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nChapter 320: Fleet Departure: Ironclad Battleships and

nAirships, Maple Harbor (2)

nTranslator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

nIn a wave of admiration and astonishment, the Crown of the Ocean fleet gradually approached, revealing the distant port and city on the land.

nAt the bow of the ship.

n“Lord, that’s the port where we’re going to dock this time—Maple Harbor.

nMaple Harbor is one of the largest ports in the Northern Continent. It is under the jurisdiction of a completely neutral principality—the Maple Principality. Due to its absolute neutrality, it’s highly stable here.

nNot only have several human kingdoms and principalities set up embassies here, but also many races, such as elves, dwarves, and gnomes, have established offices here.

nIt has a highly advantageous geographical location and a deepwater harbor, so it sees a lot of traders coming and going, making commerce highly prosperous. Whether it’s buying or selling goods, all the necessary steps can be completed here.

nThis is truly a holy land for merchants.”

nRaymond exclaimed with a sense of wonder.

nHearing such an introduction, Ji Chen’s interest grew stronger.

nJust as he was thinking about speeding up the fleet’s approach, he saw three warships made entirely of metal rapidly approaching from a distance, moving only slightly slower than the Tyrant Azure Dragon.

nAs they drew closer, they could finally see what these metal warships looked like.

nThey weren’t particularly large, roughly the same size as a three-masted warship. At a glance, it was easy to distinguish them from the Gnome Armored Merchant Ships.

nThe gnome ships had a very pronounced industrial and punk style, and they were big and clunky. But these warships looked rather sleek, with a streamlined beauty.

nSimilar to the gnome-armed merchant ships, they were equipped with numerous alchemical cannons.

nFive triple turrets towered on the decks, and although the gun barrels were not as thick as the gnome cannons, they bore a striking resemblance to the naval cannons on Earth. The ship’s sides were also covered with various sizes of secondary guns.

nThe firepower on each of these warships, equipped with dozens of cannons, was, to put it simply, sufficient to single-handedly take down over half of the Crown of the Ocean’s fleet due to their impressive firepower and speed.

nThis was no longer a matter of quantity, but a huge technological gap.

nJi Chen looked at them, his heart pounding.

nThis was the power of a kingdom, a principality-level force. He couldn’t help but wonder if the Crown of the Ocean would have such powerful warships in the future.

nWait a minute, the Crown of the Ocean did seem to have a gnome-armed merchant ship that looked similar. However, it was currently powerless and could only sit idle in the harbor. Even if it were repaired, it dared not sail out in a high-profile manner, for fear that the gnome would find out and seek revenge?

nRaymond pointed at them and said.

n“Lord, don’t worry. These ships should be the naval patrol fleet of the Maple Principality. They register and undergo inspections every time they enter the port to ensure the safety of the harbor and the city.”

nJi Chen nodded and ordered the fleet to slow down.

nThe three Maple Principality’s armored warships split up, with two of them heading to either side of the fleet, while one sailed straight toward the New Moon.

nAs they approached not far from the ship’s side, a flying airship lifted off from the armored warship, slightly adjusting its direction, and quickly landed gracefully on the deck of the New Moon.

nJi Chen squinted and looked curiously.

nWhat kind of alchemical technology was this?

nThe airship was about ten meters long and had the appearance of a ship without masts. However, it had rotor devices at the front and rear corners, and four smaller propellers extended outward from the ship’s sides to provide auxiliary propulsion.

nUnderneath the hull, there was a pair of landing gear that slowly extended from the interior during the descent.

nOf particular significance were the two repeating crossbow devices, about the size of a baby’s arm, positioned at the front and back of the ship, and their stainless steel bolts shone with an eerie brilliance.

nSeeing this, Ji Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

nIt seemed that the technological level of the Maple Principality hadn’t reached the point where they could miniaturize alchemical cannons. Otherwise, wouldn’t this be a full-fledged fighter jet?

nThe rotors gradually slowed down, and a gap opened in the middle section of the airship, revealing a metal staircase that descended.

