Chapter Thirteen: The Legend (Part Two)

  Nina listened, stunned for a moment, and smiled on her face: "Didn't Captain Ball say that? Those people think we have the treasure map of Pirate King Atos, so they've been chasing us all the way to rob the treasure map."

  Tang Jie nodded: "No wonder when we went up to receive the string and fight, they didn't use magic to attack us. It turns out they wanted to catch us alive."

  Nia smiled and said, "Yes, but what they never expected was that with ten times our strength, they chased us for more than two months, only to be counter-attacked by us, and even the captain was caught as a hostage."

  She glanced at Tang Jie and said in a low voice: "Fortunately, there is you, otherwise, we would all have become Jones' prisoners."

  Tang Jie smiled wryly, he himself didn't know what was going on in his heart, it was a bit of mixed emotions: "Don't say anything else, I'm all messed up!"

  He calmed down and asked again: "So you really don't have the treasure map of Pirate King Atos? Why are they so sure you do?"

  Nina smiled and shook her head, asking in return: "Do you know what is the treasure of Pirate King Atos?"

  "How was I supposed to know?"

  Nia gazed intently into Tang Jie's eyes, seeing a deep and profound blackness within them, yet without the slightest hint of deceit. She let out a sigh and said: "The Pirate King Atos, over a hundred years ago, one of the seven great pirates recognized as the ruler of the seas. His rise was like the most unbelievable myth in this world. When I was just six years old, my father brought me to the famous port of Gian, where the Pirate King Atos once stood, and pointed at the endless blue sea, saying: Nia, look, this boundless and endless sea is the battlefield you need to conquer!"

  Tang Jie's face revealed a strange smile: Which father educates his own daughter like this? Planning to cultivate his own daughter into a queen since childhood?

  Is Bigbeard still a queen controller?

  Nina didn't know what was on his mind, and while helping Tangie wipe his legs and feet, he said to himself: "My father has repeatedly used the deeds of Pirate King Atos to inspire me, wanting me to become a pirate king like Atos in the future."

  "What kind of person is Atos anyway?"

  "What kind of person he was, I don't know, he died over a hundred years ago, and people who saw him back then are probably dead by now. However, in this world, even on continents far away from the ocean, his illustrious name is known to all, and whenever his name is mentioned, it sends shivers down one's spine, making their complexion change."

  "Legend has it that the sea god, Thira, deeply loved this unbridled pirate king, regarding him as his own beloved, lavishing him with boundless affection, even bestowing upon him his most treasured divine equipment."

  "When the Pirate King Atos sets foot on the mainland alone, he wears the divine suit of the Sea God Tira and travels the world, with few enemies. But when he enters the ocean, he drives his invincible warship 'Black Dragon King' to defeat all enemies who dare to challenge his authority."

  "His wealth is beyond compare, even the richest person in the world cannot match it; his charm can make even the coldest woman with a heart of ice fall for him..."

  Niya spoke fluently, as if telling a mythological story.

  "My goodness!" Tang Jie was stunned, letting out a long sigh: "It's really like a small cow going to the North Pole, it's bullshitting to the extreme..."

  Nia was stunned: "What?"

  Tang Jie chuckled: "Dialect, don't mind me, keep talking."

  Nina gave him a strange glance and continued: "Pirate King Atos rose to power extremely quickly, sweeping across the seven seas in just a few years. He was elected as the recognized Pirate King at the Pirates' Conference. However, after that, his treasures and divine artifacts were coveted by various powerful maritime nations. They joined forces and launched a shocking surprise attack on the Pirate King!"

  "Despicable, how shameless!" Tang Jie cursed in anger, but this excitement made his body ache again, he gritted his teeth and let out a cry of pain.

  Nia looked at him with a hint of amusement: "I used to be like you, every time I heard my father tell this story, I would feel indignant. But now that I've grown up, the story of Pirate King Atos has slowly faded away, and I no longer have those thoughts."

  Tang Jie pressed on: "You just laughed at me, what about afterwards?"

  Later, Aotos led his fleet to counterattack under the joint strangulation of the Thirteen Kingdoms' United Fleet, and engaged in a thrilling sea battle with the United Fleet. At that time, thousands of warships were floating on the Sicilian Ocean, countless people were killing each other for the pirate king's treasure, the sun and moon were obscured, and the waves were overwhelming the sky.

