Chapter 566: Preparing for War
Boom!
A spinning cannonball slammed into the ship's side.
The ironwood hull only dented slightly before bouncing the cannonball off.
Rebound runes etched around the impact point began to glow faintly, slowly repairing the damage.
Fine vines grew along the repaired area, outlining scar-like patterns—badges of honor for the warship.
"Durability +1. Remaining stored life energy: 98."
Yes, this was the current standard magic warship, built using production technology Bay Territory had acquired from the Ayle Elves.
It was far harder to craft than ordinary wooden warships, mainly due to the challenge of sourcing materials.
Even a basic ship capable of sailing the seas needed extremely hard yet lightweight wood to resist the waves.
Ironwood was a common yet extremely expensive choice.
Ironwood grew incredibly slowly.
Each natural year, it grew only 3–5 centimeters.
It took over 50 years to mature into usable timber.
Throughout the process, it required constant pruning.
Side branches and leaves had to be removed, preserving only the uppermost section.
This ensured tight-grained wood without defects like knots.
And that was just step one of material selection.
Cutting down three-meter-high ironwood trees usually yielded only two standard two-meter planks.
These were then placed in dark, ventilated areas to air-dry.
After a year, they lost about half their moisture content.
Then came a coating of secret tung oil, left to dry for three months.
During drying, any deformed, warped, or cracked hardwood was discarded.
This process repeated six times—for a total of one year and six months.
The resulting hardwood was strong, light, dense, and elastic.
A finger tap produced a crisp sound; forcibly bending it to 90 degrees would let it spring back to shape.
Such materials not only resisted impact well but also stood up to sea corrosion and wear.
The secret tung oil coating was highly water- and fire-resistant.
It also killed most underwater parasites, preventing barnacles, seaweed, and reducing maintenance costs.
Each ironwood plank was worth 5 gold coins—and often hard to find even at that price.
A five-masted warship required at least 12,000 such planks.
Meaning the hull alone cost over 60,000 gold coins.
And that was only the material cost.
Add defensive modifications, mast construction, sail installation, and heavy long-range weapons, and costs multiplied 2–3 times.
Compared to a 3–4k gold coin siege engine, this sea war machine was truly extravagant.
Hence, only marquises and higher lords or powerful forces could fund fleets to cross the sea to the New World.
The magic warship production tech from the Ayle Elves pushed warship prices even higher.
The magical infusion of ironwood lowered the success rate to only around 30%.
Each treated plank cost over 20 gold coins.
Meaning the total cost of building a warship reached 300,000 gold coins or more.
Bay Territory's warships were not only enhanced in materials but also benefited from the Ayle Elves' "Living Ship" enchantment tech.
This pushed the total cost to a staggering 500,000 gold coins.
Most of the time, gold meant combat power!
That's why Bay Territory's warship defenses easily crushed ordinary Wokou vessels.
"You hit me with a cannon—I'm unharmed."
Beyond defense, the new generation of dwarf cannons and heavy ballistae extended Bay Territory's attack range beyond 800 meters.
And they maintained high precision and accuracy!
Any hit on a Wokou ship would smash open a massive hole.
"I hit you once—you're crippled."
The halted Warayan was riddled with holes at the rear.
Seawater gushed in, and Wokou pirates ran in panic—some leaping into the sea to survive.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
With wooden groans, the Warayan sank slowly beneath the sea. Whirlpools and waves swallowed over a hundred pirates who failed to escape.
The Warayan's sinking didn't frighten the other Wokou ships.
They launched frenzied attacks on Bay Territory's ships.
But their cannons lacked power, and their crossbows lacked range—posing no real threat.
Meanwhile, Bay Territory's well-trained sailors executed their drills methodically, focusing fire on one Wokou ship at a time.
The roar of cannon fire echoed in the dark.
Shells flew, crisscrossing toward their targets.
The results, however, were drastically different.
Bay Territory ships repaired hit areas quickly via magic circles.
This boosted morale and confidence.
Wokou ships struck by cannon fire were soon full of gaping holes.
The vicious cannonballs ricocheted inside, crushing anything in their path—whether panicked pirates or defensive cannons.
One by one, Wokou ships stopped, then sank under the barrage.
By the time the fifth Wokou ship sank, the once-frenzied pirates were overwhelmed by fear.
The remaining three damaged ships limped toward the docks.
Some Wokou pirates, seeing the writing on the wall, took lifeboats and fled.
Bay Territory's warriors, given the order, showed no mercy—quickly destroying the last three ships.
The pirates at the docks were horrified. The once-unbeatable pirate fleet was crushed right at their doorstep.
Their terror spread through those who made it to the dock.
Soon they abandoned both the docks and the four docked transport ships, retreating to their stronghold in panic.
Bay Territory's warships didn't rush in. Instead, they repaired their own ships.
Only a few small transport boats sped toward the dock.
With no resistance, they quickly took the dock.
After confirming no hidden threats, they signaled the main fleet to approach.
Their cautious style ensured no mistakes.
Glancing at the sinking wreckage, Matthew turned his eyes to the tattered Wokou stronghold.
Chaos reigned atop the walls. Panic-stricken pirates ran in all directions.
