CHAPTER 506: CHAPTER 460: PROTESTANTISM AND SEA MONARCHY

Using the Level 3 Battleship "Steel Dragon" as the flagship and vanguard ship.

Three large cargo ships, carrying General Kungang Tita’s elite combat personnel, lined up behind it in a single row, like four massive hills gliding across the vast Black Sea.

"Congratulations to General Kungang, this time you will achieve a major success for Your Majesty and the Kingdom."

There were only three people sitting in the captain’s cabin; two of them were the Steel Knight, Kungang Tita, and his adjutant, while the identity of the last person was somewhat surprising.

This was actually a Dean-level Holy Professional from the "Eternal Flame" Church, dressed in a white robe with red edges!

The one who spoke was him.

Although it was customary on a Hilus Level 3 ship to have a Tier 2 Priest as a military priest, the growing rift between the church and the royal faction was now almost public knowledge.

The presence of a Holy Professional in such a highly confidential mission deliberately kept away from Griffiths inevitably raised questions among outsiders.

However, for those in the know, this situation was not hard to understand.

Just as the Peak Grand Knight Griffiths fully devoted himself to the "Eternal Flame" Church, believing humanity should selflessly serve the gods, the secular world had its own variety of beliefs. The so-called servants of God were no exceptions.

The secular rulers had long seen through the essence of the church. Mere mortals could not influence gods but might influence other mortals, and the church has never been a monolithic entity.

Taking advantage of the signal of the upcoming coronation of the emperor, Philip II, with some skill, he could clearly see who among the church was an enemy of the Kingdom and who might become an ally.

Currently, within the "Eternal Flame" Church, among the several archbishops, only below the Pope, Archbishop Wycliffe (who is of the same tier as the Pope and eligible to run for Pope) was one of them.

His core idea, which advocated: "Render unto God the things that are God’s; and unto the king the things that are the king’s," struck a chord with Philip II.

Furthermore, most members of his faction were Hilus people, establishing a natural ally relationship.

After Philip II’s marriage alliance with the Habsburg Clan, under the guidance of that archbishop, they were gradually leaning towards the leadership of Philip II’s Hilus.

Even among the churches of the seven True Gods, including the "Eternal Flame," and those of demigods, one could deduce without much thought that the foundational texts that the Holy Professionals worshiped—heavy enough to kill a person if dropped—were not penned by the gods themselves.

It was normal for human-formed churches to experience doctrinal divisions and interpret divine will through their own thoughts.

Archbishop Wycliffe represented what was commonly referred to as the conservative faction.

Within this faction led by him, some have openly voiced the new denomination of the "Tinder Sect," distinct from the "Eternal Flame" Church, and their intention to part ways seems unmistakably clear.

Now, with the backing of Hilus, the world’s strongest nation, a new religious reform within the "Eternal Flame" Church might indeed be possible under Philip II.

This military priest stationed on the "Steel Dragon" was clearly a member of the royal-friendly "Tinder Sect."

"It’s still too early to give congratulations. Griffiths being tied up by the Phaletis people only provided us an opportunity; the task will only be truly accomplished once we safely deliver the item back to the homeland in secret.

I am confident in avoiding complications based on the surveillance over the Tulip Tier 3 power, but I am aware of the limitations of a Knight. This mission would not be possible without Dean Clapson’s support."

Though he appeared like a simple brute of muscle, being sent by the royal faction to supervise Griffiths and tasked with executing confidential missions, this Steel Knight, whose nickname exudes a fierce aura, evidently had hidden depth.

"Naturally, I fully understand the significance of the ’Sea Monarchy’ to the Kingdom, so the General can rest assured."

This Dean-level Holy Professional, also a Hilus person with a balance in his heart between faith and nation, solemnly nodded.

Given the factional ties, as one of the few aware of the secret mission’s objective, he possessed insights far beyond others regarding the causes, trajectory, timing, and target selection of this upcoming war.

Choosing this moment, focusing on the Tulip Colony on the Southern Continent, was not merely about resolving domestic tensions, suppressing the usual rival, but most significantly for the "Sea Monarchy"!

It had both its literal meaning and represented something real.

At this moment, the "Treasure Tree" raw materials acquired from "Treasure Tree Bay" were already enough to initiate the grand plan, and whether or not the five-part share was needed in the short term no longer mattered.

Every year, after each delivery, the finest part was always hidden on-site, while the remainder was ceremoniously transported back to the homeland. As the foremost power, it was evident who the intent was to keep this action hidden from.

Previously, Hilus indeed received significant investments from the "Eternal Flame" Church, but including the "Legendary Warship" blessed by the Divine Spirit, there would be a portion of ownership bound to the church.

The previous King of Hilus had already been seeking to alter this controlled situation.

To this day, after years of secret accumulation, it was time to fulfill the royal ambition.

That ambition was the most powerful battleship in human history, theoretically—and also a legendary battleship—the "Sea Monarchy."

It was designed with a displacement of 5826 tons, four cannon decks, totaling 170 shipborne artillery, entirely constructed with witchcraft, abandoning divine power.

It should be noted that the current mainstream Level 1 Battleship holds no more than 110 cannons; if this "Sea Monarchy" could materialize from the drawing board, it would become the true sea overlord, with no ship qualified to challenge it!

However, both achieving the complete "Sea Monarchy" ambition and the legendary "Sea Monarchy" cannot bypass the Tulip Alliance, devout to the "Queen and Goddess of Navigation."

