Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

On the winding dirt road, two riders were galloping, kicking up a trail of dust behind them.

The rider in the rear suddenly slowed down, and the rider in the front sensed something was wrong and also reined in his horse.

The lagging rider dismounted and, walking with an unnatural waddle, led his horse to catch up with the front rider: "Ow, my lord, I truly can't ride anymore, let's rest for a while. My backside feels as if it's been speared by a red-hot iron rod; the flesh on my inner thighs is nearly rubbed raw."

"You lazybones, where do you think you can rest in this wilderness?" the rider in front scolded his personal servant: "Stop dragging your feet; when we get back to the manor, you can rest all you want. Mount up, we must get home before dark."

The old servant detected a softening in his master's tone and seized the moment to lament persistently: "My lord, we've already come this far; even if we walk, we'll definitely make it home before dark. I truly can no longer ride. Ow, my backside is really burning with pain... How about you ride on ahead, and I will slowly walk back?"

"Hey, you sluggard." As a personal servant, Bok had loyally served Kalman for over twenty years, and both had turned from hale young men into grizzled middle-aged men. Although Kalman, the master of Hongsong Manor, was scolding verbally, his attitude had softened: "Look at this wild land, where do you think you can rest?"

The old servant Bok was overjoyed and pointed in the distance: "Look over there, behind the woods where the smoke rises, there must be a noble resting from the hunt. Let's go ask for some water to drink, and who knows, they might even reward me with some meat."

"You rascal, craving meat, aren't you? Have I been mistreating you?" Kalman said with a mix of laughter and scolding.

Old servant Bok realized he had misspoken and quickly changed the subject, slapping his chest as a guarantee: "Let's just go and ask for water to drink. After that, we'll head home straight away, without a second of delay."

After walking through the woods to where the rising smoke was, master and servant realized they had made a big mistake.

On a small clearing between the woods and a stream, several wagons had been arranged in a circle around a campfire, and a few people wrapped in cloaks were dozing off on the ground.

Two iron pots were set up over the fire, bubbling with their contents. The smoke that the two had seen was rising from here.

At first glance, it appeared to be nothing but an ordinary caravan, but the problem was not with this, but with the people around the campfire.

Walking around the small camp were stout men, each sporting a sailor's cutlass. Several long spears and muskets were carelessly propped against the wagons; the dark red blood on their tips had not yet dried.

From their attire, Kalman judged: These men were godforsaken pirates.

Red Sulfur Island's Council tacitly permitted pirates to fence their loot, and this was an open secret. The pirates' loot brought prosperity to Red Sulfur Island, but the island's residents also suffered greatly at their hands.

Most pirates were desperados who, if circumstances allowed, certainly did not mind dabbling in side jobs on land. Moreover, after committing crimes on land, they could directly board their ships and escape, which was most convenient.

Red Sulfur Island had frequent homicides, and eight or nine out of ten remained unsolved, but the island's residents all knew well that the murderers were the godforsaken pirates.

The Council repeatedly declared it would crack down on heinous crimes committed by outsiders on the island. However, the pirates did not rob these high-ranking council members. In contrast, fencing loot for the pirates made them a fortune. Consequently, the banditry on Red Sulfur Island was never resolved. Stay tuned to empire

And now, with the pirates brazenly entering Red Sulfur Island, the civilians were even more terrified.

Bok's face turned deathly pale, and Kalman sharply glanced at his old servant, signaling him to keep quiet and sneak away.

However, it was already too late; the pirates in the camp had spotted the master and servant.

"Hey! You two, stop right there!" someone in the camp yelled at the master and servant.

Kalman leaped onto his saddle and spurred the horse's flanks, disappearing into the woods in the blink of an eye. Bok, however, was not as agile as his master; his slower movements resulted in someone from behind rushing out and grabbing the reins of his mount.

The rest in the camp immediately surrounded them; meanwhile, those who were napping were jolted awake and their first action was to grab their weapons.

Kalman, having run a distance away, saw his old servant being caught and, with regret, turned his horse and rode back.

Realizing they couldn't escape, Kalman boldly dismounted and said loudly, "We're just passersby, looking for some water to drink."

Another pirate snatched the reins from his hand and pushed Kalman next to Bok, as the rest of the pirates began to enclose the master and servant subtly.

The pirates paid them no heed, and a tall pirate sternly scolded the one who had caught Bok: "What kind of lookout are you keeping? They almost reached the camp!"

The scolded pirate hung his head in shame.

Seeing this, Kalman guessed that the tall pirate must be their leader and gathered his courage to say, "We're just passersby, looking for some water. We didn't mean to intrude; please let us go."

The tall pirate gazed deeply at Kalman, then turned silently and walked towards the campfire, signaling them to follow.

Bok was trembling with fright, clenching his jaw so tight that the muscles on his cheeks bulged out.

Kalman patted the back of his old servant, reassuring him: "It's OK."

"My lord, I'm sorry, I will never be greedy again," Bok finally broke down, crying with a mix of snot and tears.