The most shameless alchemist in history

"This is because you have neglected intelligence work. I believe that in the future, intelligence will definitely be a very important part of war. Having enough intelligence will greatly increase your chances of winning. It is definitely a very sharp dagger, but obviously, many people are currently ignoring the importance of intelligence." Dure had his own insights and said dismissively to Messiah's words.

"So, Dure, your intelligence network has extended all the way to the Land of Swamps? Or not just the Land of Swamps, but even more places?" Messiah asked curiously. To others, this would definitely be a very dangerous signal, meaning that the other party had complete control over their situation.

But Messiah knew that Dure was a trustworthy person, something she had been certain of for many years. So even though Dure knew the information about the Swamp Country, he was not in any danger to her. On the contrary, even if she was in a disadvantageous situation, he still controlled the overall situation.

"That's about right. But I can tell you, Messiah, that when I was the Inspector General of the Snow Kingdom, I established an intelligence department specifically to gather intelligence from various places, and we actively worked on it. Young Master Halden will probably arrive at Old Port in two days. After he arrives, I already have a gift waiting for him," Dure said casually.

"A gift? What gift?" Messiah became increasingly curious.

"Well... Messiah, you'll know in a few days. Although the current situation seems very unfavorable to you, and Ze City is plotting to use force against you, Messiah, don't worry. When the time comes, all the problems will be solved. So... I heard there's a scholar in the River Bend region who specializes in ancient writing. I'm going to visit him. These next few days, Messiah, you should stay in River Bend and not go anywhere, understand?" Dure instructed, his words sure to surprise anyone who heard them.

You have to understand that Messiah is the Duke of the River Bend, a very important figure even in the Swamp Kingdom, but he spoke to her like she was a child.

What is most puzzling is that the Messiah did not show the slightest dissatisfaction or anger, but instead was very obedient.

"Understood. I'll stay in River Bend City and not go anywhere else. So, Durei, when are you coming back?"

"I'll be back in about a week. No matter what happens in the meantime, you don't need to do anything. Just wait for me to come back. Then I should probably leave." Dure stood up and looked into the distance. The problem he was facing now was the stone tablet that Lance had left him.

Lance is now missing, and no one knows what happened to him, but before that, he needs to figure out what's on the stone tablet.

Just after Dure left River Bend and disappeared without a trace, Halden returned to his hometown, which was also the fiefdom of House Octopus, Old Harbor.

"Young master, how should we answer the master when we get back?" A steward stood in front of Halden.

He was in charge of looking after Halden on the way; their original purpose for going to River Bend was to propose.

But in the end, before he could even say the marriage proposal, they returned dejectedly, leaving him in a terrible predicament.

He knew the patriarch of the octopus family's temper; he knew the patriarch would be furious if he made this was a wasted trip.

"What's so hard to answer? Hmph, these guys, of all people to mess with, they have to go against me, Halden. They'll soon find out what happens when they anger me. And that woman Messiah... does she really think she can get help by finding some resigned inspector general from the Snow Kingdom? I've already made an agreement with Prince William of Ze City. Woman... just you wait. When I take over River Bend City, you'll be nothing more than my prisoner. At that time... hehehehehe."

Although Halden's trip to River Bend was unsuccessful in proposing to Messiah, he didn't leave empty-handed.

At least he met with William's spies and the two reached an agreement.

"Young Master, you are truly wise. If we go back and tell the Master about this, he shouldn't be too angry, right?" the old butler thought for a moment.

He was well aware of what Halden had done, although he had initially opposed Halden's contact with William's spies.

But as things progressed, he realized that it wasn't such a bad choice after all.

"Alright, let's go back first. There's still a lot of things to do." Halden waved his hand and strode forward.

Just then, a group of guards rushed over from not far ahead.

The armor they wore bore the octopus symbol, the crest of the Octopus family.

This means they are all guards of the Octopus family.

"Young Master Halden, you're finally back!" Upon seeing Halden, the leading officer immediately stepped forward and ordered his men to surround Halden tightly, three layers deep.

"Fischer, is that you? What's going on? Why are you making such a fuss?" Halden recognized the officer; he knew him. He was somewhat surprised.

“Young Master Halden, you may not know this, but a major incident has occurred in Old Port while you were away.”

"What's the big deal?" Halden asked in surprise.

"The master has been assassinated!" the officer said in a low voice.

vertex

870th Combined Fleet

The past week has been very turbulent for the Swamp Country, with two events that have shocked everyone the most.

One thing is that Dohamma, the lord of Old Port, one of the six major ports in the River Bend region and the fourth largest port in the Swamp Country, was assassinated.

