Chapter 1 The Young Man Is Actually Nearby

"That young man is actually nearby?"

On the deck, Barret frowned upon hearing the communication.

He thought it was a coincidence that they met at this time.

A voice came from the communicator.

"Commander Barret, are you near this sea area?"

"Yes."

"It's like this, didn't we have a deal last time? The [Silver Hand] you needed is ready. I was wondering if it would be convenient for us to meet and let you try it out."

"..."

On the damaged warship deck, the hundred or so members of the Holy Judgment Legion all stared at the communicator, a special light appearing in their eyes.

This was the only time in a long time that an outsider had contacted them.

Barret listened to the words in the communicator, a pensive look on his face.

If it weren't for the current situation, he would really want to meet.

He was also very interested in the "New Dawn City" that the young man mentioned.

After drifting at sea for these days, he really understood. What royal knight, hereditary honor... none of that was important anymore. He once hoped for a noble title through military exploits, but now it seemed somewhat ridiculous. They were just pawns in the power struggles of the great nobles.

On the contrary, he was more interested in the "City of Freedom" that strived for the progress of human civilization and the research of alchemy. Although it was only an "ideal state," if it could really be established, it would be an excellent place to go.

Too bad, there was no chance.

After a long silence, Soren's inquiry came from the communicator.

"What's wrong, Commander Barret? Is there something inconvenient on your end?"

"..."

Hearing this, Barret was about to speak, but the adjutant interrupted, saying with a complex expression, "Commander! We..."

The words caught in his throat, but he didn't say them.

Barret turned to look at the other members of the legion, one by one looking over. Their eyes seemed to be flashing with light, the last glimmer of hope in the face of despair.

Barret knew what his brothers were thinking.

If they could get supplies, they might be able to hold on.

"Friend Soren, could you help drop some supplies in the nearby sea area?"

"Supplies? Are you in trouble?"

"Yes."

"How much trouble?"

"Quite a bit."

"Is it pirates or people from Lu Ying?"

"Pirates."

"Which group? Could it be Oleg's people?"

"..."

A series of questions came from the communicator.

The questions were very detailed, as if to confirm who it was before considering whether to provide supplies.

Barret was about to respond, but the adjutant interrupted again, "Commander! If we tell them our real situation, they probably won't dare to come. After all, in the North Sea, no one dares to offend Oleg's fleet. Even if they drop supplies, it would be troublesome if they were found out, no one would dare to risk it..."

He knew that his commander was upright and honest and would never lie, but if they couldn't get supplies now, they wouldn't be able to hold on.

Besides, they were surrounded by enemies. No one could be considered an ally. Even if they concealed some facts, there was nothing to feel guilty about.

Barret glanced at the crowd and shook his head slightly, his meaning was clear: their situation wasn't worth dragging others down.

The soldiers bit their teeth when they saw his attitude, and didn't say anything else.

Barret picked up the communicator and said truthfully, "We were attacked by Oleg's Eighteenth Fleet and are in a very dangerous situation. If it's convenient for you, Friend Soren, just drop some medicine and fresh water supplies at sea. If it's not convenient... then we'll contact you later."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the soldiers of the Holy Judgment Legion looked disheartened.

They thought that since it was known that they were being chased by the King of the North Sea's men, no one would dare to come.

This only hope for supplies was about to slip away.

Sure enough, Barret's words were followed by a long silence on the other side of the communicator.

It seemed that they were frightened and there was no response.

......

Barret sighed slightly, not thinking much of it.

It was human nature to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.

Just as he was about to put down the communicator, a voice suddenly came from the other side: "Doesn't Oleg only have seventeen fleets? What's the Eighteenth Fleet? Could it be... you encountered the Void Fleet?"

Barret was stunned when he heard this. The other party didn't mention the supplies, but instead asked about these... unimportant things?

"Have you heard of this fleet?"

"Yes. I've encountered a few before and guessed some things."

