Origin Player.

Chapter 624 The Pirate King
It was the end of October in the 265th year of the Divine Calendar.

When Jiang He led Zhuang Ya back to Rock Town, the tax collector from Green Forest City in the North had just left. In preparation for the upcoming sea crossing campaign, the Duke ordered the collection of a special tax. With the summer and autumn taxes having just passed, the heavy tax would undoubtedly make the winter even more severe for the various minor lords.

However, as long as the upcoming sea crossing battle is won, even the biggest conflicts can be suppressed. The special grains researched by the Alchemy Guild can grow rapidly by relying on mountains and sea salt, so the strategic value of Sea Serpent Island has risen sharply.

According to Green Forest City's public plans, in the near future, a large number of pioneering knights will emerge. Knights with strength but no land will head to Sea Serpent Island to obtain a bright future.

Rock Town.

In just one week, the city walls, forged from high-grade Yang steel, were erected. The clergy of the Storm Church inscribed numerous magic arrays inside, which could unleash the effects of gales and lightning when defending the city.

A young woman in her early twenties was waiting at the door.
She had long, smooth, jet-black hair, the ends of which were neatly trimmed on either side of her face, highlighting her beautiful and expressive eyebrows and eyes. Her facial features were delicate, and she wore a long dress adorned with tattered black diamond patterns, exuding a mysterious and unique beauty. Her slender figure was faintly visible through the fabric.

"Damn it, the empire is doomed sooner or later."

Si Ning came out to greet him, still complaining, because the Imperial Council had sent a griffin to deliver the Viscount's badge, officially elevating someone's Rhine status to Viscount, and correspondingly, the special tax had also been significantly increased.

"How have you been lately?"

Jiang He casually asked a question and walked into Rock City without stopping. Aya followed behind, carrying a box containing the head of a rock lion. From a distance, it looked as if the box had grown legs, even though she was the same size as before.

Si Ning turned around and followed, saying fiercely, "The Lemon Merchant Guild has just been established, and mosquito coils are selling very well in the magician community. We've earned about three hundred gold coins this week, but after Green Forest City collected its taxes, Rock City now owes the Storm Church a large sum of money."

Jiang He stopped and turned around, expressionless: "How much did you pay in total?"

“Four thousand gold coins,” Si Ning replied with a shrug.

"What about people?"

"Just left not long ago."

A hint of ferocity flashed in Jiang He's eyes. "Taxes" are a direct manifestation of dominance. The tax officials sent by Green Forest City are not lackeys. Each person is responsible for a large area, usually led by a Great Knight, to ensure sufficient force in the tax collection and delivery process.

Violence +6.

"Have Wuhe pinpoint the location, I'll go kill him in a bit."

"Hehehe, boss, I heard you!"

On the city wall, the black-feathered youth sat between the battlements, surrounded by a large flock of birds of prey. Wuhe was sorting through intelligence. He had bred a beautiful, small, but harmless pet bird and was now plotting to send it into the circles of the imperial nobility in order to steal intelligence in their daily conversations.

Jiang He waved and said, "Come down and greet Lao Hei. Aya bought some things for you."

Wuhe's eyes lit up, and he immediately sent out birds to the port.

In less than a quarter of an hour, a middle-aged man who was three meters tall and exceptionally burly came over, with two teams of fierce guards following behind him. Old Black's human form resembled an iron tower, and he was covered in filth. He was the chief civil engineer in charge of the port's construction.

"Xiao He, Aya," Lao Hei said with a simple and honest smile.

Jiang He chuckled and nodded, saying, "This time, we'll be taking the Glenn Knights to participate in the sea crossing battle. Aya and I will go."

Old Hei indicated that he understood. Since embarking on the path of the extraordinary, Xiao He had participated in hundreds of wars, large and small, and could be considered a professional war maniac. In such a chaotic situation, he was not worried about the opponent's ability to survive, after all, it was not an encirclement and killing without any room for maneuver.

In front of the Viscount's castle, Zhuang Ya put down the box and took out the local specialties she had bought in the towns along the way. She spent all thirty soul silver coins given to her by the Adventurers' Guild.

"Brother Hei, monster bones."

"Hey, nail clippers."

"Sister Si, the gemstone ring."

"Great serpent, wine cup."

"My little dress."

Considering the limited budget, Zhuang Ya bought mostly small, usable items.

Old Hei picked up the large bone, which looked very sturdy and should be able to gnaw on for a long time. Not far away, Wu He trimmed his nails, and the effect was indeed quite good. As for Si Ning, her expression was a bit strange. This was the first time someone had given her a ring. It was one thing for Lao Jiang, but it had to be a girl.

"Thank you." Jiang He looked at the golden wine glass. In order to accommodate Aya's sense of ceremony, he didn't know what it was beforehand.

Zhuang Ya forced a faint smile.

"hey-hey."

