Ch.237237. Shark Bite (4)

After dealing with the Orc pirates, the Sharkbite Clan.

Normally, after handling such formidable enemies, what should follow would be recognition of merit, substantial rewards, or even discussions related to political maneuvering.

I could demand a share of the spoils from the Sharkbite Clan’s vessels, or request compensation as someone who lent a hand in defending the city.

Particularly regarding the latter right—while not established by specific laws, it’s a custom honored since ancient times. Unless they were to severely shortchange me or overcharge, I, who essentially defeated them single-handedly, should be able to demand substantial compensation….

Here’s where the problem arose.

This cursed adventure city, unbelievably, has no central authority… that is, there’s no clear governing body that could be called a central government or ruling institution.

There are no clearly defined laws or regulations, and without a proper government, taxation and security maintenance aren’t properly implemented either.

There is something resembling a governing body called the Central Council, but strictly speaking, this organization is far from being an actual governing institution.

Since its origins lie in being a council formed by powerful organizations within the city to resolve conflicts among themselves, they are essentially an anarchistic city merely wearing the disguise of a loose oligarchy.

Where in this Iztel, which operates solely on power and implicit rules—a mess that the word “chaos” fails to adequately describe—am I supposed to demand compensation?

With dozens of groups, associations, and organizations patched together like rags to form a single city, frankly speaking, it’s awkward to even receive compensation.

At the very least, since I’m a Superior being that doesn’t exist in this city, if I were to demand some form of compensation, they would probably give me something, even if it meant being extorted….

But honestly speaking, do I, who am neither in immediate financial need nor urgency, really need to go that far?

Any rare equipment they might possess would hardly rival the Superior-exclusive equipment I’ve created, and as for money, I already have plenty coming in from operating the primitive theme park.

Especially recently, having even opened a sales channel for Gorgonia Cloaks to Louis VII’s Kingdom Knights, I feel that extorting money would only damage relationships and reputation.

I can’t ignore this unease that the moment I ask, the devotees of Neptunus—who are already flashing somewhat fanatical eyes after witnessing my great exploits—might just hand over the entire foundation, pillars and all.

Of course, it’s unavoidable to feel a bit regretful nonetheless.

“Is it impossible to expect any city-level compensation…?”

“It can’t be helped that adventure cities are a mess, O Child of the Sea.”

“Well, I suppose so. …And about that expression…”

“Haha, I’ll be careful from now on. …Lord Aleinos.”

Thus, while engaging in such trivial banter with the captain I’ve become somewhat friendly with, I was inwardly relieved that I could at least secure other forms of compensation.

That is, the bounty placed on the Sharkbite Clan orcs.

Having roamed these seas for at least a hundred years, engaging in all sorts of ‘heretical’ activities and plundering, the Sharkbite Clan has such a high bounty due to their numerous misdeeds and notorious reputation.

Especially their leader, Grum Sharkbite, is infamous for his worship of the foreign deity “Sea Witch”—something that seems like a mix between Dagon and Cthulhu—making him practically a public enemy in countless places, and that’s no joke.

For over 100 years, they’ve been pirating, sinking and attacking more than thousands of vessels, and whenever possible, invading coastal cities and villages, repeating cycles of plunder and massacre.

Under the orc-specific notion that destruction itself is the purpose and driving force of life, they truly repeated killing and killing and killing like green locusts, destroying everything in their path.

It’s no exaggeration to say that their infamy far exceeds ordinary levels, considering that even elves and dark elves, known for their bad relations, would join forces when facing them.

Of course, compared to his reputation—the fame of being a great pirate who has lived for over 200 years—I get the feeling he doesn’t possess combat abilities to match….

Come to think of it, that orc wasn’t particularly famous for his combat prowess.

His overwhelming reputation stems from his impressive tenure as an active pirate for 100 years, and the accumulated number of victims during that process has exaggerated his infamy beyond his actual military might.

Judging by his behavior patterns, he’s simply survived for over 100 years by plundering vulnerable targets and fleeing, so the astronomical bounty placed on him is essentially the result of accumulation upon accumulation.

Of course, regardless, since he’s also a Superior being, he is transcendentally strong, but originally he was someone whose talent limited him to Intermediate rank, who forcibly became Superior through contracts, foreign deity worship, and 200 years of experience.

Considering that Superior rank is a level that only insane super monsters can attain, it might be disrespectful to compare a mere forced Superior like him.

But honestly, from my perspective, there’s nothing bad about it.

The fact that his infamy and bounty are disproportionately high compared to his actual power means I can gain overwhelming honor without much effort.

Thanks to this, I plan to hand over Grom’s corpse, which I hunted without much difficulty, and his captured subordinates to the Elven Kingdom through this exploration ship.

Well, I doubt a powerful nation like the Elven Kingdom would try to shortchange this bounty by putting forward some insignificant honorary position, but even if they do act that way, I still have options.

….If necessary, I could sell them to other nations like the Holy Empire or the Frankish Kingdom even at a slight loss, and if all else fails, I could always call upon my mother.

Moreover, since the amount tied up is so large, the exploration ship wouldn’t try to divert it unless they don’t value their lives, so there won’t be any embezzlement from their side either.

Especially since they secretly regard me as someone related to Neptunus… and since that’s actually true.

※ ※ ※

Anyway, after resolving the pirate commotion in the Desert of Death.

Overall, what followed was essentially peaceful sailing.

The exploration ship’s crew, not wanting to be held back by strange pirates, attempted deep-sea navigation, and fortunately, natural disasters at sea, which pose an even greater danger during such voyages, did not occur.

Particularly in this world’s deep seas, various bizarre natural disasters occurring due to the interaction of all sorts of mystical products is almost a constant, yet nothing happened while our ship was moving.

“…Huh.”

“Captain, let’s offer a sacrifice to Neptunus.”

“…Understood.”

Since it was a phenomenon where anyone could sense the intervention of some will, I decided to let this matter pass with a “let’s just be grateful” attitude.

Meanwhile, it wasn’t as if we didn’t encounter hostile entities during this deep-sea voyage.

A prime example would be the Dark Elves. A brother race to the Elves, they are also the dominant species of the Southern Continent.

The Southern Continent, equivalent to Africa on Earth, is a continent notorious for its powerful magical beasts, and simultaneously famous for two races vying for dominance.

On land, the numerous and racially strong beastmen are expanding their influence, while along the coasts, including shorelines, Dark Elves are primarily extending their power.

Particularly, this race called Dark Elves is close to being pirates as an entire race; while Elves at least pretend not to be, Dark Elves just openly engage in piracy.

Therefore, their society closely resembles that of criminals, and in reality, it’s like a mix of pirate and mafia societies… if cultists represent unrealistic evil, these creatures are closer to realistic villains.

For them, piracy is merely a means of livelihood, and the slave trade that accompanies this process is also a means of production for Dark Elves, who are an extremely violence-oriented society.

While the arrogance of ordinary Elves stems from the belief that they are good and superior, the arrogance of Dark Elves stems from more blatant and malicious emotions.

Thus, these Dark Elves, to whom the term “wicked” applies more aptly than to anyone else, run their society with slaves, resulting in a deformed structure composed of Dark Elves as rulers and slaves as laborers.

Of course, it seems even they value their lives.

Even those who intended to engage in piracy would flee without looking back when I displayed my aura as a Superior being, allowing us to continue our voyage without major interruptions….

“Have we arrived…?”

“This is India….”

Finally, we arrived at the port of Ceylon in India, which could be considered our next port of call.