The stretch of sea where the elements had gathered lay along the fleet's only route into Kul Tiras.
Rowan's original plan had been to avoid it if possible. After all, the Merchants' Guild convoy was sailing home behind his fleet.
Dragging everyone into danger was not Rowan's style. But blindly retreating or rashly taking a detour could easily leave them attacked from both sides, putting the fleet in an even worse position.
Besides, looking at it from the enemy's perspective, their failure to attack first proved they were not confident they could take down his fleet in one stroke.
Zuluhed had driven the elements to form a natural concealment barrier, preparing an ambush with flashy tricks. That was the best proof.
On the other hand, Rowan now had two grand archmages and two level-six High-Rank Stealth Users at his disposal. Although one Steam Warship had sunk, the fleet's overall strength was several tiers higher than before.
In other words, Rowan was getting a little cocky.
The Two Great Families might have paid a fortune to hire stronger pirates to assassinate me. But with so many powerful high-rank Class Practitioners and ten Steam Warships bristling with firepower, I have nothing to fear.
Since the pirates were already here, even if Rowan wanted to flee, he would have to exchange fire with their ships and retreat under covering fire.
They would have to fight sooner or later. Better to test the enemy's strength first, then decide what to do next.
With more trump cards in hand, Rowan had more options for dealing with the pirates lurking out of sight.
The warships raised their sails, picked up speed, and headed toward the waters where the elements had gathered.
Following Rowan's instructions, Rhonin teleported onto the ship at the head of the fleet.
Protected