"Your intelligence is really well-informed."

"..."

Barret's expression was a little strange. Why did it sound like the other party not only didn't fear Oleg's caution, but also had a hint of anticipation?

Who exactly was this guy, who actually knew about the Void Fleet?

What did that "anticipatory" tone mean?

Could it be that he heard wrong?

Just then, the communicator rang again: "That... what's the highest tier of the opponents? How many ships are there, and how many people are there in total?"

Barret's eyes twitched when he heard this.

He finally understood that it wasn't that he had heard wrong, but that the guy on the other side was really expecting something.

"What do you mean?"

Barret responded, but a very unlikely but seemingly true thought had already popped up in his mind: this guy, wouldn't be trying to take advantage of that Void Fleet, would he?

Could it be that the "Dawn City" had become so powerful that it could ignore the North Sea Fleet?

However, he guessed right.

At this time, the voice came from the communicator again: "What I mean is, if there are no professionals above the seventh tier, my partner and I might be able to help a little."

Hearing this, a strong expectation burst out in Barret's eyes, and his voice trembled slightly with excitement: "You... which side are you from?"

He had met Soren and knew very well that he was a thoughtful and steady young man. Since he spoke, he must have some confidence!

The response came from the other side: "I told you, New Dawn City. But we're just starting to build it, so it's called the Dawn Mercenary Group."

Barret listened, and not only him, but all the soldiers around him showed shocked expressions.

After the shock, there was a burst of joy after surviving a disaster.

After being forced into a desperate situation and fleeing for several days, they finally saw a glimmer of hope for survival!

......

On the other side, on the Dawn, Soren gathered everyone on the deck.

The crew members' faces were filled with excitement and anticipation.

"Brothers, we have a job this time! The other party has three ships and a total of one thousand and two hundred people. One sixth-tier professional, seven fifth-tier. We can block a few, and Barret's side can also hold back a few."

Soren told everyone about the situation on the ship.

Although Barret and his Holy Judgment Legion had been chased for several days, they also figured out the other party's strength. In particular, the abilities and methods of those high-level professionals were almost all clear.

Getting detailed information brought Soren too much convenience.

Since he knew the other party's overall combat power, then...

Soren calculated and felt that he could fight.

The guys from the King of the North Sea were enemies anyway, and the crew members were very excited to beat up the enemies.

After assigning the tasks, everyone began to sort out their equipment and ammunition.

Soren also put the Mechanical Octopi into the sea.

In the past two days, he used the accessories from the spoils to make two more, making it exactly fifty Mechanical Octopi.

These mechanical monsters would destroy all the enemy's ships as soon as possible.

Chiyo was also very excited. She was on the mast, holding the "Demon Blade Sozheng" and accumulating sword energy.

Being able to fight with experts was the most anticipated thing for her.

Soren jumped onto the mast and landed next to Chiyo, explaining in detail, "Chiyo-san, you have to be careful. The vice-captain of the Eighteenth Fleet, 'Ghost Hand' Dorosel Castillo, has fused with a high-level dark gold Void Armor, which can almost ignore the elemental barriers and body-protecting Qi of professionals of the same level, and can cause real damage to the body. He belongs to the fighter profession. But his weakness is that he can only fight in close combat. The troublesome thing is that he has the ability to move in the void..."

Even though she heard that it was a sixth tier, Chiyo was not afraid at all. Her eyes were full of high fighting spirit, and she said, "In that case, it is indeed a bit tricky. But my current long-range attack ability with sword energy is not weak. Even if I can't defeat him, I should be able to hold him back."

Soren nodded, "Yes, that's the best. When I destroy their ship, I'll come and help you. I have a cursed object that can limit spatial displacement. At the critical moment, I'll give that guy a heavy blow! As long as you kill that sixth tier, the other problems won't be too big. If you fall into the water, everyone will fight together."

Chiyo's face was full of fighting spirit: "Okay!"

