I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 540 The Cause of Hatred?
The Blue Flame Islands, located far in the middle of the tranquil sea, are like jewels carelessly scattered by the gods, adorning the boundless blue canvas.

As night fell, the Moonstone Harbor on the outskirts of the archipelago was bathed in a strange, soft light... This was not from the twin moons in the sky, but from the temporary searchlight rune stones erected by the elven craftsmen and suspended in mid-air.

Their light, cool as moonlight, is more concentrated and bright, reflecting the complex picture of rebirth after the catastrophe and stubborn scars.

The once beautiful arched pier of the port is now nearly half a charred and twisted wreck, like a mermaid's torn tail fin, helplessly submerged in the unusually calm seawater.

The air no longer carried the salty smell of the sea breeze and the aroma of spices from merchant ships; instead, it was filled with a lingering, burnt smell, like the aftermath of a lightning strike.

The high elf Elune stood at the end of the main dock.

He stood tall and straight, his long, silvery-white hair shimmering faintly in the glow of the runestone, as elegant as ever.

However, his emerald green eyes, which could reflect starlight, were now filled with an unyielding solemnity.

It's been three months.

Three whole months
He and his investigation team, along with aid from other elven families, worked tirelessly day and night to clear the ruins, comfort the frightened human residents, and try to glean the truth of the disaster from this land ravaged by violence.

Through the reports of the elves who returned to the World Tree during the "Redemption of Life," and the vivid descriptions of what happened by the human laborers who survived the port attack, Elunor gained some understanding of what had transpired.

First, the port escort fleet was attacked in the sea outside their sight. Faced with an unidentified small fleet with a giant ship, the Moonstone fleet of the same size had little power to resist and was destroyed. The fleet commander had no choice but to launch a survival redemption and abandon the fleet ships.

During this process, the enemy's giant ship reported by the fleet commander caught Elunor's attention... three decks, hundreds of large-caliber dwarven cannons.

Just hearing these two descriptions, Elunor could imagine what a magnificent sea monster it was.

Immediately afterwards, the fleet attacked Moonstone Harbor.

The port's resident mages were extremely dedicated to their duties. By tracing back the magical circuits within the remaining four magic towers, Elunor knew what they had done and what magic they had used. Unfortunately, the enemy's strength exceeded their ability to cope.

Of the five magic towers, the main magic tower was destroyed and the garrisoned archmage was killed. The other four sub-magic towers, although largely intact on the outside and not collapsed, had their internal magic circuits in complete disarray due to the backlash from the failed strategic magic.

It's fair to say that these four magic towers are beyond repair.

The once bustling dock area is now reduced to ruins and charred craters embedded in the ground, silently testifying to the ferocity of the artillery fire.

The warehouse district suffered even greater losses. The sturdy stone houses that once housed precious goods from all over the world have mostly collapsed into mountains of rubble. Occasionally, charred cloth can be seen peeking through the cracks, and broken porcelain mixed with clumped spices, emitting a strange and pungent odor.

The wooden components, not completely burned, twisted and pointed to the sky, like the outstretched arms of a dying person pleading for help.

However, what weighed even heavier on Elunor's heart than the damage to the buildings was the loss of life and...the disappearance of people.

By repeatedly verifying the list of survivors with the return records of "redemption through living and rest," a disturbing fact clearly emerged.

When the port was attacked, almost all the elves and half-elves who failed to evacuate in time or chose to stay and resist, whether they were garrison mages, soldiers, civilian staff, or even craftsmen, disappeared without exception.

It was obvious that they had been captured by the enemy.

Most fatally, Elune saw a familiar name on this list... Lylandra Galadriel.

The lord of Moonstone Island, a high-elf noble of the Blue Flame Kingdom.

It's one thing if such an important person is just dead and her remains are lost, but if she were captured, the consequences would be unpredictable.

Thinking about this gave Elunor a headache.

"grown ups."

As Elunor stood in the garden, gazing at the moonlight, pondering her next move, an elven servant silently approached and stopped five meters behind her.

Elunor didn't turn around, but simply responded softly, signaling the other party to continue.

