At this moment, Mainsen knew he was no longer suitable to speak. His old eyes eagerly looked at his old partner—Fleet Commander General Oderich, as the words of this highest authority of the fleet were his last hope.

After all, this matter actually did not harm the fleet's interests in the slightest, except for the unfortunate Major Aiven who would certainly be displeased. The fat and lean spoils were still in the Third Fleet's own pot.

Meeting Mainsen's expectant gaze, General Oderich knew he couldn't remain silent any longer. Arguing over the allocation of a battleship like this was simply out of line.

"Today's meeting did not originally include this topic, but since General Mainsen brought it up, then...."

Knock.. knock... knock...

The general was about to announce his decision when the tightly closed meeting room door was suddenly knocked.

The knock instantly drew everyone's attention. No one among the senior staff present thought it was someone being inconsiderate; there couldn't be such a reckless person in this headquarters.

Therefore, there was only one possibility—an emergent situation had occurred.

"Come in!"

An adjutant, holding an envelope marked "urgent", hurriedly walked in and ran straight to General Oderich. This was an urgent order from the Navy Department, which by regulations had to be delivered to the Fleet Commander immediately upon receipt.

After saluting, the adjutant respectfully handed the express missive, just delivered by the Seagull, to General Oderich.

Without the time to bother with the yet-to-end meeting, General Oderich quickly tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter, his eyes scanning the page at lightning speed.

As he read, his brow slightly furrowed.

Hence, after reading it once, he read it again from the beginning.

Until all the fleet's senior members couldn't help shifting their gaze towards him, the general, with slightly complex emotions, said:

"Military order!

As an outstanding representative of the kingdom's new generation navy, the kingdom's first 'Navy New Star,' Major Aiven Galliot and his crew, upon receiving this order, must report to 'New Inn Port' immediately, and their files transferred to the department!

Starting today, Major Aiven and the warship he commands will be directly under the department's jurisdiction, that is all!"

Although there were still two days left until the deadline, all the navy involved in the alliance's hunting operation had already returned, and the conclusion did not need to be announced at the last moment.

The Phaletis Kingdom Navy's Third Fleet, led by Major Aiven Galliot, with the "Conch," now known as "Storm Horn," had undoubtedly become the "Navy New Star," ranking first with a total kill reward of 15,300 Golden Lions!

Of course, besides the six "Navy New Stars," other top-ranking participants each had their own rewards, so their efforts over the past three months were not in vain.

However, the one thing the general did not explicitly tell the fleet's senior staff was that while the order was indeed issued by the Navy Department, it was jointly signed by the department, the Crown Prince, and the Royal Navy Academy.

This commotion couldn't be simply explained by a mere "Navy New Star" title! What matter could it be that even the Fleet Commander himself shouldn't know about?

Scanning the suddenly silent meeting room, General Oderich, who had already made up his mind, continued with the topic that was interrupted earlier: "Then... the Level 4 Battleship 'Skeleton Tomb,' captured by Major Aiven, will officially be renamed 'Storm Horn' and will continue to be commanded by Major, no, Lieutenant Colonel Aiven. It's settled!"

Upon finishing, the Fleet Commander directly announced the end of the meeting. No one knew what decision was in his heart before this sudden missive was received.

At this point, everything settled down, a storm pivotal enough to impact one's career had entirely subsided without Aiven, the main party involved, even knowing.

The meeting adjourned, and the fleet's senior staff left one after another, leaving an aged silver-haired man standing there, hunched over for a very long time...

....

On the other side of the Black Sea, in the New Continent.

In a pirate private port, "Coconut Tree Port," near the Golden Bay, a three-masted pirate ship adorned with a Golden Horn Deer as its ship's figurehead slowly docked at the pier.

The "Golden Sea" is the center of the New Continent's sea trade and also the early stronghold for various countries exploring the New Continent. A century ago, the explorers from Hilus were the first to reach Akana Island, located in the Golden Sea Periphery Island Chain.

Because this semi-landlocked sea is relatively safe, it is dotted with tens of thousands of islands large and small. In the next hundred years, this place quickly became an important trade hub connecting the continents on both sides of the Black Sea, with the triangle trade between the Old (Source) Continent, Southern Continent, and New Continent yielding the highest profits.

"Guns, fabrics" — "Anuma People" — "Gold and silver, tobacco, spices," forming a sea trade route flowing with gold.

However, although the Golden Sea is dotted with numerous permanent bases of the Hilus Kingdom, and most of its area is under their actual control, the Golden Sea becomes a paradise for pirates due to the weak local naval power, despite countless merchant ships coming and going.

