Four Split Personalities

Five minutes later

Game Time PM 19:51

Misha County, Southern Territory, on the western side of a tributary of the Jin Hui River, on the deck of the warship "Anger"

The two old men, having hastily contacted Motan, were no longer panicking. They stood on the deck as if they were transcendent beings detached from the mundane world, calmly watching the crew members scurrying about. Had it not been for Xuan Zheng, who had awakened the talent "Sea Sickness" and eventually vomited, the gazes cast by others might have been filled with even more reverence.

However, the pair didn’t have to wait too long. Two minutes after they were brought aboard, an orc woman nearly one point nine meters tall, clad in a deep blue cape, emerged from the cabin. Judging from the respectful attitudes of the other crew members, the two players easily deduced that she must be the person in charge here.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you," said the presumed captain of the orc female with a smile, flashing a set of healthy white teeth. "I am Paula Osan from the ’Torrent’ squadron of the Skalan Duchy, and the captain of this ship "Anger." You can call me Paula."

Captain Paula appeared to be around thirty, with a delicate and rare beauty among orcs and light brown skin. She wore a white coat resembling an overcoat beneath her cape, which accentuated her explosive figure, and she had a massive firearm that resembled a hand cannon at her waist, giving off a gallant and dashing impression.

The two players introduced themselves briefly and then, following Hei Fan’s lead, got straight to the point, inquiring directly about the ship’s combat capabilities.

"Your commander is indeed a straightforward and smart guy," Paula laughed heartily, patting her firearm and grinning. "The ’Anger’ is armed with a total of twenty-four engineering cannons, six seventh-generation small magic cannons produced by the Steam Consortium, including myself, there are three high-level professional crew members, thirty intermediate professional crew members, and a hundred low-rank professional crew members. The three ’Black Eel-class’ ships behind have thirty-six engineering cannons, six fifth-generation small magic cannons, eighteen intermediate-rank crew members, and three hundred low-rank professional crew members. Do you need me to detail their specific professions?"

Wangsheng, who didn’t have the "Sea Sickness" talent, went silent for five seconds before shaking his head slightly, "There’s no need, Ms. Paula, our commander wishes for you to proceed immediately at full speed towards the Long Bridge in Ebby City to assist Her Highness the Saintess."

"The Saintess Xia Lian of the Church of the Dawn, I saw her from a distance five years ago in Lan’ou Harbor; she’s a beauty."

Captain Paula whistled loudly, then straightened her arm, pointing her massive firearm—which had somehow been drawn from its holster—towards the sky: "Yah-ho! Lads and lasses, full throttle ahead!"

Bang!!!

A blaze of fire at least twenty centimeters in diameter burst from the muzzle, and the whistling sound of the bullet tearing through the air caused the two elders’ eardrums to ache. Simultaneously, led by the warship "Anger," the four ships that had just entered the waters of Misha County accelerated suddenly, cutting through water like swords, speeding eastward along the river at a pace comparable to that of ordinary warhorses. Despite only being four warships, they carried the majestic momentum of a fleet setting sail, eliciting endless admiration from the passionate Wangsheng and leaving the seasick Xuan Zheng lying on the ground, unable to get up.

...

"The naval power of Skalan Duchy truly lives up to its reputation," Motan, who had been pacing back and forth for the past ten minutes, finally sat back down and let out a long breath. "With this, we should be able to buy ourselves a bit more time..."

Yu Chen tapped her lips lightly with her finger, blinking her eyes that were almost circled from Motan’s constant movements. "Support from Skalan Duchy?"

Motan had already explained to her what ’the other side’s reinforcements’ were, but because the current situation was tense, he omitted many details.

"That’s right."

Motan nodded, smiling lightly, "The naval power of Skalan Duchy, supposedly it’s four warships from the ’Torrent’ squadron. Though I don’t know much about them, they sound fairly strong."

Yu Chen smiled sweetly, then voiced the question she had been holding back due to Motan’s serious demeanor. "But why would they suddenly decide to send support? During this disaster... whether during the initial rampage of the plague or when the mutants appeared later, the Skalan Duchy, neighboring Misha County, should have been one of the first to know, yet aside from providing some materials to the western blockade, they did not offer much assistance. I understand that might be justifiable, but..."

"Of course, it’s justifiable. Under other circumstances, it might be another matter, but what broke out here in Misha is a plague, and not just any plague, but a large-scale epidemic that can’t be explained or treated with common sense," replied Motan, stretching and taking a sip from his now cold tea. "Apart from simple material support, any other form of assistance carries too much risk. Think about it, Misha County has such a low population density, and yet the epidemic exploded to this extent. If it were to spread to Skalan Duchy right next door, and they mishandled it, it could result in hundreds of thousands of deaths. No sane ruler would want to see that happen."

Yu Chen nodded with understanding, and then with more puzzlement, asked, "Then why did they change their minds all of a sudden?"