The fastest-updating and most complete collection of novels—even in the savage, dark Middle Ages, such stringent execution methods would only be classified as the black magic used by 'heretics'! Watching Stephen's grimace, teeth bared in death, Fang Senyan sighed and said:

"Regardless, we have avenged him. Oh right, you should be called Charlie, how are the others?"

Pirate Charlie looked at Fang Senyan several times with hesitation, then suddenly knelt down:

"In my moment of deepest despair, I swore an oath to the Lord that whoever saved me would receive my loyalty until my final breath! Sailor Chief Rock from the mysterious East, from this moment on, you are my master!"

Fang Senyan was momentarily stunned, but quickly received a prompt from the Nightmare Mark:

"You have saved the plot character Pirate Charlie from the brink of death. Due to the oath, Pirate Charlie is forced to become your thrall."

"While you remain in the Nightmare Space and Nightmare World, the thrall will continuously consume your General Points as wages. This consumption is waived upon returning to the real world. The higher the thrall's level, the more General Points consumed."

"Your thrall is Combat Type. Upon death, it will drop 10 Loyalty, and its current level will randomly decrease by 1-2 levels, but it can be resurrected by consuming a certain amount of General Points without requiring Potential Points."

"If the thrall's Loyalty drops to the desertion standard after death, it cannot be resurrected."

"Your current Charm is 8 points. When your thrall's Loyalty drops below 80 points, passive slowdown will occur; below 70 points, defection is possible."

"Note: The opportunity to acquire a thrall is extremely rare; please cherish this chance."

"Do you wish to accept this thrall? Yes/No?"

Fang Senyan hesitated slightly, but ultimately chose 'Yes,' primarily swayed by the sentence, "The opportunity to acquire a thrall is extremely rare; please cherish this chance." After selecting 'Accept,' Pirate Charlie automatically stood submissively behind him, appearing very obedient. Subsequently, the Nightmare Mark popped up with another series of prompts:

"Warning: Your thrall Pirate Charlie's Loyalty is at 55 points, in the danger zone."

"Warning: Your thrall Pirate Charlie's Loyalty is at 55 points, in the danger zone."

"Please raise its Loyalty above 70 points within the twenty-four-hour protection period, or the thrall may flee after twenty-four hours."

Seeing this prompt, Fang Senyan finally breathed a sigh of relief. What pirates desire most is money, women, strong liquor, and so on; raising the Loyalty shouldn't be difficult once this mission ends. However, Fang Senyan was still unclear about Pirate Charlie's actual abilities, so he proceeded to check the fellow's profile information.

Pirate Charlie (Combat Type Thrall): This is a common humanoid entity in the world of Pirates of the Caribbean. Current Level 4, Experience 1351/5000. Upon leveling up, its four basic attributes will increase, and it will gain one Potential Point to enhance its skill levels.

Current Loyalty: 55 points.

(Recruitment protection expires in 23 hours and 49 minutes.)

Basic Attributes:

Strength 8 points

Agility 11 points

Stamina 8 points

Perception 4 points

Charm 10 points

Intelligence 5 points

Spirit 5 points

Basic Melee LV1, Basic Endurance LV1.

Basic Ability Progression: Proficiency with Light Firearms. Possessing this ability allows for skilled use of light gunpowder weapons.

Special Ability: Pirate LV1 (Passive). Onboard movement speed/attack speed increased by 15%, all attributes +2.

Special Ability: Weather-Beaten LV1 (Passive). Creatures possessing this ability gain a 150-point increase to maximum health.

Special Ability: (Active). Using this ability consumes 33% of Pirate Charlie’s maximum health and increases the movement speed of any maritime vehicle he is aboard by 15% for a duration of ten minutes.

Equipment: Pirate Sailor Top (Strength +1)

Equipment: Pirate Seaman Trousers (Charm +1)

Weapon: Sailor Cutlass (Attack Power 5-9). This is a common cutlass in the Pirates of the Caribbean world, usable for both combat and cutting sails, among other uses.

Weapon: Flintlock Rifle (Attack Power 8-20; Charge). This primitive gunpowder weapon can often deliver unexpectedly potent force. Charge: In a non-combat state, the next critical hit chance of the Flintlock Rifle increases over time, rising by 1% per minute, up to a maximum of 50%. After firing, the additionally increased critical hit chance disappears.

