However, surrendering without a fight was never the style of this Sirius officer.

Forcing himself to calm down, he loudly issued the command:

"Prepare for battle!"

Victor knew well that although he was flying the Tulip flag, no one aboard could speak the common language of the Tulip Alliance besides himself.

Moreover, the Sirius-style equipment and decorations aboard could not fool the keen eyes of the opposition.

If it were an ordinary merchant ship, there might still be room for negotiation, but the other party, as long as they were not blind, could easily see that the ship was full of professional soldiers.

Given the current relationship between the two nations, this battle was inevitable!

"Captain!

Perhaps we can tell these Phaletis people about the silver mine to seek the treatment of prisoners of war.

Moreover, among the three most powerful countries in the northern New World, both Atlant and Sak already know about this news, and it might not be long before the Tulip learns of it too.

Simply use the information to give everyone a chance at survival. They need the nautical charts in our heads, so at worst, they might at least spare our lives."

The first mate, seeing the approaching Level 4 battleship, was breaking into a sweat despite the late autumn season.

For this exploration ship, in prime condition it wouldn't fear a military battleship. Even if its firepower could tear them to pieces easily, under the same sea conditions, it couldn't possibly outsail them.

But now the situation was different.

The exploration ship emphasized speed, but its firepower configuration was quite ordinary. It had already been severely damaged in previous naval battles, and it was a miracle it was still afloat.

In the Old Continent, the various nations' True Gods kept things in check, and between the major powers, they might still maintain a facade to prevent war from escalating or spiraling out of control, but in the New World or the Southern Continent, where the heavens are high and the True Gods distant...

For interests, they could beat a person's brains out!

If the other side discovered that they were actually Sirius military personnel, the most likely outcome would be the direct sinking of the "Dolphin," permanently severing all ties with this world.

Everyone aboard was fully aware that with Sirius's tyrannical behavior in the New World, encountering another country's navy under such circumstances rarely had an alternative outcome.

However.

Splurt—

Bam!

What awaited the first mate wasn't Victor's agreement but a deadly sword thrust.

With a kick, he knocked him to the ground, his face covered in blood. Victor viciously warned the soldiers on board:

"In the face of a great battle, whoever dares to disrupt morale will be executed!

Silver Island is the Kingdom's greatest secret, and even if Atlant and Sak get the news, it won't spread further.

Who's bold enough to speak of the silver mine will be a traitor, and I'll kill him before he opens his mouth!

For His Majesty the King! For military honor!"

Although never granted by naval regulations the right to kill the first mate, at this crucial moment, he no longer cared about such things.

However, the first mate's words did remind him of one point.

Perhaps without confrontation, there might be a chance for them to escape.

Victor thought he could rely on the Alliance's disguise, and when the other side approached to inspect, attempt to seize their key personnel.

Then... seize their warship!

"If only Lord Daos were still here."

Previously, in the chaos, their Great Knight had been besieged by the well-prepared Atlanteans and was now missing.

Seeing the situation hopeless, defending was meaningless. He had no choice but to hastily board the ship with loyal crew members, geologists, and the Chief Navigator familiar with nautical charts, fleeing in panic.

Even when standing alongside Brigadier General Daos, he felt somewhat overshadowed, but entrusted with such responsibility by His Majesty the King, he was indeed a genuine Peak Knight!

No matter that, even on a typical battleship, the other side might have at least two Official Knights, but if he could seize an opportunity, the success rate was... very high!

Assuming that the "Storm Horn" was far away and wouldn't see the goings-on here.

Victor didn't know, every move on the "Dolphin" had long been spied on by the other side using sea birds.

"Silver mine? What silver mine? Has this Sirius exploration ship discovered a silver mine?"

Standing on the forecastle, through the eyes of the sea birds, Aiven watched the drama unfold on the enemy ship with great interest, particularly intrigued by their mention of a silver mine.

Judging by their route, that silver mine could be in the northern New World.

And it must not be a small one, given how cautious the Sirius people were.

This discovery could potentially shatter the notion that gold and silver mines only exist in the southern and central parts of the Sirius-occupied continent. It could even provoke Sirius's insatiable greed for gold and silver, disrupting the relatively stable balance between nations.

"Accelerate; I want them captured alive!"

"Aye, Captain!"

With the help of the "Monsoon Goddess," the "Storm Horn" cut through the waves, taking less than two hours to approach the severely damaged exploration ship limping along the sea at a snail's pace.

Of its three masts, the mainmast was completely broken and missing, and the already low stern seemed to have been shorn off further.

The hull bore numerous signs of cannon fire, even with clear signs of recent patchwork near the waterline.

The appearance was quite pitiful.

Subsequently, the crew on the warship saw the other ship signaling for help with flags, hoping the "Storm Horn" could come and rescue their crew.

"Total personnel: 114, with 19 seriously injured; almost everyone else has injuries.

