Chapter 322: Chapter 278 Lancaster, Attack!
BUZZ—!
As this accusatory buzz sounded, an invisible pressure suddenly descended upon the entire reception room.
Navy Commissary General Mallory Barton’s forehead immediately bulged with veins. Even Major General Newman and Paymaster Ivan Derrick, equally of the Third Order, began to sweat, as if their shoulders were bearing immense pressure.
A majestic golden insignia appeared behind the Governor.
A crown, palisade, shield, and crossed bloody battle-axes—that was the emblem of the Kingdom’s Great Prison.
Jefferson Newman’s Profession was indeed that of a Third Order [Warden] in the Tribunal Sequence.
The core ability of a Middle Sequence adept was: "Turn Ground into Prison."
One could designate any place with walls as their jurisdictional prison. In this mystical "prison," they enjoyed all the privileges of a Warden.
It significantly increased strength, speed, and endurance, while simultaneously inflicting varying degrees of negative effects on insubordinate "prisoners."
"Force Field Shackles," "Mind Numbness," "Fatigue Aura," "Solitary Barrier"...
The most outrageous aspect was that attacking a [Warden] was tantamount to escalating one’s crimes. The more severe the attack, the more crushing the suppression would be.
It could even result in backlash from the law, causing direct damage to the attacker.
Some claimed that fighting while seated rendered one invincible, and the [Warden] was indeed such an unconventional specialist.
In places with walls, their combat power was astounding, but once in an open area, their abilities would immediately plummet to the lower echelons of the Third Order.
And at this moment, there were indeed walls all around the reception room.
The Governor immediately gave Byron, who had been slack in his duties, a demonstration of his power.
Let the military court judge me?
Byron outwardly gritted his teeth, feigning endurance.
Inwardly, however, he found this posturing individual as comical as an actor without special effects. This show of power was less refreshing than a sea breeze.
It took considerable effort, using ’Flow State’ to accelerate his blood flow, to make his face flush and ears burn, creating the appearance that he was about to collapse from the strain.
Seeing this, Major General Newman, standing beside him, finally played the good cop and began to persuade, "Brother, calm down. I believe Byron has his reasons. You can’t just silence him."
Only then did Jefferson finally vent some of the resentment that had been building in his heart, and he withdrew his transcendent abilities.
He turned and sat back down, leaving Byron standing alone.
He still showed Byron no courtesy.
The pressure from the Earl’s Party and the Royalist Party was transmitted layer by layer. Since the Newman brothers themselves couldn’t bear it, it naturally cascaded down to Byron, the "Supreme Commander of Pirate Extermination."
The Governor stared at him for a full half-minute before continuing coldly, "Half a month! It’s been half a month since you took office, and so far, you have achieved nothing. Where has the prestige of you ’Sea Hunters,’ who cut a swath through Silvergold Island, gone? Mr. Byron, tell me, what have you been busy with lately?"
They had previously watched Byron obediently accept the thankless task of pirate extermination and believed they had a firm grip on his vulnerability.
They had their circles, their channels for advancement, and their knowledge of aristocratic networking, while he had nothing.
Since Byron Tudor, like the Newman brothers, was a man eager for advancement, he had no choice but to be subservient to them.
Moreover, Royal Port housed the highest-grade lighthouse in the Hightins Colony, capable of summoning the "Royal Iron Rule - Great Charter" from the Kingdom’s mainland.
Unless facing Earl Warwick, who was armed with the ’Sword of Damocles’—his superior rank was overwhelming, leaving them powerless.
When facing others, the Governor’s authority, augmented by the "Great Charter," could significantly bolster their own forces and suppress the enemy.
At the very least, within the confines of Royal Port, they weren’t afraid that Byron, this newly risen "Great Pirate," would lash out in rebellion.
No matter how notorious the "Sea Hunter" title was, on their turf, a dragon had to coil and a tiger had to lie low.
Furthermore, Jefferson had lost his son, so he naturally had fewer compunctions about this upstart.
Hearing his words, Byron feigned difficulty. "Your Excellency the Governor, the intelligence agents of the Pioneer Guiding Colonial Trading Company have indeed located their hideout. It’s not that our pirate extermination is ineffective, but the recent Blood Frenzy Plague and Coral Disease are wreaking havoc at sea, aren’t they? Taking to the seas rashly at this time might be..."
Before he could finish, the Governor cut him off with a dismissive wave. "Might be what? All excuses! Of course, I’m aware of the Blood Frenzy Plague at sea. But we are the Royalist Party, loyal to His Majesty to the point of laying down our lives! How can our resolve be so weak? Why don’t you consider that precisely because of the Blood Frenzy Plague, those remnants of the Lancaster Party are trapped on isolated islands with no escape? This is the perfect opportunity to capture them all in one fell swoop! I’ve also received reliable intelligence from multiple information brokers. The Lancaster Party is hiding on Gornaf Island of the Iris, and right now, they dare not flee by sea. This is a golden opportunity for us. Are you going to just sit by and watch it slip away? Fortune favors the bold. Do you still want to be a Navy Commodore or not?"
