[Vol. 9] Chapter 87: The Fleet Above the Frozen Sea
Even though he could tell the girl in front of him had some sneaky ideas in mind, Minchen wasn’t exactly a mind reader, he couldn’t figure out what she was planning. So, he spoke cautiously, sounding a bit suspicious.
“Would a lady like you really be this kind? You’re not planning to trick us, are you?”
Hearing that, Violet immediately put on a serious face.
“Listen to yourself. Do you really think I’d joke about something this important? Sure, you like to act cool and show off a bit too much, and yeah, you’re kind of annoying. But we’re still on the same side, aren’t we? Besides, that girl Hongyan is with you. Would I ever trick her?”
“Uh… when you put it like that, I guess it makes some sense…”
“Hehe, as long as you understand~”
Seeing that he had taken the bait, the priestess nodded seriously, trying her best not to let her satisfied grin show, then started explaining in a calm tone.
“Alright then, listen carefully. According to what I know…”
………………………………………
Snow filled the sky.
Across the vast frozen sea, huge steel warships moved in perfect formation, slicing through the waves as they advanced quickly.
On the deck of the flagship Sea Dragon Titan, Admiral Cassio Gallier of the Austre Empire’s Navy stood tall, unmoving against the fierce winds and icy air.
He wore the Austre Empire’s newest type of magitech armor, its crystal core glowing faintly, pushing back the brutal cold of the northern lands. His imposing figure radiated authority even without a word.
Beside him stood Lian from the [Eternal Winter Temple]. The thin silk robe he wore did nothing to hinder his movements despite the freezing temperature. His strength alone kept him unaffected. However, the worry and anxiety in his eyes slightly broke the image of calm and confidence that usually surrounded him.
Behind the two leaders, a group of imperial navy officers and temple priests stood in neat ranks. Rows of heavily armed soldiers from the Austre Empire and the snow-region allied nations waited at full readiness. The sheer pressure of their killing intent was so strong it seemed even the falling snowflakes slowed down in fear.
Without a doubt, this was an elite army.
And not just one ship, across the frozen sea, the Austre Empire’s Second Naval Fleet, over a hundred warships of all sizes, were carrying the combined forces of the two major powers. Their destination: the Icefang Peninsula, along the western coast of the Frozen Sea, near the border of the Kingdom of Preston.
“You’re too slow… Admiral Cassio, can’t you make the ships go faster?”
That was at least the tenth time Lian had urged him since their departure. Even though Cassio understood the man’s worry, he finally couldn’t help frowning and replying sharply.
“Lord Lian, we’re sailing on a frozen sea, not the endless ocean. My ships don’t have wings, if we push the engines too hard and a large iceberg suddenly appears ahead, there’s no way to dodge in time. Do you have any idea what would happen then? No matter how important the candidate Holy Maiden is, I will not risk my men’s lives just for speed!”
“......”
Surprisingly, Lian, who usually never got along with him, didn’t argue back this time. Instead, he stayed silent, seemingly realizing Cassio was right.
Seeing that, Cassio blinked in mild surprise, then sighed quietly. His tone softened as he continued speaking.
"Alright, although I don’t really understand why you’re all so nervous about that candidate Holy Maiden, didn’t the messenger from Gore Fortress make it clear before? They’ve already temporarily driven back the disturbance on Icefang Island. Princess Moraya should be safe for now, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
Lian didn’t answer. He only gave him a quiet look, with a deep, flickering light in his eyes. Finally, he sighed softly and said,
“Everything has changed. Ever since that strange outbreak of the disaster beasts, everything has started to slip out of plan and control. But even now, I still can’t figure out where it went wrong.”
Hearing this, Cassio frowned slightly. As the supreme commander of the Imperial Army sent north with an important mission, he naturally knew some of the secrets behind the situation. Though he didn’t know everything, he could more or less guess the kind of trouble the northern region was now facing.
It was not just a problem for the northern countries. If it went out of control, the entire world could suffer from it. Because the Snow Empire and Austre Empire were allies, the new emperor had ordered Cassio to lead the Imperial Navy north to assist. However, before the mission could even properly begin, they had already encountered such a major unexpected event.
The disaster beasts that suddenly appeared outside Nofenburg were strange enough, but now there was also the chaos breaking out on the eastern peninsula of the Preston Kingdom, another abnormal incident. And the reports of that terrifying, unknown black flame made things even worse. All these events were completely outside the expectations and plans of both sides.
But... they were definitely not coincidences.
Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why all of these strange events just happened to involve that important candidate Holy Maiden. Once might be a coincidence, but twice, three times, or even more unexplainable cases. It could no longer be dismissed with such comforting excuses.
Come to think of it, this idea was first told to him by [Empire’s Two-Colored Lotus], the imperial princess whom Cassio deeply admired.
Princess Carinvega was a woman of great wisdom. After the late emperor passed away and the Austre Empire fell into turmoil, she did not fight Prince Xiluo for the throne. Instead, after the new emperor ascended, she was immediately granted the title of Equal King, an honor never before seen in the Austre Empire’s history.
When Cassio was summoned back to the capital to receive this secret mission, Princess Carinvega was sitting right beside the emperor in the audience hall, almost as if they were ruling together. With such a capable and intelligent person giving him advice, Cassio dared not take her warning lightly.
Thinking of this, the uneasy feeling in his heart grew stronger as he considered the uncertain future and all the unexpected changes ahead. He clenched his teeth and finally made a decision.
“Guards.”
“Here, sir!”
“Prepare the long-distance projection stone and adjust the channel. I will contact the capital to report to His Majesty and the Equal King about our situation.”
At those words, several imperial officers were stunned. They looked at one another, clearly hesitant.
“Uh... General, our chances to contact the capital are limited. Isn’t this a bit... too much for something like this?”
Because of the extreme cold zone between them and the capital, even with the advanced magic technology of the Austre Empire, it was almost impossible to communicate instantly across such a distance. The flying [Graemes] couldn’t travel far in the freezing conditions, and going around by sea wasn’t possible due to energy limitations.
Thus, their expedition fleet could only use the precious long-distance communication stones to stay in contact with the Austre Empire. They had brought only three of them, reserved for emergencies or key moments to report major events or request high-level instructions. Using one carelessly was unthinkable.
But to their surprise, Cassio’s expression turned cold and serious as he replied in a firm, commanding tone, leaving no room for argument.
“I will decide what must be done. Execute the order!”
“Yes, sir!”