What's wrong with building a steel torrent in a dungeon?

Under this situation of mutual suspicion, some forces that rely on maritime trade for their livelihoods have to spend a lot of money on warships, which also drives the coastal defense construction of surrounding forces. For a while, the demand for naval guns has risen sharply. Of course, it would be even better if they could buy finished warships.

Now, the only city that owns the entire artillery ship industry chain is naturally Orila City.

For a moment, the eyes of all forces were turned to the city of Orila.

However, Fran’s production capacity is already insufficient, and the warships it produces are not enough to expand its own naval fleet, let alone sell them.

Of course, these are things to follow.

The impact of the victory on Beichen Island did not stop there. The originally panic-stricken Port of Biesund suddenly stabilized! The cargo transactions at the port suddenly became stable again, and the previously skyrocketing prices returned to normal levels.

Fran proved herself to the forces of the entire main plane, proving that the city of Aurora has the ability to protect its own routes and its allies! She also thwarted the dwarfs' conspiracy.

But the dwarves' losses were more than just half of their fleet.

The failure of this naval battle caused immeasurable loss to the reputation of this super ocean empire!

The dwarves' control over the waterways and dominance over the oceans all rely on their unparalleled maritime power. Once other forces realize the dwarves' weakness and can even compete with them on the sea, it becomes questionable whether these waterways can continue to be controlled by the dwarves.

Of course, this is not what Fran cares about.

Although the battle of Beichen Island has ended, the campaign to encircle the Feather Tribe is still going on.

Before the war broke out, Fran sent two fleets to the habitat of the Feathered Tribe. After continuously accelerating, the second wave of warships finally caught up with Harald and told them the dwarves' conspiracy.

Harald acted decisively, gathered all the Snow Wind-class battleships and rushed to the habitat of the Feathered Tribe first, and finally arrived before the dwarves.

Not long after they arrived, the dwarven warships appeared on the sea level. It is conceivable that if they had not accelerated so tirelessly, what was waiting for them would be an entire island that had been massacred.

In order to protect the Feathered Tribe on the island, the Snow Wind battleships brazenly launched an attack on the Dwarf fleet, and the two sides engaged in a fierce battle on the sea.

As soon as the battle started, the Dwarf's Javelin-class battleships were completely destroyed. However, facing the Dwarf's Iron Turtles, these Snow Wind-class battleships had no good way to deal with them. Without incendiary bombs and the help of the Feather Tribe, they could only surround these Iron Turtles and continue to attack them, until the opponent's armor was riddled with holes.

The Iron Turtle were limited by their slow speed and had no way to deal with the Snow Winds. The two sides continued to waste time on the sea. Fortunately, the crew of the Snow Winds could go to the island to receive supplies from the Feather Tribe, but the dwarves could not. In the end, the dwarves decided to abandon these annoying Snow Winds and take the risk to attack the Feather Tribe.

Tribe habitat.

Seeing this, the warriors of Orila City also got off the boat and organized the Feathered Tribe to fight the dwarves.

On land, the number of warriors in the city of Orila was obviously at a disadvantage, but with the help of the Feathered Warriors who were familiar with the terrain, they managed to resist the enemy's attacks. Later, the Feathered Warriors who temporarily learned to use muskets took advantage of the high altitude and continuously shot at the dwarves, forcing the dwarves to never dare to move forward again.

The two sides fought like this until the main force of the fleet of Orila City arrived at the battlefield.

The main force of this fleet included the steel monsters belonging to Aurora City - the Fuso class. Although the tonnage of the Fuso class battleships was only comparable to the opponent's Iron Wall class battleships, it was enough. The firepower far superior to that of the Snow Wind immediately made the dwarf battleships lose their way, and they had to hastily withdraw from the habitat of the Feather Tribe and continue the naval battle with Aurora City.

However, the warships of both sides could not do anything to each other, and the dwarves were unwilling to give up their strategic goals, so the two sides negotiated with each other in this sea area.

Until the dwarves received a ceasefire agreement.