In the control room, Tani was directing the sailors to control the sails.

The sea breeze blew, the sails billowed, and the Dawn sailed through the waves like an arrow.

......

On the other hand, on the Holy Judgment Mercenary Group's ship after the communication was cut off.

Hearing that someone would come to support them, Barret and his subordinates also fell into anticipation. They looked forward to seeing the boundless sea on the deck.

The weather was very good today.

But they hadn't seen a ship for a long time.

After the excitement, they fell into thinking again.

"Commander, is that 'Soren' reliable? Will they really dare to come?"

"Yes, no one in the North Sea dares to offend the North Sea Fleet... Moreover, even if they want to, they may not have the strength."

"Yes. Those pirates are very strong and have mastered the power of the void. Ordinary fleets can't deal with them at all. If a top-level professional above the seventh tier doesn't come, our situation can't be solved."

"..."

The members of the group were discussing.

What they feared most was having hope and not seeing it.

What if hope was dashed?

Barret was silent. Only he knew that the young man named Soren would never aim at a target without basis.

Just as everyone was looking forward to it, the observer on the mast suddenly shouted.

"They're here!"

"Commander, look, there's a shadow of a sail coming from the five o'clock direction!"

"Really? Where is it?"

"Oh my god, they really came!"

"..."

The crew members were very excited and took out their telescopes to look in that direction.

They did see the sail, and then they saw a warship.

It was a three-masted sailing ship.

Everyone's eyes also showed joy. They really came!

But after waiting for a while.

They could see it clearly.

One?

Only one ship came to support them?

"Only one ship?"

“This... is there a top-tier professional? It doesn’t look like it.”

"..."

The people on the ship looked at the lonely warship appearing on the screen, their eyes full of confusion.

They said they were afraid of offending Oleg, but they really came.

They said they were here to rescue them sincerely, but there was only one ship?

The enemy had three top-notch sailing warships. If they really fought a naval battle, they would not have any advantages.

Even Barret frowned.

Large-scale naval battles depend on the number of battleships and artillery. If they really fought head-on, they would be at a great disadvantage before the battle even started.

Just then, someone exclaimed again.

"Captain, there are two people coming on the sea!"

"That spider armor is really strange. It can actually move quickly on the sea."

"Those who dare to come here, are they high-level warriors who have come to support us? Sensing officer, what's the situation on your side?"

"Captain, it seems... the strongest of them is only at the fifth level, and the other one with spider arms only has fluctuations at the fourth level."

"..."

Hearing the report from the sensing profession, Barret and the crew members' expressions were wonderful.

......

At the same time.

Barret was able to find Soren and the others, and the North Sea Fleet also found them.

On the deck, the group of pirates looked at the three-masted sailing ship and didn't take it seriously at all, only contempt and anger.

"Hey... which group is this? Didn't you see that we are the North Sea Fleet flag!"

"There's no flag hanging, I'm afraid they're afraid that we'll recognize them. It seems that Barret found them to support him. Humph, no matter who it is, no one can protect the people that our North Sea Fleet wants to intercept, even if the Emperor of Lu Ying comes!"

"You fools who don't have eyes, don't be polite. If you dare to get close, sink them directly."

"Yes, Captain!"

The group of pirates didn't take the ship in the distance seriously at all.

Whether it was artillery or the strength of the warship, the difference between the two sides was too great!

......

Soren took Chiyo and traveled quickly on the sea, and after approaching the Holy Judgment Legion's warship, they immediately realized the situation of Barret and the others after seeing the warship that was full of holes.

The deck was densely packed with people, all of them looking at the two people on the sea with suspicious eyes.

Barret, who was in the broken wall, greeted from afar, "Friend Soren, long time no see."

His voice was loud and resounded throughout the entire sea.

No matter what the result was, since he dared to come in person, Barret owed him a favor.

