335. Enemy Attack

"Sure enough, the other side is nearby, and we can observe the ship's speed increasing."

"He told me to find a way to slow down the ships, to show that they can't catch up here."

"Is he afraid of being exposed because he's not good at direct combat?"

Lu Ban summarized a few points and, mimicking yesterday's method, tricked the guard into leaving.

Given the current situation, Lu Ban felt he could simply accelerate indefinitely and be done with it.

Enemy ships cannot keep up with its speed, and even if there is a blockade ahead, the fleet can rely on its high speed to quickly break free and reach its destination.

Of course, one of Lu Ban's tasks is to deal with the other Chosen of the Gods have invaded this world. If he does that, he may have to wait until he gets ashore before waiting for an opportunity.

It's not a big problem.

Lu Ban held the ocean in awe of this world.

The ocean that can nurture such delicious fish must be something to be reckoned with.

If you encounter extreme weather conditions and the ship is unable to determine its course or control itself, accelerating will be pointless, as acceleration does not provide navigation and cannot consistently point you to your destination.

However, just as the plans of the opposing Chosen of the Gods could not keep up with changes, Lu Ban's plans also could not keep up with changes.

The storm arrived unexpectedly.

On the evening of the fourth day after leaving Narcissus Island, the sea began to become restless.

The starry sky was no longer visible, replaced by thick, dark clouds, and bursts of thunder made the ship resonate.

Lu Ban saw that the sea in front of him was churning like boiling water, and the deep black water was full of malice, making people feel disgusted.

Deep purple lightning flickered in the clouds, and the waves gradually rose. Soon, the small boat ahead could be seen tossed about in the waves, struggling to maintain its forward momentum.

Although the Lu Ban allows it to move forward at high speed, it is difficult to control the direction of movement under the surging waves, and sometimes going too fast is not a good thing.

Is the weather always this bad here?

In the captain's cabin, looking at the torrential rain and raging waves that were gradually falling outside, Lu Ban asked a question.

"Although there are many storms in the open sea, it is rare for one to appear so suddenly."

The captain was a middle-aged man in his forties with scars on his face, clearly having been in many battles.

"Our course is like this. In theory, we should reach the closest point to the Ashen Sea by tomorrow evening. Before that, we shouldn't encounter such a big storm. The weather is abnormal. We didn't detect this in yesterday's and today's observations."

He pointed to the nautical chart, where ahead of the route lay an area covered by bold text: the Ashen Sea.

It was said to be a forbidden area, the place where the "pure fire that once burned" had been extinguished. Although Lu Ban didn't know why the pure fire had been extinguished, according to the captain, it was far more dangerous and terrifying than the border, and it was an area that all ships had to avoid entering.

This area marks the end of the Narcissus Passage. Ahead, ocean currents will surge into the Ashen Sea, and ships must steer carefully, avoiding these currents, before entering the latter half of the Autumn Mountain Route. This latter half is a pirate-infested area, where man-made disasters outweigh natural ones.

Thinking in reverse according to Ayame's line of thought, the leaders of the Wa Island Grand Shrine would probably position the besieging fleet in the latter half of the convoy. This would allow them to obtain intelligence, supplies, and bribe the greedy pirates to launch an attack on the fleet.

Of course, it is more likely that the two sides attacked the fleet at the intersection of the two shipping lanes, forcing the fleet into the Ashen Sea. In that area, the power of nature would be enough to make everything fall into place.

"You mean, this storm appeared suddenly, it's the result of a spell?"

The Ayame is very alert.

"Impossible, impossible. How could someone capable of such weather manipulation not be noticed by the authorities?"

The captain immediately retorted, but in the end, he also became speechless.

Officials, yes, aren't they being hunted down by the authorities right now?

This is something that the powerful figures who govern the Wa Island Grand Shrine, as well as the Sakura Island and Amber families, are all well aware of.

The pursuit of Amber was not a conspiracy, but an open scheme.

If Amber cannot complete this journey, then she is naturally not qualified to inherit the position of Head Miko.

All that's left is whether the project looks good on the surface.

On this vast, unmonitored sea, the distinction between justice and evil is not so clear.

In reality, even this captain was just gambling like Ayame.

Is it better to continue drifting on this vast sea, only to die one day at the hands of monsters, pirates, or traitors, or to take a gamble, gain territory and fiefdom, and live forever on solid ground?

Amidst the raging storm, a deep purple lightning bolt struck.

Boom—

An extremely thick bolt of lightning fell from the sky into the sea, like a straight pillar. Even after falling into the sea, it did not disappear after spreading out into countless silver branches due to its conductivity.

Boom—

Another bolt of lightning struck, this time even closer. As the light dimmed, Lu Ban could even smell the acrid stench of burning marine life.

"It would be delicious to use it for grilling fish."

Lu Ban sighed, drawing the attention of Ayame and the captain.

"It's Word Spirit. I don't know what level of priest or priestess they activated, but they're definitely not easy to deal with."

Ayame looked at the constantly falling lightning and muttered to herself.

Just then, a whistle blew from the deck.

The three of them went to the window and looked at the mast, whose sails had already been furled.

On the lookout tower midway up the mast, sailors were waving flags and blowing whistles.

Lu Ban had learned a little about flag signals in the past few days, and with his limited knowledge, he could tell that the meanings of the flag signals were quite simple.

"Enemy attack!"

The captain put on his hat, hung up his sword and musket, and went out of the captain's cabin.

Lu Ban and Ayame followed behind. As soon as they stepped out of the cabin, they were met with a dense curtain of rain formed by the torrential downpour, obscuring everything and making it impossible to see anything in the distance.

Just then, a bolt of lightning struck, illuminating the entire world.

Lu Ban saw in the distance, at the horizon, the sails of three ships slowly rising under the cover of Thunder.

Ships that appear at this time are 100% enemies.

"Laika, go!"

At Lu Ban's command, Laika on the deck dived into the sea. Where no one could see, its docile corgi form was gone, replaced by a fleshy Hound covered in tentacles and eyeballs. In the sea, it swam toward the three ships, forming the first line of defense.

At this moment, accompanied by a second Thunder, the three saw four more warships appear ahead of the ship in the direction it was heading.

They were surrounded.

On the mast of that warship, the flashing light also conveyed a signal, which Lu Ban didn't even need to decipher this time.

This is definitely a signal to start a war.

"Raise the Sakura Island flag! Everyone, prepare for battle! Bring the shells out of the warehouse! Girls, it's time to prove you're men!"

The captain shouted, which immediately made the sailors who were still reinforcing the deck even busier.

After he finished speaking, he looked at Lu Ban and Ayame.

"Please go and keep the priestess company. We hope she can help us."

"This is also helping herself."