Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

What is the most important quality for a gambler?

Some may say it's "luck", while others may assert it's the wisdom to "quit while you're ahead".

But a true gambler only loses because of bad luck, not because of good luck. If they win, they credit their own skill.

As for "quit while you're ahead"? Such people hardly qualify as gamblers at all. A true gambler stakes the winnings again as capital, until left with nothing.

Self-declared gamblers believe that seizing the moment is the most crucial ability at the table. A shrewd gambler can grasp fleeting opportunities and must own the courage to bet it all, to sweep the prize pool.

As one of the master sail makers of the Tanilia Federation, Frank Drake might be a hopeless gambler, but even his enemies would applaud his knack for seizing the moment in battle.

And tonight's opportunity was truly once-in-a-lifetime.

The rowing battleships, constituting half the Vineta Fleet's main force, were resting in the harbor, while outside the anchorage lay only eleven large sailing ships, a few small and swift sailboats, and twenty-one merchant vessels carrying army officers and soldiers.

To the east of the Haidong Port anchorage lay miles of treacherous reefs and shoals. Unless the navigator knew these dangerous waters like the back of his hand, the entire fleet risked being annihilated once inside.

At this moment, strong northwest winds were blowing in from the sea. The tide turned, the evening tide surged toward the coast, and darkness fell. Drake's fleet, riding the northwest wind, firmly held the upper hand, benefiting from both time and place.

But if the avenging fleet faltered slightly, they could be swept by wind and waves into the eastern waters. Once driven there, they wouldn't need Drake's fleet to act—the ocean itself would teach the Venetians about its dangers.

Land officers like Winters knew nothing of this; when they heard the drumbeats rising from the ships and saw all sailors preparing for battle in an orderly fashion, they just felt their blood boiling, eager for a fight.

But naval officers—especially senior officers like captains—understood the sea and were keenly aware of nature's mighty force.

The very survival of the fleet now depended on Vice Admiral Nalesho. The palms of all captains were sweaty with anticipation, hoping the vice admiral was not all talk and actually had a clear plan.

Aboard the flagship The Glorious, everyone gradually fell silent, turning their gaze toward the quarterdeck, where the fleet's supreme commander stood.

Vice Admiral Nalesho atop the quarterdeck had an inscrutable look on his face, his hands tightly gripping the ship's rail, head unturned as he commanded, "Mr. Kalaman?"

"Yes, sir!" the first officer snapped to attention reflexively.

"Relay my orders to all ships, with The Glorious as the lead. Set course due north, weigh anchor and set sail!"

"Yes, sir!"

"You all heard the vice admiral's orders!" Kalaman shouted across the deck: "Lower the boats! Set course due north! Hoist the staysails! Move it!"

The previously still deck buzzed back to life with Nalesho's orders.

The boatswain's whistle sounded, sharp and clear, two short then two long—now even the sailors who hadn't heard the first officer's orders understood what the whistle meant.

Signal lanterns at the stern lit up, transmitting commands to the entire fleet through established sequences of flashes.

About two dozen sailors deftly climbed the rigging, securing block and tackles. On deck, sailors raised the staysails between the masts with coordinated effort.

Winters recognized this kind of sail; the first mate on the Thief's Seagull had taught him that with this triangular sail, a ship could sail against the wind.

But the sailors' next moves puzzled him as two small boats were lowered from the side into the sea, and the deck crew busily tied ropes between the ship's bow sprit and the boats.

"What are they doing?" Winters asked Cage, puzzled.

"Heavy warships must be anchored into the wind for stability," Cage explained. "But to raise anchor, boats must first be used to adjust the ship's direction, or the wind could spin it around uncontrollably."

"Row, lads! Pull hard!" bellowed the flushed-faced boatswain.

The sailors aboard the small boats rowed vigorously, gradually turning the bow of The Glorious to the north, roughly at a right angle to the wind.

Twelve sailors pushed the capstan with fierce determination, their faces contorted, muscles taut, and bodies nearly tilted onto the deck. Accompanied by a grating noise, the anchor, sunken in the seabed, was slowly lifted.

When the anchor left the bottom, the ship jerked forward. Previously, the anchor and sails had been locked in a tug-of-war; suddenly released, the sailboat began to steadily gain speed.

"The vice admiral is taking us north, avoiding the eastern reefs," Cage swallowed nervously. "This is too dangerous… too dangerous…"

"Where's the danger?"

Pointing to the wind-billowed sails, Cage said, "The wind and waves are both driving us east. At night, it's impossible to discern direction. We may think we're heading north, but find ourselves drawn closer to the east. The Glorious is the guide; if its course is wrong, it could lead the entire fleet to catastrophe."

Winters didn't know what Nalesho's plan was, but he had studied the assault on Haidong Port thoroughly. The Tanilian commander had used diversionary tactics to concentrate forces and defeat the port's defenders, moving swiftly, ripping off a piece and withdrawing, leaving Vineta Army's reinforcements grasping at air. Experience more content on empire