CHAPTER 667: CHAPTER 124: SEA BEAST TIDE

Sunrise in the east, over the sea’s surface, a golden shimmering light.

Under Captain Ya Lei’s detailed narration, the ship sailed toward Fandi Port.

Only then did Yue Jinghua and the others learn about the real situation at Fandi Port.

The military situation of Fandi Port was not caused by human error but by a sea beast uprising.

Fandi Port, as the westernmost and largest port of the Empire adjacent to the open sea, sees a substantial influx of fishermen’s boats each year.

This ensures a continuous supply of the freshest seafood and sea beasts to various places in the Eastern Continent every year.

Not only that, but the area also boasts the longest beach in the Dragon War Empire, known as the icy sand Moon Beach.

The delicious seafood and the beautiful beach have made Fandi Port a famous seaside tourist city.

To ensure the safety of the harbor, the Empire dispatched a powerful navy consisting of five thousand Sea Defense Army troops and ten amphibious ships with sails for both sea and air.

Over the years, the Sea Defense Army stationed locally had encountered no problems, and the local sea beasts and fishermen had coexisted peacefully.

Who would have thought that last month, some visitors from inland were attacked by tentacle jellyfish while playing on Moon Beach.

At first, the Sea Defense Army thought it was just an isolated incident, but in the following days, there were multiple injuries.

Then, the bad incidents followed one after another; some small fishing boats were attacked by sea beasts while out at sea.

"Minor cases resulted in personnel injury, while severe cases led to boats capsizing. For this, the Sea Defense Army also dispatched Sky Sails for rescue, repelling some sea beasts," the soldiers of the Imperial Army are loyally committed to their duties, and they would immediately take action upon receiving the signal.

"Given all this, how could such a vicious incident like last night’s happen?" The capsizing of the entire ship, with over a hundred deaths, was an extraordinary sea disaster for any county in the Empire.

"You saw the lighthouse when you came, right?" Captain Ya Lei’s voice was hoarse, appearing very tired.

"We saw it. After night falls, the whole sea can see the light from the lighthouse; it’s said to be Fandi Port’s guiding light," Yue Jinghua thought that with the lighthouse guiding the way, the Sea Defense Army should be able to go out to sea more conveniently.

"Now the lighthouse only provides illumination and directions. Originally, the Moon Goddess Lighthouse had the function of driving away sea beasts, but just a few days ago, the Goddess Lighthouse malfunctioned and lost its ability to drive away sea beasts. If we depart from Fandi Port and enter the deep sea at night, it’s very likely we’ll disturb the sea beasts on the surface, leading to their invasion of Fandi Port. Last time, when there was a distress call from a fishing boat at night, the previous Sea Defense Army captain personally led a team for rescue, but the Sky Sail had only flown half the way when..." Ya Lei’s eyes dimmed; he was not originally the captain of the Sea Defense Army, his older brother Yanuo was the former captain.

The ship had already entered Fandi Port, and the rippling azure sea beyond marked the bustling docks of Fandi Port now within sight.

A Mediterranean-white lighthouse stood at the port’s entrance, with white seagulls circling around it.

From a distance, it looked just like the graceful Moon Goddess, guarding the harbor behind her.

The landmark structure of Fandi Port, the Moon Goddess Tower.

This tower was built at the inception of the port by the most famous five architects of the time in the Empire and came with enchantments.

With the meticulous arrangement by the Great Array Masters, the Moon Goddess Tower possesses both illumination and defensive functionalities.

During the day, it stands tranquilly at the port like a serene lady, quietly watching over the bustling docks.

By night, it emits a soft glow that brightly illuminates the sea ahead.

For countless years, the lighthouse, weathered by winds and sun, has watched over this blissful land to the west of the Empire in its unique way.

Due to the sea beasts, the number of fishing boats venturing out to sea has sharply decreased, and the once lively docks are now left with only a few recreational anglers.

Although the Sea Defense Army numbers five thousand, they have already suffered five to six hundred casualties in successive attacks.

With the advantage of the sea domain, the sea beasts have successfully launched multiple surprise attacks. Amidst the vast ocean, their numbers are countless, and the Sea Defense Army is no match for them.

The reasons for not conveying the severity of the situation to the Empire when initially requesting assistance are an unspeakable dilemma for Captain Ya Lei.

The activities of the sea beasts have become increasingly severe. Just four days ago, a sudden surge of sea beasts destroyed the Imperial Transmission Array located near the port. Now, not to mention the latest developments, even communicating messages can only rely on Sky Beasts.

"To prevent more people from falling victim, the Sea Defense Army has issued an order prohibiting all private individuals and teams from night-time sea operations, as the sea beasts are most active at night. Who would have thought that the Bruce Blue Commerce’s fishing boats would disobey the ban and go out to sea on their own?" General Ya Lei, upon learning that Yue Jinghua and the others had witnessed the maritime disaster last night, quickly asked for details.

The President of Bruce Blue Commerce had already received the news and was waiting at the Sea Defense Army base.

Bruce Blue Commerce is the largest local commerce, and also the largest marine aquaculture merchant in Fandi Port. At the offshore and inland intersection near Fandi Port, there are extensive aquaculture farms owned by Bruce Blue Commerce.

Due to the strict prohibition on night fishing, there has been a severe shortage of seafood in the port, causing fish prices to skyrocket and growing public resentment towards the Sea Defense Army and the merchants.

The cod fish farm of Bruce Blue Commerce, located offshore, recently had a batch of fry nearing maturity. Under the temptation of hefty profits, the commerce president contemplated the employment of the Manduo Brothers at a high price, to secretly go out to sea without notifying the Sea Defense Army.

He had assumed that with the Manduo Brothers’ strong capabilities as a cover, the fishing boats would surely be safe, yet a tragedy still unfolded in the end.

The current situation is indeed dire, with the damaged Transmission Array meaning that messages cannot be sent out and it’s very difficult for the Southern Expedition Army to arrive smoothly.

According to the description by Yue Jinghua and her companions, the sea beasts appear even more brazen and astonishingly powerful. If things continue this way, the port’s situation is likely to become even more perilous.

Ji Yun and the others have gone to rest. Qing Zizhu immediately wrote a letter and used the local Sky Beasts to send the message to the Southern Expedition Army in Miss River Valley.

Yue Jinghua inquired about the situation and learned that the Dragon Rider who left alone last night has not arrived at Fandi Port, suggesting a likely misfortune happened last night.

Seeing both Captain Ya Lei and the President of Bruce Blue Commerce at a loss, Yue Jinghua pondered for a moment, "You both need not worry too much, we have brought an Array Master with our army who will try to repair the Transmission Array. Also, the disaster involving the Bruce Blue fishing boat should not be spread for now, to avoid public unrest. Captain Ya Lei, could you take us to see the Moon Goddess Tower? I would like to understand why the lighthouse has inexplicably failed."

Even if Qian Luo manages to repair the Transmission Array, it will still take some time before Long Jiuzun and the others arrive.

In the meantime, whether as a part of the Southern Expedition Army or as the captain of the July Mercenary Team, it is necessary for her to help the Sea Defense Army withstand the sea beasts that could attack at any moment.