Gunpowder Plate Armor and the Magic Revolution

"Why? Are merchant ships harder to build than warships?"

Noze was completely baffled.

"No, no, no, of course not. How can I explain it to you... the warships of Veria are like giants compared to their merchant ships, while the warships of Orentia are like adults compared to their merchant ships."

"The merchant ships of Orentia, whether in terms of the workmanship and materials of the keel, the height of the superstructure, the armament, or the size of the ship, completely exceed what a merchant ship should look like. They are the treasure ships that every captain dreams of."

"Of course, such a good thing would naturally attract the attention of pirates."

"Pirates? Would there be pirates on such a busy shipping route?"

"Of course! Of course! Where there's sea transport, there are pirates!"

"Are pirates really that common? Wouldn't all the major sea routes be in chaos by now?"

"No, no, no, you misunderstood, completely wrong. You're talking about professional pirates, which are rare. I'm saying that everyone on the high seas could be a pirate. Greed for money, or grudges and feuds—there are too many such cases. The difference between a merchant ship and a pirate ship is sometimes just a matter of a single thought."

"Isn't it managed by the Federal Navy?"

Noze became increasingly confused. "Are we just going to let the pirates plunder like this?"

"You still don't understand the rules of the sea. Merchant ships can turn into pirates at any time, and pirates can turn into merchant ships at any time. The two are interconnected, which is why they are difficult to manage."

"If that major general were to take over the ship now and declare that we're going to rob others, then we'd all become pirates."

"After we've finished looting, we'll load the things that sell well back onto the ship, and the things that don't sell well, such as cannons, ships, and smuggled goods, will be disposed of in the 'Pirate Republic.' Once we return to Monsoon Harbor, we'll transform back into a legitimate merchant ship."

Captain Evan reveled in the thrill of intellectually overwhelming others, and his words became increasingly unrestrained. "Besides," he said, "the Federation Navy's rise to power was built up little by little by robbing Imperial merchant ships. They're all cut from the same cloth..."

"The Pirate Republic... what is that?"

Noze interrupted him.

"It's called a country, but it's actually just a few islands. The Federation thought it was too far away to manage, and they didn't want to let Freyia, the 'Kingdom of a Thousand Islands,' take it away easily without paying a price. So it was gradually used by pirates as a place to sell stolen goods, and that's how it slowly developed."

"However, the Republic of Orentia has always been interested in those islands, perhaps to build a large trading hub? Who knows..."

Noze rubbed his forehead, feeling that this world was ridiculously magical.

"Wait, let's go back to our original question. If that's the case, then everyone should just wait to rob shipping routes. It's a risk-free and highly profitable business, so who would bother working themselves to death in the shipping industry?"

"You're mistaken again. The sea is different from the land. On land, an army can control traffic in a large area, but that's not possible at sea. If you just wait around, you might not see a single ship for ten days or half a month. What's more, merchant ships travel in groups, forming fleets, and occasionally they even pay the Federal Navy some money, begging to travel with warships."

"Lone cargo ships that are slow and have a deep draft are the most desirable targets for pirates."

Noze nodded thoughtfully, then subconsciously glanced around at the Goldship's predicament.

Solo... Large ship... Cargo-laden... Deep draft...

Isn't that exactly what's describing us?

"Kid, I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, we're not that unlucky..."

Captain Evan hadn't finished speaking.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The lookout's death knell suddenly rang, and his hoarse shouts echoed throughout the ship.

"Starboard! Aft! Two ships! Flying merchant flags! Approaching rapidly from two o'clock!"

The shout instantly silenced the previously noisy deck.

Captain Evan's expression changed, and he immediately took out his monocular telescope and looked towards the starboard rear. After just one glance, his face turned several shades paler.

"What happened?" Norze asked hurriedly.

"There's a fast sailboat with a draft of less than two meters, equipped with hybrid sails, that can reach eight knots with the wind—twice as fast as us!"

"There's another one that looks like a merchant ship, and it doesn't have a deep draft; I guess it's their gunboat."

Evan's voice trembled. "That gunboat has six gun ports on each side, six cannons on one side! They're flanking us from both sides; the one on the port side is trying to take our upwind position, and the one on the starboard side is cutting off our retreat!"

The ship they were on, the Shining Gold, was designed to maximize cargo capacity, with a wide hull and deep draft, and its fastest speed could not exceed four knots.

To save cargo space, the Shining Gold only had one small gun emplacement at the bow and stern, which housed two outdated 3-pounder cannons. There were also a few rotor gun emplacements on the superstructure. It was supposed to be for self-defense, but in reality, it was just for show.

The enemy's sailboats were originally designed for fast sailing in coastal waters, and after being converted into raiding ships, their speed and firepower were pushed to the extreme.

For safety reasons, ordinary civilian merchant ships will only be equipped with 2-4 self-defense guns at most, and a few rotary guns will be added if needed.

However, the enemy's configuration of six cannons on one side is already the firepower standard of a regular naval reconnaissance ship, and it is absolutely impossible for it to appear on a civilian merchant ship.

Furthermore, the enemy flanked the ship from two directions, one seizing the windward position to gain control of the navigation, and the other blocking the retreat route. This was not a route that merchant ships would take when passing each other; it was a standard piracy tactic.

Major General Bilkin and Monet arrived at some point. Upon hearing Captain Evan's analysis, Bilkin's face instantly darkened, and he placed his hand on the saber at his waist.

"Are they pirates?"

"Most likely..."

No sooner had Evan finished speaking than the lookout roared again, his voice filled with even greater terror, "They've lowered the flag! They've raised the red flag! The red flag!"

Noze turned his head sharply and saw that the merchant flags that were originally flying on the two sailing ships in the distance had been torn down, and a blood-red flag had been raised on the mast in an instant, fluttering in the sea breeze.

What does raising the red flag mean?

Major General Bill King asked, frowning.

"It means...no survivors! They're going to kill us all! Not a single one will survive!"

Captain Evan stared blankly at the sea, seemingly already envisioning his own decapitation.

"Damn it! How dare they provoke the Orentia army!"

Bilkin was furious, his beard bristling and eyes bulging. He slammed his uninjured right hand against the gunwale. "If those lazy bums in the Navy find out about this, how am I supposed to stay in the military?! No doubt about it, I'll fight them!"

"The other side has artillery. What if they open fire and sink us?"

"Noze asked hurriedly."