“Finished arguing?”
In the ancient council hall beneath the lofty dome.
Lin Nuo entered, leading the Princess of Shilang Bay, who appeared as unshaken as a mountain even in the face of disaster.
Angellei, who had failed to persuade Dax Migludia to leave earlier, followed behind in silence, burning with frustration.
Angellei had no idea that Lin Nuo had taken part in the so-called “Abandoned Shield Campaign” for which Count Dakesi would willingly lay down his life.
He only knew the rumors: this only son of the Clemence Family was an idle wastrel with a rotten character, the kind of person even a dog would turn its nose up at.
His daily routine was to loaf about and bully others, today playing pranks on a maid, tomorrow harassing pretty young nuns in the church—utterly useless.
So when Lin Nuo unfurled a piece of revealing paper on the ground, drawing the map of Shilang Bay, and set out a plan of attack labeled “Fire Attack” right before his eyes—
Angellei responded with nearly total disdain.
“First, magic use is forbidden across this entire sea.”
“Second, you face nearly two hundred thousand monsters.”
“Third, if someone under the Blood Pact’s sway is hiding among the native people of Shilang Bay, then no one here is trustworthy. All you have is four or five thousand Holy Knights.”
“Do you know that if you stubbornly fight here, all that awaits you is death?”
He paid no mind to the foolish young noble who could actually think of a “fire attack” on the sea.
Angellei simply tapped the table, spelling out the harsh reality for Lin Nuo and Dax Migludia.
Lin Nuo didn’t reply, only glanced at Dax Migludia, whose brow was deeply furrowed at this “fire attack”.
“Uncle Dax, could you tell me again why Blaineau hasn’t set his two hundred thousand monsters to attack?”
Dax Migludia calmed Angellei, turning to Lin Nuo he replied, “Because his monsters have lived long underground and can’t adjust to the rocking of the waves at sea.”
“Hmm, actually, Blaineau’s not very clever. He can’t even figure out how to deal with the waves’ motion.”
“What do you mean by that?” asked the Holy Paladin Guard Captain nearby.
“Seasickness varies from person to person; it can’t really be solved.”
“Nothing much,” Lin Nuo spread his hands, not explaining the fire attack just yet.
“I’m simply helping him make a plan. It’s called ‘Chains of Iron’.”
He drew a line of ink connecting several ships on the paper and continued, “Blaineau has a chained magical artifact that isn’t affected by the anti-magic field.”
“And XÄ« told me,” Lin Nuo glanced at the girl beside him, “that this thing can precisely lock up a juvenile Magic Whale, and it seems it can be used more than once.”
“Most importantly, once that chain is used, it’s not easily undone, right?”
“Now, think about it: if Blaineau uses this artifact to link his warships in groups of thirty or fifty, connecting the head and tail, side by side in a long line—”
“All the ships chained together, with the monsters commanded to lay planks over the chains—”
“His entire fleet becomes one unified platform, stable as dry land. Wouldn’t that easily solve the monsters’ and cultists’ seasickness?”
“… Eh?!”
‘Why help the enemy figure out a solution?’ Dax Migludia and the Holy Paladin Guard Captain grew more confused, unable to grasp Lin Nuo’s intentions.
Angellei poked his head outside, checking that no locals from Shilang Bay were nearby, then quickly signaled Lin Nuo to stop.
“You, young master, are far too bold! Do you realize if these words reach the Blood Pact’s ears, he’ll do just that and launch his fiercest assault…!”
“But,” Lin Nuo said, “I’ve already spread the ‘Chains of Iron’ plan.”
Seeing Lin Nuo’s calm face, realizing he wasn’t joking, Angellei nearly coughed up blood.
On their side, many of the Treading Wave Sea Guard Knights had been adventurers before coming here—just as unused to the sea as their foes!
Chaining ships together to stabilize them against the waves was a simple, clever idea.
When Lin Nuo explained it, Angellei even thought that using sea monsters’ bones as connectors would help their own patrol ships—and using this method would vastly boost their fighting strength…
But this reckless brat actually handed the idea to the enemy!