  Men are naturally prone to a strong desire for battle, and Tang Jie's eyes lit up with excitement as he clenched his fists and asked, "What happened next?"

  "Later, the sea god Thira stirred up a stormy tempest on the ocean for his deeply loved man. The united fleet was scattered in the turbulent waves, while the pirate king Atos was like a fish in water, driving the invincible warship Black Dragon King and leading his fleet that roamed the seven seas to charge into the formation of the United Fleet like a hot knife through butter."

  However, what the Pirate King Atos did not expect was that when his Black Dragon King charged into the formation of the Allied Fleet, the fleet behind him suddenly betrayed him, leaving him as a lone army deep in enemy territory.

  "The invincible warship, Black Dragon King, became the target of thousands of warships and tens of thousands of cannons in an instant! In that moment, the cannon fire shook the sky, as if it would overturn the ocean. The flames bursting from the barrels dyed the sky red! Cannonballs mixed with magic poured down like a torrential rain towards Pirate King Atos! Amidst the hail of gunfire and the raging waves, Pirate King Atos faced the rebellion of his own subordinates, yet he laughed maniacally. Standing at the bow of the ship, his long knife pointing at the turbulent waves, he let out a loud roar: Black Dragon King, advance!"

  "Great!" Táng Jié's blood was boiling with excitement, and in his enthusiasm, he slapped his thigh, but immediately felt a sharp pain that left him gasping for breath.

  Niya looked at Tang Jie's awkward appearance with his teeth bared, not only did she not laugh, but instead thought he was a man of strong character, and her liking for him increased even more. She gazed at the sharp lines on Tang Jie's face, and for a moment, she became distracted and lost in thought.

  How come I didn't notice before that he's actually a pretty handsome man?

  Tang Jie saw her walking in a trance and couldn't help but feel some anxiety, asking: "Speak up, go on speaking!"

  The two people chatted and completely forgot about the awkward atmosphere from earlier.

  Niya came back to her senses, recalling what was on her mind just now. Her face turned red as she looked away: "As for the outcome later on, you can probably guess it."

  Tang Jie was taken aback: "What? Pirate King Atos, he's been defeated?"

  Nia nodded and sighed, "No one can survive on that battlefield, no one can survive under such terrible artillery and magic attacks, not even Atos, the so-called King of the Seven Seas! The Pirate King Atos died on the spot, and the Sea Goddess Tira saw her deeply loved man die. In a rage, she stirred up towering waves that engulfed the entire joint fleet into the depths of the ocean, including Atos' invincible warship, the Black Dragon King."

  "After that, no one knew where the treasure of Pirate King Atos was, and no one saw the invincible warship Black Dragon King again."

  Niya said softly, and unknowingly had already helped Tang Jie wipe his body clean.

  Tang Jie listened for a moment and sighed. He asked: "How did the treasure map of Pirate King Atos come out?"

  Nina shook her head: "I don't know, it's a rumor that suddenly emerged over a year ago. On the ocean, there are rumors everywhere that Pirate King Atos is not dead and that he hid his treasure somewhere on the ocean, leaving behind a map, whoever finds it will become the next Seven Seas King after him."

  Tang Jie furrowed his brow and thought for a moment: "This can't be a trick fabricated to make you all kill each other, could it?"

  Nia looked at him with admiration: "What you said is just like my father, he also has the same idea as you. However, no matter what, there are countless greedy people in this world, let alone the treasure of Pirate King Atos, which is really too tempting, and before his death, he didn't have time to transfer his enormous wealth, leaving them in a place where no one knows."

  "Even the most wretched and impoverished beggar, if he were to obtain Atos' treasure, could become a rich and powerful magnate. Such an enormous treasure drove countless people mad, and the coast guards of various countries launched a fierce manhunt against pirates in the border seas, interrogating any pirate related to the treasure map, torturing them, questioning them, and then killing them. The third coast guard we shook off earlier was no exception."

  "I see." Tang Jie nodded "Now that we've shaken them off, where are we headed?"

  Niya carefully wrapped new bandages around Tang Jie's still-unhealed wounds and said softly, "We're going to Dam."

  Tang Jie furrowed his brow: "Darm? Where is that?"

  "It was more than two months ago when my father knew the Joneses were going to start hunting them that he made plans, and as soon as we got here, after a few more days of traveling south, we would be in another duchy. By then, those officials from York Duchy could only sigh."

  "How many days will it take?"

