Volume 23: Turbulent Times

Chapter 1: Chaos Unleashed

Koemer carefully observed the three nearly perfect artifacts before him. Creating these magic-powered cannons had taken a great deal of his effort. Although there were no major challenges left in terms of manufacturing techniques, there were still many flaws that needed urgent improvement. Yet these were not Koemer’s most pressing concerns at the moment. The real dilemma was how to allocate these three magic-powered cannons.

Gott had repeatedly threatened that if they were not provided with these cannons, they would not only demand the return of the funds given to Caucasus but also stop ensuring the safety of the coastal ports in Caucasus and Leon. The threats in their words grew increasingly severe.

The same was true on Katrina’s side. Faced with the increasingly powerful Gray Skulls, the Red-Haired Witch’s fleet struggled to cope. Had it not been for the strong advantages gained earlier and its substantial resources in terms of personnel and ships, the Katrina fleet would likely have been driven out of the Northern Mid-Sea long ago. Even so, the Katrina fleet voluntarily reduced its control area, ceding most of the Northern Mid-Sea and retreating its main forces to the Southern Mid-Sea region.

Of course, this did not mean the Katrina fleet had surrendered. Everyone knew Katrina was not someone who would accept being subordinate. She was surely plotting more fierce countermeasures to retaliate against the Gray Skulls’ provocations, which was also the main reason Gott could not afford to be careless. Due to the Katrina fleet’s flexible strategies later on, the Gray Skulls’ desire to engage in a decisive battle with their main forces remained unfulfilled. Although they controlled the Northern Mid-Sea region, they failed to deliver a truly significant blow to the Katrina fleet—a result Gott certainly did not want.

To force the Katrina fleet into a decisive battle, one had to invade its stronghold—the Southern Mid-Sea—leaving them with no escape. This would require even greater military strength as a backing. Koemer knew that the Gray Skulls’ power had surged dramatically over the past year or so. By continuously defeating the Katrina fleet, their influence across the Nether Sea and the Mid-Sea regions had risen rapidly, even surpassing that of the Katrina fleet. Yet to maintain this position, the Katrina fleet remained a constant threat.

Haiding had already established an armed fleet. Although it initially consisted of only a few new ships and mostly ships modified from old vessels, Haiding’s extensive connections in the Southern Mid-Sea region allowed him to quickly recruit many skilled workers. Coupled with the security guarantees provided by the Katrina fleet, the trade routes from the Southern Mid-Sea region to the vast continents soon became the main source of profit for Haiding’s fleet.

Slaves, weapons, food, and daily necessities from the Southern Central Ocean region were continuously supplied to the colonies along the coast of the Mang Continent, while large quantities of precious metals, various valuable ores, crystals, timber, medicinal materials, and other raw materials from the Mang Continent flowed into the Southern Central Ocean and the Caucasus region. The huge profits and secure environment led to the rapid expansion of the Hayreddin Fleet. Within just three months of its formation, Hayreddin had made several trips back and forth between the Southern Central Ocean and the Mang Continent. At the same time, he also began to engage in the route of transporting rough iron and coal from the Caucasus to the south, turning this triangular route into a highly profitable gold route.

However, as Hayreddin continuously updated and expanded his fleet, the threat posed by the southern Demisheme pirates also grew rapidly. Initially deterred by the power of the Kars Fleet, the Demisheme pirates hesitated to take action. But after seeing Hayreddin’s fleet become increasingly wealthy, they could no longer resist their greed and became more aggressive, significantly increasing the risks for Hayreddin’s armed fleet.

Hayreddin believed he could still cope with small groups of Demisheme pirates, but he lacked confidence in facing large-scale coordinated attacks. Thus, he asked Komer to transform his armed fleet into a true navy. Of course, after Komer revealed that he possessed the ability to manufacture magic cannon guns, Hayreddin’s requests became even more urgent. With magic cannon guns equipped on his fleet, Hayreddin was confident he could dominate the entire Southern Central Ocean, and it wouldn’t be difficult to drive the Demisheme pirates straight to hell.

Sighing, he realized he only had three magic cannon guns at hand. It seemed he could only satisfy Gott and Katerina for now. For Gott, a minimal response would suffice, while Katerina needed to be reminded that just two or three magic cannon guns wouldn’t change the overall situation. To completely defeat the Gray Skulls, a thorough plan—a perfect strategy to decide the outcome in one battle—was needed, along with more magic cannon guns to arm the fleet. The Gray Skulls already had several magic cannon guns and had quickly adapted to use them effectively, whereas the Kars Fleet still needed time to adjust.

As for Hayreddin, it seemed he could only wait. He would have to consider further action once the next batch of magic cannon guns was available. For now, he had to restrain himself and let the Demisheme pirates act arrogantly for a while. Once their interest was fully piqued, he would then strike to subdue them completely.

After much deliberation, Komer decided to send one of the three Magic Armored Cannons to Mardan to the already furious agent of the Gray Skulls, while the remaining two were secretly sent to the Southern Mid-Sea. Given how much Gold Shield Catherine had spent, it would be difficult to fulfill her demands without offering something substantial in return; moreover, continuing cooperation would likely prove challenging as well.

In his letter, Haiding not only requested the establishment of a fleet but also raised another issue: the maritime adventurers from the southern countries were increasingly venturing into the Unknown Continent. The number of colonies, villages, and even towns along the coasts of the Southern Mid-Sea was growing rapidly. With the arrival of numerous exploration teams, especially those supported by the governments of various countries and city-states, the veil covering the Unknown Continent was gradually lifting, revealing its fertile aspects and attracting more people.

