Extraordinary Voyage

Swish, swish, swish——

The naval battle in the rain had fully erupted.

At this moment, the privateer fleet, all aboard cruisers, faced a large-scale fleet, and naturally, using a line of battle tactic was unsuitable.

As the cannons within firing range collectively spewed forth flames of fury.

The fleet fully capitalized on its speed advantage, swiftly weaving through and breaking through.

Four warships, led by the "Venus," aligned in a line like a sharp knife, cutting towards the slave ship fleet at a 45-degree angle.

[Specifications] Displacement 2340 tons, length 56.42 meters, width 14.90 meters, sail area 3213 square meters, crew capacity 450 people, speed twelve knots (without activating Monsoon Goddess and Ocean Current Horn).

[Miltiary Preparation] Double-layered full-battery deck: 28 32-pound cannons, 28 24-pound cannons, 2 24-pound bow and stern cannons.

Among the combatants, by any metric, the "Venus" held absolute dominion.

Other Level 5 Battleships, after targeted modifications by Aiven, were inherently faster than the fully-loaded two-masted mixed sail ships.

As the fleet charged, it was like a rapid cavalry unit led by knight-elephants!

Moreover, Aiven also activated the effect of [Ocean Treasure: Ocean Current Horn], creating a high-speed ocean current below the attacking fleet, allowing the fleet to accelerate once more.

Whoosh, whoosh——

At this moment, it seemed as if the entire sky and the whole sea were assisting them.

"Ignorant pirates!

Order: Adjust three compass points to the right.

Gunners ready, open the gun ports, engage them in parallel firing!"

On the "St. Cruz Merchant," serving as flagship and lead ship.

Captain Hobian saw this group of pirates who appeared out of nowhere, actually daring to attack him, a member of the Santababia Company.

Like a noble offended by a beggar, disbelief mingled with anger, he roared out his commands.

For a battleship, this was the correct tactic, fully leveraging its firepower superiority.

"How can they be so fast?!"

However, shortly after issuing his command, he found that the four enemy warships had already dashed forward like lightning, piercing straight into his formation.

Their speed was so fast that even his Level 3 Battleships did not complete their tactical turn to confront them.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!...

Orange cannon flames sparkled in the rain.

Trapped in the blind spot for close-range firing against the slave ships, three Level 5 Battleships used mainly chain shots and grape bombs to harm the ship deck personnel, damaging masts to restrict their maneuverability.

Pillaging isn't fighting; sinking the opponent's ships would mean losing out on even the cost of their own ammunition, wouldn't it?

Meanwhile, the "Venus," as the fleet's main force, aimed its cannons at the plump rear of the Level 3 "St. Cruz Merchant."

In the moment they passed by each other.

"Fire!"

The heavy cruiser's 24-pound and 32-pound cannon shells roared out one after the other, under the incredulous eyes of the opposing ship's crew.

"Impossible——!"

32-pound cannons can only be equipped on Level 3 and above battleships, a well-known fact since ordinary warship hulls cannot withstand their recoil.

A cruiser fitted with so many 32-pound cannons was terrifyingly unexpected to the battleship crew.

The gunners on the "Venus" didn't care about their shock, following tactical training they carried out shooting operations step by step.

At this time, the cruiser had only two continuous decks, the top one open design.

After forecasting the weather, Aiven had long ordered the pirates to erect rain covers in advance to ensure all warship deck cannons could fire normally.

In heavy rain it might be difficult, but in the current moderate wind and rain, it was not an issue.

Minutes later, the two sides completely disengaged.

The three cruisers achieved impressive results, dividing the slave fleet into disarray with just one assault.

Two slave ships had their fore masts bearing horizontal sails severed, nearly immobilizing them completely.

However.

"What's going on?!"

On the contrary, "- the "Venus," mainly targeting the battleship, was in an awkward position.

Although the time passing by was extremely short, and pirate gunners, despite emergency training, couldn't reach the speed of the elite navy, 28 32-pound cannons only had time for one shot each.

Nevertheless....

Until they left the firing angle, the "St. Cruz Merchant" was almost unscathed!

It's known that the heavy cruiser is equipped with 32-pound cannons capable of breaking an enemy ship's keel at close range!

The Gunpowder Chief from the navy aboard the "Venus," one of only twenty-four, felt utterly ashamed, believing he had completely betrayed the Captain's trust.

If it weren't wartime, he might have drawn his sidearm and ended himself outright.

However, meantime Aiven also discovered anomalies on the opposing ship.

Whenever a cannonball was clearly supposed to land on the enemy, a solidified magic spiritual light enveloping the ship brightened.

Each flicker produced various accidents, causing the shots to miss, especially when aiming at the relatively smaller poop deck.

"The ship's figurehead of the Level 4 Battleship is indeed strange!"

Silently concluding, after the two fleets passed, Aiven issued a new command.

The three cruisers turned hard-starboard and returned to continue harassing the slave fleet, while the "Venus" broke off to independently make for the "St. Cruz Merchant" again.

"Gunpowder Chief ready! One more time!"

In the moment passing behind that Level 4 Battleship, the ship's cannons fired in sequence.

Boom! Boom! Boom!...

This time the battle results were a tad better; a 24-pound cannonball finally hit the enemy's sterncastle, but still couldn't deliver the refreshing blow as imagined.

It only pierced through a few cabins and then slanted into the sea, barely injuring any personnel.

At the same time, the heavy cruiser was hit on the side by a 6-pound cannon set on the battleship's sterncastle, but due to the heavy cruiser's thick shell, it didn't feel a thing, yet this comparison was indeed too abnormal.

