Bang——

The door of the captain's cabin slammed shut.

Sitting behind his desk, Aiven finally breathed a sigh of relief. He reached out and poured a cup of black tea for Ambrose, a special supply prepared by the attentive sailors for the captain himself.

"Knight Ambrose, please sit! We're all old friends here, no need to stand on ceremony."

You can't make the leaders suffer, that's an undeniable truth worldwide.

For most people, life on the ship was somewhat arduous, and for most sailors, if they didn't secure an easier position before the age of 35, it would be tough to persist on the treacherous seas.

Yet with a group of people tending to his needs, Aiven's quality of life wasn't bad. He had heard of navy captains from noble backgrounds who even brought servants and personal chefs onboard, making for quite a comfortable life.

In comparison, Captain Aiven's lifestyle could be described as extremely modest.

"Thank you! Captain, you can just call me Ambrose."

Glancing at the various strange plants in the captain's cabin, Ambrose carefully leaned his steel shield and greatsword against the wall and gently sat on the exquisite high-backed chair inlaid with silver threads.

Years of living like an ascetic had left Ambrose indifferent to luxurious furnishings and exquisite food, but he was willing to respect others' choices and living habits.

In fact, all the things in Captain Aiven's cabin were high-end goods Milan obtained from the Third Fleet Logistics Department after completing a pirate hunting mission and returning to port using the "normal" supply procedures.

Aiven's setup was nothing; the furniture set in Milan's room was truly luxurious!

"Knight Ambrose, you must be here to discuss the mission, right?"

Aiven sipped the black tea he had specifically instructed not to add any "flavorings" to and got straight to the point.

"Yes, Captain Aiven.

My team and I received orders from the church to go to the Kingdom of Tyro for defense, to counter a possible attack by the Pirate King.

I heard that this intelligence was actually first submitted by you and was later confirmed by the Kingdom of Tyro's intelligence agency, is that correct?"

Ambrose was not one to care about formalities. Besides his unwavering faith in God, he preferred efficiency in matters that did not contradict his principles.

"Indeed, I stumbled upon this intelligence while pursuing pirates, and Tyro's work proved the reliability of this information.

But in fact, even the information I have is very limited. Apart from the name 'Leiden Valley', I know nothing.

Even though Tyro's intelligence agency confirmed that there was indeed a large influx of suspicious personnel into many cities along the route, it hasn't significantly helped us understand Hawkins' true intentions."

As the sky darkened, Aiven, unconcerned by the presence of Ambrose, the church's Iron Wall Knight, lit the "Hanging Wind Chime" on his table as he spoke.

Frankly, "Leiden Valley" is neither too big nor too small.

But regardless of what the Pirate King planned, if this location became known to others in advance, it would inevitably negatively impact his plan.

Just like their joint defense mission, it is certain that Tyro's officials would have increased the local alert level!

With the cunning mind of this Pirate King, he could surely keep his plans completely secret if desired.

Just like the surprise attack on White Whale Port, no one knew the pirate fleet's final destination except for him beforehand.

So, why risk premature exposure and send people to this area? Is it a ploy or is there another conspiracy? Or does he have some reliance and isn't afraid of others knowing?

So even when Aiven relayed the "Iron Bone William" intelligence to the Crown Prince at the first opportunity, he wasn't too optimistic about the alliance's possible responses.

Although the official forces of several kingdoms are far superior to Hawkins, they have many areas to defend.

If Hawkins wanted to stage a surprise attack, with his Tier 3 Peak extraordinary power as "Octopus Ghost" Hawkins, he was certainly sharp enough to penetrate the seemingly hard coconut shell.

"Captain Aiven doesn't have confidence in this operation? Even though the upper echelons of the Alliance and the Church have jointly issued a defense order to other countries?"

Ambrose was somewhat puzzled after hearing his remarks.

On the Phaletis Kingdom side, not only had Captain Aiven, the Navy New Star, been dispatched along with his fourteen-member Iron Wall Knight Squad,

But they also brought six "Siren's Song" temporarily fashioned by school wizards due to lack of mass production.

In his view, the alliance had been thorough in its consideration across all fronts.

After all, no matter how formidable the Pirate King himself, after the "White Whale Port Massacre," it's unlikely any wild pirates would want to wade into these troubled waters again.

It was clear to everyone that after the "Massacre," these wild pirates suffered significant casualties from the "Tulip" concentrated fire.

And the Pirate King's own direct forces were long hidden away, not losing even a hair.

Purely with his own direct subordinates, it's basically not likely to cause a disturbance similar to a war scene again.

Therefore, the officials in charge of handling this incident unanimously believed that if Hawkins wanted to cause trouble again, the most likely scenario was to use the Pirate Gang's elite for infiltration operations by leveraging the extraordinary power back onto himself!

Naming "Storm Horn" aboard, there were already seven official knights, including the captain, chief navigator, boatswain, and his Iron Wall Knight Squad, along with ten Peak Apprentices.

And at that time, "White Whale Port" only had some dozens of Tier 2 extraordinary pirates.

