Gou is a dark elf in Warhammer

"Loik's Dance, my uncle, are you saying... that Clarkalond was attacked by the Asur cavalry? By the Asur cavalry?"

Maranul was still a little confused when he confirmed it, so he asked twice, and then he turned his gaze to his brother who also looked surprised.

"Yes, a group of plunderers from the Kingdom of Arion..."

While listening to what happened, Dacus turned around and looked at the fleet again. This fleet that came to Chapeiuto from Clarkalond was very strange, as if it had experienced a war.

The sails were scorched and mottled, with irregular blackened cracks torn by the flames on the edges. Some sails were even made of various sewn products, looking worn and dilapidated. The hulls were dotted with obvious traces of battle, and one could even see some arrows that had not been completely pulled out. The depth of the arrows piercing the planks showed the enemy's accuracy and sharpness. The sides of several ships were temporarily patched with rough wooden boards and iron nails, and there were many cracks on the side rails and deck pillars, which were obviously caused by the impact of the explosion.

At first he thought he was intercepted by Asur's fleet on the way, but...

"Did we encounter the Asur fleet when we came?" Dacus asked a question after listening to his uncle Hoha's story. There was no hidden anger or confusion in his tone, and his eyes did not become cold. On the contrary, his tone was very calm.

He didn't care much about Clarkalond being raided, because the word raid defined everything. Clarkalond's defense system was there, and Druch's intelligence system was there. Once the Asur garrison in Anaheim began to mobilize, Clarkalond would receive the news immediately and deploy defenses and intercept. If the Asur launched an attack from Ulthuan, Druch would also receive intelligence and make preparations in advance.

The most valuable target of Clarkalond is the manor outside the city. Although there are troops stationed and patrolling on weekdays, if they sneak in and light a few fires, it will be enough for Duruchi to drink a pot. Of course, this was in the past, before Dacus made his debut.

Besides the manor, there is the shipyard on the north bank of the Red Poison River, which is the core of Clarkaronde. When he was in Naggaroth before, he advocated upgrading the defense system there. After Newker's adjustment, the idea of ​​a surprise attack was just too much. Forget about the chain of iron chains, and go into the Sea of ​​Malice first. Even if you land on the west coast of Naggaroth and cross the mountains to launch an attack, it won't work. The city defense system on the north bank is designed to resist large-scale attacks.

"No, there were only some insignificant scattered ships hovering on the sea level, and no one dared to approach. My lover piloted the raiding ship to launch a raid. After burning two ships, the remaining ships turned around and ran away." Huoha said with a scornful smile.

Hohar Hellbane, the uncle of Dacius, Colonia, and Maranur in terms of seniority, is an excellent captain, proficient in both navigation and combat, and is now in charge of commanding the fleet traveling between Lustria and Naggaroth.

Daxus smiled and nodded. As he got to know this world better, he found that some things were difficult to evaluate and define.

The Oxford Dictionary defines piracy as: robbery, kidnapping, or violence committed on or from the sea without lawful authority, especially by one ship against another.

But in certain periods, the situation is complicated, such as the medieval Mediterranean, if the victim is a political or religious enemy or the motivation is not purely for the booty, then how to define this behavior, not piracy? But it did do pirate things.

Religious exchanges abounded, with the return of property, letters of marque, and legal retaliatory seizures of goods becoming commonplace. Lords hired pirates as a free navy to protect their waters, even offering promises of letters of marque.

Piracy was also an important and encouraged economic activity in that era. The economy of some places depended on pirates, and pirates even solved the famine in Barcelona in 1311. In the last tears of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Gatti Lusi family helped the empire to ensure the fragile Mediterranean connection. After the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire, the family survived for a while.

It is difficult to tell which ones are illegal and which ones are legal.

The same is true of this world. By the conservative standards of other Asur, the sailors from Cosqui are undoubtedly barbaric. They prefer the excitement of plundering to normal sailing, and they even prefer to label themselves as pirates abroad.

