……
Eden was a newly-minted knight in the royal capital, without a fief, and his title could not be inherited by his descendants, making him the lowest rank of nobility. Some great nobles even believed that a knight could not be considered a noble at all, but merely an honorary title. Therefore, he showed great enthusiasm for Tifico's blockade order. Relying on his early experience at sea, coupled with the new king's preference for employing new people, he finally became the commander of an Eagle Head warship.
He believed that his strength lay in assessing the situation – this blockade of trade routes was a good opportunity. It was naturally hard to stay away from a comfortable mansion and drift on the ship for more than half a year. Ordinary nobles were unwilling to accept such a job, so he could barely squeeze in. If he did well, he could be conferred as a true noble.
And it was easy to do well. Neither merchant ships nor caravans were their opponents. If the local lord sent knights to encircle and suppress them, they could do nothing against the warships on the water. As long as he wasn't greedy, this mission could be completed properly, satisfying His Majesty Tifico.
Of course, how satisfied His Majesty was also depended on the money and goods he handed over. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but cast a cold glance at the rats on the opposite ship who were cheering excitedly. Yesterday, they had intercepted a merchant ship bearing the banner of Chishui City. Although the captain repeatedly said that he intended to go to the Dragonfall Ridge, they still happily swallowed the cargo and killed everyone on board. The captured items were mainly furs and wine, and a jar of gold dragons. And these fools actually regarded the confiscated items as their spoils of war, dividing them into five-five shares according to the rules of the Black Street.
This made Eden sneer. The rats didn't know that their role, apart from showing up to rob, was to quell the anger of the local lords. When the rebel king Roland was finished, these people's heads would naturally be sent to the lords who suffered trade losses to express His Majesty's apology. As for the captured materials, they would undoubtedly all be put into the royal treasury.
And they actually regarded this trip as a lucrative job, without the slightest awareness of the noose already hanging around their necks. It was truly ironic.
"Sir, there's movement ahead!" the lookout shouted.
Eden walked to the bow of the ship, frowning as he looked ahead. He saw a series of black smoke rising in the distance, as if something was burning on the river. After a while, he vaguely saw a gray blur approaching. Undoubtedly, it was a ship, but he didn't see the most eye-catching sail.
"Is it moving a little too fast?" the deputy asked after staring for a moment.
Eden also noticed this. Even with the current, its speed was too alarming. In less than a quarter of an hour, it had changed from a thumb-sized dot to the size of a palm. Moreover, judging from the distance, its volume was much larger than ordinary merchant ships.
The other two Eagle Head ships also spotted the target. One of them quickly began to move its side oars, as if it wanted to be the first to board this strange merchant ship.
"Sir, should we follow up?" the deputy asked.
Eden thought for a while, "Don't rush, let's see what happens." He noticed that the Eagle Head ship commanded by Baron Derrick behind him was also not moving, while the warship carrying the rats had already adopted a boarding posture, one on the left and one on the right.
The approaching ship soon became clearly visible. Eden gradually opened his mouth wide. It wasn't just him; exclamations had already sounded on the deck. The sailor on the mast even shouted, "God, boss, what is that thing!"
He saw that the ship's body was actually gleaming with metallic luster. Unlike sea ships, which only had copper plates wrapped around the bottom, it was all one color, even the strange iron tower above the ship's body! Its bow was like a shuttle, splitting the river water in half. Just looking at the white waves rising against the hull, one could tell how exaggerated the speed of this ironclad ship was.
"Omm—" A deep rumble rolled past everyone's ears. The approaching ship not only didn't slow down, but also slightly changed its course, heading straight for the first Eagle Head ship that was leaning in front!
Because boarding required approaching the target from the side, the Eagle Head ship had to travel diagonally first. This step was not a problem when dealing with slow-moving merchant ships, but facing the strange iron ship breaking through the waves, it became a big flaw. Before it could turn the bow back, the other party had crashed into the Eagle Head ship's unprotected belly.
Everyone heard the cracking sound of wood breaking. The slender warship seemed to have been slapped hard by a giant palm. The entire ship tilted to one side, with the side closest to the water almost submerged in the river. The surging waves rushed onto the deck, and many people were thrown directly into the water by the violent impact.
"God!" the deputy exclaimed, "It's coming for us!"
"Enemy attack!" the sailor shouted, "Sir, enemy attack!"
The people on the deck had already started to move. Some were setting up crossbows, and some were loading ammunition into muskets.
Seeing the High Tower Twin Gun flag fluttering above the iron ship, Eden swallowed and ordered with gritted teeth, "Tell the rowers to move! Get closer to the shore!" This was a flag he had never seen before, but he already had a guess in his heart. Only the prince of the Western Territory, who was rumored to have a deal with the devil, could create such a terrifying thing! Not only was it huge, but it was also faster than a narrow galley. This was something no mortal could do!
"Aren't we running?" the deputy asked tremblingly.
"Run?" he scolded sharply, "It's faster than us, where can you run? Only by sticking close to the riverbank can we prevent it from hitting us. If we get behind it, we might still have a chance to board it! Damn it, go and convey my order!"
Pushing away the panicked deputy, Eden looked at the Eagle Head ship that had suffered the first disaster, his hands and feet icy cold. Even if he couldn't see the scene inside the cabin, he could imagine it. The iron ship's bow had completely penetrated the warship's belly. Even if it wasn't split in two, the bent and narrow hull wouldn't last long. Those who rowed the oars were undoubtedly the most unlucky guys. Being crushed by the iron head was considered a good ending. The worst were those who were stuck in the cabin and couldn't move, and could only be choked to death by the water pouring in.
Cries, curses, and screams were mixed together, like a pot of boiling water. Although most of the people on board were rats, the spreading fear still made him feel the same way. The situation between the two sides had been reversed, and the hunter had become the prey.
With the impact of the water flow and the iron ship's sudden deceleration, the bent Eagle Head ship finally broke away from the enemy's bow and quickly capsized. River water poured in through the breach, and the rising waves carried a trace of blood. The second warship was desperately turning its bow, trying to get away from the other party as soon as possible, but the deathly wail sounded again. The iron ship made a deafening roar, dragging a long black smoke, and began to accelerate, rushing towards the nearest ship.