Time flies swiftly.

In the blink of an eye, the two battleships have been patrolling this sea for almost a month.

Unexpectedly, they learned from "Greedily Vile" Jobri, the sole surviving pirate of this naval battle, the reason for the unusual increase in pirates in these waters.

It turned out that one of the "Golden Sea Twin Kings" had defected to Hilus.

They immediately realized the seriousness of the situation; in such a stalemate, any external intervention could break the deadlock.

Like their Tulip Alliance, or this batch of crazed pirates following "Oathbreaker" Bradley.

Although Aiven and his team found the slogan "After founding the nation, everyone is a noble, everyone is above others" to be ridiculously hollow.

After all, even in modern society, the objective existence of the phenomenon "everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others" persists—if everyone becomes superior, then who becomes the exploited?

Yet the extreme fervor born from this belief is something no one can ignore.

Aiven promptly communicated this intelligence back to "Dierben Castle," urging the two leaders to fortify their defenses.

With pirates forming groups to leave the perpetually active "Golden Sea" for the north, they will inevitably pass through the territory of the Tulip Alliance.

Expecting this lawless bunch to behave and only harass Sak and Atlant's colonies is utterly unrealistic.

Nearby merchant ships and coastal cities within their colonies are under their threat.

At this moment, stabilizing their backyard first is the right thing to do.

However.

Aiven had to admire Hilus's determination.

For the sake of that silver mine, even under a favorable position, they recruited even the pirates they normally would not spare a glance to.

Just to quickly achieve strategic goals, at worst, delay time for reinforcements to arrive for other colonies.

But this move was indeed effective. On the frontline, these unorganized and undisciplined guys could hardly defeat a regular army, but sabotage and incendiarism were their forte.

Not to mention Sak and Atlant, even a third party like themselves feared collateral damage, and expenditures on deploying forces to support the two nations inevitably suffered.

With additions and reductions, the situation appeared even more unfavorable for the fragile three-way alliance.

The only good news was that, in the Sunken Ship Bay decision, the pirate kings of the "Golden Sea" did not reach a consensus, so participation in this action was entirely voluntary.

A large number of pirates remained steadfastly in the "Golden Sea," opting to confront Hilus's treasures head-on.

Unfortunately, whether the kingdom could exploit the remainder of the pirates with their intelligence was a matter outside Aiven's current concerns.

Solidly accomplishing his mission was of the utmost importance.

Although war is never a good thing, it is all-too-realistically intertwined with one's military merits and... wealth.

During this month.

Supply ships appeared within the Sea Bird's sight, virtually leaving no chance to escape, not even privately contracted merchant ships for Hilus could evade Aiven and his team's "clutches."

Sometimes, they discreetly toppled them all with just a bottle of enhanced "Sleep Potion."

Upon waking, not only were various goods aboard vanished, but sometimes entire ships dragged away, leaving behind groups of crew members lying helplessly on lifeboats at the mercy of fate.

If Hilus soldiers were aboard supply ships, they faced greater misfortune, possibly never awaking after sleep.

Even with combat encounters, they were rarely intense; capable pirates were simply no match for them and were subsequently sunk directly into the sea upon defeat.

Gradually.

The tale of the "Sea Ghost" amidst the white mist began spreading among survivors; unseen enemies, unknown origins, unknown attacks...

With prolonged accumulation, the power at Aiven's command seemed exceptionally unfair to ordinary people, even to Low-tier Transcendent figures.

The interception operation of the supply lines yielded fruitful results, relieving pressure on the frontline for the two nations, allowing them their first breath since the battle commenced.

Yet.

As time progressed, the task became increasingly difficult for Aiven and his team.

Even the dullest among Hilus discerned something was amiss.

Successfully reaching the frontline, the supplies were far less than anticipated; other supply ships either vanished silently at sea or lost all cargo, sailing barely with their existence.

Therefore, after learning their lesson, they gathered batches of supply ships escorted by fleets, even if it delayed the advancement schedule, ensuring smooth supplies.

If not, there'd be no need for battles as supply disruptions would lead to becoming prisoners of Sak and Atlant.

When faced with Hilus's main forces, Aiven and his team found themselves troubled, tens of collegiate ships constituting a fleet, not only was it difficult to overwhelm them, success wouldn't guarantee complete annihilation.

Exposing the kingdom to Hilus's observation contradicted the initial strategic aim of "acting while abstaining."

"Is there only one ship today?"

Leaving the buffer zone between Tulip and Sak Empire, two battleships and a merchant ship slowly anchored at the edge of a small island near Tulip Alliance coastal waters.

"Be content! The harvest in this month rivals a Great Pirate's two or three years of plunder in quantity, plus the goods hold greater value, medicines, ship materials, military supplies, ammunition, wine... most of high quality."

"Indeed! Now those daring enough to operate independently from the main fleet, seeking fortunate high profits, are increasingly rare."

The officers aboard casually chatted in twos and threes; although some complained, morale remained high.

By customary agreement, during wartime at sea.

As captain, Aiven earned one fourth of the booty, officers and technical personnel aboard shared another fourth, the Navy Department gained one fourth, whilst regular crew shared the remaining fourth.

