Puyu suddenly remembered something. Back when Lu Yinâs performance had first started skyrocketing during the Astral Combat Tournament, before he joined the Council of Astral Academy, Nightqueen Yanqing had falsely accused him of being a pirate. However, this accusation had been put to rest after another lady from the Daynight clan vouched for Lu Yinâs innocence. This issue had caused a series of problems later on, but could Nightqueen Yanqing have possibly been right? Could Lu Yin really be a pirate? If he wasnât a pirate, then why were so many pirates helping him?
Puyu was not the only one to have such thoughts. Wen Sansi had received the same news and shared Puyuâs suspicions. Did Lu Yin have pirates backing him?
Many people speculated about the matter.
Lu Yin felt very awkward at this moment, as if he had swallowed a fly. Many pirates had attacked the space stations of the various powers, and it just so happened that a majority of these powers were at odds with him. With such perfect timing, who would believe him if he said that he was not colluding with pirates? Who was trying to frame him?
Barley gave Lu Yin a strange look. Is this man a pirate?
âSeventh Bro, are you a pirate?â the Ghost Monkey asked, curious about the matter.
Lu Yin did not respond, but at that moment, his personal gadget lit up with a call from an unknown number. Lu Yinâs face immediately changed, and he asked Barley to leave. While Barley was leaving, Lu Yin also screened the monkey off before accepting the call, only to see Uncle You Ling appear on the screen.
âLittle Yin, it has been a long time since I last saw you,â Uncle You Ling greeted Lu Yin.
Lu Yin felt something was odd since Uncle You Lingâs tone was peculiar. He usually spoke to Lu Yin in a cold manner, but right now, his tone now was that of forced cordiality. It made Lu Yin feel somewhat out of sorts. âHello, uncle. Is anything the matter?â
Uncle You Ling coughed twice. âNothing much. Iâm just checking in to see how you are doing.â
Lu Yinâs expression revealed his increasing confusion, but then he suddenly thought of something and his expression grew serious. âUncle, whatâs your relationship with the pirates?â
Uncle You Ling was now the one with an awkward expression on his face.
Lu Yin was speechless. âIt really was you guys! No wonder I got a weird feeling from you today. Alright, tell me. Whatâs the familyâs connection with the pirates?â
âHeh heh, Little Yin, the family has always treated you well. I am sure that you know this,â Uncle You Ling said with a dry laugh.
Lu Yin was horrified by the sound. âUncle, please do not laugh anymore. Itâs way too creepy.â
Uncle You Lings expression quickly returned to normal. âLittle Yin, you should know what Big Sisâ wish has been all this time.â
Lu Yin nodded. âYes, Big Sister wants to go back to some place.â
âLet me tell you about it now.â
âWait a minute, uncle. Arenât you afraid that someone might be listening in on our conversation?â Lu Yin asked, flabbergasted.
Uncle You Ling shook his head and loftily replied, âDonât worry. Weâve already returned to that place. From now on, we wonât need to fear anyone anymore. This includes you as well, Lu Yin. Remember, uncle is saying that we donât need to fear anybody.â
A glint flashed through Lu Yinâs eyes. âDo I have some backing now?â
Uncle You Ling smirked. âYou indeed have some backing now, and you are no longer alone. From now on, Lu Yin, you are now a member of Leon's Armada.â
Lu Yin blinked. âCosmic Sea? Leon's Armada? One of the Four Pirate Crews?â
Uncle You Ling nodded. âYes, one of the Four Pirate Crews. And it's not just any regiment, but the regiment that has been publicly acknowledged as the strongest of the four: Leon's Armada. We are a regiment that is feared throughout the universe. Our leader is Highsage Leon.â
Lu Yin wrinkled his brows. Highsage Leon? He then cried out in alarm, âThe pirate king?! That Highsage Leon?â
Uncle You Ling pursed his lips and nodded. âThe Pirate King, Highsage Leon.â
Lu Yin did not know what to say. He had just discovered that, shockingly enough, he was a subordinate of the pirate king. The family had never mentioned that they had any ties to the pirate king. âUncle, is Big Sis also a member of Leon's Armada?â
âWhat a stupid question! Of course she is! Let me tell you somethingâthe person who saved you back then was not Big Sis. When you fell into the Cosmic Sea, it was our leader who saved you, and Big Sis took care of you. After that, Big Sis and the leader had a falling out because of certain reasons, so she took you away. If not for those reasons, you wouldâve already undergone the training of Leon's Armada. You would already be a proud warrior of the Cosmic Sea,â Uncle You Ling replied.
