Chapter 302: The Ownerless Three-Masted Sailing Ship!

"My lord!"

"My lord!"

"Are you all ready?"

"Yes, my lord—the knight squad and griffin squad have assembled, and the guard force of four hundred men is fully gathered!"

"Excellent. Then set out!"

In front of the Storm Castle's main courtyard, after confirming his subordinates were assembled, Gervas gave the order to depart.

"Yes, my lord!"

Lei Meng obeyed, but as he turned to leave, he sensed something unusual and paused, his eyes widening as he turned back to gaze at his lord.

"My lord… have you broken through?"

"You noticed, Lei Meng!" Gervas smiled and nodded.

Lei Meng's face broke into disbelief and joy.

The moment he saw his lord, he had sensed something different.

But this was his own lord—if he had recklessly probed with perception, it would have been an insult.

That was why he had cautiously asked.

He never expected the answer to be true.

"My lord, congratulations on becoming a Silver Knight!" Lei Meng bowed respectfully in salute.

Farther away, Mi Gen and the others had not yet reacted—but upon hearing Lei Meng's congratulations, they froze like statues.

"What? M…My lord has become a Silver Knight?"

"Yes! My lord, have you truly broken through to become a Silver Knight?"

"Correct. Just now, I completed the breakthrough."

"By the Glory of the Divine, this is wonderful! Congratulations, my lord!"

"Indeed! Congratulations, my lord! The Storm Domain will surely grow even greater from now on—this is truly magnificent!"

Upon receiving confirmation again, all the knights erupted in excitement, cheering and celebrating.

Gervas's breakthrough meant his rule would grow even more stable.

And they knew his rate of advancement.

Could it be that their lord possessed the talent to push toward Gold Knight—or even Earth Knight?

After all, advancing from Great Knight to Silver Knight in less than a year was nothing short of a genius among geniuses.

Even among the wealthiest clans with abundant resources, such a feat was rare.

"Enough! Keep it quiet! Everyone, proceed!"

Gervas was remarkably humble.

After all, this was the demeanor a commander must uphold.

"Yes, my lord!"

The army set out.

Naturally, along the way, the knights and the guards who had heard the news all grinned from ear to ear.

…

When the column reached the coastal dock, four ships were already waiting.

Two warships and two merchant vessels.

The five-hundred-man force boarded quickly, making the ships crowded—especially after the four griffins joined, leaving no spare space on deck.

But this was only temporary.

Once they found the three-masted sailing ship mentioned in the intelligence, this small number would mean nothing.

Normally, a three-masted warship could carry at least two hundred seventy men.

If packed tightly, over three hundred was easily achievable.

…

After four hours at sea, the fleet finally reached the coastline of Viscount Wyatt's territory.

Gervas immediately ordered Old Jack to begin heading north in a straight line, starting about thirty li from the shore.

He also instructed the lookouts to observe the surrounding area.

In his view, using islands as reference points, the three-masted sailing ship would be easy to find.

The only uncertainty was which island it was.

"My lord, a dark spot has appeared to the northeast—likely an island!"

Soon, the lookout's cry came from above.

"Old Jack, go take a look!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Old Jack immediately turned the helm southeast.

Twenty minutes later, a small rocky island appeared in view.

"My lord, it's a guano island!" Old Jack and the others immediately grew excited.

They already understood the value of guano as fertilizer.

And guano islands weren't common—they required specific habitats to sustain large bird colonies over long periods and form such unique deposits.

Since the discovery of the first guano island in the Storm Domain, this was the second.

"Old Jack, mark its location, then return to course and search for the next island!"

Gervas showed little excitement—he wasn't looking for a guano island.

"My lord, aren't you searching for a guano island, then?"

This puzzled his subordinates.

They had assumed the guano island was their lord's target.

"No. The target I seek is a hundred times more valuable than a guano island."

"A hundred times more valuable than a guano island?" The subordinates exchanged glances.

Of course, no one dared question him. As the ship continued north, they began scanning the surrounding sea with keen interest.

They were intensely curious—what island could possibly be a hundred times more valuable than guano?

Time passed minute by minute. Over the next two hours, they encountered two more islands.

Unfortunately, neither was the one Gervas sought.

As dusk approached, just as Gervas began to worry whether he'd find his target before nightfall, the lookout on the tower made another discovery.

"My lord, a dark spot has appeared directly north—likely another island!"

"Old Jack, full speed ahead!"

"Yes, my lord! Black Dragon, full speed ahead!"

As the sails aligned, the ship accelerated, cutting through the blue ocean with the wind.

More than ten minutes later, the island's silhouette came into view.

This island was far larger than any before—its length and width likely exceeded ten kilometers.

And its surface teemed with lush greenery and dense vegetation.

All subordinates turned to gaze at Gervas.

In their eyes, if any island held high-value treasure, this large one was the most likely candidate.

"My lord, shall we dock?" Old Jack couldn't help asking.

"No. Follow the outer coastline and circle around!" Gervas rejected the docking request.

Amid their confusion, the ship began circling the island's seaward side.

Gervas hoped this island would bring him a surprise.

After all, if he found nothing before nightfall, he'd have to wait until tomorrow or the day after.

Fortunately, perseverance rewarded effort—this island did not disappoint Gervas.

More than ten minutes later, as the fleet rounded the towering peak blocking their view, a colossal object came into sight.

It was a three-masted warship, anchored more than a li from the shore.

"Ah, look! What's that?"

"Good heavens—it's a three-masted warship!"

"Bad! My lord, should we turn around immediately?"

Amid cries of alarm, Old Jack turned pale and looked to Gervas.

In uninhabited regions, the greatest danger was not wild beasts—but fellow humans.

Likewise, at sea, the greatest dangers besides sea beasts were other ships.

Especially ships far stronger than your own.

You never knew whether they might suddenly turn pirate.

Don't assume all pirates are mere bandits—many noble fleets often play this role.

And ahead lay a three-masted warship—if it harbored hostile intent, their small, fully loaded vessel stood little chance of resistance.

"No need to change course. Head straight toward it!" Gervas's eyes gleamed.

Majestic!

Truly magnificent!

If a single-masted sailboat is like a family car,

then the three-masted warship ahead is like a hundred-ton heavy truck.

Just one glance, and Gervas couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Go… go near it?" Old Jack and the others nearly thought they'd misheard.

"That's right. Zhuiyue checked this morning—the warship is unmanned, a derelict three-masted sailboat!"

"A… a derelict three-masted sailboat?!!!"