Major Move! [End of Volume Three]

Port Tyler, Temple of the Sea.

The Naga Priestess sat at the back of the temple, inexplicably dressed in magnificent priestly robes. She seemed to be preparing for something important, her expression quite serious. However, after listening to the report from the distorted sea creature before her, her face darkened. She frowned, staring at the azure Seawater, and muttered, "What exactly is that bastard Soren planning?"

"They actually mobilized a fleet at a time like this!"

"Has he made some big move recently? Is he preparing to retaliate against the Duchy of Rosado? Or does he have a bigger scheme?"

Damn it!

The Naga Priestess tapped the ground with her scepter and asked in a deep voice, "How many naval forces has he mobilized?"

army.

At some point, she changed her terminology for Soren's forces from 'pirates' to 'naval forces'.

The distorted shadows were hidden in the Seawater beneath the Temple of the Sea, their exact appearance obscured. However, it could be sensed that they were some kind of mutated marine creature, emanating a powerful aura. They appeared to be a hybrid of some kind of marine life and Ocean Monster, possessing strength surpassing that of a high-level professional but not yet reaching the Legendary Domain. This creature had appeared within the Temple of the Sea more than once.

Its entire body was submerged in the Seawater, and it spoke in a low Naga language, "Hundreds of Warship have been mobilized near Port Tyler. The Dragonhead Warship is also anchored near Port Tyler."

"Serpent Island has mobilized approximately fifty medium-sized Warship, and a shipment of supplies was recently transported out from here."

"The number of ships in the Shipwreck Bay was enormous."

"If we don't count the small fast ships, there are probably more than three hundred Warship. If we include the small pirate ships, there are probably more than six hundred."

"More Warship are on their way back!"

"Arendelle, the Land of Ice and Snow; the patrol fleet of the Southern Island Nation; and the pirates who have been subdued on the West Coast."

These are only some of them.

"Soren has controlled and annexed many Chamber of Commerce during this period. He can also secretly mobilize a large number of merchant ships and escort Warship. Conservatively speaking, he can mobilize over a thousand medium-sized ships."

The Naga Priestess gasped upon hearing this.

She fell silent, and after a long while, she murmured, "Has he become that powerful?"

"That guy!"

"How could their strength have grown so quickly!?"

The distorted figure in the Seawater fell silent, then spoke after a moment, "Priest! Since Soren's rise, he seems to have never been defeated. This gives him unimaginable influence among pirates, not to mention his own exceptional skill. Now, from the South Coast all the way to Arendelle, any Chamber of Commerce that wants to navigate the seas safely must defer to him."

"Originally, pirates made their living by plundering, but now many pirates are actually taking on the role of escort ships."

"Although this is based on the exploitation of other Chamber of Commerce of commerce."

"Don't you think this is similar to taxes within a kingdom? Soren carved out his own territories on the seas, then used pirates to control those waters. Ultimately, he used overwhelming force to coerce others into paying taxes!..."

Without strength.

Soren's actions were ostensibly extortion for protection money, but when his power became sufficient, everything became a legitimate 'tax'.

He provided protection for the Chamber of Commerce and then collected taxes that sustained the pirates.

This was the prototype of an army!

The Naga Priestess's expression grew increasingly grave, her emotions a mix of resentment and something else entirely. She murmured, "If this continues, his influence will likely only grow!"

The shadow in the Seawater also fell silent, and slowly said, "Priest!"

"I'm afraid Soren is no longer someone we can control. Since he started annexing other pirate groups on the South Coast, his power has been growing rapidly. The naval battle at Arendelle allowed him to successfully defeat the kingdom's Regular Army, causing his fleet to expand dramatically. Many pirate groups that were originally observing have now joined his ranks."

"And."

"They attacked the Southern Island Nation on the orders of the Pirate King and ultimately achieved victory!"

"After that battle, Soren won over almost all the pirates on the South Coast. Even many caravans Shipwreck Bay to Port Tyler gravitated towards him."

"If he hadn't mobilized the fleet this time, we probably still wouldn't know just how strong his hidden power truly is!"