Dohamma is the head of the Octopus family and a well-known and powerful figure within the Swamp Country.

After all, the Octopus family is the second largest family in the Reach. Because Duke Messiah of the Reach is very young and her father died early, and her family does not have a strong branch, the Octopus family is actually more cohesive and powerful in the Reach.

They had long surpassed Messiah in arrogance. Everyone in the River Reef region, and even the entire Swamp Kingdom, knew that the Octopus family had been coveting the throne of the Duke of River Reef for quite some time. They were racking their brains to replace Messiah and obtain the territory of River Reef.

However, the Messiah's position remains secure, but the young and vigorous Dohamma suddenly died. Of course, the Octopus family announced that Dohamma died of a serious illness, but everyone knew that Dohamma was in good health and had just married two new wives.

He died suddenly out of the blue, especially during such a critical time. If he wasn't assassinated, then how could it be?

Dohamma's death triggered a chain reaction in the River Reach region.

Because Dohamma was known for his tough stance, he had a great influence in the Reach region and even the entire Swamp Kingdom. Now that he was dead, it sparked all sorts of speculation. At the same time, his death triggered a second major event.

The second major event in the Swamp Country was that the capital, namely the City of Swamp, declared that the process by which Messiah, the Duke of River Bend, inherited the title was illegitimate and demanded that Messiah relinquish the title of Duke of River Bend. This move was met with resistance from the River Bend region.

It is important to know that Messiah's father had painstakingly managed the Reach region for many years, and it was under his management that the Reach region had achieved its current state. Although her father had long since passed away, the Reach region was still very grateful to the late former Duke.

Moreover, four of the six major ports in the Reach region are loyal to the Messiah.

Although Zezhi City issued an order to strip the Duke of River Bend of his title, the River Bend region refused to comply.

This directly prompted Ze no Shiro to deploy the navy and launch an attack on the River Bay area, attempting to suppress the conflict by force.

Meanwhile, the second largest family in the River Reach region, the Octopus Family, accused Messiah of being the mastermind behind the murder of Dohamma. The Octopus Family also organized a fleet and headed towards River Reach. As a result, the navy of Ze City and the navy of the Octopus Family attacked River Reach from two directions, which was a heavy blow to River Reach.

It's important to understand that while River Bay City is the capital city of the River Bay region, its commerce is thriving, but its military strength is actually inferior to that of the Octopus Family's fleet. After all, the location of Old Port is treacherous, and the seas are teeming with pirates.

The Old Port fleet frequently goes out to suppress pirates, so it has more practical experience. In recent years, the Octopus family has expanded its military equipment on a large scale and purchased a large number of warships. Of course, there is also a saying that the biggest pirates at sea are the Octopus family.

They used the wealth they robbed to arm themselves, but this is just a rumor, it has not been confirmed, and no one dares to confirm it.

The fleet of the octopus family alone was enough to put pressure on River Bend City, let alone the fleet of Ze City.

The two fleets quickly rendezvoused forty nautical miles off the coast of River Bend City, and together they blockaded the city.

This prevented merchant ships from entering River Bay City, while those trapped inside could not leave, creating a dilemma.

Near the port of River Bend City, a large number of merchants gathered, huddled together, sighing and lamenting.

"Hey, what's going on? Why are you blocking the port? This ship is carrying all my assets. If this goes wrong, I'll go bankrupt!" A merchant said dejectedly, not knowing what to do.

"I heard that they are going to attack River Bend City. They gave River Bend City three days to consider surrendering, and they will attack after three days. Today is the second day, which means they will launch the attack first thing tomorrow morning, right?" someone who knew the inside story said.

"Why do these guys have to start a war? Besides, the Messiah's policies have been very lenient over the years, and he has provided us with a lot of convenience. How can they expect the Messiah to surrender? Isn't that a joke?" someone said indignantly.

At this time, there were a large number of ships, more than a hundred, moored outside the port, and some sailors were drinking idly on the shore.

There were also guards patrolling nearby, and on the distant artillery platform, the newly purchased magic cannons were ready to be set up.

Many guards were also building defensive fortifications nearby, all signs of preparations for war.

There was no doubt that surrendering the Reach was impossible, because it concerned the dignity of the Reach people.

If we surrender so easily, people from other regions will look down on the people of the River Bend.

Furthermore, the people of the River Bend believe that it was the previous duke's hard work that brought them such a good life.

Now that the Duke's daughter is in trouble, it is time for them to repay the favor, so it is absolutely impossible for them to back down.

At the conscription point in Hewan City, a large number of young people signed up to join the army.

"My name is Joseph, I am seventeen years old, I served as a sailor at sea for two years, and I have signed up to become a sailor."

