I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 509 The Fleet's True Objective

The flagship of Bagnia's First Fleet was a sailing battleship called the Sea Lion.

Marlowe liked this ship very much because it was the largest of the three battleships, with a displacement of 2,500 tons, allowing it to be armed with over a hundred cannons.

As the most powerful battleship in the current Bagnia Kingdom Navy, the Sea Lion has an unprecedented three decks.

The lower deck is equipped with the most powerful 40-pound giant cannons. These heavy cannons were specially ordered by Chris from a modern steel mill. They are characterized by long barrels, long range, low trajectory, and high accuracy.

The mid-deck is equipped with standardized 20-pound long-barreled guns. Although their power is not as great as that of 40-pound heavy guns, they combine range and power and are the backbone of naval warfare, capable of effectively striking enemy targets at medium range.

The upper decks and open decks were filled with lighter 12-pound cannons and short-barreled shotguns used to clear deck personnel, responsible for close-range suppression and boarding support.

When the Sea Lion fired a salvo from its broadside, hundreds of cannons roared in succession, spewing out a continuous stream of fire and thick smoke that could obscure the entire ship. It could launch more than half a ton of steel projectiles at a time, perfectly covering long, medium and short ranges with almost no blind spots in its firepower.

This kind of firepower coverage, which progresses from far to near, layer by layer, and almost seamlessly connects, completely overturned Marlowe's previous understanding of naval warfare.

Traditional naval engagements often required warships to brave enemy fire to approach each other with difficulty, followed by chaotic boarding maneuvers, making the outcome unpredictable and resulting in heavy casualties.

Now, with the powerful cannons of a giant ship like the Sea Lion, he can easily deploy his troops outside the effective range of most of the enemy's artillery and send the enemy ships to the bottom of the sea with a devastating salvo.

This is a completely new, overwhelming naval warfare model that aims to resolve battles with absolute firepower superiority within visual range, minimizing casualties among friendly forces.

Although HMS Sea Lion and the other two battleships have not yet had the opportunity to engage in actual combat, Vice Admiral Marlowe is very much looking forward to their performance on the battlefield, judging from their performance in the exercises.

That's why Marlowe was willing to obey the Ministry of Military Affairs' assignment, transferring from the Defense Forces to the Navy, and being promoted from Major General to Vice General.

The topic has gone too far.

Marlowe loves the Sea Lion not only for its ferocious firepower, but also for its spacious and luxurious interior; it is a floating palace at sea that perfectly blends destructive power with amazing comfort.

Unlike most crowded, damp, and smelly sailing warships, the interior of the HMS Sea Lion, especially the officers' quarters and the commander's cabin, presents an almost abnormal spaciousness and luxury, thanks to its huge tonnage and ingenious design.

Lieutenant General Marlowe's private cabin was located in the stern deck, occupying a considerable area, almost equivalent to a comfortable suite on land.

It features huge, curved portholes with specially made transparent glass, which not only provide expansive sea views but also ensure ample natural light.

Of course, this spaciousness and luxury were not enjoyed by everyone. Compared to the comfort of the officers' quarters, the living spaces for ordinary sailors and marines strictly adhered to a functional priority.

The lower deck of the Sea Lion is the living quarters for ordinary crew members. There is no private space like the officers' cabins here; instead, there are densely packed hammocks.

Each sailor has a numbered hammock, which is suspended below the deck when sleeping and is folded up and secured after waking up to make room for deck operations during the day.

Although still crowded, thanks to the large size of the boat, the spacing between the hammocks has been carefully calculated, avoiding the cramped conditions of traditional small boats and ensuring basic ventilation and personal privacy.

When designing the ship's internal structure, the player who was in charge of the design considered the sleeping conditions of ordinary sailors. However, no matter how much optimization was done, on a warship whose primary mission was combat, the living conditions of ordinary sailors could never compare with those of officers.

To change the environment, the crew must be reduced. With fewer crew members, when the battleships board, there will be insufficient marines and armed sailors, which will put them at a disadvantage in the battle.

Therefore, the efforts of the designers and players are more reflected in the ultimate utilization of limited space and the practical care for the basic needs of sailors.

For example, providing sailors with larger mess halls and cleaner medical rooms is the key.

