Chapter 179: Alchemist Xavier (Part 2)

Xia Yan couldn't help but be amazed at the scale of these water bandits in the Azure Blue Lake.
You see, when he set off this time, he also visited their navy at the Ludo Fortress. There were no more than a handful of ships of this size, and they were severely lacking in maintenance and care. The large crossbows and catapults on them were mostly broken, no wonder they couldn't deal with the water bandits here.
This large ship, belonging to Spilo, appears to be quite new and structurally sound. It is adorned with thick rope nets on the outside, and the sides of the hull are embedded with thick cowhide.
From a distance, you can see that there are at least four large crossbow machines on top, as well as two small catapults. In addition, there are densely packed shooting holes on both sides of each floor. Based on Xia Yan's speculation, such a warship can carry up to hundreds of archers during battle. If they all shoot at once, a volley could cover the entire enemy. These warships are colossal on calm waters, no wonder the Eastern Army of Weisheir has been unable to overcome them. However, they would be vulnerable on the open seas, where strong winds and rough waves could easily overturn them.
In addition, the other boats are mostly small but very sturdy. They also have thick hemp rope nets on the outside to block enemy projectiles, while thick cowhide shields can stop arrows. These boats are mainly used for combat and communication, emphasizing speed and agility.
Xia Yan's gaze turned to the side, where several patrol boats were hiding, covered with black cloth, presumably concealing oil ships. Once a naval battle broke out on the lake, these oil ships would charge directly into the opposing fleet.
"Did you notice too?" The middle-aged man beside Xia Yan whispered, "Look at those fire ships, the bows are embedded with grappling hooks. These pirates are cunning, once they collide with a large ship, they will tightly hook onto it, and we won't be able to push them away easily." You are correct in understanding that the syntax and wording in this translation seem slightly unnatural. However, this is due to the limitations and literalness of machine translation.
Xia Yan nodded slightly, apparently the naval forces of the Lu Duo Fortress had suffered losses from this fire ship.
At this time, there were several patrol boats cruising around the dock, constantly inspecting various incoming vessels. Most of the ships here were local ships from the Liulan Lake, and there were also some carrying foreign VIPs. In order to prevent outsiders from lurking on board, the patrol boats maintained a high frequency of patrols, and the archers on board were also watchful. They did not even miss the gap between the two large ships. Reply: It seems that the Lu Duo Fortress's navy was indeed affected by the fire ship. The dock is heavily guarded with frequent patrols and vigilant archers on the patrol boats. They are taking precautions to prevent any outsiders from sneaking on board.
Xia Yan's eyes narrowed slowly, and he realized that the arrangements and patrol routes of these sentry ships were following a certain pattern - just like land patrol teams. It's rare for someone who isn't a trained soldier to arrange such clear and precise patrol routes.
夏彦再仔细地看着码头周边，发现这里的地形也是非常的独特，除了码头之外，其余靠水的地方都是岩石，如果采取强攻的办法，进攻的一方肯定是损失惨重。
Indeed, this kind of place is easy to defend and difficult to attack. No wonder the naval forces of Fort Ludo have spent so much time but still couldn't subdue these people. This Sylanos Sparlo seems to be more than an ordinary person.
Xia Yan's small boat slowly approached the dock. At this moment, two patrol boats came from both sides, surrounding the boat. The boatman obediently put down the oars and let the boat come to a halt, waiting for the next round of inspection.
"These people..." Xia Yan squinted his eyes. The pirates on these two patrol boats were dressed differently from before, wearing red clothes and yellow headscarves. The leader, a muscular man, leaped onto Xia Yan's small boat with an arrow-like movement, causing the wooden boat to sway from side to side.
This Han man had ancient bronze-colored muscles, with a pair of short tridents hanging on either side of his waist. He had a full face of beard resembling steel needles, and his gaze was unfriendly as he looked at Xia Yan and Ismail. Translated content:
Xia Yan remained calm and collected as he took out an invitation from his pocket and handed it to the big man's hand.
The big man skimmed through the invitation, a doubtful look still lingering on his face. He furrowed his brows and asked, "Why didn't you land on the west dock? Don't you know our rules? What's your name? Where are you from?"
The middle-aged person said calmly, "I am the attendant of our family, and we were originally going to go ashore to the west. But now we just happened to pass by this south dock. We feel that it's all the same from whichever direction we embark. Besides, we also have an invitation."
At this moment, a large ship happens to pass by not far away, filled with guests who have come to the delta to attend the wedding. They see the situation here and gather at the ship's railings, watching how these big men wearing yellow bandanas are conducting inspections.
The expression on Da Han's face changed slightly.
Unfortunately, he was holding the invitation in his hand, which made the situation a bit awkward. If Spilolo treated his guests like this, those people would probably have some thoughts. If news of this spread, Da Han would undoubtedly face some punishment.
It was clear that the great Han did not want to offend anyone here. He carefully examined the invitation and also looked up and down at the two individuals. Seeing that they were not carrying any weapons and did not seem to be malicious, he waved his hand and said in a low voice, "Follow me."
Ismail smiled broadly and said, "Good."
The big man commanded the patrol boat to approach the shore with this small boat. Xia Yan took out a silver coin and handed it to the boatman, who also happily accepted it with a smile on his face. The fare for this trip was enough to cover his expenses for several months.
"From this road, continue to walk in the northwestern direction, and someone will receive you there," the big man said, glancing at Xia Yan and his friends again before returning to his sentry ship. He set off with his followers.
"This guy looks tough to deal with," Xia Yan whispered with a laugh.
"That guy just now should be one of the 'Five Water Beasts' under Shui Long. Each of these five fierce warriors is a tough opponent, and who knows how many lives they've taken," Ismail said coldly. "Fortunately, I haven't appeared on the frontlines a few times, so they wouldn't recognize me."
"Let's not talk about that for now. Let's go to the reception desk up ahead and take a look," Xia Yan said as he walked along the shady path in Shunlin, heading northwest towards the delta.
Before walking too far, a group of people on horses came towards them.
Leading the group was a young man, around twenty years old, with a slightly bluish complexion, as if he had indulged in excessive drinking. However, his eyes were still very sharp. Behind him were four pirates, each with a sheath hanging from their waist, clearly not to be trifled with.
Ismail coughed lightly twice and whispered, "This guy is Jared Lang, the son of Jax, another leader of the Water Thieves in the Azure Lake. He is infatuated with the daughter of the Water Dragon and often does business with some alchemists around here. He might come and talk to you, so be careful not to give yourself away."