Chapter 48: The Ten Commandments of the Crew

After dinner, Leya and Miltar were passing around a thick vellum book. It was the "Leviathan Crew Code," drafted by Ian himself.

This code was inspired by the famous "Pirate Code," but Ian had chosen not to refer to naval ships, privateers, or merchant vessels. The reason? On those ships, the lower-ranking crew had no rights, let alone talk of fairness and democracy.

The Ten Commandments of the Leviathan Crew:

The captain's authority is absolute.Every crew member has equal voting rights on daily matters, but the captain holds veto power.Gambling, heavy drinking, and theft are strictly prohibited. The first offense will result in flogging; repeat offenders will be abandoned on a deserted island.Lights out at precisely 8 p.m.No dirty weapons are allowed. Every crew member must regularly clean their guns and knives.No women, children, or non-crew members are allowed on board without permission.Cowards who flee in battle will be executed. Those who betray the crew will also be executed. Anyone who leaks secrets will die.No duels are allowed unless witnessed by a neutral party. Anyone who kills a fellow crew member will be tied to the body and thrown into the sea.Those maimed in battle may stay aboard without working, receiving 10 gold coins annually from the "public savings."All loot must be shared. The Leviathan gets 30%, the captain receives 10%, and 20% is allocated to the public savings. The remainder is divided equally: senior crew members receive 10 shares, gunners, marines, cooks, doctors, and carpenters get 2 shares, and ordinary crew members get 1 share each. Additional shares may be given based on contributions.

The "Pirate Code" didn't grant the captain nearly as much power—no special privileges, not even for food or drink. The supposed fairness and democracy of the Code were so idealistic that few pirates actually adhered to it, especially its provisions about spoils and the captain's rights.

Of course, Ian didn't treat his ordinary crew like disposable pawns, as the navy or privateers might. He knew the importance of keeping control—an iron grip over the ship's operations was essential to prevent any mutiny or rebellion.

The Leviathan was a member of the crew, too, playing a leading role in naval combat. It was entitled to 30% of the spoils, which Ian felt wasn't too much.

Leya smiled to herself as she read the first two rules. She was glad to see that the captain would have the final say on important matters; a leader must have decision-making power. She didn't pay much attention to Rule 10, though—given the guarantees in Rules 1 and 2, the rest could be adjusted as needed.

Miltar, on the other hand, was a bit confused by the allocation system.

Ian used their most recent battle's loot as an example. The total value of the spoils would be around 10,000 gold coins. The Leviathan would get 3,000, Ian would take 1,000, and the public savings would be allotted 2,000. The remaining 4,000 coins would be split between Leya and Miltar.

Miltar looked shocked. "This isn't right—how can I get more than the captain?"

Ian chuckled. "This is just a special case. When the crew grows, you won't be getting so much."

Miltar's face fell, unsure of how to respond.

Leya laughed softly. "The Leviathan was the main force in this battle—chasing, intercepting, firing cannons, boarding. We were just support. It clearly deserves a bigger share of the contribution. At least another 30%. Miltar and I will take the rest."

Miltar nodded eagerly, agreeing with her. Ian shook his head and smiled, deciding to leave it at that for now.

With their agreement in place, everyone signed the vellum book.

Out on the vast sea, a small galley ship with only a few sails raised was towing a merchant vessel, its mast shattered, through the waves.

Both ships had their masts and rigging covered with birds—no seagulls, but a variety of other seabirds, large and small.

Suddenly, a massive cannon shot rang out from the merchant vessel. The birds took flight in a panic, but they didn't fly far, instead circling above the two ships in a dark cloud.

At that moment, three crows perched conspicuously on the masts. Unlike the rest of the birds, they didn't take flight. Instead, they calmly preened their feathers.

Boom—a cannonball fired from thousands of meters away hit the water, causing an explosion that sent a huge spray of water into the air.

Miltar grinned excitedly. "Captain, the explosive shells worked!"

Ian smiled calmly. "This is just the beginning. The blast radius isn't perfect yet, but it'll do for now."

The explosive shells Ian had been testing for so long had finally succeeded. Essentially, these shells were packed with additional gunpowder that would explode again upon impact, causing a second wave of damage—a powerful tool for destroying wooden warships.

Ian used a special, slow-burning alchemical powder for the fuses. The fuses were coiled inside the cannonball, with just a small ignition point exposed. The length of the fuse could be adjusted. When fired, the powder would ignite, and the fuse would burn down, causing the second explosion once it was fully consumed.

Initially, Ian had researched impact-triggered explosions, but he realized they were far too dangerous. Until he found a safer method of storage, he decided to stick with the more traditional fuse-based design.

Making these alchemical cannonballs was easy for Ian, and Miltar, being very familiar with gunpowder, could easily craft and trim the fuses.

As the sound of cannons faded, a flock of seabirds once again descended upon the ships.

These birds were coerced by Bitris. Yes, Ian thought of it as coercion. Bitris could even command the birds to attack in suicidal swarms.

In the past two days, Ian had created two more cursed ravens, each one accelerating his progress by absorbing spiritual energy. The sensation of rapid growth was intoxicating.

Of course, the frequency of creation was becoming too high. Ian planned to space it out more in the future, only creating a new raven when he neared a spiritual bottleneck.

Ian hadn't realized the extent of the ravens' power to control birds. These crows clearly didn't view the seabirds as equals—they were quick to peck them to death. But consuming these birds offered very little to the ravens in terms of power. It was clear they were just "playing."

This was their nature, and though Ian wasn't quick to label Bitris as "cruel," he had still made a deal with her: she could not casually kill seabirds or force the seagulls into suicide attacks. Such behavior could provoke unwanted consequences.

Seagulls, while ordinary birds, had a special significance at sea.

There was a sailors' legend that said every seagull was the spirit of a deceased sailor.

Others believed that seagulls were the spirits of the sea itself, and harming them would bring bad luck.

Whether true or not, it was taboo to abuse or eat seagulls. Religious conflicts were the greatest source of instability on a ship.