Hearing the greeting, Soren smiled and said hello, "Long time no see, Commander Barret."

But he could also see the fatigue that Barret was trying to hide under his composure.

The two approached, and with a light leap on the water, they boarded the ship.

Soren walked onto the deck, and Barret greeted him.

Even in this situation, the commander of the legion, whose face was as chiseled as an ax, smiled heartily and said, "I admire Friend Soren's courage! I, Barret, and all the soldiers of the Judgment Legion will remember this kindness!"

As he spoke, he didn't say any nonsense and directly took out a storage ring and said, "This is what we traded last time. It would be even better if Friend Soren brought some supplies."

"..."

Soren watched Barret directly hand over the storage ring, thinking that the Activated Silver was inside.

Barret pointed to the three pirate ships hanging not far away and said, "I told you about the situation of those pirates in the communicator. They are the Eighteenth Squad and are very tricky. But they are here for us. We appreciate Friend Soren's kindness. Leave the supplies and leave quickly, so as not to be affected."

Soren didn't hesitate and took the storage ring.

Barret's words were very subtle.

This was giving him a way out.

He probably thought that he couldn't let go of these god-level materials, so he came.

He took out the things first, so that he could understand the "favor" of taking the risk to board the ship.

If they didn't have the strength to rescue them, it would be good to retreat.

But Soren had no intention of leaving. He just said, "I have already made the Silver Hand that I promised you. But it seems that there is no time to transplant it now. Um... what I mean is, I want to ask Mr. Barret, how much combat power do you have left now?"

"Combat power?"

Barret's expression didn't change, but a hint of suspicion quickly flashed in his eyes.

Why ask this at this time?

However, he replied truthfully, "The broken arm has a great impact on my combat power. Now I only have about 40% of my peak strength. But... if I have to fight hard, I can still be an ordinary sixth-tier professional."

Soren listened and nodded. "That's good."

Asking about combat power meant that he was going to fight. Barret vaguely guessed something, but didn't dare to believe it and said, "What do you mean?"

"Um..."

After pondering for a moment, Soren said expressionlessly, "I'm going to annihilate the pirate squad behind us."

Although the voice was not loud, everyone on the ship could hear it clearly.

These words were like a thunderbolt in the sky, causing a storm in the hearts of the Holy Legion.

Annihilate?

This word...

Did I hear it wrong?

Everyone's hearts were filled with confusion.

Barret glanced at the Dawn in the distance and tentatively asked, "Did your Dawn Mercenary Group bring a top-level expert this time?"

Soren knew that they had misunderstood and said, "No, it's just us."

As he spoke, he introduced Chiyo beside him: "This is the leader of our Dawn Mercenary Group, Ms. Aurelia Evelyn. My plan is for you and us to go over first and hold off the other party's high-end combat power. Then, our two groups will annihilate them all."

Barret performed a knight's salute, "It's an honor to meet you, Ms. Aurelia."

Chiyo hadn't heard anyone call her by her real name for a long time. She felt awkward and said, "Commander Barret, it's also an honor to meet you."

Hearing that this "fifth-tier" swordsman was the leader, the Holy Legion soldiers didn't show any disrespect, but how could they not be shocked?

That's it?

The leader was only at the fifth tier, so the group members must be lower.

And there was only one ship.

No matter the number of people or the number of warships, they didn't have any advantage. How could they fight those pirates behind them?

Barret looked at Soren and felt that he had misunderstood again. He emphasized, "You mean, just 'us', to annihilate those pirates?"

"Yes."

Soren nodded, not knowing how to explain.

His and Chiyo's combat power could not be judged by common sense, but no matter what, outsiders would not believe it.

Just as he was thinking about how to explain, Chiyo suddenly put her hand on the hilt of her sword.

In that instant, her domineering aura was released. She didn't move, but it was as if she had walked out of hell. A monstrous sword intent swept through the entire deck.

