Chapter 469 - 197: The "Cowardly Purple Flower

On the vast, boundless sea, a magnificent sailing ship rose and fell with the waves.

Five masts held up enormous sails that, when filled with wind, revealed the ship’s insignia. It was a crude black outline with a red nose in the center, faintly recognizable as the kind of circus clown one might see in the city-states.

The style was abstract, to be sure, and it definitely bordered on "ugly."

The black and red of the clown insignia stood in stark contrast to the magnificent, exquisite white hull with its gold trim, creating a strange, discordant feeling when viewed from a distance.

But Ronan was quite satisfied with his masterpiece.

He stood before the helm, his hands resting on the wheel as he controlled the ship’s course. His triangular eyes glanced up at the insignia on the sail from time to time.

’At least the captain likes it, right?’

Ronan had always dreamed of owning a large ship. The previous steamship wasn’t bad, but at a mere twenty-five meters long, it was smaller than a typical three-masted sailing ship, let alone the *Leonard*.

This ship, in particular, had come from the Dawn Church. From its design and materials to its weaponry and equipment, everything was state-of-the-art.

The entire *Leonard* was built from a type of wood called Profound Ice Flower Pear. This wood had a white grain pattern on its surface, looking as if snowflakes had fallen upon it. It wasn’t just beautiful; it was also exceptionally sturdy and dense. After being carefully polished to ensure it was waterproof and durable, it could even withstand impacts from large deep-sea creatures.

The intricate golden patterns etched into the hull looked merely decorative, but they were actually plated with a layer of Sal metal. Beneath them was a Rune Array called "Guardian," which gave the ship a protective shield, the ability to block scrying, and a magic-suppression field.

Moreover, what delighted Ronan even more was another Rune Array located in the hold near the stern, designed to temporarily increase the ship’s speed—the Storm Sailing Array.

Although the Array had a two-day cooldown after each use, he knew that for the eight hours the Storm Sailing was active, the ship’s speed would be doubled. It was the undisputed best choice for either escaping or giving chase.

And the statue of the Lord of Dawn on the bow was in a class of its own. When it came to resisting the Red Moon’s corruption and repelling aberrations, the Dawn Radiance was far more effective than the power of Lady Storm. Even without a devout follower of Dawn to activate it, the statue still worked, offering superior protection for the crew.

’A ship like this... this is where I belong...’

Ronan sighed with emotion as he glanced around the deck. Only a dozen or so pirates remained, currently cleaning the mechanical cannons.

Although these cannons were useless against a Wizard like Wei’en, they were an absolute deterrent to other ships. Any normal three-masted vessel would turn tail without hesitation upon seeing them.

Just then, a pirate in the crow’s nest, scanning the horizon with a spyglass, shouted, "Second Officer! Ships spotted off the port bow! Two three-masters! Sail insignia is a purple bouquet!"

"Hm?"

Ronan’s triangular eyes widened. "Ships from the Wester Clan of Irkand City State? Jorns, what’s the distance?"

’To run into the ’Cowardly Purple Flowers’ out here... My luck is really good,’ he thought, his heart soaring.

Irkand City State was part of the Urs Kingdom and bordered the Tolu City State of the Shetland Kingdom. It was the only great city-state on the West Coast that could rival the Caster City State.

The Wester Clan was one of the top ten great families in Irkand City State. Never mind how wealthy they were—the crucial point was that when they encountered pirates, they rarely put up a fight and would usually hand over their money obediently.

"Forty!"

’Forty kilometers?’

"Damn it, Second Officer! They’ve spotted us! They’re turning around!"

Ronan grabbed a spyglass and went to the bow. Looking out toward the port side, he confirmed they were indeed Wester Clan ships. Without another moment’s hesitation, he yelled to the pirates, "After them! All hands, prepare for battle!"

"Aye, Second Officer!"

"Grego, are the mechanical cannons ready?"

"Cleaned and ready! We can fire at any time!"

Ronan kept his eyes fixed on the two three-masted ships slowly turning in the distance. He felt as if he were back on his old ship, the *Ronan*, leading his men to plunder merchant vessels, and a thrill of pleasure washed over him.

"Go on, give them a welcome gift!"

Grego was a short, stocky Oldes man, his skin tanned dark from years at sea. His green eyes gleamed with excitement as he shouted, "Second Officer, sir! How many shots?"

Ronan’s lips twisted into a savage grin. "Do you even need to ask? Three shots!"

This was the custom on the Cordo Sea. When pirates intended to plunder a ship, they would fire warning shots to make the merchants think twice about resisting.

The number of shots signaled the pirates’ intentions.

One shot meant the pirates were only after money—typically one-fifth of the cargo’s value, no more. But if the merchant ship tried to flee, that fee would jump to half.

Two shots was also for plunder, but the price started at half the goods. If a merchant ship tried to run after hearing two shots, the pirates would strip them of everything they owned, down to their very underwear.

Three or more shots was far more serious. Not only would they demand half the wealth, but they would also take some of the women...

If they were caught after attempting to flee, not only would they be plundered completely, but the pirates would also kill a number of them to make an example. Any women aboard would be taken back to the pirate ship for the crew’s "entertainment."

Of course, if anyone dared to fight back—what followed would be far worse than just making an example of them.