I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 521 It’s all here
The officers' lounge on the Storm was temporarily converted into a war room. A dozen or so player representatives sat in a circle, looking down at the captured nautical charts spread out on the large table in the center. The air was filled with an atmosphere of excitement and solemnity.

Finally, they finally knew where they were going.

This is really not easy.

"Cough cough..."

Xiao Dao, standing by the conference table, coughed twice in a mock manner. He was about to begin reporting what he had discovered... not only to the player representatives present, but also to the viewers watching the representatives' live stream.

The Revenge Fleet was a crowdfunded fleet, and Little Knife Stabs His Buttocks knew this very well. Therefore, now that he had received good news, he should report it immediately to boost the shareholders' confidence.

"Brothers, I have some good news to report to you. The cargo ship we captured is very valuable!"
Although the cargo on this ship consists of ordinary planks and semi-finished timber, it is exactly what our fleet urgently needs, so it is indeed very useful for repairing damage to the ship.

Then, regarding the prisoners, we've now confirmed that the crew members we captured are all half-elves. If we transport them back to the Kingdom of Bagnia, we're sure to be able to sell them for a good price..."

At this point, Xiao Dao chuckled, stabbing his buttocks.

"Of course, there are two minor issues here. The first issue is that all these half-elves are male, and there is only one female mage. Everyone will definitely want the female one, but there is only one female one, so it's not easy to divide her up."

The second minor issue is that the Kingdom of Bagnia currently prohibits slavery, so if we want to sell half-elves, we'll have to go against the kingdom's laws first… However, this is clearly not a major problem for anyone.”

After saying that, Xiao Dao stabbed his butt and started laughing, which caused the other player representatives in the meeting room to burst into laughter as well.

Yes, these are minor issues for the players.

If a single player were to do this, it wouldn't be easy; the courts, tax officials, and law enforcement officers could easily teach him a lesson.

But if a group of players wants to do something like that, even Chris can't do anything about it... They always find a way to exploit legal loopholes.

Even without legal loopholes, driven by their desires, the vanilla fairies will create them.

Don't forget, there are players throughout Bagnia, including within the Department of Justice. When Chris was drafting Bagnia's laws, due to a lack of relevant talent and his own laziness, he promoted many players to leadership positions.

So... hehehe.

After the other players finished laughing, Xiao Dao stabbed his buttocks, coughed lightly twice, and continued.

"However, I personally do not recommend that you sell these half-elves. Although we don't speak the same language, I've learned from what I've learned that they are all professional veteran sailors."

For players aspiring to a career at sea, whether they want to adventure on the high seas or engage in maritime trade, these are essential technical personnel... At least in my opinion, they are more professional than the mediocre sailors of the Kingdom of Bagnia.

They knew this area like the back of their hand! Wind direction, ocean currents, reefs, suitable and secluded anchorages… wasn't all of this intelligence more valuable than selling them into slavery?

"Someone in my live stream asked a question!"

A player representative raised their hand.

"You just said that we can't communicate with these half-elves. How are we supposed to use them under these circumstances?"

"It's not a big deal."

Before Xiao Dao could say anything, another player sitting next to him answered in a relaxed tone.

"Remember that female elf assassin who was captured before? A friend of mine said that players in the kingdom are arranging for people to interrogate her, planning to decipher the Elvish language. The Elvish language pack will be available soon."

Even if the game's official translator doesn't support Elvish, it's okay. We can just install a small plugin ourselves. However, I personally believe that as we progress through the story, we'll definitely be able to resolve the language barrier issue.

This is how Baihu Games Studio operates; they've always done it this way with their older games. So, we don't need to worry about language barriers at all; it's just a temporary difficulty.

"Oh, I'm fine for now."

Xiao Dao waited patiently until the players below finished their discussion before picking up his baton, pointing at the sea chart on the conference table, and continuing his speech.

"well, let's get back to business."

Xiao Dao stabbed his buttocks and tapped the nautical chart with his baton, drawing everyone's attention back.

"The cargo and prisoners were a pleasant surprise, but the real treasure is this nautical chart... This chart was found on the bridge of the cargo ship. Although the markings on it are currently incomprehensible, the meaning of the archipelago pattern is quite obvious."

One player couldn't help but whistle, using this gesture to express his excitement.

