Chapter 59

Without being assigned a ship to command, Captain Brando Fiamma temporarily served as the first mate on the Yangwei, which also spared the trouble of lacking capable personnel for this position.

When he heard Luo Zhengdao's order, Brando was so delighted that he even showed his teeth, and he gave a thumbs up, saying:

"Rest assured, those green skins will never catch up to me. These green-skinned bastards, I'll make you eat shit and still not catch up."

Brando Fiamma was almost hanged by the goblins and dried into a human sausage. His hatred for the Goblin Empire was absolutely genuine. At this moment, he used his strength to rapidly turn the steering wheel. Before accelerating, Chief Mate Fiamma deliberately aligned the starboard side, which had no chance to fire, with the Phoenix. To be fair, temporary gunner Vina Dubov's gunnery skills were only passable, but as the distance between the two sides closed to where they could see each other's facial features, if she still missed, she might as well drown herself in a bowl of milk.

"Target, 110 yards ahead, elevation 5, all cannons fire in one-second intervals. Fire!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom..."

Hearing Vina's delicate attack command, the gunners on the Yangwei immediately followed the order, each inserting a red-hot iron rod into the firing holes in sequence. A series of rapid cannon shots echoed, and a dense layer of white smoke spread over the blue sea.

Luo Zhengdao also wanted to charge and crush the goblin fleet, but unfortunately, his own strength was insufficient. He only had two warships and a few hundred men, which was not enough to recklessly fight the goblins who dominated the mainland. Even if he fought to the bitter end and destroyed Mordo Blackwater's pursuit fleet today, the Goblin Empire, with its vast resources, could easily rebuild ten or even twenty fleets. Luo Zhengdao, who had little capital and little profit, naturally did not want to lose. Therefore, instead of taking a risky gamble, it was wiser to seize the opportunity and retreat while the situation was favorable.

Realizing this, Luo Zhengdao said to Chief Mate Brando Fiamma with a grim face:

"Lead them in circles, be careful, don't let them catch your tail."

"Don't worry! I'll handle this small matter."

The colorful feather decoration on Chief Mate Brando Fiamma's wide-brimmed hat danced in the wind. After patting his chest and giving a thumbs up, he still managed to flash a row of white teeth, which could have been used in a toothpaste commercial, and grinned at Luo Zhengdao, showing his charming and flirtatious nature.

When the warship Yangwei began to deliberately play a game of cat and mouse, the goblins also noticed that the situation was not in their favor. A goblin officer approached Mordo Blackwater and cautiously suggested:

"Commander, the number of Shawa fishmen's warships is increasing. Should we retreat to the open sea and reorganize?"

The Shawa fishmen, who retained many primitive tribal customs and were naturally cruel and bloodthirsty, were not much inferior to the goblins in individual combat, especially in near-shore waters. Accustomed to fighting independently, they were more at ease in chaotic battle conditions, and Shawa fishmen warriors were even more adept than goblin infantry, who relied on formation tactics to fully utilize their strength.

The battlefield was the best test for an army. The goblin commanders who only knew how to fight recklessly were long dead. Mordo Blackwater coldly surveyed the battlefield, showing no fear, but he had made his decision. He said in a low voice:

"Retreat! We will return."

A dragon in shallow water is mocked by shrimp, and a tiger in the plains is bullied by dogs. Mordo Blackwater might not know the saying from another world, but his anger and frustration were no less than being slapped in the face. After all, the goblins had defeated the powerful Bright Dynasty, yet today they were forced to retreat by a group of primitive tribes. This was an unprecedented humiliation for a goblin commander.

...

After the bloody and fiery battle, the Shawa fishmen kingdom welcomed a group of unwelcome guests. They met in the temporary palace of the fishman king.

This large, palace-like tent was indeed impressive. The outer layer was covered with oilcloth to protect against rain, moisture, and wind, the middle layer was made of felt for warmth and insulation, and the inner layer was made of silk, exuding a low-key luxury. Inside the tent, various weapons and war trophies from previous battles, as well as fierce sea creatures that had been hunted and preserved as specimens, were displayed, exuding a sense of opulence.

With its fish-like eyes wide open, the current fishman king, Aquero Fernando IV, sat on his throne, looking down coldly at the visitors. He spoke in a calm yet sharp tone in the common language:

"Human, who are you? Why have you come to my kingdom?"

