Chapter 468: Making the Best Use of Everything

"Sigh, pirates nowadays are getting more and more cowardly. Our newly manufactured magic cannons had only fired two shots before these guys surrendered!" A dwarf, whose beard almost touched the ground and whose muscles were bulging, regretfully deactivated the energy gathered by the magic cannon in front of him. Their target had already raised the white flag in surrender.

"Why can't these pirates be a bit tougher like the last group? It would be great to test the power of our new magic cannon." The human responsible for calibrating the cannon sighed with equal regret.

"I really miss the thrill of sinking a pirate ship with a single shot. That feeling is unforgettable!"

"It must be because of that greedy green dragon. The intimidation of a dragon is too much. Otherwise, these pirates might have resisted a bit."

"According to the Cloud Island War Management Regulations, at least one-tenth of the loot from punishing these evildoers has to go to that green dragon. It's so frustrating."

"There's nothing we can do. Dragons have their natural privileges," said a cloud giant following alongside the floating ship with a smile.

"Alright, get ready to work and stop the chatter," commanded a half-elf wearing a tricorn captain's hat from the floating ship. "Lower all the ropes and tow these three broken ships back."

After the pirate leader ordered the surrender, throwing down his weapons first and kneeling, all the other pirates sensibly followed suit, maintaining the most humble posture of surrender.

With the green dragon circling overhead, tidal giants rising from the sea, and cloud giants descending from the sky, no pirate had the will to fight.

"We're just a fledgling pirate crew. Isn't this a bit overkill?" The pirate captain, Drake, showed a bitter expression as he looked at the surrounding giants and the dragon in midair. He felt confused about their fate.

Under the watchful eyes of the many pirates, five floating ships hovered over the pirate ships, and nearly a hundred ropes were thrown down and attached to the pirate ships by the giants.

Splash! The sea churned as the three inferior pirate ships were lifted from the water and towed towards the location of the cloud island by the powerful floating ships.

"Great Ocean Goddess, what is this?"

"Am I dreaming? How can there be so many cloud islands on the sea?"

"The ocean is always so magnificent and mysterious. You never know what you'll encounter next."

As the floating ships towed them along, the pirates, now prisoners, soon saw hundreds of cloud islands shrouded in mist, spread out like a sprawling pinecone.

Just a part of the cloud islands filled their view, greatly shocking the pirates' hearts. They couldn't help but feel a mixture of panic, fear, awe, and wonder, expressing their emotions in various ways.

...

"Muria, is this the prey you mentioned?" Remilia curiously examined the three pirate ships being towed back.

As soon as the ship landed, a group of winged gorillas rushed up, eagerly driving all the dirty pirates off the ship.

"Yes, pirates who bully on the sea and plunder passing merchant ships are one of my main targets. I won't let them go once I encounter them."

"So, Brother, how do you plan to deal with these evil pirates?" Remilia asked curiously. Since Muria brought them back alive, he obviously didn't intend to kill them.

"Remilia, you know, I am a very kind being. Even for these heinous, unforgivable pirates, I intend to give them a chance to redeem themselves. Here, they will have the opportunity to spend the rest of their lives working to atone for their past crimes," Muria explained to Remilia with a gentle smile.

"Wow, Brother, you are so kind, just like a legendary sage." Remilia blinked her large eyes, seemingly naive as she praised Muria's plan.

"Hehe, I'm far from being a sage," Muria replied, a bit embarrassed.

Muria didn't kill these pirates because he believed killing was a waste of resources. Living beings, regardless of their nature, could create more value than dead ones.

Just by working, they could create more value, which is a form of human resource. Moreover, the 132 cloud islands needed manpower in many areas.

Alchemists needed test subjects for new potions, blacksmiths needed labor for forging, dragons needed servants, cloud island settlements needed sanitation workers, and drow elves needed...

"Muria, won't you worry about these guys rebelling or escaping once you put these collars on them?" Remilia asked, watching the winged apes forcefully place collars engraved with simple runes on all the pirates.

"With these collars, I can monitor their location through the magic array, determine their physical state, and, if necessary, increase the gravity around them instantly by resonating the collars with the underground array."

"I see. I think I know how to handle the kingdom's prisoners in the future," Remilia said thoughtfully. She felt she had gained a lot from this experience.

"Prisoners you can control should be treated this way. Those you can't control absolutely should be killed directly. Otherwise, they remain a threat. As a ruler, always do what you can fully control. Avoid taking unnecessary risks," Muria advised seriously.

"I understand." Remilia shook Muria's arm playfully. "Brother, show me around and have some fun. Stop telling me things I already know."

For the next seven days, Muria took Remilia to visit all the cloud islands. During this time, he also led the young princess in a large-scale hunting operation—annihilating a massive tribe of kuo-toa on a raider island and destroying a shrine dedicated to the kuo-toa's god, the Sea Mother, Blibdoolpoolp.

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