Chapter 252 Peace Treaty

With the defeat of the dwarves in the two places, (Fran's war score quickly reached 100%), Fran took absolute initiative. The dwarves had no choice but to request a ceasefire, which allowed the Feather Clan, who had been under the shadow of war, to finally breathe a sigh of relief.

After the Battle of North Star Island, Fran did not tow the dwarves' Iron Turtle ships (two of which were Iron Wall-class ships that were burned) back to Biesund Harbor to show off their power. Instead, she anchored them on North Star Island and did not display the spoils to the outside world, which was considered to be giving face to the dwarves.

The dwarves naturally understood the "goodwill" of Fran's action, so they sent envoys to Beichen Port to contact Fran and expressed their willingness to accept peace talks and end the war.

After losing the naval battle, they no longer acted as arrogant as before, but lowered their posture and discussed the matter of the Feather Tribe with Fran. They expressed their willingness to compromise on the matter of the Feather Tribe and no longer hunt down the Feather Tribe as before. In other words, they tacitly agreed that Aurora City would protect the Feather Tribe, so as to put an end to this war.

However, before the war began, Fran's original intention was to protect the Feather Clan. She couldn't just win the war and take back the interests that originally belonged to her! If this doesn't cause your Dwarf Empire to bleed a little, then wouldn't my war have been fought in vain?

Of course, Fran is not a devil. She will not seize the land or demand compensation from the dwarves.

Fran is not short of money or supplies now. What she lacks is influence and control over the waterway, which is also the core competitiveness of the dwarves.

Fran's request was not high. She demanded that the dwarven navy must withdraw from the Calradia continent, and that the six supply islands of the dwarves in the northern region of the Endless Ocean, close to the Calradia continental shelf, be handed over to the city of Aurora.

The dwarves were naturally not happy about it, but it was a pity that they lost the war and the entire Endless Ocean fleet was almost destroyed, which made them unable to compete with Aurora City for the Endless Ocean. Now Fran was only seeking power in the northern part of the Endless Ocean, which was considered "the most righteous and just", so they finally agreed to Fran's request. However, they made it clear that the handover ceremony of these islands must be carried out quietly and not in a big way.

Superpowers like face, and Fran has always given them this face. As long as the dwarves are willing to pay enough money, Fran even said that the dwarf flag can continue to fly on these supply islands.

As for those big iron turtles who are still staying in Beichen Port, Fran will naturally blackmail them.

These warships were related to the dwarves' reputation, so the dwarves would redeem them no matter what, and Fran could just ask for a high price. Finally, after Katarina's bargaining, the dwarves bought these warships from Fran at a price of 5 million magic crystals per Iron Wall-class warship and 10 million magic crystals per Ares-class warship, and they would personally drive the ship to tow them away after the war.

Before the arrival of the dwarves, these warships will continue to be anchored in Beichen Port, which gives Fran an excellent opportunity to learn the design of dwarven warships.

Although Fran was no longer afraid of the dwarves in terms of naval combat power, and the firepower of the dwarven warships was outdated, the dwarves had been the overlords of the sea for hundreds of years after all, and they must have their own unique technology in warship design, especially large warships.

For a behemoth like the Ares class, only the dwarves can design and manufacture it in the entire main plane. Even the Aurora City should learn from this. Although they have also designed large ships like the Fuso class, the craftsmanship and details are still to be explored slowly. Now that there is a ready-made example, Fran will naturally not let it go.

So Fran transferred a large number of craftsmen from Bieson Port overnight to start precise mapping of the Ares-class and Ironwall-class warships, including the size of the rooms, the layout of the rooms... none of these details were missed.

After rigorous surveying and mapping, detailed cross-sections appeared in the archives of the institute for ship designers to refer to and study. In the process of surveying and mapping, the warship designers of Orila City did benefit a lot. I believe that after this war, Orila City will also have its own large warships.

After settling the treaty and this bunch of iron turtles, the last remaining trouble was this group of dwarf captives.

