Upon the endless ocean, there was only the sound of the distant tide .

In the thick cloud of fog, all was quiet .

A vast and mighty fleet was hidden in the mist, moving silently forward . They had cut off all contact with the outside world, entering a state of total silence . They kept a minimum distance between s.h.i.+ps in the fog, only communicating with each other through primitive lamp signals .

The thick fog covered everything . The s.h.i.+ps' engines were set as low as possible, and the slight sounds that they produced were covered up by the chaotic noise of the black zone . They advanced towards the Ultimate as silently as ghosts .

Sylvaine sat in the command seat on the bridge of the Royal Navy's flags.h.i.+p, silently staring at the nautical charts .

"We've already pa.s.sed beyond our nation's borders, Commander," the navigator reported . "In ten minutes we'll be leaving the black zone and coming into the range of the Ultimate . "

Sylvaine nodded . "Prepare to exit stealth mode . "

A crisp voice came on the receiver, "Commander, we've received a message from the Anglo Kingdom . It has the Privy Council's ID . "

Soon, the Secretary of the Navy's voice came through, "Viscount Sylvaine, the fate of the nation rests on this mission . This battle will decide which of the nations will achieve naval supremacy in the future . You absolutely cannot let down your guard . "

"I understand . " Sylvaine saluted . "I will not let Her Majesty down . "

"Excellent," the Secretary of the Navy said . "Four hours ago, His Highness the Prince and the Royal Musician Division left the harbor with the second wave of wars.h.i.+ps . They will rendezvous with you soon . All military affairs are still under your command, His Highness will abide by your decisions . "

The Secretary of the Navy's spoke very tacitly . Military affairs were under Sylvaine's control, but any big decisions would have to receive the Prince of Avalon's approval . Sylvaine had no objections to this . After all, he was one of the Prince's most ardent supporters . Moreover, the Prince of Avalon was coming as a representative of the royal family . As the crown prince of the Anglo Kingdom, it made sense for him to come and supervise the fleet in place of the Queen .

And what was more, presently, the Royal Navy lacked any heavy wars.h.i.+ps like the Mountain of Nomadism, leaving Sylvaine a little nervous .

The Royal Navy had of course performed admirably in the aftermath of the Leviathan War, but the glorious sacrifices that they had made could not be taken lightly .

Most of the wars.h.i.+ps had been damaged in the process of defending the homeland and purging the demons afterward . Many more s.h.i.+ps were unable to leave port because they had not been properly maintained . He estimated that it would take two years to refit them all . And even more s.h.i.+ps had been retired . After performing a cost a.n.a.lysis, the Kingdom had decided to build new s.h.i.+ps to replace them .

Although the core of the fleet, twelve legendary wars.h.i.+ps, had not sustained much damage, this was not enough to const.i.tute an entire fleet . They also needed longs.h.i.+ps, clippers, and even armored merchant s.h.i.+ps to sh.o.r.e up their numbers .

Creating a fleet in such a short time had already exhausted the Department of the Navy . They had sc.r.a.ped what they had together to form this fleet . But they had no actual combat experience, which did not inspire much confidence in their warfare capabilities .

Sylvaine had set out earlier with six of the legendary wars.h.i.+ps and a few light clippers in order to seize the initiative .  The rest of the fleet had been divided into two waves that were to come in succession .

Since he had to wait for the Mountain of Nomadism to be refitted and temporarily aid the court with additional matters, Ye Qingxuan had come with the second wave . By then, many of the merchant s.h.i.+ps had been fitted for war and were shoring up the weak points in the fleet, giving the Royal Navy the ability to fight any foe .

When he heard the Ye Qingxuan was coming, Sylvaine breathed a silent sigh of relief . After reporting all the routine military affairs, he ended the transmission . He looked at the sea chart again but soon realized that something was wrong . "Navigator, how long ago did we leave the black zone?"

