Mastermind
Copyright© 2026 by FantasyTranslater
Chapter 20
“Just to be sure, what’s the chance that the information is wrong?”
“It seems there is none.”
Listening to Evan’s words, Alon thought,
‘ ... Why did Ladan suddenly become a pirate?’
The reason Alon sent Ladan to the port city of Raxas was partly due to his unique talent for tracking, but also because he belonged to the Sea God Clan.
In the game’s setting, the Sea God Clan was extremely rare, with only a few individuals on the entire continent.
Although they looked similar to humans, their true identity was difficult to discern at first glance.
However, Alon, who had played through the game multiple times and delved into the lore, knew that Ladan was part of this clan, which is why he recommended the treasure hunter profession to him.
As a member of the Sea God Clan, Ladan could breathe underwater, and with his tracking ability, Alon figured that if he could retrieve submerged relics, he would easily make money.
On top of that, the nature of a treasure hunter meant that once you struck gold, you could live a comfortable life, so Alon even gifted Ladan a relic specialized for tracking.
But now, Ladan had become a pirate.
Not just any pirate—one of the great pirates of the Seven Archipelagos.
“He’s now a bigger figure than the Count of Palatio ever was...”
“Indeed,” Evan agreed.
The pirates of the Seven Archipelagos were technically more like lords ruling over their respective islands, each of which could be considered a small domain.
Moreover, their naval combat prowess was so formidable that even the Empire, known for its military might, couldn’t look down on them.
The captains who ruled the archipelagos were superhumans, comparable to sword masters or the barbarian tribes, surpassing the limits of ordinary men.
Even more concerning was that the current captains were said to be far stronger than their predecessors.
As Alon considered all this, a question arose in his mind.
‘How on earth did Ladan manage to kill one of these superhumans?’
Ladan’s talents lay not in combat, so this mystery puzzled him. However, Alon soon arrived at a possible explanation.
‘If Ladan had recovered some of the prime relics from the old era, it might make sense.’
There were many ancient relics hidden beneath the waters near Raxas, and some of them were extremely powerful.
Alon himself had spent three days grinding through the treasure hunter mini-game just to retrieve one of these relics from the Raxas seabed.
Though he eventually grew tired of the mini-game and never touched it again, the relic he obtained had been worth the effort.
So, if Ladan had used a powerful relic to defeat a captain and take their place, that would be somewhat understandable.
Alon pressed his left hand against his eyes for a moment but soon regained his composure.
In truth, he had anticipated the possibility of something like this happening as he unleashed other sins into the world.
He knew the world wasn’t easy enough for everything to go exactly as planned.
Still, it left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he let out a quiet sigh.
It was summer.
Beyond the sea of Raxas, a vast maritime city and the de facto heart of the Duchy of Corkia, lie seven archipelagos.
These seven islands, known as the Seven Archipelagos to the people, were originally ruled by the first pirate, now remembered as the Pirate King, ‘Kaldean T. Braven.’
However, after Kaldean’s untimely death due to heart disease, the Seven Archipelagos were divided among seven rulers, each ruling their own island, passing their reign down through the generations.
This region has since become known as the pirate haven of the Seven Archipelagos.
Ladan, who killed the pirate Alcryde Markney, the former captain of the largest island and holder of the title of “The Slayer,” granted by the Emperor’s blessing through sacrifice, became the captain of the first island.
With a low sigh, Ladan looked down at the island.
Despite being called a pirate town, the first island was quite well-structured.
Numerous houses were scattered across the ground, surrounded by cliffs that circled the massive island, and the homes built upon these cliffs made the island look like a giant fortress.
However, what filled Ladan’s mind wasn’t the island’s scenery, but thoughts of the “Great Moon.”
‘What exactly is the Great Moon?’ he wondered.
Ladan had never deeply thought about the Great Moon before.
Not because he held any deep loyalty to it, but because he simply had no particular interest in it.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t grateful, though.
He was fully aware of his circumstances.
If not for the Great Moon, he would have been captured by the slave traders and subjected to biological experiments, leading to his inevitable death.
Moreover, without the Great Moon, he wouldn’t have met Yutia, who helped him unlock his abilities and become what he is today.
Still, despite all of this, Ladan felt only gratitude toward the Great Moon, and he obeyed his commands not out of loyalty but rather because of Yutia.
For him, the phrase “Everything is for the Great Moon” was simply following Yutia’s orders.
That’s why, when the Great Moon first issued a direct command, Ladan felt resistant.
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