Obviously, it is impossible to operate the seventy or eighty cannons on the "Princess" with only four or five elite gunners.
Therefore, we need to find a way to recruit a group of experienced gunners, preferably retired naval personnel from various countries in the commercial alliance. For ordinary sailors, it will take a lot of time and energy just to familiarize themselves with how to operate artillery.
Marquis Norris had already thought of a solution to this problem.
He asked the butler to bring a list to Captain Baloric. The list included people who had retired from the navy of the Principality of Loras in the past five years and came to work at the Norris Chamber of Commerce.
There are earlier lists, but those people are already older and prefer a stable and comfortable life and are less willing to continue taking risks and struggling at sea.
This point would be difficult to change even if Richard doubled his commission.
The best way is to recruit young people who still have ideas, a spirit of adventure and are willing to take a chance.
After receiving the list, Captain Balorik immediately patted his chest and promised: "My Lord Marquis, Lord Richard, leave this matter to me! I will definitely complete this task within three days."
Richard smiled slightly and nodded.
It's great to have a captain like this! I can save myself a lot of worries.
Three days later, Richard and Stephana boarded the "Princess". Captain Balorik had lost a lot of weight in these three days. Almost all the trivial matters before the official departure needed his attention and approval.
And the last problem about the gunner has also been solved.
Captain Baloric selected more than 120 people from the list given by Marquis Norris, and recruited more than 50 people from their comrades, finally gathering a large force of gunners.
This is the biggest difference between warships and ordinary merchant ships.
On ordinary merchant ships, sailors account for more than 80% of the crew, and the rest are combatants. However, on Richard's "Princess", combatants (including gunners) account for 70%, and sailors only 30%.
Fortunately, Richard gave a high reward. Otherwise, no matter how strong Captain Balorik's communication and coordination skills were, it would be impossible to complete this task within three days.
"Set sail! Set sail!" Captain Balorik's words fell.
The huge canvases of the five masts were opened, and suddenly, the huge wind drove the equally huge "Princess" slowly away from the dock and headed towards the blue ocean.
Richard did not let Meiluo go with him. It was too dangerous for a third-level wizard apprentice to accompany him to Basileus Island in the Summer Sea.
It is possible that in some sudden danger, if Richard fails to take Meiluo's safety into consideration, she will die.
It would be much safer to have Melodo accompany Marquis Norris.
Although the Poseidon Cult might continue to cause trouble for Marquis Norris, Marquis Norris now has the support of a Grand Duke. Richard believes that security issues should be resolved in the short term.
Five days later.
Stephanie was accompanying Richard at the bow, admiring the endless blue sea in the distance.
"Sir Richard, we are about to enter the deep sea and will soon pass through the Siren area. But don't worry, we have been on this route many times and are very familiar with it. We will avoid all dangerous areas."
"Moreover, the weather in recent days has been relatively good, with high visibility."
Captain Balorik came over from the side at this time and introduced him to Richard with a smile.
Richard nodded and said, "I believe in Captain Baloric's professional ability."
The two chatted for a while, and suddenly, the lookout on the mast waved the pennant in his hand!
"Huh! Strange! The lookout just said there's heavy fog ahead!" Captain Balorik couldn't help but murmured.
“This shouldn’t happen.”
Captain Balorik took out a monocular telescope and began to observe the fog carefully.
"Captain Balorik, if this fog is strange, can we take a detour?" Stephanie asked curiously.
Since Balorik had already noticed that the formation of the fog was a bit strange, she didn't know why he didn't take a detour.
After all, the sea is vast and you can go anywhere.
"Ms. Stephanie, for a sailboat, the wind direction is the most important. If we turn around now, it will affect our sailing for a period of time today, but this is not the most important thing."
Captain Balorik paused, as if he was organizing his words, and said, "The fog is spreading rapidly in our direction. I just calculated that even if we turn around now, we will most likely still be shrouded in fog due to the reduced wind speed!"
