I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 517 The Appearance of the Revenge Fleet

Chris has captured the suspected Serpent Child/Prophet and the Elf Assassin, but he doesn't know what to do with them or what to do with them.

The androgynous snake-man named Slekma was very cooperative. In the interrogation room, he answered whatever was asked of him. When he encountered something he couldn't answer, he would shut up and explain why he couldn't say it.

There are things he doesn't know, and he'll say he doesn't know.

His honest and unassuming attitude left the judge in charge of his interrogation feeling rather helpless.

On the one hand, one shouldn't hit a smiling face; on the other hand, Chris also instructed them not to treat the snake-man roughly.

The existence of this snake-man is quite important at the moment; the Kingdom of Bagnia can obtain a lot of useful information from him.

As for the other prisoner of war, the elven assassin who tried to approach the Serpent Prophet, the Inquisitor is currently unable to interrogate her.

The reason was simple: the shrimp catcher had been too ruthless towards her. The bullet hit her in the stomach, and because it was blocked while penetrating the magic leather armor, it deformed and rolled around inside her body, causing a huge wound.

Such injuries would be fatal to an ordinary person, even a player.

However, this elf survived the doctor's emergency surgery, and its tenacious vitality surprised the doctor.

However, even though she survived, she is currently in a coma, as are the other surviving half-elves.

After the fleet passed through the storm belt and landed, the elves and half-elves' coma not only did not improve, but worsened, and two half-elves who were already on the verge of death even died in their sleep.

Clearly, a magic-free environment is extremely dangerous for these long-eared creatures.

Moreover, the magical equipment stripped from them was almost useless on the Greek mainland... In the words of Polka, these pieces of equipment that could not gather magic power on their own or convert life force into magic power were just scrap metal here.

To sum it up, Chris realized that the First Fleet's extra gains this time seemed to be nothing special.

how?

Not many left.

Just as Chris was lost in thought, the clerk came to report that there was a joint application document spearheaded by Little Knife Stabbing Buttocks that needed his urgent processing.

what document?
Application for a ship.

Chris took a look at it and found it a bit strange. Why would these players bother to upload this document?

It's important to know that a joint petition isn't something you can just throw together casually. First, the player leading the petition has to pay a hefty price in reputation and military merit.

Secondly, other players who write their names in the book also have to pay a certain amount of reputation points.

This joint letter was covered with more than 500 signatures, which, in terms of reputation points, was nearly 100,000. The reasons given in the letter were quite grand and respectable.

"To further explore the unknown sea areas around the storm belt, gather intelligence on potential threats, and conduct preliminary reconnaissance for opening up new trade routes and colonies for the kingdom."

Chris didn't believe a word of the reasons given; something must have happened.

When Chris was unsure what to do, he decided to log off and check the player forums. When players collectively acted strangely, there were usually people there who would write down the cause and effect.

After logging into the forum and searching through the recent popular posts, Chris found the reason... it was the player who was captured by the elf.

Chris remembered that the player was called "No Fun, No Play". He had done a good job leading the players against the snake people and was even voted by the crowd to become the temporary captain. This left a deep impression on Chris.

However, when did he get captured by the elves?

Chris was completely baffled. Did the enemy, while boarding the ship, also grab someone who wasn't happy and refused to play along?
Chris opened other posts to look at, and after reading for a while, he realized... Oh, so it turns out that he was unhappy and didn't want to play anymore, so he brought people to switch sides and join the enemy ship.

It's not surprising that they were captured by the enemy while attempting to seize the ship.

His recklessness perfectly matches Chris's stereotype of players.

Christie replied to the post and continued reading, quickly figuring out the reason... He was annoyed and didn't want to play anymore because he felt humiliated.

"Oh, really..."

Chris sighed, lamenting the deaths of the elves he had never met.

"If you're going to arrest someone, then arrest them. Treat them to good food and drink. If you long-eared idiots want to know something, just ask. If he doesn't talk, then torture him with some kind of torture method."

Even if you kill someone, it's no big deal. If you're unhappy and don't want to play, you'll just have to accept your bad luck. But if you're smart and use your charms, he'll definitely tell you everything. Even if he doesn't want to, he'll get hooked and might even become a guide for you.