"The attacker's identity has been confirmed."

The waiter's voice carried a hint of solemnity.

"They are Bagnians from the continent without magic."

“Bagnia…”

Elunor repeated the name softly, a hint of confusion flashing in her emerald eyes.

"We have no connection with that land without magic. The only thing we have with them is trade with the Maconians. We have absolutely no enmity with the Bagnians. Why would they travel across the ocean to attack our port?"

This question lingered in Elunor's mind.

The Kingdom of Bagnia is located on a distant continent devoid of magic, where magic is scarce and elves have vanished. The two worlds should have remained separate.

Now, the enemy has not only sent a fleet, but also brought their own dwarven cannons... This is extremely unusual.

The waiter stepped forward and handed over a roll of leather that had been treated with a special solution.

"This information was obtained by our people from the Macon merchants. The attack fleet has returned to the continent of No Magic and has auctioned off our compatriots whom they captured."

Elunor took the leather and examined it carefully in the moonlight. After a while, he frowned.

"auction?"

Elunor's voice remained steady, but the moonlight in his emerald eyes seemed to freeze instantly into ice. His slender fingers gripped the edge of the leather roll with a slight force.

"Yes, my lord."

The waiter lowered his head, his voice filled with suppressed anger.

"However, I don't think that's the point. The point is that the Makon merchant reported that the Bagnian fleet is about to set sail for the Blue Flame Islands, and this time they are a large fleet with more than 150 ships and more than 10,000 people. They have named the fleet 'Revenge'."

"More than 150 ships...a fleet of over 10,000 people..."

Elunor repeated the number in a low voice, his fingers almost leaving marks on the leather edge. The cold moonlight fell on his silver hair, but it couldn't dispel the gloom that suddenly gathered between his brows.

This was no longer harassment or looting; it was the beginning of a war, an expedition from a world completely foreign to them.

Is the news accurate?

He asked, his voice remaining calm, but the waiter could sense the turbulent undercurrents beneath the tranquil surface.

“The merchants of Macon would not deceive us on such matters. Their caravans witnessed firsthand the fleet gathering in the port of Bagnia’s capital, a magnificent sight with sails like a forest.”

"So, why?"

Elunor was extremely puzzled. "Why would they harbor such immense hatred for us, to the point of waging a war of this scale?"

Because of the elves' beauty, every year slave traders would secretly sail to the Blue Flame Islands in their slave ships, only to be caught by patrol and harbor protection fleets, and there were not many cases where the people and their ships sank to the bottom of the sea.

However, this is the first time we've seen such a large fleet of over 150 ships... This is no longer a slave-replenishing operation, but a war.

The Blue Flame Kingdom is not afraid of war, but Elunor cannot understand or is unwilling to engage in wars that are without cause.

Fighting a naval war against a nation in a land without magic offers no benefit even if you win, but losing would lead to the destruction of your country. Who would want to fight that?

Do you know the reason for the war?

When Elunor asked, the waiter shook his head.

"Although the Bagnians' expeditionary fleet is under the banner of revenge, so far, no information has come from Mooncrown City, and it is clear that the kingdom's higher-ups do not know the reason."

"It's really troublesome."

Elunor sighed.

"Has the kingdom already begun preparing for war?"

"According to the message from Mooncrown City, the Kingdom's fleet is assembling, and the Emerald Dream has been awakened and is ready to be deployed to the battlefield at any time."

"That's good."

Elunor breathed a sigh of relief, but she didn't relax much.

Because, as long as war breaks out in the seas of the Blue Flame Islands, regardless of victory or defeat, this beautiful island will suffer wounds that will never heal.

He could almost hear the roar of cannons and see more elven buildings reduced to dust by the roar of dwarven cannons.

"We must do something."

Elunor turned around, her gaze fixed on the dark horizon in the distance, the direction from which the unknown fleet was about to attack.

"We cannot sit idly by and wait for death, nor can we allow the flames of war to easily reach our homeland. Send my urgent proposal to Mooncrown City. I can immediately assemble a capable diplomatic mission here. Then, I will lead the team to leave the Blue Flame Islands and try to make contact with the Bagnians' revenge fleet before it approaches the islands."

