An Anthropomorphized Doujin Belongs Here

Day 21.

This refers to the fifth day after Kang De visited the Broken Isles and issued his warning.

The war has not yet begun.

In fact, by the time the third day had passed, everyone had been on tenterhooks all night, on high alert as if facing a formidable enemy. But on the morning of the fourth day, the sun rose as usual, and nothing happened.

The evacuation fleets of the three countries are still causing a ruckus in the seas.

Kang De's strike fleet still did not appear.

There were no Forbidden Spell either.

There was no declaration of war.

The only new development was a mixed fleet. The Distant Harbor Fleet had evacuated all the Cathayan and Goth People raised a new flag, calling itself Army Without Borders, and all of them wore white helmets.

They arrived at the Broken Isles, proclaiming His Highness Kang De's benevolence and explaining their purpose: the Broken Isles were about to be reduced to dust by His Highness Kang De's wrath, and the vast number of impoverished people on the islands were innocent. His Highness Kang De, pitying their lives, was willing to help all the inhabitants of the Broken Isles evacuate before the war began. Of course, this was not without cost; they only needed to sign a generous labor contract.

The kind of accommodation and meals provided in the Distant Harbor.

Craftsmen, spellcasters, and scholars with specialized skills receive higher pay.

Many responded.

The island lords were furious. They realized that Kang De's true intention was not so much to wage war as to take the opportunity to exploit and plunder the Broken Isles. This was the most shameful form of plunder in the world, because they were powerless to stop him. After all, the Broken Isles were an archipelago without walls.

And they dared not order a war.

This is the tragedy of the weak, because the choice of whether or not to wage war is not in the hands of the cowardly.

All they could do was continuously reorganize their troops, prepare for war, and boost morale.

Then, they tried their best to work outside of poetry—requesting intervention from other countries and mediation from neutral forces.

This is the fate of weak nations, their tragedy. Goth, who was recently engulfed in war, could only do the same, hoping that the empire would uphold justice and that neighboring countries would offer assistance. But the result was cold and cruel, and ironically, it was strikingly similar to the situation we are in today.

The strong don't care about international opinion. Just as the Empire dared not risk a full-scale war with the Elves to support Goth, it instead made a secret agreement with the Dusk Moon Dynasty to divide Goth. The three contemporary powers that the Broken Isles were counting on were also unwilling to risk being killed by the Elves and confront Kang De head-on, and instead made a wicked deal with the Cathayan.

Just kidding, there's no morality between countries.

"There seem to be fewer seagulls these past few days. Have they noticed?"

It was already afternoon, and the Broken Isles were bathed in sunshine and open sea, but the once bustling scene of thousands of sails coming and going was gone, and an unprecedented desolation swept over this commercial hub.

It was still the dock on Ajinsi Island. Two Cathayan stood on the deck of the Knight Astolfo, gazing at the distant horizon. Islands of all sizes stretched out in the distance, and the array of mage towers shone brightly, reaching the sky. This was the heart of the enemy's territory.

"War is approaching..."

Han Guangcheng patted the mage beside him on the shoulder. Two or three days was enough for them to get to know each other and become friends. During the evacuation of the Cathay descendants, Mei Xizhu was extremely active. His identity as a descendant of immigrants from the Broken Isles meant that he knew the situation of his compatriots on the island very well.

Upon hearing this, the spellcaster from Cathay slowly nodded, but a trace of melancholy flashed in his eyes.

"Yes," he said calmly, "The number of people evacuated has decreased significantly in the past two days. I believe the island lords have used the military and other means to place them under house arrest and intimidation..."

Han Guangcheng said, "Therefore, the war is drawing ever closer."

He turned to his new friend, smiled, and said, "Guess how His Highness Kang De will raise the Veil on war?"

Mei Xizhu pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "You go first."

Han Zezheng's son stroked his chin. He had inherited his father's wisdom and, through his father's teachings, had developed a businessman's flexible thinking. After a moment's thought, he replied, "The island lords of the Broken Isles have intimidated and even imprisoned those who want to leave. I suspect His Highness Kang De will send a crack force to negotiate, demanding their release. If they refuse, he will create friction and conflict, even escalating it into war..."

At this point, he asked, "Brother Mei, what do you think?"

Mei Xizhu, with his spellcaster-like logic and pragmatism, said, "What you're talking about is politician-style rigidity and adherence to rules, trying to use this method to obtain a legitimate pretext for war. But Kang De Highness already has the reason for war; the declaration of war was made five days ago. Even from a moral standpoint, His Highness already possesses all the legitimacy to wage war..."

He snapped his fingers, "That's right, just like that. Judging from His Highness Kang De's performance in the Goth-Moon War and even the Battle of Distant Harbor, his offensive is like fire and thunder. Once he strikes, he doesn't hesitate at all, sweeping away the enemy like a raging fire and thunder. This time will definitely be the same."

