The task of replacing the "Ship's Figurehead" was very simple.

The "Ship's Figurehead" could originally be exchanged at will, and the bow position was specifically designed with adjustable slots for fitting different types of figureheads.

Gary stepped forward to dismantle the ordinary figurehead of the Conch, depicting a young man blowing a conch horn. Aiven effortlessly lifted the "Seasonal Wind Goddess," which usually required four or five guards to move, and installed it at the ship's bow.

No extra procedures were needed.

Soon, with a gust of sea wind, no visible or auditory effects appeared in the mortal realm. Yet, in Aiven's Spiritual Vision, a subtle wave of witchcraft had already spread from the "Ship's Figurehead: Seasonal Wind Goddess" across the entire ship.

"It's done!"

Seeing the smooth activation of the "Ship's Figurehead," Aiven couldn't help but smile.

Several months ago, during the United Fleet's battle with the Ghost Ship, Aiven was quite impressed by its figurehead made of three twisted human heads. Despite its bizarre and terrifying appearance, it was incredibly powerful. A mere figurehead had endowed the Ghost Ship with strength equivalent to a Quasi-Legendary Battleship.

Regrettably, it was eventually obliterated by the true Legendary Battleship, "Steam Fortress," along with the entire Ghost Ship, leaving no trace behind.

Originally, Aiven planned to craft a custom figurehead for himself as his Wizard abilities improved. Unexpectedly, Viscount extended his generosity, "lending" Aiven the "Seasonal Wind Goddess" to promptly confront those Pirates.

Although it's a human creation, when used well, it might not be any less effective than an Ocean Treasure. At least, in a sea power country like Phaletis, it was considered priceless!

Splendid, splendid. From now on, it would bear the name Galliot.

Soon, the crew of the Conch all returned to the ship. Some observant individuals noticed the figurehead on their warship had been exchanged, but no one dared to inquire Aiven about such trivial matters due to the captain's authoritative presence.

"Report to Captain, all personnel are in position. Please give your instructions!" First Mate Borg approached Aiven, bowing and requesting instructions.

Aiven didn't hesitate and directly stepped onto the aft deck to deliver a motivational speech to the sailors lined up on the deck.

"Brave Navy soldiers!

Just now, I received a complaint from the local Governor, Viscount Andrea. A group of vicious Pirates has just hijacked a Leopold merchant ship, and they're on our patrol route.

As the Kingdom Navy, we have only one stance towards Pirates, and that is to resolutely attack and never let any escape.

A group of Pirates is rampaging within the patrol area of the Conch, committing violence right under our noses.

Soldiers, will you stand for this?!"

"No, we won't! No, we won't!" the soldiers responded in unison.

"Moreover, Viscount is a benevolent Governor. Upon completing the task, he's willing to reward each soldier with two additional Golden Lions for the Navy's heroism!

The dignity of the Navy must not be offended. Let the most heroic officers and men of the Kingdom Navy show those Pirates some real color!"

"Hooray! Hooray!" This time, the response echoed in unison, resounding through the sky!

"Set sail!"

Aiven waved his hand to give the order, and the already invigorated soldiers swiftly took action, raising anchors and sails, navigating the Conch towards the sea.

This pre-battle mobilization wasn't Aiven's attempt to showcase the captain's presence. In fact, it followed the Kingdom Navy's standard operational procedures.

After setting to sea, to ensure control over every warship, Captain's officers had to independently log all events, big and small, on board, adhering to an independent navigational log.

And although the captain wielded significant power, they couldn't appoint or dismiss any actual Captain Officers, thus imposing a checks and balances system on the captain's authority.

Just like Chief Boatswain Gary's appointment was only temporary. Although with Aiven present, that temporary status might carry more weight than the actual position, it still had to be conducted by the book.

Therefore, this mission couldn't conceal dealings from the Third Fleet.

Aiven straightforwardly informed the Navy officers and men with a redacted "real" account, following standard procedures to perform his patrol duties. Even if things went awry, no fault could be found with him as a captain!

The crew performed their respective duties with cooperation, eager for the Conch to sprout wings to immediately catch up to the Pirates and recover the merchant ship for Viscount.

