Chapter 650: Intoxication Fleet
Dark clouds blanketed the sky.
The sea wind grew increasingly fierce.
The bishop of the Intoxication Church stood personally at the bow, casting divine spells to scan the surrounding waters.
After a long moment, he exhaled a breath of stale air, thinking to himself, “A storm is approaching.”
“Detection shows no signs of human interference. This is a natural weather phenomenon.”
He then commanded his subordinates, “Act swiftly! Reef the sails, engage the thrusters, increase speed, and depart the storm's reach immediately.”
The fleet he commanded comprised 26 vessels: 10 standard ships, 8 bronze level magic ships, 4 iron level magic ships, 3 silver level ships, and 1 gold level ship.
This was a sizable fleet indeed.
Upon receiving the order, the fleet's speed gradually increased.
The sea wind howled, blocking the fleet's path ahead.
Even the standard vessels were equipped with alchemy components that could temporarily boost their speed. Yet they couldn't match the inherent power of the magic ships and soon fell behind.
“Lord Bishop, our fleet is splitting up,” a subordinate reported.
The Intoxication Bishop pondered, “Then separate immediately. Leave one silver level magic ship, two iron level, and four bronze level to escort the ordinary ships. The rest will follow my flagship!”
The subordinate showed a hint of confusion but acknowledged the order: “Yes, Lord!”
The Intoxication Bishop's brow remained furrowed, showing no sign of relaxation.
The subordinate, of low level, remained unaware of what lay aboard their flagship.
"There are 600 bottles of sorrow-dispelling red wine, a staggering fortune. We won't be able to produce this wine again for at least five years."
The Intoxication Church had poured every last resource into this endeavor, even draining their future potential.
These 600 bottles of sorrow-dispelling red wine were not merely wine, nor just wealth, they were a unique resource.
“If we use them wisely, we can leverage the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's national ceremony as a golden opportunity. Employing this wine could unlock even greater benefits from the kingdom.”
The Intoxication Church was an imported faith, maintaining an independent diocese within the Ice Sculpture Kingdom. This diocese thrived as the kingdom's renowned coastal port city.
Yet the Intoxication Church harbored grand ambitions, not merely to proselytize along the coast, but to spread their faith deep into the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's heartland.
This wine shipment was their most crucial tool, their fiercest weapon!
As the fleet's top leader, the Intoxication Bishop bore the secret mission of transporting the sorrow-dispelling red wine.
The pressure weighed heavily upon him.
“I'm merely gold level.”
“Yet around Ice Sculpture Island, saint level pirates are beginning to approach.”
“Da Han...”
The Intoxication Bishop harbored deep apprehension toward the fourth-in-command of the Fire Beard Pirates. He knew the closer they drew to Ice Sculpture Island, the greater the peril.
Therefore, he didn't let the storm slow him down. Instead, he decisively split his fleet, intending to race against time and shorten the voyage as much as possible.
“Once we reach Drunkard Harbor, we'll be safe.”
“Even if Da Han leads his pirates to attack the port, we can still safely and securely transport this shipment of sorrow-dispelling red wine!”
As the Intoxication Bishop pondered this, an urgent military report arrived: "Report! Pirate ships spotted ahead!"
"What?!" Intoxication Bishop's eyes widened instantly.
Just what he feared most.
He immediately regained his composure and urgently inquired, "Which pirate faction is it? Scout them out immediately."
Within seconds, a subordinate returned with the latest intelligence: “Reconnaissance confirms it's the Divine Wind Pirates!”
“Them?” The Intoxication Bishop frowned deeply.
Though not as formidable as Da Han, the Divine Wind Pirates were still a force to be reckoned with. Their leader, Feng Lian, though only a gold level, possessed extraordinary combat prowess.
The Intoxication Bishop had no desire for battle and immediately ordered the fleet to turn, attempting to escape.
