There were no lights on the entire fleet. It was like a school of black fish floating in the night sky. The moonlight occasionally passed through the clouds, sprinkling the clear light on the undulating sea, and also reflected the shadow of the fleet on the waves. The silver sails were sometimes bright and sometimes dark, like a sparkling silver light. The entire fleet rumbled in the air, but the more it was so, the more silent the night seemed to be. The entire vast sky of the Sublime Inland Sea seemed to be shrouded in this strange atmosphere.
The atmosphere in the drafting room was also a little quiet. Several large maps of the entire Empire and the surrounding areas of the Sublime Inland Sea were spread out on the table. A black sheathed dagger was pressed against the corner of one side, and a sextant or something similar was placed on the other side. There were a few chairs placed around the table. Marjory, The Shire, Avram, Count Alcorn, and another representative elected by the nobles sat around the table. Brando sat at the head of the table. Behind him stood the female mercenary commander Jutta with a sword and Hipamira with a scepter.
The ladies did not want to squeeze with these men, so they stood a little further away and watched the men discuss from afar. In fact, except for Chiara and Eugenie, the other ladies were not interested in this boring meeting. Ynide accompanied the little princess of House Seifer, and Judy was used to following Eugenie. After all, the little girl was not even eleven years old, and she was still afraid of being alone.
In the middle of the crowd stood a young man. He was wearing a captain's uniform: a blue-gray coat, a badge with golden tassels hanging from the shoulder, a ribbon, light gray breeches, black boots, and a pair of white gloves. He gestured on the map and said: "My Lord, our first task now is to determine the route. Such a large fleet can't always drift at sea, and supplies are a big problem. Therefore, we have to find a suitable target port. This place must meet the following conditions: First, it must be able to accommodate our fleet. Second, it must be able to provide us with sufficient supplies for a long time. Third, and most importantly, the port must have an attitude towards us. This is also the guarantee of the first two conditions. "
"To be able to accommodate a fleet like ours, it must be at least a Grade 1 port. There aren't many such ports around the Sublime Inland Sea." Avram replied, panting. The cabin was so hot and stuffy that the heir to the Duke's throne was covered in sweat. His silk robe was also soaked in sweat. His maid kept fanning him, but to no avail. His sweat was flowing like a waterfall. He wiped his forehead with a handkerchief and continued, "Only Cloak Bay, Metz, and other commercial areas have such ports. I thought for a while, and the closest ones to us should be Emma, Golden Harbor, and Fatan …"
He was not as bossy and domineering as the other nobles. On the contrary, he was a little timid. Perhaps it was because he had too much contact with the family business that he had picked up the cautious habits of a merchant. After wiping the sweat off his forehead, he frowned and said worriedly, "Captain, an anchorage with a grade one port is most likely able to support a fleet like ours for a long time. But the problem is that the people of Cruz may not be at ease with a fleet like ours entering their port. My Lord, you originally — "
Brando of course knew what this cautious guy was going to say. Originally, they thought that Brando only had a few ships in his hands. With the Avram family's connections in the Empire, as long as they asked their business partners to take care of it, they would be able to easily settle the problem of docking and replenishing at the port. But to let the people of Cruz turn a blind eye and let such a large fleet enter the port, or even just pass through the waters near the port, was not a small matter. His original connections might not be of use.
This was also the trouble that the Bugas gave him. Brando would never have thought that such a large fleet would arrive at the Empire. But of course, he would not let Avram finish his sentence. He interrupted him with a look and said, "I know, you don't have to worry. You just need to inform your friends in advance and let them rest assured, lest the people of Cruz think that we are their enemies."
"Is that so …" Avram muttered in his heart. Was it really that simple? Such a large fleet that did not belong to them suddenly appeared in the Empire's territory. The people of Cruz who were in charge would not even be able to sleep well. It was a little too much to say that they could rest assured.
It was just that these days, Brando had already established an unquestionable authority in the diplomatic group, so these doubts could only rot in his stomach. He would never speak out rashly.
Brando's eyes swept across the yellowed maps, his eyes moving along the rugged coastline of the sublime inland sea as if he was thinking. After a long while, he made a decision. "Let's go to Fathom."
For a moment, the room was so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard. Everyone followed the young count's gaze to find their final destination.
The two nobles of Cruz were obviously more familiar with their homeland. Fathom was located in the province of Emelon, located at the estuary of the Marigold River. The province of Emelon was east of the Short Mane Mountains, which happened to be the westernmost point of the Metz region. It was the northern gateway of the Evergreen Corridor. This was the heartland of the northwest territory of the Empire, and Fathom Port was the center of this region. It was also one of the largest ports in Western Metz. Count Alcon glanced at the map, frowned, and said, "Isn't this place too close?"
