"It's just too bad. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 Captain Kaplin, who got the news, frowned and slammed his hand on the guardrail on the stern deck.

When the sailors of the Iron Curtain completely took over the pirate ship. Naturally, Knight Morpheus and Barrett returned to the deck of the frigate, and by the way, they also brought the news they had just learned to Captain Caplin in the stern. Then came the scene in front of me.

Knight Morpheus's face was also not very good-looking at this time: "I thought about it so much before, but I really didn't expect this kind of problem to occur." ”

"What's next, are you going to clear out the pirates? Maybe ready for a long-term escort? Barrett on the side was not so burdened, but he was able to express his opinions freely.

"Both of these tasks are not easy to execute, and the results are not easy to say." Captain Kaplin felt like he was about to get a migraine.

If they had known in advance that the area they would sail next would be a safe haven for pirates, Boreham's fleet would have re-routed its course. But if you change it now, judging from the state of the three frigates, it is really a little difficult for them. As for bypassing this area, it is also an unrealistic thing to do.

After all, judging from the information obtained, those pirates have their own secret charts. There is no telling how far they can roam the area. Since it is not even possible to determine the extent of the area to be avoided, the option of a detour becomes quite difficult to achieve.

And if you choose to suppress bandits, the difficulty is even more amazing. Not to mention that the current three frigates are not in the state at all because of the previous battles. With such a team, it is still possible to bully and bully a solitary pirate ship, but if there are many enemies, it will be a wax.

At the same time, as the operation to clean up the pirates progressed, it was absolutely certain that those pirates would gather their fleets to fight in order to protect themselves. At that time, even if these three frigates are in good condition, I am afraid that they will only be able to choose to break through and seek refuge in the ports of the commercial republic of Tutkel.

What's more, even if the navy of the Bolim Territory and the Tutkel Merchant Republic were to pour out, they might not be able to clean up those pirates. When the GIs are pressing, the opponent can break into pieces and play hide and seek with them at sea. But neither Boreham nor the Merchant Republic of Tutkel could afford to allow the fleet to perform such a task for a long time.

Boreham Territory needs the Navy to help keep the port safe, as well as to escort some of the particularly expensive arms sales. For the merchant republic of Tutkel, the fleet was far more important than Boreham's first-class navy in the Western Continent, an important guarantee of the security of its maritime trade, and an important cornerstone of its foothold within the Balthian League.

That kind of action carries considerable political and strategic risks alone. Not to mention the huge cost of concentrating the fleet to suppress the bandits, which is enough to make the treasurers on both sides lose their hair. The pirates could afford to drag it out in this matter, but neither regime could afford it. Not to mention the hatred that can be triggered by a large-scale crackdown on banditry.

While most pirates are not in the habit of avenging their fellow pirates, they only need to produce one or two alternatives, or add to their prestige in the name of revenge. Then the maritime trade between the Boreham Territory and the Merchant Republic of Tutkel would be greatly affected.

As for the long-term escort, although the risk is small, the manpower and material resources required for a long time are also staggering. And although the number of warships that are pinned down at one time is small, if you want to keep trade flowing, you have to keep it for a long time. It is even possible that they will be caught by hostile forces and ambushed by the law.

So in the face of this embarrassing situation in front of them, the big people on the ship who were in charge of this operation had a tangled expression! After all, it has already paid such a big price so far. If you choose another route and start over, not to mention that you can't get in time, no one will want to mention that plan just because of the losses that have already occurred.

Looking at the embarrassed look of the two, Barrett couldn't help but speak: "Those pirates must have chosen this sea area as their resting place for a special reason!" Otherwise, there are so many seas far away from the waterway, how could it be here? If the cause is found, there may be a new solution. ”

"Then let's wait for the Marine Corps inquisitor to get some information!" Captain Kaplin set his sights on the Marines working on the pirate ship.

As one pirate after another was looted of their belongings, they were tied up and thrown into the hold. The seamen who had come from the three frigates began to take over the wrecked pirate ship, which was able to be used as a tow, although it was firmly tied to the frigate in front of it with a rope. Someone has to be in control to be able to move forward together.

Despite the fact that this pirate ship seems to be dilapidated and old, it is the biggest gain of the Boreham fleet after this trip. Even with the poor condition of this pirate ship, it can easily sell it for 25,000-30,000 gold coins in the Tutkel Merchant Republic after entering the port. And that's not even counting the rest of the ship's cargo.

Of course, the merchant who took over the pirate ship could not suffer a loss. After refurbishment, it will change hands for 50,000 gold coins - a source of money that many shipyards are willing to compete for. If the buyer uses it for himself, it will be even simpler - and Barrett will be able to share a lot of the proceeds of this loot. In any case, he was also one of those who solved the main battles.

Not long after, further information after the completion of the interrogation was also sent to Captain Kaplin: "Actually freshwater? In the ocean near here, there is a large underground river spring! No wonder the pirates chose to be here, for that reason. ”

"A freshwater fountain at the bottom of the sea?" Knight Morpheus also raised his eyebrows at this time, "I didn't expect to encounter this situation, so it seems that I can bring in a group of allies." ”

The freshwater replenishment point in the sea can almost be regarded as the finishing touch in the waterway. With this, the value of the entire waterway will be greatly increased. It is now more than just a new trade route between the Boreham Territory and the Merchant Republic of Tutkel. It can also be opened up into a new busy shipping lane.

In this way, both the Boreham Territory and the Merchant Republic of Tutkel can find new joiners, and the cost of dealing with pirates will be greatly diluted. It is indeed a feasible route to solve the problem at hand.