This "Coconut Tree Port" is located amidst a series of small islands with complex hydrological conditions, a secluded location easy to defend but hard to attack, with two tall watchtowers built on the seaside cape, with fully armed pirates on duty patrolling back and forth, well-organized defensive forces.

At this moment, the port is a mix of black and white sails, with at least seven or eight ships of various sizes docked. They are the pirates coming and going and the smugglers responsible for fencing stolen goods, forming the black industry chain of this wide sea.

Bang —

The gangplank went down, and under the lead of a tall female captain in leather armor with an exaggerated giant sword on her back, a group of pirates of varying appearances poured down from the ship.

Besides the exaggerated giant sword, the female captain's emerald-colored long wavy hair resembling the azure sea is also exceptionally rare. At least among the major races of the New and Old Continents, there is no such magnificent and rare hair color.

Captain Anita doesn't need to bother with those trivial matters; there are naturally designated personnel on the ship responsible for negotiating and interfacing with the captain's meeting managing this private port.

Unlike official ports established by various countries, private ports differ greatly in managing power, port rules, attitude towards pirates, etc. Identifying which private ports one can enter and which one cannot is also a learning for a captain.

And "Coconut Tree Port" is jointly managed by a captain's meeting composed of several capable pirate captains, considered one of the well-sized and well-managed private ports in the Golden Sea.

The group proudly walked towards a large tavern on the island.

The "Juniper Gin Tavern," set up by visiting smugglers, is a premier entertainment venue in this private port, extracting profits several to ten times richer than the outside world amidst a pirate-filled private port. Of course, this business is clearly not for ordinary people.

Smugglers able to conduct such business all have tough backings, and "Juniper" is no exception.

As soon as they entered, the crew of the "Golden Horn Deer" couldn't help but shout:

"Old Sam, quickly bring out the good wine! Your Golden Lion won't go missing."

"Bring Juniper, Bacano, Paisdon... I must drink to my heart's content today!"

"Yes, yes, after being at 'Sunken Ship Bay' for so long, I really miss the good wines of 'Juniper'!"

Seeing them entering, especially that tall female swordsman with a giant sword and striking appearance among them, the pirates in the tavern, who were talking loudly amid the booze, instantly lowered their voices, only daring to covertly give awed glances and quickly look away after a brief glance.

The crew members of the Golden Horn Deer have already experienced such looks countless times recently, after all, their captain is now one of the few Tier 3 powerhouses in "Sunken Ship Bay," only second to a few Pirate Kings!

Even within the navies of various countries, a Tier 3 Great Knight is at least a Brigadier General from the start, with corresponding sailing skills, a Major General cannot be avoided.

Across the Pirate City and even among all pirates in the currently explored sea, the captain is already considered a top-notch powerhouse, and there is a high chance that one day she will challenge and be crowned as the new Pirate King ruling an entire sea area!

Under the witness of numerous pirates at "Sunken Ship Bay," the new captain of the "Golden Horn Deer" successfully broke through to a Great Knight with a legendary touch by bathing in Dragon Blood. This story has spread completely among New Continent's pirates, and after more than four months of fermentation, it has already become a new legend in the "Mist Sea."

Therefore, the crew of the "Golden Horn Deer" holds their heads high and proud, being able to face the forces of some Pirate King directly and equally.

"Aha! From the morning bird's chirping, Old Sam knew today is a good day. So, Captain Anita of the 'Golden Horn Deer' has arrived. Today's drinks are on Old Sam, wishing you an early crowning as the new Pirate King of this sea!"

The bartender Old Sam behind the counter, wearing a white shirt, was naturally a well-informed person and generous, immediately offering his little gesture to the crew of the "Golden Horn Deer," who have already surged beyond their past.

"Ha, thank you, Mr. Sam!"

After thanking the enthusiastic bartender, she let the crew relax by themselves, while Anita sat near the bar, her fingers unconsciously twirling her long hair, which unexpectedly turned into a unique color after bathing in Dragon Blood to break through as a Great Knight, browsing the various messages posted on the information wall.

Her self-discipline from a young age made Anita unappealed by alcohol because it will affect her senses, delay her reactions, and lower her sword-swinging speed.

Even though staying on a pirate ship full of drunkards who could drink rum as water, Anita never touched alcohol. A talent coupled with nearly harsh self-discipline might be the internal reason why she was able to break through to a Great Knight at the age of less than twenty.

Even now, possessing a physique comparable to a demon and fully capable of resisting the negative effects of alcohol as a Great Knight, Anita has still retained this habit well.