Chapter Sixteen: High Priest!
2015-07-20
Author: Floating Tower (诸生浮屠)
It’s close, closer, already very near.
The night wind blowing towards them seemed to carry moist water vapor, and ahead, they could hear the sound of the river flowing. After passing through a sparse grove of trees, everything came into view for this group of exhausted refugees. Vast warships loomed, some of which many had never seen in their lives; here at the Agate River, one could usually only see medium-sized vessels. Such large warships likely could only be deployed in the boundless open sea.
The dark cannon mouths were aimed at the land, and there were troops on the warships ready for action.
Torches flickered in all directions, making it impossible to see just how many warships there were, but there were probably close to a hundred, as the entire river was filled with large vessels. A hazy mist surrounded them, and in a certain location, it seemed to veil a cloud of fog; in the night, no one could clearly see what was within, but it looked like a dangerous beast quietly staring at everything before it, waiting for its master’s call!
Fortunately, the Agate River was wide enough to rival the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers; otherwise, Soren’s fleet would never be able to enter.
“Quiet.”
A gentle female voice sounded, like a spring breeze caressing the face of others.
Then, everyone fell silent.
They didn’t know why. Having just experienced a brutal slaughter and escape, they were clearly still engulfed in panic, yet upon hearing this gentle voice, they involuntarily quieted down, as if their souls were soothed by some power.
Holy Spirit Priest Milan raised her head and looked forward.
She saw a tall woman veiled before her, emanating an aura that was very familiar to her, a divine power bestowed by their Lord.
However, this person was even stronger than her!
Milan moved to the front and gently lifted the hem of her skirt, her petite form bowing low in respect before the woman: “Your Excellency, the High Priest!”
The veiled woman smiled and nodded.
The other priests from the church exchanged glances and quickly bowed their heads in respect. Although they still did not know who the veiled woman was, seeing how her mere words had calmed everyone down, it was clear she was not an ordinary presence.
“Allow the women and children to board the ship first.”
The veiled woman glanced at the crowd before her and slowly commanded: “Men, stay in place and prepare; there is plenty of food on the shore, let them distribute it to others.”
“Sixth Fleet, prepare for battle.”
“The enemy may pursue at any time. Send the civilians into the cabins; after eating, equip the militia with weapons.”
Her gentle voice seemed to carry a magical power.
The crowd before her automatically parted according to her command, and then women and children were sent one by one onto the deck and settled in the warship’s cabin. These fleeing civilians mostly contained no elderly; the old barely survived in times of war. The majority were women and children, followed by militia who believed in the God of Half-Elves. During the siege, all adult men had been conscripted. Even boys as young as ten were forced to learn some combat skills.
“Tell the pirates not to disturb these civilians.”
The veiled woman turned to the pirate leader behind her and said coldly: “These are all believers of our Lord! You should know how Lord Soren deals with those who violate order!”
The pirate leader, missing his left ear, revealed a sinister grin and nodded: “Rest assured, Priestess!”
“Anyone who dares to cause trouble, I will personally flay him alive!”
A cruel ruling method.
Soren’s rule on the Southern Coast is maintained through slaughter and order; anyone with a sound mind knows what the consequences of defying Lord Soren’s orders will be.
This lord kills without batting an eye!
Steaming food was distributed; part was pre-prepared, while another part consisted of jerky and salted fish. The food prepared included plenty of meat, mostly fish from the ocean; in such a time, even being able to fill their bellies was satisfactory. Now being able to eat meat further brought a sense of happiness to many. Even in times of peace, as civilians, they could usually only enjoy some meat during festivals. Judging by what was in front of them, the food prepared by the reinforcements was ample, with meat taking up a large portion.
It seemed the Lord’s power truly had deep roots.
At the very least, it was quite wealthy!
The elderly bishop exchanged glances with the priests beside him; manners were irrelevant at this moment, as they raised bowls of hot soup and wolfed down the jerky and salted fish. Leaffall City had been besieged for a long time. The food within the city was originally scarce and had to be shared with a large number of refugees. Even the noble priests could only barely fill their bellies during this time.
Eating meat?
If they let go of their moral taboos, perhaps Leaffall City indeed had plenty of ‘meat’.
Sounds of frantic eating filled the air.
Clearly, in times of hunger and panic, some chaos should have ensued. Yet, for some unknown reason, whenever the veiled woman spoke, all hearts found peace. They quietly and orderly received their food, and after filling their bellies, prepared for battle. Once filled, they naturally had strength; the arrival of the reinforcements visibly boosted the morale of the Temple Guards.