"That would solve some of the problems, but the channel we worked so hard to carve out must be shared by others." Captain Caplin still felt a little uncomfortable.

Barrett interjected at this point: "I don't think Lord Earl will open this route to anyone else for free. There will definitely be an exchange of interests at that time. Otherwise, those nagas alone would have taken them a lot of time. ”

"That's right." Captain Kaplin's mood finally improved.

With the information from the pirates, the fleet took a moment to determine the location and extent of the sea where it could draw fresh water. This was followed by the planned move towards the commercial republic of Tutkel. I don't know if it's because I've been unlucky for a long time, or because the pirates are busy hunting. The rest of Boreham's fleet was uneventful.

Night is a time to rest, but the waves under the night sky seem to have endless strength. They rolled and shoved and crashed into the side of the ship, sending the hundred-ton frigate moving in the direction they were exerting force. At this time, the three frigates were like three giant monkfish, except that their lanterns hung on their tails.

The oil lamp lit on the stern deck of the battleship can effectively prevent the ships from colliding with each other during night sailing. In order to keep these special oil lamps bright for a long time, they are often fueled with whale grease rather than ordinary lamp oil.

Boating at night is not an easy task. The helmsman on the night watch must follow the instructions of the navigator. The navigators, on the other hand, kept an eye on the hands inside the 'compass cabinet'. At the same time, his assistant used special telescopes to observe his surroundings.

After all, it is quite difficult to see clearly when sailing at sea at night. Fortunately, as long as the sea is wide and there are no other vessels nearby, there is no need to worry about loading or running aground – but for the Boreham fleet, maintaining a safe distance between ships is the most important job for seafarers on duty.

At this time, the navigator would use the two illuminated warps on board to confirm the course. A special telescope, known as a 'night scope', is used to detect movement around at this time. This 'night mirror' allows one to see more clearly at night, but the scene is upside down.

Suddenly, the seafarer, who was clutching the 'night mirror', noticed a bright light in his eyes. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief as he put down the 'night mirror', and then he confirmed that he had not hallucinated just now: "Lighthouse! A lighthouse appears at 10 o'clock in front. ”

At the sound of this, the seafarers on duty on the entire stern deck became excited. Although at the moment they only found the bright light of the lighthouse, but did not see the lighthouse itself. But it also means that the ship is not far from land.

Because lighthouses are generally built along the coast, especially in ports and docks. On the one hand, the building was built to give instructions to seafaring vessels. Because of the lack of technology for positioning at sea in ancient times, the routes were all along the coast, and the establishment of lighthouses helped ships not to get lost at night. On the other hand, it prevents ships from running aground or running aground when entering the port.

Most of the time, though, running a lighthouse is a big expense. In order to keep the lights on and keep them on, as well as dedicated maintenance personnel, the cost of working long hours is not even much worse than the cost of it. So they can't be like beacons, navigating along the coastline. Instead, it sits dotted on a few small islands or piers along the coast.

So generally speaking, if you see the light of the lighthouse, it means that the nearest port is not far from the fleet. This is quite an encouragement for those who have been adrift on the vast sea for dozens of days - because the land is already close at hand.

As the ship drew closer, the lighthouse began to show its outline. Because of the darkness of the night, despite the light of the lighthouse itself, the seafarers on the frigate could only see a rough idea. The towering tower resembles a small inclination cone, and the top of the tower resembles a canopy battlement.

The navigator who had an impression of this lighthouse immediately flipped through the charts under the light: "That's right, this is the Yorif Lighthouse." Further south, we should be at Wilbos Harbor. Signal the ships behind and all crew ready to anchor. Wait until tomorrow morning before entering the port. ”

Although, at the speed of Boreham's fleet, it will be able to sail into Wilbers Harbour tonight. But instead of doing so, they had to stop and wait until dawn to act. The main reason for this is that almost all ports in the Western Continent are closed to ships at night.

This practice is purely for security reasons. The first is the security of the port - indiscriminate strikes against ships entering the port at night can effectively prevent pirates and other hostile forces from launching attacks at night. The second is to be responsible for the safety of the vessel. The water ripple conditions in the port are much more complex than the sea surface, and it is easy to have an accident without the traction of the pilot ship. It's even more dangerous at night.

The seafarers who emerged from the cabin the next morning to the sound of the drums saw in the distance what looked like white sails stacked with shells. On the dock of Wilbos Harbor, sailing ships from all over the western continent crowded the entire dock.

Even Barrett could easily see that the port of Wilbos was more than twice as large as the port of Moore, which was in Boreham. Looking at the busy scene of the dock workers, Barrett could already confirm the prosperity of the Western Continent metropolis in front of him.

Having stopped for a whole night on the non-channel sea not far from the port, the garrison of Wilbos Harbour had already noticed the fleet. However, the flags flying high above the flotilla made them relatively cautious about these ships.

After all, the cooperation between the merchant republic of Tutkel and the Bolham Collar was not a secret among those people. In the case that the flotilla outside the harbor is likely to be a negotiating team sent by Boreham Collar. In case because of a little negligence on your part, you leave a bad impression on the other party from the beginning. That will have a very big impact on the future of the commander of the harbor protection fleet.

However, it is their official duty to go forward to inspect the incoming ships, and they cannot give up for personal reasons. Therefore, the commander of the coastal defense ship could only postpone the inspection a little, hoping that it would not affect the negotiators' dreams. (To be continued.) )