"Splish... splash..."
Over twenty ships moved forward with the current. Aiden was one of the leaders of this fleet, and Freya was the head of the guards.
When they passed Sakura City, they borrowed seven or eight ships from the City Lord, bringing their total to over twenty vessels.
Freya stood at the bow, flanked by Gaba and Camilla. The three of them were accompanying Aiden on this trip to learn.
"Look, there are a lot of ships over there." Gaba's brown eyes glittered as she pointed to the fleet gathered on the water in the distance. For this mission, she had entrusted her younger sister, Emma, to the City Lord's manor, only then feeling at ease to leave with Captain Freya.
"That should be Maplewood City. There are quite a few people." Aiden lowered his telescope; he didn't have the sharp eyesight of the beastkin.
After traveling for five days, they were finally arriving at their destination. He had originally assumed Maplewood City was flooded and that there wouldn't be many people left. He hadn't expected to see so many civilians still on the city wall.
"Maintain order. If anyone dares to cause trouble, throw them into the water," Freya said coldly, her eyes filled with an icy chill.
"Understood." Gaba twitched her bear ears.
"Camilla, keep a good record of the numbers. Distribute the wheat cakes based on the headcount," Freya said, turning her head.
"Okay." Camilla pursed her lips, clutching her notepad tightly. This was her first time on such a mission, completely different from her time spent in Riverden Castle, and she was filled with anticipation and curiosity.
"Huh? Is that Miss Dahlia on that ship?" Freya narrowed her eyes, staring at the dozen or so large ships crowded with people. The figure on the lead ship looked incredibly familiar.
"It is indeed Miss Dahlia." Aiden confirmed after a look through the telescope. "I didn't expect her to be trapped here. The Master has been waiting for her for a long time."
"As long as she hasn't broken her appointment, it's all good," Freya said lightly. She knew very well that Lord Lucas and Her Highness the Princess were anxiously waiting to use the coins.
"Let's rescue them first. Good thing we borrowed ships from Sakura City, or we really couldn't have fit this many people," Aiden sighed. These twenty-plus ships could still hold several thousand people if they squeezed in.
"Is the food we brought enough? Don't forget, it has to last five or six days," Freya frowned. They couldn't let the food run out and end up starving themselves.
"Freya, the wheat and wheat cakes we brought, if we eat sparingly, can feed ten thousand people for five days," Camilla quickly interjected.
"Be even more frugal, just in case. It must last at least six days," Freya said, flicking her wolf tail.
"Okay, one wheat cake per person, with no wheat porridge; or one meal of wheat porridge a day. That way, it can last for six to seven days," Camilla suggested.
"Let's go with that. It will take about six days to get back to Sedona City anyway." Freya nodded. This was her first time in charge of such a matter, and she had heard from the Princess that Lord Lucas intended to train her as the Captain of the Guard.
"Yes," Camilla said respectfully, turning and jogging into the cabin to arrange for the change in food rations.
"We're almost there. Everyone, get ready," Aiden said in a deep voice, his thick arm resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"Shua!"
The soldiers on deck all wore serious expressions, one hand on their sword hilts, standing in formation on both sides of the ship.
"Wow! That ship is so big! It's huge!"
"Where is this fleet from? How can they have such a large ship?"
"..."
The civilians on the Maplewood City wall erupted in discussion, all marveling at the massive 50-meter-long ship.
"Lord Lucas... he really built a 50-meter ship?" Dahlia stared blankly at the great ship approaching, recognizing Freya and Aiden standing at its bow.
How long had it been, and he had actually managed to build a 50-meter ship? She remembered Lord Lucas asking her for shipwrights a few months ago; she hadn't paid it much mind. But now that the 50-meter ship was truly built, she was completely astounded.
"These ships? Why are they coming towards us!?" Alton was alarmed. "They aren't planning to ram us, are they?"
"Furl the sails! Drop anchor!" Aiden roared.
The crew immediately sprang into action, lowering the sails to decelerate and dropping the anchor to fix their position. The large ship came to a steady halt on the water, three meters from the city wall, stopping right in front of Alton.
"This is...?" Alton watched Aiden, Freya, and the others warily. Seeing their superior equipment, in particular, made him feel a sense of bitterness; it seemed his wariness was useless anyway.
"Everyone." Aiden stepped forward to the bow and shouted, "Our fleet is from Sedona City! We have come here to rescue you!"
"What? Rescue?" Alton was stunned. The crowd on the wall was stunned. They stared at Aiden in disbelief. Someone had come specifically to rescue them? That seemed impossible.
"Yes, a rescue." Aiden nodded firmly, his presence commanding. "Our Lord of Sedona City, Lord Lucas, predicted this flood. Unfortunately, we were a step too late, so he sent us to rescue everyone and take you to a safe place."
There was a verbal trap in these words: "a safe place." This "place" was for Aiden to decide, which certainly meant Sedona City. If those unwilling to leave their homeland went to Sedona City and still wished to leave later, they would, of course, not be detained.
"Really? Can you really take us to a safe place?" Alton asked urgently. The reason he had been willing to endure insults to try and find a way out was that, apart from the lack of food, this city wall just wasn't safe.
"Of course. You can board right now and receive food to stave off your hunger," Aiden said with a serious, earnest expression. "Set up the ladders! Welcome everyone aboard. Form a line!"
"Yes, sir!" Immediately, crewmen extended wooden ladders to the city wall for the civilians to board.
"One person at a time! No pushing!" Camilla stood by the ladder, recording in her notepad. Freya stood beside her, while Gaba was already leading people on patrol around the ship.
"Here, this is a wheat cake. Eat it with water." On the other side of the ladder, people were handing out palm-sized wheat cakes, which were made of compressed cooked wheat and dried vegetables. One was enough to feed one person for a day.
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