Chapter 25: Restraint

Chapter 25: Restraint

On the passenger ship’s lookout platform, a sharp, resonant horn sounded, piercing through the barrier woven from wind and rain and waking every passenger.

They did not even have time to dress properly. Some draped coats over themselves; some came in their sleepwear; some ran barefoot to the windows and began examining the situation outside.

Half of them soon saw the enormous three-masted sailboat that defied common sense. They saw its three pitch-black sails and the clusters of dim yellow light swaying in the deep darkness.

Combined with the howling wind, the splattering rain, and the night sky where neither the crimson moon nor the stars could be seen, many passengers felt that the other ship had sailed out from hell, carrying an indescribable terror and majesty.

The Black Emperor!

After a brief spell of daze and panic, this term surfaced in their minds.

Anyone who had spent some time at sea or lived for a while in the port cities of the major colonies knew, to some extent, of the existence of such a pirate ship!

“Oh, Storms be with you and me.”

“May the Goddess bless us!”

“Steam above!”

…

Prayers rang out one after another by instinct, filled with fear and helplessness.

These passengers were well aware that the owner of the Black Emperor was the man with the highest bounty across the Five Seas. In a certain sense, he was the king of pirates, a powerful figure who could still remain active even after being encircled and suppressed by the fleets of various nations. He was definitely not someone a passenger ship’s cannons and crew could resist.

This meant they were about to fall into the hands of pirates!

Quite a few women could not help imagining scenes of being humiliated by pirates and sold to unfamiliar places. Some trembled uncontrollably. Some had their knees go weak, sliding down from behind the windows and kneeling on the floor. Some hurriedly searched out daggers and revolvers, though it was unclear whether they meant to resist or simply refused to face the worst possible ending. Those who could not find weapons moved the coat racks beside them instead.

The men’s performances were not much better. Aside from a small number who took out weapons and tried to organize resistance, the rest were either dazed, searching for places to hide, or cursing the damned passenger ship and the King of the Five Seas.

Finally, the captain’s voice reached everyone’s ears with the help of some amplification device or method:

“Quiet! There is no need to be afraid!”

“The owner of the Black Emperor has established his own laws. He is different from other pirates. He and his subordinates only rob wealth; they do nothing else!”

These words were repeated several times in succession, and the panicked passengers finally calmed somewhat. They were no longer so terrified.

Compared with the experiences they had just imagined, being able to remain alive and avoid humiliation already counted as an excellent outcome.

After several dozen seconds, some passengers thought of how they had struggled and worked hard for so many years, only to finally save a little money—and now they were about to lose all of it. It was truly difficult to endure. Grief surged within them, and they actually began to cry.

Several among them had borrowed money to do business. If they could not bring back funds this time, their families might end up wandering the streets and relying on the workhouse for survival.

Thinking of this, they hurriedly began moving, hiding money in all sorts of concealed places, hoping to preserve even a little. After finishing, each of them gripped a weapon tightly, prepared to die together with the pirates at the critical moment.

Even a dying beast would strike back, let alone humans.

At this moment, many pirates on the Black Emperor had already, according to orders, gathered along the ship’s side, ready at any moment to jump onto the “prey” once the distance closed.

Their second mate, Viscount of…