The waiter looked slightly surprised.

"My lord, this... is too dangerous. Moreover, they have come with the banner of revenge, and they probably won't listen to our explanations."

"It is precisely because they are using revenge as a pretext that we need to know where this hatred comes from."

Elunor's tone was firm.

"Even if there is only a sliver of hope to avoid war, it is worth the risk."

If I fail, it proves war is inevitable, and Mooncrown City can abandon all illusions and prepare for war with all its might. If I succeed, it will prevent a pointless war.

……

Meanwhile, on the vast blue sea far from the Blue Flame Islands, a massive revenge fleet of over 150 ships is cutting through the waves, heading towards the unknown waters to the east.

In the center of the fleet, in the captain's cabin of the flagship "Iron Justice," a thousand-ton armed merchant ship guarded by numerous armed merchant ships, the new fleet commander... the man known as the "Shanghai Pirate King," was leaning over a large oak chart table.

On the table lay the nautical charts of the routes that the first expeditionary fleet had painstakingly brought back.

"Tsk, look at the road we've taken..."

The Shanghai Pirate King tapped his fingers on the winding, circuitous sea route on the nautical chart, which in some areas clearly took large detours. His brows were furrowed, and his dark face was full of disdain.

"Wearing windless belts? I can't believe they even thought of that. These first-timers are brave enough, but their brains... are probably all used on how to stuff those pointy-eared prisoners into the cabin."

He shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of belated superiority and disdain for the navigation skills of his former colleagues.

"A journey that could be completed in thirty days was dragged out for more than seventy days. How many more days must the people on the ship have to eat hard biscuits and drink smelly fresh water at sea?"

"It's too much work, and the efficiency is too low!"

He straightened up, walked to the porthole, and looked out at the vast fleet.

With sails like a forest, the white sails, brimming with wind, propelled the massive ship forward steadily.

Compared to the first fleet, which consisted of a few cobbled-together armed merchant ships and only one decent-sized warship, his fleet truly embodied the player's power at sea.

"Fortunately, we don't have to take these detours anymore."

The Shanghai Pirate King turned around, a confident smile on his face.

This time, he brought not only more ships and players, but also the top navigators and cartographers among the players.

Based on the navigation logs and lessons learned from the first fleet, as well as intelligence provided by the captured half-elf navigators, they have replanned a more direct and ideal route that makes the most of the trade winds and ocean currents.

Therefore, the expected flight time to reach the destination was thirty days.

Sixty days should be enough for a round trip.

Thinking of this, the Pirate King couldn't help but recall the Kingdom's First Fleet, which had traveled with the Second Revenge Fleet, crossing the storm belt together, and only parted ways near Casarina Island.

Although the second revenge fleet had more ships than the first fleet, nearly three times the number.

However, if given a choice, the Pirate King of Shanghai would genuinely be willing to exchange ships from the Second Revenge Fleet for warships from the First Fleet.

Although the First Fleet only had about fifty ships, they were of better quality and larger tonnage, and most of them were warships built for war, unlike the ships of the Second Revenge Fleet, which were mostly armed merchant ships.

Thinking about this, the Shanghai Pirate King became a little annoyed.

"That damn Chris is so stingy. It doesn't cost money to stab someone in the butt, but he only spent military merits and reputation to use the Storm, which comes with its own supplies and manpower, for free. And if he breaks it, he doesn't have to pay for it."

When it was my turn, I applied to use money to buy a 2,000-ton battleship, but they wouldn't sell it to me. They insisted on spending military merits and reputation points... It's disgusting. Where am I supposed to find so many reputation points?

What a stingy guy! Even NPCs are treated like this, looking down on everyone and discriminating against each other. It's disgusting!

The Shanghai Pirate King was criticizing Chris's faults, while the other players in the captain's cabin looked at each other without saying a word.

"With so many good ships, why use them to fight murlocs? It would be much better to come with us and fight elves..."

(End of this chapter)