Brando glanced at him and understood what he meant. Was Fathom Port too close to the Evergreen Corridor? He was afraid that the army of Jorgendy Ridge would come all the way north after breaking through Fort Asaph. After experiencing a life of panic and desperation, he finally had a chance to catch his breath. He did not want such an experience to happen again.
He shook his head gently.
In fact, the reason why they chose Fathom Port was not a spur of the moment decision. Tuman had chosen this port for them a long time ago. Although the Bugas did not say why, Brando believed that the other party must have some information, but for some reason, he could not say it so directly. He could even boldly guess that the Silver Folk might have used their monitoring stations on the ground. Therefore, at such a sensitive time, Tuman could only choose such a subtle way to remind him.
This short meeting at the moment, to put it bluntly, was just a cover for the eyes and ears of the nobles of Cruz. Brando replied, "Earl Alcon, the White Legion is still in the Evergreen Corridor. The army of Jorgendy Ridge won't be able to break through this line of defense so easily. Taking a step back, if the White Legion can't stop them, then there's no safe place in the entire Metz area. You can't expect us to go directly to the heart of the empire, right? "
Earl Alcon frowned. He could hear the meaning behind the young earl's words. Besides, he also understood what it meant for such a large fleet to go directly to the heart of the empire. At that time, no matter whether they had good or bad intentions, they would only be greeted by a frontal attack from the Cruz Royal Fleet and the Pegasus Knight Regiment that guarded the imperial capital.
"Then," said another noble of Cruz who was present. He was the representative of the other nobles outside of Loen Port. He was a nice gentleman with a kind face, but now he looked more nervous than Earl Alcon. "Why don't we go to Cloak Bay?"
The real reason for not going to Cloak Bay was naturally that Tulman had warned him in advance. Most of the nobles who knew about the final battle were now rooted in this area. Needless to say, these people must be Her Majesty the Queen's hardcore supporters. And in the past few decades, the Silver Queen had never put the nobles in this area in an important position. She only let them firmly control the empire's navy. This news made Brando more vigilant than Her Majesty the Queen's attention to these nobles.
Obviously, Constance regarded these people as an important support behind her. She wouldn't put them on the table unless it was a critical moment, which was commonly known as a trump card. Knowing this, Brando naturally wouldn't foolishly walk into the other party's trap. Between Cloak Bay and Metz, it was obvious that the former couldn't be approached no matter what.
But he couldn't say that now.
Brando glanced at the man. The other party's question was actually within his expectations. Fortunately, these Cruz people hadn't begun to suspect anything yet. They just instinctively wanted to stay away from danger. He smiled slightly and replied with a confident look, "In fact, you two don't have to worry so much. With my fleet alone, the Jorgendy Ridge people can't do anything to us. Instead, the empire's army is a bigger threat to us. You two don't want to die in the hands of your own people for no reason after escaping from danger, right?"
"This is the heart of the empire. Everything must be done with caution. The reason why I chose Fathan was also because I considered many factors. First of all, I don't want to have a conflict with the empire's navy, and I don't want to make your Majesty the Queen feel too nervous. To be honest, I'm just the leader of a small envoy group. If it weren't for the current situation, I wouldn't want to make things so troublesome. So, let's not complicate the situation further. What do you think? "
Count Alcorn thought for a moment and felt that it seemed to be the case. However, he really sneered at Brando's words of "I'm just the leader of a small envoy group". Since ancient times, has there been such an envoy group? The only thing left was to drive the fleet straight into the imperial capital and force Her Majesty the Queen to abdicate. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little strange. He wondered if the empire had offended this damn guy in some way. Otherwise, how could he be so arrogant? He thought for a while before he slowly nodded and agreed with Brando's statement.
And the remaining Mr. Nice Guy actually followed Alcorn's lead, so naturally, he couldn't put forward any other opinions. After the two sides discussed for a while, they basically confirmed some of the details. In fact, these Cruz nobles had nothing to do with it. Brando's request for them was basically to not cause any trouble. However, this feeling made Count Alcorn very uncomfortable, so he took the initiative to propose that after they arrived at Fathan, he could also use some of his connections to at least let the Cruz people guarantee the supply of their fleet.
Of course, he also considered this from the perspective of his own safety. After all, Brando's fleet was his only protection at the moment.
