The spired fortress was perched on a steep sea cliff, the Imperial flag flapping vigorously in the high altitude.

The spacious harbor was filled with sailing warships and steam supply vessels, with soldiers and dockworkers bustling to and fro like tides.

This was Saint Yil Castle, the Imperial military stronghold on the New Continent, and the hub of the "Northwest Wind Route."

Half a year ago, when Hell's legion launched a raid on Seldo Port, it was from here that General Hamoldon's troops set out to provide support.

Today's weather outside the fortress was good, the sky clear and cloudless, with seagulls circling around the flag.

Yet, the air still carried the lingering salty moisture from the sea breeze.

Just two weeks ago, a sudden storm had struck here and lasted an entire week.

Fortunately, Saint Yil Castle possessed solid stone walls, a meticulously designed underground drainage system, and most crucially, the Casting Group.

Under the protection of the barriers raised one after another by the Mages, this towering fortress managed to preserve its essence, not being blown off the map.

That was truly a breathtaking week.

Recalling it even now, the soldiers within the fortress still feel a shiver down their spines, grateful for the protection of Saint Sis.

In short, Saint Yil Castle remained unscathed.

But poor Seldo Port wasn't so lucky.

It was an important Imperial supply port along the New Continent coast and a critical chokepoint from the Imperial mainland to the inland colonies.

Now, this port has turned into rubble, the pontoon bridges torn apart, warehouses swallowed by seawater, and the entire coastline seemed to have been brutally gnawed by some massive entity, left broken and fragmented.

Even back when Hell's legion occupied it, they didn't cause such severe damage!

There are many rumors about this tsunami.

Some say a giant monster suddenly appeared in the deep sea, others claim a Demon from Subspace descended upon the ocean, while others describe it as an unspeakable conspiracy of Hell.

But regardless of what it was.

Hamoldon was certain that the thing lurking in the storm was definitely not something benevolent...

In the command room of the fortress, smoke curled upwards.

General Hamoldon sat in a large oak chair, donned his uniform, and looked stern.

He had a heavy pipe clamped in his mouth, bluish smoke wafting from its brass mouthpiece, as he listened motionlessly to the quartermaster's report, his gaze fixated on the strategic map spread out on the table.

The strategic map was studded with dense flags, with many ports and routes encircled in red or marked with red crosses.

That meant "temporarily out of order."

"...This storm nearly destroyed a third of our fleet deployed on the east coast of the New Continent," the quartermaster said in a low voice, with a bowed head, "especially the supply ships stationed at Seldo Port and Seagull Bay, which suffered the most due to being unable to escape the storm in time. Currently, all supply lines in the entire eastern region of the New Continent are paralyzed, not just here... several other fortresses are probably having headaches now too."

The Empire had no rivals on the Vast Ocean, and the warship's usual task was to support land battles or fight pirates.

As for supply ships, ordinary pirates did not dare to plunder them, and even if they did, it was hard to sell the loot, so there was no need for sophisticated power, and sailing ships sufficed.

The storm inflicted the greatest damage on this batch of old sailing ships.

Hamoldon said nothing, merely exhaled a puff of smoke slowly.

The quartermaster's Adam's apple bobbed, squeezing out the cruel fact with difficulty from his mouth.

"According to the rear command, it will take at least three months to replenish ships and reorganize supplies! General... we must admit, we might not be able to count on them for the time being."

Three months was a conservative estimate.

Although supply ships weren't as complicated as warships, summoning so many ships in a short time was an extremely troublesome matter.

Hamoldon tapped the ash from his pipe and spoke hoarsely.

"Your suggestion?"

The quartermaster hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up.

"We might have to... seek help from civilian forces."

The air fell silent for a moment.

General Hamoldon squinted, contemplating silently.

The statement was expressed quite vaguely, essentially meaning leveraging the power of Imperial merchant alliances.

It wasn't that he distrusted those merchant alliances, but their terms were typically expensive, seeking aid might solve the immediate problem, but in three months, there would certainly be new troubles—such as requesting him to turn a blind eye to their smuggling business.

Being able to control thousands of ships was not something an ordinary merchant could achieve, as there were usually nobles from the Imperial mainland backing them.

It was unrealistic to expect to kick these people aside after using them completely, and once you were on their pirate ship, it was hard to get off.

However, the reality was that the supplies in the warehouses of Saint Yil Castle were indeed running low, and he couldn't very well convince the soldiers to agree to go hungry.

Hamoldon's brow was furrowed.

Even when facing the relentless bombardment of the Magic Crystal Cannons of Hell, he didn't find it as troublesome as he did now.

Perhaps...

He might have to throw this problem to the Governor for a decision.

Just as he was about to speak after slowly taking off the pipe, there was a knock at the door.

He composed himself, gestured for the quartermaster to leave, and then said in a deep voice.

"Come in."

The door opened, and an officer in a navy uniform strode in.

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