âMore like a proud pirate.â Lu Yin grinned.
Uncle You Lingâs expression turned solemn. âAre you looking down on pirates?â
Lu Yin hurriedly shook his head. âOf course not.â
âGood.â Uncle You Ling heaved a sigh of relief and then gave Lu Yin a serious look. âLittle Yin, regardless of whether itâs our leader or Big Sis, both of them have taken very good care of you. You became a member of Leon's Armada the moment the leader saved you. In other words, you are a subject of the Pirate King. This is a fact that you cannot change, though I donât think that you even have an inkling of the power that the Four Pirate Crews wield.â
âItâs a great power. In the Tournament of the Strongest, just the Arcadian Arrow Crew caused the powerful Sword Sect the quake in fear,â Lu Yin said.
Uncle You Ling nodded his head. âThe Cosmic Sea is a magical place. It connects the Innerverse with the Neoverse. Anyone who wishes to travel to either region has to pass through the Cosmic Sea. Thus, any group that has the authority to travel unhindered within the Cosmic Sea is a regiment that wields great power. In fact, many powers throughout the universe have frequently tried to create their own regiments in the Cosmic Sea, but their efforts usually fail. Not many groups can survive in the Cosmic Sea, even including the Sword Sect and Daynight clan. If they want to cross the Cosmic Sea in peace, it would be stupid for them to offend the regiments.
âAnd in the middle of all of this, the Four Pirate Crews stand as an insurmountable hurdle. Even if a powerful figure wants to pass through the Cosmic Sea, they still need to inform the Four Pirate Crews. It is just like the Giant Vessel in the Astral River which ferries people to and from the Outerverse, but the difference here is that the envoys of the Astral River must listen to the orders from the various powers whereas the Four Pirate Crews do not. They themselves are the masters of the Cosmic Sea.â
After a short pause, Uncle You Ling continued, saying, âI am wasting my breath by telling you all this right now since you still wonât truly understand what the Four Pirate Crews represent. Let me put it in another way.â A haughty expression crept across Uncle You Lingâs face as he explained, âLetâs say that the Ten Arbiters want to enter the Neoverse. They too would need to contact the Four Pirate Crews and seek permission before entering the Cosmic Sea. If they donât receive permission, then they would have to leave or else risk being killed by the Four Pirate Crews. Thatâs how powerful the Four Pirate Crews are.â
Lu Yinâs pupils constricted. The Ten Arbiters Council wielded immense power. Their power was not only the individual power of each Arbiter, but it also included the collective power of their countless connections, which spanned the entire Universe. Puyu alone was capable of forging an alliance of over a hundred powers, which just went to show how much influence the Ten Arbiters enjoyed. If even those influential figures had to defer to the Four Pirate Crews, it was no wonder why a mere Arcadian Arrow Crew was enough to scare both the Sword Sect and Daynight clan so badly.
âWhy is it that the Four Pirate Crews can travel unhindered throughout the Cosmic Sea? Is it because of their familiarity with the Cosmic Sea?â Lu Yin asked.
Uncle You Lingâs attitude turned haughty once again as he replied, âOf course not! Itâs because of their prestige and influence. The Pirate King, Highsage Leon, once charged into the Technocracy alone and returned without incident. That is how powerful our leader is.â
Lu Yin inhaled a cold gust of air. That single feat of entering the Technocracy alone and exiting without issue was sufficient to show how powerful the pirate king truly was. Every now and then, there would be an extremely powerful human who tried to charge into the Technocracy, but this often ended up badly for them. However, anyone who dared to enter alone was definitely extremely powerful. Up to this moment, Lu Yin had not encountered anyone that powerful. Shockingly, Highsage Leon was the first person he knew of who had been able to perform such a feat.
âNow you know what kind of people are backing you,â Uncle You Ling declared, full of arrogance. Even though his tone still held a touch of coldness, the dejected feelings that Lu Yin had once felt from this person were now gone. Rejoining Leon's Armada allowed Uncle You Ling to be even more confident than he had before.
