I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Qingdeng sat up straight, his expression serious:

"Tonight's harvest was plentiful."

"Not only did they destroy enemy ships and test the firepower of the Goryeokaku, but they also made contact with the enemy's 'undying forces'."

"Their 'immortality' is nothing special; they're not truly immortal. If the injuries are severe enough, they'll still die."

"but……"

Qingdeng paused, his expression slightly somber.

"Since they have a way to turn ordinary people into this 'half-human, half-ghost' appearance, I'm worried that they might be hiding other tricks up their sleeves..."

……

……

Hakodate, Hakodate Bay —

Mael stood with his hands behind his back, his face ashen as he stared at the fleet in the harbor.

Xilika stood quietly beside him, holding his red-scabbard katana.

A moment later, a middle-aged man in a royal blue uniform rushed up to Mael.

He didn't waste any words and went straight to reporting the damage to the three warships:

"Your Excellency, the steam engine of the 'Sun King' has been damaged and is beyond repair."

"The flagship 'Napoleon's' armory was detonated, its ammunition was completely lost, and the ship was damaged."

"The Jeanne d'Arc was not seriously damaged, but many of its crew members were killed."

After saying that, the middle-aged man quickly lowered his head, staring intently at his toes, preparing to withstand the "storm".

The anticipated "storm" did not arrive immediately; instead, rapid breathing, like that of a ventilation fan, was heard first.

Despite having prepared himself mentally, Mael still felt a wave of dizziness upon hearing the detailed injury report.

Although he didn't vomit blood, he did feel a sudden numbness in his chest from the heartache.

These aren't just two guns or two cannons; these are two ironclad warships!

Ironclad warships are the most advanced type of warship at the time, and their cost far exceeds that of firearms and cannons.

Even with his extraordinary resources, Mael spent an astronomical sum of money and mobilized almost all of his connections to finally manage to assemble these three ironclad warships.

Unexpectedly... in just one night, two of the three warships were severely damaged, one of which was his flagship!

Mael grew increasingly indignant, as if all the blood in his body had rushed to his head in those few seconds, turning his face red and then black.

The middle-aged man subtly raised his gaze, observing Mael's changing expression, before bracing himself and continuing:

"Your Excellency, I... I have something else to report."

Mael took several deep breaths, forcibly controlling his emotions, and said in a hoarse voice:

"what's up?"

"According to the crew's report, the attacking enemy forces are extremely elite, including a very young samurai who is terrifyingly strong! Even rifles can't do anything to him; any bullets that get close to him are all shattered into pieces!"

Upon hearing this, Mael was taken aback and instinctively asked in return:

"What did you say? Smash bullets?"

The middle-aged man nodded:

"There are a lot of bullet fragments scattered on the decks of the Sun King and the Napoleon... This must not be an exaggeration."

Cilica doesn't understand French, but he has eyes.

Mael's changing expressions were fully visible to him.

His relationship with Mael wasn't deep; they weren't exactly close.

However, in these limited interactions, he knew that Mael was a man who rarely showed his emotions and rarely displayed such intense emotional fluctuations as he was now.

Driven by curiosity, Cialis couldn't help but ask:

"What did he say?"

Mael, with a cold face, said, enunciating each word clearly:

"...Among the attacking enemy troops was a samurai who could shatter rifle bullets with his blade."

Xilika paused, staring intently at Mael, her eyes conveying, "Are you kidding me?"

Mael's expression remained cold and stern as he silently responded to Cilica.

After a moment, he slowly raised his head, glaring angrily to the south—the direction of Aomori—gritting his teeth:

“…It must be ‘Niou’! Only he could have such an ability!”

Niou—this is the second time Cialis has heard this name tonight.

Silly Ka silently turned her gaze to the direction of Aomori, a noticeable cloud of gloom gradually gathering on her cheeks.

"...Mael, forget about 'Nioh' for now, let's solve the immediate problem. Can your ship be repaired?"

To be fair, Cilica didn't like Mael.

He always regarded the other person as an outsider, and he disliked some of the other person's temperament.

Under normal circumstances, Cialis would be happy to see Mael suffer misfortune.

However, this time, he really couldn't be happy.

The damage to Mael's fleet is tantamount to a weakening of Hakodate's defenses!

These three ironclad warships were one of the Ainu Allied Forces' greatest assets in defending Wulingguo and repelling the punitive expedition!

Therefore, it was impossible for Cialis not to be nervous.

Mael pondered for a moment, then his expression turned even more unpleasant:

"The Jeanne d'Arc is the best in condition of the three ships."

"The Napoleon's armory was detonated and the hull was damaged, but with emergency repairs, it can still be used."

"'The Sun King' is in a more troublesome situation... The destruction of the steam engine is equivalent to losing power."

"If the steam engine can't be repaired, the 'Sun King' will just be stuck in the harbor as a gun emplacement!"

Upon hearing this, Xilika was stunned.

Regret, anger... a series of emotions flashed quickly in his eyes.

After a moment, he opened his mouth, as if he wanted to blame the other person.

"Why weren't you on high alert for such an important warship?" "What were your men doing? Why did they let the enemy ship enter the port so easily?"... These sarcastic words were already on his lips.

In the end, he said nothing—they were now in the same boat, and blaming each other was pointless.

The two remained silent for a long time, and a suffocating atmosphere filled the space between them.

*******

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Chapter 1070 The Legend of the Elixir of Immortality [5600]

Siri and Mael parted ways at Hakodate Bay.

Mael returned to the flagship "Napoleon" and personally oversaw the repair work, issuing a firm order to "repair the ship at all costs."

"You bunch of idiots! How many times have I told you! Don't underestimate the Mukden army! Be prepared to fight at any time! If you had been more cautious, you wouldn't have ended up like this! Not only did you let the enemy ships easily enter the port, but you also let them escape unscathed! I really want to kill you all! Idiots! A bunch of idiots!"

Even from a great distance, you could hear Mael's roar.

Cilica didn't understand French, but from Mael's tone, he was indeed furious, furious to the point of madness.

Even with his excellent composure, Mael couldn't withstand the grief and indignation brought about by this humiliating defeat.

Faced with Mael's angry rebuke, the crew silently endured it, not daring to utter a sound.

After such a humiliating defeat, even the most thick-skinned person couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal.

How Mael deals with those responsible and how he repairs the warship is beyond the scope of Sylvia's interference.

He was completely helpless when it came to repairing the ships, and could only pray that the mechanics under Mael's command were all highly skilled masters who could restore the three ironclad warships to their original condition.

After leaving Hakodate Bay, Xilika returned to Goryokaku under the escort of several trusted men.

They had barely crossed the Wulingguo city gate when one of Xilika's trusted confidants suddenly spoke up:

“…Sylica, I don’t like that Mael.”

The speaker was one of Cilicia’s most trusted friends, whose name was “Hapoi”, meaning “iron”.

As his name suggests, he is a young man as tough as iron.

He had dark skin, a lean build, and his whole body was made of hard, solid muscles, just like an iron plate.

Before Xilika could respond, Hepo continued on his own:

“We have no relation to him, he is not even an Ainu.”

"Despite being a foreigner, he spared no effort in supporting our 'Yamato Conquest'."

"Not only did he provide us with free guns, instructors, and 'Berserker Water,' but he also personally commanded three ironclad warships to assist in the battle."

"There is no such thing as prey that obediently walks into your trap in this world."

"He must have ulterior motives for helping us."

"Sharika, you must be extra careful."

Xilika glanced sideways at Hepoyi:

"Thank you for your suggestion, Hepoyi."

"I'm the same as you, I don't like that Mael either."