Chapter 14

The warship one serves on is the deepest source of pride for sailors, a sanctity that rivals the reverence for ancestors among the Chinese. Even the White Eagle Navy, which was the top naval power in the old world, briefly reactivated several battleships that had been mothballed after World War II during the late Cold War, decades after aircraft carriers had dominated the seas. During this period, countless naval personnel applied to transfer to the battleships, including many elite veterans who had served on aircraft carriers for years. Sailors were eager to serve on a majestic battleship, a distinguished service record that no other warship could match. The prominent status of battleships in the navy was irreplaceable, even by the new era's dominant aircraft carriers.

For the same reason, the elegant and powerful second-hand Elven warship, the Yangwei, was a source of pride for sailors like Zola and his crew. Anyone who dared to insult this warship was challenging their self-respect and professional honor.

Seeing this, Luo Zhengdao shrugged indifferently and said to the boatswain:

"Very well, if you feel that way, there's no problem."

While Luo Zhengdao was carefully setting a trap for the boatswain, the white sails of the ships following the Yangwei were gradually drawing closer in the field of vision. Without the aid of a telescope, it was clear that the leading ships were the sail-and-oar warships commonly used by the smugglers of the Starry Sea.

Beyond the liquid ocean in the coastal areas, the vast expanse of the Aether Sea, as it was called by the people of the New World, was actually a simplified term for a nearly infinite void. The Aether particles, which were completely stationary, could not be observed by the naked eye of intelligent species. Only when external forces disturbed them, and the Aether particles were excited, did they produce a strange dark golden glow and ripples of energy interference, revealing the most incredible natural wonders of the New World to the observers.

The navigators of the New World sailed on the Aether Sea, and the star-like points of light they saw were not real celestial bodies. Some were distant island outposts, others were projections of other planes in the material world, and still others were mysterious and unknown places that would trap explorers and never let them return.

Ships sailing in the seemingly empty Aether Sea must use sea-floatwood, which naturally repels Aether particles, as the main material to ensure sufficient buoyancy. Otherwise, if a ship encountered a special area with low Aether particle density, it might sink rapidly to the dark depths of the Aether Sea, leaving the sailors trapped and doomed to die of thirst or starvation. Or, if they still had the strength and courage, they could pry a piece of sea-floatwood from the ship and escape the silent death trap. This was one of the deep-seated fears of New World navigators.

The mysterious Aether Sea was filled with various dangers, and choosing to sail above the sea level was courting death. As the altitude increased, the unpredictable Mana particles in the Aether Sea could suddenly turn into a Mana storm, breaking the ship's mast or even dispersing the ship. In short, New World navigators could only maintain their ships at the sea level, the safest navigable area, and any extreme behavior that deviated from the norm usually ended in a costly and futile adventure.

On the common sail-and-oar warships of the Starry Sea, a large number of sea-floatwood oars were equipped. Although this required many people to row, reducing the cargo capacity and the number of cannons, and sacrificing the ship's sturdiness, there was always a silver lining. The sail-and-oar warships gained more reliable mobility and safety than regular sail warships. Even if they fell into the "Aether Trap" with low particle density, the sail-and-oar ships could use their oars to provide additional power and lift to escape the dire situation. For this reason, these less economical ships were particularly favored by smugglers, who navigated through dangerous areas that ordinary sail ships avoided to evade the high taxes imposed by various navies, especially for smuggling between the outer seas and the mainland.

Luo Zhengdao's provocation put the boatswain in a difficult position. Zola Hegel's already dark face now rivaled the bottom of a pot. He stormed off the command deck, then suddenly paused, seemingly realizing he had been tricked, and his mood grew even more irate.

Zola Hegel, seething with anger, walked forward, scolding the sailors for their lack of preparation. He shouted loudly:

"Prepare for battle! You brats, don't think about slacking off. Why are your hands shaking? Secure the rigging, and if anything goes wrong, I'll send you to drag the keel."

The three-masted warship Yangwei was a newly refurbished second-hand Elven battleship. Despite being a used ship, it was still a genuine military vessel, with its internal and external structure and configuration designed for combat, far surpassing the amateur warships. As the Yangwei, like a swan gliding through the water, completed a tight turn in front of the pursuers, presenting its massive, fortress-like hull to the enemy, the bronze cannons were pushed out of the gunports, and a solemn and deadly atmosphere began to spread.

"Hmm, it's not the goblins? Then who could it be?"

Luo Zhengdao put down his telescope, frowning. In his view, it was only natural for the goblin fleet to pursue him, as they were not of his kind. However, the type of ships in the pursuing fleet was mixed, clearly a motley crew, and the number of ships was far fewer than the goblin fleet. This situation was too strange. Could they be Will Needham's old enemies?