It simply couldn't be explained by the unskilled handling of the cannon crew.

Captain Hobian on the "St. Cruz Merchant" stood at the sterncastle command post throughout, and from afar exchanged glances with Aiven, watching as the heavy cannons from the "Morning Star" returned fruitlessly once again.

Even though he was shocked by the fierce firepower of this cruiser, he still composed himself and laughed heartily as if unimpressed:

"Hahaha, in naval battles, no ship can sink the lucky 'St. Cruz Merchant', not even a Level 1 ship!"

On the surface, it was a taunt against the pirates opposite, but in reality, it was a psychological reassurance for his crew, almost scared stiff by the "Morning Star's" firepower.

And his confidence was in the recently installed [Ship's Figurehead: Lucky Gold Coin] on the battleship.

Its appearance is a naked wooden little angel, holding a shining gold coin with both hands.

Effect: Solidifies the "Chain of Accidents Technique", giving the warship a certain chance to evade attacks (missing).

Of course, while this evasion ability is strong, it's not foolproof. Close-range engagement is one of the most effective methods.

By minimizing the probability of accidental events, the effect of the figurehead can be greatly weakened.

After two probes and a reminder from Milan, who was an expert in this field, Aiven quickly realized this point.

Turning back, he saw the three cruisers behind him had beaten the slave ship into disarray, even the slightly slower "Iron Bone" had already engaged in a fierce boarding battle with the enemy's Level 5 ship "Rowing Song".

The cries of battle were earth-shaking, terrifying the enemies!

"Awooo—"

"Kill!"

Especially those wolf howls among them drew everyone's attention.

Ever since his navy and pirates divided up, Aiven quickly found a new material very suitable for making "Activated Beast Hides", and then finally extended his claws to land animals.

Which happened to be the Continental Gray Wolves found everywhere in the forests of the Northern New Continent during this period!

These are large canines living in the forests of the Northern New Continent, possibly the largest wolves within the human exploration range.

With gray and white fur, they have an average weight of 90 kilograms, a shoulder height of 90 centimeters, a body length of 250 centimeters, and a bite force of 700 pounds.

Unlike most large sharks suitable for "Activated Beast Hide" but prefer solitary living, wolf packs move in droves, catching a large group at once.

Typically, wolf packs consist of family members from the same lineage. Although limited by strict social hierarchy and territory, the number of members cannot expand infinitely, but the largest pack can reach nearly forty members.

Already more than enough for Aiven to make "Activated Beast Hides", greatly increasing the production efficiency of "Activated Beast Hides".

Especially since his second apprentice Calvin had become a Wizard Apprentice of the Vitalist School, assisting Aiven in simple auxiliary tasks, significantly boosting the production capacity of Activated Beast Hides.

And the pirate officers of the "Iron Bone" were the first users of these beast hides, and at this moment, had turned into a pack of human-shaped hungry wolves storming onto the enemy's warship, unleashing bloody mayhem.

The escort crew, whose courage had long been eroded by their comfortable life, were no match for them.

Aiven had already decided to gradually expand the range of "Activated Beast Hide" equipment and establish a series of assessments.

In addition to pirate officers, anyone who achieved enough merits could also receive this instantly powerful equipment!

While his subordinates advanced rapidly, he could not fall behind either.

It was merely a slave transport fleet, although it used some cunning tactics, the final outcome was certain.

"Seize the favorable wind, close in and fire parallel broadsides!"

Although reclassified as a cruiser, the hull of the originally Level 3 "Morning Star" was barely shorter than a Level 4 ship.

Aiven had ample confidence to disable the enemy before their ten exposed 9-pound cannons could unleash their power.

Whoosh—

Under the twin effects of the "Monsoon Goddess" and the "Ocean Current Horn", the "Morning Star" drew a large arc across the water.

With black sails billowing alongside its streamlined hull, it resembled a gracefully gliding black swan, once again closing in on the "St. Cruz Merchant".

Compared to the cruiser, the almost clumsy Level 4 battleship had no time to adjust its stance for engagement.

And this time, the cruiser's target was no longer the narrow sterncastle but the battleship's starboard side.

"Attention all cannon crews, solid shot, fire!"

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

When the "Morning Star" assumed a parallel firing position, the distance between the two was merely fifty meters; if even then they could miss, Aiven wouldn't need them to commit suicide—he would sink the useless bunch into the sea himself.

This tactical adjustment allowed them to finally experience the thrill of the heavy cruiser crushing its peers!

Even with the protection of the "Ship's Figurehead: Lucky Gold Coin", nothing could change the battleship's destined fate.

Kaboom—!!!

Just one round of salvo, and the heavy cannonballs with irresistible kinetic energy easily pierced through the hull of the "St. Cruz Merchant", wreaking havoc on the lower decks and cannon crews.

The exposed deck was further devastated by the large chain-shot fired from the 24-pound cannon, effortlessly severing its foremast.

"Captain, not good, two hits on the waterline, and the lower hold is heavily flooded!"

Hobian's face changed dramatically, realizing the limitations of the figurehead, no longer able to protect them, he quickly turned and shouted to his side:

"Wizard Rice!"

Upon hearing his name, the thin, black-robed old man didn't speak; his cold gaze swept over the "Morning Star" still pouring fire fifty meters away.

He pulled out a gourd-shaped flute from his robes and placed it at his lips, while putting a black clay jar on the ground beside him.

Woo woo—

In the low, husky sound of the flute.

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!...

The sudden hiss of snakes echoed on the ship, making one's hair stand on end.

At the same time, from the clay jar at his feet, a line of blue-purple stinking smoke suddenly surged out!