Dax Migludia’s face also changed when Lin Nuo boosted the enemy’s power but knowing Lin Nuo’s unorthodox ways, he waited for the rest…
Lin Nuo said, “Don’t be so surprised. I came up with Chains of Iron for the monsters to use in the first place.”
XÄ« glanced sideways at Lin Nuo, then back to the map spread on the ground.
A vision took shape: the monster-laden ships surging forward, stabilized by their chains, unmoved in the surging currents…
She remained silent, her trust in her young master absolute.
Then Lin Nuo spoke again, astonishing them, “Secondly, I’ve had a white flag made…”
“You want to surrender!” Angellei cut him off sharply.
“That’s right. You’ve all noticed, haven’t you? The Blood Pact seems obsessed with seeing my cowardly side.”
Lin Nuo said, “Since he wants to see it, I’ll let him. Besides, not all surrender is the same. In this case, what I’m doing should be called ‘feigned surrender.'”
He tapped the ships linked by ink lines.
A glimmer of cunning appeared in his eyes: “Can you tell me what chained ships fear most?”
Dax Migludia fell silent, as if realizing something.
“… A wide-range magic attack?” The Holy Paladin Guard Captain, still confused, blurted out.
But XÄ«, catching her young master’s drift, spoke the truth in one word: “Fire.”
“Smart.” Lin Nuo praised her, then prompted, “When do you think the enemy will launch their all-out assault with two hundred thousand cultists?”
“You predicted it would be when the Ancient magic whale reaches the end of its life.”
Lin Nuo answered himself, then asked again, “And what change in Shilang Bay’s weather will occur then, which we know but the enemy doesn’t?”
“You asked, and I only told you…” XÄ« said, “There will be wind!”
“Exactly, wind.”
“More precisely, you said that when that ancient whale dies, it will stir up a great wind that blows away the mists around Shilang Bay.”
“The young master means… this wind will blow outward from Shilang Bay!”
With the combination of feigned surrender and Chains of Iron—
It hit her all at once.
XÄ« suddenly looked up at him in understanding.
“That’s right.”
Lin Nuo paused, then asked, “Eh? You all have the advantage of knowing the weather and still don’t know how to fight?”
A bit… foolish!
Seeing that only his own nun had caught on, the Holy Paladin Guard Captain and Dax Migludia were still at a loss, Lin Nuo dropped the pretense and pulled the revealing paper closer, laying out his meticulous plan:
“I’ve scouted the terrain around Shilang Bay. Here, and here, are the most hidden spots—perfect for an ambush.”
“Not too many, just enough. Load the patrol ships with dry wood and fuel, and replace the catapult ammo with wine jars and other flammables…”
“As the southeast wind picks up, I’ll pretend to surrender. When I approach their warships, I’ll set my patrol ship ablaze.”
“That’s the signal to attack.”
“Then you, stationed at each point, will order your fleets to ignite their ships in quick succession!”
“Boom!”
XÄ«’s hand clenched, then relaxed.
The ancient, timeworn council hall seemed to come alive—the torches flickered more fiercely, the flames fully reflecting in XÄ«’s shining eyes.
As she listened, she saw it all: in the depths of despair, the miraculous firelight blazing up.
“The fire ships are mainly loaded with straw, wood piles, and wine jars—anything flammable.”
“Being lighter in the water, and with the wind at our backs, even if they suspect a trick, our fleet will be the faster one when we launch.”
Lin Nuo drew a few more ships on the paper, circling the “chain” lines with heavy ink.
“Since they chained themselves together with the Chains of Iron, there’s no way to escape.”
“As soon as the fire ships hit, the wind will drive the flames across the monster fleet, which are all linked together…”
“By the way…” Lin Nuo tapped the map and continued, “To prevent seawater from corroding, their warships are mostly made of cypress wood. You all know cypress, don’t you?”
Cypress is rich in oil.
Highly flammable!
In other words, once the fire starts spreading, it’s not going to be easy to put out…
Buzz!’
It was like a hammer blow to the brain.
Dax Migludia and the Holy Paladin Guard Captain exchanged stunned glances, amazement flashing in their eyes.
Lin Nuo continued: “As soon as the ships are ablaze at the prow the fire will feed on the wind, the wind will fuel the flames!”