Their current mission was to head to the secret hiding place and safely bring back the "Sea Monarchy," which was still a pile of raw materials.

This treasure fleet, after leaving the main base of Luanda, initially sailed west across the turbulent open-sea boundary before turning south.

Evidently, the hiding place was extremely hidden and far from Hilus’s colonies.

Because the "Treasure Tree" not only held important significance but was also tied to upper-level power struggles, it couldn’t be left near the homeland where complex colonial personnel might take advantage of a secure home-door environment for embezzlement.

But the treasure fleet was unaware.

Under the surveillance of the Seagull Mind Network, there was always a Level 3 Battleship from Phaletis ahead of them, serving as a guide about half a day’s journey away, yes, acting as a guide holding a Soul-Calling Banner.

When all five battleships both in plain sight and hidden reached the remote waters far from the continent, at that moment, the nearest living person was at least two hundred nautical miles away.

After ensuring they were completely isolated and helpless, Aiven commanded the "May Wind" to turn its bow and intercept the route of the four large ships.

At the same time.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!...

Having no idea of the purpose of their journey, Aiven naturally made the safest choice.

Carrying strong witchcraft potions, cluster bombs packed in earthenware jars, and laughing spores, the seagulls launched a ferocious airstrike.

He intended to first eliminate the troublesome grunts in the fleet and simultaneously exhaust the power of the extraordinary beings among them.

Just like when Hilus attacked the base on the island before the raid, he prepared to play another long-range strike.

This time, however, he didn’t use the little elves specialized in setting fires, as real combat had proven this weapon to be ineffective against the priests of the "Eternal Flame".

Just as expected.

The sharp spiritual senses of those in magic professions allowed them to react accordingly as soon as the crisis loomed.

"Red flames bright and gleaming, protect us from suffering!"

Prayers echoing with warmth resonated above the fleet.

[Divine Skill: Divine Shelter!]

A massive barrier with a faint red glow rapidly expanded from the "Steel Dragon", like a giant umbrella shielding it and the first transport ship.

Boom——

Having already dealt with the Hilus regular army in the New Continent, Aiven was well aware of the priests’ methods and had learned to refine and improve.

During deployment, precise allocation was conducted, with only two alchemy bombs dropping in the first round, whose explosive power shattered the barrier outright.

Afterward, various deadly concoctions rained down unobstructed on four ships, immediately resulting in chaos and mayhem.

"Hahahahahahaha..."

"Ah!"

Some crew members were melted into pools of blood by laughter, while others were torn apart by the cluster bombs’ explosions...except for the "Steel Dragon", which was guarded by a Tier 2 Priest and a Tier 3 Great Knight.

The other three transport ships lacked the capability to effectively counter this airstrike.

The worst part was that this wasn’t a single wave of airstrikes but multiple!

Over a hundred seagulls took turns in relays, bombing repeatedly. With the modified "Shadow Secret Vault", there was no worry about an "ammunition" shortage, even though the "ammunition" represented hundreds of golden Golden Lions.

Of course, if he could kill a Great Knight directly with money, Aiven would gladly do so.

Under Aiven’s relentless airstrike tactics.

Dean Clapson realized that relying on his personal power alone wasn’t enough to protect the entire transport fleet; keeping the "Steel Dragon" shielded was already challenging.

After sporadically taking down a few seagulls with [Divine Art: Flame Light Arrow].

When the seagulls launched another airstrike, they bombed from high altitudes.

Even if it meant losing some accuracy, it didn’t matter at all.

He realized that they must capture the commander behind the seagulls, or else, prolonged defense would inevitably fail, and no amount of divine skills could outnumber those quirky alchemy creations.

"Eternal Flame! Burn fiercely!

The bonfire drives away beasts;

The flames destroy the enemies;

The beacon illuminates the path ahead;

....."

[Divine Art: Magma Pupil!]

A giant eye larger than a human head opened at the top of the warship’s main mast.

With eyes resembling swirling magma, its bright yellow pupil emitted a divine light sweeping the sea, the sky, and distant sea horizons.

However, despite the power of divine skills, they too failed before the distant spatial scale between both sides.

Realizing that Clapson’s detection divine skill couldn’t locate the opponent either.

The Steel Knight as the commander was resolute enough, ordering a retreat to port after losing the irreplaceable three transport ships, declaring that such attacks could not crush the "Steel Dragon" under his watch!

Even with a cold, stern face, the small setback and the crew’s agonized cries couldn’t shake the will of a Great Knight.

Since the attackers had ambushed them on their way to the target location, it meant they didn’t know their mission, or else no one would be indifferent to a "Treasure Tree" capable of building an entire large legendary battleship.

Therefore, the attack would only occur on their return journey.

Despite losing three transport ships and a large batch of trusted soldiers, the Steel Knight felt somewhat fortunate, knowing that there would be another chance if they prepared well for next time.

However, under the protection of the priest and the Great Knight, when the "Steel Dragon" endured sporadic airstrikes from seagulls for half a day, nearly exhausted and almost overwhelmed, they encountered a Level 3 Battleship flying the flag of Phaletis, waiting patiently like a wall blocking their path.

A towering figure hidden in the mist hovered in mid-air, shouting fiercely:

"Kungang Tita, Steel Knight, come out and meet your demise!"