Just as Turing Duo had said, Suo Lun was extremely bold. He would dare to gamble even if there was only a one percent chance of success.
Yet he was also as suspicious and alert as a fox. At the slightest hint of trouble, every hair on his body would stand on end.
After setting out to sea, Suo Lun first returned to the Secret Island base and had the sorceress Yao Meng disguise his appearance.
It took more than four hours. Once again, Suo Lun had completely changed his looks.
This time, he remained extremely handsome, truly dashing and full of vigour.
Although still young, he now carried an air of world-weariness. Moreover, his skin had darkened, as if weathered by much wind and sun.
His clothing and bearing, however, remained rather noble. He looked like an aristocratic warrior fond of adventure.
In short, there was not the slightest trace of Suo Lun anywhere upon his person.
After dressing, he did not go directly to Rock Island. Of course, it was fundamentally impossible to go directly. One simply could not get there.
The location of the Rock Archipelago was a mystery to the entire human kingdom.
On a map, one might find an approximate position, but by ship, no vessel could reach Rock Island.
Because when still a thousand li from Rock Island, the sea routes were densely patrolled by salt pirates’ warships. Upon sighting any ship from the human kingdom, they would absolutely destroy it without asking any reason.
Thus, to this day, the sea route from the human kingdom to Rock Island remained unknown.
Moreover, the ships of the human kingdom basically lacked the capability for long ocean voyages. Even in Luan Yang City, only a few large vessels could venture into the open sea.
For thousands of years, the human kingdom had not known where Rock Island was. Indeed, Rock Island was almost the only place the Dragon God Temple had not involved itself with.
The entire human kingdom worshipped the Dragon God, whereas Rock Island worshipped the Sea God.
How to get to Rock Island? First go to Pirate Harbour, the only place where Rock Pirates traded, and also where Rock Women came ashore to seek seed.
Therefore, Suo Lun first had to reach the docks of Chu Yun County, then board a large ship there to Pirate Harbour.
…
What sort of place was Pirate Harbour? It was seven hundred li from Chu Yun County, on an island several dozen li in circumference.
It was a paradise for men, and also a hell.
It was a place where pirates traded, and the only place where Rock Pirates did not kill or plunder.
When most pirates went out to rob, they stole expensive cargo and gold coins. But pirates also needed to eat, drink, and consume meat.
However, pirates could not set foot on the mainland. Once they did, they would immediately be captured and hanged.
So, over a thousand years ago, pirates had built a trading market on an island several hundred li from the human kingdom, where they traded with merchants from the human kingdom, using stolen gold to buy meat, grain, fine wine, and so forth, as well as women.
At the time, it was merely a very crude open-air market. Now it had become a massive bazaar.
Thus, this was a city of pirates, where pirates called all the shots.
Why was it called a paradise for men?
Because every half month, Rock Women came ashore in groups to seek seed, either on ships or at Pirate Harbour.
Rock Women were the most fiery and alluring women in this world.
Their figures, their strength, their resilience, and that special fire-like quality were beyond comparison with women of the human kingdom.
Most crucially, the Rock Women who came to seek seed for childbirth were the finest women of the Rock Clan, most of them virgins.
Therefore, it had also become a paradise for men of the human kingdom to hunt for romantic conquests.
Here, provided you were strong and handsome enough, you might catch a Rock Woman’s eye and spend several nights of heavenly bliss, without bearing any responsibility whatsoever.
At the time, King Ji Bian and Count Suo Long had encountered fiery Rock Women aboard a large ship heading to Pirate Harbour.
Of course, Rock Women had extremely high standards. Unless you were a top-tier man of the human kingdom, they would not spare you a single glance.
Thus, of the men from the human kingdom who went to Pirate Harbour to hunt for romantic conquests, perhaps one in several dozen would be fortunate enough to become the object of a Rock Woman’s seed-seeking.
And the most outstanding men of the human kingdom would not merely become objects for seed-seeking, but also objects of abduction.
What did it mean to be an object of abduction?
It meant that some high-ranking Rock Woman, after several nights of pleasure with you, could not bear to part with you, and so simply abducted you, turning a fleeting romance into a true marriage.
From then on, however, you would become a Rock Clansman, and never return to the human kingdom for the rest of your life.
Of course, such cases were extremely rare, basically impossible. At the time, Count Suo Long and King Ji Bian had been so outstanding, yet neither had become an object of abduction.
Indeed, Count Suo Long had even proactively proposed marriage to that Rock Woman, yet was still refused, and she departed without farewell a second time.
So Rock Women saw things very clearly. They would sleep with you, but they would absolutely not fall in love, let alone spend a lifetime together.
…
Two days later, Suo Lun arrived at the docks of Chu Yun County.
Every day, large ships departed from here to Pirate Harbour, carrying massive quantities of grain, meat, various vessels, tea, and so forth.
Suo Lun boarded one of the enormous cargo ships.
The owner of this ship was a great maritime merchant. The cargo he transported was tea and silk, absolute hard currency at Pirate Harbour. Once delivered, there was absolutely no worry about sales.
Moreover, the ship owner was an extremely hospitable man.
He turned away no warrior from the human kingdom heading to Pirate Harbour, charging not a single coin for passage, and even providing fine wine and good meat.
The men sharing the ship with Suo Lun were all from the human kingdom, and basically not bad-looking. Some were handsome, some tall, some powerfully built, some ruggedly masculine. Everyone wore knowing smiles.
Undoubtedly, this group was heading to Pirate Harbour to hunt for romantic conquests and plant their seed.