From his flagship, Feng Lian heard his pirate subordinates report: The target fleet had dramatically increased speed, likely utilizing some potent alchemy acceleration component.
Feng Lian remained unhurried, smiling faintly: “Just follow them.”
The Intoxication Church's fleet raced forward, their speed soaring, yet they could not shake off the Divine Wind Pirates.
Recalling the wolf pack tactic of exhausting the enemy, the Intoxication Bishop's face darkened. “The Divine Wind Pirates' ships are incredibly fast. Even if we push our engines to their absolute limit, we won't outrun them. Instead, we'll suffer severe magic power depletion, a loss far outweighing any gain.”
Though potent, the alchemy components proved poorly matched to the Intoxication Church's magic ships.
In contrast, the Divine Wind Pirates' ships hailed from Gear Island. Not only were each magic ship fully integrated, but they could trigger chain reactions between ships.
“Damn it!” The Intoxication Bishop could only send out distress signals, hoping for naval reinforcements from the Ice Sculpture Kingdom. Meanwhile, he ordered the ships to form battle lines, preparing to meet the enemy.
“We're nearing Ice Sculpture Island at this distance. I pray the Kingdom's Navy arrives in time!”
“We absolutely cannot lose those 600 bottles of sorrow-dispelling red wine. Even if I die in battle, I'll protect this vital resource.”
“Damn it!”
“Why has Feng Lian targeted me? Could it be that word has leaked out?”
Seeing the Intoxication Church's fleet suddenly slow down, with their gold level flagship bringing up the rear and silver level vessels providing support, steadily securing the windward position, Feng Lian narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Oh, attempting a T-formation tactic?”
With his extensive naval combat experience, Feng Lian recognized it instantly.
“Boss, we intercepted enemy communications. Per the plan, we didn't intercept!” a pirate subordinate reported.
Feng Lian chuckled: “Then we wait a little longer.”
“The Intoxication Church and the Ice Sculpture Kingdom share a profound alliance.”
"They've sent a distress signal, the Ice Sculpture Kingdom must respond actively. And nearby lies part of the Second Naval Fleet's formation."
It turned out Feng Lian knew nothing about the sorrow-dispelling red wine incident. His targeting of the Intoxication Church's fleet was merely a diversionary tactic.
His true objective was the Kingdom's Second Naval Fleet.
This naval force was practically the private army of the Li Jian Clan.
Last time, Feng Lian suffered a major defeat at the hands of the Li Jian Clan, a loss he had never forgotten, vowing relentless revenge.
For this, he had traveled thousands of miles to find Hua Tang, borrowing the alchemy apparatus specifically designed to target the Li Jian Clan Leader.
“Hurry over. I can hardly wait.” A flame of vengeance burned fiercely within Feng Lian's heart, growing ever brighter.
The Intoxication Bishop was perplexed: “What's going on?”
They had slowed their pace, preparing for battle, only for Feng Lian's fleet to halt its pursuit and remain on the periphery.
“What exactly are they trying to do?” The bishop couldn't fathom Feng Lian's true intentions, "How much longer before they can rendezvous with us?”
The “they” the bishop referred to were part of the original fleet. They had temporarily departed because he needed to hurry, evading the storm.
Now, with battle imminent and the enemy stronger than them, the bishop naturally wanted to gather all available forces.
Amid the tense anticipation of the Intoxication Church's fleet, their ships finally converged at a single point.
“They let us regroup this easily?”
“What the hell is Feng Lian's crew playing at?”
The Intoxication Bishop had sent communications, but Feng Lian refused to respond, showing no willingness to talk.
"Why hasn't the Ice Sculpture Kingdom replied yet? Did they intercept our distress signals? Damn it!"
Crack.
Lightning split the gloomy sky.
Waves surged violently as torrential rain poured down.
The Intoxication Bishop had awaited his fleet and now awaited the storm.
The tempest spread, engulfing the battlefield.