These included not only ordinary adventurers and exploration teams but also thieves, scoundrels, ruffians from the Blue Continent, as well as exiled criminals. There were also poor people seeking a better and more prosperous life, and finally, scientific survey teams deliberately sent by the city-states along the Coasts of the Nether Sea and the Southern Mid-Sea. The abundance of this continent attracted more and more attention. If not for the unpredictable climate of the Southern Mid-Sea and the Nether Sea, which deterred many, it’s likely that the nobles would have quickly expanded their conquests along the coasts of the Unknown Continent. Even so, even those city-states with advanced maritime capabilities began to realize that this unclaimed land would eventually become a battleground among various coastal powers. Therefore, taking the initiative to claim it first was undoubtedly a wise move.

Haiding attached numerous rough maps of the areas around the Nether Sea and the Southern Mid-Sea on the Unknown Continent. These maps showed that colonies from various countries and city-states were already densely scattered along the coasts of the Nether Sea and the Southern Mid-Sea, with only the northern coast of the Southern Mid-Sea remaining as a blank area—unexplored territory. Since the other side of the northern Southern Mid-Sea was the Cordillera Wasteland, there were no human cities at the shortest distance. Colonists preferred to choose the area closest to their home country as a foothold and then expand from there, so relatively speaking, there were fewer opportunities for colonists to settle along the northern coast of the Southern Mid-Sea.

But the more significant reason was that the coast of the Northern Central Ocean on the Vast Continent was deeply sunken to the east. If a colony were to be established there, it would be nearly half as far from the homeland as colonies along the Southern Central Ocean or the Nether Sea. For a fleet, half that distance was almost fatal in terms of both logistical support and crew morale.

Komer had to admit that Haiding had performed exceptionally well. He hadn’t confined his attention to the tasks assigned to him. While striving full throttle toward the goals set for him, he also expanded his focus to surrounding areas. Especially when the city-states and nations of the Southern Central Ocean turned their attention to the Vast Continent, Haiding keenly realized that the gradual unveiling of the Vast Continent might bring a breath of change to the Azure Continent. Yet he couldn’t predict exactly what kind of changes this breath of change would bring.

Haiding cautiously suggested that, if conditions permitted, Caucasus could send one or two of its own exploration teams to the central region of the Vast Continent for colonization and exploration, with the aim of establishing one or two colonies to ensure Caucasus’ interests there. Earlier, Haiding had already found several islands with fresh water to the east of the Northern Central Ocean as supply bases, which could lay a solid foundation for future colonization efforts.

This proposal intrigued Komer greatly. But he knew such a plan couldn’t be realized in a day or two—it required long-term planning, strong political backing, and a powerful navy to support it. Still, Komer believed such a day would come eventually, so Haiding’s suggestions for preliminary preparations weren’t entirely unrealistic.

Hoffman’s twisted face looked extremely grotesque. The momentum he had painstakingly built was completely overwhelmed by the developments in the southwest. To get these nobles to contribute their private troops to strengthen the Blood Lion Regiment, Hoffman invested heavily in them, using countless promises and flattery to get their private troops to form the backbone of the regiment. Skilled officers from the kingdom’s royal guard and knightly orders were also incorporated into the Blood Lion Regiment as officers, so that it could truly function as a proper regiment. As the situation in the southwest grew increasingly tense, some opportunists even came forward to curry favor with him, only to be dampened by the sudden emergence of the orc army.

Hoffman had indeed considered the orc army from the Caucasus, but he never imagined that it would emerge from the small Greenland forests. The impact and significance of that orc army far exceeded its actual value. Hoffman didn’t believe that such an army could rival his Blood Lion Corps, along with the knightly orders and court mages behind it. The problem was that their own fighting spirit had been suppressed by the enemy. The entire Kingdom of Nicomedia was talking about this supposedly incredibly powerful orc army, and no one believed anymore that Kakiya would submit to him under these circumstances. Instead, some nobles were worried that if this orc army attacked, it could cause chaos similar to that caused by the orcs in the north, plunging the entire central region of the kingdom into turmoil. If that happened, his foundation of rule would collapse completely, and those lords who ostensibly still supported him might immediately seize the opportunity to declare independence. Hoffman simply couldn’t bear to imagine such a scenario.

“Onia, I need the help and support of the court mages, especially at this time. If we can defeat that crude orc army, I will grant the Light Church more rights. So, I hope you can invite more mages from Marco to assist me. Please believe me—this won’t take too long, at most two months, and everything will be resolved!” Hoffman had to suppress his anger as he spoke each word carefully.

“I’m sorry, Prince Hoffman. I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. I understand your feelings, but Marco has ordered our Light Church not to get involved in internal disputes within the kingdom. Additionally, since the orcs are currently very active, the nations of the Northern Alliance are under great pressure. As guardians of mortals, our Light Church must first focus our efforts on dealing with the orcs. So, for now, some of our mages will return to Marco. But please believe me—this won’t take too long. Once the situation in the north stabilizes and I have reported the issues of the Kingdom of Nicomedia in detail to Lord Vazinki and the others, I’m sure Marco will give you a clear reply soon.”

Onia could not help but show a look of regret, yet the brightness in her eyes remained undimmed. She truly was unable to assist this successor of Wang Wei. Currently, the orcs were extremely active, and the emergence of certain shaman-priest forces had disrupted the balance of power in the entire northern region of the continent. It was clear that the orcs were skilled at hiding their strength; their shaman-priest forces could not have suddenly gained such prominence without at least twenty years of cultivation and preparation, and they even dared to rival mortal magicians in power. This caught the Light Church, which had long ruled the northern continent, off guard. If they did not reverse this decline promptly, Onia feared that the Light Church’s dominance in the north would face severe challenges. The most obvious sign of this was the sudden resurgence of the Freemasons, who had been inactive for many years.