Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 803 The Navy's "Ambition"

As night deepened, the islands of the Coral City twinkled with lights.

The gray-haired naval lieutenant commander Guterres put down his communicator and paced back and forth in his office, trying to calm his racing emotions. Finally, he let out a long sigh.

His Majesty the Emperor has personally ordered the recall of a portion of the Northern Navy stationed in the Coral Sea… primarily the submarine force, to cooperate with the Northern Army currently fighting in Eisengard, in order to achieve advance defense in the southeastern part of the Southern Territory.

Compared to lying low and training troops in the Coral Sea, frequently coordinating internal security among the sea creatures, or frequently setting sail to bombard and drive away invading sea monsters, this far-sea garrison that had been "exiled" overseas was finally able to return to its homeland and step onto the war stage to defend the human race. This had long been the wish of the military from top to bottom.

Although His Majesty had personally summoned Guterres before his departure and earnestly taught him the concept of "raising an army for a thousand days to use it for one day," the long-term overseas deployment still left most officers and soldiers in the army with a sense of loss, as if they were being abandoned because they were "unusable."

Guterres, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, felt this frustration most deeply, a frustration that could neither be openly discussed nor expressed.

Fortunately, I have finally received His Majesty's personal summons again!

He suppressed his turbulent emotions, walked back to his desk, opened a drawer, and carefully took out a bottle of Icefield Vodka that he had treasured for a long time.

This stuff is a rare find in the Coral Sea. Most of the supplies needed by the Northern Navy for its garrison are purchased from its close ally, Pharos, located on the coast, while a small portion is supplied by the local Coral Sea people. Compared to the abundance of supplies during the Saint Valentine period, it is incomparable.

The two places are thousands of miles apart, and the naval officers have only two options to receive supplies from their hometown: airships and ships. The faster option takes about a week, while the slower option takes at least a month.

The magic network teleportation arrays were set up in quite a few garrison ports, but the limited teleportation energy was mainly used for the transport of weapons and military equipment, and it was impossible to allocate it to ordinary daily consumables.

This resulted in the Northern Navy seemingly having no worries about food and clothing, but in reality, their lives were quite boring and tight.

The bottle of vodka in Guterres' hand was a gift from the military a month ago when they remembered the hardworking troops stationed overseas during the harvest festival. It was a special airlift of supplies, which could be considered a kind of reward and consolation.

Even so, the naval commander, a lieutenant, was reluctant to share it generously, but instead treasured it and planned to enjoy it next spring when the fleet set sail to fight the sea monsters.

But now there's no need to be stingy anymore. Although vodka tastes better chilled, ice is a rare commodity in the hot and humid southern seas. The major simply opened the seal, filled a glass, and, in a good mood, gulped it down to his heart's content.

He then picked up the communicator again and called the two adjutants on night duty into his office.

"Pass on my order: sound the assembly call at dawn... I want to announce to everyone the important instructions His Majesty has just issued!"

The two stern-faced adjutants paused for half a second, exchanged a glance instinctively, and instantly their faces lit up with ecstatic joy as they replied in unison, "Yes, Commander!"

...Coral Holy City, Naval Port.

In the square at the port dock, the naval officers who had just completed their assembly were gradually dismissed, and nearly two thousand soldiers returned to their respective posts. Only less than five hundred people remained standing there, looking eagerly at Commander Major Guterres.

A young officer standing behind him stood out from the crowd. Although he was also wearing a crisp and neat naval uniform, his face was flat, his eyes were slightly bulging, and his cheeks had prominent, split gills. He was also barefoot without military boots, and the webbed structure between his toes was completely different from that of ordinary people.

This is a genuine sea creature, coral islanders recruited directly by the Northern Navy.

Although they had only been in the military for a little over a year, the sea creatures' innate ability to move in the water allowed them to quickly surpass ordinary human soldiers and become the best among naval officers.

The young sea creature officer took a deep breath, mustered his courage, stepped forward, saluted the major, and shouted, "Sir, the Third Special Task Force of the Submarine Squadron requests to serve as the submarine vanguard for this military operation!"

Special task forces... as the name suggests, are combat formations composed entirely of sea creature soldiers. They can operate in deep water for extended periods without relying on submersibles. Since their formation, they have been the most experienced and capable task forces in the Northern Navy.

Logically speaking, there was no need for Guterres to volunteer; he would have certainly brought this surprise force with him for this military operation. However, there was a subtle rivalry between the human and sea creature factions within the military, and as soon as the sea creature officer stepped forward, the other human officers immediately became restless.

"Sir, I request that the first squadron take on the vanguard role in this operation. Although the special forces squadron has inherent advantages... their combat experience with alien races is almost zero, and they are not suitable for carrying out urgent missions."

The words were true, but coming from a human officer, they always sounded slightly sarcastic to the sea creature soldiers present. Several soldiers standing at the front of the line immediately showed displeasure, their already bulging eyes widening even more.

Guterres was, after all, the Emperor’s handpicked naval commander, and had been the sole leader of the Northern Navy since its inception. He was quite adept at managing healthy competition within the military.

He coughed lightly and frowned, saying, "What's there to argue about? Haven't I conveyed His Majesty's orders clearly enough? This operation is a patrol and surveillance mission, not a direct confrontation with the enemy!"

The submarine force, totaling 500 personnel, is divided into five squadrons of 100 personnel each. Each submarine can carry 10 sailors, and there are a total of 50 submarines.

Such a small number means that Guterres, under the strategic instructions of the General Staff, must deploy the limited number of submersibles as far as possible at the intersections of underground rivers in southeastern Eisengard to guard against possible alien floating islands.

Although the submersible possesses comprehensive deep-sea combat capabilities and is equipped with a full range of weapons such as onboard beam weapons and magic machine guns, its limited size prevents it from carrying heavy firepower such as naval cannons. Compared to the enemy's massive floating island fortresses, which are as large as small mountains, it is like a small fish compared to a giant whale, making direct confrontation impossible.

Therefore, Emperor Harvey emphasized to the major that the submarine force's mission... could only be patrol and early warning.

(End of this chapter)