nA fully armed squad of soldiers marched down in formation.

nJi Chen glanced at them briefly, and his heart skipped a beat.

nEven the soldiers who came for inspection were all fourth-tier high-star unit types, with a level of 40.

nWas this the strength of a principality?

nAs the squad of soldiers approached, the leader of the squad, a captain, only observed briefly and then walked towards Ji Chen, who was standing at the front of the group.

nNot only did he exude the aura of a formidable individual, but he also had a remarkable demeanor, like the heir of some great noble family, clearly a natural leader.

nNaturally, his speech was much more polite.

n“Guests from afar, welcome to Maple Harbor. 1 am the captain of this squad, here to inspect your fleet. Please cooperate with us.

nAccording to the regulations of Maple Harbor, ships carrying offensive weapons such as cannons are not allowed to enter the harbor. They can only anchor in designated sea areas.

nFurthermore, you cannot bring too many troops, guards, and heroes into the harbor and city. The maximum number allowed is twenty, while the rest must remain on the ships waiting at sea.

nPlease don’t worry; the Maple Principality will ensure your safety.”

nJi Chen nodded in agreement, finding no issue with these regulations.

nIf outsiders wanted to enter the Crown of the Ocean, he would impose similar rules.

nAfter some consideration, he decided to bring two heroes, Alice and Benbo, with him. As for the rest of the troops, the most potent Tyrant Azure Dragon wouldn’t be able to set foot on land, so he had to settle for bringing eighteen Naga Berserkers.

nFollowing that, more transport airships took off from the three armored warships and flew towards various ships to begin inspections.

nOnce it was confirmed that the fleet of the Crown of the Ocean was not carrying any dangerous goods and only had cargo meant for trade, the soldiers returned to their airships and headed back to the armored warships.

nThe three armored warships split up, with one guiding the New Moon and other ships carrying cannons to a designated sea area.

nThe remaining two ships sailed towards the harbor.

nJi Chen and his group transferred from the New Moon to a merchant ship.

nThe closer they got, the clearer Maple Harbor and the city of Maplewood behind it became.

nA vast harbor area stretching over ten miles appeared before their eyes.

nAt the outermost part of the harbor were several ports, each capable of accommodating hundreds of ships. Many merchant ships were coming and going, giving the area a bustling atmosphere.

nIn the inner part of the harbor was a thriving urban area, with tall buildings and towers reaching thirty to forty meters high. Crowds of people, like ants, flowed through the streets.

nLooking further ahead, a massive, hundred-meter-high city wall blocked their view, with strict arrow towers on top and some alchemical devices he had never seen before.

nThe armored warships left them at the harbor’s entrance and were quickly replaced by smaller ships that guided them to the docks.

nRaymond, who had experience in this kind of travel, quickly arranged for two luxurious carriages upon disembarking. Ji Chen, Alice, and Raymond rode in one carriage, while Benbo and the Naga Berserkers occupied the other.

nThe merchant ship and its cargo were temporarily left at the port, to be transported later once they had contacted the buyers.

nThe group left the harbor and entered the urban area.

nSitting in the slowly moving carriage, Ji Chen looked out through the window.

nThe appearance of Maple Harbor’s urban area was quite similar to Silver Harbor on the Silver Islands, but the level of prosperity was worlds apart.

nA quick glance revealed crowded streets, tali buildings lining the roads, and numerous street-side shops with vendors loudly hawking their wares, creating a lively and bustling scene.

nIn addition to the shops, classic establishments such as taverns and mercenary guilds were also present, with many bare-armed mercenaries and sailors coming and going.

nThere was also a group of people on the streets who stood out prominently the casual players, each wearing various types of equipment. They paid no heed to the curious glances of pedestrians and strolled casually down the streets. Many players even set up makeshift stalls on street corners, selling all sorts of odds and ends.

nOccasionally, a few lines of traditional music drifted by, giving one the feeling of being in an online game.

nSeeing the appearance of these casual players in person, Ji Chen felt his mood improve.

nNo matter what, he could always find a strange sense of familiarity among players..

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