"15 minutes ago," the navigator answered . "We're still six hours of sailing away from being in the range of the Ultimate . "

Sylvaine raised his eyebrows . "If we've already left the black zone, why is the fog still so thick? Transmit these orders to the musicians on the s.h.i.+p: find out what's going on around us . I hope we haven't run into a problem . "

Fog was a common sight on the ocean, especially around the edges of the black zone .  Sylvaine's family had been in the Royal Navy for generations, and there was nothing unusual about this . But, just to be safe, it would be best to have a few musicians and a clipper check it out .

To be honest, he'd had enough of this fog .

The musician sitting on the iron chair beside the navigator quickly opened his eyes and stared into a chaotic ball of aether . "Commander, there's still too much noise from the red zone, I can't find anything . It might be because whatever happened is still going on, and it's causing changes in the red zone . The call to recover Leviathan didn't end too long ago, maybe there are a few sea monsters that still haven't gone dormant .

"Tell the fleet, all wars.h.i.+ps are to be on high alert and to prepare for combat . "

Soon, the sound of wars.h.i.+p engines firing up at Sylvaine's orders filled the red zone, rippling out in all directions . Amid the hurried movement, each member of the crew . . .

It was at this point that the distant wave of aether suddenly disappeared .  The Revelation Musicians who had lifted off the deck to investigate entered the silence with a slight feeling of unease . Suddenly, a shrill noise burst forth . In the deepest part of the fog, the musicians' sound of heart burst forth, giving off a terrifying flame and aetheric turbulence .

The turbulence swept through the fog, throwing it into chaos .

The flame disappeared quickly, but it threw faint shadows all around .

Sylvaine shot up out of his chair . Before he could say anything, the navigator had already pressed the warning b.u.t.ton and an ear-splitting noise rose out from the s.h.i.+p . Red warning lights flashed all around the fleet . Then, huge waves appeared one after another in the s.h.i.+p's observational ball of aether .  They were s.h.i.+p aether engines .

One by one, the hazy outlines of ferocious shadows emerged from the fog . They were wars.h.i.+ps, several dozen wars.h.i.+ps that had been hidden in the fog, almost like they were melded into it . The faint traces of more could be seen behind them through the thinning fog .

At some point, the Royal Navy had been surrounded!

On the Sovereign, silence reigned .

"Is that the Phantom Fleet of Burgundy?" Sylvaine was livid . "How did they know we were here?"

In order to hide all trace of themselves, they had sailed in full silence . Even the government in Avalon didn't know their exact location, especially while they were in the red zone . It was like they were hidden in a dark forest without so much as a torch to give away their position . How had the d*mned Burgundians managed to surround them? Had they already prepared for war?

Two red flames suddenly lit up under the first mate's skin . He rushed at Sylvaine as his body started to quickly swell . "The Anglos have left the path of righteousness . They will be cast into h.e.l.l to suffer the consequences of their actions!"

Bang! An ice-cold sword flashed out of the cabin . It slashed vertically and horizontally, cutting the swelling attacker into pieces . In the next instant, a formless wind gathered from all around, forming a cage that blocked the flames from his explosion, completely snuffing them out . All that was left was a pile of ashes that fell silently to the floor .

Sylvaine's face was white as a ghost .

"Alright, now I know how the enemy found us . " He turned and saw the suit of cold iron armor that had appeared in the air beside him . "Thank you, Sir Geraint," he said . "Thank you for saving my life . "

"Just doing my duty . " The knight of the Round Table sheathed his sword . "Watch out next time . "

Soon, damage reports came in from the other s.h.i.+ps . It was not only the Sovereign that had had double agents hidden on it, but the same thing had happened on two other s.h.i.+ps . Fortunately, the fires had been swiftly extinguished, and the captains had only suffered light wounds .

The Burgundians must have been planning this for a long time . Otherwise, they would not have been able to achieve such shocking results in such a short time .

