I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 562 The Artillery Bombardment of Mooncrown City

On the highest tower in the Oakwood district of Mooncrown City, the elven lookout, Larriel, could barely support his body.

He leaned against the broken oak railing, his once spotless silver-embroidered leather armor now stained with ashes and dried red blood. His eyes, which his wife had once praised as being like the morning star, were now filled with unfathomable weariness and despair.

Below, the city he had protected for three eras was dying.

The streets that once flowed with moonlight magic are now blocked by viscous green slurry of fel energy and ruins.

The Silverleaf Forest Square, once celebrated by the singing poets, has become a breeding ground for demons to hatch their twisted egg sacs.

The towering mage tower, as white as a new moon and reaching into the clouds, was broken in half. Ominous black smoke still lingered at the broken surface. The howls of demons and the dying cries of elven warriors intertwined, forming a lament for civilization.

Another wave of berserkers, braving a sparse rain of arrows, charged through the defensive line formed by living thorns and the flesh and blood of elven warriors on the last street of the Oak District.

Larriel looked down and, through the gaps in the oak, he could see the young half-elf warriors falling under the monster's heavy blows, their ancestral armor stained crimson with shimmering blood.

He closed his eyes, and could almost foresee the scene of the defense line collapsing and the elven city falling completely in the next moment.

"...Moon Goddess above, please guide your lost people..."

He prayed silently, his voice hoarse, so much so that even he himself could not recognize that this was the bard who had once been famous in the royal court for his singing.

Just then, a strange, deep rumble drowned out all the noise of the battlefield and came from the direction of the sea.

Larriel suddenly opened his eyes and looked out at the sea outside the harbor.

In the beginning, it was a sail.

A somber, cliff-like sail suddenly appeared on the horizon where morning mist and gunpowder smoke intertwined. It was not the elegant, flowing arc that the elves were familiar with, but a more rugged and oppressive geometric shape.

The massive ship resembled a moving steel mountain, and the numerous gun ports on its sides resembled a bottomless nest.

"what is that?"

The young sentry beside him cried out, his voice filled with astonishment and disbelief.

Immediately following was thunder.

It wasn't coming from the sky, but from the moving mountains; a continuous, low rumble came from the other side of the coastline, and even from such a great distance, the tower's floor trembled slightly.

Larriel knew that direction... it was the eastern beach, the place where the Bagnians who had tried to land to provide support but were surrounded had fought.

They're still alive!

The young sentry excitedly grabbed Larriel's arm and pointed eastward, though he could see nothing but smoke and fire.

"The fact that this fleet bombarded the eastern beach means that the demons are there, and those humans are still fighting against them!"

A faint flame also ignited in Larriel's heart.

This was truly good news for the elves trapped in the city of Larriel.

Before they could think it through, half an hour later, the massive fleet on the sea, like a behemoth that had smelled blood, changed course. The huge ships slowly moved over and stopped on the sea outside Mooncrown City. Then, they pointed the dense array of cannons on one side at the port area of ​​Mooncrown City and the city area further inside.

"What...are they going to do?"

The young sentry's voice carried a hint of unease.

The answer was revealed the next second.

Suddenly, countless blazing flames and thick smoke erupted from those gun positions! Hundreds and thousands of black dots, trailing the path of death, screeched across the sky like a flock of crows swooping down on a dying city.

"These are dwarven cannons, so many of them!"

Larriel gasped in shock. He had seen such weapons before; they were not only possessed by dwarves but also carried on merchant ships from the lands without magic, though usually in small numbers. Larriel had never imagined he would witness such a scale, such a devastating salvo of artillery fire.

Shells rained down like hailstones.

But they are not solid iron balls. Upon impact with the ground or a building, the shells explode violently, turning into expanding fireballs and deadly storms of steel fragments!
The deafening explosions rang out one after another, instantly drowning out all other sounds on the battlefield.

The demon horde gathered in the port district, preparing for a new attack on the oak district, will be the first to be hit.

Larriel witnessed a massive berserker wielding a bone hammer being thrown into the air with a deafening roar. Its tough body was torn apart in mid-air, and filthy blood and severed limbs rained down on it.

The dense horde of lesser demons vanished in droves amidst the successive explosions, leaving only charred craters and billowing smoke.

The shells were not limited to the port.

They flew around everywhere, landing either in the most demon-infested areas of the city, in the fel-contaminated squares, around the broken towers where winged demons dwelled, or on the main streets leading to the last line of defense for the elves.

A destructive storm of exploding shells swept through. The sturdy elven buildings collapsed in the explosions, burying the demons hiding within.

The demons that had been rampaging through the streets were blown to pieces, their limbs and broken bricks flying into the sky.

The demon's fierce offensive, under the unprecedented steel storm from the sea, was as if struck hard by the hand of a giant, halting, disintegrating, and collapsing.

However, artillery shells don't have eyes.

