"Governor, although we are the home team in this war, the enemy is too powerful. We have all kinds of weapons we have never seen before. Our navy is about to collapse. We only have the last three Royal Giants left."
Listening to the subordinate's talk in front of him, Daniel clenched his hands and the flesh on his face twitched slightly.
The moment the first cannon shot sounded, Daniel knew this day would come, but it came too soon.
He had many good fighters under his command, but the opponent's flying machines were too hard to defend against.
When the war expanded to a full-scale battlefield, unless one was as strong as Julio, the governor of Cat Island, the strength of an individual was compressed to the minimum.
"Hire those guys from the Explorers Association and requisition all the fishing boats and cargo ships. Recruit the young and strong men on the island to board the ships. Judging from the intercepted enemy telegrams, they are also holding on. The fight so far has been a logistics battle."
"Governor, there have been some noises on the island recently. They think that if they surrender now..."
"Bang!" The wooden table was smashed directly, and Daniel's roar echoed in the room.
"Then tell those cowards that Hefang Island will never surrender unless I die!!"
Daniel's chest rose and fell rapidly. Did those short-sighted people get too carried away by the good life on the island? If surrendering would work, he would have surrendered long ago.
The rule of Earthsea is always winner takes all, and the benefits gained through flattery will eventually be easily taken away by the winner again.
"Who?" Daniel suddenly raised his head and looked towards the door.
When he saw Margaret walk in from the door, the expression on his face softened instantly.
"Oh, it's my pearl. I heard from Jack that you have been doing very well at sea these days."
At this moment, Margaret's face showed less innocence and more determination. The cruel war has a huge impact on a person.
"Father, my brother asked me to bring this to you." The girl handed over a document in her hand.
"Okay, I got it. You guys just defend the east side of the island with peace of mind. I'll be on the front line and will never let them occupy Cavendish Island." Daniel reached out and took it.
"Well, I believe in father. Father is invincible!" Margaret nodded.
"This is my good daughter."
Margaret's eyes revealed a trace of bitterness. "When I was little, I was disobedient and often made my father angry. Now I understand that the only people in the world who are truly kind to me are my family."
Looking at the girl in front of him, Daniel showed a relieved smile on his face, "Our family's pearl has finally grown up."
The relationship between father and daughter, who used to quarrel whenever they met, finally warmed up again. Just as the father and daughter were talking, a soldier ran in with a scroll.
"Governor, this is the letter that the enemy just sent over."
Daniel opened the scroll and the smile on his face grew even brighter. "Hahaha, good things really happened one after another today."
"What did it say, father?" Margaret asked curiously.
"Swan can't hold on any longer. He agreed to negotiate in the open sea tomorrow morning."
Generally speaking, in this situation, whoever speaks first basically means admitting defeat.
The next morning, all the remaining warships of Hefang Island were lined up on the sea, and Daniel, the governor of Hefang Island, stood on the Royal Giant in the middle with his children.
"Don't be in a hurry to rest! If Swan can't give you a satisfactory answer, this matter is not over yet!" Daniel's voice was filled with suppressed anger.
Time passed little by little, but the British Isles fleet was still nowhere to be seen. Daniel gradually became impatient. "Is this guy trying to trick me? What's the point of doing this!"
Margaret asked with some concern: "Father, will he attract my attention here and then attack from somewhere else?"
Jack shook his head. "Not likely. I have already arranged a shuttle to other parts of the island."
Having said that, Jack still asked someone to investigate the situation.
Soon the news came back that there were no enemy ships within 50 kilometers around Hefang Island.
"Humph! This guy might be so scared that he doesn't even dare to negotiate. If this embarrassing thing gets out, I wonder how he will survive in the North Sea in the future. Let's go back. Your mother hasn't seen you for a long time."
Daniel on the deck said as he walked towards the cabin. After taking a few steps, he saw his daughter and son standing there in a daze, with their eyes slightly open, looking at the sea in the distance.
When he turned around, he was surprised to find that a vague white light appeared on the previously dark sea surface.
As the light slowly approached, everyone on the ship opened their mouths in surprise. It was not a ship's searchlight, but a mechanical city with a diameter of two or three kilometers.
Thick black smoke continuously billows out from the chimneys between the tall buildings, and an unimaginably complex metal gear structure forms the city's base.
Ten giant metal legs stretched out from both sides of the city and plunged into the dark sea, making the entire city look like a giant spider.
Hundreds of ships followed the giant spider and slowly moved towards Hefang Island.
In front of this terrifying spider, the Royal Giant of Hefang Island was like a toy.
"What...what on earth is this?! Even the most advanced turbine today can't support such a large machine!" Jack shouted excitedly.
Daniel's neck was like a rusty bearing. He slowly turned around and looked at his son. Governor He Fang's face was filled with despair. "Take your sister and leave! Now!"
With a "click", a brass box with a black lens fell from the sky and landed in front of Daniel.
"Isn't this Mr. Daniel, the former overlord of the North Sea? Why do you look so unhappy now?" The unusually proud voice of Swann, the Governor of the British Isles, came from the brass box.
Daniel reached out and picked up the box, and he spoke with difficulty. "Swan, you win. Hefang Island and the other two islands now belong to you."
"Hahaha!! I was so happy to hear you say that. I almost couldn't help but let you go."
The camera shrank slightly and turned to Margaret next to him. "Daniel, your daughter is so beautiful. I wanted to keep her, but unfortunately, she is from the Cavendish family. I can only send your family on the road together."
"Buzz~" A tube extended from the lower part of the mechanical city towards this side. A white light appeared at the front of the tube and became brighter and brighter.
"Have you forgotten the agreement of the Explorers Association? I have already handed over the island! You must release my family members!!"
"The rules of the Explorers' Society no longer need to be followed because they are outdated. You have no idea what amazing technology I have obtained. With those things, the entire Earthsea is mine!"
(End of this chapter)