The Naga Priestess couldn't help but sigh.

yes.

If it weren't for the scale of Soren's fleet mobilization this time alarming many people, they would probably still be in the dark, unaware of the immense military power he commands.

Pirates, Chamber of Commerce, guards.

Soren's pirates were merely the visible force. As he used violence, either by annexing or forcing other Chamber of Commerce to submit, the guards and armed forces controlled by those Chamber of Commerce also fell into his grasp. Maritime Trade is not like land Trade; more than half the people on a merchant ship can be considered combat power. Sailors are already trained in combat, and the Chamber of Commerce guards include many elite soldiers. Although Soren shared some of the profits, he still controlled almost the entire Slave Trade, long-distance maritime Trade, and the Eastern Route.

Serpent Island, Port Tyler, Shipwreck Bay, Sand Fury Island, West Coast, Arendelle, Southern Island Nation.

Port Nyanzaru!

From the moment he defeated and annexed the Pirate King Asroder, Soren's military power expanded rapidly; otherwise, he would not have been able to support the expeditions to Arendelle and the great war against the Southern Island Nation.

"Bring me the map!"

The Naga Priestess suddenly stood up and said to the temple guards outside, "Bring me the ocean map!"

Heavy footsteps sounded.

The Guard of the Temple of the Sea quickly brought over a map, Naga Priestess swiftly spread out before her, then frowned and studied it carefully. She pointed to the Port Nyanzaru in the Overseas Islands, then drew a line connecting it directly to Port Tyler. Next, she drew three more lines connecting Serpent Island, Sand Fury Island, and Shipwreck Bay. Then, the Naga Priestess's face paled slightly as she drew a line from Sand Fury Island to the Eastern Route, followed by a line from Shipwreck Bay to the West Coast — Arendelle — the Southern Island Nation.

"First Fleet."

"Third Fleet."

"Fifth Fleet."

"The Dragonhead Warship is at Port Tyler, while the Giant, Scarface, and the lords of Soren's pirate crew are at Shipwreck Bay."

"Here!"

"He still has hidden influence in the City of Wealth."

"Sand Fury Island".

"The fleet that Pirate King Asroder has incorporated!... This is the waters of the Duchy of Rosado!... The pirates' Sixth Fleet has been anchored here!..."

"That guy Soren!"

"He's already deployed such a powerful naval force here!... And now he's even mobilized fleets from Arendelle and the Southern Island Nation!..."

Damn it!

"What exactly does this bastard want to do?"

The Naga Priestess slammed her fist against the wall, then turned and stared intently at the map before her. She had a vague sense of Soren's scheme; it was definitely a major operation, but she couldn't figure out what Soren wanted!

Such armed forces.

Even a amphibious assault would be enough to conquer a land-based kingdom, wouldn't it?

Tens of thousands of fierce and ruthless pirates, a massive fleet capable of blockading the entire coastline of any kingdom, his relationship with the Northern Witches Council was ambiguous, and now he had allied himself with the Land of Ice and Snow of Arendelle. When the Naga Priestess unfolded the map and examined Soren's power once more, a sense of fear, a tremor, and an indescribable shock arose in her heart!

As Soren's rival and ally.

The Naga Priestess knew very well how weak Soren had been back then, completely under her control. But now that man had become a terrifying being whom she had to look up to!

She witnessed it all firsthand, but only as a competitor.

Tick-tock.

The wet Seawater slid down, and a sticky tentacle emerged from the Seawater, then gently tapped two spots on the map, saying in a deep voice, "Priest."

"Soren's pet has arrived here, and the Spectre Warship, the Speaker of the Dead, is hiding here."

Click!

The Naga Priestess shuddered upon hearing this.

(P. S.: This is the second update for today. This volume, [The War of Slaying Gods], is now finished. I'll start writing the next volume, [The Battle of the Gods], tomorrow. Please use your monthly tickets if you have any, and donations can also encourage Fututu writing enthusiasm. Yeah, I'm asking for monthly tickets!) (To be continued~^~)