37: plunder

Linn stepped onto the pier permeated with the scent of blood. Watching the soldiers begin to clear the battlefield and round up prisoners, his eyes were cold and resolute. The first step, a surprise attack on the enemy's lair, had been a success. Next came the moment of harvest.

"Clean the battlefield, treat the wounded, and reinforce the defenses! Move!" He ordered in a low voice, his gaze shifting toward the Eagle Beak Strait to the northeast. The battle there had surely begun as well. He and his Iron Sand Island army had to win the next, even more critical victory right here.

The pier was thick with the smell of blood and gunpowder, the groans of the wounded intermingling with cheers of victory. Linn scanned the battlefield, looking at the soldiers who had bled for Iron Sand Island without the slightest hesitation. He found a relatively secluded corner, sank his consciousness into the breath of life space, and quickly brought out several large jars of diluted spring of life.

"Clay, organize some men to distribute this water to all the wounded brothers. It's for both internal and external use. Prioritize the heavily wounded!" Linn handed the jars to Clay, his tone urgent. Time waited for no one; they had to recover their combat strength as quickly as possible to deal with the upcoming changes.

Seeing the spring water radiating a dense Aura of life, a flash of gratitude crossed Clay's eyes, and he immediately set to work. The effects of the spring water were instantaneous. The wounds of the heavily injured stopped bleeding and scabbed over at a pace visible to the naked eye, pulling them back from the brink of death. The lightly wounded almost instantly recovered most of their stamina, their exhaustion swept away. This miraculous scene greatly bolstered morale; the soldiers looked at Linn with eyes full of fanaticism and awe.

"Those who can still fight, follow me!" Seeing the wounded stabilized, Linn immediately raised his staff, pointing toward the faint outline of the camp deep within the island. "While the enemy is still reeling, we'll take their lair in one fell swoop!"

Most of the pirates had already been wiped out, with only a few remaining in the camp.

"Kill!" The soldiers, having just survived a bloody battle and been restored by the spring water, erupted with a heaven-shaking roar. Led by Clay, Karl, and Ocean, they charged toward the Flamingo Pirate Group's central camp like a torrential flood breaching a dam.

As expected, the pirates and slaves left behind in the camp had long been terrified by the news of the crushing defeat at the pier and the death of their leader. They had originally hoped to rely on the camp's crude fortifications to put up a desperate resistance, but when they saw the ferocious Iron Sand Island army with its surging Aura—especially Linn at the front, his staff flashing with dangerous light—their last shred of will to resist collapsed.

"We surrender! Don't kill us!"

"We've surrendered!"

...The camp gates were opened from the inside, and the remaining guards threw down their weapons one after another, kneeling on the ground and trembling.

Linn occupied the camp without shedding a drop of blood. He immediately ordered an inventory of the spoils and prisoners.

The results were exhilarating. This battle had captured approximately 100 surrendering pirates, while the slaves—laborers, women, and children enslaved by the pirates—numbered over 1,300! A total of more than 1,400 people! For Iron Sand Island, which was desperately short of manpower, this was a massive fortune.

Simultaneously, in the camp's warehouse area, they discovered mountains of grain! A rough estimate put it at nearly two hundred tons! This grain was enough to support the existing and new population of Iron Sand Island for a long time, completely solving Linn's urgent need.

"Hogan!" Linn immediately called for Hogan, who was in charge of logistics.

"My Lord!"

"Take the second squad immediately and commandeer all available cargo ships at the Flamingo Island pier. Escort these prisoners and the grain back to Iron Sand Island at once! Hand them over to Morton for reception and resettlement!" Linn spoke rapidly. "Remember, be extremely careful along the way. Prioritize the safety of the people and Materials! Once back at Iron Sand Island, stay behind temporarily to assist Morton in maintaining order and defending against any potential maritime threats!"

"Yes! My Lord!" Knowing the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders, Hogan immediately took his orders and left. Soon, the pier became exceptionally busy as prisoners were loaded onto cargo ships in batches and grain was transported bag by bag. To Linn, transforming these tangible people and grain into the actual foundation of Iron Sand Island as quickly as possible was more important than anything else.

While Hogan was organizing the transport, the search of the camp yielded another startling discovery. Guided by several prisoners who had proactively surrendered to earn better treatment, Linn and the others arrived at a treasury hidden within a cave at the deepest part of the camp.

When the heavy, iron-bound wooden door was forced open by the soldiers, even Linn couldn't help but gasp slightly.

Inside the cave, dozens of wooden boxes of various sizes were piled haphazardly. Some boxes were open, filled to the brim with glittering gold coins! Even more were gold and silver vessels of unknown origin, jewelry, uncut gemstone ores, and some magic Materials emitting faint energy fluctuations. Although most were not of top quality, the quantity was extremely substantial!

"Quick, count it!" Linn ordered.

After a hurried and rough count by Karl and his men, there were nearly six thousand gold coins alone! Silver coins numbered in the tens of thousands! The value of those gold and silver wares and jewelry was hard to estimate at the moment, but it was undoubtedly a massive sum of money!

"Five or six thousand gold coins..." Linn's eyes brightened as he looked at the pile of wealth representing years of plunder by the Flamingo Pirate Group. With this money, he could buy more supplies and weapons, and even recruit more talent. The development of Iron Sand Island would enter the fast lane!

However, Linn could not swallow all the wealth here. He had already gained many benefits from the previously discussed distribution, and he wanted to avoid inciting hostility from the Alliance.

Linn took 1,000 gold coins and ordered men to guard the rest.

Standing on the high ground of the Flamingo camp, where the smoke had not yet completely cleared, Linn gazed into the distance. Hogan was leading the second squad, herding the prisoners and slaves onto the ships.

"Hurry and repair the pier's defensive fortifications, and set up all the Ballistae in key positions!" Linn withdrew his gaze and commanded Clay, Karl, and Ocean beside him, his tone brooks no argument. "We will wait here at our ease for the reinforcements Cedric sends back!"

He gripped his staff tightly, feeling the surging mana within his body and the abundant resources in the breath of life space. Now, he felt even more confident facing the upcoming enemy, who might be at the Gold Rank. The fall of Flamingo Island was only the first step of his plan; the next step would truly witness his standing in the Salu Archipelago.

At this moment, Linn's ambition was gradually coming to light. His current strength, as well as the population and land area, had basically met the requirements for a Kingdom Baron. As long as he won this battle, he could notify the Kingdom for a formal investiture. He would become the second Baron in the Salu waters. By then, he would truly become a noble. The Storm Sea Region was far from the Count Ailisis Fief, and he would completely break free from the House of Earl Alistair.