and well-developed sea routes, which made it attractive to merchants and, consequently, pirates. 

On the other hand, the Stormy Sea Region was a forbidden area due to its extremely bad storms all year round. 

Even if it was far away from the sea route, no one dared to enter it because most ships that entered had already sunk, except for the White Sand Princess. 

Ji Chen couldn't help but complain to himself about the location of his territory. 

While he was mentally prepared for it, he likened it to the Bermuda Triangle on Earth, which was not a good thing.

Moreover, it was far away from the sea route. If this merchant ship had not been chased by pirates and accidentally came here, he would probably never see anyone else alive in his life.

It was because of this that he had to seize this merchant ship.

Otherwise, when this caravan left, everything would return to its original point. It would be unknown when the next ship would arrive.

Malice rose in his heart, but his expression did not change.

Raymond naturally didn't know what Ji Chen was thinking. After a round of persuasion, he saw that Ji Chen was still indifferent and thought that he couldn't convince him with words.

He gritted his teeth and said.

"Your Excellency, once again, I would like to express my sincere apologies. In order to express our apologies, we are willing to make a certain amount of compensation."

Upon hearing this, Ji Chen revealed a slightly interested expression.

Raymond waved his hand and ordered a few sailors to bring out two wooden boxes from the camp and respectfully presented them.

[The chest with gold coins]

[Storage: Aureus gold coins (350)]

[The box with the silver coins]

[Storage: Kels silver coins (1000)]

Were they giving him money? That was something he love.

Although Ji Chen didn't know the exact value of these coins or what they could buy, judging from the fat man's pained expression, they must be worth something.

Ji Chen nodded lightly and took the coins casually.

After accepting the apology and compensation, Ji Chen couldn't continue to maintain a stern face.

His expression softened a bit and he said lightly, "Since you have shown sincerity and didn't intend to intrude, I won't pursue your responsibility any further. However, you can only stay near this mudflat and cannot enter other areas without permission. Otherwise, you will be treated as intruders."

Raymond expressed his gratitude, "Your Excellency, thank you for your understanding. We have a small request." 

"Due to the pursuit of pirates and the storm, we lost a lot of food and water supplies. Can we purchase some from you?" 

Ji Chen thought to himself that they had an abundance of food and water in their territory and even considered showing them some of their specialties the next day. 

"Very well. I will bring food and water tomorrow." After cautioning Raymond and his crew to stay within the beach area, Ji Chen departed with his Naga warriors, and their brief encounter came to an end.

Back in the jungle, Ji Chen was lost in thought as he considered the details of his plan to seize the ship. 

Raymond and his crew needed to repair their ship and were short on supplies, so they would likely stay on the island for a while. This gave Ji Chen time to carefully plan his attack.

The main problem was the snatching of the ship. Alice's singing could control those on the shore, but it wouldn't work on the guards and sailors on the ship. 

If they saw what was happening, they might immediately sail away. If they tried to seize the ship by force, they might damage it beyond repair or worse, cause it to sink.

To avoid this, Ji Chen decided to wait for a dark and windy night to directly attack the merchant ship. 

This way, he would have absolute control over the situation. To be safe, he also had half of his Murlocs lurking in the waters near the ship, ready to destroy the hull if they tried to leave by force. 

The other half will hide in the jungle to monitor Raymond and the others, making sure they couldn't wander around and become aware of their surroundings on the island.