Chapter 1004 - 945: Ingenious Strategy
Under the surveillance of the Blood Eagle, Silver Leg Xiluo’s escort fleet reached the outer seas contaminated by poison blood. As Da Fei expected, the escorting Sea Monsters stopped at the periphery without entering, while a warship and a large cargo ship from Xiluo’s fleet entered the archipelago sea without hesitation.
Upon seeing that large cargo ship, Da Fei felt an uncontrollable excitement. Who knows how lucrative this ship’s cargo is! Alright, taking the belongings of a wanted criminal doesn’t count as theft. Let me see the prowess of an S-level wanted criminal.
The Radiant Wings and the Jade Dragon began to move forward to intercept, aiming primarily to block the escape route of the opponent and to divert fire for the Flying ship. Although Da Fei didn’t think their configuration posed any threat to the Flying, it’s still best to be cautious as this is an NPC faction.
As for the Flying ship, it cautiously stayed in the back to remain unseen, ready to leap out for a surprise at any moment. With every move of the opponent under the watch of the Blood Eagle, Da Fei was extremely confident.
Discovering Da Fei’s fleet, Xiluo coldly smiled as he raised his hand; suddenly, the deck covers on the surface of the warship were lifted, revealing a chimney-like gaping cannon mouth!
What the heck is this? Da Fei was shocked.
Generally, the cannon positions on sailing ships are on the left and right sides of the ships. Sea battles also positioned ships sideways to exchange crossbow cannon fire. In this scenario, the warship’s maneuver was fairly restricted.
Thus, another type of ship design came to be: the Catapult warship. Just like the Ghost Fleet Da Fei encountered at the Fire Dragon Island in the Nether Sea, these warships had catapults installed beneath the deck. The catapults could rotate in all directions, allowing for omnidirectional bombardment, offering maneuver flexibility without limiting ship movement and boasting great power. This resembled the modern warship’s turret.
But the drawback is, the hit accuracy of a catapult wasn’t high to begin with, and even less so on the waves of a shaking warship. So, a large number was needed to ensure hits, which is why Da Fei encountered a massive fleet of catapult ships in the Nether Sea. However, even with such a large scale, the hit rate was only that mediocre.
Now, the mouth of Xiluo’s cannon bellowed smoke like a large chimney, flashing with flames, and Da Fei knew he had encountered a new type of cannon! This vertical launching cannon was no longer like a modern warship’s turret; it was a vertically launched ship missile!
Okay! Let me see its accuracy, power, and range!
Da Fei immediately waved his hand, and the deck troops on the Radiant Wings and the Jade Dragon retracted into the cabins. Though Da Fei doubted this cannon’s precision, what if it did hit?
As the sides continued to close in, flames impatiently spewed from the cannon chimney. This was certainly a nemesis for wooden ships, such a setup also made Da Fei secretly startled! The warrant said Xiluo stole the formula for Blast Potion from the Seven Cities Alliance; maybe this was a high-end product of that formula?
Bah! Scared of nothing, the Radiant Wings was a hero ship capable of self-healing, and the Jade Dragon had a durability of 500,000—can it be destroyed in one shot? Anyway, seeing the power of one shot is necessary!
With firm confidence, Da Fei continued to move forward.
As the battle approached, Xiluo coldly smiled and swung his hand—boom! The ship trembled violently, and from the chimney, a massive fireball blasted out, rising gradually and casting a dazzling arc in mid-air. Then, in Da Fei’s disbelief, it crashed onto the Radiant Wings with unimaginable precision!
Boom!!! Sparks flew everywhere as the entire Radiant Wings was instantly submerged in a sea of fire, and the ship’s ropes and sails were instantly incinerated!
Damn! It was truly precise, fierce, and far-reaching. Had it not been for my guard, my deck troops would have been wiped out!
Alright, now it’s my turn, I’ll let you know what real high technology is!
Da Fei waved a hand, and the Flying ship flashed with demon light, disappeared, then—crack boom! Amidst gigantic waves and water splashes, the Flying ship appeared at the stern of Xiluo’s warship!
Yes, at the stern. This is the weakest firepower point of all warships, even completely absent. Though the cannon doors along Xiluo’s warship sides were all open and ready, it was helpless against a spatial shift from the stern, and could only temporarily dispatch deck troops to bolster defense.
And in the next moment, they faced the Angels Army charging forth, and the slaughter began!
Mortals, are just mortals. Even wanted criminals are mortals! Facing the Angel Army under Da Fei’s overwhelming attribute bonus, Xiluo’s seemingly formidable deck troops were utterly powerless!
And watching the raging flames on the Radiant Wings, and the continuous single-digit damage flying everywhere on the ship, Da Fei couldn’t help but sigh. Had I known the opponent was so weak, why did I let the Radiant Wings suffer? But then again, it’s not that the opponent is weak—it’s that I’m too strong!
At this moment, facing Da Fei’s absolute advantage, Xiluo immediately knelt to beg: "Hero! Spare my life! You’ve come to capture me, right? If you let me go, I’ll follow you at once!"
—System Prompt: Wanted Criminal Xiluo fears your might and requests surrender. Do you accept?