Fran fulfilled her promise and treated this group of warriors very well.

Originally, she wanted to treat the prisoners the same way she had done with other prisoners, by complaining and trying to gain their favor, to see if she could cultivate the seeds of opposition to the empire and the gods.

Unfortunately, this did not work for the dwarves.

Firstly, in the Dwarf Empire that values ​​sea power, those who can serve in the navy are obviously not oppressed. They have status and position in the country, as well as a stable job with a decent salary, so it is not easy to persuade them to rebel from this aspect.

Secondly, the Dwarf Empire is dominated by productivity and technology after all, and technology is something that needs to be learned no matter what. It is absolutely not the case that you will be born with knowledge just because your bloodline is worse than that of humans. The influence of bloodline is far less deep-rooted than that of elves.

Of course, the most important thing is that the Volsas Plain where the Dwarf Empire is located is originally rich, and there are a large number of black orc slaves within the empire to do the dirty work. Coupled with the unparalleled productivity of the dwarves, even the dwarf civilians can have a decent life.

Although the class division within the Dwarf Empire is also serious, after all, all the factories in the empire belong to the empire. The empire's finances are sufficient to guarantee the lives, production and employment of most civilians. Unlike the elves, the elven nobles madly exploit the lower elves, and even force some elven women to go to other countries to engage in the prostitution industry.

In Fran's opinion, the dwarves' way of solving poverty is to enslave the black orcs plundered from the South Seas, which is actually just transferring suffering and poverty to other races. But it must be admitted that doing so makes the dwarves naturally have a very strong sense of identity with the empire.

This is why the methods previously used to deal with the Roars, elves, or Ferumen do not work on the dwarves.

Fran had no choice but to be magnanimous in the end. After asking the dwarf to pay a ransom, she released these ordinary soldiers. As for the officers, she kept them under custody for the time being.

However, from the mouths of these ordinary soldiers, Fran was able to get a glimpse into the interior of the Dwarf Empire, and also understood why the Dwarf army had not been equipped with firearms until now.

Although the dwarfs' way of governance is good, because the distribution of domestic mechanical cores is all in Valhalla, the number of mechanical cores that can be allocated to each industry this year, the damaged and replaced mechanical cores... all of these must be carefully planned, which makes the dwarves somewhat slow to respond to changes.

After all, there are so many industries waiting to be allocated mechanical cores. The more that can be allocated, the faster the industry will develop, and the more benefits the corresponding practitioners will get. Those are naked interests, and the matter of dividing the cake is never a small matter. Every time it is a battlefield for the game of various industries and forces.

When it comes to military production, the benefits are even greater.

The dwarven warships have not been innovated for hundreds of years. As a shipyard, they have no motivation to optimize the firepower of these warships! We are already the best in the world, why should we harm our own interests to upgrade? Wouldn't it be better to save the money and give bonuses to everyone?

With the arrival of firearms, what should be done with the original city crossbowmen? How should the training of new recruits be done? These are all issues that need to be considered! Other countries may vigorously promote it due to life and death, but the dwarves live in the Volsas Plain, without external humiliation or strong enemies, and without internal or external troubles, and they just want to maintain the status quo.

This is also the reason why the dwarves, although the first force to purchase firearms and successfully imitate them, have not yet deployed them on a large scale, even though their productivity and technology are clearly far superior to those of other forces.

The forge needed a mechanical core to build a new production line, but Valhalla had to provide it. However, the clergy of Valhalla spent most of their time in the church, and their control over the situation was obviously not as good as that of the front-line personnel. In addition, the army was not interested in new weapons, so the manufacture of firearms was shelved and progress was very slow.

Only when they were hurt would the dwarves react. But the price was too high. Not only was the Endless Ocean Fleet completely destroyed, but even the fleet commander became a prisoner of Fran.

But the most important thing is, isn’t it a little late to react now?

Can they really keep up with the rapid changes?

Chapter 253: Laferon's Confusion

creak.

The dungeon door was opened.