In layman's terms, when the Cosqui sailors sailed in Ulthuan, they were just sailors and soldiers, without the label of pirates. Once they left the territory of Ulthuan, they would not rob their fellow Asurians, but for the others... hehehehe!

Tyrion, the Dragon of Cosqui, is not only good at fighting and commanding, but he is also good at managing money, probably because he lived a tight life when he was a child! His father and brother always thought he was the least intelligent in the family, but the fact is that he is much smarter than them in many things. As long as he is determined to do it, he can do things well. He learned to make money easily, just as he learned to use weapons easily.

Because in his time, the two were closely related...

He had a friend named Lucius, whose family traded silk and spices with China, so much so that Lucius liked to wear a flowing robe with large sleeves like a wizard's robe that was worn by the upper class nobles of China.

Of course, he was poor. Not to mention the ship and the start-up capital, his father still owed Marin more than a thousand gold dragons. Although he was poor, he had a sword, and force was better than hard work. Besides Lucius, he had other friends, he had many friends. He and his friends went out to sea, raided the ships of Druki, and made a small fortune.

He invested the money in some very successful trading voyages and purchased some land, which he rented out to human merchants operating in Lothern at high prices.

Having tasted the sweetness, he began to become unstoppable, constantly making wealth through piracy and formal trade. During the year 2280 of the Imperial Calendar, he was one of the shareholders of several merchant ships and received dividends from all the profits of the voyage. After revitalizing the family, he lost interest in making money and entrusted the management rights to the steward recruited from the Emerald Sea family.

But his father soon squandered all the wealth he earned, using it all to repair the dragon armor. When Duruchi invaded Ulthuan, he wore the repaired dragon armor. Maybe if he didn't work hard to make money, he wouldn't wear the dragon armor?

"Individual behavior." Dacius defined the raid on Clar Karond and the appearance of Asur ships on the sea surface.

"What a bunch of idiots! It was harvest time, they should have burned down the manor outside the city instead of raiding the newly built shipyard on the south bank of the Red Poison River."

"If it were you, what would you choose?" Daxus turned his head and looked at Cowell with a playful expression.

"I would also choose to raid the shipyard." Cowell said as he spread out his hands, and the Attila jacket draped over his shoulders fluttered in the wind, looking extremely showy.

A burst of laughter broke out on the dock, and the atmosphere instantly became a little more relaxed.

"My uncle, is this your flagship?" Dacus looked at Cowell, raised his lips slightly, and shook his head. Then he looked at Hoha and pointed to the ship anchored in the distance and asked.

"Yes, the pride of Clar Karonde!"

Daquus was somewhat speechless. When he returned to Clarkalond last time, the ship that ranked second in the race was also the pride of Clarkalond and the symbol of Duruchi. But the ship in front of him now was obviously different from the ones he had seen before. It was a fully sailed ship, a fast sailing ship, all steel, with three masts and a gaff sail.

"85 meters long, 11 meters wide, displacement 1200 tons, sail area 2630 square meters, speed 18 knots, can carry 40 Reaper ballistas. If it is a single-sided battle, 60 ballistas can be deployed, and the other 20 can be used as backup."

After hearing the data reported by Hoha, Daxus nodded. Druch's ship did not have fixed-position artillery, and all the firepower was projected by crossbows that could make a big hole in the hull after hitting the target. Its main feature was flexibility, and the first wave of firepower was fierce.

The pride of Clarkalond was shorter than a regular plundering ship, but the hull was made of steel. Obviously, the sorceresses had made great efforts to build it with pious magic. If I was right, his dear clan mother should have also participated in it. After all, the ship was designed according to his specific requirements. He found the slate of the storm wheel in Juitex.