"Huh! Indeed!" Stephanie looked at the fog again and said.
Richard on the side also nodded. He had also noticed early on that the thick fog in the distance was spreading rapidly around.
"All personnel, level 2 combat readiness!" Captain Balorik thought for a moment and immediately issued a combat readiness order.
This made Richard quite pleased, because a trace of vigilance just rose in his mind. Since wizards have much stronger mental power than ordinary people, they are sometimes very sensitive to danger.
Just now, Richard had a bad premonition, but this premonition was not strong enough to make Richard turn around and leave immediately.
However, just as he was about to remind Captain Balorik, he did not expect that the other party would issue a combat readiness order in advance.
After giving the order, Captain Baloric looked around and realized that the highest commander on the ship was not him, but Lord Richard.
So, he immediately explained: "Sir Richard, I'm very sorry, just now..."
Richard waved his hand and said, "Captain Baloric, you did a good job just now. You don't need to apologize to me."
"Also, next time this happens, you can give orders immediately, just like you did this time, and then when you have time, tell me why you made this decision."
"I always believe that professional matters should be left to professionals!"
Captain Barrorick was deeply moved when he heard Richard's words. He felt like he had found a confidant! "As you say! Sir Richard, your heart is as broad as the boundless ocean!" Captain Barrorick took off his hat and bowed deeply to Richard! "Captain Barrorick, you're welcome!"
In the thick fog, a huge, dilapidated ship appeared faintly on the sea.
The X-shaped double-blade flag on the flagpole was faintly visible! The hull was covered with various marine organisms such as barnacles, mussels, seaweed, kelp, and conchs. Even many gaps could be seen on the surface of the hull. The deck was also bumpy and there were many broken planks.
It’s hard to imagine that this thing, which looks more like a shipwreck on the seabed, can actually sail smoothly on the sea?
In the captain's room, three figures were sitting in a triangular shape. Among them, a beautiful, slightly tired human female was talking to a man in a black robe: "Saridin, we, the Siren Clan, have activated the Misty Sea Song in accordance with the request of your Poseidon Society, so that this ship is shrouded in fog. From now on, it's up to you."
The voice is pleasant to the ears and has a special charm.
Looking down along her charming face, her upper body was only covered with shells, while her lower body was a huge fish tail shining with silver scales.
Just as she had just said, she belonged to the Siren clan.
Adult Sirens possess the innate sorcery skill of Song of the Mist. When a group of Sirens activate this skill, the mist can cover an area of hundreds of miles with great power.
"Of course, the Sirens have done enough!" The man in black robe seemed to respect the representative of the Sirens in front of him and bowed slightly.
"In that case, I'll be leaving first! Goodbye, Salidin!" The beautiful Siren twisted her waist like a snake, quickly came to the side of the ship, leaped lightly, and jumped into the sea.
Soon, it disappeared into the vast ocean.
"Lord Salidin, why do we need to rely on the power of the Sirens? Can't we defeat them with the power of our Westminster ghost ship?" The hook man at the side said in a deep voice.
The guy with a sharp curved hook embedded in the broken part of his right hand is named Asakim, and he is the captain of the ghost ship Westminster.
Many years ago, the Westminster was an important part of the Commercial Alliance - the flagship of the First Fleet of the Akara Kingdom.
It unfortunately sank in a naval battle more than a hundred years ago, but a few years ago, the "Poseidon" worshipped by the Poseidon Cult used its great power to fish it out from the bottom of the sea and transformed it into a marine wonder - the ghost ship.
The crossed swords on the flag on the mast were the symbol of the maritime power Akara! Asakim was appointed as the captain of this ghost ship, so he had his own special talents.
"Asakim, according to the accurate information we have collected, the guy who destroyed our Poseidon Cult's plan to control the Norris family and destroy our stronghold in Antwerp Port is on that ship."
