Extraordinary Voyage

The leaden clouds were densely clustered over the sea, pressing down extremely low.

The air was oppressive with very little wind, evidently signaling the quiet brewing of a storm, a common occurrence in the Black Sea.

Even before the summer season, when storms are most frequent and massive, the Black Sea constantly reminds humans of its ruthlessness and callousness!

In this impending foreseeable adverse weather, a vast sailing fleet had no choice but to drift slowly across the sea, propelled purely by ocean currents.

The timing of the voyage for wind-powered wooden ships is extremely difficult to determine. Encountering consecutive windless days or adverse weather can easily result in delays of ten, fifteen days, or even longer, without any surprise.

And to add insult to injury, their troubles did not end there.

"Be careful! That monster is coming again!"

Boom——

A colossal shadow suddenly surged from the water at the edge of the fleet, flipping its giant tail as it leaped high from the sea, clearing the forty-meter mast of a warship and diving in on the other side.

During this time, its image was revealed to the sailors.

Ssss——

Everyone on the nearby ships gasped in shock.

It was a massive sea fish nearly a hundred meters long with a mouth full of sharp teeth, known as a [Large Species: Giant Water Wolf Fang Fish]. Its menacing appearance combined with iron-grey scales made it look like a mechanical monster forged from steel.

Pa——

With just a simple flick of its tail creating a turbulent wave, the Level 5 Cruiser, which was thirty-nine meters long, shuddered violently, causing many crew members on the deck to be shaken off.

"Ah! Help!"

"No——!"

Before those struggling in the water could escape back to the ship, they were swallowed whole by the opening mouth, which was almost half the length of the monstrous fish itself.

As if toying with these land creatures, the wild Sea Monster, the Giant Water Wolf Fang Fish, prowled beneath the fleet choosing between the ships, as if they weren't ships but delicious snack boxes filled with little chunks of meat.

It was just waiting to feast triumphantly.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!....

The escort fleet flying the Flame Banner assembled, lowering their cannons to bombard it continuously, firing solid shells and grape bombs repeatedly, turning the greenish-blue smoke into a cloud of mist.

With a powerful Extraordinary captain throwing a specially crafted harpoon, the results were minimal against the large species Sea Monster with its hard scales and super high swimming speed.

"Damn it! Keep firing!"

Without any targeted attack means against what's underwater, at most these cruisers could only scare off the large species with concentrated artillery fire.

Even the Level 3 Ships from the escort fleet found it extremely difficult to inflict substantial damage by concentrating fire.

Until...

Boom!

As if a blazing sun suddenly descended, driving away all traces of winter chill remaining over the sea.

From a uniquely exterior-designed warship at the front of the fleet, a yellow-white intermingled column of flame shot out, vaporizing a large area of seawater across a distance of nearly two hundred meters, effortlessly piercing through the head of this enormous sea monster!

Howl——

The Giant Water Wolf Fang Fish, which had just been parading its might with no one daring to challenge it, now perished on the spot without any resistance, slowly floating to the surface.

Even though its iron-like flesh twitched and thrashed its tail, clearly it was no longer alive...

A stench of burnt flesh mixed with the aroma of roasted fish permeated the entire fleet.

"Resume escort formation! Keep moving forward!"

A cold, hard voice echoed like thunder across the sea, quickly restoring the spirits and morale of all the shocked sailors. As long as this lord is here, it's entirely safe even in the perilous deep sea.

Amidst the waving signal flags, the fleet's formation slowly adjusted, restoring the progression with merchant ships inside and escort ships on the outside.

The identity of this fleet had already become apparent.

It was none other than the Hilus Great Treasure Fleet returning each spring!

After the dispute over the Potosi Silver Mine on the New Continent had settled, they set sail officially and were now grandly returning to the Hilus Mainland along the shortest route between the "Golden Sea" and the Hilus Mainland.

This was the largest return voyage of the year, laden with unimaginable wealth plundered from the New Continent, including gold, silver, gems, tobacco, and ink trees...

The fleet totaled one hundred and twenty ships, comprising one hundred and two merchant vessels from both official fleets and Hilus' private ships, with escort ships made up of eighteen warships, all at least Level 5 Ships.

The leading flagship, which had just slain the Sea Monster, was called "Red Maple".

With the General's Banner, Noble Banner, Fleet Banner, and Commander's Banner fluttering from its bow-sprit, it led the entire fleet as the flagship and lead ship.

There was no doubt that it was a powerful "Quasi-Legendary Battleship"!

In terms of size, it was only slightly larger than a standard Level 3 Ship, and its largest shipborne artillery only had a caliber of 24 pounds, comparable to the "Storm Horn".

However, as a "Quasi-Legendary" vessel, the "Red Maple" certainly possessed the strength that matched its legendary moniker.

Its distinctiveness was evident even from its appearance, with its most notable feature being the bright red sails resembling burning maple leaves.

This warship had the fortune of receiving the blessing of an Angel under the "Eternal Flame" (through a ceremonial prayer, not an Angel Descent), gaining extraordinary speed rivaling that of a Legendary Battleship.

It had a regular speed of 18 knots and an extreme speed of 22 knots; even in completely windless conditions, it could achieve a baseline speed of 6 knots unconditionally.

Of course, this speed had its limitations too, as it required external ambient temperatures above zero degrees. Below zero, it would immediately regress to its original state.