Modern main battle tanks have firepower, defense, and speed. There is no Maus, and no small car can resist artillery. The same is true for ships, especially combat ships, which must have speed, firepower, defense, steering, etc. There is a saying that goes, a big ship is difficult to turn around. With the storm steering wheel, there is no need to design the hull so long that it is difficult to turn. With the storm steering wheel, speed is naturally increased, and there is no need to lengthen the hull and increase the sail area to increase the speed by five masts.

After installing the storm wheel, this all-steel fast sailing ship...seems to have been endowed with a soul? Like a giant beast ready to go?
The Storm Wheel not only increases the speed of the ship, but also gives it unprecedented flexibility. The Storm Wheel allows the ship to turn as nimbly as a predatory bird, whether in a narrow fjord or on the open sea, whether there is wind or not, it can quickly adjust its direction, avoid being surrounded by enemy ships, or quickly sail into a designated position to intercept the target?

He couldn't say for sure. This required actual testing. He couldn't figure it out. He really couldn't figure it out. He wasn't a computer, so he couldn't simulate it.

"After the goods arrive, we will install it. After installation, we will test it. While testing, select a conventional plunder ship to install it for comparison." Dacus made the following deployment.

What he didn't know was that the crossbow was aimed at this ship. He also didn't know that the crossbow with the magic arrow was confiscated by Annasara after it was shot. And Kelly's judgment was correct. The ship was indeed full of cargo, so it looked like it had a deep draft. But the cargo was of no value. It was all slag produced by the Nagor Steel Plant, which was transported to Asheril to pave the national highway...

After chatting and laughing for a while, he looked towards the sea level in the distance, but he could not see anything, his vision was blocked.

In 2512 IC, the Black Ark Shadowtide, commanded by Admiral Quirin Urton, from Kal Kalond, launched a surprise attack on Lustria, but was defeated by the Lizardmen led by Marshal Ku, and then the Black Ark was dragged ashore by Slann's magic. Skinks, Hyperions, and Salamanders boarded the ship, and although the Druki fought back with Reaper Ballistas, they were soon silenced by the Salamanders' fiery attack, leaving only the screams of the burned Druki.

When the battle was over, not a single Druki survived, and a portion of the burned and battered Black Ark remained, standing abruptly in the mud, a reminder of the fate of all who dared to enter Lustria.

Now, with the appearance of Dacus, some things have subtly changed.

Outside the breakwater, the black ark Shadow Tide was quietly moored, its hull towering like a shadow, oppressing everything on the dock. The dock was bustling with people, and the Drukki sailors and labor dispatchers were busy unloading the cargo. The whole area was occupied by a busy rhythm. A small train driven by a steam engine pulled a flatbed carriage full of cargo into the breakwater. The carriage was filled with grain, thick cotton bales, wool, sealed cans, and live cattle tied tightly with ropes.

Cotton bales were stacked on the conveyor belt, and bags of grain were piled up like mountains, forming neat stacks. Dozens of dispatched workers lined up in a row, their skin tanned by the hot sun, sweat flowing, but they dared not stop. Under the close supervision of the soldiers, they tirelessly cranked the hand-cranked conveyor device, making the huge conveyor belt turn slowly, and smoothly conveying boxes of materials to the black ark.

The bureaucrats stood at the end of the conveyor belt, on the Black Ark, and counted the cargo. After confirming that everything was correct, the sailors and dispatched laborers either untied the ropes tied to the live cattle and drove them away, or neatly moved the cargo onto the carriages. When the carriages were full, the horses would move along the temporary tracks and deliver the cargo to the lower storage area of ​​the Black Ark.

Based on the principle of being here now, Daxus asked to fill the tank as full as possible, because there would be no such good opportunity next time.

The outer side of the breakwater is designed to be very long, and can accommodate a large and a small black ark. Of course, it is a different matter if the Nagor arrives.

Parked next to the Shadow Tide was Admiral Moran Darkthorn's Ultimate Oblivion, which Daxus had seen when he returned to Karl Karond after the Haxie Trial, and the second time was in Naggarond during the Battle of Grond. Although this black ark was small, it was an old one, dating back to the moment when the sky collapsed and the earth was broken.