Many raised torches, trying to ready their cannons.
But their old-fashioned cannons couldn't fire in the rain.
And with many pirate leaders gone, command was in total disarray.
Matthew didn't issue combat orders. He served as backup insurance, letting Arnold and Leon lead the battle.
They didn't recklessly assault the walls.
First, they scouted enemy movements and gathered outside the cannon's range.
Then they pushed out modified self-propelled cannons.
Step by step, they prepared to storm the stronghold.
It wasn't flashy—but it was flawless.
That was Bay Territory's style.
Steady wins. Calm victory.
If they could win with cannons, they'd never risk deep strikes or lone raids.
Unless absolutely necessary!
The 3,000-strong assault force claimed victory as expected.
When the self-propelled cannons blasted open the gates and walls, the pirates atop the ramparts fled in terror.
Leon didn't split forces to chase them.
They methodically took the walls, then the gates.
After assessing the interior, Leon ordered the cleanup.
Having witnessed even legendary orc Ironhide Grigg fail to breach Bay Territory's defenses—even with legendary spells—Leon had learned a key lesson:
Without complete victory, any success is fleeting.
Gone in a flash!
Half an hour later.
Matthew saw his Fate Power reach 150,000 and knew the battle was over.
Indeed—not a single Wokou pirate had escaped alive.
Cavalry patrolled the area around the stronghold to ensure no one escaped alive.
Raging flames shot up into the sky.
The stench of burning corpses seeped into the nostrils of every goblin slave.
They watched the scene before them in sheer terror.
The once-dominant Wokou pirates, just like their fellow victims, had been reduced to charred corpses without a chance to fight back.
They feared that such a fate would mercilessly befall them next.
They hid in their dilapidated wooden huts, trembling with fear.
The bolder goblins only dared to peek through the gaps in the wood at the Bay Territory soldiers clad in shining silver armor and radiating intimidating auras.
They did not fear death, but they still hoped to live.
After searching the entire city and confirming there was no more danger, Leon reported the tallied results to Matthew.
"In this battle, we sank 8 warships, captured 4 transport ships, killed 3,200 Wokou pirates, and captured 9,567 slaves."
"We also seized 420,000 gold coins from the transport ships, along with a batch of high-quality rare metals, totaling a value of 3.8 million gold coins."
A single battle earned them over 4 million gold coins!
Matthew was quite pleased with the haul and signaled Leon to continue handling the aftermath while he turned his gaze to the trembling goblins in the city.
He observed that the goblins were in terrible condition—most were emaciated and on the brink of starvation.
Matthew was very interested in goblins, as he knew that these seemingly foolish and savage creatures once had a brilliant history and civilization.
That was over 6,000 years ago.
"Settle these goblins, let them recover physically, check if they have any specialties or skills, and try to gather intel about the Wokou pirates from them."
With Matthew's order, Leon immediately set things in motion.
Bay Territory soldiers were very professional when it came to capturing and organizing slaves.
In no time, wisps of cooking smoke began to rise from various parts of the stronghold.
Starving goblins, resisting the urge to rush out, watched the Bay Territory soldiers cautiously as they cooked porridge.
They dared not make a move until a voice called out in Common Tongue:
"All goblins, please proceed to the nearest food distribution point and line up for food."
At first, the goblins didn't respond at all.
Though starving, they had developed a strong sense of vigilance—a side effect of the torment and pain inflicted by the Wokou.
However, after the third broadcast and the smell of food spread through the stronghold—
A few goblins, driven by hunger, finally made up their minds and rushed out.
They had accepted it—if they were to die, they'd die with full stomachs.
Many eyes watched their every move. When the goblins stumbled forward and were loudly ordered to line up, there was a hint of pity in those watching.
But the expected beatings or executions didn't happen.
Amazingly, they actually made it through the long masts, lined up, and received steaming bowls of porridge.
The rich, sweet aroma overwhelmed the goblin named Bigo.
He scooped up a bit of the warm porridge with his filthy fingers and put it in his mouth.
The warmth and fragrance hit him instantly.
He could no longer resist and lifted the bowl, gulping it down.
Tears welled in his eyes as Bigo sobbed uncontrollably.
A goblin nearby tasted a bite, then cautiously hid the bowl.
She glanced around nervously and crept toward a rickety hut.
Soon, soft groans came from within.
The surrounding goblins could no longer resist. Despite the drizzle, they burst out from their shacks.
The previously impassable wooden fences were smashed apart in moments.
Under the loud shouts of the Bay Territory soldiers, they quickly formed long lines.
Soon, every goblin had received a steaming bowl of porridge.
It had been far too long since they last tasted such warmth.
Many goblins wept bitterly.
Others savored each bite, as if this might be their last meal.
But to every goblin's surprise, the Bay Territory soldiers who distributed the food didn't force them into labor like the Wokou. Instead, they said:
"All goblins, rest well. When the sun rises, come back here for more food."
The Bay Territory soldiers didn't leave the stronghold. Instead, they began patrolling in small teams.
The goblins stared blankly, stunned by what they were witnessing.
They dared not dream of the future.
They were simply wondering whether they'd get to eat again the next morning.