Adding up support personnel from the other five countries, along with Tyro's native high-level extraordinary power, setting up rapid response forces along the "Leiden Valley" should be enough to intercept any possible attacks by Hawkins' forces.

"Indeed.

I think Hawkins' actions can't be that simple. A conspiracy's success hinges on its remaining hidden.

Just as the officials can think of this, Hawkins, who realistically holds the absolute initiative in this matter, certainly can't ignore it...."

Aiven never underestimated any enemy, pinning hopes of victory on enemies making incomprehensible mistakes was truly foolish!

The investigative team sent by various countries to "White Whale Port" has almost confirmed Hawkins' connection to Evil God Cultivation.

Which is the most active Evil God Sect on the east coast of the Black Sea these days?

It must be none other than the "Deep Sea Brotherhood".

There are already numerous incidents Aiven himself has experienced.

From his first mission after joining the military, he encountered the unexpected increase of sea monster attacks along the coast (with internal military reports speculating their movements seemed to be searching for something);

To the chance encounter with the "Sea God's Son" Tien Kute during his journey to school (an inexplicable provocation);

To the greatest tragedy on the east coast in nearly a decade, orchestrated by "Octopus Ghost" Hawkins.

Aiven couldn't help but connect the two, and naturally, the higher-ups in various kingdoms with wider perspectives would also have suspicions.

So, after "Siren's Song" passed its test, they reached a new "military arms agreement" at an unprecedented pace within just a month.

Prepared for the worst, to face the possible interference of those underwater creatures from the "Deep Sea Brotherhood" in this incident.

Speaking of which, if the agreement hadn't been reached, the high command of Phaletis would never have let Aiven, the key figure who invented the "Siren's Song", out to perform the task.

Even if this involves a continuation of the mission against "Octopus Ghost" Hawkins, and is also a collective debut for the "Navy New Stars" from various countries.

"Just be careful, and do our own job properly. I have the local garrison commander above me, and you have Lord Bishop of Salt Lake County above you, let's keep things steady."

Aiven poured another cup of tea for Ambrose, sharing his plan which he had in mind from the beginning.

"Alright, I understand."

Ambrose thought for a moment, indeed it's not like last time at "White Whale Port", where they were going it alone.

This time, he is just a small part of the defense force, simply need to follow the orders from above.

However...

Even now, scenes from "White Whale Port" still occasionally flashed in his mind, the endless cries of adults, children, the elderly, and women lingering in his ears.

Although he had done his utmost to help the weak.

Nonetheless, be it due to duty or faith, he must bring "Octopus Ghost" Hawkins, the ringleader, to justice for those restless souls!

Putting aside the task temporarily, the two of them talked about local customs, astronomy, geography, and of course... Milan.

"Chief Navigator sir, was someone..."

"Don't worry about it, it will be fine in a couple of days."

They still had a long sea journey to share and would later fight side by side in foreign lands, so getting to know each other was very necessary.

The "Storm Horn" set sail from "New Inn Port" to the outer estuary city of "Water City Nisk" in the Leiden River Valley of the Tyrone Kingdom. Even with the help of the "Monsoon Goddess", it required about 20 days of continuous sailing.

Thus, the bad luck effect on Milan would naturally dissipate even before the "Storm Horn" docked.

Aiven didn't have to worry that Milan's bad luck would affect any possible defense tasks upon docking, or even... his own life.

Just hoping that after experiencing today's "Angel Descent", Milan wouldn't become withdrawn.

...

West Wind Warm Current.

Also known as the "Trident Ocean Current".

Originating from the central "Golden Sea" of the New Continent, it traverses the entire Black Sea from southwest to northeast, dividing into three as it reaches the Old Continent:

One branch is the Canary Ocean Current heading south skirting the Ilya Kingdom reaching the Treasure Sea, another is the Yirming Current continuing north into the Northern Islands, and the smallest Tessaga Ocean Current returns northwards towards the New Continent.

This warm current has a significant impact on the climate of the east coast of the Black Sea, particularly the Tulip Countries and Northern Islands regions facing the sea.

Some scholars believe that it is precisely the existence of this warm current that creates the livable climate for a series of countries dominated by "Tulip" in the northwest of the continent.

Even in the Northern Islands, the place closest to the world's end "Eternal White Land", there are excellent ice-free ports and world-famous fishing grounds.

Moreover,

For seafarers, a suitable ocean current is a big help for sailing ships, greatly shortening the arduous sea journey.

However,

The warm current alters the temperature of local waters, providing abundant nutrients, supporting more food chain lower tier creatures.

As a result,

Chasing after the West Wind Warm Current, many highly dangerous predators inevitably follow.

Especially in the depths of the Black Sea, where even sea monsters, the rulers of the ocean, frequently appear.

Given all these conditions, although from a theoretical standpoint the West Wind Warm Current offers an excellent sea route for a sailing ship departing from the "Golden Sea" aiming for Tulip, cutting the original at least three-month voyage by a third,

In practice, very few captains have the guts to take such a "shortcut"!

But today is an exception.

A black sail pirate ship, adorned with a "Golden Horn Deer" figurehead, rode the current, riding the winds and waves towards the northeast direction, which is... also towards the Tulip Alliance.