It’s even more amazing in the farther places. My goodness, there is nothing but the Black Ark.

The Temple of Viciousness of the Hellbane Family, the Herald of Despair of the Cold Eyes Family, the Claw of Domination of the Godrich Family, and the Claw of Soul of the Mogar Family, these four black arks of different sizes belong to the Clar Karonde faction.

The Forgotten Tower of the Riel family, which is the family of Karl Kalond's Night Lord Kira, the Tower of the Blessed Evil Party of the Fallen Heart family, and the Painful Omen of Lanis Night Demon, but that was all in the past. Lanis was killed, and then the Painful Omen was redeemed by Karl Kalond at a high price, and now it is commanded by Admiral Kruvo Bloodsworn. Together with the Shadow Tide and the Ultimate Forgotten parked outside the breakwater, Karl Kalond's faction has a total of five black arks.

It looks like a lot, but actually there aren't many... There are more than just nine ships in the waters outside Chapeuto, and these are just two factions, there are others.

Female Admiral Drane Coldblood's Cursed Fortress, Admiral Elaine Destruction's Desolate City, and Admiral Randall Lastwhisper's Tower of Oblivion are from the Naggarond faction.

The Fortress of Eternal Terror of Hag Graves Valahal's family and the Endless Indulgence of Admiral Orax Souleater belong to Hag Graves' faction. The Endless Indulgence is a newly launched ship, which is the one that Clarkarond had been building before, and was bought by Hag Graves' faction as a supplement.

There were fourteen of them, like a moving city of darkness. Putting them together, they could form a large Duruchi city that surpassed Nagarond, surrounding Chapeyuto completely. The water surface was covered by the shadow of the ark, as oppressive and cold as if it was torn by the night.

Moving was like walking on the Huarong Road. You had to move the people inside out first, and then let the people outside in for supplies. Not to mention the sight. Dacus stood on the dock and couldn't see anything.

Of course, not all of Duruchi's black arks were concentrated in Chapeyuto. There was also the Nagor anchored in Krakalond and the one still under construction. In addition to these, there was also the Blood of Cain controlled by Hal Gansi.

Dacus stood at the dock, staring at the sparkling water, his mind full of thoughts. Suddenly, the noise around him gradually died down, as if everything was still at that moment. He raised his head slightly and glanced behind him, and he knew why his companions around him turned their eyes away and stopped talking.

Three figures in the distance gradually approached. Siglin and Finarfin, accompanied by Belloda, slowly walked towards him. He did not expect that the two would arrive so quickly. After seeing their expressions, a smile suddenly broke out on his face.

The Druki stared at Siglin and Finarfin, trying to detect any possible threat from Asur's expression, and either killed them on the spot or watched with a vigilant and cautious look. Meanwhile, the Ainir and Asrai watched with an attitude of watching the fun, looking forward to what would happen next.

Although Siglin and Finarfin walked with firm steps, not wanting to behave inappropriately in front of the Druki, their faces looked extremely gloomy, as if they were shrouded by the shadows of the black arks and the Druki anchored around them.

Siglin looked up and glanced around, a trace of worry flashed in her eyes, as if she could feel the uneasiness in the air. As the admiral of Asur, she had fought for many years and experienced countless dangers and battles, but now standing on the territory of Duruchi, she could not get rid of a sense of oppression in her heart.

"It's more than I thought..." She whispered to Finarfin, with a hint of uneasiness and solemnity in her tone. Observing the huge monster from a distance and facing it up close are two completely different feelings. The black arks blocking the sealine in the distance are like huge shadows, quietly anchored on the sea, as if silently spying on her every move.

"This is a bad feeling. We must remain vigilant at all times. We are taking some risks. I can't imagine what will happen next. Will he really care about his oath? Or..." Finarfin nodded slightly, his eyes swept across the moored ships vigilantly, and he held the trident tighter in his hand. The number of ships moored here exceeded his imagination, and he also knew that this was only a part of it. There were still some ships cruising on the sea, protecting the Black Ark.