"Learn something good from Si Ning."

"Oh."

……

Late at night, Jiang He surveyed the territory.

The Underworld puppet sat atop the castle tower, while a thousand malevolent guards were stationed in small squads, making the safety of Rock City unquestionable.

It is worth mentioning that some of the evil guardians have learned the power of the storm priests, and the guardian knights have already acquired the foundation to unleash high-intensity immortal-level magic, making them qualified to kill holy knights.

"Population of 8,900 people."

"Most of them were free people who had lost their protection within the Glenn Earl's territory, as well as some slaves traded back by the Lemon Merchant Guild."

The slave trade was rampant in the Holy Empire. Rebel armies and alien races that were defeated would basically become slaves, as would nobles in the capital who suffered oppression. During foreign wars, a large number of slave traders would accompany the troops and sell the slaves on the spot after the victory.

Jiang He arrived at the castle pavilion and carefully examined the Underworld Puppet. This puppet, a masterpiece, possessed special talents such as the Human Puppet Myriad Puppet and the "Body of Ten Thousand Deaths." It could currently control a being at the highest Saint Realm level without affecting its own combat power.

"I need money, or rather, soul coins."

Jiang He casually found a balcony to sit down and rest. The tax officials' team had already left the Augusta territory, and as for who would take action, it certainly wouldn't be him, Baron Rhine.

The crow landed and said, "Boss, the Glenn Knights have been assembled. Ah San is leading the Silver Knights, Ah Er is in charge of the Divine Guard Knights, and I've let Ah Da temporarily lead the expeditionary force."

"Leave tomorrow morning."

"clear."

Jiang He closed her eyes, preparing to rest for fifteen minutes, when a notification sound rang in her ears.

[Hint: An exclusive side quest for the Executive has been released]
[Quest Name: Origin Hunter]
[Mission Brief: As a relic of the current era of god-making, Morent escaped the purge of order by fleeing abroad alone. After arriving in the world of gods, Morent lost the common body of a player and struggled to become a hero elite. He then established his base on Serpent Island, unified the tribes, and founded a pirate royal court.]
[But the remaining sins have not been absolved, and the trials continue.]
[Mission Requirement: Defeat Pirate King Morent]
[Quest Rewards: 1 Sub-Legendary Item / 10000 Game Currency and Experience Points]
[Task Time Limit: 45 calendar days]
[Task Penalty: None]
[Note: The offender's crime was "maliciously exploiting faith" (currently, it is forbidden to recruit believers locally)].
……

As dawn breaks.

A group of enormous, powerful monsters descended from the sky and landed in the fortress city of Black Whale, the territory of the Black Whale Marquis.

When the monster appeared on the street, it quickly attracted a large crowd of free citizens.
The monster has a body and tail similar to a lion, as well as a head, beak, wings, and forelimbs like an eagle. It stands on all fours, and its wingspan is nearly ten meters if the tail is not counted. Its whole body is covered with majestic golden feathers.

"A griffin bestowed by the royal family!" "Definitely a subordinate of the Duke."

"A convoy transporting war funds."

On the backs of the thirty griffins, each possessing the fighting prowess of a great knight, lies an iron chest filled with gold coins imbued with mysterious energy. A quarter of the special taxes from the entire Northern Territory are contained within these chests.

The special tax, also known as war money, was essentially an investment made by nobles before the start of a war. Only those who paid the tax were eligible to share the spoils of war afterward, which is why the amount of war money was usually extremely large.

The griffins bypassed the crowd and headed straight for the castle.

A lush forest has now grown around Black Whale Castle, and the Archbishop of the Whispering Church, the Wastelander, is in charge of the war gold in place of Duke Felix of the North.

On the roads cleared through the forest, dozens of caravans arrived one after another. With the return of the four griffin squadrons, the logistics for the sea crossing campaign had been launched. What followed was a massive buying and selling of resources, with alchemical swords, magical armor, combat potions, military rations and equipment converging from all directions.

When the griffins encountered the caravan, the ordinary horses immediately trembled uncontrollably, and some merchants turned pale. Traveling merchants naturally had backgrounds, but if the Duke of the North ordered his men to plunder, then the so-called "background" was actually not enough. In the entire North, the Duke was practically the uncrowned king.

The leading knight, dressed in a court count's robe, turned around and shouted, "Control the griffins, don't cause any trouble."

"Please trust the reputation of the Green Forest family, which has been built up over hundreds of years, dear distinguished guests who have come from afar."

"Black Whale Castle is just ahead. Lord Wasteland will oversee the buying and selling later."

The Knight of Great Achievement spoke solemnly. For the Duke's family, reputation was part of their dominance. In the context of hundreds of years, a single war or transaction was not worth breaking the rules, and as a member of a branch of the family, he had an obligation to uphold them.

Take a short break.

