Alex sent a puppet to bring Viper who was still resting inside the castle, unconscious after he suffered from severe injuries.
Also, the puppets were going to grab all the treasures looted by the pirates till this date that has been stored inside a vault in the castle. Alex already knew where Torrento was and also where he had hidden his private treasures.
He left the responsibility of bringing them both to the puppets. He went back to his battleships where his family was waiting.
Once again they have been left out from the battle. But what can Alex do about that? If he can win with mouth and a little show of strength then why fight a war and put his men and family at risk.
Hank, Tom, and Siera were dissatisfied. Jack and Donald were also raring to go and fight before but they were mature therefore like other adults they were happy to not lift a hand and risk their lives.
"What can I do? The enemy was too weak and any nonsense I threw at them, they believed it like an idiot." Alex shrugged his shoulders. But Norman knew that was not really the case. Alex could have easily won the war if he had fought head-on but the boy was very cautious. He never took an unnecessary risk that would put even one life in danger when he could solve it through safer methods.
A batch of puppets and some ships will be left on this island to develop and defend it since from now on it will be one of Alex's new territory and also a strategic supply point for the merchants of his territory and his Navy fleet.
This island has to be renamed. Since there were huge coral reefs on its side, Alex dubbed it as Coral reef island.
It is covered by forests and has rocky shores to the north except for a beach on the northwest side of Coral reef Island. A small natural port on its eastern side. It was also possible to build one more on its western side but the pirates didn't want to waste money on an extra port when they already had one.
... It was almost three a clock in the morning when they reached back to the Seashell island, their home.
When they had left in the morning, Alex had only brought thirty of the forty-three ships he owned. But now he was bringing back extra forty-five ships with him and leaving twelve of his ships back on the Coral reef Island. Anyway, he has obtained a huge number of ships which caused his Naval strength to increase tremendously.
Ragetti had gone after Pintel and his ships but he would definitely come back when he either kills his rival after catching up or get tired of the chase.
Alex had left his biggest battleship that had the Portal gate installed in it on the Coral Reef Island to make it easier to travel to that island in critical situations and to provide timely assistance.
Alex can go there if his puppets were not able to restrain Ragetti Crook since he was a late-stage Dantian Formation Realm cultivator.
The common citizens of the seashell island usually get up by four and five in the morning to start their day early. Therefore, when Alex and his entourage entered the city, the people came out of their houses when they heard sounds of cheering by the city wall guards and the patrolling teams.
Quickly the news was spread all over the city about their Lord exterminating the biggest infamous Lion Shark Pirate group. The long line of prisoners that were walking along the streets with their hands tied to a long rope had already certified the news.
The prison inside the city had already been renovated and expanded it below the ground. The puppets had built three floors below ground that could contain eight thousand prisoners without a problem. Therefore, it was not a problem to keep the pirates and the Count's soldiers there for the time being. Also, the prisoners were divided into three batches, each sent to a different city do that the prison does get congested.
Citizens came out to the main streets and stood by the side to watch the long line of pirates slowly making their way towards the prison and some peoples that seemed to be wearing a similar outfit just like they were soldiers of some army.
The situation was soon clarified when one of the daring citizens came forward to ask the guard walking alongside the prisoners.
"Who?... Count of Nehmor? who is it?... Oh the Belmont subcontinent, brother can you please tell in detail... haha" The ignorant citizen asked again. It was normal to not know about the Count from the Belmont subcontinent or even the leader of the forces on the islands nearby. No one had provided the common people with that knowledge and nor did they find it necessary to learn about it.
The officer guard was patient to tell him details about the Count of Nehmor and his Naval army that their Lord had defeated alone. It was
"What!..." that citizen surprised was surprised hearing the identity of these captured soldiers, he almost couldn't believe his ears but he knew the guards wouldn't lie to him.
He then rushed back to his friends and shared the mindblowing news with them.
Some citizens were shocked at first, some were a little doubtful while some people started chanting Alex's name and hailing him for his victory over such a strong opponent.
They might not dare to disrespect the captured soldiers from the Belmont subcontinent
but for the pirates who had made their lives miserable for a long time would not be spared so easily, they not only started cursing but also pelting them with stones and anything they could be picked and thrown.
The escorting guards did nothing to stop them and let the citizens release their resentments and hatred towards the pirates. They would only say something and move to stop them when some of them targeted the Count's soldiers walking behind the pirates.
In this world of strong preying on the weak, no one would think it wrong to mock the losers but Alex did not think so. His grandfather from the previous life had thought him against doing such things.
A soldier is never at fault for only following orders of their superiors and fighting for the interest of their nation. They don't have any other choice. Therefore, Alex had given orders to not let anyone disrespect those captured soldiers even if they were their enemies.
For the whole morning, the citizens stayed on the streets and talked about the whole event in great fanfare.
Their respect and a good feeling for the new Lord increased even more than before, this caused Alex's faith points to jump in numbers.
The situation in the other two cities was the same. The citizens there also came to the streets and celebrated the victory together with each other. the adventures, merchants, and the mercenary then spread it to the other villages. The people who were the happiest about the extermination of the pirates were the villages that were located near the seashore.
