Chapter 15

In the midst of cherry blossom petals dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there. In an instant, these tiny plant seeds, which usually appeared insignificant, burst forth with unparalleled destructive power when ignited by the high-temperature iron rod. With the golden flames and dense white smoke spewing from the bronze cannon, the thousand-pound cannon recoiled several meters. If not for the wooden gun carriage being secured by thick hemp ropes as thick as an adult's forearm and the complex pulley system to cushion the recoil, the cannons would have likely shot out in the opposite direction and fallen into the Ether Sea.

Vina Dubov, who had inherited excellent vision from her elven heritage, promptly reported the results of the engagement. She could hardly contain her joy as she shouted:

"Three hits in the first round! I suggest we turn the ship and prepare the starboard side to fire!"

Luo Zhengdao, naturally, followed this advice, nodding and saying:

"Turn the ship immediately and prepare the starboard cannons to fire."

The complex rigging on the Yangwei, which would make any layman dizzy at a glance, was adjusted with the skill of experienced sailors. The massive hull of the warship made a tight turn, the wooden planks creaking under the strain as if they might fall apart at any moment. The battlefield situation changed, with the Yangwei now engaging the enemy with its starboard side.

The cannon duel, a game of cat and mouse, continued to extend, and the distance between the two sides gradually narrowed. Through the limited field of view provided by the monocular, Luo Zhengdao could now clearly see the appearance of his enemies. How should he evaluate these opponents? In Luo Zhengdao's view, they were nothing more than a motley crew. On those half-old, half-new sail-and-oar warships, a mix of races could be seen on the decks: orcs, half-orcs, half-elves, tieflings, dwarves, and merfolk, with humans being the most numerous. Strangely, not a single goblin, whom he had expected, was to be seen.

If this were a professional pirate fleet, their poor performance would be a disgrace to pirates. Even a novice like Luo Zhengdao could see that their attacks lacked rhythm and their tactical coordination was laughably poor. To think they would dare to pursue a ship with a sixth-level battleship, were they out of their minds?

This cruel world does not believe in tears! Luo Zhengdao certainly would not easily believe in any nonsense about losing one's mind. In his view, there are only two types of coincidences in the world: one is when you don't know the reason, so you think it's a coincidence; the other is when you know there must be something fishy, but you have to call it a coincidence to comfort yourself. Since even a battlefield novice like Luo Zhengdao could see how poor the enemy's combat skills were, and how incompetent his own sailors were, the leader of these amateur pirates might as well hang himself with a noodle.

"Idiots, a bunch of useless fools!"

The black-robed mage, skilled in manipulating plots from behind the scenes but unaccustomed to commanding armies on the battlefield, was so angry that he almost ground his teeth to pieces. He cursed his incompetent subordinates in his heart. Despite this, no matter how unwilling he was to admit it, he could not win a battle on his own and needed these pig-like lackeys to achieve his goals. No matter how much resentment he harbored, he had to suppress it.

At the same time, when Luo Zhengdao first saw the mysterious figure hidden in the hooded cloak, he instinctively sensed a dangerous aura. It was like encountering a venomous snake in the dark of night; even if you couldn't see it clearly, a mere suspicion could make a person break out in a cold sweat.

Feeling the bone-chilling cold, Luo Zhengdao called the boatswain and asked directly:

"Zola, are you preparing for a boarding action?"

Zola Hegel, who had risen to the position of first mate through personal effort and a bit of luck, was skilled at reading people. He noticed the subtle change in Luo Zhengdao's expression and probed:

"Yes, Captain... You're not thinking of backing out, are you?"

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao swallowed hard and said with a bitter smile:

"Yes, I suggest you abandon this plan."

"Why?"

A qualified warrior must be as resolute as iron. You can't imagine a sissy with a兰花指 (lan huazhi, a term often used to describe a man with effeminate mannerisms) fighting without flinching. If such a person existed, they would probably only be a character like Dongfang Bubai in martial arts novels, or the legendary Theban Sacred Band that turned the tables on the Spartans. No matter how many flaws and defects Zola Hegel had, he was undeniably a true warrior, a paragon of unwavering determination. At this moment, facing Zola's eagle-like gaze, Luo Zhengdao felt like a coward fleeing from battle, but his instincts told him this was the right choice.

