Chapter 390

Chapter 390: Old Friends Reunited

The Pande Empire has withdrawn its troops. Watching the ships disappear, the soldiers of Canglang Province went wild.

"Did we win?"

"Did we defeat the Pande Empire?"

"Their number is three times ours!"

"We won, we really won!"

"Hahahahaha, I knew it! Trusting the young master was the right choice!"

The soldiers all danced with joy, some cheered, some threw their clothes into the air, and some started running in place with excitement.

Although they were all elite, they truly felt anxious when Norman arrived.

After a few moves from Norman, one ship was either blown up or cut in half, and not many people on board survived.

Now a few lucky ones were still floating, and some captains quickly ordered a rescue.

Karoso stood proudly in the air, watching the retreating enemies, a small smile appearing on his face.

We won! We really won!

To be honest, Karoso did not have complete confidence in winning this battle.

In any war, no one can say they will definitely win.

However, he strongly believed in the Blackening Card, which says that growth often happens on the edge of life and death.

After meeting netizens, Karoso became much softer and is not as tough as he used to be.

The Blackening Card helped him regain some of his old feelings.

In the past year and a half, Karoso has faced two near-death situations in dungeons.

"Young Master, they have retreated," Isis Prey said as she approached Karoso.

"You did well," Karoso nodded. "Luckily, you stopped that guy, so they couldn’t form their battle lines. You saved many of our people."

"Young Master, this is what I should do." Isis slightly bowed.

"Let everyone rest for a bit, but do not lower our guard," Karoso said. "Treat the injured first; as long as there is still breath, we must save them."

"Also, make a list of the fallen. They fought for me with their lives, so we cannot let their spirits down."

"Yes, Young Master…" Isis nodded.

He was not good at such things and could only convey Karoso’s message.

"Young Master, you have defeated two eighth-tier opponents in a row, you…"

"I’m fine." Karoso looked at his hands. "Unfortunately, I am a bit low on magic now; otherwise, I could have wiped them all out here."

"Send the battle report to Father, to ensure he receives the information first-hand."

"Yes," Isis replied.

Splash!

At that moment, a black pirate ship emerged from the sea.

"Karoso!" Elizabeth waved to Karoso; there were nearly a hundred crew members on the ship who had drowned and lost consciousness.

They all escaped just in time; there was still a chance to save them.

Karoso smiled and greeted Elizabeth.

It had been a year and a half; before, Karoso had written letters to Elizabeth through the Thieves’ Guild, using secret means to communicate. They hadn’t seen each other in a long time.

……

Karoso arrived at Elizabeth’s Black Pearl, a bit far from his fleet.

He couldn’t help it; he didn’t want to bear the blame for colluding with pirates.

Just now, anyone with good eyes could see it, but Karoso insisted it was a coincidence, which was hard to explain.

Of course, a big country can send troops for a small reason; they are convinced that Karoso is in league with pirates and declare war, quickly becoming the righteous army.

Karoso and Elizabeth avoided suspicion, which helped them escape some blame and gave some countries an excuse not to attack Karoso.

Snap!

As soon as Karoso boarded the ship, Elizabeth gave him a big hug.

"Oh! I missed you so much!" Elizabeth laughed.

Karoso patted her back and said, "Long time no see."

Pop!

Before Karoso could react, Elizabeth stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

"Huh?" Karoso was taken aback for a moment.

In that instant, he looked like a young boy again, the fierce presence he had before completely vanished.

It was clear that he had grown, but he and that Blackening Card had taken completely different paths.

"Hee hee…" Elizabeth’s pretty face flushed for a moment, but she still spoke defiantly, "What’s wrong, not used to it? Right now, you’re in my hands, and I can do anything I want! I, your sister, love young boys the most!"

The old Elizabeth would never have had this courage.

But now she was different; she was the queen of the pirates.

A year and a half of growth had made her a person who could stand on her own.

Only in front of Karoso and Russell did she seem a bit childish.

Elizabeth looked at the grown-up Karoso with deep affection.

At first, Karoso was not tall, and his face looked very young.

