Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

With the higher-ups saying as much, Winters could hardly decline any further.

However, Warrant Officer Montaigne, who had eagerly awaited a formal officer to relieve him, instead received orders to set sail once again.

After burying the dead, repairing the warships, salvaging weapons and supplies from sunken ships, and transporting the prisoners back to Sea Blue City, a series of post-battle wrap-up tasks were completed.

On the third day after the Sea Blue City naval battle, the Vineta Fleet of Vengeance set sail again.

The outcome of the grand sea battle outside of Sea Blue City was already spreading throughout Senas Bay and even further abroad through the comings and goings of merchant ships.

This is exactly why Admiral Nalesho went to great lengths, even daring to put the Vineta Fleet in jeopardy and create opportunities for the enemy, to engage in a decisive fleet battle.

Admiral Nalesho firmly believed that a large-scale naval battle would determine the course of the war and even its outcome—the victor of the fleet battle would have it all.

The Vineta navy not only broke the Tanilian fleet in the battle but also shattered the Tanilian's will to fight.

On the shipping routes from Sea Blue City to Golden Harbor, aside from a few nearshore ports directly governed by Vineta, farther ports only nominally belonged to Vineta and were usually cozy with the Tanilia Federation. Ports like Sea Spring Port, which were closer to the Taniria Islands, were actually within the Federation's sphere of influence.

After the news of Vineta's victory over Tanyria spread across Senas Bay, the places visited by the Fleet of Vengeance that had been eager to stir after Haidong Port's catastrophic loss, turned compliant overnight. Ports like Sea Spring Port, territories of the Federation, didn't even have the courage to resist and surrendered one by one at mere sight of the threat.

Commanding the Fleet of Vengeance, Nalesho swiftly cleared each obstacle from their path, steadily approaching the main island of the Tanilia Islands.

"So, look at what you've done! You've directly sent the bravest and best captains and sailors of Tanyria to their deaths. Ships flying the Vineta flag now roam unopposed in the inner seas, and ports that were once loyal to us are surrendering one after the other," Edward Kenway said with a stern face in the cabin of The Phoenix.

"You really can't blame me for that!" Drake lay in the swaying hammock with a cynical smile, his head and shoulders bandaged from wounds treated: "Whether I win or lose, just a couple of cannon shots from the Venetians are all it takes to scare those islanders; they'd probably love nothing more than to hoist their underwear up the pole as a white flag. And don't you dare tell me those islanders have any real loyalty, do you even believe your own words?"

"Even if they had the courage to resist Venetians before, your crushing defeat has dissipated it," Captain Kenway suppressed his anger: "You gambled twenty of Tanyria's finest ships for your personal vendetta, do you think it was worth it?"

Captain Drake—no, he no longer had a ship—sighed, smacked his lips and said with indifference, "Fighting a fleet battle was the right call. If I had won, the Venetian war plans would have utterly collapsed there and then. What would you have said in that case? So the only mistake is that I lost."

"Have you forgotten why the Venetians started the war with us in the first place?" Captain Kenway sneered: "If you hadn't raided the Venetian home port, this war would never have started."

"You're wrong again, whether I razed Haidong Port or not, the Venetians would have declared war. Debela has repeatedly advocated for military action, and the calls for war in the Venetian parliament have grown louder each time. As long as Venetian territorial ambitions remain, war is inevitable. I simply expedited its arrival, and I gave the islands an advantage," yawned Drake, slowly closing his eyes: "Stop talking nonsense. You rescuing me already shows which side you're on, doesn't it? If you're not satisfied and need to vent, why don't you cut me?"

Without a word, Kenway drew his curve blade.

"Hey! What are you doing? You really going to cut me?" Drake broke into a cold sweat, struggling to rise from the hammock.

A flash of cold light passed, and the ropes holding the hammock were cleanly severed, sending Drake crashing heavily onto the deck, moaning, "Ugh... my old back..."

"You still don't understand, or you refuse to. As long as your fleet existed, it was a sword hanging over the Venetians' heads. They wouldn't dare sail freely on the inner seas as long as your fleet wasn't destroyed," Kenway said.

"What's the use of saying all this now?" Drake struggled to his feet, clutching his back: "If you were unwilling to attack The Glorious at the time, then you should've left me on The Revenge to die!"

"You're still of use alive," said Captain Kenway coldly: "Even without your fleet, you are still a sword hanging over the Venetians' heads. Your plan has failed, so I want you to fully support my plan within the Federation!"

Kenway wrinkled his nose and said, "And I wouldn't leave my friend to die on a ship."

——End——

As the setting sun cast long shadows, the pint-size battery at Sea Spring Port slowly raised the Vineta Flag to the booming salutes from a Venetian capital warship's guns.

Not far from there, in the town square, the old town mayor was saying something to the gathered townspeople.

Standing on the fortifications, Andre scoffed at the sight of the town square and spat on the ground.

"Actually, I think it's good for you to get involved in this kind of dirty work. It's a form of care, a very astute arrangement," said Bard while hoisting the flag and speaking to Winters.

Winters remained silent. Discover stories with empire