“One warship and two merchant ships—they'll have to do. Get the firepower and supplies installed,” the magic monster Second Princess ordered.
“Yes, ma'am!”
A group of soldiers immediately sprang into action.
Watching these men, who originally belonged to the Kingdom's reserve army, working so diligently, the Second Princess felt very satisfied.
By following the Queen, she hadn't just experienced the wonders of the surface world; she had also suddenly gained significant power and status.
Of course, as a member of the Zerg, she didn't actually pursue power for its own sake. Their essence was absolute obedience to the Queen's commands. Any emotions they felt now would be suppressed to the extreme once actual combat began.
This was exactly why the Swarm was so absolutely unified and efficient.
With four 100mm magic crystal cannons installed on the warship, the vessel's basic combat capabilities were established.
Strictly speaking, this type of cannon wasn't very suitable for naval warfare in this era. Intelligence reports indicated that the Empire's exported cannons had a range of over eight kilometers, while the Kingdom's current cannons were clearly outdated, reaching only three kilometers at most with inferior power.
Still, something was better than nothing.
Cannons had poor long-range accuracy; they were much more likely to hit at close range.
In this era, magic shells were not yet capable of guidance. Their hit rate beyond a few kilometers was likely comparable to World War II artillery.
One could imagine two large ships at sea attacking each other, firing many rounds just to land a single hit.
“Get ready. Have a detachment of soldiers board the ship.”
Thirty elf bugs, one hundred soldiers, one thousand scourges, and a large quantity of cargo.
To look more like an ordinary merchant caravan, the soldiers did not wear their standard issue armor.
Once everything was loaded, the personnel quickly boarded.
“My Lady, are we ready to depart?” a human vice-general ran over to ask the Second Princess.
The Second Princess looked back into the distance and shook her head. “We still need to wait for a VIP.”
Before long, the VIP arrived.
It was a woman who appeared to be in her early twenties.
The moment she saw her, the Second Princess became excited.
This was Xia Jin's newest projection.
Fortunately, the Second Princess maintained a modicum of composure, unlike the little princess who tended to be more extreme.
Seeing the Queen's projection arrive, she immediately ran over and led her onto the ship.
Shortly after, the vessels set sail.
“My Lady? Where are we headed this time?” the Second Princess asked.
Xia Jin thought for a moment and pointed to the vast ocean ahead. “Let's head to the coastal countries to the south. It's a good chance to see how other nations are doing.”
She still didn't know where the Empire was located.
The connection between the Kingdom and the Empire hadn't been established for very long. Trade between the two was primarily conducted via the sea.
Large quantities of cotton cloth and other goods produced by the Kingdom were transported to the Empire this way, while items like armor were imported in return.
Overall, the volume of trade between the two was not particularly large.
After the fleet had traveled some distance, a scourge took to the sky.
Less than two hundred meters above the water, it spotted several black dots in the distance.
“A fleet?”
The Second Princess beside her immediately pulled out her monoculars.
Sure enough, unfamiliar ships appeared six or seven kilometers away. Through the monoculars, she quickly saw the appearance of the vessels.
They flew no flags, but a cannon was clearly visible on the lead ship.
The distance between the two sides continued to close.
Soon, the gap narrowed to three kilometers.
At that moment, someone on the opposite side seemed to discover something. They shouted, and a battery of cannons on the ship was suddenly maneuvered into position.
Xia Jin frowned.
She was still wondering if they were pirates when several flashes of fire erupted from the muzzles.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three plumes of water erupted near the warship. Since they hadn't prepared umbrellas, Xia Jin and the Second Princess were instantly drenched like drowned rats.
“Enemy attack! Prepare to return fire!” a soldier bellowed.
The warriors on the ship scrambled into action, adjusting their cannons to face the target.
Xia Jin shook her head speechlessly. She signaled several elf bugs to come to the deck. They drew their bowstrings and fired several arrows at the target.
Whoosh—
Three streaks of light soared into the sky, tracing a parabolic arc before finally landing on the enemy ship.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three successive explosions rang out. The arrowheads pierced deep into the deck, sending wood splinters flying. A piece of iron plating was blown into a mangled mess, leaving a fist-sized hole.
“The armor seems quite thick.”
As the enemy prepared for a second volley, Xia Jin's crew pushed ten-kilogram pointed shells into the cannon breeches.
Magic crystals were slotted in and activated.
Bang!
The cannons on this side also spat fire.
Four shells flew across, kicking up geysers of water around the enemy flagship.
One shell fortunately struck right beside the enemy vessel, the resulting shockwave causing the ship to rock violently.
“A pity it didn't hit directly.”
At three kilometers, the hit rate was indeed much lower.
“Launch a few scourges.”
This was their first naval battle, and without underwater support, it was the perfect time to test how the land and air-based Zerg performed.
Rate on N.U.