Although Karoso’s face still looks young now, his body is already very charming.

"Oh oh oh!"

"Great job, Captain!"

The pirates cheered along.

[Oh no, Honey Karoso is no longer pure.]

[I want to tear Elizabeth apart!]

[Wow, is this the first time a girl has kissed Master Karoso?]

[Neymar: Is this how you waited for me?]

[『』: If I knew it, I should follow you.]

"Stop messing around," Karoso said, half-laughing, half-crying.

The Elizabeth now was really not the one he used to know.

That Elizabeth needed his care; she couldn’t do anything right and needed protection.

But the one before him looked bold and strong, with the wild spirit of a pirate. She was a mature woman, not just someone with the age of a woman without the presence.

"Hey, I at least helped you win a big battle. I don’t know when the Black Pearl’s Magic Shield will be restored. I just took a few hits and I’m coughing up blood! Did you think their special moves were easy to handle? You owe me!" Elizabeth pouted and pointed to her cheek, "Kiss me!"

"Huh?" Karoso’s mouth twitched.

"Hurry up! Do you think I helped you fight because I care about your dream? I’m just a pirate!" Elizabeth twirled her arms and hung around Karoso’s neck.

"Fine." Karoso didn’t think much of it; he leaned in and gave Elizabeth a quick kiss on the cheek.

In some countries, there are social customs like this.

Even after so long, Karoso still knows nothing about feelings; he acts on his instincts.

Since Elizabeth wants a kiss so much, it should be okay to give her one, right? I won’t lose anything.

"Hehe, you are so good!"

Elizabeth thought Karoso would act cool and pretend nothing happened, just like before.

When Karoso responded, Elizabeth’s heart began to race.

During the past year and a half, whenever she felt lost or desperate, she thought of Karoso, his brave face against the sea monster, and his courage when fighting alongside Captain Tige.

She and Karoso have faced a time tunnel together; what challenge could they not overcome?

"Bring me some wine; I want to celebrate with Karoso!" Even though Elizabeth had relaxed a bit, it had been so long since they last saw each other, and continuing like this would be awkward for both.

……

Splash, splash…

Karoso and Elizabeth each drank a bottle of rum.

Bang!

"Wow! That felt great! It’s been over a year, and you’re already at eighth tier," Elizabeth said with a bright smile, looking at Karoso. "When you took three steps at eighth tier just now, I was really surprised!"

"You’re at eighth tier too," Karoso said with a smile. "It seems like you might reach ninth tier?"

[Speaking of which, Elizabeth was already at the eighth tier limit when she started in the game.]

[Damn, just as I thought, Black Pearl didn’t return for a long time, and that broken company used this to give Elizabeth an upgrade event.]

[At first, I didn’t want to play anymore, but who could refuse Elizabeth dressed in a captain’s hat and tattered swimsuit?]

[Now Elizabeth’s level is nine, but it is not colorful, it is ordinary.]

"There is hope, but my limit has been set," Elizabeth said with a bitter smile. "To put it simply, my growth now fully depends on the Black Pearl. It is impossible for me to reach Captain Tige’s height."

"How many people can’t even break through to the fourth tier?" Karoso said. "Reaching level nine is already the lifelong dream of countless eighth-tier people."

"Well, but I’m a pirate, and pirates are never satisfied," Elizabeth said, opening another bottle. "I believe that when I reach that point, there will definitely be a way to improve."

"There will be," Karoso nodded.

"How many people died in this battle?" After speaking, Elizabeth gulped down another bottle.

"Half," Karoso sighed. "I brought ten thousand people with me, added two thousand along the way, and now there are about five thousand left who can still fight."

"That’s already pretty good," Elizabeth said. "We need to eliminate more than twenty thousand."

"You should know that in wars, people always die."

"Yes, it was a great victory." Karoso felt a surge of energy.

Although the deaths of those people made him a little sad, Karoso still believed that this battle had to be fought sooner or later.

The current situation would surely cause suffering for this generation, but Karoso thought it was worth it for their children’s future to be better.

