Russell needed no particularly sharp eyesight to recognize at a glance that the ships belonged to the Xinfei Merchant Guild Guards Fleet.
The reason was simple. On the vast Endless Sea, apart from the three guard frigates now owned by the Candel Empire Navy, only the Xinfei Merchant Guild possessed these steel beasts of the sea.
Russell frowned slightly as he watched the dozen or so guard frigates rapidly approach.
The sudden appearance of the Xinfei Merchant Guild Guards Fleet here gave him an uneasy feeling.
Before long, the dozen or so guard frigates had drawn close and begun slowing down.
"Lord Russell, what are these fellows trying to do?" asked Tom with a frown. As commander of the Candel Empire Navy's Third Fleet, he was in charge of this operation and stood beside Russell.
"I don't know... Let's stop and see first," Russell replied, shaking his head.
"Stop?" Tom froze. "Lord Russell, we're carrying out a mission. How can we just stop? If these fellows won't get out of our way, why don't we simply destroy them?"
Russell glanced at him. "Are you confident you can destroy them?"
Tom's expression stiffened. He had no answer.
Before the Candel Empire Navy had become familiar with the Xinfei Merchant Guild's guard frigates, its sailors, who had always considered themselves the best in the world, had believed that no one could halt the Imperial Navy's advance across the vast Endless Sea.
But a direct clash with the Xinfei Merchant Guild Guards Fleet had shown them that a fleet existed in this world whose capabilities exceeded even their imagination.
More importantly, after the Candel Empire Navy ordered three guard frigates from the Xinfei Merchant Guild, those vessels repeatedly demonstrated combat capabilities far beyond those of the navy's other ships during internal exercises. This