Lord of the Sky City-Chapter 417 - 385: Exposed?

Chapter 417: Chapter 385: Exposed?

In the end, Rocky still decided to withdraw five warships and five Void Magic Warriors from the main force, and together they returned thirty cargo ships laden with medicine to Sky City.

However, this also meant they had even fewer troops at hand. The fleet losing five warships might not have a significant impact, since those withdrawn by Rocky were escort ships with minor damages. Yet the loss of five Void Magic Warriors was a considerable blow to them, as after two batches of withdrawals, only three Void Magic Squads remained—reducing their number by an entire squad.

Meanwhile, let’s not forget that they still had to continue attacking caravans. If they intercepted more cargo ships later on, were they supposed to keep sending soldiers to escort the cargo back to Sky City?

Therefore, even though Rocky had sent back thirty ships’ worth of medicine, he made it clear to Berg and Karina that they could not afford to send troops for escort like this again, no matter what kind of goods they intercepted next time, or else they would have no troops left at their disposal.

Berg and Karina both nodded in agreement, understanding the predicament of everyone involved.

Thus, the three of them finally reached a consensus. The next morning, the fleet took off from the riverbank and commenced the next phase of their operation.

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Their next target was the Blue Sky Chamber of Commerce.

Just like their previous targets, the Blue Sky Chamber of Commerce was not particularly large. It was headquartered in the Eternal City and was considered a medium-sized chamber of commerce with moderate development.

In a large war like this one, involving the Sky Alliance and many forces and families, which could later even draw in top-tier powers such as the Kafka Empire, larger chambers of commerce wouldn’t want to get involved. After all, the outcome of the war was unpredictable, and for the sake of long-term planning, the magnates did not wish to offend either side.

In contrast, smaller and medium-sized chambers of commerce saw war as a lucrative opportunity too tempting to resist. Most of the supplies transported to Chenxiu City were by such chambers of commerce, with top-tier ones like the Continental Commerce Chamber being the exception.

This situation made it convenient for Rocky and the others to choose their targets for attack.

So when the fleet took off from the riverbank, the group traveled north because the Eternal City was located north of the Tulip Battle Zone. The caravan dispatched by the Blue Sky Chamber of Commerce would inevitably enter the battle zone from the north, and Rocky’s group intended to ambush them along their route.

It took about half a day for them to reach a small grove on the northern edge of the battle zone. Rocky had the Void Magic Squad clear out any demons in the grove first and then descended the fleet slowly into the forest.

“This isn’t a great spot…”

As the entire fleet descended into the forest, Karina took flight to get a better view and found that the grove was too small. Hiding the entire fleet in it would be fine if it went unnoticed, but as soon as someone paid attention, it would be very easy to spot something amiss.

For this reason, Karina flew around the area to scout, but sadly, the surroundings consisted of either similarly small groves or just open grasslands with no other better hiding places.

“Cut down the trees, and place the branches on the ships for camouflage.”

After Karina returned, the group discussed it and ultimately decided to stay in that grove and use branches from the trees to camouflage the fleet.

Even though this method might not be foolproof, it was the only one they could come up with.

So, by sunset, the Void Magic Warriors and sailors camouflaged the fleet. Then Rocky had Karina fly up again to take a look, discovering that although it still wouldn’t withstand close inspection, it was somewhat better than before.

And once all this was done, Rocky dispersed a squad of Void Magic Warriors, partly for early warning and partly to scout out the movements of the Blue Sky Chamber of Commerce.

Time flew by, and before they knew it, night had fallen; yet the caravan they had been waiting for hadn’t appeared.

After an uneventful day-long wait, Rocky and his group weren’t particularly anxious, because they didn’t know the exact time the caravan would reach the battle zone. The only thing they could be certain of was that the Blue Sky Chamber of Commerce definitely hadn’t arrived yet, a fact Berg had confirmed through his own channels.

As such, the day passed quickly, and by evening, Rocky and his team had relaxed considerably.

The location of their hideout wasn’t very good, a small grove packed with nearly fifty warships, making it quite dangerous during the day. But with nightfall, the pitch-black darkness instead became everyone’s best camouflage. If the caravan happened to arrive at that moment, it would have been perfect.

Regrettably, after two attacks and what could be called a perfect ambush, it seemed their luck had finally run out…

That night, they didn’t receive the caravan from the Blue Sky Chamber of Commerce.

Instead, they awaited the reconnaissance ship sent from Chenxiu City!

Just past midnight, Rocky and others received a report from the Void Magic Warriors on guard outside: an enemy reconnaissance ship was approaching!

This news immediately cast a pall over everyone’s hearts!

Had it not been for the greater context of war, Rocky’s ambush this time might have been successful. They had the advantage of surprise and although their hiding spot was inadequate, a close-enough approach by the caravan would have made their attack highly likely to succeed. But now, they were in the midst of war.

Their previous two attacks and an ambush, while not resulting in the elimination of a particularly large number of enemies or causing particularly great loss, still put the whole of Chenxiu City on high alert.

Particularly after the attack on the Azure Commerce Guild’s cargo ship, the City Lord of Chenxiu City, Goth, immediately dispatched all the reconnaissance ships from the city. Moreover, he expanded the search radius and ordered the reconnaissance ships to focus on the outer perimeter of the battle zone, determined to find the enemy at any cost.

Under these circumstances, hundreds of reconnaissance ships swarmed out from Chenxiu City and distributed themselves around the battle zone, initiating an almost sweep-like carpet search.

“What do we do? Leave now?”

Upon learning that a reconnaissance ship from Chenxiu City was approaching, several people who hadn’t slept immediately gathered together.

“With so many warships, we’ll be discovered just the same even if we leave now.”

“Take a gamble. See if they can find us. Naturally, the best outcome would be if they can’t. But if we are discovered, we retreat at once.”

After looking at Karina and Berg, Rocky finally made a decision.

Just as Karina had said, with so many warships, if they were to withdraw immediately, not only would they have wasted an entire day, but the moment the main force took to the sky, they would be discovered instantly. This was virtually no different from being caught; therefore, it was better to take a gamble!