But the Phantom Fleet of Burgundy did not launch an offensive, but instead stayed in their original places, trapping the Royal Navy between them . All of their main guns were aimed at them, but they did not fire .

Instead, a message came from them .

The operator looked at Sylvaine, who nodded . "Answer it . "

A stranger's cold voice filled the bridge . "This is the Phantom Fleet of Burgundy . " He paused for a moment, then continued, "In a moment we will begin escorting your fleet, in order to improve relations with your honorable country, and for our mutual safety . Please do not take any actions that might cause a misunderstanding . "

The message ended .

Sylvaine's face was ashen . He made a fist .

Escort? How was this an escort? This was a capture!

"Tell the fleet . . . " Sylvaine's eyes flared with anger . He raised his fist and was about to give the order to attack, but an ear-piercing alarm sounded again . Soon, it was a cacophony of overlapping noises . It was the sound of cold iron rubbing together . It was like the roaring of the sea .

The fog parted . The chill that rushed into the sky came from the bottom of the ocean . Countless broken icicles rose up from the waves, looking like tree branches . It seemed like the ice crystals were being poured out of some storehouse . They froze and expanded, stretching out in all directions . The crisp sounds all joined together causing a loud roar .

In an instant, the sea was completely frozen . The surface of the water had become a flat sheet of ice with numerous sharp ice crystals sticking out of it . The fleet was like an insect trapped in amber, frozen in place .

Looking all around they could only see countless ice-crystals that were as sharp as knives pointing towards the sky .

In the blink of an eye, the mighty movement hidden in the vast roar ended . A tremendous wave of aether rose up from the flags.h.i.+p, no longer concealed, but plain for all to see . It was hard to imagine that a musician could have frozen an entire ocean in an instant, not to mention to do so in the red zone .

It was like the G.o.ds had taken fire away from the world, leaving only eternal cold and bone-chilling north wind .

"The fifth… the fifth symphony . " On the bridge of the Sovereign, a crack had appeared in the musician's ball of aether . His face went pale . "Commander, it's a saint!" he stammered . "St . Schubert!"

Suddenly, the entire Royal Navy was plunged into a deathly silence .

A saint? Why had a saint appeared on a Burgundian wars.h.i.+p?

