A few tales aboard a freighter
A deep, mournful whistle sounded as a cargo ship with a round bow and a large belly sailed on the calm, azure sea. The ship was laden with various goods from Europe and was heading towards the Middle East, or rather, the Middle East region occupied by the Far East.
Since the Far East triggered the World War, not only did brutal war break out on land, but the war on the sea was equally devastating. With Ebson's encouragement, the Far East had secretly built a fairly powerful combined Fleet long ago, and at the beginning of the war, the Far East Combined Fleet was fully deployed.
The Far East Joint Fleet's primary target was the Middle East, once the world's second-strongest power. The Middle East's Navy Fleet had already suffered heavy losses in the previous battle with Marley, losing half of its Warship, mainly due to destruction by several terrifying Titan (sea monsters and beasts).
The Middle Easterners were completely unprepared for the sudden outbreak of war in the Far East. When the Far East Allied Fleet appeared a few hundred nautical miles from the Hahn Port, where the Middle East Fleet was anchored, the Middle Easterners belatedly realized something was wrong. Already weakened, they were further attacked, and within a day, the Hahn Port was filled with the wreckage of Warship.
Thus, the Middle East Fleet was completely annihilated. With the desperate efforts and mobilization of the Middle East high command, the remaining naval forces from all over the country were gathered, and even long-obsolete Steam Warship were brought back into the Fleet. Only then could the Middle Easterners barely put together another Fleet. But with this Fleet, it is estimated that it would be crushed even if it were to face the former Fleet of the Marleyan.
As for the Marley Navy, there's no need to mention it. After the war with the Middle East, the Marley Navy Commander could be Marley the Malay Sailor Platoon, and the Commander became the Squad Leader.
Now, thanks to the call of the Allied Army and the intentional or unintentional support of the Orient countries, the Allied Army have finally managed to put together a Fleet that can somewhat rival the Far East. The Orient countries, on the other hand, have made a fortune from the large order for dozens of Warships.
The battles at sea naturally impacted Ocean trade. If either side spotted the other's ships, whether Warship or merchant vessels, they would sink or destroy them immediately. In a short time, cargo ships and merchant vessels from the Far East and Marley, among other allied nations, disappeared from the seas.
The only exception was ships from Europe countries. At the beginning of the war, the shrewd Europe took the initiative to subtly soften their stance towards the Far East. They not only openly rejected Marley's invitation to form an alliance, but also secretly united various countries and gathered troops to eye Marley and the Far East's Overseas colonies with covetous intent.
The Far East is a barren land. Although it is rich in various minerals, it is extremely scarce in basic living supplies. In addition, Europe took the initiative to soften its stance, so the Far East Allied Fleet naturally let Europe merchant ships go. Moreover, the Far East could not refuse various goods and supplies from Europe.
As for the Allied Army, although Marley's invitation was rejected, the Allied Army Fleet received orders not to attack any merchant ships from Europe, and even to protect them to some extent. As for why the Allied Army treated the Europe so unusually, given their obvious ambitions, we do not know the reasons behind it.
However, rumors were still circulating within the Allied Army. It seemed that the Europe countries were negotiating with the Allied Army, and the bargaining chips appeared to be their vast Overseas colonies. But no one dared to speak of this openly. Once, a high-ranking Marley staff officer discussed this matter in public, and the next day he disappeared from the Military Camp. The reason given was that he had been transferred to the front-line troops. But his close friends were chilled to the bone because the staff officer hadn't taken any of his personal belongings; he had simply vanished overnight.
Ignoring the power struggles between major nations, our attention is focused on this cargo ship. Though called a cargo ship, the "Knight" boasts remarkably luxurious facilities, making it almost a floating hotel. Even war cannot dampen the leisurely enjoyment of the more than three hundred wealthy and powerful individuals aboard.
It was evening, and a lavish cocktail party was being held on the top deck of the cargo ship. Everywhere were gentlemen and ladies dressed in high-class formal attire, swirling their wine glasses and chatting demurely. Well-dressed waiters were also constantly moving around with various plates. Who would have thought they were in the Far East, in the seas where the Allied Army were at war?
Along the way, the Knight encountered two Allied Army patrol Guard and one Far East Fleet, but the Europe flag was a very good identifier, and all of these Warship ignored the Knight. The Far East Fleet even escorted it for several hundred nautical miles until the Knight entered the waters controlled by the Far East Joint Fleet.
A rather unsightly scene unfolded at the upscale cocktail party on the deck. A Blonde, blue-eyed waiter stared at the girl in front of him with twitching eyes. Her beautiful silver hair and pretty face were a perfect match. If she were wearing a gown and serving champagne, she would definitely be the most charming goddess at the party. However, this "goddess" was wearing an ordinary coat, her beautiful silver hair was casually tied up, and she was eating a lobster as big as her face.
"Uh, ma'am, do you need anything else?" the waiter stammered.
Aili chewed the lobster meat in her mouth hard, swallowed a big mouthful, and could only speak with her bulging cheeks, "Could you please get me two more big lobsters? One isn't enough, thank you! Oh! Right, also grilled fish, fried ribs, and braised scallops! And could you please get me some drinks, I'm a little thirsty."
The waiter, suppressing a strong sense of unease, would have thought Aili was some wild girl who had somehow managed to sneak onto the ship, had he not checked both of Aili tickets. How could she be so rude? This was a cocktail party; everyone here was an important person. Look at how shameful this girl's eating habits were! Hey! Why is she even picking up her plate?!
"Would you like red wine or champagne?"
"Oh, I don't drink alcohol, just some orange juice will do."
"..."
The waiter could only shakily carry a large basin of food and deliver it to Aili amidst the strange looks from his Comrade.
For Aili, who received special funding, she was now a true "rich woman." It was thanks to the funding that Yago had granted her that Aili was able to comfortably board the "Knight" to Twilight Town. Seeing the waiters working hard to bring out so much delicious food, Aili casually wiped her hands with a napkin, then reached into her pocket and carelessly tossed out a handful of coins.
The waiter's eyes bulged out. "Wow, my goodness!" he exclaimed. "This woman is a 'simple' rich lady! The amount of money she's throwing around is equivalent to half a month's salary!" In an instant, the waiter's initial impression of Aili's rude eating habits transformed into, "So cute! That's called having personality, being genuine!"
Whoosh!!! The sound of the ship's Knight reminded its passengers that they were about to reach their destination, Twilight Town, a place as beautiful as its name.