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Chapter 275: Ancient Magical Battleship
🕑 Added 2025-02-20 15:05:00 +0000 UTCIn the past, Mad Horse Davis conspired with the slaver Chatham and the Golden Rams Fleet, intending to ambush Charlot Mecklenburg at sea.
Charlot saw through their scheme during the first naval battle, shooting a burly, bearded pirate known for his underhanded tactics. That pirate, who died in a rather humiliating fashion, turned out to be one of the ten lieutenants of the Golden Rams Fleet, nicknamed "Demon Eye."
Charlot’s killing of Demon Eye caused an uproar within the Golden Rams Fleet. Many veteran pirates swore vengeance against him.
At the time, the Golden Rams Fleet was preparing a large-scale assault on Cappadocia. However, James Cook and Francis Drake docked the Titanic Whale and the White Sea Dragon at Cappadocia, forcing the pirates to abandon their plans.
They were pirates, after all, not madmen eager for war.
Although the Golden Rams Fleet boasted two extraordinary-class battleships, no one in their ranks dared to pit themselves against the Imperial Navy of the Ingrima Empire.
Charlot was completely unaware of any of this.
He didn’t know he had killed one of the Golden Rams Fleet’s ten lieutenants.
After all, he had dispatched Demon Eye with a single shot...
In fact, Charlot had already forgotten the incident entirely.
If someone were to remind him of the bearded pirate he killed, Charlot’s likely reaction would be: “Who was that again?”
Charlot waited at the port for a long time before the pirate leader Deep-Sea Squid finally appeared with his men. Upon seeing Charlot, the imposing figure made no acknowledgment.
Charlot didn’t bother initiating any interaction, such as attempting to strike up a conversation.
After more than an hour, a small black dot appeared on the horizon. Thanks to the Eagle Eye ability provided by the Blue Rattlesnake, Charlot could discern that the dot on the sea was actually a ship.
Although the ship was still far away, Charlot was already astonished.
The Golden Rams Fleet did possess a magical alchemical battleship, but their flagship was an entirely different vessel: the legendary ancient magical battleship, Queen Bee!
The Queen Bee was renowned as the fastest ship across the Seven Seas.
No one knew how it was built or who constructed it.
Since the Kingdom of Saint Michael came into existence, the Queen Bee had always stood as its guardian.
Charlot had long been curious about this legendary battleship.
Among the Seven Seas, only twelve legendary battleships existed.
Even the White Sea Dragon and the Titanic Whale, as remarkable as they were, didn’t qualify for this category.
The design of the Queen Bee looked nothing like something from the medieval era. Its hull was sleek, stretching over three hundred pimi. The prow rose sharply, adorned with the head of an ancient siren.
And no, it wasn’t a sculpture—it was an actual siren’s head, severed from her neck in ancient times.
This siren, known as Dumusa, was said to have the terrifying ability to turn anything she looked at into water when she opened her eyes. While transcendents might resist the effect temporarily, an ordinary ship seen by Dumusa’s head would instantly dissolve into water, merging with the vast ocean.
This was the Queen Bee’s ultimate weapon and the key to its dominance over the Seven Seas.
The ship’s hull was covered in countless transparent honeycomb-like patterns. These were remnants of a lost magical array, enabling the ship to slice through waves at unmatched speed. It was rumored that ancient masters who understood the true control mechanisms of the Queen Bee could even navigate it to other worlds.
Each honeycomb pattern on the hull doubled as a porthole, allowing people inside to view their surroundings while remaining unseen from the outside.
Charlot had read about the Queen Bee in university and had encountered more detailed accounts on Saint Michael Island, where everyone marveled at the flagship of the Golden Rams Fleet. Yet seeing it for the first time still left him awestruck.
Charlot mused silently, “If Senior Menielman could acquire the Queen Bee, she would indeed dominate the Seven Seas, becoming a major force on the ocean...”
“Hmm, but I think the Queen Bee suits me better.”
Though Charlot deeply appreciated Menielman Soumet's mentorship and felt a degree of gratitude, he lacked the intense devotion shown by his companions like Clair Bretagne or Ebner Soumet.
If an opportunity arose to claim the Queen Bee for himself, Charlot would seize it without hesitation.
Handing it over to Menielman? Never.
That would be sheer waste!
The Queen Bee’s speed was indeed extraordinary. From the moment it appeared on the horizon, it took only a few hours to reach the waters near Saint Michael Island, where it slowed down and began its approach.
A tall, imposing man ascended into the air from the ship. He wore three golden rings on his fingers—not ordinary gold, as they shimmered with a strange and dazzling light.
This man was none other than Herolf, the captain of the Golden Rams Fleet and a Saint-rank transcendent.
Deep-Sea Squid immediately led his entourage to greet Herolf. However, Herolf didn’t linger at the port and went directly to his palace, with Deep-Sea Squid following closely behind. Charlot, however, was left behind to oversee the arrival of the remaining pirates.
A few hours later, another fleet appeared on the horizon.
This fleet consisted of ordinary merchant ships or modified trading vessels, similar to those Charlot had seen in Cappadocia.
By the time the fleet docked, night had fallen. Countless pirates poured off the ships, swarming into Saint Michael Island. Charlot was left to handle the looted treasures and slaves, directing the unloading and distribution of the goods to various recipients.
The largest portion, naturally, belonged to Herolf, the lord of Saint Michael Island. Following that were the five vice-captains, the ten lieutenants, and finally, shares allocated to lower-ranking pirates based on their contributions during the raid.
Piracy was a profession without salaries; its income came entirely from plunder.
Pirates who could go out to raid were often wealthy, while their leaders were extravagantly rich. Herolf himself was said to possess wealth comparable to a nation. However, pirates unable to participate in raids lived in abject poverty, scraping by with menial tasks, barely better off than slaves.
Unloading treasures for others was grueling work.
Charlot worked tirelessly through the night with his team, finally completing the task of delivering the goods to the pirates’ residences.
As dawn broke, Charlot returned to the port.
Gazing at the Queen Bee, he felt an overwhelming desire.
Men love cars.
Why wouldn’t they love ships?
Because they can’t afford them.
And why wouldn’t they love spaceships?
Because Earth’s technology can’t build them.
If Charlot ever had money, he’d probably buy a second-hand carriage.
Now, with an ancient magical battleship right in front of him, Charlot couldn’t help but feel a burning desire:
“This thing is going to be mine one day.”
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