With the release of this domineering aura, the domineering invisible power came over them, and everyone stepped back half a step, their expressions changing in an instant. They were all dumbfounded, looking at the female swordsman, shocked and speechless.

Professionals who had comprehended domineering aura were famous experts everywhere.

But no one had ever heard of anyone at the fifth tier being able to comprehend domineering aura!

The soldiers were all guessing who this unknown swordsman was.

Barret felt it the most deeply. He looked at Chiyo with disbelief, unable to hide his admiration: "So you are a Sword Saint, I was rude!"

As he spoke, he saluted again.

This time, it was a salute of respect for the strong.

That fleeting sharp sword energy, even he felt a strong fatal crisis.

Swordsmen were known as one of the professions with the strongest killing intent.

And Sword Saints were the rarest of the rare.

This one... was very strong!

Chiyo didn't say much and nodded.

Showing a little strength was also to make both sides more confident in their cooperation.

Soren on the side said, "So, my plan is, Commander Barret, the three of us will go over and hold them back first. After I destroy their ship, we will go up together. We will try to resolve the battle quickly."

At this moment, Barret finally believed that these two people were really here to rescue them.

If there was a Sword Saint, then there was indeed a chance to fight.

However, if they really fought head-on, Barret estimated that the outcome would still be two-eight?

Their chances of winning were at most 20%.

Soren didn't explain much, because at this time, he saw that the three ships behind him had turned their guns around and seemed to be preparing to bombard them.

He looked at Barret and said, "That's the plan. So, Mr. Barret, are you willing to go with us first?"

Barret hesitated for only a moment and said without fear, "Okay!"

As soon as he said this, the adjutant and subordinates spoke one after another, seeming to want to persuade him: "Commander!"

Going over with only three people, wasn't that sending them to their deaths?

Moreover, sending the highest commander over as soon as the battle started... this tactic, how did it feel like a spy sent by the enemy?

Barret shook his head. He looked at Soren, his eyes full of determination: "I believe in Friend Soren's strength. Everyone, listen to his battle plan later and act according to the situation!"

At this time, he had no choice.

Moreover, his intuition told him that the person in front of him was trustworthy.

Soren wasn't surprised either.

From before in the Cursed Valley, when Barret violated the Queen's orders and had to organize the people from the intelligence agency to open the seal, Soren knew that this person was worthy of being with.

Honest, brave, decisive, and responsible, trustworthy.

.......

Soren didn't say much.

He, Chiyo, and Barret jumped into a speedboat.

Under the worried gazes of the Judgement Mercenary Group on the ship, they charged straight towards the three pirate ships that were chasing after them.

The wind wolves today weren't small, and the speedboat was very bumpy on the sea.

Soren looked at the pirate ship in the distance and didn't say anything.

Chiyo's expression was also very calm.

Although Barret was calm, the strangeness in his heart was getting stronger and stronger. From the time he boarded the ship until now, he hadn't figured out where the confidence of the two people in front of him came from.

Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Friend Soren... um, although I don't mean to question your tactics. But... are we just going to charge straight over like this? Do we need to make other preparations?"

Soren explained, "Yes. I need to get close to those three ships to use my means. We will be under concentrated fire at that time, so my safety will depend on the two of you. But as long as we can hold off that Ghost Hand Dorosel Castillo, it will be easy."

Barret's eyes twitched when he heard this. It turned out that it wasn't that he had misunderstood, but that the plan was so simple and crude.

He pondered for a moment and then said, "We only need to hold off Dorosel? But there are more than a thousand people on their three ships. Moreover, those Void ability users are very troublesome. My subordinates and your Dawn Mercenary Group may suffer heavy losses if they fight head-on..."

Soren interrupted and corrected, "It's not us, it's you and Chiyo-san who hold him back. Leave the rest... to me."

Dawn Mercenary Group + Judgement Mercenary Group = two groups?

No,

It was three.

He, Soren, was an army by himself!