They had just set sail not long ago.

"Vid, do you feel our Conch is sailing exceptionally fast today?"

"Trish, do you feel the same way?"

The ship's helmsman Trish called out to the sailor Vid who was passing by, asking with some confusion. After all, along with the chief navigator Adrian, the three of them were the most sensitive to the ship's speed on board.

"I just threw the log line overboard. We'll know what our speed is in a bit." Vid, being an action-oriented person, had already reacted as soon as he noticed the anomaly in the ship's speed.

In this age, the vast ocean presented nothing but a stretch of blue waves, with few references, and lacking advanced equipment, it wasn't easy to accurately measure the ship's speed.

However, clever sailors invented a log line measuring method.

The method involved throwing a float dragging a line into the sea as the ship sailed, and then measuring the length of the line dragged in a certain period to determine the ship's speed.

To reduce error, the rope was likely made pretty long, with many knots tied at equal distances, dividing the entire log line into several sections.

By measuring the number of knots dragged in the same unit of time, the corresponding speed could naturally be determined.

This is also where the term "knot" as a unit of measurement for ship speed originates.

Soon, through precise timing with a portable pocket watch, they were surprised to find that, based on past experience, today's normal speed should be around 6 knots, but the actual measured speed was surprisingly about 7 knots, almost 8 knots.

Speed increased by 20%-30% out of nowhere, and the ship remained remarkably stable.

"What's going on?" The two exchanged confused looks with each other.

In reality, with their rank as formal officers, they knew part of the truths of the Extraordinary World, but were limited by the isolation of long-term service on a Level 6 Cruiser.

Aside from the knight training materials issued by the government and folklore on the seas, there were no channels for more information on the Extraordinary World.

Fortunately.

Aiven couldn't allow his ship to remain stagnant, and his wizard abilities couldn't remain unused forever. He was prepared to openly share part of the extraordinary knowledge with the crew, starting with the "Ship's Figurehead: Seasonal Wind Goddess".

If he only wanted to get by, it wouldn't matter much, but whether it was to find his sister on the New Continent, take revenge on enemies in another country, or realize his ambitions, he needed a high-quality team.

They had to be armed with knowledge and skills to keep up with him.

Like industrial development, no matter how great a leading figure you are, without a foundation of a large number of high-quality industrial workers, it's simply impossible.

...

On the sea, two ships were slowly sailing one after the other, their sails mostly lowered, evidently not in a hurry.

The one in the front had black sails, blatantly declaring itself as a pirate ship.

"Iron Bone" was a three-masted pirate ship converted from a merchant vessel.

The entire ship was forty meters in length, with twenty cannons, plus a figurehead cannon more symbolic than practical. However, the figurehead cannon, adorned with iron hoops resembling a giant creature's spine, matched the ship's name perfectly.

A weathered middle-aged man with a three-cornered captain's hat and blue stubble pressed a pirate saber at his waist, standing behind the figurehead cannon, gazing at the distant sea.

Dressed in a not too luxurious but very neat white floral-sleeve shirt, long pants, and boots, his slight laziness couldn't hide his competence; he was the captain of the pirate ship "Iron Bone William".

"How are those people on the 'Twin-tailed Fish'?"

"Rest assured, Captain, everything's arranged. They have food and drinks and won't be mistreated."

Behind him, a robust young man, stripped to the waist, showed bronzed skin juggling a dagger, immediately sheathed it and bent slightly to respond respectfully to the captain's question.

"But, Captain, do you think that fat pig in Westcarr City will keep his promise? We put on a show for him; will he really release our first mate?"

Dutifully answering the captain he admired most, the sturdy young man also voiced his doubts.

In his impression, the so-called big shots ashore were all like wolves in people's skins, always eating people and leaving no bones. Even if they say just one word, you have to wonder if it has seven or eight hidden meanings.

Carelessness would lead to being tricked by them!

"Heh, he wouldn't dare!" The weathered middle-aged man, also the pirate ship captain "Iron Bone William," touched the twin knives at his waist, speaking with an unbreakable determination.

His words were short but carried boundless confidence!