"I believe His Highness Kang De has already made arrangements. At the start of the war, he will use alchemical flying vehicles, this warship, and even more powerful methods unknown to us to launch a fierce attack on the Broken Isles' mage towers, island fortresses, and other areas, severely damaging the Broken Isles' defense system. Only then will it be time for the marines to enter the fray."

Han Guangcheng was somewhat stunned at first, but after careful consideration, he found it to be very reasonable, especially the idea of using this warship to bombard the coastal defense system, which suited his taste perfectly.

He winked. "I heard His Highness Kang De is going to use this opportunity to train his troops. It looks like the guys in charge of the landing operation are going to get a huge advantage—with the support of the navy."

"Wrong."

Mei Xizhu shook his head and said, "Land warfare is not about taking advantage of others or doing routine work. After the naval and air alchemical weapons launch long-range strikes, the land forces should immediately land and advance rapidly under the cover of alchemical troops and long-range magical strikes, cutting off the islands' transportation hubs, troop deployment, and magical networks, throwing the enemy's remaining coastal defense system into command chaos, and indirectly supporting the navy..."

He emphasized, "It must be fast and precise. The situation in the Broken Isles is extremely complex. Each island is well-established and heavily defended. A decapitation strike would be best..."

Master Cathay sighed, "But it's not easy either. The Broken Isles are one of the most difficult regions in the world to conquer, with garrisons on each island, a massive island defense system, and a defensive fleet..."

Han Guangcheng nodded and said, "Yes, perhaps we should find a way to destroy the Broken Isles' coastal fortresses, mage towers, and even their defensive fleets from afar, or at least severely damage them..."

Mei Xizhu said helplessly, "It's not that easy. The range and power of coastal defense magic devices are always superior to those of ship-based ones. When our warships' long-range strikes can hit the enemy, their coastal fortresses will inevitably reach us as well, unless His Highness Kang De has alchemical weapons with a range far exceeding theirs..."

Han Guangcheng pondered for a moment, "Or perhaps..."

The monk asked curiously, "What?"

The eldest son of the Han Family thought for a moment and said, "It's like this: when His Highness Kang De was clearing out the Distant Harbor, he used dragon mercenaries. Giant dragons, which are extremely fast, fly very high, and are very strong, delivered His Highness's magical artifacts to the designated locations to launch the attack. They descended from the sky, and the effect was very good."

"So I think, as you said, the Broken Isles' island defense system is so formidable that even the dragons are unwilling to launch a direct assault. However, the dragons carry the powerful but relatively short-range alchemical weapons created by Your Highness, departing from our large ships, flying to the vicinity of the Broken Isles, and dropping them from the sky. Then the dragons return to our ships for repairs and treatment, before taking off again with new alchemical weapons..."

He paused, scratching his head, somewhat embarrassed. "I don't know if I'm right or not, but when I went fishing with my friends, I noticed that when these fish-birds swoop down to hunt, they're incredibly fast. Even the most agile and cunning fish can't escape them. At that time, I thought, if these fish-birds grew many times larger, like the size of a boat, and swooped down from the sky to attack ships, who could withstand them..."

Mei Xizhu stared at his new friend with wide eyes. The spellcaster's rigorous spirit and friendliness towards his new friend made him think carefully about the plan, and he even constructed a geometric model.

He couldn't help but summon the winds of the void to simulate the speed of the dive and the inertia of the projectile.

It's not hard to imagine that the hunting method of grabbing prey, flying high into the air, and then dropping it to its death is a tried-and-true tactic for giant eagles. It's just that these feathered creatures haven't yet learned the skill of grabbing stones, diving down, and accurately dropping them to kill their prey; otherwise, they might dominate the entire food chain.

"I... at least based on my experience and knowledge, Brother Han, I can't find any logical inconsistencies. I've heard that the Hippogryph Legion also employs similar tactics, but they use Hippogryph Riders carrying alchemical bombs and lethal potions to play a supporting role in harassment tactics, since the Hippogryphs have limited carrying capacity..."

Mei Xizhu frowned and said, "But your suggestion, using a dive throw, does seem to increase accuracy and speed. After all, in situations with interception, speed is everything, so..."

He looked at his friend and said, "Perhaps you should write a report and submit it to His Highness Kang De."

Han Guangcheng was startled. "Me?"

He waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no, I have no literary talent whatsoever, how could I possibly write an essay? My father beats me every day, if I were to write one, His Highness Kang De would laugh."

Mei Xizhu said seriously, "Why would His Highness Kang De care about literary style? This is a war; just explain things clearly. If this is a highly credible proposal, you will be rewarded."

Over the past two days, he had learned quite a bit about his new friend's background, and then he urged, "Don't you want to prove to your father that your choice was right?"

Han Guangcheng was still hesitating. "This..."

