Although the Sonia Sea wasn't like the Fog Sea, with it often being filled with fog, the northern regions would occasionally fill up with a rather thick fog every autumn and winter morning.
Alger Wilson's Blue Avenger was sailing in such an environment, following the borders of the Sonia Island back to the Loen coast.
He had already spent too long in the North Sonia Sea, so he needed to return for a routine report.
Within the pale white fog, the ghost ship quietly proceeded forward, occasionally appearing like a dream that didn't leave any traces.
Alger was wrapped by the wind as he stood in midair in front of the window, admiring the white world outside. He allowed his thoughts to wander in different directions.
Suddenly, his eyes focused as some silvery-white light flashed in his pupils. He saw a large sail through the fog in the distance, and a massive ship silently cruised past.
This ship wasn't alone. Behind it were several similar ships. One, two, three... they formed a fleet that spanned a great distance.
Feysac's Sonia Sea Fleet... They've all been mobilized... Where are they heading to? Alger's feet landed on the deck.
His gaze immediately turned to the other side, where Sonia Island was located.
After the various exchanges at the Tarot Club, Alger was already certain that the world situation was tense, with war about to break out at any moment. At that moment, he made some connections and made a guess.
To the Feysac Empire and the Loen Kingdom, Sonia Island was extremely important. If it were occupied by the Loen Kingdom, Feysac's eastern naval fleet would be completely blocked off in the cold north, unable to vie for any of the various colonies in the Sonia Sea or head to East Balam. Meanwhile, after waging war, if they wanted to threaten the Loen Kingdom's hinterlands, they would have to cross the Amantha mountain range or cross the Midseashire, passing through the defenses of several counties. That would be extremely difficult.
And if Sonia Island was conquered by the Feysac Empire, then they could use that as a base to attack all the ports in the north and central regions of Loen, including but not limited to Enmat Harbor or Pritz Harbor. If the Feysac commander was more daring and unfazed by the losses, he could even be able to directly target the capital of the Loen Kingdom, Backlund, which was not far from the port.
It was precisely because of this that the two countries had waged the Twenty Year War. The Feysac Empire clinched victory, and they had obtained the crucial southern path.
In the Battle of the Violated Oath, Loen had won the war but had failed to regain this territory. Its strategic goals for the war were only half-achieved.
Alger stared at this scene for a moment before speaking in a serious tone, "Is war about to erupt...?"
In Backlund, a large number of airships from Feysac had entered from North Borough and arrived above the huge city.
As soon as they drew near, the Holy Wind Cathedral seemed to have made certain precautions. The howling of the wind intensified, turning into several giant bluish-black blades that whistled towards the target like surface-to-air missiles.
Seeing that the huge blades were about to hit the airbags of the airship, an invisible layer of defense appeared and shielded it from all the attacks.
Under the violent strike, the transparent "wall" shook, but ultimately managed to hold on.
At the same time, the compartment for guns, projectile launchers, and cannons of the airship opened up and aimed downwards.
Boom!
As a hurricane around the Holy Wind Cathedral took form, a loud explosive boom emanated in every direction.
In such a terrifying storm, the airships were like boats sailing through the sea where they met mountain-like waves and were about to be tossed into the distance.
At that moment, the blood and rust-like beams of light flashed on the leading airship. They enveloped all the other accompanying airships and connected them together.
Suddenly, Feysac's airship fleet had stabilized in the hurricane and was no longer a puny boat in the gigantic waves. The power of the high-level Red Priest pathway belonged to war, and war was the art of gathering the masses!
This was the authority of a War Bishop!
After the Feysacians blocked this wave of attacks, they took advantage of the gap in between the wave of attacks to deliver their bombs through the hatches and allow them to drop beneath them.
And in the hurricane, the trajectories of the bombs became unpredictable.
Boom! Boom!
The cannon hatches also lit up and showed off their prowess that would honor the God of War.
This airship fleet didn't attempt to travel through Backlund. After entering North Borough, it immediately turned to West Borough, the center of politics for the Loen Kingdom.
North Borough, Backlund University of Technology.
The withered Intis parasol tree leaves swayed in the wind. Students were either carrying books or bags as they walked around the campus.
As a member of an institute of higher education, as the first batch of students of this reorganized university, these young adults were full of vigor. They looked forward to their future and would gather together every day to discuss their ideals, recite poems, and research technology. They were pure and happy.
Melissa Moretti walked amidst them as she raised her head to look at the wall clock at the top of the main teaching building and involuntarily hastened her pace.
She had to go to Chancellor Moment's office today to prepare for the upcoming mechanical laboratory that was to be officially launched.
This was something that she enjoyed greatly, something which made her feel happy every day. She felt that life on campus was so wonderful and that her classmates were so adorable.
Subconsciously, Melissa looked at the steam locomotive in the middle of the square. Its massive, complicated body was displaying its infinite charm in the machinery industry.
Quite a number of students liked to gather there, knocking, hitting, and analyzing its structure. As for the school, it didn't encourage or forbid it.
