Lord: Starting with Biological Modification

Chapter 283: Chapter 278: What Caroline Saw and Heard

The wind of the Gray Sea stirred the insignia on the main sail of the *Sea Siren’s Song*.

Caroline stood at the bow, her hand resting on the railing, the sea breeze making her dress snap and flutter.

Behind her, the atmosphere throughout the entire fleet was tense.

Sailors checked the winches of the ballistae again and again. Fully armed Knights silently polished their Longswords. The chief Mage advisor’s forehead was beaded with sweat.

"Miss, we’re thirty nautical miles from Minas Tirith." The captain approached her, his voice low. "Magic detection shows everything is normal, but... it’s too quiet."

"Maintain high alert," Caroline said without turning back. "Velin’s letter said the enemy is capable of destroying a port city. This quiet might just be the prelude to a storm."

The first mate silently withdrew.

Caroline herself couldn’t be sure of what she would face on this trip.

She had mobilized nearly the most elite naval forces of the Golden Sail Commerce Association, even deploying her own flagship, the *Sea Siren’s Song*.

She was prepared to pay a terrible price, all to aid him.

Just then, the sailor on watch in the crow’s nest let out a sharp cry.

"Alarm! High energy readings detected underwater! Three of them... My god, three enormous moving targets!"

Everyone on deck froze.

"They’re extremely fast! They’re ascending straight up from the deep, right in our path!" The sailor’s voice was filled with terror, his hand holding the Magic Compass trembling uncontrollably.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The magic bell aboard the *Sea Siren’s Song* was struck, its chimes shattering the quiet and spreading across the five armed merchant ships.

The Knights roared and took their positions by the gunwales. Heavy ballistae were pushed to the ship’s edge, their operators trembling as they tightened the winches.

Caroline snatched a spyglass and looked toward the area the sailor had indicated.

The sea ahead was no longer calm. It began to churn violently, like a pot of boiling water.

Three massive disturbances rose from below, powerful enough to make even a large vessel like the *Sea Siren’s Song* begin to rock.

Soon, shadows broke through the cover of the water and slowly surfaced.

They were enormous.

The parts that emerged from the water alone surpassed the length of the *Sea Siren’s Song*.

They were three giant squids. Most of their bodies were slick skin, but certain parts, like the tips of their tentacles, were covered in perfectly fitted armor.

In the gaps between the armor plates, Magic Runes shimmered with a faint light.

Then, a pair of huge, blue eyes, encased in crystal armor, opened and stared coldly at the fleet.

"What are these things... The enemy’s War Giant Beasts?" the chief Mage advisor asked, his face pale as a sheet.

"Prepare to fire!" Caroline remained calm.

Though she knew resistance might be futile, the people of the Golden Sail Commerce Association would never surrender without a fight.

The ballista winches made a CREAKING sound.

Just as the operators were about to release the triggers,

On the back of the lead beast, a noble’s banner slowly rose, unfurling in the sea wind.

On the banner was the iconic thorn insignia of the Grey Marsh Territory.

Caroline’s hand, holding the spyglass, froze in mid-air.

A patrol boat, flying the same banner, cut through the waves from behind the giant beasts.

At its bow, a burly man was waving his arms energetically in their direction.

It was Sea Wolf.

"Boss Caroline! What took you so long!" Sea Wolf’s signature booming voice carried across the distance. "Lord Velin’s new toys didn’t scare you, did they?"

’New... toys?’

Aboard the *Sea Siren’s Song*, everyone was dumbfounded.

The chief Mage snuffed out the fireball he had just conjured. The Knights stared at each other in bewilderment. The ballista operator, hand on the trigger, looked blankly at his officer, at a complete loss.

Caroline slowly lowered her spyglass.

The sea wind tousled her golden hair. She remained silent for a long time before speaking to the equally stunned captain beside her.

"...All ships, stand down from combat alert."

"Follow that patrol boat into the port."

In an almost surreal silence, the fleet followed the three behemoths, known as "Leviathans," and slowly sailed toward Minas Tirith Port.

The scene at the port once again upended Caroline’s expectations.

The breakwater was covered in massive cracks and gaps, clear evidence of a brutal battle.

However, the docks showed no signs of chaos or depression.

Thousands of workers, under the direction of their foremen, operated cranes to haul stone blocks, methodically repairing the damaged breakwater.

Their faces showed no post-disaster fear, only sweat and... vibrant energy.

Caroline even saw, in a corner of the docks, dozens of workers just off their shift gathered around a makeshift blackboard. A young man in a Civil Servant’s uniform was writing and drawing on it, teaching them to read and the basics of the *Construction Site Safety Manual*.

"Harry, you earned a lot of merit points for defending the port this time. You should have enough now. Are you confident about next month’s Level 2 artisan exam?"

"Not even close! I can barely read, and that manual gives me a headache. What about you? I heard you signed up for the administrative department’s clerical exam?"