In addition, the toilets on the Sea Lion were not just a few wooden planks extending over the bow, offering no privacy and posing a danger.

The Sea Lion has several improved communal toilet areas located below the bow and on both sides of the hull.

These areas are partitioned off with wooden planks to create relatively fixed squatting positions, with gutters or pipes underneath to guide the hull outwards, reducing the risk of dirt splashing directly onto the hull or being swept away by waves during use.

While still far from comfortable, it at least provides basic shelter and slightly better hygiene, and its location is calculated to take advantage of the sea breeze and ocean currents to naturally wash away odors and reduce the risk of disease transmission.

At the same time, the designers also strictly stipulated the daily cleaning schedule, with sailors taking turns to wash these public areas to ensure that the most basic hygiene standards are maintained.

This focus on the basic survival needs of rank-and-file sailors, though seemingly minor, significantly boosted crew morale and their sense of belonging to the ship, indirectly enhancing the warship's long-term combat effectiveness.

In addition to ensuring safe defecation, the Sea Lion also has a separate, well-ventilated medical room located above the waterline.

Although it cannot compare to a land-based hospital, it is equipped with a simple operating table, medicine cabinet, and has at least one formally trained shipboard doctor and several assistants.

During the battle, the wounded, both lightly and seriously injured, of the Sea Lion can receive initial emergency treatment and stabilization here, instead of being left to their fate as in the past.

In addition, the ship mandated the use of boiled water and regularly distributed dried lemons or pickled vegetables, as well as fresh bean sprouts to prevent scurvy, measures that greatly reduced non-combat casualties.

The ship's kitchen has also been improved.

The enormous copper cauldrons and steamers could efficiently feed hundreds of people.

The sailors' daily staple food consisted of freshly baked steamed buns and rice, with side dishes including salted meat, seafood caught that day, bean sprouts, and various canned meats, vegetables, and fruits.

Although the cooking methods are still somewhat monotonous, the rich menu will make up for this shortcoming, making the sailors happy and minimizing the possibility of them getting tired of the food.

Overall, the diet on the Sea Lion was designed to provide enough calories and nutrients to sustain the crew's daily needs, while also striving for deliciousness.

Behind this lies the innovation of the Bagnia Kingdom's naval logistics philosophy: an army that is well-fed and well-nourished is more combat-effective and less prone to causing trouble.

Therefore, for Lieutenant General Marlowe, the Sea Lion was not just a weapon, but a floating military camp that combined power and comfort.

Here, he can command his fleet to crush all enemies at sea, and after the storm, he can enjoy a tranquility and luxury that is rare even on land.

Therefore, even when the fleet docked, Vice Admiral Marlowe was not very willing to disembark.

What are we doing getting off the ship?
Casarina Island is clearly in a state of disrepair, and the accommodations there might not even be as good as the officers' quarters on the Sea Lion.

Besides accommodation, Marlowe also had other things to consider.

Although the first fleet of the Kingdom of Bagnia is theoretically invincible in this sea area, the snake people are nowhere to be found, and the fleet of the Macon Alliance consists of only a few armed merchant ships, which are not a concern.

The strongest armed force on the island is the Bagnian mercenary group.

If Lieutenant General Marlowe were willing, he could take Casarina Island right now at a very low cost.

Of course, Lieutenant General Marlow wouldn't do that, because doing so would ruin the Kingdom of Bagnia's national reputation. Having received specific instructions from His Majesty Chris before his departure, Lieutenant General Marlow certainly wouldn't act recklessly.

Of course, not acting recklessly doesn't mean that Lieutenant General Marlowe wouldn't be wary of any risky moves the Macon Alliance might make... Not disembarking was one of his precautions.

"Lieutenant General, the interim commander of the First Special Task Force of Bagnia requests an audience."

There was a knock on the captain's cabin door, and the fleet adjutant's voice came from outside, startling Marlowe, who was admiring the sea view through the glass window.

The lieutenant general paused for a moment, then he remembered something.

"Did he bring anything with him, or say anything else to you?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, Captain Bu Shuang Bu Wan did not ask me to deliver a message, but he is followed by a squad of fully armed heavy infantry, as well as a mysterious person wearing a cloak whose appearance cannot be seen."

Marlowe understood.