Seeing this, Mei Xizhu put her arm around the other person's shoulder. "Then how about we go together?"

Han Guangcheng was taken aback. "We're going to write this report together?"

"No, I'll write mine, you write yours."

"... What are you writing?"

"Of course, it's to promote my war philosophy." Mei Xizhu grinned, revealing his gleaming teeth. "This has always been my idea—spellcasters should fight like heavy cavalry!"

"... laugh."

"You're laughing, aren't you? You're laughing!"

"You..." Han Guangcheng suppressed a laugh and punched his friend in the chest. The two were about forty pounds apart in physique. As a seafaring young master who secretly went out to sea every day to operate a ship, and with his father's high hopes, he was well-nourished and diligently trained, making him a strong and muscular man. Mei Xizhu, on the other hand, as a spellcaster, was obviously much thinner. "Wearing heavy armor, do you still have the strength to cast spells?"

Mei Xizhu had explained this problem countless times, and he said helplessly, "It's just an example..."

Seeing his friend's disbelieving look, he had a sudden inspiration. "Look, my proposal is so absurd, yet I dare to sell it to His Highness. With me backing it up, what are you afraid of?"

Han Guangcheng said thoughtfully, "That makes sense..."

Mei Xizhu nodded, then extended her hand. "Then it's settled. Once we return to Distant Harbor, we'll contact Kang..."

Before he could finish speaking, a scream suddenly rang out from afar.

Mei Xizhu immediately shut her mouth.

The two men jolted awake and turned around abruptly. They were now in enemy territory, in a critical time where any slight movement could mean the outbreak of war. In fact, everyone's nerves were on edge.

They saw a small boat attempting to cross the two channels capsize in the distance, and two people fell into the water, screaming in agony. The seawater around them churned with the color of blood, and then their bodies stiffened and convulsed, their eyes rolled back, and they disappeared beneath the surface of the sea like wooden logs.

Han Guangcheng exclaimed, "What happened?"

"No shark fins, so it must be a marine predator like a piranha... but how could it be in the Broken Isles?" Mei Xizhu immediately made a judgment, revealing an uneasy look.

Han Guangcheng thought for a moment, then took out a walkie-talkie. "I'll send a speedboat to check..."

"No!"

Mei Xizhu abruptly stopped him. "The threat comes from underwater and is unknown. According to spellcaster's code, we should conduct cautious, non-contact reconnaissance. Have our scattered ships immediately cease their missions and converge on the Astolfo. Then, send a signal to contact the nearby elven warships and Council warships—I need warships equipped with large magical platforms to launch wide-range deep-sea life reconnaissance spells..."

Han Guangcheng was taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized. "Oh!"

He still lacked experience—not the experience of a sailor or a captain.

Young Master Han immediately spoke into the walkie-talkie, "Attention all ships, this is the Knight Astolfo. This is Han Guangcheng. I order all ships to return to port immediately! Return to port immediately!"

He fiddled with the walkie-talkie and said, "Calling the Valiant Ironwood, there has been a casualty incident at the six o'clock position on this ship. Requesting a large-scale deep-sea life detection spell to probe the underwater situation..."

In an instant, an anxious response came through the walkie-talkie.

"Watch out! They're heading your way!"

Before Han Guangcheng could react, his bracelet suddenly emitted a sharp alarm, and Horus's voice rang out. "Attention all personnel! High alert!"

The warship beneath his feet roared as if waking from a slumber. All the ship's turrets turned sharply and roared into action, bombarding the nearby sea. In an instant, explosions rang out, waves surged, and pulverized flesh and blood ripped out of the azure water. At the same time, Mei Xizhu let out a subconscious scream!

He activated a single-target life detection spell.

--In the field of vision, countless red dots of light, symbolizing life, spread, flowed, and shuttled rapidly beneath the blue sea, their numbers immense!

Horus shouted sternly, "All personnel of this ship, disembark immediately!"

Immediately afterwards, a series of soft sounds rang out from the underwater section of the Afu, followed by a continuous sliding motion, as if countless swimming creatures were attached to it, as if countless sharp claws were scraping against the hull reinforced by Paradox Element, as if countless sharp teeth were biting!

The next moment, water splashed on the surface of the sea, and a creature about the length of a forearm burst out of the water and rushed toward the deck. Sunlight shone on its pink body. It had no eyes, opened its mouth with spiraling, sharp teeth, swung its slippery tail, and brandished its sharp, long claws as it pounced on Han Guangcheng from mid-air!

Following closely behind, numerous monsters leaped out of the water, climbed up the hull, and attacked the deck of the Astolfo.

From the sky, the waters surrounding Ajinsi Island churn, and beneath the azure sea lies a terrifying, ever-flowing Shadow. Further down in the deep sea, an even more terrifying, gigantic figure sways slowly!

"Father! We're in trouble!"

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: Update... Feeling a bit better today... Time for bed.