After several deep breaths, Luo Zhengdao tried to appear calm and said:

"That guy is too dangerous; it's not worth taking such a big risk."

The boatswain's dark face twitched, and he replied expressionlessly:

"Pirates never fear danger; we only fear returning home empty-handed. Captain, if you're afraid, you don't have to be part of this. Stay in a safe place. Brothers, let's go!"

Seeing this, Luo Zhengdao was speechless as Zola Hegel strode away. How could he explain his concerns? No matter how he tried to explain, it would be interpreted as a coward's baseless excuse. At this point, no matter what Luo Zhengdao said, it would only turn into a sigh. Understanding each other was too difficult.

"Thud—"

"Go! Kill them, slaughter these pigs!"

The deep, prolonged sound of the ship's hull colliding marked the beginning of the bloody and brutal boarding action. The pirates' frenzied shouts for wealth were even more chilling. No matter how wide the warship's deck was, it could not be compared to land warfare, especially with obstacles like rigging everywhere. The long spears and halberds used in land battles were useless in such a cramped environment, so the pirates engaged in close combat with short weapons like swords and knives. Of course, the poor battlefield conditions did not mean that ranged weapons were useless. In naval battles, the effectiveness of ranged weapons like bows and muskets was even greater due to the numerous obstacles.

On the warship's masts and crow's nests, archers and musketeers were firing as fast as they could, trying to suppress the enemy with their ranged attacks. The high vantage points gave them an excellent stage for their deadly work. The point-and-shoot style of ranged attacks, targeting unarmored and vulnerable enemies, made the slaughter even more efficient than in land battles.

As per the unwritten tradition of boarding actions, before the two ships began to throw ropes at each other, the light swivel guns and carronades on the deck were already loaded with grapeshot and canister shot. When the distance closed to the point where sailors could almost touch the enemy's hull, the first to jump onto the enemy deck engaged in a brutal game of cannons firing at point-blank range. Each cannon blast took multiple lives, and the cheapness of death and slaughter was evident. No one on the battlefield was absolutely safe.

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

"Kill them! Go! Slaughter these bastards! We want money, lots and lots of money! Damn it, don't get in my way if you don't want to die! Great War God, please protect me!"

Having chickened out before the battle, Luo Zhengdao was now a spectator, watching the action from the command deck of the Yangwei with Vina Dubov. He was anxious, but his thoughts about the battle would not change the course of events.

The brave boatswain Zola Hegel, holding a pepperbox pistol in his left hand and a broadsword in his right, led the pirates in a charge. True to his reputation as a seasoned pirate, when they collectively charged the enemy ship's deck, their bloodthirsty determination infected even the spectators. Luo Zhengdao felt a surge of excitement but quickly calmed down. The mysterious figure in the black hood and cloak on the enemy ship continued to give him an ominous premonition. He needed to be ready to act and help his reluctant subordinates clean up the mess.

"Inferno Bolt!"

"Boom—"

"Ah! Help! Help! I'm on fire! Help!"

Sure enough, the situation developed as Luo Zhengdao had feared. Just when everything seemed to be going smoothly, an unexpected event occurred. Whenever it involved predicting the future, things usually went wrong. Good predictions rarely came true, but bad ones often did. At this moment, a golden flame the size of a house suddenly appeared among the combatants. The fireball exploded into a raging inferno, engulfing a dozen of Luo Zhengdao's sailors and an equal number of enemy crew members, turning them into screaming human torches rolling on the ground.

Seeing this, even Luo Zhengdao, who was mentally prepared, couldn't help but gasp. Damn, this is too brutal, clearly aiming to kill everyone, friend or foe!

"Infernal Roar!"

"Rain of Magic!"

"Crown of Madness!"

"Curse of the Demon Moon!"

At this chaotic moment, as both sides engaged in a fierce boarding action, the mysterious black-robed figure's spellcasting did not pause, even at the risk of harming his own side. The rapid succession of spells defied the concept of the new world's arcane practitioners, known as "mages."

Only then did some of Luo Zhengdao's pirates recognize the black-robed figure's true profession. They shouted in a hoarse, wailing voice:

"Warlock! He's a warlock! Everyone, retreat quickly!"

"This guy is a mage!"

"Run!"

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