“Hmph!” Feng Lian's expression darkened. "The Ice Sculpture Kingdom hasn't dispatched any reinforcements? Did the Li Jian Clan uncover my plan?"
Clearly, this diversionary tactic had failed.
In truth, since his return, Feng Lian had been actively seeking opportunities to strike.
But with the Ice Sculpture Kingdom celebrating its National Ceremony, the Second Naval Fleet adopted a defensive posture, launching few proactive offensives.
The immense pressure from Da Han had forced the entire kingdom's navy into a defensive posture.
Moreover, the Li Jian Clan's focus lay not in naval affairs, but in the domestic potion market.
After waiting a moment longer, Feng Lian lost his patience entirely: “Since the Ice Sculpture Kingdom offers no support, don't blame me for devouring this juicy morsel!”
Feng Lian waved his hand, his tone icy: “Begin.”
At the command, the pirates erupted into a howling cheer like ghostly wails.
The Divine Wind Pirates, like a pack of bloodthirsty wolves, had long been itching for battle. Now that Wolf King Feng Lian had finally ordered the attack, pirate morale soared like a rainbow. They rushed headlong toward the Intoxication Church's fleet.
First came the cannon fire.
Alchemy cannons spewed fire ceaselessly. Shells flew through the air, colliding mid-flight. Some exploded into towering columns of water upon hitting the sea, others tore holes in ships or blew unlucky souls into splattered blood and gore.
“We outnumber them in cannons!”
“We hold the advantage in this gunfight!”
“Damn it!”
“Feng Lian's here!”
The Intoxication Church's ships clearly outnumbered the Divine Wind Pirates in artillery, after all, this convoy carried vital supplies, so they were heavily armed.
The Divine Wind Pirates' naval tactics had always been renowned for their flexibility.
Against opponents with weaker artillery, they maintained distance for long-range combat. Against those with superior firepower, they would charge in for close combat.
Their greatest advantage was speed!
It was precisely this exceptional speed that enabled their agile tactics.
Seeing the Intoxication Church's formidable firepower, the pirates needed no orders from Feng Lian, they immediately opted for boarding and ramming tactics.
As the pirates' foremost leader, Feng Lian personally led the charge, skimming the sea surface at high speed as he bore down on the enemy flagship.
The Intoxication Church's flagship housed not only the bishop, a gold level fighter, but also two other gold level combatants.
Empowered by divine spells, these two fighters had also gained temporary flight capabilities.
“Don't let Feng Lian board!”
“Attack together and take him down.”
The two gold level fighters swiftly reached consensus and simultaneously leapt from the ship.
The three combatants engaged in aerial combat, skimming the sea surface.
·
After several exchanges, Feng Lian swung his scythe, unleashing the battle skill [Wind Blade: Continuous Slash].
The two gold level fighters of the Intoxication Church fended off the attacks, forced into retreat.
Feng Lian's attack speed surged again, each swing of the scythe faster than the last, blurring into a phantom.
He carved open their defenses.
Battle skill - Wind Blade: Dragon Moon!
A dragon's roar reverberated, shaking their very souls.
Then, a massive moon blade shot forth, slicing one gold level warrior clean in half.
The other gold level warrior, terrified and utterly defeated, turned to flee. Feng Lian caught up effortlessly, his blade erupting in sparks with a single swing.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The gold level's defensive gear shattered one after another.
With another strike, Feng Lian severed the gold level's head.
Using the sea's currents to evade divine spells and cannon fire, he charged onto the flagship of the Intoxication Church.
"How can he be this strong?!" The Intoxication Bishop turned ashen, pleading for mercy through divine telepathy.
Feng Lian remained utterly cold, offering no response. The scythe in his hand radiated a chilling intent to kill.
Several hours later.
Feng Lian's pirate crew slaughtered every crew member, sank all ordinary ships, and sailed away triumphantly with nearly ten magic ships salvaged from the naval battle.