Lu Yin nodded his head. However, his expression quickly soured. âEven if that is so, you guys didnât have to lie to me.â
Uncle You Ling let out an awkward cough. âWe didnât lie. Itâs just that the leader was unhappy with what some of the powers were doing, so he decided to teach them a small lesson.â
Lu Yin rolled his eyes. âThatâs still lying to me.â
Uncle You Ling then gave Lu Yin a stern look and said, âLittle Yin, our leader has a message for you.â
Lu Yinâs eyes lit up. âTell me!â
Uncle You Ling pondered for a moment before continuing, âIn his own words, âKid, you can do whatever you want and offend whoever you want. If anyone tries to bully you, Iâll back you up. Remember, I got your back.â Thatâs all he told me to say to you.â
Lu Yin was stunned. Even though the message seemed to be admonishing Lu Yin, it left him with a warm feeling. A feeling of being protected.
âLittle Yin, even though our leaderâs words may have been a bit coarse, the meaning behind them is clear. In this universe, no one can bully you. If you lose to anyone at your own level, then youâre on your own. However, if anyone dares to try and use their elders to bully you, then our leader will back you up. You may not understand it, but for powers like the Daynight clan, they understand what it means for our leader to get involved in these matters. Our leaderâs strength is beyond belief, so just do whatever you want. You have a strong backer,â Uncle You Ling earnestly exhorted.
Lu Yin felt his scalp grow numb. Highsage Leon telling Lu Yin to do whatever he wanted was essentially asking him to wreak havoc. For example, take Lu Yinâs current circumstances. If he had not handled it well, it would have created substantial problems for him in the future. Colluding with pirates would disqualify him from certain positions, and the Ten Arbiters were definitely one of them.
âUncle, is the pirate king unreliable?â Lu Yin asked.
Uncle You Ling flew into a rage upon hearing his question. âDo not spout nonsense! The leader is very reliable! There is nothing that he canât settle with his mighty sword!â
Lu Yinâs face twitched. âSo basically, he solves everything with violence?â
Uncle You Lingâs mouth jaw dropped, and his previously arrogant look was replaced with one of embarrassment. His reaction caused Lu Yin to lose all hope. He was now absolutely certain that the Pirate King was a musclehead who settled all his problems through brute force. He was a reliable backer, but if Lu Yin relied on him for help, then it would probably only make matters worse.
âAlright then, I already have said my piece. Just rememberâyou can do anything boldly, though our leader has reminded us not to actively assist you. You have to make your way on your own. After all, you are a member of Leon's Armada.
âAlso, before I forget, our leader has a gift for you.â Once he was done speaking, Uncle You Ling cut off the communications.
Lu Yin tried in vain to stop the call from being ended, but it was already too late. He was dumbfounded; he had actually wanted to ask for money. Since he had no other choice, he could only wait to ask at a later time. As for the Pirate Kingâs gift to Lu Yin, since it was a gift from a pirate, could it be money?
At that moment, Mira contacted Lu Yin; Arbiter Wen wished to see him. Lu Yin released a breath. He already knew that Arbiter Wen would want to meet him.
Very soon, at a corner of San Dios, outside of a simple study, Wen Sansi held a scroll in his hands. He exuded a gentle demeanor.
Lu Yin walked over and greeted the Arbiter in a respectful manner, âArbiter Wen.â
Wen Sansi set down his scroll and motioned for Lu Yin to take a seat.
After Lu Yin sat down, he asked, âArbiter Wen, is anything the matter?â
Wen Sansi laughed gently. âNothing much. Itâs just that Puyu complained about you abusing your power. There are a hundred different organizations that have come together to boycott you.â
Lu Yin put on a helpless expression. âCouncilor Puyu is very biased against me. He keeps trying to frame me.â
âFrame?â Wen Sansi raised his head to look at Lu Yin, waiting for an explanation. He initially wanted to simply allow Puyu and Lu Yin to fight it out, not intending to look out for Lu Yin so as to warn this young Limiteer. However, after the pirates had attacked the various powers, it caused Wen Sansi to become more interested in Lu Yin. He did not know what sort of relationship Lu Yin might have with the pirates.
Please go to https://www.novelupdates.cc/Star-Odyssey/ to read the latest chapters for free