As a result, you actually resorted to such tactics, mentally humiliating him..."

Now that's settled. The humiliated player, feeling resentful, went online, explained what happened, and posted pictures, immediately sparking outrage among a large group of players.

Of course, besides the fact that the elf's insult to "I'm not happy, I won't play" resonated with other players, the more important thing is that they can profit from this incident... The exact coordinates of the starry sky in the screenshot of "I'm not happy, I won't play" have already been calculated.

Using specific stars in the night sky for positioning is difficult for ordinary people, but for some professionals, it's not a big deal; it's just a matter of writing a few mathematical formulas.

Once you have a position, the rest is easy.

A player tagged some veterans in the game, asking if they were interested. Coincidentally, Little Knife Stabbing Butt was very interested, and he happened to be in Omdour.

Then, what happened next was a natural progression... Little Knife Stabs Butt to start the raid, and everyone else joins.

Alright, these elves deserve this ordeal.

Chris shrugged, turned off the projection screen in front of him, picked up the application form beside him, wrote his name on it, and handed it to the clerk.

"Take this and let them choose a ship. Any warship except the Sea Lion can be selected. After they choose, equip them with basic crew members who can operate the ship and standard weaponry... Hmm, use intelligent NPC sailors for all of them. Don't use naval sailors."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

……

The news that Chris had agreed to the application quickly reached the ears of the players who were eagerly waiting at the port.

"Approved! Chris approved it!"

"Apart from the Sea Lion, we can pick anything... This is fantastic!"

"Let's go, let's go, let's get to the dock!"

The five hundred or so players cheered as they thronged around Xiaodaozai's buttocks and charged toward the Omdur naval port.

At this moment, warships of all sizes were neatly moored in the naval port. Among them, the most eye-catching were undoubtedly the two giant ships that looked like sea fortresses... battleships of two thousand tons.

Omdour's naval port is vast, with several giant dry docks and extended piers berthing warships of all sizes, from agile sailing ships to massive battleships that resemble sea fortresses.

The players' attention was immediately drawn to the two giant ships moored in the most conspicuous position.

Both of these are behemoths with a standard displacement of two thousand tons, and are currently the mainstay of the Bagnia Kingdom's navy.

"The one on the left is the Storm..."

The accompanying naval officer pointed to one of the ships and introduced it with pride. "She is equipped with a total of 104 heavy cannons, with three gun decks. Its design concept is to maximize firepower projection; she is our maritime artillery fortress."

In previous simulated combat and exercises, its salvo firepower was capable of instantly destroying any enemy ship that dared to confront it head-on.

The players looked at the Storm, its sides covered with countless gun ports like the scales of a giant beast, and the thick steel gun barrels could be vaguely seen behind the open gun doors, exuding a sense of power.

Even when the ship is still, it exudes a suffocating sense of oppression.

"The one on the right is the Lady Swift."

The officer then pointed to another ship.

Compared to the Storm, this ship has a more streamlined and elongated hull, a taller mast, and a more complex sail and rigging system.

"It sacrificed some firepower and armor in exchange for higher speed and better maneuverability. It was equipped with 80 cannons, mainly medium and long-range long-barreled guns, suitable for pursuit, commerce raiding and reconnaissance."

The officer paused, then added crucial information.

"The Storm's hull structure was reinforced to accommodate so many heavy guns and ammunition, but this also took up a lot of space, so its standard crew size was 550 people, while the Swift Lady's was 780 people."

Furthermore, while the Storm's hull timber thickness and internal support structure were robust, the protection of certain non-critical areas was indeed less than that of other warships of similar tonnage in order to control overall weight.

The advantages and disadvantages are very obvious.

At this point, someone asked out of curiosity.

"What about the Sea Lion? What route will it take? What are its payload and artillery capabilities?"

"Offensive and defensive balance, shipboard numbers... wait a minute, that's a kingdom secret, why are you asking about that?"

"Haha, just curious..."

Leaving aside this little incident, the players on the other side had already gathered together and started discussing it in hushed tones.

"Brothers, which battleship should we choose?"