Upon the endless ocean, there was only the sound of the distant tide . In the thick cloud of fog, all was quiet . A vast and mighty fleet was hidden in the mist, moving silently forward . They had cut off all contact with the outside world, entering a state of total silence . They kept a minimum distance between s.h.i.+ps in the fog, only communicating with each other through primitive lamp signals . The thick fog covered everything . The s.h.i.+ps engines were set as low as possible, and the slight sounds that they produced were covered up by the chaotic noise of the black zone . They advanced towards the Ultimate as silently as ghosts . Sylvaine sat in the command seat on the bridge of the Royal Navys flags.h.i.+p, silently staring at the nautical charts . Weve already pa.s.sed beyond our nations borders, Commander, the navigator reported . In ten minutes well be leaving the black zone and coming into the range of the Ultimate . Sylvaine nodded . Prepare to exit stealth mode . A crisp voice came on the receiver, Commander, weve received a message from the Anglo Kingdom . It has the Privy Councils ID . Soon, the Secretary of the Navys voice came through, Viscount Sylvaine, the fate of the nation rests on this mission . This battle will decide which of the nations will achieve naval supremacy in the future . You absolutely cannot let down your guard . I understand . Sylvaine saluted . I will not let Her Majesty down . Excellent, the Secretary of the Navy said . Four hours ago, His Highness the Prince and the Royal Musician Division left the harbor with the second wave of wars.h.i.+ps . They will rendezvous with you soon . All military affairs are still under your command, His Highness will abide by your decisions . The Secretary of the Navys spoke very tacitly . Military affairs were under Sylvaines control, but any big decisions would have to receive the Prince of Avalons approval . Sylvaine had no objections to this . After all, he was one of the Princes most ardent supporters . Moreover, the Prince of Avalon was coming as a representative of the royal family . As the crown prince of the Anglo Kingdom, it made sense for him to come and supervise the fleet in place of the Queen . And what was more, presently, the Royal Navy lacked any heavy wars.h.i.+ps like the Mountain of Nomadism, leaving Sylvaine a little nervous . The Royal Navy had of course performed admirably in the aftermath of the Leviathan War, but the glorious sacrifices that they had made could not be taken lightly . Most of the wars.h.i.+ps had been damaged in the process of defending the homeland and purging the demons afterward . Many more s.h.i.+ps were unable to leave port because they had not been properly maintained . He estimated that it would take two years to refit them all . And even more s.h.i.+ps had been retired . After performing a cost a.n.a.lysis, the Kingdom had decided to build new s.h.i.+ps to replace them Although the core of the fleet, twelve legendary wars.h.i.+ps, had not sustained much damage, this was not enough to const.i.tute an entire fleet . They also needed longs.h.i.+ps, clippers, and even armored merchant s.h.i.+ps to sh.o.r.e up their numbers . Creating a fleet in such a short time had already exhausted the Department of the Navy . They had sc.r.a.ped what they had together to form this fleet . But they had no actual combat experience, which did not inspire much confidence in their warfare capabilities . Sylvaine had set out earlier with six of the legendary wars.h.i.+ps and a few light clippers in order to seize the initiative .  The rest of the fleet had been divided into two waves that were to come in succession . Since he had to wait for the Mountain of Nomadism to be refitted and temporarily aid the court with additional matters, Ye Qingxuan had come with the second wave . By then, many of the merchant s.h.i.+ps had been fitted for war and were shoring up the weak points in the fleet, giving the Royal Navy the ability to fight any foe . When he heard the Ye Qingxuan was coming, Sylvaine breathed a silent sigh of relief . After reporting all the routine military affairs, he ended the transmission . He looked at the sea chart again but soon realized that something was wrong . Navigator, how long ago did we leave the black zone? 15 minutes ago, the navigator answered . Were still six hours of sailing away from being in the range of the Ultimate . Sylvaine raised his eyebrows . If weve already left the black zone, why is the fog still so thick? Transmit these orders to the musicians on the s.h.i.+p: find out whats going on around us . I hope we havent run into a problem . Fog was a common sight on the ocean, especially around the edges of the black zone .  Sylvaines family had been in the Royal Navy for generations, and there was nothing unusual about this . But, just to be safe, it would be best to have a few musicians and a clipper check it out . To be honest, hed had enough of this fog . The musician sitting on the iron chair beside the navigator quickly opened his eyes and stared into a chaotic ball of aether . Commander, theres still too much noise from the red zone, I cant find anything . It might be because whatever happened is still going on, and its causing changes in the red zone . The call to recover Leviathan didnt end too long ago, maybe there are a few sea monsters that still havent gone dormant . Tell the fleet, all wars.h.i.+ps are to be on high alert and to prepare for combat . Soon, the sound of wars.h.i.