Belloda, who heard the conversation, shrugged her shoulders and didn't want to say anything. At first, she thought Sieglin and Finarfin would not come at all, but just as Dacuus promised, they actually came.

On the way from the temple area, she talked to Siglin and Finarfin more than once, and comforted them, but it seemed... just as she thought, it didn't work. She understood this feeling too well, and her reaction at the time was not much better than theirs. After all, this was the territory of Duruchi and the lizardmen, and she didn't face such an exaggerated scene at the time.

"The Duruchi have gathered all the seamen here. Do you think... they are preparing to launch an attack on Ulthuan?" Siglin's mood became heavier. She looked up at the Duruchi in the distance. Their eyes were like knives, full of scrutiny and vigilance, which made her feel a chill. She knew that as an Asur, her every step was under the watchful eyes of these Duruchi, and the slightest mistake could lead to a conflict. She couldn't help asking, with doubts lingering in her heart.

"should?"

"The storm of Matheran, can't we say something meaningful? If he wanted to do something, he would have done it long ago. You don't know, he likes lively occasions, just like now... Look around and think about everything on the way here." Belloda sighed and couldn't help rolling her eyes.

"Are you still Asur?" Finarfin turned to look at Belloda and asked unhappily.

"What else? Am I Drucci? Are you making a bad joke to lighten the current atmosphere?"

"You've become... a stranger to me, Belloda... Are you really going to marry Drucci?" Siglin also joined the conversation.

"Maybe I've been through too much. You don't know, I almost died once, died in... another world." Belloda said in a nonchalant tone. When Siglin and Finarfin turned to look at her at the same time, she showed a proud and mysterious smile, "Regarding my marriage, my father has no objection... No rush, now is not the time to talk about this. I'll talk about it slowly when I have time."

Siglin nodded. As she approached the dock, she could not shake off the feeling of uneasiness in her heart. Instead, it became stronger and stronger. She took a deep breath, tried to calm herself down, and looked firmly in the direction of Daquus.

"Welcome, welcome to Chapeuto. Instead of a hug, how about we shake hands?" Daxus said in a gentle tone. He wanted to give the two somewhat reserved Asuls a feeling of being bathed in spring breeze to eliminate the tension.

"Are you sure?" Sieglin hesitated slightly, looking at Dacus. Although Dacus' voice was gentle, she could feel the oppression behind him. She was alert, worried that this was just superficial friendliness.

Dacus did not answer verbally, but showed a confident smile, and then slowly stretched out his hand. The hand shone with warm light in the sun, as if conveying a silent assurance to Siglin.

Siglin's heart was tense, but strangely, she felt as if she was being controlled. After hesitating for a moment, she finally held Daquus's hand. At the moment of holding it, she was stunned. She didn't know why she held it, but she was sure that she was not controlled by magic.

Finarfin was also stunned. One reason was that he witnessed Siglin shaking hands with Dacius. What an incredible scene, a groundbreaking scene? A scene of betrayal? Another reason was that Dacius did not extend his hand to him. Instead, he first touched his right palm to his chest, then touched his forehead with his index and middle fingers, performing a strange etiquette.

"It's the etiquette between the followers of Matheran." Seeing that Finarfin was a little confused, Daxus explained patiently.

"I do not know how?"

"Don't you know now?" Maranul, who had been silent, spoke. It was strange that he had a very strange feeling towards Finarfin, a dislike from the bottom of his heart. As soon as Finarfin spoke, he wanted to confront him.

"you!"

"What?" Maranul said while staying where he was, without any intention of taking a step forward to face Finarfin's trident. His actions and words were like signals, and the surrounding Duruchi, who had originally clenched their fists or held their weapons tightly, relaxed at this moment.

