One day later, in the morning, Hou Yi arrived at the sea outside Crowell Harbor. Xiao Chen stood at the bow, overlooking the surrounding ships. The small boats from the southern city-states, the Elf Kingdom, and the Sea Clan were in awe, staying away from the behemoth under his feet, keeping their distance and sailing towards the port together.
"Why are the ships here so small?" The largest ship Xiao Chen had seen was only half the size of the Houyi under his feet. Although the Houyi was a large ship, there were still many ships of similar size in the ports of the southern city-states. And here, it felt like a giant walking into the land of Lilliput.
Farrell said: "This is a rule that the Dwarf Kingdom has always had. The size of ships entering the Dwarf Kingdom is limited. Ships that exceed the size will not be allowed to enter the port."
Luo Ling asked curiously: "Why is this?"
"Although dwarves are good at forging, they are not good at shipbuilding. Also, due to their size, it is inconvenient for them to operate large ships. Therefore, the ships of the Dwarf Kingdom have always been relatively small. As a result, if a maritime conflict really occurs, the ships of the Dwarf Kingdom will be at a disadvantage in front of other forces. In order to avoid this situation, the dwarves limit the size of ships entering their territory.
Although we have the weapons of the sea tribe, our ship exceeds the limit by a lot, and Crowell's marine patrol may not let us pass. "
Xiao Chen smiled and said, "Whether we are allowed to pass or not, words alone are not enough."
"What a strange idea." Luo Ling leaned on the railing and looked at the land and port in the distance. "The dwarves in this country really have a lot of strange ideas."
"You will find out later that the Dwarf Kingdom has a lot of bad rules." Farrell said with disdain.
This time Farrell's prediction came true. Two or three nautical miles away from the port, a fleet of small boats came towards the Houyi at an angle.
The dwarven ships were rugged, but not as crude as the ships of the seafolk and orcs. They were just flatter and wider, very much in the style of the dwarven bodies themselves.
These ships are not as fast as those of humans and elves, but they seem to be much more sturdy.
Xiao Chen ordered: "Have Ma Anmin get ready, slow down, and wait for those three ships to come over. I think there is a possibility of a conflict."
A quarter of an hour later, Hou Yi met the three ships. The first dwarf ship sent out a general flag signal, asking Xiao Chen's ship to stop.
Ma Anmin asked, "Chairman Xiao, do you really want to stop? I'm sure I can get rid of them and rush into the port."
Xiao Chen said: "Do you see so many elves, sea creatures, and human ships around? With so many eyes, I think it's better for us to use courtesy first and then force."
"Okay then. I'm sure I can sink these three small boats in minutes." Ma Anmin gave the order, and the gunners on the ship and the new marines composed of dwarves were ready.
Ma Anmin turned the ship sideways and pointed the side towards the direction they were coming from. The dwarves didn't know yet that on the Houyi's two gun decks, more than a dozen pneumatic cannons were ready to fire.
The flagship of the dwarf fleet stopped about a hundred meters away from the rear ship. The other side used the loudspeaker to shout over here: "Where are you coming from?"
Xiao Chen casually drew a sound amplification array and replied, "Our ship comes from the Pearl Islands, and we have the port entry permit for the Pearl Islands."
The man on the flagship of the dwarf patrol fleet shouted: "Impossible, that photo is definitely not yours. We have never allowed such a large ship to enter Crowell! Get out of here quickly!"
"Listen. We have something very important to discuss with your port governor Ansaldo. This matter is of great importance and cannot be decided by you patrolling fleet people." Xiao Chen said, "There is an old friend of your governor on my ship. Your governor must want to see him very much."
The voice on the other end paused for a moment, as if they were discussing something. After about two or three minutes, the voice started again.
"If you really have something important to ask to see the Governor, you can come to our ship. The big ship must leave, otherwise we will attack!"
"What if we refuse?" Xiao Chen asked.
The three dwarf ships said nothing more, but continued to move closer to the Hou Yi. The dwarves on the board also began to run, gathering around the weapons and equipment, as if preparing for battle.
Xiao Chen used the Mage's Eye to look at the other party's ship. The dwarves' weapons seemed to be of three types. One was a large bow that many other races also had on their ships. However, the dwarves' bow looked more sophisticated. It had five layers of bow arms, and could shoot five arrows at the same time.
The other was a long tubular object, but judging from its curved shape, it was definitely not a cannon, but more like some kind of flamethrower.
The third weapon was a large catapult, but the barrels were not placed next to the catapult, but stones. Xiao Chen suspected that the barrels were filled with some kind of explosive.
The weapons were moved one after another under the operation of the dwarves, and aimed at Hou Yi one by one.
"These dwarves acted very decisively. They were ready to attack without saying a word," said Luo Ling.
"Judging from their current means, guns and pneumatic cannons are indeed not technologies mastered by the Dwarf Kingdom." Xiao Chen said.
Sinclair said, "Yes, my father said that this was developed by the Black Dragon Empire, but it ended up in the hands of us dwarf slaves. Those guys in the Dwarf Kingdom don't have this kind of thing."
Ma Anmin sneered: "Facing such an enemy, I really feel like I'm bullying a child."
"Sometimes kids still need a spanking to be obedient. Prepare two rounds of bombardment. Don't sink them, but teach them a lesson." Xiao Chen waved to Ma Anmin, who immediately understood and began to prepare shields while giving the order to fire.
Xiao Chen said to the loudspeaker: "Your proposal is totally unacceptable to us, and you are actually preparing to launch an attack on us, which will be regarded as a provocation to us."
As Xiao Chen finished speaking, all the gun windows on the two lower artillery decks of the Houyi opened, and the muzzles of pneumatic guns protruded from the windows.
"Here is our warning."
Muffled sounds came from below the Houyi, as more than a dozen pneumatic cannons fired at the same time, with a shocking momentum. The dozen shells flew through the air and then fell into the sea near the dwarf warship. The shells exploded and created waves that were taller than the mast of the dwarf warship. (To be continued)