Looking over Pirate Charlie's profile, Fang Senyan found this thrall rather mediocre, though perhaps advantageous at sea. He was particularly intrigued by the "Charge" effect on the Flintlock Rifle. Although this ability could likely only be unleashed once per engagement, it was quite tempting for Fang Senyan, who currently lacked explosive offensive means.

After looting the three dead Black Guards, Fang Senyan found nothing of value—only gray items like "Scimitar," totaling about 400 General Points when sold. Such stingy drop rates were likely due to the three Black Guards already being in a "wounded" state when Fang Senyan attacked them. Fang Senyan hurriedly bandaged his wounds, watched his health slowly recover, then turned to ask Pirate Charlie:

"Do you know where Scar Henry and the others went?"

Charlie, having been Scar Henry's subordinate—even a confidant—hesitated and mumbled when questioned. Fang Senyan became slightly irritated, his voice turning stern:

"You must understand your status! Since you willingly chose to be my servant, you should prioritize your master's interests!"

Charlie choked on his words, then replied helplessly:

"I was traveling with Boss Henry. Suddenly, I spotted a room shimmering with golden light. A chest full of gold coins had overturned inside, spilling everywhere. Everyone rushed to grab the loot... and then the floor beneath the room suddenly gave way! It threw us all into confusion, and many brothers were impaled to death on the mechanisms below. Then those curs ambushed us in the dark. In the chaos, we struck frantically but also wounded our own men. We got separated and lost in the darkness. Stephen and I stumbled forward until we reached a place piled high with corpses, and then... we were captured."

Fang Senyan listened closely, noticing Charlie's eyes flickering. He instantly knew the thrall was withholding information—which was perfectly normal. Fang Senyan's own Charm was low, and his compatibility with Charlie was poor, so even though Charlie was bound by oath as his thrall, his Loyalty would naturally be low. Moreover, Charlie had been Scar Henry's confidant until recently, explaining his current reluctance. Just as Fang Senyan was about to press him for the truth, he received a relevant prompt from the Nightmare Mark:

"Warning: Your Combat Thrall Pirate Charlie's Loyalty has dropped another 5 points."

"Warning: Your Combat Thrall Pirate Charlie's Loyalty has dropped another 5 points."

"You must raise your Combat Thrall's Loyalty quickly, otherwise, if the Loyalty drops below half of its initial value, the recruitment protection period will become void."

Pirate Charlie's initial Loyalty was only 55 points; half of that was 28. A flicker of light crossed Fang Senyan's eyes. He relaxed his expression and smiled:

"Poor Charlie, you must still be reeling from the fear inflicted by those damned heretics. Why so tense? The only reason I'm looking for Scar Henry is so we can reunite soon and look out for each other. In this cursed castle, we should be standing together! Do you really want to fall into their hands again?"

Evidently, Fang Senyan's last sentence hit home. Pirate Charlie shuddered violently just thinking about the agonizing torture he endured. He hastily said:

"Alright, Master, let's move quickly."

Fang Senyan surveyed the surroundings, his gaze returning to Pirate Charlie. Clearly, Charlie had sidestepped a crucial point: the very subject the three Black Guards had been torturing him about! However, he had no intention of exposing this fact right now—it would likely cause Charlie's Loyalty to plummet and lead to desertion. For Fang Senyan, the pirate held greater value; Charlie needed to remain by his side for now. As for later, a cold smirk curled the corner of Fang Senyan's mouth.

For a man who started fending for himself at fourteen, a weak and two-faced servant like Pirate Charlie was hardly worth much concern.

"Right, tell me about that place piled high with corpses," Fang Senyan suddenly inquired.

Regarding any information that didn't involve Scar Henry, Charlie was entirely forthcoming. It turned out that exactly three pirate crews, none as large as the Bell and Cup, had entered this castle so far. Many of these men were Charlie's acquaintances, and they had all met their ends here. Their bodies had been collected by the Black Guards and stacked together, with the veins in their wrists and necks cut open to drain the blood—the purpose remained unclear. Fang Senyan listened thoughtfully; he knew that many blood-powered sorceries and formations existed in Black Witchcraft, but he said nothing, simply moving forward silently.

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