Chapter 291: Navy and Pirates

Chapter 291: Navy and Pirates

In the vast ocean, a ship departing from the Southern Continent, laden with a plethora of rare treasures, was heading towards the Kingdom of Ruen, hoping to avoid the ongoing war.

The sky was bright and sunny, but the temperature was much milder than usual. Even standing on the deck under the blazing sun wasn't as scorching as it used to be.

Outside the captain's cabin stood an old man who had been sailing the seas for over forty years, Old Soren. He was a relic of this voyage, with an intimate knowledge of every change in the sea and sky.

He could sense the approach of a storm from an unusual cloud or a slight sea breeze.

Learning to observe the stars was a compulsory course, and he was exceptionally skilled at it.

Recently, he had a feeling that this year's sun wasn't as scorching as in previous years. Although the change was subtle, he still noticed some unusual phenomena.

Would something happen to the sun?

Such a thought was laughable. No one would believe his words, and he knew it well, so he never talked about it with anyone. He just spent more time observing the sun each day.

"Old Soren, we're almost at Puning Port. We owe our smooth journey, avoiding storms and huge waves, to your navigation."

The captain brought a full oak cup of dark beer. This beer was quite bitter, not favored by the younger generation, but old folks like him loved this bitter taste, finding it flavorful.

Old Soren took the beer, drank a big gulp, and the slightly dark liquid flowed down his beard, wetting his collar.

After a comfortable burp, Old Soren said, "Captain Roel, you're too kind. This is my job, and I naturally have to ensure the ship avoids possible dangers."

He then laughed, "I'm on this ship too. I can't joke with my own life, can I?"

Captain Roel chatted with him for a while before preparing to leave. Before he left, Old Soren grabbed his coat and whispered, "Don't blame me for being talkative, but natural factors at sea are easy to overcome. The real danger often comes from human actions. I have a bad feeling about this trip. You should be more prepared."

Captain Roel patted Old Soren's shoulder, saying he would pay attention to these issues and told him to stay calm on the ship.

As the lighthouse of Puning Port came into view, Old Soren's worries eased significantly. Without the threat of pirates, the coastal ports of Southwell County were quite safe.

Just as the crew relaxed their vigilance, a sailor in the lookout tower spotted unfamiliar ships approaching from three directions.

"Pirates!"

"Pirates are coming!"

The sailor quickly sounded the alarm, and everyone on the ship became alert, taking their combat positions under the captain's orderly arrangement.

They were close to Puning Port. If a battle broke out, the port's garrison would come to their aid. They just needed to hold out for a while.

The captain and crew thought this way, but Old Soren was worried. He had seen the weakness of Southwell County's response to pirates over the years.

The Puning Port garrison might refuse to send naval support under the pretext of protecting the port, even if the pirates were at their doorstep.

Good premonitions are often daydreams, but bad premonitions usually come true.

As the crew watched expectantly, Puning Port only sounded the alarm to prevent pirates from attacking the port, without sending even a single warship for support.

Old Soren and others were surrounded by six or seven pirate ships.

Seeing no hope from the Puning Port garrison, the captain gritted his teeth and ordered the ship to move at full speed, even if it meant crashing, to break through to safety.

The ship, fully powered and charging with a desperate momentum, disrupted the pirates' formation, creating a safe passage.

The captain immediately commanded the crew to seize this opportunity and escape the encirclement.

They were lucky to escape the pirates' encirclement, but the ship was nearly sunk by the pirates' cannon fire, with water and fire everywhere.

Even though they were close to the port, the Puning Port garrison still had no intention of deterring the pirates.

They preferred to let their warships sit in the port rather than take a patrol.

Old Soren, accustomed to the incompetence of Southwell County's port garrison, sighed and watched the young crew and passengers curse the garrison, the Duke of Southwell, and all the cowardly nobles with vulgar language.

Fortunately, the small pirate group of six or seven ships didn't dare to directly confront the Puning Port garrison and left reluctantly.