"Is that even a question? It's definitely the Storm!"

"104 cannons! If we fire a salvo, wouldn't that enemy ship, that dilapidated Elf, just fall apart?"

"But we don't have enough people. Our main mission this time is amphibious landing, right? If there aren't enough people on the ships, we won't have enough troops for the landing operation."

"What's there to be afraid of? We have five hundred people! Besides, the NPC sailors only handle sailing and cannon handling; the real fighting is up to us players. Firepower is the key!"

"Exactly! If we're not happy about this, we shouldn't have suffered so much injustice. We need to use our strongest firepower to get back at them. We need to rush over as fast as we can. Nothing beats blasting them to smithereens with our strongest firepower!"

"Yeah! Bomb the hell out of him!"

As Xiao Dao stabbed his buttocks listened to the crowd's discussion, his gaze shifting between the two ships.

The Swift Lady's maneuverability is indeed tempting, but the objective of this operation is very clear... to find that Elven stronghold and then, in the most direct and brutal way, return the humiliation suffered by the player with interest.

Mobility seems somewhat insignificant in the face of overwhelming firepower.

The image of a knife stabbing someone's butt reminded me of the unfamiliar starry sky in the screenshot of "I'm not happy, I won't play," and the possible existence of elven villages or strongholds.

What players need is to conquer, destroy, and intimidate.

"Decided."

Xiao Dao raised his hand, pointing at the giant ship that resembled a floating fortress.

"I want it, the Storm."

His choice was approved by most players, and cheers rang out again.

The naval officer nodded, not surprised by the choice.

"Okay, I will arrange for the Storm to be equipped with a basic crew and standard armament immediately."

The players are excited that the ships have been chosen, but there is still one problem to solve before the Storm sets sail... Where can we find auxiliary ships?

It is never an easy thing for a battleship to go out.

Especially for battleships like the Storm, which were specifically built for war, their operation required a large amount of supplies such as fresh water, food, repair timber, and spare sails.

It's difficult for the Storm to carry enough supplies to support a long-term operation on its own... Unless it only plans to go out for a short trip and come back within a month, then it doesn't matter, and players can just bear with it.

According to standard naval regulations for long-range voyages, a major warship like the HMS Storm typically needs to be accompanied by at least one or two supply ships or transport ships as support.

However, having finally gotten a battleship to go out to sea and have some fun, how could Little Knife Stabbing Butt and the others be willing to just go out for a short trip and come back?
Even if the so-called elven stronghold is not far away, at most a twenty-day journey, a round trip would take at most forty days.

"Let's post a thread and get other players involved."

"I'll stab my butt with a knife," suggested Xiao Dao.

"Let them contribute money, manpower, and resources to build a few armed merchant ships, load them with goods, and follow the Storm."

If you don't like it, I can have the Overmountain Tigers Legion fund it, but that would make the legion's investment a bit too large..."

The man didn't say what he meant by stabbing someone in the buttocks with a knife, but anyone with a brain could understand what he meant.

Let's raise funds then.

Most players agree with this.

The fundraising has begun.

In Rise of Empires, there are still many wealthy players, especially after the Kingdom of Bagnia acquired a port. Many have invested in shipping, owning their own armed merchant ships and even fleets.

Many people are very interested in the story of setting sail to cause trouble for the elves.

The news of the fundraising spread rapidly through forums and in-game messaging.

It must be said that the "I'm not happy, I won't play, I'm humiliated" incident, after fermenting, has become more than just a personal matter. It has evolved into a provocation against the dignity of all players. Coupled with the huge temptation of exploring unknown areas and the possibility of large-scale naval battles and amphibious landings, it immediately sparked a heated response among the player community.

"Count me in! I'll put up 5000 silver dollars for one share!"

“I have a newly launched Dolphin-class armed merchant ship that can be fully loaded with supplies and go with us…”

"I may not have the money to send a ship, but I can send men. I'm a surgeon, and I can provide battlefield first aid!"

Funds, ships, and people came together like a snowball.

Soon, a revenge fleet centered around the battleship "Storm" and including three large armed merchant ships and two fast scout sailing ships began to take shape.

(End of this chapter)