"My name is Kaiser, I am 28 years old, and I graduated from the Naval Academy. I studied ballistics there and hope to become an artilleryman."

"My name is Hanni, I am thirty-six years old. I served as a marine for a few years and fought several pirates and naval battles, so I have some experience. I received a favor from the former Duke, so please invite me to join the army no matter what!"

Hundreds of people surrounded the recruitment office. Those who passed the screening went to a nearby place to collect their weapons, guided by the guards.

The street, which is usually used for transporting goods, is now entirely used to store weapons, which are roughly divided into two types.

One type is traditional swords and spears, all of which are newly forged and extremely sharp, along with armor.

The other type was a new type of firearm, while gunpowder guns were placed on the other side.

Based on their experience, the soldiers chose swords, spears, or gunpowder guns, and selected appropriate armor and gear.

Originally, the defense force in the river bend area consisted of only two thousand people, but after three days of conscription, it quickly amassed six thousand men.

From the clock tower in River Bend, one can see the situation within River Bend, such as the young people actively joining the army, as well as the open sea. If you use a telescope, you can also see a large number of warships lined up on the other side of the sea.

These warships are of two types. One type has an octopus symbol on it, which is the family crest of the Octopus family and represents that this is a warship of the Octopus family. The other type has a fish symbol, which is the mark of the Swamp Country and represents that it comes from the royal family of the Swamp Country.

There were over a hundred warships of various sizes, a truly formidable force. Messiah put down his telescope, looking deeply worried.

"My lord, according to our intelligence, the combined fleet on the sea has a total of 116 warships. The Octopus family owns 66 of them, while the capital's fleet has 50. Each ship has 80 to 100 soldiers, which means their strength is around 10,000."

Beside the Messiah, Bill, who served as her attendant, reported on the situation.

"Is their strength double that of ours? And they are all well-trained elite soldiers, while our elite troops actually number only two thousand, with the other four thousand being temporarily conscripted. And how many warships do we have?" Messiah inquired.

"Reporting to you, sir, we have thirty-five warships," Bill replied truthfully.

"Do they also have an overwhelming advantage in the number of warships? So we can't fight them at sea in open waters, we can only hold our ground and defend, right?" Messiah was well aware of the troubles River Bend City was facing.

“That’s right. It’s almost impossible for us to defeat them at sea, so we can only hold our ground using the port’s fortifications. Um… sir…” Bill hesitated as he reported, seemingly wanting to say something but stopping himself.

"What? Just say it."

“I hope you will reconsider my previous suggestion. Consider temporarily withdrawing from River Bend City and taking refuge in White Deer Harbor. White Deer Harbor is strategically located, and the Osprey family has also expressed considerable sincerity,” Bill suggested after much hesitation.

"Do you mean I should abandon my people and flee?" Messiah frowned.

“Of course that’s not what I meant, sir. It’s just that we’re in a very unfavorable situation right now, and we have to consider the worst-case scenario. So, sir, a temporary evacuation is just a strategy, not an escape or something out of fear.” Bill hoped to persuade her.

“I understand what you mean, Bill, but I can’t leave now. If I leave River Bend, not only will the people be disappointed, but the situation will definitely get out of control. Even if I get to Whitewater Harbor, my next step will probably be exile to other countries.”

The Messiah was fully aware of the situation; she had already planned out each step.

“This…” Bill had met with many officials before, and he knew very well that with the defensive strength of River Bend City, they could not hold out for more than three days. In other words, River Bend City would be captured by the Allied Fleet in three days, and then Messiah would be in big trouble!

“Besides, I made an agreement with Dure. He told me to wait for him for a week no matter what happens. Today is the sixth day, which means that if I wait one more day, Dure will come back.” Messiah had another reason to keep going.

That reason was the promise Dure made to her before he left.

“But the combined fleet will launch an attack tomorrow. If Mr. Dure can’t come back, we will inevitably be defeated. Moreover, even if Mr. Dure were here, facing such a combined fleet, I’m afraid…” Bill did not doubt Dure’s abilities.

After all, if it weren't for Dure, they would have been trapped at sea long ago and wouldn't have been able to return.

However, he also knew how terrifying a fleet could be, especially a massive fleet with more than a hundred warships.

He didn't believe that a single person had the ability to fight against so many warships.

“It’s alright, I believe in him. I believe Dure will definitely come back and resolve the problems here. So until then, no matter how perilous the situation in River Bend City is, I think we should persevere until he returns!” Messiah clenched her fists, making up her mind.

“Well… since you’ve said so, Lord Messiah, then I’ll go and make the arrangements. With our defensive capabilities, holding out for three days shouldn’t be a problem,” Bill said through gritted teeth.