The Wizarding World's Forbidden Book Administrator

Chapter 65 A Net of Heaven and Earth

The small boat dispatched by the White Mist has been out of contact for more than a day.

However, the enemy fleet has only caught up now, which is far too slow.

Although assembling the ships would take a considerable amount of time, Henry was more inclined to believe that the allied forces used this time to devise a more prudent strategy.

Perhaps Henry has now fallen into the trap of a loyal dog.

However, he was too preoccupied to take a broader view of the situation, as the immediate crisis left him struggling to cope.

If the wind direction doesn't change, the pursuers behind them will catch up with the sheep in no time.

To fight against twenty-five warships with only four ships is already an incredibly difficult task, not to mention that the current diamond formation is not suitable for attacking from behind.

The main force of the pirate crew was undoubtedly the Black Goat. As long as the Black Goat could perform to its full potential, the fleet could at least try to put up a fight.

However, the Black Goat is now at the very front of the formation, and the Harpoon will be the first ship to bear the brunt of the attack, which it probably won't be able to withstand even one round of assault.

However, if the Black Goat leaves its position at the head of the fleet, its ability to cut through the waves will slow down the convoy's progress.

Henry felt caught in a dilemma and knew he had to make a decision as soon as possible.

He gripped the railing at the stern and gazed at the ever-growing shadow.

The setting sun dyed the sea and the sky red, and it also dyed Henry's eyes red.

A pack of wolves, eyeing the mountain, launched a surprise attack, leaving the goat no choice but to raise its horns in response.

Henry ordered:

"Move the White Mist northeast, turn the Sea Urchin southeast, and make the Harpoon turn 15 degrees south, but don't let it stray too far from the Black Goat."

Upon hearing this, Victor immediately went to the mainmast and relayed Henry's order to the jellyfish on the raven's nest.

Subsequently, the four ships of the convoy began to move in four different directions.

Victor reminds you:

"My lord, if we split up and sail separately now, it might play right into the enemy's hands, making it easier for them to defeat us one by one."

Henry offered no explanation, simply waiting to see how the situation would unfold.

After the pirate ships dispersed, the pursuing army immediately formed several squads.

Henry chuckled slightly; just as he had expected.

Henry reflected on the defeat in the last Battle of the South China Sea for a long time.

If the goal was simply to drive away the pirates, there would be no need to assemble so many warships, let alone go to such lengths to devise a scheme.

Therefore, Henry guessed that the allied forces' goal was to wipe out this group of pirates in one fell swoop and eliminate the threat forever.

If that were the case, the Allied forces would absolutely not tolerate the outcome of letting the tiger return to the mountain, so they would inevitably follow Henry's plan and be forced to divide their forces.

Due to the wind direction, the Sea Urchin was sailing in the wind-swept direction and quickly sailed to a distant location.

The Allied forces therefore dispatched more ships to pursue the Sea Urchin.

The Harpoon and Black Goat were close together, and there were quite a few warships chasing them.

However, only five ships were pursuing the White Mist.

Henry smirked and said to Victor:

"Tell the octopus on the Harpoon to organize a counterattack, but only to harass and slow down the enemy ships; under no circumstances should he engage in prolonged combat!"

Victor went to relay the order, and Henry came to Micoe's side and said:

"Drive freely, chase after the White Mist."

"Yes, sir," Miko replied emotionlessly.

Then, the Black Goat quickly turned left and approached the White Mist.

Even the Black Goat would be helpless if surrounded by a group of ships.

However, in small-scale naval battles, the Black Goat's combat power is undoubtedly overwhelming.

Henry's decision was to forcibly create a local environment favorable to the Black Goat on the battlefield.

He then shouted:

"Push the giant crossbow to starboard, load the arrows, and aim at the nearby sea! Everyone else, prepare your longbows and arrows!"

Upon receiving the order, the pirates immediately responded and took action.

Everything is ready; we just need to wait for the right moment.

Henry looked toward the bow of the ship, where an enemy ship was approaching the White Mist, and Miko was trying to avoid it.

So they intervened:

"Miko, center the ship."

"Qi Duo!"

Miko quickly centered the rudder, and then said,

"Warning, obstacle ahead!"

"Don't be afraid, just run into it!" Henry responded decisively.

Victor reminds you:

"Sir, the Black Goat is not equipped with a ram. If it rashly rams other ships, its bow and even keel will be damaged!"

"If even the Black Goat is damaged,"

Henry narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharpening.

"Then the enemy ship will surely sink! Don't worry, Victor, this sheep is tougher than you think!"