"Your ship and plane have taken quite a loss. Should I talk to my father and ask him to provide some support for you?" Elizabeth decisively sold out Russell.

"No need, I don’t want to involve him… even though he already is." Karoso shook his head.

"If you need anything, just tell me. With our relationship, we don’t need to be so formal." Elizabeth waved her hand gracefully.

"Don’t worry, I won’t be polite."

"Although I wish to keep you a little longer, I believe spies from various countries will be arriving soon." Elizabeth handed Karoso a bottle of rum, "I need to take care of myself; see you next time."

"See you next time."

……

Seeing Karoso walk away, Elizabeth stared blankly at him. The first mate came to her side and said, "Captain, why don’t you keep him here?"

"He has important things to do and won’t join me as a pirate." Elizabeth stretched her body.

"It would be good to spend one night and have a baby." The first mate continued.

"Get lost!" Elizabeth laughed and scolded as she kicked the first mate aside.

Suddenly, Elizabeth’s expression changed.

"Pfft…"

A mouthful of icy blood was sprayed onto the deck.

"Captain, are you okay?" The first mate was shocked to see this.

"It’s nothing…"

Elizabeth waved her hand.

Clearly, she hadn’t spent much time with Karoso, not just because she wanted to avoid suspicion, but also because she didn’t want Karoso to see her in a vulnerable state again.

……

Norman sat in his place, looking at the two bodies in front of him, his face very grim.

One head had been chopped off, and one had been pierced through the heart by a sword.

"Sir, how should we report this?" Quinn lowered his head.

He was very upset right now!

This battle was lost in a very strange way; they could have won!

If Norman had not acted impulsively, they should be winners now!

"Don’t worry, just leave this matter to me," Norman did not want to face it, but he had to.

……

Canglang Province.

Grand Duke Osiris held the battle report in his hand, and a slight smile appeared on his usually unchanged face.

This battle was truly impressive…

In theory, the Pande Empire had deployed overwhelming forces, but they still lost to Karoso.

The key point was Karoso’s breakthrough, moving from sixth-tier to eighth-tier overnight, which completely challenged common understanding.

Let it be a breakthrough; to defeat a seasoned warrior and slay two veteran knights…

How many years has it been since someone at the eighth tier has died in battle?

Anyone who reaches the eighth tier does not think they will die, because the ability to survive at the eighth tier is very strong, and their bodies are very tough.

Unless it is an absolute crush or something like a trap.

It has been at least two hundred years since someone like Karoso struck down enemies on the battlefield!

"Father."

Kazan, Osiris’s eldest son, looked troubled, "After this, we won’t be able to supply Karoso at all; this route is too long. If they don’t return, they will be all alone."

"You are still a bit short-sighted," Osiris glanced at Kazan, "Afterward, we won’t need to supply him anymore."

"But, recklessly declaring war on the Pande Empire…" Kazan opened his mouth.

Everyone thinks that Karoso’s fleet is sent out by Presea or Persia to test the Pande Empire, just like how the eagle country’s ships often wander into other territories for no reason.

As long as the feedback isn’t strong enough, it will be a target for bullying by Eagle Sauce.

Even Kazan doesn’t know Osiris and Karoso’s strategic intentions; he thought Karoso was just going to apply pressure.

Now it’s done, they’ve declared war directly.

When Kazan first heard this news, he thought he was still half asleep.

A province declaring war on an empire? What kind of joke is this?

In the real world, that would mean a province declaring war directly on England or France.

It’s one thing for a whole country to declare war, but just a single province? That’s simply asking for trouble!

"It’s not reckless," Osiris said with a smile from his seat. "The current international situation is very unclear. This battle for Karoso will likely awaken many people and make others start to think."

"In my view, this war was bound to happen sooner or later. Most of Canglang Province’s money has gone into military expenses, and it’s getting harder to support. If we start fighting sooner, it will only benefit us, not harm us."

"Please get ready for me, today I should be invited to the international conference."

"Yes…" Kazan still groaned in his heart.

My poor brother, he won’t die in the Pande Empire, will he…

Even if he is eighth-tier, it is still the Pande Empire!