Even with his changed appearance, Suo Lun effortlessly became the most handsome among them.
“Brother, show some mercy when the time comes, leave a few for the rest of us.” One man stepped forward, clapping Suo Lun on the shoulder. “Don’t eat them all by yourself.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Another young man said, “Each time the Rock Women come ashore to seek seed, there are only a dozen or so. Yet the men from the human kingdom going to hunt for romantic conquests number at least a thousand. It’s dozens of men fighting over one Rock Woman. Some handsome men are the worst, hogging several for themselves.”
Facing this situation, Suo Lun was speechless.
However, one thing was certain. The offspring born to Rock Women must be extremely strong and beautiful, because they selected only the most outstanding men of the human kingdom for seed-seeking.
No wonder, despite their small numbers, the Rock Clan had always flourished. Every generation of salt clansmen was extremely powerful. From the very root, they ensured the strength of their genes.
“Then what happens after the Rock Women return from seeking seed?” Suo Lun asked.
“They find a Rock Clansman to marry, and the two of them raise the child.” Another man said.
Suo Lun said, “Then aren’t their Rock Clan husbands being cuckolded? And the child they raise is not their own flesh and blood.”
That man said, “The Rock Clan men don’t mind. It’s a Rock Clan tradition. Moreover, even if the second or third child is their own, they tend to favour the first child, the non-biological one, and raise them to become powerful pirates.”
This truly was a very strange tradition. In a sense, Rock Clan men were rather pitiful, but also very… admirable!
“Has brother been here before?” that man from the human kingdom asked.
Suo Lun shook his head. “No, this is my first time.”
That man said, “Then you’ve truly come to the right place. Pirate Harbour is absolutely a paradise for men. To have never slept with a Rock Woman is to have lived in vain. You don’t know the taste of a Rock Woman, that fire, that ecstasy, it’s simply not something a human woman can compare to. After sleeping with a Rock Woman, going back to embrace your wife is utterly tasteless.”
“Yes, yes, yes…” Another man said, “And most crucially, the Rock Women who come to seek seed are all virgins, yet they know everything and can do everything.”
To ensure the birth of the finest offspring, most of the Rock Women who came to seek seed were inexperienced.
Of course, not all Rock Women came to seek seed. Only the most beautiful and strongest in martial arts among them qualified to come to Pirate Harbour for seed-seeking.
So for hundreds of years, men of the human kingdom had flocked to Pirate Harbour, because the Rock Women who came were without exception beautiful, fiery virgins.
According to incomplete statistics, every half month, the Rock Women would come to Pirate Harbour once, numbering from a dozen or so to several dozen.
And each time, the men coming to Pirate Harbour to hunt for romantic conquests numbered at least a thousand.
So in a sense, the Rock Women were selecting one in a hundred, one in a thousand. The finest men of the entire human kingdom were at their disposal. How could the offspring they bore not be outstanding?
“Brother, remember, absolutely do not hog them all to yourself.” that man emphasised heavily.
Suo Lun smiled. “Rest assured, I am not here to plant seed or hunt for romantic conquests. I am here to do business.”
“Yeah, right, who believes that?” that man said. “All young, handsome men who come to Pirate Harbour have only one purpose: to hunt for romantic conquests and plant seed.”
Suo Lun did not explain further.
Next, the men in the cabin began to discuss with great enthusiasm.
The several dozen young men here were all handsome. More than half of them had come for the third or fourth time.
Yet even so, only two had truly been favoured by Rock Women. But Suo Lun could tell that one of them was boasting.
So, of the several dozen men here, only one had truly been favoured by a Rock Woman. The competition was incredibly fierce.
“In two days, the Rock Women will come ashore. Then all of Pirate Harbour will go completely mad!” that man said. “I estimate that this time, the adventurers from the human kingdom will number at least two thousand. I hope they don’t beat each other’s brains out!”
With that, the handsome men in the cabin were already eager to try, rubbing their fists and palms.
…
After sailing for a day and a half, the cargo ship finally arrived at the legendary paradise for men, Pirate Harbour.
Suo Lun discovered that this did not resemble a city at all, but rather a chaotic yet flourishing super bazaar.
On the sea surface, countless ships were moored. Suo Lun had never seen so many ships before, both cargo vessels and warships.
The houses on the island were extremely densely packed, but none were tall, because the winds here were strong.
The entire Pirate Harbour was not large, but the streets were absolutely packed shoulder to shoulder, filled with people of every sort.
There were countless pirates with curved swords at their hips, pot-bellied maritime merchants, and of course, prostitutes, who were indispensable everywhere.
Of course, an enormous group was the handsome men from the human kingdom.
Or to use another term, the romantic hunters, or adventurers.
On the ship, Suo Lun had heard there were two thousand adventurers. But after arriving at Pirate Harbour, Suo Lun discovered there were far more than two thousand.
Just the young, handsome adventurers he saw on the streets numbered more than two thousand, perhaps double that.
Moreover, the brothel business on the island was utterly depressed, because tomorrow the Rock Women would come ashore.
Young, beautiful, fiery virgin Rock Women! With such delicacies available, who would still care for the vulgar painted women in the pleasure houses?
Moreover, a secret rumour was circulating on the island.
Tomorrow, coming ashore with the Rock Women, would be the princess of Rock Island, the legendary Sea Witch of such beauty and fire that she could make the Sea God himself fall.
Instantly, all of Pirate Harbour went completely mad!
Like a grand festival, everyone was waiting for tomorrow to arrive.
Tomorrow, the Rock Women would come ashore! And they would see the legendary Sea Witch.