Henry grew up on this ship and knew the strength of the Black Goat.

Victor said no more, and the Black Goat sailed straight toward the enemy ship.

"Boom!"

The enormous sound, along with the violent shaking, reached the senses of every pirate on the goat's back.

Henry grabbed the railing to steady himself.

The Black Goat was forced to stall and turn, and by the time Miko regained control of the ship, it had just passed the enemy ship that had been rammed.

The warship tilted, and seawater poured into the cabin.

This ship is doomed to sink!

Anyone who has spent time on deck can easily draw this conclusion.

A shrimp came to report: "There's a crack in the plank at the bow of the boat."

Henry immediately offered a solution:

"Bring a few people and reinforce it from the inside using wooden planks!"

The sailors went to carry out Henry's orders, and Henry immediately turned his attention to the remaining four enemy ships.

At that moment, an enemy ship appeared to the right of the Black Goat.

Henry had already prepared the giant crossbow on the starboard side.

"Have the crossbowman aim at that ship; one shot is enough to deliver a significant blow!"

Victor ran to the giant crossbow and relayed the order.

Henry also came to the starboard side and just in time to see the giant crossbow being fired.

The huge arrow shot straight at the ship from a high place. At such close range, as long as the arrow was aimed accurately, it was impossible for it to miss, and its force was almost completely lost.

After a loud bang, the side planks of the enemy ship were pierced by a giant crossbow bolt, and the entire ship shook due to the heavy force.

Henry saw that the wound was below the ship's waterline and knew that another ship had been damaged.

He had no interest in caring for his dying enemy.

There are only three ships left; we must finish this quickly!

"Reload the ballistae! The rest of you, fire freely at the enemy ship and suppress enemy activity on deck!"

The Black Goat had a significant advantage, and even though most of the pirates had not received proper shooting training, they were still able to inflict considerable damage on the enemy.

However, ordinary bows and arrows alone cannot achieve the desired effect without boarding the ship.

Black Goat's current speed is insufficient to ram and sink enemy ships, so what they can rely on is still the giant crossbow!

Henry continued to issue orders:

"Miko, stay on the starboard side and face the enemy."

"Yes, sir," Miko replied.

"Keep loading the giant crossbows until the enemy ships are rendered combat ineffective, while the others continue to suppress the enemy with bows and arrows, limiting their ability to maneuver the ships!"

The pirates' responses echoed from the deck, and Henry turned to Victor:

"Tell the White Mist to join the counterattack!"

With Henry's orders issued, the local battle on the sea entered a fierce stage.

With the combined attack of the two ships, the remaining three ships were utterly helpless.

It didn't take long for the Black Goat and the White Mist to escape.

Our side's losses amounted to only a few arrows and seven giant arrows!

A minor victory boosted morale on deck, and the pirates cheered, becoming even more belligerent.

But Henry knew that this was just an appetizer in the grand scheme of things.

Next, we should rendezvous with the other ships and then repeat the same tactic to weaken the enemy fleet.

However, when he turned around, he found that the Harpoon was already surrounded by enemy ships.

Henry was furious: "Damn it, didn't I tell him not to linger!"

Victor promptly offered his perspective:

"The Harpoon has been following the Black Goat the whole time. We've never listened to the octopus on that ship express his opinion, which shows that he's a captain with little opinion of his own. The design and manufacturing of the Harpoon are also really rough. Sir, I think this might not be a bad thing. That ship has become a burden to us. Since we want to break through the encirclement, we should decisively get rid of the burden."

Henry agreed.

However, even if the Harpoon is to be sacrificed, there should be better uses for it.

But there's no use thinking about it now; he absolutely cannot let the entire pirate crew be put in danger because of the Harpoon.

Henry ordered, "Then ignore the Harpoon and head southeast to rendezvous with the Sea Urchin."

The Black Goat took down five enemy longships, but at the cost of the Harpoon.

By this calculation, the pirate crew did not profit.

However, if only three ships remain, Henry's operational potential will be greatly reduced.

The situation seems to be getting increasingly bad!

Although there were many enemy ships, none were as large as the Black Goat, and none of them carried giant crossbows.

Even if they surrounded the Harpoon, it would still take some effort to completely subdue that rusty harpoon.

Henry used this time to quickly bypass the central battlefield and head south.

For the Sea Urchin, which was heading southeast, the wind direction was not too bad, so it was not quickly approached by enemy ships and was still in a chase.

It successfully received support from the Black Goat and the White Mist, and the three ships reunited.