A church’s foundation is definitely not simple.
Many of the surviving priests were close to high tier, and after the first round of the siege, most of the surviving Temple Guards were professionists above the third tier.
Among them were also quite a few special advanced guardian knights.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to withstand an army of half-orcs ten times their number for such a long time.
“Praise our Lord!”
“Praise our Lord!”
“Praise our Lord!”
Cheers of praise and prayer rang out, and as the spark of hope was rekindled, many involuntarily knelt down on the ground in sincere prayer and praise.
The veiled woman smiled as she observed everything before her!
She seemed to be the center of everything, as whenever someone’s gaze fell upon her, their souls brushed against a gentle breeze.
Soon.
Everyone boarded the warships, and before them appeared the retreating elite pirates.
The priests and Temple Guards boarded the deck, and the civilians were settled in the cabins. The entire process was orderly, without the slightest hint of chaos from beginning to end.
Soren’s figure appeared in the night.
He looked at the veiled woman before him, a hint of a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth, then he said sternly: “Prepare for battle! Load the ammunition!”
“The Half-Orc Army is closing in.”
………………
Eugene arrived quickly.
The half-orc warriors had an obvious physical advantage over humans, and after all the civilians were settled in the cabins, the massive half-orc army also appeared in the lookout’s line of sight.
“Dig trenches!”
Old Sea Dog stood in the lookout tower with a telescope, muttering: “So many enemies! If they dare to charge us, how many could we blow away with a single cannon shot?”
They were pirates.
Although the coastal areas were also under church restrictions, the control over alchemical weapons wasn’t as strict.
Almost every warship had cannons; while they used solid cannonballs, their lethality was still significant against ordinary warriors. The disaster brought by the Arcane Empire made many church factions strict about the alchemical arts, but in the domains where pirates were active, there were fewer restrictions. The artillery power controlled by Soren should be among the top-rated even in the entire Material Plane. In naval battles, its lethality may not seem like much, but when it came to land battles in dense formations, a single shot could indeed carve a bloody path.
“Come, come, come!”
Scarface grinned as he stepped forward; he had a scar on his left arm from a wound inflicted by a half-orc sword saint. Fortunately, that adversary had only recently advanced, and he had carefully prepared a poisoned crossbow (a venom used by indigenous people). Otherwise, he might have been butchered by the enemy. Scarface, having narrowly escaped being ambushed by a half-orc sword saint in the battleground formation, wickedly took out two iron balls connected by chains and personally loaded them into the cannon, cackling: “Put this in! Using this cannonball will be a blast!”
The enemies drew closer.
At first, they had been busy getting the civilians onto the ships, and at this moment, the pirates surely didn’t have time to retreat.
Thus, upon receiving Soren’s orders, the giants immediately led the elite pirates to form a defensive line along the riverbank, waiting eagerly for the enemy to charge.
Dare they come?
If they did, these hundreds of cannons would definitely teach them not to mess around!
………………
Eugene halted.
It stared at the array of warships ahead, its expression darkening significantly.
Pirates!
It had once traveled across the continent, and naturally, it couldn’t help but remember the pirate ships. Although the ships did not fly the pirate flag, it could recognize at a glance that these enemies were all pirates.
Cannon after cannon.
Though Eugene looked down on such inferior alchemical weapons, believing them to be worthless, it also knew all too well the damage these weapons could inflict on ordinary warriors. Their clumsy barrels and slow firing rates rendered them useless in many battles, but in a mass combat situation like the one before, their lethality was surprisingly formidable!
Leaffall City also had cannons.
But what the half-elves prided themselves on were their excellent archers, and the dozens of cannons mounted at the city gate were merely ornamental, distinctly inferior to the black mouths of cannons they now faced.
Cannons were standard equipment for pirates!
Whether it was the gunners’ skills, the number of cannons, or the firepower, coastal areas could not be compared to inland regions.
If they forcibly attacked.
They would likely have to endure a barrage of cannon fire!
………………
[Note: The Druid Church detests the alchemical arts, believing that they have destroyed the harmony of nature. The scars left on the natural world for millennia, which have not healed, are all disasters brought about by the alchemical practices studied by the Arcane Empire. Thus, in any areas where the Druid Church is active, the level of control over the alchemical arts is very strict.] (To be continued ~^~)
