Chapter 405: Section 192: Tan Mo: !!!
Lots of information flashed through Wei Sheng’s mind.
These were all related to Navy Rear Admiral Tan Mo.
Being valued by Navy Marshal Yan Tan, and assigned proxy authority, Wei Sheng naturally had his distinctive qualities.
Wei Sheng was well aware of Tan Mo’s greedy nature and, recalling the latter’s series of actions in the past, he suddenly snorted coldly, muttering discontentedly to himself, “Another slippery schemer!”
Previously on Knife Mountain Island, after receiving the military order to deal with the Justice Pirate Group, the incident of the Alchemy Bomb explosion in Dun Dao City occurred, consequently immobilizing him.
Without his fleet, General Kan Qiao led a fleet in poor condition to pursue but ended up completely annihilated.
Afterward, Tan Mo took advantage of the situation to absorb the Kan Qiao Fleet teams left at Knife Mountain Island docks and set sail once again.
As a result, during the subsequent voyage, his fleet repeatedly encountered attacks from sea beasts in the water and extreme weather changes, causing persistent delays in speed.
Therefore, he never joined the battle against the Justice Pirate Group.
Regarding why Rear Admiral Tan Mo had entered Fire Island, Wei Sheng soon understood the reason.
He used the pretext that his fleet was in poor condition and needed to dock for rest.
“This guy, could it be he wanted to slack off and just stumbled into this situation by accident?” A speculation suddenly surged in Wei Sheng’s mind.
Yes, if the intelligence hadn’t been communicated, even Wei Sheng wouldn’t have imagined the Justice Pirate Group would infiltrate Fire Island.
After all, Fire Island itself was home to a legendary giant mage.
Moreover, with the vast ocean, the Justice Pirate Group had many possible escape routes.
“No, perhaps it was deliberate.”
“Because he is a member of Yi Gui’s faction, receiving a mandatory order from the latter to land on Fire Island first is also highly possible.”
Thinking this, Wei Sheng completely dismissed the idea of issuing commands to Tan Mo’s fleet and didn’t even notify him.
The reason was simple.
If Tan Mo had stumbled into the situation by accident, Wei Sheng was certain he would flee from the battle. Of course, the reason used would be justifiable, making it harder for Navy Headquarters to pursue later.
If Tan Mo was acting under Yi Gui’s influence, then there was no need for Wei Sheng’s orders; Tan Mo would continue to be stationed and wait for an opportunity. For Tan Mo, who had his backers, Wei Sheng’s orders would undoubtedly be acted upon deceitfully.
In a restaurant at the port of Fire Island,
Tan Mo and the City Lord of Dun Dao sat opposite each other, the table laden with leftover food.
Tan Mo took the last bite of his steak, making a sound of appreciation, “I told you, the chef here can handle Golden Level Magic Beast meat. How’s the taste?”
“Quite good,” the City Lord nodded in agreement.
He blew the sea breeze coming through the window and watched the white seabirds flying over the fluttering flags.
The City Lord raised his glass and added, “The key is that the coffee here is also good. On your ship, Treasure, drinking alcohol almost became too much for me.”
Tan Mo rolled his eyes extravagantly.
The City Lord then laughed heartily.
From accepting the Empire’s invitation to fight, to boarding and accompanying Tan Mo, the relationship between the City Lord and the Rear Admiral had rapidly deepened.
It couldn’t be helped; the two conspired in a lackadaisical battlefront, a definite alliance. They had coordinated back in Dun Dao City, disguising sea beast attacks or creating severe weather along the way.
Feigning combat, especially within the Imperial Navy, also required a lot of energy and effort.
Next, the two men stopped talking, both enjoying the tranquil sea breeze and the beautiful scenery of the port.
Even though the space inside Treasure was vast, after traveling for so long, both were nostalgic for land. At this moment, savoring the delicious food, their accumulated weariness was quickly dissipating.
“How many days do we need to rest here?” the City Lord broke the silence.
Tan Mo sighed, “Our luck has been too bad; attacks from unidentified, mysterious sea beasts have severely damaged our ships. We’ll need at least a week to recover.”
The City Lord frowned, “So short…”
Realizing he had spoken his true thoughts, the City Lord quickly corrected himself, “Uh, such a long time? I was invited by the Empire to battle, and yet I haven’t seen even a shadow of the Justice Pirate Group till now; I feel ashamed.”
