Chapter 299 - 278: The Naval Battle Outside Elorin City
Facing the seeming threat from a Master-level Phoenix Feather, Da Bing definitely wouldn’t engage without preparation. Nor did he plan to report it to Da Fei. If every little thing needed to alert the big boss, what was his use? Moreover, reporting to Da Fei wouldn’t solve anything; he still needed to figure it out himself.
So, Da Bing intended to resolve this matter on his own. The 500-cabin medium cargo ship was a standard clunker with no gun cabins, no sailor quarters, and absolutely zero self-defense capabilities. Its base speed was an extremely slow 4, making it impossible to escape pursuit by any ship. So on one hand, he would, of course, recruit Little Sword with the strength of his 10 Dark Night Druids, equivalent to level 6 troops, serving as powerful bodyguards. On the other, he would mobilize the guild’s transport boats to form an "escort fleet."
Then Invincible Soldier shouted in the guild channel, "The guild’s second medium ship is on the move, targeting the famine-stricken city of Suwalun, fully loaded with 500 cabins of rice. All guild ships returning to Elorin need to go buy rice too. I’m saying it again, this is a Chamber of Commerce mission, everyone must accept!"
Anyway, the Chamber of Commerce members were those undercover agents from Blood Sea Studio who brought their own provisions. So even if they got wiped out, it wouldn’t be a big loss for the Chamber of Commerce. If they dared not comply, Brother Fei would have a reason to clear the field and add the new Little Sword comrade.
And, of course, the Chamber of Commerce members responded as usual without asking for reasons, shouting, "Famine relief sounds great, let’s go together."
As for One Sword Eastward, he wouldn’t be satisfied just stirring up grudges and watching the fun. Being a proud youth, he always had a determined heart. Not only had he met this Phoenix Feather, but he also wanted to stomp him out. That’s right. In the preliminaries, while One Sword Eastward’s Master-level Reconnaissance Skill entered ambush mode, he had seen the Phoenix Feather flying overhead. If he hadn’t been unsure of killing him in one round, Phoenix Feather would have already been beneath his blade. What’s so great about him?
Since the target of this Phoenix Feather was stealing ships, would his range advantage matter much? He’d still have to board for combat, right? On board, One Sword Eastward had no reason to fear him. Ultimately, One Sword Eastward positioned his special forces all set in the cargo hold, ready for the showdown.
In the end, after a day of preparation, the Dragon Cavalry Chamber of Commerce’s dozens of ships departed the port fully loaded.
Watching the mighty fleet set sail, Phoenix Feather, who had been observing at the wharf, burned with zeal. One versus dozens from Da Fei’s Chamber of Commerce; Phoenix Feather decided to seize this chance to make a name for himself.
An intense and unequal naval battle was about to break out.
...
Near the coast of Elorin.
Da Bing organized a large fleet that was slowly and steadily making its way at sea. Even with Da Wei hiring a big-bearded hero with Sailing Skill at the tavern, the cargo ship’s speed didn’t improve much. That’s the limitation of cargo ships, where capacity and speed are forever a trade-off.
This was Da Bing’s maiden voyage, crucial for his standing in Brother Fei’s eyes. He was incredibly tense, frequently pulling out a telescope to scan the surroundings.
A fleet of multiple ships appeared in Da Bing’s telescope view. It was the NPC Coast Guard, which calmed his heart. With them around, Phoenix Feather wouldn’t dare to PK, no matter how bold he might be.
Suddenly, Da Bing noticed a small fishing speedboat tailing behind the guard squad—it was Phoenix Feather!
So, his intention was to strike in the brief vacuum period when the Coast Guard would change direction or course!
Da Bing’s heart tightened, and he promptly shouted in the guild channel: "This is an accident-prone zone, all Chamber of Commerce members stay highly alert!"
The escort fleet members responded as usual. Having such obedient members was either a boon or because they were spies; unfortunately, they were indeed spies, making Da Bing, as the senior brother, extremely disgruntled. However, Da Bing wasn’t worried about a rebellion from those spies. He was eager for a reason to have Brother Fei kick them all out.
