Arrival

Just as Karl was concentrating on the strategic plans on the map, a rapid yet orderly knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in." Karl did not lift his head, his voice calm.

The door was gently pushed open, and Edgar, the steward of internal affairs, walked in with a somewhat hurried air.

The hem of his robe was damp with night dew, and his face carried the fatigue of a long journey, but his eyes were extraordinarily bright, even carrying a few traces of excitement he could not suppress.

"My lord! Good news! The fleet led by Lord Brendan has returned! It has now safely arrived at the Giant Island anchorage!" Edgar's voice rose slightly with emotion.

At this, Karl immediately raised his head. A sharp light flashed in his eyes, and his body unconsciously leaned forward slightly. "What's the situation? How many people did they bring back?"

"They're back! They're all back! And..." Edgar drew a deep breath, his tone filled with incredulous emotion, "there are more than three thousand of them! Over a thousand more than our highest estimate! They're currently being registered and given preliminary settlement at the Giant Island docks. It's somewhat chaotic, but overall stable!"

"Three thousand?" Obvious surprise appeared on Karl's face. "I remember your previous assessment was that the fleet's maximum carrying capacity was around two thousand. How did it exceed that by so much?"

Edgar gave a wry smile and explained, "My lord, your judgment is keen. It was indeed severely overloaded. According to the sailors who came back ahead on a speedboat to report the news, those refugees... especially the last group to board the large warships, had packed the decks, the cabins, and some even risked clinging to the outside of the ship's rail!"

"To survive, they could