Tan Mo chuckled and then spread his hands, troubled, “City Lord, your feelings are my feelings; I’m also very anxious.”
“But a week’s time is the shortest I could negotiate.”
“You’re also aware of the fleet’s damage, and the Navy has been constantly urging.”
“This is already the maximum duration we could get.”
“Let’s settle for that,” the City Lord nodded. In terms of taking it easy and being lazy, he admitted that he was far inferior to Tan Mo.
Moreover, Tan Mo was more familiar with the Navy’s regulations.
“Rarely do we come to Fire Island. Should we take a stroll through the main city?” Tan Mo suggested.
However, the Lord of Dun Dao City showed a hint of difficulty, “Let’s not, given our status, we should go pay a visit to the City Lord of Fire City.”
“Besides, roaming the streets abruptly won’t look good.”
“That’s true.” Tan Mo thought about it and felt the Lord of Dun Dao City had a point.
Previously, doing such a thing was no problem.
But not anymore.
The matter of the Justice Pirate Group hadn’t been resolved yet, and crucially, Navy Headquarters’ Big Military Port had been destroyed by Firebeard.
This situation had left all Navy personnel feeling shocked, angry, and humiliated, with nearly everyone holding their breath, eager to recover their image.
At this stage, if these Navy members heard that someone was casually strolling around rather than fighting, what would their reaction be?
Tan Mo didn’t want to needlessly provoke such trouble.
“Hm?” Just then, Tan Mo’s expression subtly changed as he saw a Human Race Mage flying alone in midair, landing on the Steel Giant warship docked at the pier.
“Is that Earl Tuck?” Not just Tan Mo, the Lord of Dun Dao City too had his attention captured, promptly recognizing the man.
“It is him.” Tan Mo nodded.
Then, the two of them saw Earl Tuck hurriedly step onto the deck and then rush into the ship.
Shortly after, the Steel Giant warship fired up and quickly departed from the dock.
“Where is he going? Wasn’t he supposed to discuss cooperation with the City Lord of Fire City?” the Lord of Dun Dao City asked, puzzled.
They had come to this port naturally to gather news.
The biggest news recently was Tuck’s confrontation and the personal reception by the City Lord of Fire City.
Therefore, both Tan Mo and the Lord of Dun Dao City were aware of this matter.
But now that Tuck had left like this, it was peculiar.
Logically speaking, negotiations between the two parties should take at least a week. Even if the cooperation failed, the City Lord of Fire City would escort Tuck, not letting him leave alone like this.
Something must have happened that they were unaware of.
Tan Mo stared as the Steel Giant warship headed into the distance, squinting his eyes and sucking in a breath of cold air, “Hss… why do I feel like Earl Tuck seems to be fleeing in a panic?”
“Is it just my imagination?”
“Why is my heart racing, feeling something isn’t right?”
The Lord of Dun Dao City laughed heartily, unconcerned, “Are you thinking too much?”
“Could it be that the talks between Earl Tuck and Fire City turned sour?”
But quickly, the Lord of Dun Dao City dismissed his own guess, “Even if the talks turned sour, it wouldn’t be like this. Did Tuck do something unforgivable to the people of Fire City?”
“Hehe, perhaps Fire City has taken a fancy to him?”
The Lord of Dun Dao City laughed at his own joke.
But Tan Mo’s frown deepened, “I’m feeling increasingly uneasy, damn it, this feeling is unbearable.”
“Brother, don’t be so jumpy,” the Lord of Dun Dao City comforted, “This is Fire Island!”
“Legend has it that giants guard here.”
“The defense here is extremely strict, haven’t you been to the main city?”
“Look at those elite Giant City Guards!”
“These are the esteemed giants from Red Earth Plateau, the last of their essence. Our strength, in their eyes, is merely insignificant.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Tan Mo’s brows relaxed a bit, “I’m probably just being overly suspicious.”
However, at that moment, a subordinate, drenched in sweat, ran over, “Sir, there’s an urgent communication from Vice Admiral Yi Gui.”
“What?” Tan Mo was startled, then promptly stood up without delay.
Using the Magic Communication Device, he received a direct order from Vice Admiral Yi Gui, “Are you on Fire Island?”
“Good!”
“Stay there and guard against any enemies.”
“I am on my way.”
“If the Justice Pirate Group appears, fight to the death!”
Tan Mo: !!!