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Late at night, Cobra and his entourage returned to Alubarna to set up camp.
“Sigh, what a troublesome time,” Cobra sighed by the campfire, his face filled with sorrow.
“Your Majesty, why not ask Vice Admiral Soryu for help?” Pell, one of the two deputy commanders of the kingdom’s guard, approached, unable to contain his frustration upon hearing Cobra’s sigh.
That nobleman had once casually helped them out of a major crisis, and his notorious reputation at sea made him a typical figure to be reckoned with. Pell was certain that he was trustworthy.
“We are Allied Kingdom Members, Pell,” Chaka, standing behind Cobra with a firm grip on his weapon, interjected, gritting his teeth. “Vice Admiral Soryu is a Marine.”
Pell’s expression faltered at Chaka’s words, and he clenched his teeth in frustration.
“Those Bastard Government officials!” Pell understood what Chaka meant.
Marines were not allowed to interfere in the internal affairs of Allied Kingdom Members; this was an ironclad rule!
But whether it was truly “internal affairs” or not was merely a matter of face.
Every time Cobra requested government assistance, it was intercepted by outsiders. Every reply cited “internal affairs of Allied Kingdom Members” as the reason for refusal. The answer was already clear.
Someone was deliberately keeping their messages from reaching higher authorities, keeping things within the realm of “internal affairs” that the Marines couldn’t intervene in.
Their purpose was nothing more than to exploit Alabasta, sucking its blood like leeches.
Now that Alabasta had become a safe haven for pirates, there was a real risk of being divided among them, and this was closely linked to those Great Characters.
“Even if the Vice Admiral Soryu is willing to help, so what? Who can guarantee there won’t be a next time?!”
“External forces are just that, external forces. We must seize our own destiny!” Cobra comforted Pell with a resolute gaze. “Today, the eldest son of the Nibelung Family has appeared for us, bringing us a rare respite. Inform everyone to proceed with caution. Whether we can turn the tide depends on this moment!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Everyone had to save face for the Nibelung Family, and wherever Vice Admiral Soryu went, the wind would carry rumors of his arrival.
At this juncture, at least until they left, no force would dare to let down their guard.
Under the desert starry sky, the wise king and his loyal knights pledged together, unaware that a pair of bright eyes were peering at them from behind a rock, blinking curiously.
“Father.”
…
With a Celestial Dragons’ “golden signature” leading the way, coupled with Cobra’s active cooperation, Rowen soon gathered the workers he needed.
At this moment, on the open space in front of the palace, a group of desert dwellers clad in white robes looked nervously at Lirisk, who sat on a high platform. The sharp gaze of the CP0 agents swept the crowd continuously, missing nothing.
Rowen rode on a unique desert mount, a brown double-humped camel, slowly pacing in front of the crowd.
“Vice Admiral Soryu, the personnel count is complete!”
“Vice Admiral Soryu, supplies are ready, we can set off anytime!”
The people below quickly finished all the arrangements and reported back. Rowen nodded satisfactorily, then turned to look at Lirisk.
“Tch, troublesome!”
With an impatient expression, Lirisk stood up reluctantly, clearing his throat for attention.
“Listen up, you bunch of lowlifes!”
Shua!
The somewhat noisy crowd of workers fell silent instantly, resembling a well-disciplined army.
Under Rowen’s eerie gaze, Lirisk nodded, seemingly satisfied with his own intimidation.
“I am the eldest son of the Nibelung Family, Nibelung Lirisk, your god!”
“Now, I need you worthless bunch to help me dig up a treasure. If you succeed, there will be rewards. If you fail, you’ll die. Understand?”
There was a moment of silence below as if the killing intent in Lirisk’s words had stunned them. But soon, the workers erupted into deafening cheers.
“Understood!”
“Hail to Lirisk the Holy!”
“Hail! Hail!”
The workers’ enthusiasm was completely ignited, and the blazing fire of their enthusiasm reminded Rowen of the “Fat Pig vs. Elephant” period, leaving him dumbfounded.
Are you all trembling with fear?!
Do you understand the threat?!
In response, Lirisk, sitting back down, proudly snorted with a smug expression of “knowing the basics and not falling for tricks” on his face as he explained.
“Why should Celestial Dragons bother to intervene themselves? The dogs below will handle everything for us. Not to mention, like me, the promise of rewards will be kept.”
“As World Nobles, do you think our promises need to be kept?”
Rowen suddenly realized.
Got it, understood, Stockholm Syndrome.
The ruthless tyranny of the Celestial Dragons had already taken root deep in people’s hearts, and there was no need for further interference.
As ordinary workers called here, their lives and livelihoods depended entirely on one person. The consequences of failure were self-evident.
But Lirisk personally appeared and explicitly stated that there would be rewards for success. This gave the workers hope and a chance to survive.
Gratitude suppressed resentment, and anticipation outweighed the fear of death. In this complex psychological state, they worshipped Lirisk with reverence.
It’s commonly known as: Another one’s gone mad.
“Celestial Dragons’ racial advantage, huh! You didn’t used to be like this!”
To so skillfully manipulate the people using their own advantages was not something achieved overnight.
“The Nibelung Family’s discipline is indeed strict!” Rowen exclaimed.
However, Lirisk’s face darkened instantly. “Heh, I was made to learn ten years’ worth of knowledge in two years. If I didn’t learn, I’d get beaten.”
That period was a dark past that Lirisk never wanted to recall.
Rowen: “.”
Out of a stick, a filial child emerges. Orrick truly lived up to being the most domineering chief of the Celestial Dragons.
Well done!
“Yo ho ho~”
A long line of people set out for the desert, scouts riding fast horses along the way to scout, occasionally bringing back information as they passed by the edges of the procession.
“Vice Admiral Soryu, there are a total of twenty tails!”
A CP0 agent approached and glanced at Lirisk, who was resting in the carriage, then decisively ran to Rowen, who was riding a camel, to report the situation.
In the face of well-trained government agents, the tracking skills of those people were impressive. They didn’t even need to eliminate wrong answers; they could directly obtain the correct ones.
“Twenty, huh? If I remember correctly, we shouldn’t be far from Alubarna, right?” Rowen glanced at the map, and a slight smile formed on his lips.
“Yes, if we push the horses hard, we can arrive in a day!”
The mask prevented Rowen from seeing the other party’s expression, but he could sense the shock in their tone.
Under Cobra’s rule, Alabasta prioritized its citizens and entrusted them with decision-making power. It was a rare benevolent monarch.
The citizens were also very self-reliant, living their lives honestly and not causing trouble for the country. Due to the large land area and abundant internal resources, they could always make ends meet, with pirates appearing only once every few years.
So it was hard for him to believe that there would be such a large number of pirates active so close to the capital of a country.
Is this still Alabasta?
Are you sure it’s not a new country washed white by some Pirate King?
“Interesting!”
Thinking back to yesterday when Cobra stopped short of mentioning the internal situation of the country, Rowen made arrangements.
“Send a few people to arrest them and interrogate them.”
“Cobra may not want us to interfere, but we need to know what’s going on, don’t we?”
CP0’s eyes lit up; he chose to report to Rowen precisely for this purpose.
As a newly promoted small commander of CP0, he needed to prove his worth to the Celestial Dragons and the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars).
“Yes! I’ll go and do it right away!”
“Remember, cross-reference the testimonies repeatedly. If I’m being played, hmph!”
CP0 broke out in a cold sweat and quickly bowed.
“Understood!”
(End of this chapter)
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