"Perhaps this kind of etiquette is indeed necessary between the believers of Matheran, but we Asur are not used to it." Siglin raised her hand and gently pressed Finarfin's shoulder, applying a little force, signaling Finarfin to take a step back.

"At the moment, we are following slightly different etiquette, there is no denying that, but this is a good start, isn't it?" Daxus's voice was not loud, but it flowed like an icy river.

"Then let me see how far Drucci's etiquette can go!" Sieglin had calmed down completely at this time. She smiled lightly and looked at Daquus with a slightly provocative look.

As soon as she finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent for a moment, and the air was filled with an indescribable tension. The hostility hidden in the eyes of the Druki became stronger, and the Ainel and Aslai around them also sensed the provocation, and their expressions became serious and alert.

Sieglin, who had made all kinds of preparations when she came, raised her chin slightly and looked directly at Daquus, not caring about the tense atmosphere on the field at all.

"Ms. Siglin, you are wrong. It is not from Drucci..." Dacus was silent for a moment, then burst into laughter, his laughter was hearty and confident. He shook his head, pointed at Siglin, and spoke in a calm voice. At the end, he paused for a moment deliberately, letting Siglin guess what he meant.

"Is it the etiquette of the elves?" Sieglin was slightly startled, then raised her eyebrows and retorted. Then she turned sideways and pointed to Belloda standing beside her, "She can't represent Asur."

Hearing this, Belloda looked at Siglin speechlessly, then a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

After hearing what Sieglin said, Daxus and the surrounding Duruch, Ainel and Aslai laughed out loud. The laughter was either low, exaggerated, cold or sarcastic.

"I understand that Twilight Fortress is not the White Tower of Hoeth, and communication takes time. So, we will introduce them later." Daxus narrowed his eyes slightly, but his smile remained. While speaking, he spread his hands flat towards where Aslai and Enil were. Then he changed the subject, "The reason we are here is to wait for a friend, a comrade who has experienced life and death together.

"Ah... there are so many black arks parked outside the harbor that they block our view. We should be there soon, a few minutes left? During this waiting time, can we talk about other things, such as whether the journey was smooth?"

Siglin listened to Dacus' words, remaining calm on the surface, but pondering the deeper meaning of his words in her heart. Her eyes followed Dacus's outstretched hands, looking at Enil and Asrai who were looking at her not far away. She could clearly feel that the attitude of these elves in strange costumes had changed, as if she had just said something wrong, but she didn't care.

"Under the protection of Matheran, everything is calm."

"That's good, but even the calmest ocean can't avoid lurking undercurrents and storms." Dacus nodded slightly and looked at Siglin with a meaningful smile. His words contained political metaphors, and he knew that Siglin's life was not easy.

"Storms often come unexpectedly, but we Asur have learned how to stand firm in the storm!" Sieglin understood. She knew what Dacus was trying to express. Her eyes flashed slightly and she responded with a faint smile.

"The truth is often hard to predict. Those who truly know how to ride the wind and waves can always seize opportunities between the ebb and flow of the tide and move with the flow, Ms. Siglin." Daxus sighed after taking a few steps slowly with his hands behind his back.

He actually admired Siglin, admired and respected her from the bottom of his heart. The Twilight Fortress must have noticed the situation outside Chapeyuto a long time ago. Under such circumstances, Siglin dared to come, which really surprised him. This requires great courage and determination. This is no longer a single-handed meeting, but a death wish. Contacting Ulthuan, Beloda, and Finnubar, even with these bonuses, he still admired her.

If he guessed correctly, Siglin had made up his mind to die and made necessary arrangements before coming. At this moment, the navy of Twilight Fortress should have been out in full force, maneuvering on the Anureil Peninsula to prevent Druch from launching a surprise attack and blowing up the Slan device, thus destroying everything.

Just then, a horn sounded in the distance, followed by a series of horn sounds.

"Our friends are here." (End of this chapter)