Firearms in a Fantasy World

Chapter 110: Eel's Ambition

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

On a nearby hill, "Eel" Jaden stood there, watching with a satisfied expression as the flames soared into the sky from the fishing village.

At that moment, a minor leader ran out from the village and reported to him, "Chief, we've taken almost everything."

Jaden nodded and said, "Gather everyone up. Let's withdraw. We don't want to attract the meddling Blue Stripes Dogs."

"Yes!" The minor leader acknowledged and hurried back towards the village.

...

The establishment of the navy had become a headache for the pirates, especially those operating near the Alden region. They were now constantly on edge whenever they set foot on land.

After Lord Paul Grayman of Alden eliminated his father's killer, Shark, the other pirates had assumed that he would stop there and continue to abide by the treaties signed between the various northwest domains and the pirates, turning a blind eye to their occasional coastal raids.

Little did they expect that Shark's provocation had stirred up the youthful and ambitious Lord. Since the public trial that day, a piece of news had slowly spread throughout the region: Count Grayman intended to eradicate all pirates in the Northwest Bay.

This was not an empty boast. Count Grayman had specifically established a navy to deal with them.

Initially, due to inadequate strength, the navy did not actively engage in chasing them down. However, the pirates still felt the pressure.

Their operations along the Alden coast began to hit snags. Previously, pirates would rest and regroup in the areas they plundered for a couple of days, but now they had to flee immediately. Otherwise, the Alden navy would swiftly arrive and deliver a punishing blow.

The pirates had considered confronting them head-on, but the enemy possessed powerful weapons. Often, before they could even approach, they would hear a series of strange noises, and their own ranks would be decimated.

Afterwards, they would scatter in all directions, and the pirates finally understood how Shark had met his end.

They had no choice but to change tactics. They no longer rested in the areas they plundered but instead adopted a hit-and-run approach.

However, even this method gradually became ineffective. The Alden navy dispatched commissioners to reside in coastal villages, reorganizing, training, and commanding local militias.

Originally, the local militias organized spontaneously by villagers were no match for the pirates. But after the navy's training, they slowly gained the courage and capability to contend with the pirates.

Considering the extensive coastline and the navy's inability to spread its forces too thin, Austin had overseen the construction of a series of coastal defense projects since taking office.

He convened representatives from coastal towns in Frand Port and presented his plan:

Every town was to construct a simple fortress capable of accommodating all local residents. Smaller villages would simply encircle themselves with wooden walls, not needing to be overly sturdy but with defensive facilities sufficient to withstand at least a day and night.

Each town was also to build a beacon tower at its coastal area, where local militias would be stationed, conducting patrols along the shore.

Upon spotting suspicious vessels, they would light the beacon. Upon receiving the beacon warning, villagers would retreat into the fortress, and the militias would prepare for defense.

Then they would await the swift arrival of the main navy forces, refraining from engaging in sea battles no matter how tempting the enemy's provocations might be.

After entering September, the coastal defense projects in the coastal towns gradually completed construction and played a significant role.

Although some valuables left behind during pirate attacks would still be plundered, the incidents of people being kidnapped decreased significantly.

Upon seeing the beacon warnings, the navy immediately mobilized every time, blocking several pirate gangs that had not yet retreated and engaging them fiercely in battles of annihilation.

As the training level of the militia gradually improved, they also learned how to assess enemy strength and were able to handle some smaller pirate gangs at appropriate times.

Alden's territory gradually became a no-landing zone for pirates in the Northwest Bay. Many pirate gangs shifted their targets to plunder other territories.

However, fishing boats and merchant ships still faced threats from pirates. With the land-based threats mostly neutralized, Austin began to focus attention on maritime security.

Six fully trained sail-powered ships began patrolling the sea, providing escort for civilian ships. Though the sailors were mostly inexperienced, their presence with firearms and grenades made them formidable against pirates—who, lacking long-range weapons like bows or ship crossbows, were severely restricted.

Thus, the Alden navy finally became a terrifying force for pirates. Their reputation spread, and their operations expanded. Sometimes, they even crossed borders to teach neighboring pirate gangs a lesson.

However, one pirate gang stood out as an exception and caused headaches for Austin—the "Eel" Jaden gang.

...

The "Blue Stripe Dogs" in Jaden's words referred to the Alden navy, named after their white and blue sailor uniforms, which had become the symbol of the Alden navy.

Originally, four pirate gangs ranked ahead of the Eel gang—Shark Gang and Quik Gang were wiped out by Grayman personally leading troops, while the other two gangs suffered heavy losses when they encountered the Alden navy on shore.

Only the Eel gang, relying on caution and cunning, gradually grew stronger after suffering a few minor setbacks.

Unlike those mad dogs who only knew "grab, grab, grab," Jaden stationed many spies on land. These spies were either small merchants traveling through various villages or local residents coerced into providing valuable information through special channels from time to time—such as defense strength in certain areas, quality and quantity of militias, or nearby naval activities.

With this information, the Eel gang boldly conducted operations that embarrassed the Alden navy.

Deterred by the navy's reputation, during these operations, the Eel gang only looted without causing much harm to local residents. Inside the pirate community, there was a belief that Alden's Lord showed leniency towards pirates without blood on their hands—whether true or false, it was advisable not to provoke too much. However, they were less polite to towns in other territories and continued their plundering ways.

The reason Jaden dared to do this even after Alden became a no-landing zone for pirates was to demonstrate to other pirates that there was still a pirate gang in the Northwest Bay that could defy Grayman's power, thus establishing his prestige among pirates.

Because his heart gradually harbored a dream, or rather ambition, that had never existed before—to unify the pirate forces in the Northwest Bay and become a second Edward.

At first, this was just a fleeting thought that he would mock himself for daydreaming about.

But as his own strength grew, he could no longer suppress this thought, and it eventually evolved into ambition.

Moreover, a recent encounter with a mysterious figure made him even more determined about this ambition.

(End of the chapter)