Gunpowder Plate Armor and the Magic Revolution

The Herb Naval Base and Herb Shipyard, named after Admiral Herb Lancaster, the father of the Federal Navy, are located in the natural deep-water harbor of Herren Bay in the southern part of the Federation.

It is the largest, most complete, and most productive naval home port and warship construction base in the Federation, and is known as the "keel of the Federation's maritime power". It is the core cornerstone for the Federation to maintain its maritime hegemony.

The naval port boasts a geographical advantage of being easy to defend and difficult to attack. Heavy coastal defense bastions are deployed at the two capes at the bay entrance. The port can simultaneously accommodate more than 200 sailing warships of various types, and more than 7% of the Federation's main battleships use it as their permanent home port.

The port is divided into complete functional zones, including main warship berthing, patrol ship guarding, amphibious landing assembly, and military supply storage. It can complete the full-element replenishment of a full-strength battleship squadron within 24 hours. It is the headquarters of the Federal Navy and the only core base that can guarantee the full-cycle training and deployment of the entire main fleet.

The Herbert Shipyard, located next to the naval port, is one of only two shipbuilding bases in the Federation with the capability to design, build, and overhaul first-class sailing battleships. More than 6% of the Federation's main warships are produced here.

The shipyard has 18 shipbuilding slipways, 6 repair slipways and 2 dry docks, and can simultaneously build 4 first-class battleships. In wartime, it can launch 2 third-class cruisers per month.

Meanwhile, Herber City also has a complete chain of workshops, from timber processing, sail and cable weaving, hardware forging to military equipment adaptation, and also has the Federation's top shipbuilding academy, forming a complete technology research and development and inheritance system, making it the core birthplace of Federation shipbuilding technology.

"The ocean! The ocean! To control the ocean is to control the world!"

When the Itniti Federation was first established, Herbert Lancaster was not yet an admiral. Even then, he constantly emphasized the importance of the navy at federal military conferences: "An army can be trained in ten years, cavalry in more, twenty years, but to have a usable navy, it takes at least fifty years! Fifty years!"

"We need a complete shipbuilding workshop, experienced craftsmen, and professional schools to educate both craftsmen and sailors. This requires a significant investment of educational resources, financial resources, and time. If we don't start now, when will we?"

Before the formally approved resolution was passed, he sold off all his ancestral property and invested in building factories and establishing the Herbert Naval Port in Herbert City.

During the Thirty Years' War, it was the fleets continuously sailing out of Herbert Naval Base that disrupted the Empire's shipping routes and brought its economy to a standstill.

The Empire was forced to send its fleet to seek a decisive battle, but was ultimately defeated by the Federation Navy led by Herb Lancaster. The Imperial Royal Fleet suffered a crushing defeat, and from then on, the Federation Navy completely gained control of the coastal waters.

But at this moment, the once-renowned Herbert naval port is no longer there; all that remains is devastation, a constant stream of refugees, and officers searching for spies.

"We are focusing our investigation on all people who are covering their faces."

Nozer lowered his voice to Andrew and Lucas beside him, quickly and clearly explaining the key points of the investigation, his eyes constantly scanning the chaotic crowd ahead.

"Valencians have high noses and deep-set eyes, so they will definitely cover their faces completely with hoods and scarves. We need to pay attention to those people, especially those who walk without looking where they are, whose eyes are wandering, and who deliberately try to squeeze into the crowd."

Andrew and Lucas nodded in unison, and the three of them immediately spread out in a standard search formation, advancing quickly along the main street north of the port.

The flow of refugees surged toward the north of the city like a burst dam. Some people were wrapped in heavy cloaks and walked quickly with their heads down, while others covered half of their faces with scarves.

They stopped three men who were covering their faces with hoods, but they turned out to be local fishermen who were only hiding their faces to avoid being choked by the thick smoke.

Lucas clicked his tongue impatiently, about to complain, when Nozer suddenly raised his hand and grabbed his arm.

"At 11 o'clock, see that hooded guy?"

Noze's voice was barely audible, his eyes fixed on the figure at the edge of the crowd. "That person walks with his shoulders and back completely still, and always stays close to the edge of the crowd. He doesn't look like a civilian fleeing from disaster at all."

Lucas and Andrew looked in the direction he pointed and saw a tall man with his hood pulled down low, covering most of his face.

He mingled among the fleeing crowd, but his steps were much steadyer than everyone around him, unaffected by the pushing and shoving. He was quietly moving towards a narrow alleyway to the side.

Just then, the man seemed to notice Noze's gaze, and suddenly turned his head, revealing a pair of icy blue eyes under his hood.

The moment their eyes met, the man's pupils suddenly contracted, and he turned and disappeared into the narrow alley beside him.

"stop!"

With a roar, Norze charged forward. Andrew and Lucas followed closely behind, the three of them like arrows released from a bow, pushing their way through the chaotic crowd and chasing after the narrow alley.

The alley was narrow and cramped, with mottled stone walls on both sides that made it hard to breathe. The ground was piled with abandoned wooden barrels and other debris, leaving very little room to even step.

"Don't let him get away!"

Lucas quickly rushed to the front, his swift sword already drawn. He kicked aside a wooden barrel blocking his path, sending splinters flying, and cursed furiously, "These sons of bitches of the Empire!"

Without saying a word, Andrew suddenly exerted force with his feet, and an acceleration spell instantly enveloped his entire body. He, who was originally lagging behind, caught up with Norze's pace in an instant.

The gravel crunched under the weight of military boots in the narrow alley, and fragments of discarded wooden barrels flew behind them. Yet, the enemy's breathing showed no sign of panic; instead, it carried a hint of cat-and-mouse schadenfreude.

"Stop running!"

Lucas roared and lunged forward like a cheetah, his swift sword whistling through the air as it pierced straight for the man's back.

But the imperialist didn't even turn around.

Just as the sword tip was about to pierce the fabric, he casually flicked his left hand backward, his five fingers loosely clenched, and uttered a string of ancient and obscure syllables.

"A single ounce of gold cannot be melted!"

Noze watched as the Swift Sword in Lucas's hand turned red and glowed at a visible speed, starting from the tip, before melting away.

The silvery-white metal turned into molten iron, flowing down the sword and dripping onto the stone pavement with a hissing sound, sending up puffs of pungent white smoke.

A searing pain shot from the hilt of the sword to Lucas's palm. He screamed and abruptly released his grip. The hilt slammed to the ground with a thud, still radiating scalding heat.

His right palm was covered in bright red blisters, his skin was wrinkled, and he was trembling uncontrollably from the pain.

"Luke!"

Nozer yelled, "Damn it! He's a mage! Get back!"

Without a second thought, Andrew flipped his left hand, and the air at his fingertips suddenly flowed and twisted into three faint, almost invisible lines.

Wind Blade Technique

That was the outline formed by the refraction of light by high-speed airflow, an advanced application of acceleration spells.

The shearing force of this wind blade is mediocre against armor, but it is incredibly sharp against unarmored targets, cutting through them like vegetables.