Flaming Bird
Hundreds of towering warships glided across the outer seas, making for a magnificent sight.
However, it wasn’t so beautiful to the one in charge of the long voyage. There were five thousand men to feed and take care of, which was a huge problem on the seas. On top of that there was the restlessness, and the disease that constantly crept up on Leylin’s men.
Fortunately the crew were originally pirates of the Scarlet Tiger, so they could handle such long distance sailing.Tiff himself had dispatched the acolytes under him to each and every ship, boosting the morale of the men. Without holy magic to aid them, it was a very big test.
Leylin was on the deck of the flagship, looking out at the boundless sea. He breathed a light sigh, “Our food and water supplies are depleting quickly. This long distance war is really a huge gamble… Fortunately, we are able to reach Debanks Islands before our stock runs out…”
A flush of red appeared on Isabel’s face, a rare sight. Being the captain of the Scarlet Tigers for so many years had killed that elegant young lady. She was now a pirate, filled with savagery and deceit. Only when she was with Leylin like now would she reveal a part of her girly side.
“Are we depending to seize supplies upon reaching the shores? That might not be the safest method!”
Hearing Isabel’s surprised words, Leylin shook his head. “We have a limited number of men. Each of them is extremely precious, so we can’t make senseless sacrifices…”
Even in Leylin’s previous world, it was difficult to win wars after a period of travel.
“What are you thinking of?” Isabel looked at him.
He’d already drawn out a navigation map with Debanks Island at the center. The drawing scale was somewhat absurd, but it had sufficed.
“We will first make a detour and circle to this area.” Leylin pointed at group of islands beside Debanks Island. They were large enough to each have a ruling kingdom, with many smaller islands beside them.
“You mean to say… So we take down the Chihuahua Islands first, and use them as a supply point?” Isabel surmised. Although she had thought of this strategy as well, it required too much time to prepare. Leylin had maintained an unhurried pace in front of the pressing situation.
“Yes. There seems to be a tribe with over ten thousand members here, we could use them as practice to polish the skills of our men…” Although both Leylin and Isabel were confident in their army’s strength, it wasn’t possible to establish coordination in a day or two. Leylin wanted them to undergo some training.
“I got it…” This sort of slow and steady advance told Isabel how determined Leylin was, so she immediately passed down the orders.
……
The Chihuahua Islands were close to Debanks Island. The tribe that resided here were vassals of the Sakartes Kingdom, but because of the ocean separating them they were quite independent.
With their lack of skill at boat-making, even if they chopped up all the trees in the area to make wooden rafts they still couldn’t stage a rebellion. Even if the ruler of the tribe had such thoughts, his elders and priests would advise him otherwise. In such a situation, this tribe was doing fairly well compared to the others who had to offer much more tribute to the empire.
The chief of this tribe was named Abasa, and he was being sheltered and served by his maids. Lazily enjoying tropical fruits, he was being fanned with a giant banana leaf.
Abasa was dark skinned, and extremely obese. Layers of fat on his body made him seem like a giant hog.
However, his neck was extremely slender, the sign of nobility. There were several metal piercings on his lips, with oil marks on his face hiding his original features.
As Abasa enjoyed the service of his maids, an extremely skinny old man dashed in. “Something has happened!”
“Oh? Wise priest, what has made you come in such a flurry?”
The high priest smelled heavily of incense mixed with lamp oil, and wore a feathered five-colour crown. Its plumes were three metres tall, the feathers themselves angled very dangerously.
The high priest fell and knelt on the ground, sounding serious, “Mighty chief of the Chihuahua Islands, our ancestral spirit is enraged. You need to be there personally…”
“The might ancestral soul is furious? Were our sacrifices not enough?” With such a matter coming up, Abasa found it difficult to enjoy himself. He pushed the maids away, eyes surrounded by puffy skin staring at the high priest.
“No, I think this is more like a warning.” There was a patch of blood on the high priest’s forehead, and he was evidently shocked by what had happened.