Especially when beforehand, Vice Admiral Gustav pledged that proceeds from the seized war spoils belonged entirely to participating officers, meaning everyone got an extra share.

The frequent plunder income over the past month has resulted in a huge fortune for each crew member.

Even several old officers on the ship who originally belonged to the Level 6 Battleship "Conch" find themselves in a moral dilemma.

With this amount of money, retiring immediately would allow them to live comfortably as wealthy gentlemen. Is it still necessary to continue this life of wind and rain?

After all, they are getting older and gradually unable to keep up with the pace of this battleship.

Especially after Major Boris boarded the ship, they have realized the vast gap between themselves and an outstanding Navy Officer.

If it weren't for their seniority, how else could they have a position on this battleship with limitless prospects?

At this moment.

The suddenly flashing signal lamp reminded them that there was still important business to attend to.

"It's here!"

Taking advantage of the low visibility at sea under the cover of night, two merchant ships approached from a distance.

After communicating with each other.

Swish, swish...

Bang—

The merchant ships, significantly smaller than the battleship, gently docked alongside the "Storm Horn."

Having done this many times over the past month, the experienced crew quickly rushed forward, efficiently transferring supplies.

These included spoils of war transferred from the "Storm Horn" as well as various supplies delivered to the "Storm Horn" by the merchant ships.

Even though they were guarding a supply line, it didn't mean that the two battleships could be completely self-sufficient.

For example, there were shells suitable for the shipborne artillery caliber of the Level 4 Battleship, and various experimental materials for a certain Wizard...

The work over there was in full swing.

According to the normal process, Aiven did not need to come out and was in his captain's cabin researching various core witchcrafts at the stage of an Official Wizard.

The source of a Wizard's power ultimately lies in all kinds of knowledge. After completing the metamorphosis as an Official Wizard and acquiring the necessary foundation, Aiven was absorbing the various mysterious knowledges needed at this stage like a sponge.

His strength was experiencing a rapid growth period, and it could be said that every day he was stronger than he was yesterday!

Although there was still a considerable distance to completely mastering all the abilities that a "Vitalist School" Wizard at this stage needed to master.

However, the search for the second volume of the "Inheritance Secret Scroll" recording "Flesh Puppet" had also been put on his agenda.

Even without the knowledge of this branch, Aiven could advance to an Upper-Rank Wizard by diligently researching the other two branches, just like the "Snake-man" Heber Crete did back then.

But to advance to Tier 3 in the most magnificent manner, the second volume of the "Flesh Sacrifice" was indispensable.

Moreover, without a part of the foundation and critical knowledge, creating the ultimate creation of the school, the "Life Tree" or the "Crown of Miracles," which was difficult to embody initially, would truly become a mirage or a castle in the sky.

Even if he had just advanced to an Official Wizard, and the "Truth Embodiment" pursued by Crowned Wizards seemed out of reach, one should always have a little ambition, right?

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Focused on researching new witchcrafts, Aiven did not expect that apart from the regular trade of spoils today, he would also receive an unexpected guest.

Without seeing the person, he already knew who had arrived. Aiven took a black iron-colored "oak fruit" from the desk that had been processed, threaded it with a thin string, and hung it around his neck, saying:

"Come in."

"Good evening, Captain!"

A colony official with a slightly round figure dressed in formal attire pushed the door open and entered, removing his hat and greeting Aiven.

"Good evening, Chief Nekado! What brings you here in person today? Please, have a seat!

Did you hear that we've gotten some good things this time and couldn't wait? Hahaha..."

It's not that Aiven was boasting. Though it took several days to seize a merchant ship, the goods on board were quite valuable. It was a batch of top-quality teak wood ship material, a first-rate precious resource anywhere.

All veteran sailors know that teak is actually the best shipbuilding material, but considering its cost and rarity, even Hilus, with its numerous gold and silver mines, doesn't have the confidence to build entire ships out of teak.

Or rather, even if they wanted to, there wouldn't be enough teak available.

At most, a portion of teak is used as an auxiliary material on their main battleships.

The merchant ship used for supplies was also acting out of luck, thinking that its small target wouldn't be easily spotted. If they could deliver the goods to the front lines, they'd make multiple trips and earn a fortune, but in the end, they unexpectedly gifted Aiven and his crew a windfall.

Coordinated by Dierben Castle.

Recently, the East Lenz Company, with its official backing, has been assisting the two battleships in transporting supplies, and the person in charge, without a doubt, is Aiven's old friend, Chief of Trade, Nekado.

"Hahaha, Captain Aiven has reaped considerable gains, and we've benefited from it too by seizing Hilus' spoils and reselling them to the sorely pressed Sak and Atlant on the front lines.

Even though we have not seen any silver mines throughout the battle, we've made a considerable profit!"

Yet, it was apparent that Nekado's purpose for coming today was not solely for these exceptionally valuable cargoes.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries.

He carefully removed a small crystal bottle from his close-fitting clothes and placed it solemnly on the table in front of Aiven.

"Oh, Dust of Evil Spirits?!"

Upon seeing the item, Aiven couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

Looking up, he saw Nekado bow with difficulty and offer a greeting:

"Captain Aiven, actually, I've come to seek your help today. Do you remember the Yucatan tribe we visited together?"

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