  Women are strange, when they make up their mind about something, they will cling to it like a pine tree on a green mountain and won't let go of a problem. But when they find out that the facts are different from what they thought, they will withdraw all their defenses without reservation.

  Just as Nia had previously determined that Tang Jie was a suspicious spy, she was on her guard against him everywhere, speaking hastily and severely.

  Once she had dispelled her doubts, she became meticulous and considerate, knowing when to speak and when to remain silent, completely two extremes.

  Nia said: "It will probably take more than 20 days to walk, you can rest and recover from your injuries, after we arrive in Dam, your body will be mostly recovered, at that time, you can go ashore freely, we won't stop you."

  Tang Jie found that when Nia said this sentence, her expression was somewhat dim, and he was clever and thoughtful, how could he not guess her intention?

  He just didn't think about his future at that time and didn't dare to respond to the woman's words, so he just mumbled and got through it.

  Niya saw that he didn't respond, and a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes.

  Tang Jie couldn't bear to see her sad, so he smiled and said: "Is Dam far from here? Why do you have to walk for over twenty days?"

  Niya said: "It's not very far, if we take the windward route, it will probably take about ten days to arrive. But now we are in a precarious situation and dare not take the official sea trade routes. If we encounter the York Kingdom's naval defense team at this time, we're done for. So, we'll make a big detour and deviate from the navigation route."

  Tang Jie had also played the Age of Sail, he knew that in the sailing era, fixed routes were all drawn according to wind direction, and only on these routes could a ship reach its fastest speed. If it deviated from this route, with a change in wind direction, the ship's speed would be severely weakened. A journey that could have been completed in four or five days might require twice or even several times the time.

  Two people chatted, thinking about the possible separation in the future, and couldn't help but be a little silent.

  Tang Jie tilted his head and thought for a while, suddenly feeling a chill on his body. He looked down to see that even the normally energetic Xiao Tang Jie was now asleep during their conversation. A gust of sea breeze blew in from outside the window, and Tang Jie's wounds were still not fully healed, he hadn't even had time to bandage them yet, and he couldn't withstand such a strong wind.

  He shuddered and looked up at Nia, only to find her staring intently at his lower body.

  Tang Jie felt like he was sitting on pins and needles under this gaze, and he dryly coughed once.

  Niya looked at Tang Jie's body and couldn't help but stare, asking unintentionally: "You say, why is it that men are different from women down there?"

  Niya, although seasoned and a "veteran" sailor who grew up among men, had never been told the reason behind it.

  In a daze, Nia suddenly asked out of the blue, "Dragon's head is visible but its tail is not?" Tang Jie was stunned!

  "What?!"

  Niya heard Tang Jie's stifled cry and suddenly came to her senses, her face flushing bright red in an instant. She was at a loss for what to do with her hands and feet, covering her face as she rushed out, knocking over the wooden basin on the ground without even realizing it.

  Tang Jie looked at the woman who was fleeing in disarray, and he couldn't help but laugh and cry. He patted Little Tang Jie with his hand and scolded him in a low voice: "You little guy, your old man's body isn't even recovered yet, and you're already full of energy!"

  He waved his hand, but in his mind, he thought of Nia's sexy and slender figure, and below him, he couldn't help but get excited again. Tang Jie was both amused and annoyed, and with a swift motion, he grabbed Little Tang Jie and scolded: "Go to sleep quickly, stop messing around, or I'll lose my temper and go practice the Peony Flower Treasure!"

  He had just finished speaking when Nia suddenly rushed in again and saw him grabbing Xiao Tangjie.

  Tang Jie and Niya locked eyes.

  Emotionless face!!!!

  Tang Jie gestured with his hands and feet, eating while saying: "That thing, I'm not, I wasn't... Don't think too much, really don't think too much, I really didn't!"

  There's really nothing, huh?

  Nia's face turned red with blood almost bursting out of her skin.

  Niya rushed out the door, only to remember that she hadn't put on the bandages for Tang Jie's injuries and had left the wooden basin in the room. She turned back, dazed, and saw something that made her eyes widen in shock.

  Nia felt as if her head had suddenly exploded with a loud buzz, and without thinking, she immediately turned around and fled the room like she was escaping for her life.

  Tang Jie was on the verge of tears, but a gust of sea breeze blowing through the window of the ship made his body feel cool and refreshing.

  Hey, don't go, I'm still naked!