Chapter 214 Another Prosposal

'Unfortunately, I can't leave it to you' - Were the words that burned on the tip of my tongue. But, I knew better than to voice them aloud. They were a formidable group, each one a force to be reckoned with. To foolishly challenge them when I already had a foe waiting for me to whoop his ass would be nothing short of madness.

Of course, the urge to speak my mind was strong. But, I knew better than to give in to my impulses. Instead, I took a few seconds to compose my thoughts and carefully selected my words. "I overheard your discussion - every single word of it. And fortunately, I can fix your problem" I announced, my tone measured and controlled.

She stared at me, furrowing her brows a bit, processing my words until her eyes shot wide open when it hit her. "You--" She paused momentarily, her mind biting down on her words as she corrected herself. "Do you have a way to get rid of the moonlight's ice?" She asked.

I nodded, "Yes".

Disbelief etched itself on her face as she stammered out, "Then... Then...".

"That means we have a deal?" I asked.

Did I feel guilty for whatever I was going to do? Come on, you know me, so that might as well be a rhetorical question.

"Huh!" Confusion. It was obvious that she didn't know what I was getting at.

I shook my head, letting out a deep sigh and exhaling slowly. "I promise to help you get rid of the Moonlight's ice, but in return, I must have Ag'na's body" I stated firmly.

As I looked at her, I could see a mix of astonishment, understanding, and thoughtfulness flicker across her face, before an overwhelmingly sigh of compliance escaped her lips.

'She bought it' I thought to myself, feeling a sense of satisfaction that my proposal had been accepted. However, it was strange to think that I was doing this just to prevent them from desecrating Ag'na's body, even though I was aware of how magical beast body parts could be used to create potions and artifacts.

Hmmm...

I don't think Ag'na would mind if I take a scale or a tooth, or maybe both of them.

Queen Mavens turned to look at the three men who stood by her side, "What do you all think?" She questioned.

Grand Duke Liam was the first to respond. "If he is telling the truth, then I don't see any reason not to exchange the carcasses of a dead beast for the flourishing land that my kingdom once dwelled in" He looked at me scrutinizingly, as though his very eyes were picking my body out piece by piece until only my soul was left under the mercy of his scrutiny.

"My uncle is right" The stoic Prince added, "If he can truly cure our lands of the Moonlight's ice, then I see Ag'na's body as an underpayment instead of a considerable payment. As such, if you, Prince Wyatt, are willing to purge out the curse of Moonlight's ice, I personally will grant you a noble position in the Houya Kingdom, your own personal territory, alongside 50,000 gold bills".

Okay... I didn't see that one coming.

Nevertheless, I put on the most agreeable smile that I could muster and nodded my head in agreement. It wasn't hard to notice that it had worked as an even more welcoming smile spread across his lips. Yeah, I was starting to feel like a wolf in sheep's clothing!

Suddenly, Prince Beck walked forward and spoke out loud, "Although my brother might not be here, I am sure that he will also agree to giving you 80,000 gold bills and an additional territory with a noble title if you are able to follow through with the agreement and purge out the curse of the Moonlight's ice".

I... I don't know how this turned into an auction. Then, I slowly came to the realization that I was in the presence of two royalties who were each competing to have some kind of relationship with me by offering me great rewards and sealing their goals with it, all of which I found understandable.

Afterall, wouldn't you want to befriend the man who emerges from obscurity to help you vanquish the beast that has plagued you for years, only to reveal that he possesses the power to eradicate its curse as effortlessly as sweeping dirt off a windshield?

"Ahem!" Queen Mavena cleared her throat and shot a sidelong glance at the three figures standing beside her. While their words may have surprised her, it was evident that she had expected them. "Since we all seem to be in agreement, I don't see any reason to decline such a proposition". She looked me in the eye and inquired, "What materials do you require to carry out the process, and how long will it take?".

Don't tell me that they had expected me to start right away?

I shook my head momentarily and responded, "I won't be able to do that now because I need to take care of my ship, which has been cornered by Captain Crimson Eye and his fleet".

They didn't respond. However, there was no need for them to, as the various degrees of varied expressions told me all I needed to know. And their response came as I had predicted. "Do you mean that right now, Captain Crimson and his fleet are at the corners of the borders of our shores?" Grand Duke Liam repeated with a sudden outburst of rage and anger.

Undeterred, I simply nodded, my response a resolute "Yes".

Queen Mavena, with a sudden interjection, interrupted Grand Duke Liam before he could utter another sentence. "Very well" She said. "It seems that the battle is not yet over, and we need to eliminate more of our enemies". She smiled at me, but her smile appeared more like a deranged cry for bloodshed. As I flickered my gaze over to the rest of them, I noticed their varied expressions, which all shared a common goal: to burn Captain Crimson Eye on a cross and use his remains to evangelize to their enemies.

Exaggeratedly sighing, I acknowledged that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, but after witnessing what I had seen, it was clear that if they followed through with their plan, the battle against Captain Crimson would be one-sided and end the moment I blinked. That was something I didn't want.

I didn't want to end my fight against Captain Crimson in the blink of an eye. I didn't want to make his death and the death of his crew swift and painless. I wanted his life to flash before his eyes repeatedly as death crawled towards him with the speed of a snail.

That was what I wanted.

For cornering me into a situation where I had to choose one enemy and leave the other for my crew to handle, just so I could save their lives... Oh, even heaven knows that I didn't want that. Blood for blood, tooth for tooth, I want to put him in a situation much worse than this, where even the devil would pray for his soul and utter an 'amen'.

Bones balanced himself on my shoulders, clinging tightly as he felt my magical energy building up within me. Prince Beck questioned me, "What do you mean?".

I replied, 'I mean that I want to deal with Captain Crimson Eye and his crew by myself, without any interference".

Prince Beck shook his head in disagreement. "I disagree with that. Although you have the strength to take down Captain Crimson Eye, you will need backup because he is a cunning and conniving man".

Queen Mavena nodded in agreement, her eyes suddenly becoming reminiscent of the past. "He is right" She said. "After all, there is a reason why he is still in charge of the Cryptic Sea and why I held out going against him, even though I had the strength to do so".

Even Grand Duke Liam chimed in, "And the reason we have all held out from antagonizing him is not because we don't have the strength to topple down his fleet, but because of the consequences that would follow after that". His expression turned serious. "That pirate is a venomous man who bites you in places where you least expect it".

I raised an eyebrow at their stubbornness. Nevertheless, seeing that this was going nowhere, I replied, 'Whether he is a serpent or a beast, you don't need to worry because he is not the only one with a venom" I turned around and released my magical energy, watching as my mana formed a dense, unnatural, invisible wind around me.

I then channeled my magical energy into my legs and commanded the winds to wrap around me. "And even if you decide to show up...." I cast a sidelong glance at them. "Pease, stay out of my way".

And with that --

"CRACCCK!!" "BOOMMM!!"

I launched myself into the air .