Dominated by the cold, hard laws of physics and with ruthless aim, they fall on the areas where demons are most concentrated, and just as mercilessly near the elves' former homes and fortified positions.

A burst of explosive shells screamed as it swept across the port area and landed next to the ruins of the Moonsinger's Tavern, just one street away from the Oak District defense line.

It wasn't a gathering place for demons; instead, it was a huddled spot where dozens of wounded elves and half-elves, who had retreated from other districts, were catching their breath and getting bandaged, along with a few moon priests trying to set up a temporary aid station.

"Do not……"

Larriel let out a heart-wrenching scream and stretched out his hand in vain.

The explosion engulfed the area in flames.

Precast fragments, like the Grim Reaper's scythe, swept across the broken stone pillars and terrified figures.

He watched helplessly as a priestess who was casting a spell on the wounded was instantly stained dark red with her moon-white robe. Her petite body was thrown up by the shockwave like a broken doll and crashed heavily against the charred, broken wall, where she fell silent.

The wounded who had sought refuge fell screaming in the storm of steel, their severed limbs mingling with the shattered bricks, turning the small shelter into a new graveyard.

Another shell, perhaps aimed at a distant watchtower glowing green and possessed by demons, landed behind an auxiliary barrier made of living thorns and sandbags on the outskirts of the Oak District due to range or wind deviation errors.

There were more than ten elven archers stationed there. They were originally in high spirits because the demon offensive had been thwarted, and they leaned out to try to snipe the fleeing demons more effectively.

The explosion roared behind the fortifications.

The violent shockwave sent sandbags and twisted thorns flying everywhere, and also violently knocked the elven archers over.

The two closest to the wall vanished instantly in the flames and smoke, while those a little further away were also hit by shrapnel, screaming as they fell from the ramparts, their fates unknown.

The sturdy fortress was blasted open, leaving behind only a mess and the pungent smell of blood after the smoke cleared.

One cannonball, by some strange twist of fate, bypassed the port and the outer city, landing in the inner city, near an area where the World Tree's remaining roots still lay.

Although the area had also been tainted by demons, several relatively intact ancient elven dwellings still remained, where some elderly and weak elves who were unable to evacuate might still be hiding. The flames of the explosion rose there, accompanied by the roar of collapsing buildings, causing Larriel's heart to sink to the bottom.

"What are they doing? They're blowing us up too!"

The young sentry's excitement had long been replaced by fear and anger. He pointed at the warships on the sea that were constantly spewing fire, his voice trembling.

Larry leaned weakly against the railing, his fingers turning white from the effort.

He watched as the port area and parts of the city were engulfed in flames by a series of explosions, demons were wiped out in droves, and the offensive was completely disrupted. This did indeed relieve the immense pressure on the Oak District's defenses, and may even have turned the tide of the entire battle.

But the price is...

Their homes were being destroyed even more thoroughly, and their compatriots were killed by friendly fire.

Is this a rescue, or another form of destruction?

Hope and despair, gratitude and anger, clashed fiercely in the heart of this elven lookout.

The powerful fleet on the sea brought a chance for survival, but this chance was stained with the blood of his own people. He gazed at the port shrouded in smoke and flames, his lips moved, but in the end, he could say nothing.

The elegy for civilization has never ceased, but now, it is joined by heavy and contradictory notes from human naval cannons.

……

The devastating shelling, which lasted for nearly an hour, finally began to subside.

The port area of ​​Mooncrown City and its surrounding neighborhoods were almost completely razed to the ground, with burning debris and charred demon corpses emitting nauseating smoke.

The demons' organized attack collapsed completely under such a massive onslaught; the surviving monsters either fled into the depths of the city or put up sporadic resistance.

On the Sea Lion, Xiao Daozai, holding a brass monocular telescope, looked at the scene with some emotion.

"The shelling was very effective,"

Xiao Daozai put down the binoculars, smacked his lips, and said to the other players who were also watching the battle.

"It seems the damage to buildings is quite severe. Look at that port, we've almost blasted it to the ground. If we reclaim it, the elves will probably have to rebuild from scratch."

Alibaba, standing nearby, exhaled a long smoke ring and chuckled.

"Little Knife, you don't understand, do you? This is called breaking down the old to build the new. Out with the old, in with the new."

Besides, look at those demons, how could they be buried alive if the house wasn't blown up?

We're doing demolition work for the elves, and on the side, we're exterminating pests—a one-stop service!

The kid next to him pushed up his decorative non-prescription glasses and added in a serious tone.

"From the perspective of casualty ratio and tactical gains, this bombardment was undoubtedly successful. Although it caused considerable collateral damage to the elves' inherent assets, it effectively thwarted the demons' offensive momentum and greatly reduced the pressure on the beachhead and the city's defenders."

Under the vague lines of the kingdom's law and morality, in a state of emergency, actions prioritizing the destruction of the primary threat, and the resulting collateral damages... well, theoretically, can be partially excused.

