I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 573 Bombardment
It's understandable that the elves have designs on the players and the kingdom's first fleet, given the destructive power of the players' and fleet's artillery.

However, Bagnia also had its own concerns and could not accommodate the elves. Therefore, the first contact between the Blue Flame Kingdom and the Bagnia Kingdom ended in failure.

However, since the demons were still in the city, the high elves decided to put up with it and adopted Lieutenant General Marlowe's suggestion.

……

Most players, like those who cure a child's crying, don't care what long-eared people think; they only care where there are good monsters to farm and where to get merit points and materials.

However, soon, the specialist in treating infantile crying discovered that things seemed to have changed subtly.

During his break from hunting, he sat in front of the dock bulletin board where players posted team information, resource needs, and NPC quests, preparing to find a suitable hunting quest later. He noticed about a dozen players gathered in front of the bulletin board, which caught his attention.

Curiosity, like a cat's ability to cure a baby's crying, got into him. He noticed that the task posted on the bulletin board was rather peculiar; the poster wasn't the familiar Bagnia logistics officer, but an elf.

The task summary was written in both Elvish and Chinese. Although the tone still carried a touch of the uniquely Elvish affectation, the content was quite direct.

+Urgent Request: Purify the Twisted Whispers
Objective: Hunt down a succubus lurking in the broken corridors of the inner city.

Description: This demon is adept at mind control and has caused several patrol teams to lose contact. Its whispers can distort wills and incite infighting, and it must be eliminated as soon as possible.

Reward: 1 mithril dagger forged by elves, 20 enchanted arrows, or equivalent gold coins, and a map of the target's approximate activity area.

Recommendation: It is recommended to have mental resistance or ranged attack capabilities. The person who accepts the mission can go to the third sentry post on the west side of Mooncrown City to find the sentry captain. He has fought against the succubus.

Quest completion requirements: Return to the dock area with the long whip equipped by this succubus, which has the function of mental lashing, and hand it over to the elven officer.
"Succubus?"

He touched his chin, his eyes lighting up. (This is a specific product/service for treating infantile crying.)

This thing sounds much more interesting than those clumsy berserkers and hordes of inferior demons, and the reward is good, especially that mithril dagger, which looks like a good item.

As for the requirement of "mental resistance"?
He curled his lip. As long as he wasn't directly charmed, he could shoot her from a distance or throw a grenade at her, and no matter what kind of demon she was, she would have to lie down!
"received!"

Without hesitation, he turned and left, ready to go on his mission.

The conditions for completing the task are very simple, so many players are planning to get involved. Therefore, if the person who specializes in treating infantile crying wants to complete this task, he needs to act quickly.

……

The elves' act of giving players quests didn't go very smoothly at first because the player base was very diverse. Some people simply followed the quest descriptions and completed the quests to collect the rewards.

Naturally, some people will not work honestly and will try to take advantage of loopholes in the rules.

For example, in the quest that specializes in treating crying children, some overly clever players thought that the quest requirement was to bring back the succubus's "Mental Whip Whip".

For players, this means all they need to do is get the whip; the process is irrelevant.
that's not important.

So someone took a succubus whip to find the elven officer, went to submit the quest, and snatched the quest reward before the one who could cure a child's crying could do so.

So much so that when the expert in treating crying children finally managed to defeat the succubus after a long and arduous journey, almost resulting in a disaster, and went to submit the quest item... well, something very unpleasant happened.

The elven officer questioned the authenticity of the quest item brought by the person who came later, who claimed to specialize in treating crying children, and demanded that he prove its genuineness.

It's a cure for crying babies; he was so angry he laughed on the spot and turned to leave.

Once the news spread, the previously somewhat vibrant Elf quests lost interest among most players, except for a small group of cheaters, resulting in the Elf quest log being deserted.

Two days later, the elves realized the problem and quickly took remedial measures, modifying the quest process, which helped win back some players.

Besides the mission process, some accidents also occurred when the Elven reinforcements arrived one after another. The most serious of these was that the First Fleet "accidentally" damaged Elven ships.

It was a morning when the fog had not yet completely dissipated, and a thin veil shrouded the sea, adding an unreal tranquility to the shattered outline of Mooncrown City.

The First Fleet, like a silent behemoth, quietly anchored in the near sea. Due to the favorable battle situation in Mooncrown City, it had no mission to project firepower today.

On the Sea Lion, some early risers or those who hadn't logged off were idly leaning against the ship's side, watching the elven ships that were gradually appearing on the distant horizon, heading towards the Mooncrown City docks... those were reinforcements coming from other islands of the Blue Flame Archipelago.

"Hey, look at that one! It has a unique design, like a crescent moon."

