King
Chapter 904 - 904 94 Nighttime Rain Assault

904: Chapter 94: Nighttime Rain Assault 904: Chapter 94: Nighttime Rain Assault On the sea surface, bathed in the summer sunlight, a sacred flag fluttered in the wind.

The last time the three great fleets acted together was three hundred years ago during the continent-wide anti-Clergy movement.

Although it ended in failure, it achieved the Clergy’s epic retreat.

“The Alpha people didn’t even put up a symbolic interception, it seems that Caesar III’s death took away their courage as well,”

said Fourth Fleet Commander Hamodi with a sneer.

As they couldn’t even defend their own territory, they naturally couldn’t earn everyone’s respect.

Especially the current practice of turning a blind eye and allowing them entry, was a display of weakness.

International struggles are very delicate; the weaker you appear, the more it exposes your vulnerabilities, and the more the other side will push their advantage.

“Hamodi, don’t take this lightly.

If the Alpha people were so easily subdued, we wouldn’t need to head north.

You see, aren’t they here already?”

No sooner had Moses spoken than a ship flying the flag of the Alpha Kingdom appeared in the distance, slowly sailing toward them.

…

“Greetings to the three commanders, I represent the Alpha Kingdom and welcome your arrival.

Here are the nautical charts of the Misty Ocean.

I hope you will lead your forces to quell the calamity of the Ghost Ship soon, and restore peace to the marine region.

Speed is of the essence in battle, so I will take no more of your time,”

said the ambassador, turning to leave, as if he were rid of the Plague God.

Hamodi was so angry that he was about to erupt, but two people beside him held him back.

It’s not acceptable to strike an ambassador when two nations are at war, much less when a state of war has yet to be declared.

It’s no longer three hundred years back, and the Clergy can’t just arbitrarily label someone as a heretic and then burn them at the stake.

In dealings with nobles of various countries, the Clergy must also abide by the new rules of the game.

“Why are you holding me back?

Such arrogance from that man, if we don’t show him…

Moses interrupted Hamodi before he could finish, “Enough, Hamodi, why are you still so impulsive?

Given our relationship with the Alpha Kingdom, did you really expect them to welcome you sincerely?

If you had struck earlier, they would have been prepared to die then and there.

If the Human Alliance had investigated, it’s not certain the higher-ups would have completely backed you!”

The position of a fleet commander within the Clergy does not carry a lot of weight, as there is no one from the navy among the high-ranking members of the Clergy atop the Holy Mountain.

This is due to tradition.

Before the navy developed, all high-ranking positions had been secured, leaving no room for newcomers to break in.

In Moses’s view, this laborious expedition was an opportunity to prove the navy’s worth.

For such a trivial matter to ruin the navy’s grand plans was absolutely unacceptable.

“Moses, it’s not that I want to cause trouble, but they are too overbearing.

What we do, how can it be directed by outsiders?

Sending over a set of nautical charts, do they think we don’t have the data on the Misty Marine Region, or that we need their help?”

Hamodi couldn’t help but complain.

His show of impulsiveness didn’t mean he was truly foolish.

Although the Clergy is a network of relationships, it also requires proof of capability.

Truly incompetent fools couldn’t reach the position of fleet commander.

His seemingly reckless behavior was not without its purposes; it was a performance meant for the Alpha people as well as his superiors, a politically correct act in defense of the Clergy’s dignity.

If he genuinely wanted to strike, at such a close distance, his companions would not have been able to hold him back.

“What’s so surprising?

They simply want to use our hand to eliminate the Ghost Ships lurking in the Sea of Mist.

According to intelligence from the Holy Mountain, the Eastern War Hammer Kingdom’s battle line is nearing collapse, and the Alpha people’s attention is largely drawn there.

They probably can’t spare a thought for the coastal areas right now.

Since they can’t deal with us openly, they naturally resort to underhanded tactics.

The Sea of Mist, known as one of the Ten Deadly Places of the Continent, is so dangerous that entering ships can’t expect to all survive; they’re likely to suffer heavy losses.

Now with Ghost Ships hiding within, the peril is even greater.

The Alpha people clearly intend to use us as a tool to kill, now it just remains to be seen if the tool they borrowed is sharp enough,”

Moses said with a cold laugh.

The perils of the Sea of Mist are well known to the people of the continent, yet they have reasons they must enter.

This operation was officially to suppress the Ghost Ships, and any lack of real action would not look good for the Clergy.

Most crucially, it concerned the news of divine artifacts.

The Treasure Hunting Team had disappeared in the Misty Marine Region, suspected to be the misdoing of the Alpha people, but there was no conclusive verdict on the artifact question.

Whether the Alpha people had played foul before the Treasure Hunting Team entered Poison Dragon Island, after they returned, or during their artifact-hunting process itself, remained uncertain.

The Clergy must clarify these ambiguous issues,

otherwise, if one day an Inherited Artifact suddenly surfaced and a new Clergy was declared on its basis, it would be a tragedy.

Moses glanced over the nautical chart and saw that it was the most widely circulated version on the continent, then shook his head secretly.

The Alpha people’s gesture was stingy, playing a game of killing with a borrowed knife but not even offering a detailed map!

Yet considering the unique nature of the Misty Marine Region, perhaps giving just a general location was enough, as no matter where one enters, it would all be a dense mist.

The sunlight couldn’t penetrate it; day and night were indistinguishable, and with only Poison Dragon Island inside, it looked like having a more detailed map of the interior wouldn’t make much of a difference.