Chapter 689 - My Doomsday Territory

My Post-Apocalyptic Territory Chapter 689: The Grand Duke of Bluewater: Pirates Again! Time passed uneventfully for two months. The Celestial Feathers and the Fox Clan are both powerful races with thousands of years of history. For them, forking out resources worth a mere hundred billion source crystals isn't a big problem. They personally agreed to it, and although it pinched them just a little—like the distance between their thumb and forefinger—they didn't have much to complain about. In their minds, though, the esteem in which they held "Celestial Gate" rose several notches. —Not only did they have top-tier experts, but their foundation was also strong. "Celestial Gate" wasn't just an emerging power! In just over a month, they've sold over a hundred divine weapons—an indication of their capability. They must have emptied their stockpiles from over the years, right?! The core district of White City and the surrounding damaged areas were quickly repaired, though the shops had changed hands. After suffering such a calamity, business in White City naturally slumped. Divine weapons were a one-time sale—without after-sales service since they had the ability to self-repair. Most who could afford divine weapons in White City had already purchased them, causing "Treasure Pavilion’s" daily revenue to decline. Yet, it remained a money-spinner. While the Celestial Feathers marveled at the high output of divine weapons from "Treasure Pavilion," elsewhere, Tang Yu had already established more "Treasure Pavilions" in two other neutral cities. Two years ago, He was eyeing multiple cities like "Heart of the Cliff City" in the "Cliff Heart Empire" and "Crystal Capital" in the "Crystal Stone City-State"—both bustling trade centers in the Mountain and Sea World. However, "Heart of the Cliff City" fell under siege, implementing strict wartime measures, making business difficult. Similarly, "Crystal Capital" saw many itinerant cultivators of the Void Steps and Unity Stages leaving to avoid getting embroiled in conflict, affecting business there as well. Although only a small fraction of itinerants departed, this small fraction was precisely "Treasure Pavilion’s" target clientele. With the wealthy gone, business faded. Other neutral cities faced similar issues: some were partially destroyed in battles, others were engulfed in a tense atmosphere. Left with little choice, Mr. Tang only constructed two chain "Treasure Pavilion" stores. But he was still cautious... Who knows if the top powers of those two neutral cities would suddenly wage war? With the Heart Devil Clan stirring trouble, no place seemed truly peaceful. Unless he built his own city. But that came with its own issues. Constructing a city, even a megacity, was easy for Green Shade now, but drawing in customers was a challenge. A city like White City had amassed fame over tens of thousands of years, attracting countless Void Steps and Unity Stage cultivators. Building a new city, how many would pass through in the short term? "Whatever, as long as it sells for a few days." The most profitable time for a "Treasure Pavilion" was its initial opening days. Even if war later hindered business, it wouldn’t be much of a loss, right? With this in mind, perhaps opening smaller "Treasure Pavilions" in cities slightly less prosperous than White City could be feasible? It seemed worth trying. "Nancy, deliver this draft to the commerce department and have them identify suitable cities and devise corresponding plans." "Mmm... got it!" ... Bluewater Principality, The Grand Duke was recently troubled. First, a conflict with the Raging Blue Principality inexplicably escalated into a national war. Bluewater and Raging Blue were evenly matched in national strength, and the war would leave both sides severely depleted. The Grand Duke of Bluewater sought a solution. Like hiring top-tier experts to assassinate the Raging Blue Grand Duke—but Raging Blue had many pro-war figures. Or hiring warriors to aid—yet those he hired at the Unity Stage acted like big shots. Then, The Grand Duke heard from Count Lavender that pirates were selling dolls—high-end and in abundance. It piqued his interest. He proved wise; in that battle, with countless fearless, heavily armed puppets, Bluewater crushed Raging Blue. Following this, he bought even more puppets from the Black Skull Pirate Band. Confidently, he planned to capture Raging Blue’s capital with his puppet army. However... "???" When the Grand Duke saw the dense puppet army on the opposing side, he was utterly bewildered. Their puppet army was identical in model to his own! What happened to honorable dealings? How could he trust pirate credibility?! Both principality armies lost most of their puppets in successive battles. Perhaps feeling the pinch, a temporary peace ensued. Yet... "What? Pirates again! Do these pirates have no regard for our Bluewater? Where’s the navy? What about the Seventh Fleet? General Griffin?" The Grand Duke roared, spittle flying onto the person before him. Trembling, the man stammered, “The Seventh Fleet was wiped out, and General Griffin... also perished.” The Grand Duke stood frozen, staring in disbelief. General Griffin ranked among Bluewater’s top five powerhouses. His Seventh Fleet was invincible, having sunk countless pirate and enemy ships. He commanded high regard within the fleet, even intimidating the Grand Duke. “Wiped out? Griffin, at Unity Stage, couldn’t even escape?” The Grand Duke grasped the gravity. Recently, pirate sightings around Bluewater’s seas increased. Bounty