Luo Zhengdao placed his hand on his chest and bowed, saying:

"I am the Baron of Fulu from the Bright Dynasty. I have come to your kingdom to seek cooperation."

On the red coral throne, the fishman king, who was as stout as a tree stump, burst into laughter and then sneered:

"Hehehe, don't humans look down on us Shawa fishmen? Or are you trying to deceive me?"

The enemy of my enemy can be my friend. To gain additional support, regardless of how much Luo Zhengdao disliked the fishy-smelling Shawa fishmen, he now desperately needed their help to contain the goblin fleet. So, under the ridicule, Luo Zhengdao remained unperturbed and smiled:

"Humans are not all the same. I can only represent my own stance. What others think is none of my business, isn't it?"

At this moment, an elderly Shawa fishman, speaking in broken Abyssal, said to Aquero IV:

"My king, these smooth-talking humans cannot be trusted. They are all liars."

Aquero, with a rough appearance that could ward off evil and prevent conception if his photo were posted on a door, glared at the old minister left by his father and shouted:

"Shut up, old fish head! Did I ask for your opinion?"

The conversation was briefly interrupted by this small incident. After a moment, the rough fishman king chuckled and continued in his imperfect common language:

"Alright! Human, what do you want?"

"Your Majesty dislikes the goblins, and so do I. We can cooperate on this matter."

The logic was sound, but Aquero Fernando IV felt that he was being used for nothing. He was not pleased and said:

"Why should I cooperate with you? With just your two small ships?"

Luo Zhengdao, who had anticipated this response and prepared his arguments, smiled and said:

"The goblins are your enemies, and they are also my enemies. Why can't we become friends?"

The fishman king's snake-like eyes flashed with a glint of intelligence. He thought for a moment and said:

"What do you mean by 'friends'?"

"Under the premise of not harming each other's interests, we can engage in equal trade, provide necessary conveniences, and exchange information about goblin activities."

A dead camel is still bigger than a horse! Although the Bright Dynasty had collapsed, this did not mean that its influence in the new world had completely disappeared. For the races living around the mainland, the human race was a giant they could not ignore. Even as the goblins were turning all humans into slaves and hunting down exiles, the ominous prophecy still reminded the onlookers that, compared to the goblins who had been biding their time for thousands of years, it was not impossible for humans to rise again.

After a brief silence, the fishman king Aquero slowly nodded and said:

"This proposal is worth serious consideration. Alright! I agree. We will proceed according to this plan for now. As for whether you humans are trustworthy, I will keep a close eye on you. Remember not to play any tricks on me."

Luo Zhengdao also smiled and said:

"We will become trustworthy friends, and I am very confident about that."

If asked what benefits Luo Zhengdao hoped to gain from the Shawa fishmen, he had not really thought it through. He considered it a strategic move, a way to make more friends and open more paths, as the old saying goes.

...

What exactly is a law? For this seemingly simple question, it is surprisingly difficult to give a simple answer.

The rising and setting of the sun, the shifting of the stars, the chirping of insects and the singing of birds, the summer rain and the winter snow, the changing of the seasons, the cycle of life from birth to death—everything that exists in the world, whether beautiful or ugly, is a manifestation of some law. For example, the natural phenomena that occur around people, such as water freezing into a solid called ice when it gets cold, and water evaporating into a gas called steam when it gets hot. These natural phenomena seem simple on the surface, and even children know they are due to temperature changes, but to ask why this happens, who set the rules for natural laws, and what is the basis for these changes, even the wisest of great men can only point to the sky.

Indeed, such questions, even if all human wisdom is exhausted in deep thought, will ultimately only lead to a sigh, as only the heavens know.

When normal people seek the answer to a question, they inadvertently enter the realm of philosophical speculation and quickly stop their thoughts. Only those with a stubborn mind continue to ask, "Why is this so?" Compared to ordinary people, magicians are a group of stubborn and single-minded individuals who want to understand why natural laws operate as they do, what elements make up the laws, and whether natural laws and laws can be rewritten.

No one knows how the magicians embarked on this profound journey of truth exploration, but the final result is clearly written in the ancient, sealed sheepskin documents. The new world gave birth to the magical cards, which are the ultimate defiance of nature.

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