The most shameless alchemist in history

Just as his airship fleet was ready for battle, intending to give the River Bend fleet a fiery baptism, the clouds not far away suddenly surged and lightning flashed across the sky.

"Boom!"

Amidst the roar of lightning, the leading airship was quickly struck by lightning. The current rapidly spread to the airship's hull, and sparks burst forth, leaving everyone stunned.

"Fire! Fire! Put out the fire! What? The kinetic energy center is damaged, we have to land? Are you kidding me? This is the ocean, how are we going to land?"

On the lead airship, several guards were struck by a sudden bolt of lightning and collapsed to the ground, but that wasn't the worst of it.

The most critical issue was that the entire airship had suffered a heavy blow. The airship fleet, which had been flying very steadily, was now teetering on the brink of collapse, with flames constantly rising.

This was just one of the many airships in the vast fleet, and even if it were lost, it wouldn't be a big deal. Yet, only one bolt of lightning struck.

After the first lightning bolt, there was a second, a third, until more than a dozen lightning bolts struck at the same time, making a loud "boom" sound!

The electric current spread through the air, and the hissing sound of the current could be clearly heard on the nearby airship.

The soldiers on deck felt their hair stand on end, clearly experiencing a tingling sensation, and could see electric currents surging across the deck.

This terrified the guards, who could no longer remember the orders that had just been relayed. They found themselves gradually being drawn into a vortex of lightning.

More and more lightning bolts struck, and in a very short time, one airship after another was hit by lightning, malfunctioning and breaking down, and then caught fire and began to burn.

The fleet guards caught in the vortex of lightning were too busy to take care of themselves, but the guards in Crocodile Bay could see it all clearly.

"Hey, look, what's going on? Those airships seem to have stopped, and they... are being attacked by lightning."

"My God, I've been sailing at sea for so many years and I've never seen such a terrible thunderstorm!"

"No, the waves are so high!"

The guards were shocked to discover that the thunderstorm was getting worse and the waves were getting higher and higher.

"How could this be? The weather..." Messiah was filled with doubt and surprise. She stared blankly at Dure beside her. The sudden thunderstorm had created dozens of shocking cracks in the sky, accompanied by thunder.

"In this kind of weather, the airship fleet cannot launch an attack on us. If they do not withdraw from the vicinity, this thunderstorm alone may be enough to wipe them out. Send out orders to have the sailors secure their ships and then go to the island to take shelter from the thunderstorm."

Dure remained unperturbed by the extreme and severe weather, as if it were something he had anticipated, and calmly issued his orders.

"Understood, I'll arrange for them to go and do it right away!" Although Messiah was also panicked, she knew that listening to Durei at this time was the right thing to do.

At the Messiah's command, the panicked guards immediately sprang into action, reinforcing the warships anchored in Crocodile Bay.

After completing these tasks, everyone headed towards the island for shelter, just as the torrential rain began to pour down.

Amidst the deafening roar of thunder, a torrential downpour lashed down relentlessly, stinging people's skin.

Even though there were many experienced veterans among the sailors, such severe weather was something they had never experienced before.

They were initially worried about an airship invasion, and they thought that if the airships launched a fierce attack on them, wouldn't they be following in the footsteps of the combined fleet in the Battle of River Bay? But now they realized that such worries were unnecessary.

The only threat to them is the severe weather, with torrential rain, surging winds, and towering waves.

A fleet is so insignificant that they huddle on an island, shivering in the face of the raging storm.

As for the airship fleet that attacked from the sky, the thunderstorm alone caused them a lot of trouble. As the rainstorm hit, the formation of the entire airship fleet was completely disrupted. On the deck of the airships, the strong wind caused extensive damage to the airships, making it difficult for them to maintain their balance.

"It's no use! The airship is severely damaged and can't hold on any longer. It's about to crash!"

"Requesting backup! Requesting backup! Our airship is about to be destroyed! Please save us!"

"Damn it, how could we encounter such weather? Is it already out of control? Wait, what's wrong with the flagship? Why is it retreating?"

Nearly one-third of the airships were damaged, and the captains of the various ships called for backup.