hunters and righteous cultivators saw the pirates as mobile crystal backpacks and died trying to claim bounties of several million. Bluewater, busy with Raging Blue, initially avoided provoking the pirates. Yet, Merchants reported looted ships, pirates ravaged ports, fought openly in cities, causing numerous casualties. Compelled, the Grand Duke deployed the Seventh Fleet to protect besieged waters. Yet... No victory came, only death. These weren't just pirates; they were notorious pirates! And more than one! Bluewater entered a state of heightened war readiness. Within days, reports of prominent pirates reached the Grand Duke's desk. Five had bounties exceeding ten million! And these were just the ones who hadn't tried to hide. Moreover, "Blade the Bone" Avaleigh, second-in-command of the Abyss Pirate Group, valued at 36 million, was practically a legendary pirate in the Duke’s eyes. "The Abyss Pirates usually operate seas away, across several kingdoms. Why appear here suddenly?" "What on earth is happening?!" Bluewater’s rank didn’t warrant knowledge of the upcoming appearance of the Abyssal Seas in three months. The Abyssal Seas were vast, rivaling the Whirlpool Sea, much larger than both Bluewater and Raging Blue combined. The coordinates given by the Three Sovereigns cover a vast sea area, and fortuitously, just a corner bordered Bluewater Principality. Otherwise, more pirate bands might have appeared nearby. Not all major pirates were unspeakably vicious. Some came only to resupply, some revolt against merchant ships, while others indeed plagued the Principality of Seawater with disaster. Raging Blue experienced similar issues, albeit slightly less severe. The Grand Duke commanded only three or four Unity Stages directly, though some deeply-rooted noble houses secretly held more. But it wasn't enough. Pirates like "Blade the Bone" could eliminate them single-handedly. "Do I have no choice but to seek aid from our suzerain nation?" The Grand Duke frowned. In the hierarchy of Empires, Kingdoms, and Principalities, lines were sharply drawn. Kingdoms and Principalities typically had a suzerain state. Every year, they had to pay tribute to their suzerain kingdom in exchange for protection. But realistically, it didn’t help much. The Grand Duke knew this well. Both Bluewater and Raging Blue's suzerain was the "Dark Moon" Kingdom, yet despite their prolonged conflict, the "Dark Moon" had shown no interest—provided the annual tribute was paid. “So be it, make contact with the Dark Moon Kingdom first.” The Grand Duke ordered his confidant. Three days later, The confidant who used special runic arrays to contact Dark Moon finally returned with news. He lowered his head, speaking in a dejected tone, “The Dark Moon Kingdom accepted our tribute, but they only advised us to activate defensive formations to protect the capital. They said after some time, the pirates would leave on their own.” The Grand Duke clenched his fists tightly, then let them go in despair. “#%￥&!!” He slumped into his chair. Truth be told, the Dark Moon Kingdom was correct. In a month, the Abyssal Seas would open, and the pirates would naturally disperse. But the Grand Duke wasn’t aware of this. During those three days of waiting, numerous battles erupted on Bluewater's islands due to the pirates. Unity Stage powerhouses engaged recklessly, and in mere minutes, the aftermath could reduce a large city to ruins. “Pirates! Damn pirates! Wait…?” Mentioning pirates, The Grand Duke suddenly remembered Lorraine and her group, recalling how the Black Skull Pirate Band had once swindled them. The Black Skull merely demanded money, while other pirates destroyed the principality. Compared to others, the Black Skull suddenly seemed like a well-organized, ambitious, and diligent pirate group in the Grand Duke’s eyes. His resentment towards them faded considerably. His impression was almost turning positive. But this didn't solve the current issue. Struggling for a solution, an idea sparked in the Grand Duke’s mind, “Since the Black Skull Pirate Band is trustworthy and only interested in money, perhaps we could enlist them to tackle these other pirates?” The events at the pirate gathering were beyond the Grand Duke’s knowledge. However, the strength Lorraine’s group displayed left a significant impression; he deemed them almost as powerful as major pirates. “Maybe it’s feasible. But how to convince the Black Skull? Source crystals alone might not suffice…” The ongoing war had depleted Bluewater Principality's reserves of source crystals, and such 'ordinary wealth' wouldn’t compel the Black Skull to risk their lives. Suddenly, He recalled a treasure obtained by an ancestor. A remarkably valuable artifact, one his forebear didn't dare reveal, and to this day, only he knew of its existence within the family! “I can’t harness its power, nor do I dare to flaunt it, so perhaps it’s best to…” (Shortcut key ←) Previous Chapter | Return to Directory | Bookmark | Recommend This Book | Return to Page | Next Chapter (Shortcut key →) Return to Top My Bookshelf Add to Shelf Chapter Error/Report Here Important Notice: All text, directory, comments, images, etc., in "My Post-Apocalyptic Territory" are published or uploaded by users and maintained or found through search engine results, representing personal behaviors unrelated to the site’s stance. For more novel updates, visit Piotian Literature Network Home, the novel reading site's permanent address: www.piaotia.com Copyright © 2018-2019 Piaotian Literature - The novel reading site soaring beyond the sky. All rights reserved.