Chapter 270: Backstabbing, Successful Ship Hijacking,

Mysterious Slaves

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

On the gnome merchant ship, Ernesto frequently looked back, seeing Ji Chen’s figure still standing in place, showing no intention to chase. He breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

Having escaped from danger, amidst the feeling of fortunate relief, it couldn’t help but start to feel a heartache. Looking at the now empty cargo hold number 7 was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

Besides the loss of cargo, the gnome merchant ship had also suffered significant damage in the recent attack. Repairing it would be quite an expense.

Adding to that the compensation for the deceased gnomes, the overall losses this time amounted to at least a million gold coins, nearly emptying his pockets of the earnings he had cunningly accumulated over the past few years. These years of toil seemed to have been in vain!

Thinking about this, Ernesto couldn’t help but feel resentful. If it weren’t for the sudden appearance of that old guy named Gaspar Nunez just now, he wouldn’t be in this predicament.

He knew he wouldn’t dare to seek revenge, but venting a few curses wouldn’t hurt.

Suddenly, an evil thought crossed Ernesto’s mind, and a sinister smile appeared on his face.

Since the key fragments of Gloria Elf Treasury were now in Gaspar Nunez’s possession, deliberately spreading this information would surely drive the elves into a frenzy.

No matter how powerful Gaspar was, he couldn’t be stronger than the entire elf race. Even if he didn’t die, he would undoubtedly suffer a significant setback.

Though it wouldn’t compensate for his lost gold coins, at least he could take some satisfaction in this revenge.

With this thought in mind, Ernesto made up his mind.

As soon as he returned to Gigantooth City, he would secretly put this plan into action.

No one could provoke gnomes and get away unscathed!

Just as he was imagining…

At that moment, a loud roar came from the stern of the ship, and the gnome merchant ship, which had been sailing at full speed, suddenly slowed down, coming to an abrupt halt. The sudden stop made Ernesto curse loudly.

“Damn it, you idiots, did you break the ship!? If you did, I’ll sell you all, and it still won’t cover the cost!”

Soon, a gnome sailor rushed in and reported, “Lord Consul, two of the three propellers at the stern have stopped rotating. Currently, the ship’s power has decreased by 70%. It’s likely a malfunction caused by the recent attack.” “Likely? 1 don’t need ‘likely’. Go and inspect it immediately, find out the exact cause, and report back to me immediately!”

“Yes!”

Watching the gnome sailor rush off, Ernesto couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease.

Twenty minutes later, the gnome sailor returned. “Those two propellers are completely damaged and cannot be used anymore. We can only repair them once we return to the harbor. Right now, we can only activate two backup small propellers, which can resume at most one-third of our power.”

Upon hearing this, Ernesto erupted in anger.

“Damn it, those gnomish mother **ers! How could there be a problem at a time like this? This is just bad luck!

Then immediately activate the backup propellers and head back as soon as possible!”

“Yes!”

“Wait!” Ernesto stopped the gnome sailor and thought for a moment before adding. “Raise the alert level on the entire ship, and tell all the surviving gnomes to stay alert!”

Instinctively, Ernesto sensed that something was amiss, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Looking through a drafty window frame at the pitch-black sea outside, a sense of unease washed over him.

The alchemical cannons that had once been his pride and joy couldn’t provide any sense of security in this pitch-black sea that didn’t allow a hint of light to penetrate. It seemed like a giant maw of a beast ready to swallow them whole. In the abyss-like darkness, the gnome merchant ship sailed slowly on the sea. The remaining few headlights anxiously scanned the surroundings, while the gnome sailor on the lookout tower stared wide-eyed at their surroundings.

However, the lights and their gazes could only survey the surface of the sea, unable to penetrate beneath it.

Inside the gnome merchant ship, the sonar detection room suddenly blared with a shrill alarm.

“Warning! There are numerous unidentified objects approaching from below the water! Suspected enemy!”

“They’re moving fast and are less than five kilometers away from us!”

This news quickly reached the control room.

“What? Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?” Ernesto, who had felt that something was amiss all along, jumped up from his chair and questioned.

“Esteemed Consul, we’re certain there’s no mistake. These rapidly approaching unidentified objects are highly organized and in a tight formation. They’re definitely not ordinary sea creatures or schools of fish. There’s a sense of order to them!

Their numbers reach into the thousands, densely packed around us. Our propulsion is damaged, and we can’t break free from their encirclement in time!” The gnome sailor panicked.

“Damn it, 1 knew something bad would happen!” Ernesto raged. “Immediately activate the main cannons, secondary cannons, and the deep-sea alchemical bombs! Fire as soon as they get close, and blow those damn things to smithereens!”

“Let them know the might of gnome technology!”

“Yes, sir!”

Soon, on the deck, four excessively large-caliber main cannons slowly rotated on their mounts. Simultaneously, the sturdy barrels began to elevate.

After adjusting all the firing parameters, with a puff of white smoke and a burst of flames, alchemical shells shot out from the barrels, tracing graceful arcs in the air as they headed towards the approaching threat in the distance..