The corners of Melissa's lips curled into a smile as she moved to look away.
Suddenly, a metallic gray object descended from the sky and landed in the middle of the square.
Boom!
The ground shook violently as all the windows of the main teaching building shattered. If not for the distance, Melissa might've been thrown up by the blast of air.
Countless screams rang out, and like the other students, Melissa fled in panic, not knowing what had happened.
She was only 16 years old after all—she had never experienced such a scene before.
The billowing dust and smoke gradually fell. After hiding behind a tree, Melissa subconsciously looked at the spot where the explosion had just occurred.
Her expression instantly froze, and her eyes glazed over.
The steam locomotive's head was already in pieces, its components and fragments were scattered everywhere.
The students around it, and those passing by, had already collapsed to the ground, their bodies no longer intact. They were no longer breathing. Some of them were covered in blood, others charred. There were some moaning in pain.
This scene was like an oil painting that wasn't realistic enough. Melissa stared at it in a daze, momentarily at a loss for a reaction.
Carter—she knew that male student who had a great spirit for research. Every time everyone was in discussion, he would confidently say that he was going to be a ship engineer. Now, he only had half his lower body left, and his intestines were all over the ground.
Eudora—she was a student from the same faculty as her. Despite studying machinery, she loved poetry very much and was rather talented in this aspect. She was loved by the people around her. Sometimes, Melissa would also attend their gatherings and quietly listen to Eudora's recital. She felt that this girl was really attractive, but now, her leg was badly mutilated, and she was moaning half-consciously in pain.
In just a few seconds, these people's future had been cruelly changed.
It was only when many teachers rushed out of the teaching block and started to rescue the injured and evacuate the students that Melissa woke up from her trance and hurriedly moved closer to the teachers.
"Listen to me! All of you are to split up into two groups. One batch will head to the laboratories, and the other to Tiffany Cathedral. They all have an underground area that you can hide in." One of the teachers wore a look of terror, but he still held his breath and made arrangements with his clear voice as though he had been specially trained.
He looked around and saw that the students didn't dare to leave the teachers. He hurriedly said, "Don't worry. The enemy's airship has already turned and gone to West Borough. There's no danger here."
His words were accompanied by a rumbling explosion that came from the southwest.
West Borough... The kingdom's parliament, various departments, and municipal halls are there... Upon hearing the teacher's words, Melissa immediately thought of many things.
As the light in her eyes flickered, she suddenly pursed her lips tightly and ran towards the school gate, ignoring her teacher calling from behind.
As she moved along a sheltered area, Melissa quickly arrived on the streets. She panted heavily and looked around, trying to get her bearings.
At that moment, she saw the subway entrance nearby. Although she was flustered, she still remembered what the teacher had just said.
"...underground area that you can hide in!"
Isn't the subway underground? The bombing has just started, and the subway probably hadn't stopped moving... As her thoughts raced, Melissa rushed towards the entrance that showed signs of bombardment.
Upon going underground, she realized that the people here weren't as many as she had expected. Most ordinary people who had never been trained wouldn't think of hiding in here immediately.
The subway had indeed not stopped moving, but no one was checking the tickets. After a short wait, Melissa ran over, her lips tightly pursed and her face filled with anxiety.
After three stops, the subway stopped at King's Avenue. Melissa squeezed through the crowd and rushed out of the carriage.
She had already recovered her stamina. She ran along the stairs, her speed increasing ever so slightly before she quickly reached the surface.
At this moment, whatever she could see was in a state of chaos. Many buildings had collapsed as they were burning in scarlet flames. Broken limbs, blood, and the dead were everywhere. She could hear cries, screams, and orders.
Upon seeing this scene, Melissa became even more anxious as she tried to run towards the four-story building where the kingdom's Ministry of Finance was located.
However, the area had already been sealed. She could see that many window panes had shattered. The walls were riddled with bullet holes, and there were still traces of an explosion.
Melissa tried to enter the perimeter but was stopped by the soldiers who were maintaining order. This only served to increase her anxiety as her eyes reddened.
At this moment, she saw a familiar figure. It was the black-haired, brown-eyed Benson who wasn't wearing a hat.
Upon seeing Melissa, Benson immediately rushed over. He looked anxious and angry as he shouted, "Why are you here? Why aren't you hiding underground! I'm very safe here!
"Quick, follow me there!"
Didn't you not go underground either... Melissa, who had never been shouted at by her brother, wanted to instinctively retort, but her vision was already blurry.
"Phew..." After he shouted, he let out a breath and softened his tone. "It's good that you're okay. Quick, don't wander around on the streets."
Upon hearing his words, the panic and concern in Melissa's heart calmed down. At this moment, she felt that even if she were to die, it wouldn't be that scary anymore. At least, she wouldn't be the only one left at home.
At this moment, a bomb was blown over by a hurricane and was landing towards the area.
But suddenly, the bomb changed directions abruptly and flew off horizontally.
Boom!
It exploded in midair, only stirring up a blast of air.