Just as they were trembling with fear, they noticed that the flagship, Gale, had begun to retreat, which stunned them all.

Although the Gale was more robust than a regular airship, it showed signs of losing control in the face of the raging storm.

"Damn it, we've already come this far, and we're about to destroy the River Bay Fleet and defeat that guy Dure, so why did we have to encounter this kind of weather? Can't we continue forward?" Black Wind was also surprised by the sudden storm, and he asked with a gloomy face.

"Sir, if we continue forward, the thunderstorm will completely tear our fleet apart. We must leave here immediately, or we will be wiped out!" the officer said anxiously. Airships are not suitable for taking off in thunderstorms.

Not to mention this unprecedented thunderstorm, in which two airships crashed into the sea in a very short time!

"It's really frustrating to retreat here, but... we have no choice but to retreat, let's go!" Black Wind gritted his teeth. In his eyes, victory was within reach, but faced with the irresistible weather, he could only choose to retreat, which made him feel humiliated!

However, if he does not retreat, then all that lies before him is total annihilation. What can he do even if he is unwilling?

Amidst the surging winds, the Gale issued the order to retreat, and the airships in the middle and rear sections of the fleet withdrew from the battlefield.

They were forced to withdraw before they even reached their designated location to launch the attack!

After all, the opponent they were about to face was the weather, which was far more terrifying than the fleet!

The damaged airships retreated one after another, and a few airships were no longer able to fly.

In order to avoid falling into the sea, they could only move closer to Crocodile Bay, hoping to land on the island and have a chance to survive.

At this moment, the warships that had just emerged from Ze City on the high seas were also facing the same problem.

As the storm approached, the waves rose higher and higher, greatly affecting the warships. Two ships had already been capsized by the waves and plunged into the raging sea. The waves roared, and all around was pitch black, with only lightning flashing across the sky, tearing out a hideous gash.

You can vaguely see the terrifying claws of darkness, the merciless sea plundering their lives, transforming into a colossal beast that devours everything.

The sailors were terrified and had no choice but to jump into the sea to escape, but in such weather, was there any hope of survival if they fell into the water?

Large sea fish were also affected by the wind and waves, surfacing to the surface, including some marine mammals that had been hiding in the deep sea.

This isn't the end of the world, but it feels just like it. Even the people of Ze City are staying home and afraid to go out in this kind of weather.

"What heavy rain! It's been so many years since we've had such heavy rain."

"This is really a bad omen. I hope nothing bad happens."

"It looks like I won't be able to go to work today, and I don't know when it will stop."

The people of Zezhi City had just opened their doors when they were swept away by a fierce wind, making it difficult for them to move.

The streets were filled with things blown by the wind: newspapers, pebbles, and even clothes.

Henry, who had been looking out into the distance with a telescope in hand from the city wall, was forced to return to the palace under the escort of his men after encountering this situation. Before leaving, he clearly saw the airship fleet retreating through the telescope.

The fleet he sent out to support the airships in the attack on Crocodile Bay was also decimated and suffered heavy losses in the storm.

"How could this happen... Today is supposed to be my coronation ceremony, why has it turned into this?" Henry's face turned ashen. He had made meticulous preparations for this day, even secretly planning for many years, and it was only with great difficulty that this day came.

But now this storm has blown away all his ambitions and hopes.

"Your Highness, you should go back first..." a guard beside him advised.

No matter how powerful a fleet is, it cannot fight against the weather.

Not only was Henry unable to ascend the throne on this day, but everything he had was shattered on this day...

The storm lasted for a day and a night before it subsided, and the sea finally calmed down the next day at dawn.

A bright red sun appeared at the horizon, spreading its golden light across the sea.

"Has it finally returned to calm?" Messiah looked at the calm sea and recalled everything that had happened last night. It had not been easy.

“Yes, things have finally calmed down,” Dure nodded and said from the side.

At that moment, Bill brought over a group of people from not far away.

“My Lord Messiah, and Mr. Dure, these are the people we captured yesterday. Some of them are from the Land of Wind who crashed in the airship fleet, and others are from the Ze City Navy. What should we do with them?” Bill reported the situation. There were dozens of people being escorted.