The burning ship finally docked, but instead of a warm welcome, they were met with a ruthless tax bill for docking.

The garrison, who had been insulted by the crew and passengers, now showed their bravery, beating and imprisoning those who didn't cooperate, and even executing troublemakers on the spot.

The captain, despite his anger, had to pay a hefty fee.

The huge tax bill, combined with the cost of repairing the ship, meant that even with a large number of tickets sold, they still had to cover some expenses out of pocket.

Old Soren heard the captain cursing loudly, no longer the friendly man who had offered him a drink earlier.

Besides the captain and crew, he also heard a few nobles from the Kingdom of Ruen, angrily declaring that they would report to the king upon returning to Backlund, loudly criticizing the incompetence of the Southwell County navy.

Old Soren listened for a while, then whispered a few words to Captain Roel, who quickly hid his anger and went to chat with the passengers, blaming the Duke of Southwell and the navy for their incompetence.

In a three-story hotel room in Puning Port, Hastur watched everything through the window.

The incompetence of the Southwell County navy and their fear of pirates opened his eyes.

He had learned that Puning Port had over twenty small warships, eight medium warships, and one heavy warship.

The overall naval strength far exceeded the seven pirate ships.

Those pirate ships, except for one barely considered medium-sized, were all small and couldn't compare to well-equipped warships.

Even two medium warships would be enough to deter the pirates.

But the result was shocking, making Hastur deeply worried about the Kingdom of Ruen's coastal defense.

With such combat power and morale, if the war from the Southern Continent spread, the entire coastal defense would collapse.

After all, a navy that feared pirates couldn't compare to the regular army of the Southern Continent.

Sharon, standing by another window, looked over. She knew Hastur's purpose in Southwell County was partly to strengthen the coastal defense.

"It's indeed disappointing. Even I can't stand it," Hastur said with a smile.

Sharon calmly uttered a word, "Difficult."

"The civil war in the Southern Continent won't end soon. It will take at least half a year to prepare for an attack on Southwell County. There's still time," Hastur remained optimistic about the future.

"You can take advantage of the situation."

"Miss Sharon, how did you know my thoughts?"

Hastur looked at Sharon in surprise. He indeed planned to use the returning nobles from the Southern Continent to pressure the Duke of Southwell through the king, forcing him to relinquish power.

Sharon glanced at Hastur indifferently, "Do I look stupid?"

Hastur quickly explained that he didn't mean that, while Aisala, lying on the windowsill, meowed at Sharon.

It meant that her master indeed looked down on her intelligence.

Sharon's eyes flashed with coldness as she glanced at Hastur, then began to knead the instigating Aisala.

Having just become a provocateur, she had already learned how to fan the flames.

...

"Dear sister, your worrying second brother has safely returned from the Southern Continent, setting foot on the kingdom's territory at 4 PM on March 8th.

This should be a happy event, but near Puning Port, we encountered a small incident. Our kingdom's brave navy feared small pirates, allowing them to plunder merchant ships outside the port. I am deeply concerned about the kingdom's coastal defense.

Has the wise Earl Holber not seen this? Has he been blinded by the false image?

If one day the war from the south spreads here, this will become their most powerful foothold to attack the kingdom.

Perhaps I can stay here, waiting for the war to come, and earn an earl's title on the battlefield.

Alas, I really don't want to return to Backlund to see Hibbert's smug face. He will surely mock me for leaving the Southern Continent and nail me to the pillar of shame.

But the returning wanderer misses his family, especially his lovely and kind sister. He hasn't heard her call him 'second brother' for a long time."

Late at night, under the dim light in the hotel room, Alfred Hall, wearing a black coat, was writing furiously.

After filling a page, Alfred Hall carefully checked it several times. Confirming there were no issues, he had someone send the letter back to Backlund.

He planned to stay in Southwell County for a few days to understand the situation and see if it was suitable for him to make a name for himself here.

He also wanted to test Earl Holber's attitude, to see if he preferred him to return to Backlund or had other plans for him.

(End of Chapter)