There is one suspected Official Knight; the others are not of Extraordinary level. However, their demeanor suggests formal military training; they should all be elite soldiers.

Confirmed as Sirius Navy personnel, everyone stay alert. Open the gun ports and approach to fifty meters."

Standing on the forecastle, Aiven turned to order the navy on deck.

No one doubted their captain's accuracy in intelligence as they quickly ran to their battle stations.

Boom! Boom! Boom!...

The hatches of the firing ports were opened one after another, and dazzling cannons were pushed out.

This unfriendly gesture caused a commotion among the Hilus people on the exploration ship.

From afar, someone could be heard shouting in Tulip Alliance language:

"Navy officers, please don't fire! We belong to Paros's exploration ship 'Dolphin'.

We recently encountered those damned pirates.

The ship is severely damaged, the bilge is filled with seawater, please save us!"

At this point, Aiven stepped out, seemingly unaware and cooperated with them:

"You encountered pirates? The firepower of these pirates seems a bit too strong..."

The distance of fifty meters was already enough for both sides to clearly see some details with the naked eye.

Seeing the officer on the battleship with a captain's cloak so young, Victor felt instant joy, the original plan with a success rate of only six or seven instantly turned into a certainty.

Such a young Navy Captain was clearly a direct descendant of a Great Noble family here for gilding, as long as he could take him hostage, escaping smoothly shouldn't be a problem.

"That's right, those damned pirates.

We barely managed to escape, and there are still many wounded on the ship needing urgent treatment.

I won't let you and the officers work hard for nothing, even though we've lost more than half of what we gained from this adventure, we are willing to give you all the remaining harvest!"

Boom—

As if fearing Aiven would regret, they've already lowered a longboat, Victor brought two crew members and a seemingly ordinary wooden box quickly rowed over.

Moments later.

This captain wearing a triangular captain hat with dark skin, no different from a seasoned adventurer, personally carried the wooden box onto the deck.

"Good day, Captain!

I am Victor, the captain of the 'Dolphin' adventure ship, this is a token, please accept it.

We are all citizens of the Tulip Alliance and children of the Goddess, you must help us!"

Victor took off his hat and saluted earnestly, perfectly demonstrating an outstanding captain who faced great difficulties but refused to abandon his crew.

But he didn't know his performance was completely in vain, the entire crew on the "Storm Horn" already knew their true identity.

Even through his rowing and moving of the wooden box, Aiven had a rough judgment of his approximate strength.

Tap..tap..tap..

Leaning on a gorgeous ruby staff, he casually walked up to this captain.

"No problem, no problem..."

The staff casually tapped the wooden box on the deck, making a crisp "dong dong dong" sound.

Thinking the young captain wanted to inspect the goods first, Victor felt pleased, ready to find a legitimate reason to approach.

Not letting the attendants beside him take action, but personally approached the front of the box, facing Aiven's lock side.

"Despite heavy losses this time, we discovered a temple of the Atrean people in the northern continent, gaining...."

Victor was introducing the gains of his adventure, but at the moment of bending down, he suddenly drew the Swift Sword from his waist.

Screech——

Unlike the mainstream Battlefield Hand Half-Sword on the continent, for a Sir Hilus, the most popular swordsmanship was actually the lighter Swift Sword Technique.

In the Hilus country, this unique Swift Sword Technique was even called the [Supreme Swordsmanship!] (That's right, not an adjective, that's the name)

Everything centered around the "Marychinsky Circle", each movement, attack, and defense followed the pre-planned routes.

Using this technique against an enemy was not just a test of courage and skill but also a mathematical contest of intelligence, elegant yet powerful, welcomed by all social circles.

And using the Swift Sword's [Supreme Swordsmanship], there was no doubt you were the king of one-on-one duels.

Aiven was within reach, which was the perfect time to unleash his swordsmanship, from which Victor found his confidence!

However.

He didn't get the chance to turn and swing his sword.

"Ah——!"

A painful scream escaped his mouth.

The Swift Sword slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

Clang——

Unexpectedly, Aiven behind him had already acted preemptively, sword staff unsheathed, a lightning-fast strike had pierced his right shoulder blade.

Having already seen through Victor's intentions.

His approaching, turning, and bending movements simply played right into Aiven's hand.

Using intention against unpreparedness, even a Peak Knight was heavily injured in one move!

However, as a Peak Knight given responsibilities by the King, Victor easily admitting defeat was impossible.

"Physical Liberation—twenty percent!!!"

With a shout, the imposed self-suggestion was dispelled, the potent strength of a Peak Knight burst forth.

Unexpectedly a calm voice behind him:

"Physical Liberation—thirty percent!"

A foot fiercely stomped onto his back.

Crash!

Like a mountain pressing Victor onto the deck, his face was already distorted.

Aah—!

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