But rather than calling it a dungeon, it is more like an underground hotel. The dungeon is clean and tidy, with no stagnant water, no garbage, and no rats running around. Three meals a day are provided. The only difference from the hotel is probably the strict guards outside.

After opening the door, Fran and several of her men walked into the innermost and most luxurious room.

The person living there at this time was the commander-in-chief of the Endless Fleet, Laferon.

"Lord Fran." Laferen put down the book beside him and looked at Fran.

"I have good news for you." Fran said with a smile, "Our peace talks with your country have ended. Your country has agreed to redeem you officers. In a few months, you will be able to return home on a warship."

"Is this good news for me?" Laferon said with a wry smile, "Won't I still be imprisoned when I get to the Empire? And the environment there won't even be as good as here."

"The failure of this war is not your fault!" Fran said, "The leaders of your country should understand this."

"Understanding is understanding," Laferon said, "but in the end, someone has to bear all the consequences of the war. Valhalla obviously won't punish their own people, and the clergy who accompanied the army have already returned to their country first. They must have made a lot of nonsense within the empire and put all the faults on me. Lord Fran is well-informed. Do you know how they framed me?"

"Uh..." Fran thought for a moment, then said, "They said you were hesitant and missed the opportunity. You were also determined to attack Bieson Harbor. If they hadn't stopped you, I'm afraid it would have caused a bigger disaster and you would have lost even more miserably."

"I knew it." Laferon didn't seem surprised at all. He continued, "If I really attacked Bieson Harbor at that time, how would the city lord respond?"

"I will send eight warships to intercept you." Fran said, "To be honest, these clergymen are not completely framed... If you really attack Bieson Port, you may lose more miserably than you have now. The shore-based artillery in Bieson Port is not for show.

"What about occupying the port?"

"Occupying the port is nonsense. After the battle, you know that the troops equipped with firearms are simply not something the dwarf sailors can contend with! On land, our Aurora City's army is the king. Without golems, you simply cannot stop tens of thousands of firearms troops. By then, the outcome of this war will be completely exposed to all forces, and you won't even be able to end it."

Fran smiled and said, "Of course, what you are doing will indeed cause me a lot of trouble. After all, Biesong Port is our economic lifeline. If you really want to sink and drive away the merchant ships along the way, our losses will be immeasurable. However, if you really do this, the reputation of the dwarves will also be greatly damaged. This is a lose-lose situation, and the only ones who will benefit in the end are the elves who are watching the show on the sidelines."

"You control our every move. And our weapons are inferior to yours." Laferon said helplessly, "I have lost this war sincerely."

"Mr. Laferon, I can't understand one thing." Fran said, "The flying ability of the Feather Tribe should be very useful for a maritime power. Why don't you recruit the Feather Tribe? Instead, you want to kill them all and force them to become enemies?"

After hearing this, Laferon was visibly stunned.

"What? Have you never considered this possibility?" Fran asked with some confusion.

Laferon frowned, then slowly said, "From the time we were born, we have been taught that the Feather Tribe is a dirty, evil race. They only know how to plunder and slaughter, and they have shown us many examples of their brutal fighting. So no dwarf would consider fighting alongside the Feather Tribe.

"But..." Fran was about to say something, but was interrupted by Laferon.

"I know what the city lord wants to say." Laferon said, "I have come into contact with the Feather Tribe many times, so of course I know that they are not such a race! I also know the real reason why the Feather Tribe plundered, which is that we, the maritime forces, are trying to kill them all! But it is precisely because of so many years of teaching by words and deeds that the dwarves' hatred for the Feather Tribe has penetrated into their bones, and the resistance to recruiting the Feather Tribe is very great."

“Who has been instilling this idea in you?”

"Hall of Valor." Laferon said without hesitation.

"That's strange!" Fran said, "Doesn't Valhalla know the strategic significance of the Feather Tribe?"

"How can we mortals guess what the priests are thinking?" Laferon said with a wry smile, "If the city lord is interested in the feud between the dwarves and the Feather Tribe, why doesn't he just ask the Feather Tribe directly?"