"Awesome! An archipelago, a new monster spawn area!"

"I speculate... well, this is just my personal guess. I'm not sure if the situation on the island is actually like this. Just listen to my rambling for now."

Before continuing, Xiao Dao stabbed everyone in the buttocks as a warning.

"This archipelago, whose name we don't yet know, is very large, somewhat like the real Philippine archipelago, but not quite the same. There are fewer islands here, about a hundred, but each one is larger."

I suspect there's an elven kingdom hidden here. Also, given the numerous shipping routes and various other odd icons on the nautical chart, maritime navigation here must be highly developed.

The fact that a single ship dares to sail here indicates that they believe it is safe, and the reason for this safety must be that this sea area is protected by a powerful fleet.

so……"

"So we need to act quickly, or the elves will find out soon?"

Players rushed to answer.

"That's right, that's roughly the idea."

Xiao Dao shrugged as he poked his butt with the knife.

"From the videos I've seen, the magic ship that attacked the First Fleet was clearly extraordinary, something that ordinary people couldn't have built. I checked everything on the cargo ship and found a magic telescope-like lens."

Judging from the half-elf captain's pained expression, although magic is widespread here, magical items are not cheap. A magic ship that can become invisible and create illusions should not be a cheap product that can be built casually.

Therefore, I personally believe that the attack on the magic ships of the First Fleet is inextricably linked to the elven kingdom entrenched on the island, and it's perfectly reasonable to blame them for the humiliation I suffered.

"Okay, okay!"

Someone shouted impatiently.

"Stop your long-winded explanation and just tell us what we should do and which direction we should attack!"

"What's the rush? It's here now."

With a laugh, Xiao Dao stabbed his buttocks and then pointed his baton at a large island on the captured nautical chart, a prominently marked island where shipping routes converged. It was likely an elven port.

"Then I'll get straight to the point. I want to take over this place. Judging from the nautical chart, the next destination for the transport ships is here. It's clearly not the main island, but it should be a very important port."

We could try raiding this place, killing some animals, looting a bit... We've come all this way, no one's willing to leave without taking anything..."

……

The port, named Moonstone, is bathed in the slightly lazy afternoon sunlight.

The dock was bustling with activity, as ships from all over came and went. The shouts of loading and unloading cargo, the cries of vendors, and the calls of seagulls mingled together, creating a vibrant scene of a busy harbor.

Half-elf and human workers busied themselves methodically on the pier, loading boxes of exquisite handicrafts and bundles of shimmering fabrics onto ships about to set sail, or unloading specialties transported from other islands. However, in this seemingly harmonious and busy scene, one figure stood out as out of place.

Cole McDougall, the elf who owns the lumber merchant firm "The Forest Whisperer" in the port area, is pacing anxiously in front of the window of his office facing the docks.

He would occasionally take out his pocket watch to glance at it, then look up at the azure sea at the entrance to the harbor, his brows furrowed, and his already pointed ears seemed to stand even straighter due to tension.

"The Wave Chaser should have arrived long ago by now!"

Cole McDougall muttered to himself, his voice filled with unease.

His trading company was not large in scale; its main business was to purchase high-quality hardwood and a small amount of ore from the mainland or surrounding islands and supply it to several high-end furniture workshops and musical instrument makers in Mooncrown City.

This time, he staked almost all of his working capital, entrusting the "Wave Chaser" to transport a batch of high-quality ebony and hemlock from a newly discovered forest area.

This batch of timber was crucial to him.

Because the "Silver Strings" musical instrument workshop and the "Yongqing" furniture master in the city had already paid a deposit, they were just waiting for this batch of raw materials to make a batch of customized products for their VIP customers.

If the goods fail to arrive on time, he will not only have to pay a huge penalty for breach of contract, but he will also lose these two hard-won major clients, which would be a devastating blow to a small business like his.

"Could it be a storm? Or is there a problem with the ocean currents?"

Cole McDougall forced himself to think positively, but deep down, an ominous premonition crept in like vines.

This sea area is indeed relatively safe under the protection of the Kingdom's navy, but it is not entirely without risk.

Occasionally, there are reckless pirates, or... some unknown threats from the deep sea.

Moreover, there have been some vague rumors recently that a strange fleet was seen crossing the calm zone from the eastern route. Although the official sources have denied this, it has still made some cautious merchants uneasy.