"The young scion of the Fluss family is quite skilled! Move in, surround them, and don't let this boy escape."

Through the telescope, the mysterious man in the black hooded cloak identified the target and chuckled sinisterly, ordering the fleet to change formation from a single column for high-speed pursuit to a V-shaped formation for flanking.

Seeing this, Luo Zhengdao quickly made the necessary adjustments, turning to the signalman and shouting:

"Raise the flag, tell the Chaoyong to stay away."

The existence of magic in the New World did not mean that liches and demigods were as common as dogs. In a normal world, such a scenario that would shatter the worldview of ordinary people would not occur. For most mortals in the New World, magic was like nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants to people from another world—everyone knew these terrifying weapons existed and could significantly impact their lives, but to see an intercontinental missile pass by their front door every day would be truly bizarre. Therefore, the New World lacked cheap and convenient civilian communication methods like radio in the old world. Apart from the exorbitantly priced magical artifacts, ships primarily relied on ancient flag signals and light signals for real-time communication, the most practical and convenient methods. Perhaps having too many expectations for a magical world was a sin. Of course, such immature communication channels were limited to transmitting simple content, and complex systems like the five-stroke flag code were not to be expected.

As a long string of signal flags was raised on the Yangwei's mast, the loyal one-eyed captain of the two-masted Chaoyong, Ful Shubang, though reluctant to withdraw from the battlefield, had to follow the Earl's orders, turning the ship away from the center of the battle and maintaining a safe distance from the Yangwei, which was preparing for combat.

"Enemy ship at six hundred yards!"

There was no suitable person for the position of gunnery officer on the flagship Yangwei. Ballistics was not a technology that an illiterate could master, so the half-elf beauty Vina Dubov was responsible for the task, at least her mathematical skills were reliable, far more so than Luo Zhengdao, who had forgotten all his math knowledge after passing the college entrance exam.

The original cannons certified by the Elven Royal Armory had been removed when the Yangwei was decommissioned. The cannons currently on board were of unknown origin, allegedly cheap exports from the Kingdom of Yogyakarta, though their actual source was uncertain. The bald owner of the Ambon shipyard had confidently promised that these cannons were of top quality and could even withstand double the standard charge of gunpowder in emergencies. Having seen the unscrupulous merchants in the old world, Luo Zhengdao was skeptical of the quality of these unbranded products.

Hearing Vina Dubov's report, Luo Zhengdao hesitated for a moment and said:

"Don't fire yet, wait a bit longer."

The closer the distance, the easier it was to hit the target, a rule that applied to both the old and new worlds. At six hundred yards, which was relatively close compared to the theoretical maximum range of over 1,500 yards, Luo Zhengdao felt it was not the right time to fire. Vina Dubov, understanding his decision, continued to adjust the instruments and calculate the trajectory based on the changing positions.

After two minutes, Vina Dubov reported the new data, saying softly:

"Enemy ship at four hundred yards! Elevation twelve."

Luo Zhengdao nodded without a word. Four hundred yards in the New World was approximately 300 meters in the old world, close enough for the Yangwei's gunners to fire, but they had not yet received the order to attack. Instead, the enemy opened fire first.

"Boom! Boom! Boom..."

"Prepare to evade the cannon fire, get the sand buckets ready for fire suppression."

The stone projectiles soared through the Aether Sea, creating dazzling golden trajectories as they rubbed against the dense Aether particles. The chaotic and inaccurate cannon fire came from the four sail-and-oar warships, and the boatswain, Zola Hegel, who had temporarily taken the first mate's position, called for a zigzag maneuver to evade the attack. Unfortunately, the enemy's gunnery skills were poor, and only one near-miss projectile grazed the Yangwei's bow at about thirty meters, while the rest of the projectiles, flying in Brownian motion, who knew where they landed.

After this chaotic round of cannon fire, the Yangwei, the target of the attack, remained unscathed. It was unclear whether to attribute this to Luo Zhengdao's good luck or the enemy's poor combat skills.

"Three hundred yards! Elevation four, left wind correction one."

Opportunities are fleeting. After Vina Dubov reported the new data, the Yangwei's gunners adjusted the cannon parameters and aimed. Having just been hit by cannon fire, Luo Zhengdao, though inexperienced, knew they could not keep enduring. Cowardly behavior would demoralize the crew. He drew his sword, pointed it at the approaching enemy ships, and shouted:

"Prepare to fire... Ignite!"

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