+p engines firing up at Sylvaines orders filled the red zone, rippling out in all directions . Amid the hurried movement, each member of the crew . It was at this point that the distant wave of aether suddenly disappeared .  The Revelation Musicians who had lifted off the deck to investigate entered the silence with a slight feeling of unease . Suddenly, a shrill noise burst forth . In the deepest part of the fog, the musicians sound of heart burst forth, giving off a terrifying flame and aetheric turbulence . The turbulence swept through the fog, throwing it into chaos . The flame disappeared quickly, but it threw faint shadows all around . Sylvaine shot up out of his chair . Before he could say anything, the navigator had already pressed the warning b.u.t.ton and an ear-splitting noise rose out from the s.h.i.+p . Red warning lights flashed all around the fleet . Then, huge waves appeared one after another in the s.h.i.+ps observational ball of aether .  They were s.h.i.+p aether engines . One by one, the hazy outlines of ferocious shadows emerged from the fog . They were wars.h.i.+ps, several dozen wars.h.i.+ps that had been hidden in the fog, almost like they were melded into it . The faint traces of more could be seen behind them through the thinning fog . At some point, the Royal Navy had been surrounded! On the Sovereign, silence reigned . Is that the Phantom Fleet of Burgundy? Sylvaine was livid . How did they know we were here? In order to hide all trace of themselves, they had sailed in full silence . Even the government in Avalon didnt know their exact location, especially while they were in the red zone . It was like they were hidden in a dark forest without so much as a torch to give away their position . How had the d*mned Burgundians managed to surround them? Had they already prepared for war? Two red flames suddenly lit up under the first mates skin . He rushed at Sylvaine as his body started to quickly swell . The Anglos have left the path of righteousness . They will be cast into h.e.l.l to suffer the consequences of their actions! Bang! An ice-cold sword flashed out of the cabin . It slashed vertically and horizontally, cutting the swelling attacker into pieces . In the next instant, a formless wind gathered from all around, forming a cage that blocked the flames from his explosion, completely snuffing them out . All that was left was a pile of ashes that fell silently to the floor . Sylvaines face was white as a ghost . Alright, now I know how the enemy found us . He turned and saw the suit of cold iron armor that had appeared in the air beside him . Thank you, Sir Geraint, he said . Thank you for saving my life . Just doing my duty . The knight of the Round Table sheathed his sword . Watch out next time . Soon, damage reports came in from the other s.h.i.+ps . It was not only the Sovereign that had had double agents hidden on it, but the same thing had happened on two other s.h.i.+ps . Fortunately, the fires had been swiftly extinguished, and the captains had only suffered light wounds . The Burgundians must have been planning this for a long time . Otherwise, they would not have been able to achieve such shocking results in such a short time . But the Phantom Fleet of Burgundy did not launch an offensive, but instead stayed in their original places, trapping the Royal Navy between them . All of their main guns were aimed at them, but they did not fire . Instead, a message came from them . The operator looked at Sylvaine, who nodded . Answer it . A strangers cold voice filled the bridge . This is the Phantom Fleet of Burgundy . He paused for a moment, then continued, In a moment we will begin escorting your fleet, in order to improve relations with your honorable country, and for our mutual safety . Please do not take any actions that might cause a misunderstanding . The message ended . Sylvaines face was ashen . He made a fist . Escort? How was this an escort? This was a capture! Tell the fleet . Sylvaines eyes flared with anger . He raised his fist and was about to give the order to attack, but an ear-piercing alarm sounded again . Soon, it was a cacophony of overlapping noises . It was the sound of cold iron rubbing together . It was like the roaring of the sea . The fog parted . The chill that rushed into the sky came from the bottom of the ocean . Countless broken icicles rose up from the waves, looking like tree branches . It seemed like the ice crystals were being poured out of some storehouse . They froze and expanded, stretching out in all directions . The crisp sounds all joined together causing a loud roar . In an instant, the sea was completely frozen . The surface of the water had become a flat sheet of ice with numerous sharp ice crystals sticking out of it . The fleet was like an insect trapped in amber, frozen in place . Looking all around they could only see countless ice-crystals that were as sharp as knives pointing towards the sky . In the blink of an eye, the mighty movement hidden in the vast roar ended . A tremendous wave of aether rose up from the flags.h.i.+p, no longer concealed, but plain for all to see . It was hard to imagine that a musician could have frozen an entire ocean in an instant, not to mention to do so in the red zone . It was like the G.o.ds had taken fire away from the world, leaving only eternal cold and bone-chilling north wind . The fifth… the fifth symphony . On the bridge of the Sovereign, a crack had appeared in the musicians ball of aether . His face went pale . Commander, its a saint! he stammered . St . Schubert! Suddenly, the entire Royal Navy was plunged into a deathly silence . A saint? Why had a saint appeared on a Burgundian wars.h.i.+p?