Chapter 279: News Flash!
"You sons of bitches! Brothers, board the ships! Let’s sail to the Latin and avenge our families!"
"Revenge!"
"Revenge!"
"Revenge!"
Angry shouts echoed across Bay Town as Desmond gently laid down his mother’s body and rushed toward the galleon.
"Stop!" Simon shouted sharply.
Desmond froze in place, his eyes bloodshot as he turned to Simon. "My Lord, you saw what these Latin pirates did to us. Are you saying we should endure this? Shouldn’t we avenge our families and make the Latin pirates pay in blood?"
"We should! But not now." Simon said, walking toward Desmond. "These three galleons represent a year’s worth of accumulation for Brambleford. You are the hope of the Brambleford navy. Of course I also dream of feasting on reaver flesh and drinking their blood in victory, but right now we are too weak. We can’t afford to squander what little we have. Trust me, give me a few more years, and I promise, I will lead you to land on the Latin shores and make them pay their blood debts!"
Desmond’s heart ached terribly. His father had been killed by Latin pirates when he was just a child. Now his mother had fallen at their hands too. The hatred burning inside him was almost uncontrollable. But he understood Simon was right. They were the foundation of the Brambleford navy. If they returned successfully, their sailing skills would be passed down through generations; they were the seeds of the navy’s future.
Thinking of this, Desmond forcefully suppressed his rage. For the sake of Brambleford, for the sake of Simon’s promise, he said. "My Lord, I believe you!"
These words, ’I believe you.’ Weighed as heavily as a thousand catties. Simon gave Desmond a deep look. To stay calm under such circumstances showed that Desmond had begun to develop the psychological quality of a true general.
"Because of what you just said, if I ever break my promise, I will take my own life before the world!" Simon swore through gritted teeth.
Hearing this, Desmond nodded heavily.
He looked back at his mother’s body, tears welling up again. Even though all the Latin pirate raiders had been slain, the hatred had already taken root in the hearts of the sailors.
This wasn’t hatred for just these raiders; it was hatred between two peoples. And one day, this hatred would only be resolved by the outcome of a war.
"Your Highness, we found someone!"
As everyone grieved, a soldier from Ashenford ran up to report.
Two soldiers were dragging a man toward them.
When Desmond saw the man between the soldiers, fury lit up in his eyes. He grabbed his sword and charged forward, shouting. "Dustin! You traitorous dog! Die!"
The man, barely clinging to life, weakly raised his head when he heard Desmond’s voice. In a hoarse voice, he said. "Desmond, at least hear me out before you kill me."
The Ashenford soldiers quickly held Desmond back.
Desmond shouted. "My Lord, he’s Dustin! Joan’s brother! A traitor who betrayed our village!"
Dustin gave a bitter laugh. "Desmond, if I hadn’t slashed you back then, do you think you’d still be alive today? You’re still as impulsive as ever."
"You have no right to speak! You led these Latin pirates here! I’ll kill you right now!" Desmond roared, his hatred flaring again.
Many sailors gripped their swords tightly, glaring at Dustin with hatred.
Simon was a little surprised. He had only learned during his visit to Ashenford a few months ago that Joan had an older brother. He hadn’t expected to meet him like this.
"You are Dustin?" Simon asked.
Dustin looked at him and asked urgently. "Who are you? I have vital information for Prince Simon! Please, take me to him!"
He saw that Simon wore a military uniform but didn’t recognise him.
O’Neil spoke coldly. "Standing before you is Prince Simon himself. Dustin, your treachery is well known in Ashenford. Speak clearly now, or don’t blame us for being merciless."
Dustin’s body trembled slightly. He suddenly knelt and shouted. "Your Highness, I have secret intelligence to report! Please, you must prepare for it!"
In Ashenford, Dustin’s name had long been synonymous with traitor. Simon eyed him with suspicion and said. "Speak carefully."
Dustin pulled out a scroll and handed it over. "Please look, Your Highness!"
Simon hesitated and then motioned to Thomas, who took the scroll, checked it, and handed it to Simon.
Unrolling it, Simon frowned.
The scroll contained a map showing Ashenford and parts of Latin. An arrow marked a route pointing directly at here.
It even listed troop numbers, ship counts, and other details.
"What is this?" Simon asked.
Dustin said. "To be honest, Your Highness, this is the Latin plan to attack Ashenford. Ten years ago, I pretended to submit to the Latin pirates to avenge my father. Unfortunately, I never found the enemy responsible. I spent these years blending into life in Latin. Recently, I met an Eldorian Empire merchant who had been living in Latin for many years. He was being hunted. When he realised I was from the Eldorian Empire, he entrusted me with this plan."
Dustin paused, then continued. "His name was Deamon Kevler. He said he had spent ten years working in Latin. Not long ago, he learned of a plan to attack the Eldorian Empire. He gathered this information but was discovered and fled for his life. He met me while on the run."
"Three years?" Simon asked as he studied the scroll.
"Yes. Deamon said the Latin is building a fleet and preparing to launch a 200,000-man invasion of Ashenford within three years to seize land and appease dissatisfaction among their citizens over land distribution."
"And what happened to Deamon?" Simon asked.
"He was discovered by one of the clans and chose to drown himself rather than be captured. Even though he lived in Latin, he said he was still a man of the Eldorian Empire and couldn’t watch our people be slaughtered." Dustin answered, lowering his head in sorrow.
Since arriving in this era, Simon had known history was different, but he wasn’t familiar with the current situation in Latin. So he asked. "Is it Arthur Williams or Noah Sullivan ruling Latin now?"
Dustin paused for a moment, then said. "Your Highness, there are indeed two major families, Williams and Sullivan. But the current leader of Latin is Scott Raynolds."
At that moment, Simon’s mind reeled. It was clear now that Latin, like the Eldorian Empire, had veered off the historical path. The butterfly effect had already deeply changed this world.