After confirming the route, the Cruz nobles who had been nervous all day finally relaxed. Only at this time, the fatigue suddenly returned to these nobles who lived like princes. After a whole day of fear, after witnessing a great battle and back and forth, even a figure like Count Alcorn couldn't help but feel a little dizzy and quickly took his leave to rest.
After these Cruz nobles left one by one, Brando immediately removed his relaxed appearance and became serious. He ordered all the members of the diplomatic group to stay, and this time, the location of the meeting was chosen in the captain's room.
The captain's room of the Akhenaten was quite spacious and luxurious. It didn't seem cramped when it accommodated all the members of the diplomatic group. However, at this moment, the atmosphere in the room was a little solemn, and a strange silence lingered around everyone. Avram was still wiping his sweat, but his maid was nowhere to be seen. Eugenie frowned and bit her lower lip. She subconsciously glanced at Marjory next to her. Among all of them, only the young officer seemed to be relatively calm. The latter stood there straight, motionless, like a soldier waiting for the general's orders. Not far away, the captain of the Akhenaten looked over curiously, wondering who this was. Could it be the lord's confidant? But why hadn't he seen him before?
Beside Marjory, there were several other ladies in the diplomatic group. Ynide and Judy were very nervous. Count Yanbao's daughter was slightly better, but she was still immersed in the previous shock and had not recovered. Only Princess Magadal was calm. Beside her, Chiyara's expression was very complicated. Sometimes she raised her eyebrows, and sometimes she revealed a strange smile. But overall, she looked exuberant, and at first glance, it was obvious that she wanted to see the world in chaos.
After a long period of silence, someone finally broke the dead atmosphere.
The one who spoke was Eugenie: "Captain, we … we believe that you will not speak without thinking, but what you said is too … too …" She originally wanted to say that it was too far-fetched. If it was one or two months ago, she would definitely have said it. But unknowingly, Brando had already established an image of authority in the hearts of these people. Even if she did not want to admit it, she had already subconsciously acknowledged this point. This rude word circled in her mouth a few times, but in the end, she did not say it out loud.
Brando looked at these people. He chose to tell them the truth that Tuman revealed to him, not because of a moment of impulse, but because at this time, he at least needed the support and recognition from his own country. What he needed to do now was to control the Cruz nobles and prevent them from causing trouble. To do this, he alone was not enough. He needed the help of others.
And these Erouine nobles in the envoy group were the support he could rely on. In fact, it was not until this moment that Brando felt a sense of identity with the nobles of this kingdom for the first time. These young descendants of the nobles had not been completely influenced by the set of rules of their parents. The innate rebellion in their bodies bloomed with the brilliance of freedom and ideals. This vitality was incompatible with this decadent and ancient kingdom.
"I believe that you can judge for yourselves whether what I said is true or false." Brando only gave a simple answer.
Eugenie did not speak anymore. If Brando had told them these things for the first time, they might have doubted it. But in fact, as early as when they broke through the defense line of the army of Jorgendy Ridge, the captain had presciently warned them that the dragons might be related to the Silver Queen. With this layer of doubt, and after connecting all the clues together, all the problems were solved.
In fact, they had already accepted this statement in their hearts, but because it was too shocking, they could not reverse their original understanding of this world.
But after a moment, the officer who stood like a javelin opened his mouth: "Sir Lord." He said in a deep voice.
Brando was slightly startled. He suddenly realized that Marjory called him Sir Lord, and not the captain like the others. He could not help but look at the other with some doubts.
"Sir Lord," Marjory replied: "If you have any orders, please give them. I am a soldier, and I know what to do at this time."
Brando looked at this guy in surprise. He thought that he would have to persuade Eugenie first, but he did not expect this guy who was usually silent to speak first. He nodded slightly and looked at the others: "What about everyone?"
"… … Sir, are we … … are we going to war with the Empire?" Ynide asked with some fear.
"No," Brando shook his head: "But I'm afraid that we are going to war with Her Majesty the Queen. But you don't have to worry too much, we may not be fighting alone."
"Sir, are you saying that someone will help us?" Avram asked with a stutter.
"You will know when the time comes." Brando stared at the huge map of the entire Empire hanging on the wall of the captain's room, and his eyes fell on the location of Fathom Harbor as he answered faintly. Then, he changed his tone and gave an order: "Marjory, Avram, this is your real order, listen carefully —"
Both of them subconsciously became serious.
"When the fleet arrives at Fathom Harbor, your mission is to immediately take over the harbor." Brando emphasized the word 'take over': "Whether by peaceful means or by force."
He raised his head, and his eyes were so bright that it was as if there were a ball of fire: "Do you understand?"
The two young men were stunned at the same time.
… …
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