MMORPG: Divine Mech Hunter
Chapter 1274 - Chapter 1274 Chapter 1274 On Regulation

Chapter 1274: Chapter 1274: On Regulation Chapter 1274: Chapter 1274: On Regulation Starfire and the United Army had only just begun their naval confrontation when the United Army was already chilled to the bone. Although they had some advantage being upwind, in the magical world, the advantage from positioning was neither significant nor absolute.

Being upwind provided a slight advantage in range, allowing the smoke from the cannons to drift away with the wind, which did not affect the gunners’ accuracy. Moreover, it was easier to perceive the opponent’s movements. Of course, the disadvantage was that they were mostly forced into engaging the enemy, and if their combat power was weak, this could backfire.

In fact, being downwind was not an absolute disadvantage either. If they were purely warships, they usually did not have a layer of cannon ports, even if far away, because they could open the lower layer of cannon ports to shoot upward, their firepower was relatively stronger. However, what they said were warships were merely armed merchant ships in the end.

Merchant ships’ primary purpose was to carry cargo, so they only had one layer of cannon ports, with more space for cargo. To bring more troops, it was improbable for the deck to be equipped with long-range weaponry; instead, it was densely packed with players.

Moreover, being downwind was not totally without advantage; it generally made it easier to disengage from combat.

The result was that just one round of cannon fire had completely dazed the United Army’s fleet, making them realize the vast difference between merchant ships and warships–they were simply not in the same league.

Relatively speaking, except for hitting Starfire’s smaller boats, the opponent’s cannon fire generally did not cause severe damage to Starfire’s warships. On the contrary, Starfire’s cannon fire could severely damage the opponent’s ships whenever it hit.

In reality, countless people were watching this battle because, at this stage, the common practice among player guilds was to use armed merchant ships as warships, while Starfire used decommissioned warships.

Decommissioned meant that the ships were outdated only because the Undead and the Elf Clan’s fleets were upgrading to newer models. In fact, these warships were still prized assets in regular legions.

Those watching this fight finally grasped the reality. The barrage of “66666” filled the screen before it finally quieted down.

“Heh, heh, heh, some people’s dreams are completely shattered now. The Mengmang Guild is foolish, paving the way for others only to find themselves in deep trouble,” someone commented.

“Warships are indeed powerful. It was a total crush. Unless commanded by a fool, it’s basically impossible to lose.”

“If you ask me, it’s Starfire that’s impressive. They recognized this issue early on and slowly equipped real warships. Now not only do they have two, but they are also both genuinely equipped warships. Plus, they seem to have a few other support function warships, making the combat even more diversified. With the terrifying demon-powered battleships, it’s basically impossible for other player guilds to find a match for Starfire.”

“Easy to say, too wishful thinking. Warships are expensive, of course, but who doesn’t want to own real warships? The problem is, players at this stage simply can’t get their hands on real warships. Even if you have the money, you can’t buy them.”

“That’s right, I’m very interested in Starfire’s naval construction. As far as I know, Starfire was also mainly using armed merchant ships until a while ago. It’s just that Prairie Fire managed to get some main fleet warships through relations with the queen, but it was a very limited number. I mean, if such relations can’t secure a fleet, what can ordinary players do?” said a player named Military Investigator.

“Then how did they later form a real structured fleet? It’s too exaggerated. Suddenly popping up with two small fleets seems a bit overstated.”

“Yes, since even relations with the queen couldn’t unfairly secure warships, how could they have expanded to this extent?”

The Military Investigator continued, “This should be credited to Starfire’s enemies. I only know the rough details. From my point of view, Starfire didn’t have any naval ambitions back then because their fleet was merely a trading team after seizing territories in bets and obtaining trading licenses. But a guild, for some reason, held a grudge against Starfire and bribed the One-Eyed Pirate Gang. As many people know, Starfire was well-prepared for the raid. Not only did pirates fail to seize the port, but a demon-powered warship was also captured.”

The Military Investigator went on, “Starfire wasn’t satisfied with just that victory; they subdued the current Eagle Commander, a former female pirate. They turned her against her own, directly seizing the den of the Cyclops Pirates. A friend of mine in Starfire is one of their elite members. He participated in that battle. He wouldn’t discuss the details of the operation unless he had been drinking, and after such an occasion, he mentioned something which was no secret to Starfire. You only know that Starfire integrated the pirate gang, obtaining a second demon-powered warship, but ever think that it was this integration that gave Starfire a small fleet of real warships? The island shrouded in fog, now Starfire’s private naval base, is reportedly very rich, but I am not clear on the specifics.”

Only then did the players realize that Starfire had its own exclusive map, eliciting envy from many guilds, while ordinary players were more amazed.

“Damn, that’s just outrageous. Starfire already has two bases, and I won’t even talk about their main base, entirely managed by Starfire itself, which has now become an important port city for the Dark Camp–the money there must be flowing like water, with some already calling Sandy Harbor the ‘Pearl of Sandbank,'” someone said bitterly.

“Indeed, Desolate Port is even more extreme. Although it came up later, it is now an important neutral port and transfer station for several factions. Starfire has completely revitalized the trade routes. Moreover, they had the foresight to build it as a standard city, unlike other guilds that mostly constructed functional buildings in tight spaces, now completely trapping themselves. Now Starfire has another island whose location is known only to them; who can be sure to what extent that island has developed? It’s just too enviable.”

“Envy my ass. Other guilds don’t understand what a normal city is worth, but how much money and resources that would take! It’s not as if companies haven’t burnt money trying to establish guilds in the same mode as Starfire, but what happened? They lost everything, and developing such cities isn’t just about hosting players. Starfire’s development simply can’t be replicated.”

“Alright, can you guys be serious for once? Let the military expert continue talking about the history of Starfire’s navy.”

“Exactly, stop being pretentious. If you want to lament, take it to the forum.”

“Right, can you guys stop blabbering? Let the professional continue. This battle seems mysterious to me, feels very strange, something just doesn’t seem right…”