Chapter 388: Ferode, Subduing the Enemy Without Fighting, Daro Severely Wounded (2)

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Fifteen military recruitment camps were reduced to ruins under the relentless artillery fire, representing the loss of countless resources.

Over a dozen warships, along with their crew members, were mercilessly shattered into pieces by the bombardment.

Fortunately, it was thanks to the sacrifice of these troops that Wilus managed to evacuate all of the Ocean’s Crown residents. Apart from a few unfortunate souls who accidentally broke their legs during the evacuation, not a single resident died or was injured.

This was a silver lining amidst a series of bad news.

As long as the people were safe, the losses, no matter how great, could be gradually recovered.

Moreover, the recruitment camps for several main unit types were not completely destroyed, and they could still produce formidable units like the Tyrant Azure Dragon, Naga Berserker, Dragon Blood Murlocs, Elemental Sea Pixies, and Lobster Riders. The foundation remained.

With each loss he mentioned, Wilus felt a pang of sorrow.

When it came to his feelings for the Ocean’s Crown, he was one of the most passionate among all.

As one of the earliest residents to arrive in the Ocean’s Crown, he had followed his Lord every step of the way, nurturing the Ocean’s Crown like a child. Despite the difficulties, he had managed to bring some improvement, ensuring that the residents could eat their fill. But now, facing such a disaster, his heart bled!

Even though his temperament was usually quite mild, at this moment, he couldn’t help but curse those bastards and wished he could execute them immediately to vent his hatred.

Seeing the grief-stricken expression on Wilus’ face, Ji Chen offered some words of comfort.

“I won’t let them get away with this… I heard that these enemies are from the Bass Kingdom, right?”

Wilus nodded. “That’s right. When we captured the one leading them, a man named Ferode, he initially put up a tough front. However, after a bit of interrogation, he spilled everything.

This fleet belongs to the Bass Kingdom’s Mid-Ocean Navy, and Ferode was their commander. They came all the way to the Stormy Sea with a mission to destroy the Ocean’s Crown and occupy the New Moon Islands, turning this place into an overseas territory of the Bass Kingdom.

Through interrogation, we learned that they discovered the existence of the New Moon Islands and the Ocean’s Crown by bribing and interrogating sailors from the Radiant Envoy ship, which had previously visited the Ocean’s Crown.”

At this point, Wilus paused for a moment. “Because of this, the Bass Kingdom found out that it was us who helped the Radiant Envoy and its crew return to the Lienhardt Grand Duchy.

Ferode was the one who pursued the Radiant Envoy at that time. Because he ensured their safe return to the Lienhardt Grand Duchy, he was held accountable by the Bass Kingdom’s king. He considered it a disgrace, so he volunteered to lead the attack.”

Ji Chen’s thoughts were somewhat complex. Although he had already roughly guessed that it was because of Monica and her group, and he had mentally prepared for this information to leak, he still hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.

Moreover, the timing of the attack was so precise, coinciding with his departure with the elite forces of the Ocean’s Crown.

If it had happened a little earlier or later, he would have been able to deal with it in time, and his home wouldn’t have come so close to being looted.

“Other than that, did the wine workshop, vineyard, wood processing plant, blacksmithy, and other buildings suffer any damage?”

“It seems that the enemy intends to use these important buildings after they occupy them, so they didn’t damage them at all.”

Ji Chen nodded. If these crucial buildings had been damaged, it would undoubtedly have dealt a significant blow to the Ocean’s Crown’s production capabilities, especially the wine workshop and vineyard, which were essential industries for the territory’s future. If they were destroyed, he would be heartbroken.

However, as he thought about the extensive damage to the residents’ defenses and the port, he felt a bit frustrated. With so many homes destroyed, it would probably take some time to fully repair and rebuild them.

He immediately said, “Wilus, you should go organize a group of residents to return from the Kobold Caverns and the Underground Lizardmen World and begin post-war reconstruction work. Prioritize the repair of housing; we can’t leave the residents of the Ocean’s Crown homeless.

Besides that, I will expand the Ocean’s Crown in the next few days, so you should consider the size and location of the territory and coordinate the reconstruction of various buildings.”