The caravan and the griffins proceeded side by side until they reached the castle at the end, where the merchants finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon seeing the gaunt old man standing at the door, the Knight of Great Achievement immediately left the griffin, dismounted, and bowed in greeting.

"Greetings, Lord Desolate One."

“You were the last team, but you were quite efficient.”

The Wastelander praised the Duke for collecting war gold in just half a month, saying that while the Duke's prestige was certainly a factor, it wouldn't be entirely true that the four Knights of Great Achievements had no merit.

The Knight of Great Achievement smiled reservedly, but before he could exchange pleasantries, a look of astonishment suddenly appeared on the face of the Desolate One.

"grown ups……"

"Enemy attack! All personnel on high alert!"

……

"They actually managed to react."

"Is it because of this forest?"

In the shadow cast by the treetops, Jiang He controlled the future knight to land, and immediately unleashed a spatial slash created by the spatial authority.

The legendary authority tore through the world's epic-level solidity with ease; a silver arc several kilometers long swept across the ground—his ultimate, fully charged strike.

Wow!
The long, curved arc revealed its sharp edge, and wherever it passed, a vacuum erupted with a teeth-grinding shriek. The trees in the entire forest seemed to be gripped by an invisible giant hand, snapping in half. The tree crowns were filled with flying fragments of leaves, and the broken branches shimmered with a cold light like ice crystals.

The castle was as fragile as paper under the cutting. The spires and corridors filled with magic circles were instantly sheared in half, and the thick city walls collapsed, raising a thick cloud of dust that blotted out the sky. Countless domesticated monsters living around it did not even have time to escape. The aftershocks of the spatial fragments shredded them into blood mist.

The speed of the silver arc was too fast.

The Wastelander wiped the blood from his face, his expression extremely grim. Less than half a meter in front of him, the Great Knight's head was severed, his expression filled with terror before his death. But neither the Great Knight's guardian spirit nor his own defensive combat skills could withstand the attack.

In the destroyed forest.

A figure slowly walked over, his face completely composed of blood-red light and shadow, with only a pair of extremely cold eyes showing.

"Wild Hunt!"

"You actually dare to come back!"

The Wastelander's killing intent was palpable. As one of the core combat forces in the Duke's camp, he was well aware of the recent upheaval. The enemy was a top-tier hunter, and extremely arrogant, who murdered His Highness the Prince in front of the Saint-level Chief Guard.

Jiang He calmly extended her finger and hooked it.

"Come."

He manipulated the future knight to run back from the southern border of the empire, determined to obtain the War Gold. Since the other party seemed unwilling to give it up, he could only resort to force.

"As expected, arrogant!"

The Wastelander's face turned furious, and his entire body began to mutate.

The roots of countless trees withered, and life force gathered, instantly healing the laceration above his chest. Under the effect of the Secret Word Magic - Transformation, the Wastelander transformed into a mountain bear several meters tall. This legendary monster lives in the mountains of the Western Frontier and possesses immense strength.

boom!
The mountain bear attacked, striking out with its paw. A gale howled, and the violent force compressed the airflow, creating a shockwave visible to the naked eye. A thunderous roar exploded on the earth.

"The power of strength".

Jiang He thought to herself, "This archbishop seems to have some druidic tendencies. After transforming, he unleashed the power of the Mountain Bear. If nothing unexpected happens, his battlefield adaptability should be very strong."

Boom!

The ground cracked within a radius of several hundred meters.

The Wastelander stared in astonishment as his enemy caught his fist with one hand, then clenched it tightly, the crisp sound of bones shattering echoing as an unleashed burst of supreme divine power far exceeding his own.

Jiang He flung it behind him, his body slamming into the ground repeatedly. With each explosion, the ground crumbled under the weight. The Wastelander decisively abandoned its arm, transforming into a Storm Falcon to create distance, its eyes filled with apprehension.

Whoosh whoosh!
The Wastelander gritted his teeth, suddenly flapped his eagle wings, and feathers flew everywhere, accompanied by a storm, falling like a meteor shower. His guardian spirit, Ever-Changing, silently supported the depletion of his magic power.

Countless streaks of light swept in.

With a casual wave of his hand, Jiang He created countless "mirrors" around himself using his spatial authority. The moment the storm feathers hit the "mirrors," they all rushed into them and disappeared.

Whoosh whoosh!
The Wastelander's expression suddenly changed drastically, as the spatial mirror materialized around him, from which storm feathers flew out, their dense barrages tearing his body to shreds.

Jiang He grasped the mirror from a distance, causing it to collapse completely. He activated the legendary secret technique, Return to Nothingness, which caused a turbulent vortex in space to engulf the enemy, shredding their bones and flesh.

With just two moves, the Wasteland was nearly wiped out.

But in the critical moment, he quickly transformed into an immortal earth dragon, his body split into tens of thousands of pieces, yet he still retained his vitality.

(End of this chapter)