"However, the enemy's ship is very unusual. It is a retired warship. If we rush forward to attack, we will probably get into a fierce battle." Salidin slowly explained why he invited the Siren clan for help.
"Huh! The other party actually managed to get a battleship?" Asakim's eyes revealed a look of surprise.
You know, although the ghost ships under his command are powerful, it is also relative. If they encounter ordinary ships, they can destroy as many as they come. But if the opponent is a battleship, and a large battleship with amazing artillery power, then the result is uncertain.
The powerful salvos of dozens of cannons will cause heavy damage to the ghost ship!
Saridin nodded and said, “This should be the help given by the Norris family!”
"Could it be that the failure of that guy Okot was also due to the other party?" Asakim couldn't help but ask, and the trace of carelessness in his heart quickly disappeared.
He had seen Ocot, the guy who cultivated his clones, several times. He was a deep-minded conspirator.
Although Asakim thought that they were on par with each other in terms of personal strength, or even that he was a little stronger, the opponent had many schemes and tricks. He did not expect that such a sinister guy would be defeated by the opponent.
"That's right! Get ready for battle, Asakim!" Saridin said in a deep voice.
"As you command! Lord Saredin!"
As the "Princess" gradually sailed into the fog, Captain Balorik had raised the combat readiness level to level one.
Suddenly, everyone on the boat started moving.
A large number of gunners and melee team members who were originally resting in the cabin now performed their duties and prepared for battle.
In particular, the black muzzles of the guns on the three decks have all been debugged and can be ignited and fired at any time.
"Balolic, is it necessary to be so nervous?" The tall and stupid orc walked over with a giant double-edged battle axe and said disapprovingly.
"Otombo, I always feel that the appearance of this fog is a bit strange and sudden." Captain Balorik explained.
"The fog doesn't seem to be naturally formed, but I can't think of any creature that can generate such a huge fog. Maybe this is some kind of anomaly."
At this time, Richard frowned and said, "Did you hear a faint singing voice? It sounded like a woman singing."
When everyone heard Richard say this, they immediately listened attentively.
"Hey! Master, I heard it too! It seems to be a group of women's voices, very nice!" Stephanie on the side nodded.
"Oh no! Siren?!" Richard, Stephanie and Captain Balorik realized at the same time.
Richard and Stephanie are wizards who have studied relevant mystical knowledge, while Captain Baloric relies on his many years of rich sailing experience and knows the abilities of various strange creatures.
So, almost at the same time, the three of them spoke out their guesses in unison! "This should be the Misty Sea Song! I have seen relevant records in a book. The Misty Sea Song is the innate ability of the Siren. The general range is more than ten nautical miles. The song has a strange charm. The effect on men is doubled, and the effect on women is halved or even ineffective."
"However, if the enemy is a large group, then the range of the fog of the combined innate ability - Misty Sea Song will be superimposed, and the lethality of the song will also increase exponentially!"
As Richard was explaining, the female singing voice coming from the fog became clearer and clearer.
Many sailors have shown curious expressions and seem to be stopping to listen.
Soon, many people who were listening to the sea songs showed intoxicated expressions, and unconsciously took stiff steps and began to walk towards the side of the ship.
"Oh no! Ring the bell!" Captain Balorik shouted.
As a great knight, he has a relatively strong resistance to the song of the Sirens. At this moment, he can still give commands without being too affected.
“Ding! Ding! Ding!”
All the alarm bells on the ship were ringing! This interfered with the Sirens' singing to a certain extent, but it still could not eliminate it.
“Plop!”
The first victim who jumped into the sea by himself appeared!
When he sank several meters into the water and was close to suffocation, his human body instinctively broke free from the control of the Siren's song, and he realized how he got into the water.
But it was too late to start saving yourself at this time.
Although the sailors were good at swimming, they did not take a breath in advance and suddenly sank into the cold sea water, and soon began to struggle and drown! (End of this chapter)