“Bring me there!” Abasa waved his arms, and a few natives who were like monkeys raised the chair he was sitting on and began to walk.
Less than an hour later, all the natives in the tribe seemed to gather as they watched the high priest in the centre performing a ritual. There was a sort of anesthetic incense burning in the air, and gas in the surroundings.
As their leader, Abasa wore his ceremonial attire with difficulty. He stood at the front of the procession in five-coloured beast hide, watching the high priest dance unceasingly as if his body was writhing with epilepsy.
At the heart of the procession, traces of reddish gold appeared on a crude animal-skin flag.
“Mighty ancestral spirit… What hint do you wish to give us?” Abbas knelt, and the rest of the natives followed suit.
*Rumble!* As everyone kowtowed, a huge cloud rose from the heart of the altar. The phantom of a creature flashed past, releasing a few roars that were difficult to understand.
“The ancestral spirit is warning us!” At this moment, the high priest jumped as if he had obtained some divine enlightenment.
“Unprecedented enemies will appear from the west. They ride steel fortresses across the sea and bring massacre and death… They are—” The high priest foamed at the mouth.
“What are they?” Abbas pulled at the high priest’s neck till he turned purplish-red, as if about to suffocate to death.
“They are the fair-skinned devils!” After spitting this out, the high priest fainted.
“Fair-skinned devils?” Abasa rubbed his chin, “Send down the order. All the warriors are to bring the pikes and stone blades to the western coast…”
The vocabulary and experience of natives was limited. Even the chief did not understand what a fair-skinned devil was meant to be. All they knew was that the enemy was coming.
“Oh!” With the encouragement from the ancestral spirit, the sturdy warriors of the tribe completed this task at great speed.
Abbas was full of mettle as he guided his subordinates, “I shall skin the scalp of the enemy’s leader and hang it on the wall to serve as my medal…”
……
“Hm? Our attack seems to have been discovered…” Leylin frowned from on deck.
“Luckily, this is just a small tribe. The natural spirits they worship are divine beings at best.
Seeing the native warriors at the coastline nearby, Leylin spoke, “Isabel! Tiff!”
““Here!””
“You’ll take over command. There’s no need to worry about anything else, just take out the Chihuahua Islands. Remember to seal off the sea, don’t let anyone escape!” Leylin set off after giving these instructions, charging towards a divine being. After all, it was best to restrict news of his invasion as long as possible.
Isabel, who had taken over command, drew the Red Dragon Sword in her hand and glanced at the native warriors on the coast disdainfully. They had wooden pikes and stone blades, as well as canoes.
“Bombard them! Let them see our might!” Isabel yelled. The natives were equipped so poorly, and there were less than two thousand warriors. This was like a fat piece of meat being presented to them.
“Go!” Immediately, the pirates released terrifying howls from the warships. A wave of cannonfire shot at the native tribe.
The ferocious explosions as well as terrible cries by his ears left Abbas frozen.
“Ancient ancestor! This huge fort on the sea… and that godly fire… What have we provoked?” Countless warships closed in. Their canoes were already capsizing, and the guards by his side were already yelling as they tried to flee. The chief could not help but release bellows of despair.
In the next moment, this old chief had his head chopped off by a blade.
“Heh! This fat pig is obviously a high-ranked person. I wonder if there are rewards…” As this voice sounded, the gold and silver accessories on the chief’s body disappeared in an instant…
“Is this the natives’ guardian spirit? While there’s divinity, it has low intelligence…” Leylin took a look at a divine being that looked like a flaming bird, eyes flashing with light from the A.I. Chip.
“Your followers are being massacred, and the power of your domain is diminishing. Submit to me, and I can let you live!” Leylin used his divine will to send a wave of information, but what he got in return was a howl of rage.
*Chiu! Chiu!* A bundle of golden flames enveloped Leylin, causing the air around him to distort and rise.