"The scenery here really is quite nice. With mountains behind us and water in front, a little ecological development would naturally turn this place into a tourist attraction. And with waterways this developed, transportation would be incredibly convenient. If we hadn't discovered it by chance ahead of time, I imagine other major Gathering Places would have noticed it very soon."
Standing on the deck of the Command Ship, Su Mo looked over the surrounding terrain again and again, clicking his tongue in amazement.
From the footage captured by the high-altitude aircraft, the full extent of the Mine Island Alliance could be seen clearly.
The alliance consisted of several hundred islands, large and small. Each island was like a scattered pearl, embellishing the rippling River Surface.
Every island had its own unique shape and character, together forming a magnificent picture.
The largest island was enormous—fully three times the size of Qinggang City.
It resembled a massive tortoise lying quietly on the River Surface, its shell carrying dense vegetation and large patches of iron ore exposed on the surface.
The smaller islands, meanwhile, were like sprites on the River Surface, tiny and nimble, with different scenery exposed on each one.
Some islands were even smaller than a frigate, with only a small lump of land protruding above the water.
As a result, the alliance's terrain was extremely complicated, with waterways crisscrossing everywhere and making defensive arrangements exceptionally difficult.
Enemies could completely use these complex waterways to launch rapid, concealed breakthroughs, catching the defenders off guard.
At the same time, although the islands could communicate with one another through the waterways, those lines of communication were extremely easy to cut off.
Once war broke out, enemies could infiltrate and sabotage the waterways, severing the connections between the islands and leaving each one to