Lantao is a remote, sea-faring community made up of stilt houses that have been built at the base of Lantao Peak, the island’s highest point…think of the lush ruggedness of the Hawaiian Islands or the dominating peak Pão de Açúcar overlooking the beaches of Rio de Janeiro.
Lantao Island is only two days sail from Pirate Academy, yet even the most seasoned sailors rely on navigational maps to find their way. Once ashore, if you can get past the rancid stench of the salt fish and shrimp paste being sold along the waterfront, you are in for a real treat as it is a local delicacy which, as Cheng Li puts it, is “quite delicious.”
Most of the story’s action takes place on the ocean, yet here is a community on the land that attracts the ships and crew we have come to know, in a similar way as Ma Kettle’s Tavern; although the draw of Lantao is not coral brandy, but advanced weaponry!
In BLOOD CAPTAIN it is Cheng Li who navigates her way into the harbour in one of the Pirate Academy’s sloops, with Connor at her side. We enter the house of Master Yin, the most gifted swordsmith of his generation, and his daughter Bo Yin, who dreams of one day becoming a pirate herself. In BLACK HEART, when pirates return to the harbour at Lantao life seems to be continuing as usual, even though the world outside is changing faster than many are prepared to admit.
You do not choose to become a pirate. Piracy claims you.
Master Yin