"Let them go," Dure said calmly.

"What? Release them?" Bill was taken aback. He had gone to great lengths to capture these people, and now they were just going to release them?

“Yes, there’s no point in detaining them now. The war will end soon. Have the statistics been compiled? What are the losses?” Dure asked, glancing around.

"The statistics are in. In this storm, we lost six warships, two of which were severely damaged and unable to fight, and sixteen sailors were wounded," Bill answered truthfully.

“This part of the loss is still within an acceptable range, so what’s next…” Du Lei squinted and looked into the distance.

"Lord Dure, what are your orders?" Bill awaited Dure's response, because Messiah had previously stated that Dure would be fully in charge.

"Assemble the fleet and head towards Ze City!"

()

883 Entering the Royal Capital

Henry had originally planned to hold his coronation ceremony today, for which he had made extensive preparations, including preparing his speech well in advance. This would be a landmark day for the Swamp Kingdom. He was ambitious and had already decided to join forces with the Wind Kingdom to gradually erode the Rain Kingdom.

Unlike his father Charlie, he was not satisfied with his current territory; he wanted more. He believed that if you wanted something, you had to plunder it yourself. Although he looked gentle and weak, unlike his brother William, he was a born plunderer!

But even with all his preparations, yesterday's storm wiped everything out.

If the fire outside River Bend extinguished William's ambitions, knocked him out of the game, and prevented him from ever reaching the throne again, then the great storm at Crocodile Bay utterly destroyed his ambitions and dreams.

The retreat of the airship legion meant that he lost a powerful external ally, and his losses did not stop there. He had previously sent the royal family fleet to support the airship fleet, but a third of the royal family fleet had already been destroyed in River Bay City.

Now another third of his troops were attacked by the storm and almost completely wiped out.

This resulted in the guards protecting Ze City being reduced to only one-third of their original size, amounting to only about two thousand people.

Of course, with the strong defenses of Ze City, they can hold out for a while. Moreover, he can summon nobles from all sides to protect the capital and send troops to support it. If the king issues an order, he can assemble an army of 30,000 men within a week.

However, this required an order issued by the king, and Henry's biggest problem at this time was that he had not yet ascended the throne.

Without the River Bend Fleet, even if his ascension to the throne provoked opposition, he could have suppressed the discontented.

But now the River Bend Fleet is at the city gates, and before it has even exerted its full strength, it has caused the royal fleet to suffer another crushing defeat. This means that even if Henry were to barely claim the title of king at this point, it would be very weak and powerless. Before the dust settles in Zeeland, no one will acknowledge him.

But what's even more deadly is that the chief steward who had served the old king escaped from the city of Ze. He was carrying the old king's will, which stipulated that the old king had appointed Messiah as the new king of the country.

Henry was furious when he heard the news. One reason he was angry was that old man Charles would rather hand over the throne to Messiah than to his own son. That was just despicable!

Another reason is that the Messiah who received this edict was essentially given official status and gradually gained a dominant position.

Although Henry immediately jumped out to point out that the will was a forgery, he did not admit it!

But now the nobles of the Swamp Kingdom are in a wait-and-see state. Most of them have chosen to remain neutral. Even those who initially supported Henry openly have gradually realized that the wind was blowing in the wrong direction and have all fallen silent.

Henry had struggled to maintain control of the North, but news spread that the northern nobles had joined forces to drive out his confidants and reinstate William's uncle as governor. Moreover, William's public support for the Messiah at this time was tantamount to stabbing Henry in the chest.

At William's call, the North sent an army south, declaring its obedience to the Messiah's command.

After the Octopus Clan was pacified in the River Bend region, another fleet arrived to join them, which increased the number of allied forces outside Ze City.

Not only the navy, but also the local armies supporting Messiah on land, the armies of the Mountain Kingdom, Snow Kingdom, and Rain Kingdom have deployed troops on the border. Although they have not invaded the territory of the Swamp Kingdom, their threat is very obvious.

Because everyone knows that these three countries are on good terms with that guy named Dure!