Richard looked up to see a tall, stocky man in a sailor's shirt.

At his side, a young man dressed in the same way as Richard, but with a cutlass hanging from his belt and a wound on his arm, tried to intercept him.

According to Richard's recollection, the burly man's name was Elton, one of the sailors he had hired to pilot the ship; though physically fit, he had not been seen at all during the previous pirate attack, and he had not expected to reappear at this time.

As for the boy next to him, he is Richard's close friend, Evan. He was Richard's companion as a child, and when he grew up, his son inherited his father's business and also worked for Richard's family, and is now the person he trusts the most, bar none.

Elton kicked open the captain's cabin during his struggle with Evan, only to find Richard, badly injured, standing in the captain's cabin, staring at him coldly.

Remembering the fighting spirit Richard had shown when he had fought off the pirates earlier, Elton's original arrogant voice faltered, but when he saw the injury on Richard's chest, his posture returned to its original state.

In contrast to Elton's behaviour, Event was very surprised to see Richard waking up and rushed over to help him, saying in a delighted tone, "Young Master Richard, you're awake!?

Richard nodded slightly, then looked at Elton, who was blocking the door to the Captain's room, and said in a tone that never wavered, "Elton, why are you looking for me?

Richard, assisted by Even, looked a little weak, but the power between his words made Elton subconsciously back off a little.

But remembering the instructions just given by the pirate first mate of the Night Owl, Elton shouted indignantly at Richard:

"Young Master Richard, in order to resist the pirates before, we sailors could have killed or injured quite a few people, according to the rules of the great sea, you should give each of us a gold coin in return!

Hearing his words, Richard unconsciously narrowed his eyes. Compensating sailors who had suffered losses was a rule on the high seas, but according to the normal price in the White Rose Kingdom, one silver coin per person would be enough compensation.

And in the White Rose Kingdom, a hundred silver coins could only be exchanged for one gold coin!

Obviously, Elton was asking for the lion's share of the money, and combined with his previous actions, Richard already had murderous intentions towards him.

However, he didn't snap on the spot, but asked Even off to one side: "Do the other sailors have the same idea?

Without waiting for Even to answer, Elton shouted, 'Of course, it is the common will of all our sailors!

But Richard didn't pay any attention, and when he saw Even shake his head, a small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Seeing that he was being ignored, Elton was dissatisfied and started to shout, but before he could get the words out, a scimitar slashed at his head!

Richard had borrowed the strength of Even's body, and the machete in his hand, which he had taken from Even's body as he passed, was so powerful that a single blow opened Elton's stomach!

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Blood splattered on Richard's and Ivan's clothes, Elton's huge frame did not give him the courage to resist at this moment, looking at the indifferent two people in front of him, he struggled to cover his wounds and tried to run away.

But Richard kicked him directly to the ground, followed by the hand of the scimitar to the neck of a cloth, a moment ago Elton was still screaming, instantly becoming a corpse.

The movement of the captain's room naturally attracted the attention of other people, Richard indicated that Evan was dragging the body, the two took the initiative to go out.

At that time, Even did not help him, and when they saw Richard awakening, most of the people on the Black Pearl were beaming with joy.

Their bodies more or less bore the marks of the previous battle with the pirates.

As members who were willing to follow Richard when he chose to escape, their loyalty is beyond doubt, and they are Richard's team in this world.

The expressions of the other men were more complicated. They were the sailors Richard had hired.

Although they were pleased to see their employer awake, they were a little unnerved by the sight of Elton's body being dragged away by Evan.

Richard's eyes swept the room. The men who had followed him on the run were agitated, while the sailors unconsciously avoided his gaze.

In the midst of the crowd, Richard spoke slowly：

“As you can see, I have just killed Elton.”

His voice was clear and high, unaffected by his injuries.

“As for why, Ivan found evidence that he was working with the Night Owl! And just now Elton tried to attack me, who had just regained consciousness!”

The Night Owl was the name of the ship used by the pirates who had attacked Richard and his crew.

Richard's eyes fell on the sailors. “I know that you, who have just been attacked by pirates, may still be afraid and therefore do something irrational.

But I will not forgive those who try to harm me, us and the entire Black Pearl!”

Richard spoke sternly, but then his tone became soft.

“Of course I understand your position. Anyone who has defended the Black Pearl before, whether they are sailors or those who have followed me before, can each receive two silver coins as compensation!

Those who were seriously injured or lost limbs can receive an additional coin.

All the silver coins can now be collected.”

With that, Evan took a small box from the captain's cabin at Richard's signal.

Richard took out the silver coins and handed them personally to everyone on the Black Pearl.

Both the sailors and the guards were overjoyed to receive the silver coins, and for a while the entire Black Pearl was filled with joy.

As for Richard's proof that Elton had colluded with the pirates, Elton's corpse, it no longer mattered.

Even the sailor who had been hired by Elton forgot his existence when he saw the silver coins.

Next, at Richard's command, the entire Black Pearl set to work.

With the experience of sailing in a previous life, the 40 or 50 people on board the ship were well organised under Richard's command, and the Black Pearl set sail in the sea breeze towards its destination, Black Sails Harbour.

After initially stabilising the situation on board, Richard handed over command to Even, who also had sailing experience.

He himself dragged Elton's body back to the captain's cabin and instructed Ivan not to let anyone disturb them.

Although puzzled by Richard's behaviour, Evan followed Richard's orders to the letter.

In the dimly lit captain's cabin, Richard found an empty bottle of wine.

As he pointed the bottle at Elton's body, a series of inhuman sounds came from his mouth. Elton's body quickly shrank and the blood in his body was sucked into the bottle in Richard's hand, filling it to the brim.

Richard then recalled the chaotic knowledge in his mind called 'Blood Brew', placed the bottle on the table, and bowed his head piously while making a strange sound again.

This sound was even stranger than before, sometimes high and sometimes low, with all sorts of strange sounds mixed in, making people doubt that it was a sound that could be made by a human.

Richard bowed his head and silently counted the number of prayers in his mind, not stopping the sound until he had counted seven.

When he looked up, there was only a seventh of the liquid left in the vial that had once been full of blood. The liquid was as clear and translucent as a ruby, and each drop exuded a seductive colour. The scarlet, vivid appearance made Richard's throat unconsciously move, an instinctive desire from his body.

The liquid in these bottles was the very Blood Brew that could awaken Richard's spirituality!