One player pointed to one of the gradually becoming clearer elven sailboats and said.

The ship had sleek and elegant lines, and the figurehead statue seemed to be a female elf holding up a crystal. Intricate silver patterns were faintly visible on the sails.

Another player squinted for a while, then suddenly thought of something and slapped his thigh hard.

"Wait a minute, this design... this pattern... don't you guys find it familiar? Doesn't it look like the Mirror Moon from that Mirror Sea Brigade that has a grudge against us?"

After his reminder, the other players around him also realized what was going on.

"Holy crap, now that you mention it, it really does sound like it!"

"The Mirror Moon? Is that the Mirror Moon that can cast mirror spells, boarded the Sea Lion, kidnapped the 'Unhappy and Unplayful' ship, and then tortured it to death?"

"Go tell them they're not playing if they don't like it!"

Coincidentally, BuShuangBuWan was also a Marine on the Sea Lion. Although he wasn't online, after receiving a notification from his friend, he logged on as quickly as possible and rushed to the ship's side. After only a few glances, BuShuangBuWan recognized him.

"Damn it, it's the Mirror Moon!!!"

A sense of animosity based on shared hatred was immediately ignited in the hearts of these players.

"What to do?"

"Did it!"

Frustrated and unwilling to play any longer, he slapped his thigh, turned around, and rushed towards the gun deck.

"But isn't the Mirror Moon a friendly force now?"

"One of the more rational players hesitated."

"Friendly forces my ass!"

He was so angry that he was practically begging to stop playing that he charged toward the gun deck while roaring.

"When the Mirror Moon attacked us before, did it never consider that we were allies? Blood debts must be repaid in blood. Who cares what we are now? Hatred is the original sin. Open fire!"

This simple and straightforward logic, coupled with the righteous indignation of avenging a friend, instantly infected the other players around them.

In games, the swift retribution is far more direct and satisfying than complex political considerations.

"Let's do it. At worst, we'll lose some merit points!"

"Aim at that Mirror Moon and fire a volley!"

"Load the explosive shells and teach them a lesson!"

Amidst the chaotic shouts, a group of players who had rushed over—like wild dogs that had broken free—charged toward the gun emplacements on the broadside of the Sea Lion.

They roughly shoved aside any NPC sailors who might try to stop them, and quickly began cleaning the cannon barrels and loading ammunition.

Unaware of the danger lurking in the mist, the elegant elven sailing ship, Mirrormoon, was steadily making its way to the Mooncrown City docks along its predetermined route. The elven sailors on board were still gazing at the scarred city, completely oblivious to the deadly danger emanating from their allies not far away.

"Aiming complete!"

"Fire!"

With a frenzied shout from who-knows-who, more than ten cannons on one side of the Sea Lion suddenly spewed out scorching flames and thick smoke, and the thunderous cannon fire instantly shattered the rare tranquility of the sea in the early morning.

More than ten exploding shells whistled through the air, carrying the players' fury, and accurately struck the unsuspecting magic warship.

The cannonballs slammed into the elegant hull of the elven ship, sending wood chips flying. The magnificent figurehead was instantly shattered, and the masts snapped with a sickening crack as they crashed down with the sails.

The explosion of maroon gunpowder tore a huge hole in the hull, and seawater rushed in, causing chaos on the elf ship, with screams of terror and the sound of people falling into the water rising and falling.

"Target hit!"

"Great, keep loading!"

The players on the Sea Lion cheered.

However, their cheers were quickly interrupted by sharp alarms and flag signals from other warships.

The officers and sailors on the other Bagnian warships nearby were stunned by the sudden shelling; they couldn't understand why the Sea Lion would fire on the Elf ship.

"Sea Lion, cease fire immediately! What are you doing?!"

The captain of a nearby destroyer roared through a megaphone.

The elves on the docks and walls of Mooncrown City also witnessed this horrifying scene. After a brief moment of shock, they were filled with overwhelming rage and disbelief.

The horns sounded mournfully, and the elven archers and mages immediately took their battle positions, nervously aiming at the Bagnian fleet on the sea.

"Despicable humans, they have betrayed us!"

"They attacked the Mirror Moon to avenge their compatriots!"

The trust that had just been somewhat eased by the mission system has completely collapsed at this moment, even more shattered than before.

The message was relayed back to the flagship at top speed.

When Lieutenant General Marlowe heard the report, he almost dropped his binoculars. He was stunned, but after a while, he came to his senses and immediately gave the order.

"Immediately signal with flags, all troops remain calm, do not fire, contact the Sea Lion, cease fire immediately, and find out what's going on!"

(End of this chapter)