22: Captain Kidd's Privateer Life

His consciousness felt like it was sinking into the deep sea—cold and suffocating—before being forcefully pulled back in an instant, breaking through the water's surface.

Lin Feng opened his eyes to see not a cold treasury, but a brilliantly lit palace. Angels and saints were painted on the vaulted ceiling, and a massive crystal chandelier cast a warm, bright glow. The people around him wore 17th-century European aristocratic attire he had only seen in history books, speaking fluent archaic English.

He looked down at his hands; they were rough, powerful, and covered in thick calluses, with the lingering sensation of handling a ship's wheel and ropes on his palms.

He was not Lin Feng.

"Captain William Kidd!" a booming voice called out.

Lin Feng—or rather, Kidd at this moment—looked up. Atop the throne, a man with a majestic countenance was watching him. He recognized that face: the King of England, William III.

A minister beside the King unfurled a parchment scroll and announced loudly: "By order of His Majesty the King, a Privateering Commission is hereby granted to Captain William Kidd and his warship, the 'Adventure Galley.' He is authorized to capture and attack all vessels belonging to the King of France and his subjects in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and to suppress all recognized pirates. All spoils of war obtained shall be distributed according to the law."

He knelt on one knee and accepted the Letter of Marque stamped with the King's wax seal. The hall erupted in applause and congratulations. He saw his investor, the Earl of Bellomont, casting an encouraging look toward him.

He was an honorable privateer captain, the King's hound of war, a maintainer of maritime order.

The scene shifted.

He stood on the deck of the 'Adventure Galley.' This powerful warship with 34 cannons was his greatest pride. The sea breeze brushed against his cheeks as he gave the order to set sail with high spirits. The destination: pirate-infested Madagascar.

However, reality was far more cruel than his imagination. They drifted on the great sea for months, encountering disease and storms; the crew's morale plummeted, yet they couldn't find so much as a single pirate's hair. The ship's supplies were daily exhausted, and discontent spread among the sailors like a plague.

"Captain! We're starving! If we don't find a fat sheep soon, we'll have to turn back!" the first mate roared at him.

He knew that if he returned empty-handed, he would face bankruptcy and humiliation. He had to find a ship—a ship laden with wealth.

Finally, in the Indian Ocean, they spotted a merchant ship flying the French flag—the 'Quedagh Merchant'.

"Fire!" he gave the command.

Cannons roared, and the battle went exceptionally smoothly. The 'Quedagh Merchant' surrendered quickly. When they boarded the deck and opened the cargo hold, everyone was stunned by the sight before them. Silk, gold, silver, spices... priceless goods filled the entire cabin.

The crew cheered and shouted wildly.

However, a fatal problem arose. The captain of the 'Quedagh Merchant,' an Englishman, produced a French pass, claiming he was sailing under French protection.

According to the regulations of the Letter of Marque, they could not seize this ship.

"To hell with the pass!" The sailors' eyes turned red as they brandished their cutlasses. "We only care about the riches! Captain, give the order!"

He fell into a violent struggle. Reason told him he should let go, but behind him were sailors on the verge of mutiny, and before him was a massive fortune that could wipe away his previous shame.

Ultimately, greed triumphed over reason. He tacitly permitted the crew's actions.

They took possession of the 'Quedagh Merchant' and its cargo. He told himself this was a legal capture because the other party was flying an enemy flag.

The scene shifted again.

He returned to North America, back to Boston. He hid most of the treasure on a secret island and then took the remaining wealth to see his partner, the Earl of Bellomont. He wanted to use this wealth to prove his success.

However, what greeted him was not praise, but cold handcuffs.

"William Kidd, you are under arrest! The charge is piracy!" The Earl of Bellomont's face was as cold as ice.

Only then did he realize he had been betrayed. News of his "plundering" of French ships overseas had long since reached London, and by now, England and France had already made peace. He—an obsolete, dirty privateer captain—had become a political sacrificial lamb. He needed to take responsibility for his actions, and even more so, to take the fall for the nobles who had invested in him.

He was escorted back to London and locked in the wretched Newgate Prison.

The final scene was at the London docks.

The sky was gloomy, and a cold drizzle was falling. He was led onto the gallows; below was a dense crowd of people throwing stones and filth at him, cursing him as a "pirate" and a "scoundrel."

He looked at those who had once praised and invested in him, now watching indifferently from below as he walked toward his death.

"I am not a pirate!" he roared with all his might. "I am a privateer captain acting on the King's orders! I have a Letter of Marque! My actions were legal!"

His voice was drowned out by the crowd's mockery and curses.

The executioner placed the rough rope around his neck. He took one last look at this gray world, his eyes filled with indignation, anger, and endless regret.

The wooden board beneath his feet was pulled away.

Suffocation instantly enveloped him.

The rope tightened deathly around his neck... "Urgh—!"

Lin Feng sat up abruptly, gasping for breath, a searing phantom pain radiating from his neck.

He was back.

He was still in that cold treasury, surrounded by mountains of gold and silver. Wang Dalong was shaking his shoulder with an anxious expression.

"Brother Feng! You're awake! You scared the life out of me!"

Lin Feng didn't respond; his gaze was still somewhat vacant, his mind filled with Captain Kidd's indignant final roar.

At that moment, a cold blue light screen unfolded before his eyes.

[Main Quest: Find the lost treasure of the Pirate King William Kidd, Completed.]

[Quest Evaluation: Grade A. Successfully solved the puzzle and found the main body of the treasure. Core item is missing, evaluation lowered.]

[Quest Reward: 80,000 Reputation Points]

[New Skill Unlocked: Proficiency in Minor Languages (Passive)]

This temporary skill had finally become permanent.

But Lin Feng had no time to worry about that now. He stood up abruptly.

"How long have they been gone?"

"About... about five or six minutes..." Wang Dalong was startled by him.

"After them!"

Lin Feng grabbed the searchlight and rushed out of the treasury.