Chapter 280: Set Sail
The cold sea breeze, heavy with the scent of salt, brushed against everyone.
Dustin’s intelligence left everyone in a heavy silence.
In the end, Desmond broke the stillness. "My Lord, Dustin is a traitor. His words cannot be trusted. Maybe he just brought this nonsense to deceive you to save his life."
"Desmond, you fool! Do you know where I was hiding from Henry’s men? It was in your family’s cellar! Your mother realised how important this information was and chose to hide me!" Dustin shouted.
Two soldiers from Ashenford nodded. "Your Highness, we found him in the cellar."
"Impossible! My mother would never save a heartless traitor like you!" Desmond roared in fury.
Simon also felt uncertain. He said. "Dustin, I cannot trust you yet. We will detain you until the information on this scroll is verified. O’Neil, take him to the Brambleford prison and await my orders."
"Yes, Your Highness," O’Neil responded with a salute.
Storing away the scroll, Simon looked at the devastated Bay Town and said. "Desmond, let’s bury the villagers first. If Dustin truly betrayed us to the Latin pirates, I’ll leave him to you."
Desmond nodded, tears flowing once again as he looked at his mother’s body.
Simon’s heart was heavy. He ordered O’Neil’s soldiers to assist Desmond in burying the villagers.
Meanwhile, he stepped aside, deep in thought. According to the historical data in the system, Latin once fought the Old Dynasty during the War of Nations.
Although the situation now was different, the pattern was the same: internal problems in Latin were leading them to external aggression to resolve domestic conflicts.
Historically, every time Latin faced internal turmoil, it shifted the problem onto neighbouring countries,s and the target was always the Central Plains dynasty.
The plan outlined in the scroll detailed Latin’s shipbuilding schedule. It would take three years, after which they would have enough ships to transport a 200,000-man army across the sea to seize land from the Eldorian Empire.
Just as Dustin said, Latin had only recently unified, but dissatisfaction among the citizens over land distribution was brewing, and they were eager for more.
Naturally, the weakened and fractured Eldorian Empire became their target.
Latin was also aware of the northern reavers’ strength and didn’t want to provoke them. According to the scroll, Latin had sent envoys to the Outside and even contacted the reavers.
What Simon couldn’t determine was whether this attack plan was solely Latin’s idea or part of some dirty deal between Latin and the reavers.
Regardless, one thing was certain: in three years, he needed to have a navy strong enough to annihilate the Latin fleet at sea and ideally, the strength to invade Latin itself.
Historically, island nations like Latin had a natural geographical advantage. They focused on building strong navies, freely attacking others, while continental empires, weakened at sea, could only defend themselves.
In all of history, only the First Dynasty had tried to cross the sea to attack Latin, but they ultimately lost to the ocean.
Because of that advantage, Latin later became a major player in the Age of Exploration, and in modern times, America still benefited greatly from its geography.
Thus, in Simon’s mind, the only way to crush an island nation’s will was to develop the power to attack their homeland. Otherwise, they would forever stand behind continental nations, stabbing them in the back. He realised he would have to strengthen both his northern defences against the reavers and invest heavily in building a navy. Perhaps, in three years, he would have to fight on two fronts.
The bodies of the Bay Town villagers were finally gathered. Desmond buried them by the sea.
For the people of Bay Town, they were born by the sea, and now, they would rest by it.
The grief over their families’ deaths weighed heavily on the sailors, but beneath it all, a burning hatred was growing.
To help them regain stability, Simon had initially planned to give Desmond a month to rest before setting out again.
"No need, My Lord. We are ready to depart now." Desmond said.
After burying his mother and resting for half a month, Desmond rejected the idea of more delay.
"Are you sure you’re ready to sail?" Simon asked with concern. He was afraid Desmond, in his anger, might recklessly sail the three galleons straight to Latin.
Although the galleons were powerful, they could still be overwhelmed by smaller ships using wolf pack tactics.
"My Lord, we know what’s important. Revenge cannot be achieved by a few brave souls. Only by making you stronger, Your Highness, can we truly avenge our people. We’ll follow the original plan, sailing to collect potatoes, corn, and gather intelligence." Desmond said firmly.
Simon felt relieved. Desmond’s response showed he truly understood the greater cause.
He said. "Good. I was right to believe in you. From the moment you risked your life to smuggle salt for your village, I knew you were a man who understood righteousness. I won’t break the promise I made to you."
Desmond nodded and said. "I’ll gather the sailors now and prepare to set sail."
The ship’s cabin was dimly lit, as Desmond and the others had been living aboard.
After stepping off the ship, Desmond called the sailors back. This time, Simon wouldn’t accompany them; the rest of the journey was theirs to make.
One by one, the sailors boarded the ships. Desmond turned to Simon, placed his right hand on his chest, and shouted. "My honour is loyalty!"
"My honour is loyalty!" The sailors echoed loudly.
Simon placed his hand over his chest too. As the sails dropped, the three galleons lifted their anchors and set off with the sea wind.
At that moment, Simon silently prayed in his heart, hoping Desmond and his men would return safely.
Watching the three ships slowly disappear over the horizon, Simon turned and left.
At Ashenford City, O’Neil was waiting with Dustin, ready to return to Brambleford with Simon.
Simon had kept Dustin alive for two reasons: to verify the authenticity of his information and to gather more intelligence about Latin. Know the enemy, and you would never be defeated.
Three days later, Simon’s group returned to Brambleford.
The snow had melted, and the temperature had begun to rise. Simon ordered O’Neil to lock Dustin in the Brambleford prison, then, exhausted, he returned to the royal castle.
Suddenly, a figure dashed out to greet him; it was Roland.
Roland looked unusually excited. Before Simon could even ask, Roland said. "My Lord! I’ve been waiting these two days to tell you, we’ve found the tungsten mine!"