Captain Los of the Wave Chaser was his long-time partner, experienced and cautious, so there shouldn't have been such a large delay.

Cole McDougall walked to the accounting table, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the surface. The contracts with "Silver String" and "Eternal Blue" were spread out on it, and the delivery dates on them were like a sword hanging over his head.

"Wait one more day... one more day at most..."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his wildly beating heart. "If it doesn't arrive by tomorrow, I'll have to report it to the port authority and notify the client..."

He could almost see the displeased look in the eyes of the music shop's elf master, and the harsh demands that the furniture master might make in terms of compensation.

The profit margin on this deal was not high to begin with, and if he defaulted, his business, which he had painstakingly built up over many years, could very well go bankrupt.

at this time……

Boom! ! !

A deep, thunderous roar, yet with a sharp, tearing sound, suddenly came from the distant horizon, shattering the afternoon tranquility of the harbor.

The sound did not come from the sky, but from the direction of the sea, carrying a chilling sense of reality, like the roar of some giant beast, shaking the dust off the wooden pier of the dock.

The port fell silent instantly.

The porters stopped, the vendors ceased their hawking, and even the circling seagulls scattered in fright.

Everyone instinctively stopped what they were doing and looked blankly, with a hint of fear, toward the eastern sea from which the sound came.

Cole lunged to the window, his heart pounding in his chest. He stared intently at the still calm, blue sea, his ears ringing from the loud noise.

"what sound!?"

"Is it thunder? But there are no clouds in the sky!"

"It came from the sea!"

After a brief silence, chaotic discussions and speculations erupted on the dock.

Boom! ! !

Boom!

Immediately afterwards, two more equally terrifying loud noises, spaced very close together, followed in quick succession.

This time, the sound was clearer, and everyone could clearly feel the slight vibrations under their feet, as well as the invisible pressure in the air.

Cole's heart sank to the bottom. It wasn't thunder, nor any sea phenomenon he knew.

The sound... carried a pure, destructive power.

"Dwarven Cannon, Wave Chaser..."

He muttered to himself, and a terrible thought popped into his head uncontrollably.

Could it be that Los and his crew encountered some unusual pirates?
A commotion began to rise on the dock. Some experienced sailors and merchants had turned pale; they saw the smoke rising from the sea—wasn't that the direction the harbor fleet had just patrolled?
Sensing something was wrong, they began urging the workers to speed up loading and unloading, or even ordering the ships to leave the dock immediately.

The port guards also became alert, sounded the alarm whistles, and began running towards the higher watchtowers and fortifications.

boom! ! !
A fourth loud bang followed, and this time, along with the sound, a thick plume of smoke suddenly rose into the sky from the distant horizon, near a deserted island!

"Artillery fire! It's artillery fire!"

A retired half-elf veteran who had once served in the kingdom's navy screamed, his voice filled with unbelievable terror.

"Someone is attacking our port defense fleet!"

Panic spread rapidly through Moonstone Harbor like a plague.

People finally realized that it was not a natural disaster, but an attack from an unknown enemy. The thunderous sound was the horn of destruction!

"Our fleet!?"

Cole McDougall felt a wave of dizziness and managed to steady himself by holding onto the window frame.

The port's defense fleet was small, consisting of only two old frigates and a few speedboats; it was more of a symbolic presence. Who would attack them?
Panic erupted on the dock like a drop of water falling into a pan of boiling oil.

People stopped looking and began running like headless flies. Merchants screamed orders for their servants to protect the cargo, sailors scrambled onto ships to weigh anchor and escape, and women and children were hastily pulled into nearby buildings. The once orderly port instantly descended into chaos.

boom! boom! boom!
The cannon fire intensified, no longer a single test shot, but a continuous roar, as if a colossal thunderous beast was endlessly howling on the distant sea. Smoke billowed across the horizon, and flickering flames could still be faintly seen.

"Enemy attack! All personnel prepare for battle! Close the port! Coastal defense team, take your positions!"
"Master, where are the masters at the port?!"

An elven port guard captain clad in silver armor stood on a high place, shouting hoarsely through a magically amplified voice in an attempt to restore order.

Groups of guards began to rush toward the few pitiful coastal defense magic towers in the harbor, but their movements seemed so slow and powerless in the face of the immense panic.

(End of this chapter)