The enemy’s massive fire had destroyed half of the territory, reducing countless houses and buildings to ruins. However, this also provided the Ocean’s Crown with an opportunity to redesign the territory and buildings, making the layout more rational.

Wilus nodded earnestly. From Ji Chen’s words, he could sense the importance of this task. Being able to independently coordinate the reconstruction of an entire territory was both a challenge and an opportunity for him.

“I will definitely complete the task and not disappoint your expectations, my Lord.”

Ji Chen nodded in satisfaction. He trusted Wilus to handle the task well. Although he was only a Rare-tier hero, his impact was greater than that of Legendary-tier heroes in some cases.

After instructing Wilus to continue with his work, Ji Chen entered a heavily guarded room. Lizardmen soldiers stationed at the door immediately saluted and greeted him with great respect, their faces showing infinite reverence.

They knew that when the enemy was on the verge of breaking through the territory, their Lord had returned in time. By using a show of strength instead of fighting, he had forced the enemy to surrender. What kind of mighty victory was this?

To them, their Lord’s radiance was like that of the sun!

Ji Chen looked at the excited and enthusiastic Lizardmen warriors. This time, he had gained a newfound appreciation for the Lizardmen race.

According to Wilus and Anina’s descriptions, the Lizardmen warriors had shown exceptional bravery and fearlessness during the enemy’s invasion. They had actively boarded ships to confront the enemy, buying precious time for the residents to retreat. They had followed the resistance against the enemy throughout, even enduring heavy casualties without retreating.

Such performance made Ji Chen begin to consider that perhaps he could trust the Lizardmen race more and allow them to play more significant roles in the Ocean’s Crown, rather than just being cannon fodder.

They nodded slightly to him and entered the room. Inside, they saw several maids helping Daro with his wounds.

Daro, who had defended the harbor with the Half-Orc warriors during the enemy’s attack, had suffered severe injuries from the bombardment of the warships. He had miraculously survived, but his condition was critical.

This Half-Orc hero, born on King Kong Island, known for his strength and valor, now lay weakly on the bed, his entire body wrapped in bandages. The blood-red stains beneath the pristine bandages were particularly conspicuous.

Only his eyes were visible through the bandages, and when he saw Ji Chen, there was a significant emotional fluctuation. He attempted to struggle and sit up, but the wounds that were just beginning to heal reopened, causing fresh blood to seep through the bandages.

Ji Chen’s expression changed immediately, and he urged Daro to lie still, trying to prevent further damage.

Daro couldn’t move, but his eyes were filled with self-blame. He hadn’t been able to stop the enemy’s attack, and he felt guilty for failing to protect his Lord’s domain.

Facing Daro and the others, Ji Chen actually felt somewhat guilty. He had promised them a better life when he brought them from King Kong Island to the Ocean’s Crown.

However, this promise had yet to be fulfilled, and they had gradually lost members in each battle, including the recent defense where all Half-Orc warriors were annihilated, leaving only Daro and some elderly or infirm Half-Orcs.

Daro’s intense gaze made Ji Chen feel uncomfortable, and he couldn’t meet it directly.

In a somewhat solemn tone, he said to the maids around him, “Summon Irona, and have her prepare healing potions for Daro. Take good care of him, and if there’s anything you need, you can come to me directly.”

The maids nodded in haste.

After ensuring that Daro would rest, Ji Chen walked out with a heavy heart.

Leaving the Lord’s Castle, he arrived at the Shallow Sea Stone Forest on the north side, which used to be the habitat of a group of Shallow Sea Trolls. After they were cleared out, Ji Chen had utilized the terrain and shallow waters here to transform it into a water prison for detaining prisoners.

Former residents of this prison included Willow from the Hanseatic Chamber of Commerce, Gassani, and a group of Chamber of Commerce guards. Now, it was occupied by Ferode, over two thousand Marine Corps soldiers, and more than a thousand crew members.

This water prison, which originally could hold fewer than four hundred people, was now packed with over three thousand prisoners, making the conditions even worse than those on a slave ship.

However, the soldiers guarding this place showed no mercy in their eyes; all they felt was anger and hatred.

For these invaders who had nearly destroyed their homeland, such punishment was far from enough!