Translator: Cinder Translations
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As soon as Paul returned to the Northwest Bay, he received a shocking piece of news: the small port he rented in the Horns Bay had been targeted.
The discussions with the Council of Affairs were rather pessimistic.
"They've forced Liszt to give a response within a deadline. That time isn't even enough for a mail ship to go back and forth; it's possible they've already attacked, or... Liszt might have already surrendered!"
"The latest information came yesterday on a merchant ship. The Church's army has stationed outside Lion's Port, and they claim it's part of a unified plan to attack Niceport, but it's clearly a show of force aimed at us."
"We're unsure whether the weapons we sent will be enough."
Listening to the discussions, Paul suppressed the anxiety rising within him.
He could only confirm two things: "No matter what, we cannot let Lion Port fall into the hands of the Church, and we cannot send troops to assist them in attacking Niceport."
Lion Port was a vital link for the Northwest Bay's merchant ships to head east. Losing it would mean that the cargo transport from the Northwest Bay would fall into someone else's hands.
As for sending troops to assist the Church, that was out of the question. On one hand, bypassing Crystal Glare to participate in a war on foreign soil violated legal principles; on the other hand, he was not loyal to the Church, so he couldn't let them control his actions.
Finally, Paul decided to exercise his right to self-defense.
This world did not follow the logic of "the ruler commands, and the subject must obey to the death." Even if it were the King of Aldor, if he had no just cause to take a lord's life and property, the lord would have the right to defend himself.
Of course, if one was too weak to fight back, that would be considered a "just cause." Clearly, the Horns Bay Church had listed that as one of their justifications.
"No matter what, we have to send people to check. If Lion Port has not fallen, we'll reinforce its defenses; if it has fallen, we'll take it back!"
Paul angrily gave his orders.
With the rise of sea trade and shipbuilding, the shipbuilding technology in the Northwest Bay had made great strides, with one notable characteristic being the increasing tonnage of ships.
However, the Alden Navy had long been unchallenged. Its main function had been to eliminate pirates and ensure maritime security.
As a result, unlike on Earth, where new technologies were quickly applied to the military, the Alden Navy had fallen behind civilian merchant ships in terms of ship tonnage.
Over time, the Alden Navy had classified ships based on tonnage and function, with ships over a thousand tons called battleships, those between 500 and 1,000 tons as cruisers, and anything smaller as auxiliary ships.
Soon, a fleet consisting of one battleship, fifteen cruisers, and thirty auxiliary ships was organized, commanded by Admiral Quik, and set sail southward with great momentum.
The battleship was named Sea Fortress, the first and currently only battleship built by the Alden Navy. It had been converted from a large merchant ship and carried a strong experimental nature. It had three decks and was equipped with ninety various cannons. When docked in port, its towering hull and the dense array of gunports made it look like a castle had been moved to the sea.
Along with the fleet were three Marine battalions—thanks to Alden's military expansion, the Navy had also increased the size of its Marine forces.
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In Niceport's Council Chairman's office, Marcus puffed on his pipe, the rising smoke barely hiding the worry on his face.
The door opened, and Marquis Foster entered, sitting down opposite him.
Marcus asked, "Have you taken care of your family?"
The Marquis nodded. "I've sent them to Alden. What about you?"
Marcus smiled bitterly. "I'm at Northwest Bay in Alden; it's too far for me, but I have some relatives in Eaton."
The Marquis expressed concern, "If we can't hold this place, Eaton will be in danger too!"
Marcus sighed, "We'll deal with that when it happens. Right now, the whole of Niceport is anxious. It feels like we're going to collapse before the Church's army even arrives!"
Foster furrowed his brow and made a suggestion: "Distribute money!"
"Distribute money?" Marcus repeated.
"Yes!" The Marquis clenched his teeth. "Open the alliance's treasury, take out all the remaining money, and motivate the people to fight! Let them know that if the Church's army enters the city, these riches will be looted, and people will naturally fight harder."
Marcus hesitated. "I don't think this will really boost our defensive strength, and when the Church's army enters, they'll definitely plunder."
Foster didn't quite understand. "If we keep it in the treasury, won't the Church's army still take it when they invade?"
Marcus thought for a moment and suggested, "How about we transfer the remaining money to our allies? For example…"
Foster frowned. "Eaton?"
He shook his head. "Do you trust them that much? I think it would be better to distribute it to our own people."
"If we have this wealth, we can still organize resistance through our allies."
"They might think it's more effective to use the wealth themselves, rather than entrusting it to a group of vanquished people."
The two argued in the office about how to handle the remaining treasury, but in the end, neither convinced the other.
"Well, then we'll let all the council members vote on it tomorrow."
The two reached a consensus—there was no other choice.
Marcus brought up another matter. "Robin sent word. This is his last contribution to his homeland."
Foster's brow furrowed. "Contribution? Does he really think this will be useful?"
Marcus nodded. "The Alden people in Lion's Port feel offended and angry, while the Church is dissatisfied with the Alden people. The rift between them is deepening."
Foster was displeased. "Then Robin should have fanned the flames and deepened the rift, instead of stopping now and calling it his last contribution."
Marcus disagreed. "No, his position within the Church is dangerous. Planting this seed is already a good result. Besides, he's not someone who formally pledges allegiance to the Alliance."
"A double-faced man!"
"Anyway, until the situation changes, we won't contact Robin again. Having someone willing to help us is better than exposing him."
Both the New Faith Army and the Protectorate Army had planted many spies within each other's ranks, and the "Robin" Marcus mentioned was not a formal spy of the Alliance in the Church, but someone who sympathized with the Alliance due to his background and was willing to provide some help as long as it didn't endanger him.
Foster sighed, "I wonder if the seed planted will have a chance to grow before Niceport falls."
Marcus patted his shoulder. "Let's do our best!"
(End of the Chapter)
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