The man who had stabbed himself in the butt was amused by the two men's banter and laughed and cursed.

"What do you mean by destruction and reconstruction and one-stop service? Based on my experience developing other games at Baihu Studio, Long Ears won't talk to us about human morality. They'll only see their homes being blown to bits by us."

"Just wait until we get off the ship, they'll definitely cause us trouble."

He raised his binoculars again, looking at the still-smoking urban area, his tone slightly more serious.

"However, to be fair, these exploding bullets are really powerful and cover a wide area."

The lookout just reported that a few shots seemed to have gotten too close and grazed the edge of the elves' own defensive line; there were probably some friendly fire incidents.

Alibaba waved its hand dismissively.

"In war, people always die. Our shells don't have eyes; they only recognize demons, not elves. Blame it on the demons for always crowding together with the elves."

Besides, if it weren't for our barrage of fire, those elves probably wouldn't even have a chance to complain; they'd be torn to shreds by the demons long ago.

The kid in charge nodded, his eyes behind his glasses calm.

"Yes, this is not our fault. It's the elves' fault for not being able to drive away the demon on their own. Getting hit by the cannonballs is just a necessary price to pay for driving away the demon."

Xiao Dao sighed as he stabbed himself in the buttocks.

"That makes sense, but the cleanup work... I'm afraid it won't be easy."

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Let General Marlowe worry about it.

He patted the hull and looked toward the deck of the Sea Lion, watching the sailors lower a landing craft using a makeshift pulley system.

"Do we need to log in? Shall we go?"

The little devil asked Little Knife.

Just then, a distinctive warship slowly approached and finally came to a graceful stop on the sea about 100 meters away from the Sea Lion.

That was none other than the Emerald Dream, the magical warship of the Blue Flame Kingdom. Little Knife Poke's butt turned his head and recognized it at a glance... This ship appeared multiple times in the second episode of the Revenge Fleet video, and its appearance was very distinctive.

Unlike the Bagnia fleet's massive ships with their sharp lines and heavy wooden planks and iron armor, its slender hull seemed to be carved from ancient living wood, and its hull was covered with a thick layer of living vine armor that shimmered with a faint green light.

These vines, like living webs, entwine around the damaged parts of the ship's hull. You can even see them wriggling and growing at a visible, slow pace, trying to repair the huge wounds on the ship's side that were corroded by fel energy or torn by giant claws.

The entire ship exuded a kind of weary yet still resilient natural magic, which was completely out of place with the steel and gunpowder style of the human warships around it.

However, the Emerald Dream looks a bit disheveled now; the flag on its mainmast hangs limply, with some charred and damaged edges.

On the deck, busy elven sailors and wounded elven warriors could be seen, their eyes fixed on the massive Sea Lion, filled with scrutiny, vigilance, and an undisguised awe of its destructive firepower.

A clear but tired female voice seemed to ring directly in the ears of everyone on the deck, speaking in slightly archaic but extremely standard Mandarin.

"Good day, ally of the Kingdom of Bagnia. I am Lilana Morningstar, captain of the Emerald Dream from the Blue Flame Kingdom fleet. Thank you for your fleet's assistance in our time of need."

To facilitate coordination of subsequent operations, I wonder if we may send an envoy aboard to meet with your commander?

The sound was not transmitted through a megaphone or horn, but through some exquisite sound transmission spell, clearly echoing on the aft deck of the Sea Lion, demonstrating the elves' superb magical skills.

Xiao Daozai and the others were stunned for a moment. Alibaba subconsciously stubbed out his cigarette, and Xiao De Boss adjusted his glasses, his joking expression disappearing.

"Wow, just say 'elf,' and the elf appears."

He stabbed his buttocks with a knife while keeping a low profile.

A few minutes later, on the side of the Sea Lion, the flag bearer on the mast waved a blue and red flag, while the general's guards, dressed in full combat armor, assembled on the deck and lined up in two rows to show their stance.

Soon, a small boat in the style of an elf was launched from the Emerald Dream, carrying several elves as it rowed toward the Sea Lion.

The little knife-wielding elf remained rooted to the spot, while the young and curious leader took a few steps closer to take a look. However, due to the distance, he couldn't see clearly. Meanwhile, the elves swiftly boarded the ship and, escorted by the general's guard, entered the flagship.

"How boring, I don't even have a chance to watch the excitement."

The kid in charge complained.

About half an hour later, the elves, escorted by the general's guard, reappeared on the deck, boarded their small boat, and headed back towards the Emerald Dream.

Judging from their still tense profiles and slightly hurried pace, the atmosphere of this high-level meeting was probably not very relaxed or pleasant.

As Xiao Dao stabbed his buttocks and the others were speculating about the content of the meeting, a messenger jogged up to them, stood at attention, and saluted.

"Gentlemen, the general requests your presence in the command room."

The three exchanged a glance, all somewhat surprised.

(End of this chapter)