"They...Flan said, "They have been hunted for so long, and have been constantly changing their habitats, so they have long lost a lot of their history. But they once said that there was a powerful feather tribe empire on the Volsas continent, called the Thousand Feather Empire. But it was later destroyed by the dwarves. Do you know about this incident?"

Laferon frowned, and after a long while he shook his head and said, "I don't know... If the Feather Tribe really has a glorious history, the priests obviously won't tell us."

"Could it be that your dwarf god has a grudge against the Feather Tribe?" Fran said, "He deliberately wants to wipe out the Feather Tribe's existence in this world."

“Perhaps the city lord can capture a few dwarf priests for interrogation. Maybe we can get some information from them.” Laferen suggested with a smile.

"Such a proposal should not come from the fleet commander-in-chief." Fran raised her eyebrows.

Laferon said, "To be honest, I am also curious about why we hate the Feather Tribe so much. But in the Dwarf Empire, Valhalla is a mysterious place. They manage the issuance, charging and operation of mechanical cores! In this way, they control the lifeblood of the entire empire, and at the same time seal themselves with thick bricks and stones. The outside world does not know what these priests are doing, and sometimes even we ourselves do not know what we believe in. So if the city lord has heard of the relevant secrets, I hope you can share them with me."

After exchanging a few quick greetings with Laferon, Fran left the dungeon.

It seems that unlike the elves' fanatical belief in the Dwarf God, the Dwarves' belief in the Dwarf God is not as strong as imagined. However, judging from the situation in the past hundred years, the Dwarf God can be said to be the most active and the most "people-friendly" god among all the gods in the main plane. He performs miracles very frequently, and many of them are closely related to people's livelihood, which is completely different from other high-ranking gods in the past.

But a god who performs miracles so frequently does not seem to care whether people are devout to him.

Faith is everything to a god!

This dwarf god is really an outlier.

Chapter 254: Saint Lady Does Not Want to Be Unemployed (Additional Updates with Recommendation Votes)

A month later, the dwarves paid all the compensation and ransom to Fran's account. Fran then released all the captured dwarf warriors and let them drive the iron turtles anchored at the port back to the dwarf empire.

It was reasonable for the prisoners to drive back the captured warships.

At this point, the war with the dwarves came to a successful conclusion, and Fran became the undisputed sea overlord on the northern coast of the Endless Ocean.

The main force of the Orila Fleet brought the entire family of the Feather Tribe to the Calradia continent, where a home has been prepared for them!

Of course, this moving project was a huge undertaking. The first group of people to move in were the elderly, the weak, the women and the children of the Feather Tribe. After that, they had to make many trips back and forth to complete the process. The whole process even lasted a whole year, which was known as wandering... Bang!

During the moving process, Petrekhey also actively contacted other Feathered compatriots, persuading them to end their days of wandering and looting on the sea and come together to build a new home in Calradia.

Fran's move was also praised by various maritime chambers of commerce. With fewer Feather Tribes, they no longer had to worry as much as before. After all, most merchant ships had weak defenses, and they could only pay tolls when they saw Feather Tribes. Hiring more guards meant spending more money, not to mention that sometimes those guards would suddenly turn into pirates.

However, when Fulan checked the "accounts" with the Feather Clan of each tribe, she found that the number of times the Feather Clan went out to plunder did not seem to match the number of times the caravans were robbed, and the difference was even far. Among so many plundering cases, only one-third were done by the Feather Clan! Even many brutal massacres had nothing to do with the Feather Clan.

What exactly happened in this, only God knows.

There is only one real Zhang Mazi, but there are fake Zhang Mazi everywhere.

Fran had been wondering before that the purpose of the Feather Tribe was to plunder money, and their transportation capacity was limited. It was impossible for them to empty an entire fleet, not to mention slaughtering the caravan in a brutal way, which would not benefit them at all.

Now, after this reconciliation, Fran could probably guess what was going on.