Now the NPC Coast Guard patrol began to turn, and Phoenix Feather’s little speedboat immediately accelerated towards the fleet. It was about to go down!
Da Bing hurriedly shouted within the team, "Everyone, watch out, Phoenix Feather is here to PK and seize the ship. If he dares make a move, we’ll gang up on him!"
The members echoed, "Got it!"
Lightning flashed in the sky, and a bolt of lightning slammed down, blasting the outermost small ship into splintering flames.
—System Prompt: Phoenix Feather has launched a PK against your team. You may now justifiably counter-attack!
—System Prompt: Phoenix Feather killed Chamber of Commerce member Green Pepper and Century Egg! The ship of Green Pepper and Century Egg was damaged, and 55 units of cargo are adrift. Please salvage it within half an hour to minimize loss.
The thunderclap awakened the previously dormant Chamber of Commerce channel, which exploded with chatter: "A lightning strike flipped it! This guy is too fierce!"
—Chamber of Commerce Channel [Green Pepper and Century Egg]: Are you kidding? From so far away, my archers can’t reach him, yet he can rain lightning on me! And it knocked out both me and the ship instantly!
Invincible Soldier roared, "Brothers, let’s go! We have the numbers!"
The Chamber of Commerce channel echoed: "Charge!"
Seeing the other side dare attempt a solo challenge, they must have the guts for it. Watching the Chamber of Commerce ships from all directions encircle the enemy, observing the opponent’s speedboat maneuveringly turning with unflagging speed, an ominous sense of dread welled up in Da Bing.
—Regional Channel [Phoenix Feather]: I warned you! You can fight, but you won’t win. You can run, but you can’t escape! Don’t believe it? Just try!
Boom! Another thunderstrike! Another small merchant ship reduced to ashes in flames!
The Chamber of Commerce was once again in shock! Everyone realized Phoenix Feather was relying on long-ranged magic with powerful impact, using his speedboat’s agility and quick speed to take on the masses alone! This was the classic scenario where the side with more people became the villain charging up only to get battered by the protagonist!
Though they knew Phoenix Feather was a skilled player, they didn’t expect him to be this powerful! What to do now? Let these cannon fodder block to protect the cargo ship’s escape, but the cargo ship was the slowest; how could it outrun the lightly-laden fishing speedboat of the opponent? Wait for the opponent’s mana to deplete?
At once, Da Bing displayed the bewilderment and helplessness typical of all villains.
One Sword Eastward said gravely, "Da Bing, since the opponent’s goal is to seize the ship, he has to board for battle anyway. We haven’t lost yet!"
At this point, there was no alternative. Da Bing could only nod blankly, "Alright! We’ll go all out with him later!"
Lightning crackled across the sea sky, and Phoenix Feather’s fishing speedboat swiftly searched the ocean. Thunderbolt after thunderbolt landed, each forking lightning claiming the life of a small merchant ship. Broken wooden wrecks floated across the whole sea; a sizeable fleet was quickly blasted into disarray, leaving only a solitary medium cargo ship drifting alone.
Finally, the showdown was imminent. Come on, I’m ready for you to board! Da Bing’s numbed expression turned resolute!
Boom! Another thunderbolt struck down, and the medium ship rocked violently!
Da Bing was jolted with shock! Why aim at the ship? Wasn’t he here to seize it?
—Regional Channel [Phoenix Feather]: "Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not interested in your ship after all, so I’d rather blast it down! Wahahaha!"
Da Bing was shocked!
At this moment, Phoenix Feather stood proudly at the fishing boat’s bow, laughing heartily. Did they really believe me when I said I’d seize the ship? They even set up a heavy ambush on board?! Watching clueless idiots at play was indeed delightful.
Seeing his reputation explode as his moniker turned blood-red, Phoenix Feather was even more thrilled! Why is my new name Phoenix Feather? Because I don’t need to shine as brightly as a whole phoenix—overkill. I just need to be as vibrant as one feather! My name should be scarlet with infamy! From today, I officially emerge from the shadows, wahahaha!