"Yep! I’ve practically memorized the *Gray Swamp Decree*! Lord Tristan said that as long as you pass the exam, anyone has a chance!"

This atmosphere of rebuilding from ruins was a world apart from the scenes of widespread devastation Caroline had imagined.

A capable-looking young official was already waiting at the dock.

"Miss Caroline, welcome to Minas Tirith." Tristan bowed slightly. "Lord Velin is waiting for you."

Caroline sized up the Tristan before her.

She remembered him—the younger son of a noble who had partnered with Velin in the Royal Capital.

But now, there was no trace of the downcast and gloomy man he once was. His gaze was sharp, his demeanor composed, like a chief Civil Servant seasoned by years at the center of power.

"What’s the situation with the battle?" Caroline asked.

"The battle is over," Tristan replied calmly, handing her a document. "This is the damage and victory report for the port’s defense. We had thirty-seven killed and fifty-two seriously wounded. We eliminated ninety-four enemies and captured twenty-one, including five enemy commanders."

He paused, then added, "The port is expected to resume basic operations within a week. The populace’s morale for production is high. The fourteen-level merit system has greatly enhanced our war mobilization efficiency."

Caroline took the report. Looking at the numbers and entries, she was once again deeply perplexed and shocked by Velin’s ability to reshape the world.

It seemed no disaster, no matter how great, could defeat him.

Velin greeted her at the entrance of the Lord’s Mansion.

"You don’t look worried at all," Caroline observed.

"Why should I be?" Velin countered. "The battle is already over."

Those words, paired with his calm expression, gave Caroline, who had just endured a terrifying ordeal at sea, a strong sense of unreality.

"This way." Velin headed directly for the underground alchemy lab.

While walking down a long corridor, Caroline saw a member of the Multi-Armed Race resting in a half-open room.

His carapace was damaged in several places, but his expression was calm.

"Is that a prisoner?" Caroline asked with some hesitation.

"Korsh, a squad leader from the Unas clan of the Multi-Armed Race." Velin glanced over. "He provided the intelligence we needed and is now being properly accommodated."

Velin didn’t linger and continued to lead her forward, finally arriving at the alchemy lab.

Master Valerius was surrounded by a group of apprentices at a lab table, studying a piece of carapace stripped from the corpse of a member of the Multi-Armed Race.

The atmosphere was bustling; it felt less like research and more like a fish market.

"Miss Caroline! You have to see this!" Valerius spotted her and excitedly held up the specimen, spitting with enthusiasm. "This thing is magnificent! It’s not equipment, it’s an organ! A miniature ecological-recycling system that can sustain life in the deep sea!"

"Although we haven’t figured out how to cultivate it yet, we already have some research leads."

Then the researchers started muttering about things she didn’t understand, like "funding," "papers," and "promotions."

But Caroline understood one thing.

Velin hadn’t just won; he had fought a counterattack that yielded enormous gains.

Back in the study of the Lord’s Mansion, Velin didn’t have a servant do it but personally picked up a bone china cup and poured Caroline a cup of black tea.

"Thank you for coming, Caroline," Velin said, his tone sincere. "Your fleet is the greatest support you could have given me."

Caroline didn’t immediately reach for the cup of tea.

She raised her head and gazed quietly at Velin, her emotions a complex mix.

After a long moment, she finally said, "It seems I came for nothing."

Her tone was flat, but it carried a hint of annoyance and... grievance.

She had practically gambled the entire foundation of the Golden Sail Commerce Association, even bringing her own flagship, the *Sea Siren’s Song*, having rehearsed countless scenarios of brutal battles and difficult negotiations in her mind.

And what was the result?

She was greeted by three War Giant Beasts that would make even veteran Warriors’ hearts pound, and a port that was orderly and, one might even say, bursting with energy.

She felt like a tourist here for a visit.

"No, you’ve come at the perfect time."

Velin didn’t pull back, still holding the tea out to her.

He seemed to see through the emotion beneath her proud exterior and continued speaking.

"Grash’s vanguard was just the beginning. According to Korsh’s intelligence, the main force of the Unas is gathering and will arrive in a month. That’s a force large enough to wipe a Duchy off the map."

He met Caroline’s gaze without flinching.

"I need help. Not just from the Golden Sail Commerce Association, Caroline..."

He deliberately emphasized her name.

"I need *your* help."

She forcefully suppressed the surging waves in her heart.

She finally reached out and took the warm cup of tea from Velin’s hand.

The brush of their fingertips made her tremble slightly.

"You need help?" she repeated. "Lord Velin, what could you possibly need my help with now? To review your invincible armada?"

The sharpness in her own words surprised even her.

Velin didn’t get angry at her sarcasm. His eyes reflected her feigned strength.

"The Grey Marsh Territory is too young. I need to establish a deeper partnership with you, and with the Golden Sail Commerce Association."

"For example, making the Golden Sail Commerce Association the number one commerce association in Gray Bay."

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