In the nearshore waters, the thunder of cannon fire continued without pause. The 135 steel warships unleashed their full firepower, and every deck was piled high with metal ammunition crates.
Both the Southern Alliance and the Eastern Alliance had issued their captains strict orders: once they reached the Western Continent, they were to fire freely without worrying about ammunition consumption.
Before departure, the higher-ups of both alliances secretly summoned their respective captains and assigned them ammunition-consumption quotas. If the number of shells fired failed to reach the specified quota, the captains' subsidy pay would be deducted at the end of the year.
The reason for this was that relations between the two alliances had continued to deteriorate in recent years. If war broke out between them, the waters between the two sides would inevitably become a naval battlefield at once, consuming a massive amount of ammunition.
Yet after all these years, aside from trading accusations, the two sides had never engaged in any real conflict. They had manufactured piles of shells that were completely useless, and they could not even sell them. The independent nations on the islands in the surrounding seas absolutely forbade the construction or possession of steel warships.
This was a chance to use up those shells. After the war, the Southern Alliance, the Eastern Alliance, the Containment Institution, and the Eclipse Organization would share the cost of all weapons and supplies consumed.
In other words, after manufacturing shells for so many years, the two alliances had finally seen a return on their investment. How could they not be eager? Blast them! Blast them to hell! Wherever Commander Byakuya pointed, they were to fire.
Because of this, the Containment Institution's finance department—in other words, Madam Xiu Lin—had specifically sought out Su Xiao before his departure. Her general