Just as Phoenix Feather was reveling in his havoc-wreaking moment on the small fishing boat, three water splashes suddenly sounded beside his boat, followed by three agile figures leaping out of the spray rapidly.
Phoenix Feather was startled, quickly steadied himself to see what happened. Three dripping figures were lunging at him at inconceivable speed! Astonishment narrowed his eyes.
—"We are the Rocket Team traversing the sea!"
—"We are the most charismatic villains ever!"
—"A brighter tomorrow awaits us!"
Phoenix Feather’s only choice was a magical blink!
Magic flashed, and his figure vanished!
Magical light flickered, and his figure reappeared!
But then Phoenix Feather found three axes buried in his back! Before he knew it, everything went dark!
—System Prompt: You were killed by Blood Sea Wave’s vice heroes! Being in a red-name state, your death incurs severe penalties. Your B-grade strategic treasure "Mana Ring" dropped. Your B-grade strategic treasure "Mana Necklace" dropped...
—System Prompt: You lost the necessary components for the combined Divine Artifact "Mana Source"; the artifact disassembled...
Phoenix Feather was stunned! Even after resurrecting at the resurrection point, he couldn’t comprehend how Blood Sea Wave ended up there! Could he have become Da Fei’s Chamber of Commerce bodyguard? Impossible! Of course, those details were insignificant. What mattered was the severe loss from his red-name demise; other items aside, losing the Mana Source Divine Artifact meant no more unlimited thunder strikes. Forget it!
This was a massive loss! Those components weren’t easy to collect! Since the server launch, he had put in monumental efforts!
Oh! The more Phoenix Feather thought about it, the angrier he became, spitting out a mouthful of blood! Blood Sea Wave, I’ll never forgive you!
...
Meanwhile, Blood Sea Wave had boarded the wrecked cargo ship, laughing uproariously, "I thought it was someone brave enough to seize my sea turf, but turns out it’s just an artifact-wielding clown! Hahaha!"
Indeed! Phoenix Feather should have realized he wasn’t the sole opponent targeting Da Fei’s Trading Company, as Blood Sea Wave had long resented with a grudge and the desire for revenge. Now, with Da Fei’s medium ship under surveillance by his studio’s undercover agents, its route was right under his nose.
Now, Blood Sea Wave had joyfully boarded this medium ship, fulfilling the pirate’s rite of passage, settling a score with a fool, and recovering two strategic artifacts—how could he not rejoice?
But at this point, his laughter abruptly ceased as he felt a dozen blood arrows stuck in his back!
—System Prompt: You were killed by an Enemy Camp player "One Sword Eastward"! You dropped the B-grade strategic treasure "Mana Ring," and "Mana Necklace"...
...
Blood Sea Wave was frozen in disbelief! Resurrecting at the resurrection point, he couldn’t grasp how he was caught in a trap! Traveling such a distance painstakingly, only to end up dead at the hands of a nobody!
Oh, The more Blood Sea Wave thought about it, the more frustrated he became, spewing out a mouthful of blood! One Sword Eastward, I shall hunt you till the end!
...
Now, looking at the ship in wreckage, the sea strewn with cargo debris, Da Bing and his team finally exhaled a long sigh of relief: "In the end, as long as we’re okay, that’s all that matters."
One Sword Eastward couldn’t help but be stunned! Why am I relieved too? What’s it to me?
Da Bing patted One Sword Eastward on the shoulder excitedly: "Brother, you’re awesome! You killed the Blood Sea Studio boss! This is your ticket to legitimacy! From now on, you can securely follow Brother Fei, and I can finally report to him, wahahaha!"
One Sword Eastward chuckled and nodded: "Indeed, indeed!" No matter what, managing to kill the first Sea Battle God-level Hero in the China Region was truly a cause for rejoicing.
(Finally finished with the wedding; the Ashtray has now settled down in life, wahahaha!) (To be continued. If you enjoyed the work, feel free to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation or monthly votes; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)