Major General Newman, playing the "good cop," chimed in, "Byron, my brother’s words might be blunt, but his reasoning is sound. I’ve heard that one of the mottos within your Pioneer Pilot Company goes: ’If you want to succeed, first go mad, charge ahead regardless of everything; gamble once, rich for three generations, only by risking it all can you avoid failure.’ I must say, I quite agree with that sentiment."
Before Byron could respond, Quartermaster Mallory Barton and Comptroller Ivan Derrick exchanged uneasy glances. As members of the Newman faction, like Byron, they too found the brothers’ conduct rather distasteful.
Discontent flickered in their exchanged glances. Ever since Byron returned from Silvergold Island, the Governor and General have wanted to use him yet feared him, constantly setting traps. Appointing him as the commander-in-chief for pirate extermination could have been done discreetly. Making it public only directs the remnants’ aggression toward the International Port, passively provoking conflict between the two sides. If the Blood Frenzy Plague hadn’t blocked the way, the International Port would likely have already been attacked by the Lancaster Party and left in ruins.
Now they want Byron to risk being attacked by the Blood Frenzy Plague to hunt down the Lancaster Party. It’s as if they believe that laying down one’s life for the King isn’t *their* responsibility.
Yes, the May Wind is elusive. The Banta’an Archipelago is vast, but who knows where it might be hiding? No one else dares take to the waters; he’s the only one sticking his neck out. If he encounters the enemy, he himself might escape, but his men will undoubtedly suffer heavy losses.
It was only natural for them to feel dissatisfied.
They had joined forces for mutual benefit. If a leader couldn’t even provide "incremental" gains and could only sustain himself by depriving subordinates of their "existing assets"—robbing Peter to pay Paul—how could he convince his followers that siding with him would be rewarding?
Still hoping for a promotion? You must be dreaming; anything is possible in dreams.
Previously, the two had remained coldly observant because their own interests hadn’t been affected.
But now that even the Sea Hunter—who had saved the General’s life and was supposedly most "loyal" to the Newman family—was being asked to make sacrifices for the family’s benefit, they realized something. They immediately recognized that they might well become the second or third Sea Hunter to be exploited.
Comptroller Ivan Derrick, in particular, was not only the Deputy to the Governor but also the intelligence chief appointed by Edward IV.
I rather admire this Sea Hunter, who has climbed his way up from the bottom. An organization can have many nobles and connected individuals sharing the spoils, but it absolutely cannot lack elite individuals like him—those who can truly fight, strive, and handle the dirty, exhausting work. He and Bill have been renowned for their loyalty to the Kingdom since they first made a name for themselves. Losing them needlessly would be a detriment to the Kingdom.
However, asking them to stick their necks out for Byron was out of the question.
Byron, standing his ground, seemed cornered by the Newman brothers’ coordinated pressure. He finally gritted his teeth and agreed, "Fine. For His Majesty the King, I’ll go. The rank of General is irrelevant to me. As a loyal subject, I detest traitors above all else in this life. Traitors must die! However, I request additional manpower from Royal Port to assist me."
Although the repeated mention of "traitors" was somewhat grating, the Newman brothers considered that Byron had joined their faction late and might not clearly understand who the *real* traitors were. They decided to forgive him for the time being.
As long as he was willing to risk his life, everything else was negotiable. After all, the lives of soldiers were expendable. If they sacrificed their lives for their superiors’ glory, it was considered a death well spent.
Finally, a smile appeared on the faces of the two brothers. They stepped forward and patted Byron on the shoulder. "I’ll write the troop dispatch orders immediately. When you return victorious, we’ll hold a banquet to celebrate your success."
「Soon afterward.」
Byron hastily gathered troops from the military port that very night, mobilizing his entire privateer fleet assigned to assist in defense, along with several Navy warships.
He left behind only Major General Newman’s dearly cultivated and staunchly loyal direct lineage.
At ten o’clock that night, they watched Byron’s fleet embark on its campaign, gradually vanishing into the darkness.
Comptroller Ivan Derrick said with concern, "Your Excellency the Governor, by dispatching the main maritime armed forces, the defenses of Royal Port have been left vulnerable. If foreign enemies invade, it could lead to chaos."
Jefferson confidently clenched his fist, the Governor’s Seal Ring on his finger gleaming with a divine light. "No worries. I’ll take full responsibility for any consequences. The law is paramount. It was the change of the Crown in the homeland that allowed us to easily drive the Lancaster Party from Royal Port previously. Now, His Majesty’s authority is stable, and the Royal Iron Law, channeled through the lighthouse, is also sound. The family’s private soldiers are sufficient. Anyone who dares to invade will not leave alive!"
However, merely a few hours after he made this declaration, during the early morning hours when the guards’ drowsiness was at its peak, screams suddenly erupted from the military port housing Newman’s private army. People cried out, "It’s the Coral People! The Coral Disease has broken out at the port!"