“In an instant, their more than two thousand warships will ignite in the chaos, turning into a sea of fire.”
“Boom!”
Astonishing!
Utterly astonishing!
Just moments before, Angellei had been looking down on Lin Nuo, but now he staggered back two steps in shock.
As the former wisest deputy to Dax Migludia, Angellei was struck dumb, his throat dry, his mind reeling at Lin Nuo’s words.
The Holy Paladin Guard Captain beside Dax Migludia was dazed, and after a while, pinched his arm hard—as if to check that such a reversal, “Chains of Iron, burning Shiguang Sea,” could truly be real.
Dax Migludia’s burning gaze seemed as though it could burn a hole through the revealing paper and the ships Lin Nuo had linked together with lines.
From the first ship to the last.
Dax Migludia pressed his trembling hand to the table, overcome with emotion— ‘this brat’s mind was simply too…!’
A few words, and they could already see the fate awaiting those two hundred thousand monsters: total annihilation!
First: magic is forbidden across this sea.
Second: nearly two hundred thousand monsters to face.
Third: if the Blood Pact is hiding among the Shilang Bay natives, no one can be trusted, leaving only four or five thousand Holy Knights.
Each point had weighed on Dax Migludia’s heart.
But Lin Nuo told them: So what if magic can’t be used?
So what if it’s four thousand against two hundred thousand?
So what if there’s a traitor and the locals can’t be trusted?
This plan doesn’t need magic!
Doesn’t need help from Shilang Bay’s people!
Lin Nuo even used the traitor to trick the enemy into chaining their own ships!
Angellei’s breathing grew rapid, his eyes burning.
The look he gave Lin Nuo shifted in moments from disdain to admiration.
They had been trapped, thinking they needed equal numbers to fight.
They had been trapped, thinking that without magic they were weaker.
That despicable Blood Pact hadn’t even acted, and already their hearts were filled with fear, believing this battle to be doomed.
But Lin Nuo, whom everyone thought useless, used his formidable intelligence to shove the truth in their faces: Chain the ships, and four thousand Treading Wave Sea Guard Knights can shatter two hundred thousand monsters on Shiguang Sea!
“Don’t get too excited, it’s still uncertain if this will work.”
“To prevent the true plan from leaking, all the natives of Shilang Bay must be evacuated.”
Lin Nuo said, “But don’t worry, I believe you understand better than I do—even with just four thousand knights, that’s enough for a desperate counterattack!”
“Angellei.”
“Here!”
“Thank you for bringing over two thousand Sea Guard Knights. Even though some tried to escape for their lives this morning, I still respect them.”
“They’re frustrated because they know this battle can’t be won. And as Imperial Shieldguards of the Divine Empire, to die defending land outside the Empire’s jurisdiction means even in death they won’t be honored as heroes of their country.”
“But I hope that, after everyone from Shilang Bay leaves, you will tell them my plan openly—let anyone who wants to leave do so.”
“I want them to know: here at Shilang Bay, not a single person is a burden.”
“And this time, they’re not here to defend an island—these four thousand Sea Guard Knights are here to wipe out two hundred thousand monsters in one astounding strike!”
“It’s not them besieging us—it’s us besieging them!”
“Let those monsters know who’s really the meat on the chopping block, understand?”
“Yes!”
Angellei’s ears rang from Lin Nuo’s words, almost deafeningly so.
He felt that in this noble young man’s eyes burned a fire unlike any other noble—a fire that made him bow his head in awe.
“All orders from Lin Nuo, I will follow!”
Hah…
This guy!
Three sentences and he’s already won over my right-hand man?
Dax Migludia felt that Lin Nuo was almost unrecognizable from the useless youth he’d known, and after a while, he smiled, thinking to himself: ‘I knew it—he was always meant to be a dragon among men.’
A proper wife never steals her man’s thunder in front of others.
That’s what the young master likes to read in his little yellow books.
Right or not, XÄ« believes it for now.
So after everyone left the council hall, XÄ« just gently held Lin Nuo’s warm hand, glanced at his profile.
Remembering his bold, commanding presence just moments ago and moved by his courage and fearlessness, just as she had been eight years before…