Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

The sun was setting, and the Bandit Gull had unfurled its sails and resumed its journey.

The sailors who had escaped death were happily singing songs, wiping the decks, and tending to the ropes, as if the bloody boarding battle just hours earlier had been an illusion.

But the newly installed swivel gun at the stern castle's top deck had not been removed.

By the side of the swivel gun, Winters, Bard, and Andre sat on the deck, leaning against the railing, lost in thought.

The excitement from their first battle had passed, and the rationale that had been clouded by bloodlust restored.

Recalling the battle, other than a sense of pride, the three ensigns felt nothing but relief and confusion, as well as nausea induced by the gruesome memories of close combat where flesh was torn and viscera spilled.

"Eh, I always feel like what we did wasn't right," Bard sighed deeply. He did not specify what it was, but there was no misunderstanding between Winters and Andre.

The last of the pirates who surrendered were unable to save their lives, as Major General Layton kept his promise, choosing not to kill anyone himself.

Instead, he arranged for the ensign cadets, particularly those whose blades were not bloodied—meaning those who did not actually partake in the melee battle—to do the deed.

On a ship where space is limited and combat had not turned into a free-for-all, it was only the ensigns at the very front who had truly fought with the pirates; the majority of the rest could only cheer from behind.

"If pirates survive to reach shore, they will be hanged anyway, so there isn't much difference in the end," Winters felt wrong about killing prisoners too, but couldn't deny that it was indeed a simple and effective solution: "I think on one hand, the major general really has a bit of a bloodthirsty streak, and on the other hand, this batch of pirates really was troublesome to deal with. The small ship Bandit Gull couldn't contain so many people. What if they seized an opportunity to take over the Good Fortune? How would we handle that?

"If they're killed, they're killed; what else can we do?" Andre yawned and stretched his arms, appearing very tired now.

More time was spent discussing how to handle the prisoners and wrapping things up after the battle, compared to the enthusiasm the major general showed when he directly decided to engage in battle with the pirates.

Interrogations of the pirates after the battle unearthed surprising intelligence: The Good Fortune hadn't captured the Bandit Gull by mere chance; in fact, all the pirates in the inland sea were searching for a three-masted Vineta light warship

that was rumored to be laden with gold and silver from the "Tanilia Archipelago Captains and Planters Union" intended as a bribe for the Sea Blue Republic's governing committee.

The Captains and Planters Union of the Tanilia Archipelago operated a noisy, guild-style democracy with a loose structure and weak authority. Nonetheless, it was undeniable that the captains and planters were the true owners of the Tanilia Islands.

Piracy was rampant above the inland sea, and as Tanilia served as a laundering and supply point for pirates year-round, the relationship with the Sea Blue Republic was always extremely tense.

The pirates didn't know why the union wanted to bribe the Sea Blue governing committee, but they were convinced that at that very moment, a three-masted fast ship filled with Gold Coins and silver coins was sailing towards Sea Blue City.

As for why the union would bribe the Sea Blue governing committee, the pirates had various contradictory theories; there was no accurate story. However, they were certain that such a treasure ship existed.

Because it's difficult to deduce the result from the reason, but to infer the reason from the result... isn't it easy to find a convincing reason for yourself?

Even up to their execution, the pirates on the Good Fortune were still convinced that the Bandit Gull was the treasure ship, and the ensigns were the soldiers guarding the transport.

Guarding troops? Or guarding bribes? Winters, Bard, and Andre had never heard of any side task to transport gold and silver on their way home.

Could it be a secret mission? Only Major General Layton and Colonel Moritz knew what was going on?

At first, Winters believed this. But when he saw the expressions of the major general and colonel, Winters knew they were just as bewildered.

But since the pirates spoke with such conviction, it seemed improbable that they were lying, which made the major general, colonel, and ensigns skeptical.

So, the pressure came down on the portly captain. The portly captain was sweating profusely, swearing heaven and earth that he knew nothing of any treasure ship and there was no union bribery money aboard the Bandit Gull.

Words were bondless, and oaths did nothing to dispel the suspicions. After all, there was only so much space aboard the Bandit Gull, and whether the pirates' claims were true or false, a search would make everything clear.

Therefore, the major general immediately ordered a search of the cargo, and the ensigns meticulously scoured the Bandit Gull, opening every box and bag in the cargo hold and knocking on each plank to ensure there were no hidden compartments.

In the end, it was proven that the portly captain had told the truth; the ship's cargo was nothing but sugar and tobacco.

With this, the situation facing the Bandit Gull became clear: The pirates were convinced that a treasure ship was sailing from Taniria to Sea Blue City, and all the pirates across the inland sea were red-eyed trying to intercept it;

There might well be such a ship, but it was definitely not the Bandit Gull—the Bandit Gull held not a single unclaimed Gold Coin; its cargo consisted only of ordinary sugar and tobacco;

Unfortunately, the silhouette of the Bandit Gull resembled what the pirates thought the treasure ship looked like, or to be precise, the pirates believed the treasure ship to be a fast three-masted light ship of the same type as the Bandit Gull;