"Summon Mr. Bushangbuwan over here... By the way, before you bring them over, send someone to find Advisor Polka and have him come over."

"clear."

Because of Marlowe's orders, Polkabi arrived at his office earlier than usual, and then, three minutes later, the second knock came.

"Come in."

"Not happy, not playing" pushed open the door and walked in. Behind him was the mysterious man, whose face was obscured by a cloak, as mentioned by his adjutant.

Is that the mission objective?
Marlowe thought to himself, and before he could react, the man who had just entered, without saying a word or even a greeting, turned around, grabbed the cloak, and expertly pulled it off, just like an old john undressing a prostitute. With a whoosh, the person under the cloak was exposed.

When the cloak slipped to the ground with a soft rustling sound, it was as if all sound in the cabin was instantly sucked away, leaving only the background sound of the waves gently lapping against the hull.

At this moment, even the well-informed Lieutenant General Marlowe was stunned, and the advisor Polka standing next to him gasped and stared wide-eyed.

What was revealed beneath the cloak was not the grotesque and terrifying serpentine body that Lieutenant General Marlowe had anticipated, but rather... an extremely beautiful young man.

Apart from the snake scales on his face and his vertical pupils, there was nothing about him that resembled a snake.

The snake-man boy stood there quietly, his pale golden vertical pupils sweeping over Marlo and Polka. There was no fear, no aggression, only a deep, abyss-like calm that kept people at a distance.

"Is this the snake-man you caught?"

Lieutenant General Marlowe's tone was filled with undisguised astonishment.

He had expected to see a hostile monster locked in a cage, but instead it turned out to be a creation that was both beautiful and eerie.

He nodded, indicating he wasn't happy about playing.

"That's right, the mission objective has been delivered, my mission is complete."

After saying that, he said he was leaving if he wasn't happy and didn't want to play anymore.

At this moment, no one can stop him.

After the player left, Polka couldn't wait to take a few steps forward, almost touching the snake-man boy, his eyes gleaming with extremely excited research.

"Incredible... A perfect anthropomorphic form, yet retaining key racial characteristics. Is this upright lower limb structure an adaptive evolution or magical intervention?"
The color and arrangement of these scales…

He reached out as if to touch the white hair and scales, but stopped halfway through.

At this moment, Polka recalled the information he had seen beforehand: the snake-man in front of him seemed to be a direct descendant of an evil god, the kind that could be considered a divine child.

Players don't care about whether something is divine or not, but Polka is different. If he were to interfere, the consequences could easily escalate into something unimaginable.

Thinking of this, Polka quickly took two steps back, then turned to face Lieutenant General Marlowe.

"Lieutenant General, this is the mission objective."

Lieutenant General Marlowe nodded, then turned to his adjutant beside him and gave the order.

"Immediately arrange a room for it, provide it with excellent food and clothing, except that it cannot leave, and also assign a squad of marines to protect it... Understand?"

"clear."

The moment the adjutant led the snake-man boy out of the room, Polka and Lieutenant General Marlow breathed a sigh of relief.

The First Fleet's true mission has finally begun.

Yes, the First Fleet came to Casarina Island to take away this special snake-man. The so-called taking away of mercenaries was just an excuse.

"Notify all fleet personnel to prepare to weigh anchor and leave Casarina Island, cross the storm belt, and return to Bagnia."

Under the command of Vice Admiral Marlowe, the First Fleet was awakened like a sleeping behemoth.

The urgent whistles and flag bearers' signals were relayed between the ships, and the sailors, like wound-up gears, rushed swiftly and orderly to their respective posts.

The anchor chain was slowly retracted with a creaking sound from the winch, and the huge sails rose one after another along the mast, catching the wind blowing in from the sea.

Governor Almeida stood on the dilapidated dock, watching the massive fleet prepare to depart without any hesitation, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He was unhappy about bringing snake people onto the ship. Although he tried to keep it a secret, the locals couldn't hide it. The workers everywhere on the dock were his eyes.

Governor Almeida turned to look at the magician advisor beside him, who shook his head.

"No... There are also mages on board. I'm not confident I can win against a hundred cannons."

“What a pity… In that case, advisor, you can do what you asked me about last night. Go tell them that the divine snake-man was taken away by the Bagnia Kingdom’s fleet.”

"kindness."

(End of this chapter)