But once they change course and sail due east, the enemy ships will quickly catch up.

Henry must create an opportunity for his side to escape.

He ordered his men to push the giant crossbow to the stern of the ship, so that the operator could aim at the enemy's bow ship.

The first shot went astray, but the second shot finally hit the enemy ship's deck.

The ship swerved erratically, instantly affecting the navigation of all the ships behind it.

Henry seized the opportunity and immediately ordered the three ships to flee eastward for a distance.

But he knew that this was still only treating the symptoms, not the root cause.

The sky was completely overcast.

Henry observed the wind direction again—south.

The wind direction improved somewhat, but it still didn't help him much.

Henry had limited resources, so he could only passively wait for the situation to change and was unable to actively influence the course of the battle.

The Black Goat remained at the forefront, with the White Mist and the Sea Urchin following on either side.

Suddenly, someone shouted at Henry:

"Boss, ships spotted ahead!"

Henry's blood seemed to cool by half the force of those words!

Is this truly an encirclement by the enemy?

Henry walked toward the bow of the ship so that he could see a little better.

He then realized that, under the moonlight, there weren't as many ships drifting towards him as he had imagined.

Huh? What's going on?

Henry was somewhat puzzled...

If this is truly the loyal dog's plan, he wouldn't show any mercy.

The number of ships opposite is definitely not enough to trip up the goat.

Could it be that the loyal dog has a deeper scheme at play?

Henry didn't have the mind to think too much about it.

With ambushes ahead and pursuers behind, he had no time to hesitate.

He quickly assessed the situation and realized that the threat ahead seemed smaller, so he notified the octopuses on the other two ships to prepare for a forced breakout.

On deck, all the sailors gripped their weapons, preparing for the war that should drift in from afar.

When the enemy ship got close enough, Henry suddenly realized that the oncoming ship had...

Skull and Cross Flag!

Viktor shouted excitedly:

"Sir, those are pirate ships!"

"That's right! Haha!"

Henry grinned.

News of the kingdom's combined fleet gathering has probably already spread throughout the surrounding seas.

During this period, it is impossible for any ignorant pirate ships to be wandering in these waters.

The fact that those pirate ships appeared before Henry's eyes meant...

"Victor! It's reinforcements! Benson is back! He brought reinforcements!"

Then, a ship with an eel skull on its prow slowed down and approached the Black Goat.

This is the Eel!

The sails and rudder worked in tandem, and then the anchor chain was suddenly released, allowing the ship to drift and turn on the sea.

After turning, the ship quickly anchored, readjusted the sails, and moved closer to the Black Goat.

Henry also slowed down to meet the Eel.

After the two ships boarded each other, a man swung from the mainmast of the Eel onto the deck of the Black Goat using a rope.

The man glanced around the deck and then fixed his gaze on Henry, who was standing at the bow with Victor.

He stepped forward and knelt on one knee before Henry:

"I'm back, boss!"

Henry bent down and helped Benson up:

"You must have had a long journey, Benson."

Benson nodded and looked around at the surrounding sea.

Then he said to Henry:

"Boss, I heard that the Battle of the South China Sea was extremely dangerous. Luckily you escaped, but I don't think I saw the Harpoon or the Nine Scars."

"Nine Scars perished in the breakout battle, and Harpoon just fell too. You see?"

As he spoke, Henry pointed behind him.

"The wolves are chasing me, and I'm at my wit's end. You've come at just the right time."

"May they find the underwater palace."

Benson closed his eyes in prayer, then looked up at Henry again:

"Boss, I followed your orders and went to the Burning Heart Isles. I met with Raymond and Riley and negotiated with them. They were reluctant at first, but I eventually persuaded them. Look, these two ships are the ones they sent."

Upon hearing this, Henry looked at the two ships that had followed the Eel.

Raymond's Red Fang Skull and Skull Flag and Riley's Stone Coffin Skull and Skull Flag were flying above them respectively.

They are also turning to join the fleet led by the Black Goat.

Henry was wondering why there were only two ships when Victor suddenly interrupted:

"So, the rest of the ships followed behind?"

Benson frowned and asked in return:

"The remaining ships? What do you mean?"

Victor narrowed his eyes and pointed in the direction the Eel had come from:

"Hmm? Aren't those ships that are rushing towards us reinforcements you summoned?"

Henry also looked into the distance and saw the silhouettes of many ships emerging in the moonlight.

There were at least dozens of them, densely packed together.

Benson looked surprised, his voice trembling:

"Oh! God bless me! Raymond and Riley only gave me two ships, and those... good heavens!"