—Task Hint: After surrendering, the wanted criminal is in a semi-submissive state. You can either hand them over to justice or recruit them as your subordinate. Warning: Recruiting the criminal directly will decrease your Alliance Reputation. It’s recommended to hand them over for justice and pay a certain amount of Gold Coins to cleanse the criminal subordinate’s crimes, which will not affect your Alliance Reputation.
Damn, capturing wanted criminals has such perks? I always thought wanted criminals were fierce and vicious, but it turns out they’re sensible talents! Alright, that’ll make things easier; I’ve got a clever plan and need them to betray their comrades. Of course, I can’t agree to their demands.
Da Fei immediately shouted: "Cease all resistance, or face impossible reprieve!"
Xiluo immediately smartly waved: "Comrades, accept your fate! Don’t resist anymore!"
In an instant, all the sailors on the ship turned into yellow names.
——System Prompt: Battle finished! You gained 170,000 experience points, discovered spoils of war: 2900 units of dried fish, 20 units of liquor, and 80 units of weapons.
Oh yeah, there is indeed liquor; this is exactly the effect I wanted. Da Fei waved his hand grandly: "Round up everyone and detain all ships, and behave yourselves."
Thus, without any resistance from the other side, Da Fei’s fleet smoothly detained two of the opponent’s ships. The key player in this operation, Ista, sneaked into the cargo hold of the freighter without anyone noticing.
——System Prompt: Your follower citizen Ista successfully used Advanced Poisoning Skill on 1 unit of liquor, poison released successfully!
Oh yeah! Success! Hurry up, keep working hard.
Da Fei boarded Xiluo’s warship and went to the heavily guarded Xiluo. Xiluo was obviously impatient with Da Fei’s silence: "Hero, don’t think I’ve committed any crime. I merely acquired the Seven Cities Alliance’s advanced technology that makes any kingdom envious, which is the Flame Cannon you’re looking at. Only I can operate it accurately. Turning me over to the kingdom is just letting them have the technology, while for you, it’s nothing more than getting a small merit, a tiny official title that won’t benefit you at all."
Oh my! He’s actively trying to persuade me, impressive! As we spoke, another system prompt appeared:
——System Prompt: Your follower citizen Ista successfully used Advanced Poisoning Skill on 1 unit of liquor, poison released successfully! Ista has acquired information on Expert Poisoning Skill.
Hahaha, there’s even more information coming out, keep going! I’ll buy you some time!
Da Fei sighed slowly: "The high technology of the Seven Cities Alliance that you pride yourself on was defeated in an instant by my advanced technology. What’s there to be proud of? In reality, meeting you was purely by chance, and I’m so powerful that I’m not interested in your cannon. I just want to ask you for a favor."
Xiluo was surprised: "What favor?"
Da Fei patted his head. Honestly speaking, I never think I have enough good stuff. I’m actually interested in your cannon, and I’m a bit conflicted about it.
Da Fei hesitated for a while, stalling for a few more seconds, and finally waited for Ista to flash another piece of information. Oh my, isn’t this acting a bit too exaggerated in front of an NPC that supposedly knows everything? Is the system secretly calling me a fool?
Da Fei sighed: "I want you to pass a message to the Naga General; I want to establish normal trade relations with the Naga Clan. I heard that weapons can be sold at a high price to the Naga, and as for me—" As he spoke, Da Fei took out his Military Transporter’s Professional Experience: "I am destined to become a military transporter, you get it!?"
Xiluo’s eyes widened: "That’s all you want me to say?"
Da Fei nodded and said seriously: "Exactly! In my eyes, making big money is the most important thing; everything else is child’s play."
Xiluo looked again in amazement at the bubbling sea around them: "This is all your doing?"
Da Fei nodded: "Scared, huh?"
Xiluo exclaimed in surprise: "You’re openly challenging the Naga’s authority. How could the Naga General possibly agree to your request?"
I don’t care if you agree or not; I’m just killing time chatting with you! As another system prompt flashed, Da Fei slowly snorted: "This is called showing strength, you know? Without strength, you’re nothing, and the Naga wouldn’t even glance at me, let alone negotiate, you understand?"
Xiluo was silent at once. Needless to say, he understood; okay, take your time to think about it, and think a little longer.
Finally, Xiluo spoke: "If you want to let me go, then release the supplies too, otherwise there’s no way to negotiate."
The 20 units of poisoned liquor were almost all poured. Da Fei laughed heartily: "It’s just a bunch of stinky salted fish; I’m not interested, you’re free to go!"
With that said, all of Da Fei’s troops withdrew. Watching Xiluo regain his freedom, he couldn’t believe it entirely but ultimately couldn’t wait to set sail and flee.
Meanwhile, Da Fei was feeling anxious; whether it works or not, let’s just take a gamble! At this moment, Anlicia approached with a smile and said: "Lord City Lord, although the success rate isn’t very high, if you manage to mistakenly achieve agreement with the Naga, it would be unimaginable."
Da Fei was startled, oh my, although it’s unlikely, what if it actually succeeds? How would I position myself between the Siren and the Naga? Get them to reconcile? Ah, I’m overthinking it...
(Dear readers, I’m going to have a New Year’s dinner tonight, so there will probably only be this one update today.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)