Chapter 44: 44. I think it's still worth saving a little.
Dorothy's clown act didn't last long; she quickly forgot about it. That's just how carefree and thoughtless an otaku's naturally optimistic personality is.
After all, what's past is past and cannot be changed. No matter how much she regretted it now, it would be useless besides making herself sick. So why torture herself? She might as well use that time to review the knowledge in her mind and strive to do better when taking the exam later.
She turned her head and glanced out the window.
The magical beast carriage had officially arrived at the port, and the teleportation hub they had seen from afar was now right before their eyes.
Although they knew from a distance that this teleportation passage was huge, the shock was even more memorable when they actually stood before the passage and looked up at the enormous circular vortex, which had a diameter of a thousand meters.
Compared to this colossal teleportation passage, the magical beast carriage Dorothy and others rode in was like an ant, and the other witch passers-by who didn't even ride carriages but flew around on brooms were even less than ants.
Hmm, there's definitely no need to worry about traffic jams or teleportation jams with a teleportation passage of this scale.
A thought suddenly popped into Dorothy's mind, and then she herself was a little amused by this unpromising idea.
Although at first glance it seemed a bit wasteful to build such a massive teleportation hub, like building a twenty-lane super-highway for ants, that's what it was.
However, the current scale of this teleportation passage is actually only the effect of the teleportation hub operating at its lowest power. If it were at full power, this teleportation passage could expand several more times, as its initial construction purpose was never for civilian use, but for military.
All ultra-long-distance teleportation hubs in the Witch World have a mandatory requirement in their construction standards: they must be able to accommodate the teleportation needs of a fully-equipped Fleet of Witches.
As for the size of a normal, fully-equipped Fleet of Witches...
One 10,000-meter-class main ship, equipped with a world-destroying main cannon; three to five 5,000-meter-class escort battleships, equipped with planet-destroying cannons; ten to twenty 1,000-meter-class assault ships, equipped with land-sinking cannons; and a certain number of other comprehensive supply ships.
Hmm, this is also one of the reasons why few alien races dare to cause trouble or rebel in a witch Territory. If things escalate, the lord can just summon a Fleet of Witches to their face and ask if they're scared.
Relying on a teleportation network that spans the entire world, the Fleet of Witches from all over the world can reach the battlefield at the fastest speed. Therefore, there is no possibility of a blitz attack on a witch Territory without first cutting off the teleportation hub.
However, the teleportation hub of every witch Territory is protected in the core of the territory. The giant teleportation passage outside is merely a manifestation of the hub's power; even if it's damaged, it can be quickly restarted. The true hub itself is located in the center of the witch Territory's floating island, guarded personally by the witch Territory Lord.
However, speaking of which, although a fully equipped Fleet of Witchesis terrifying, very few witch Territories can actually afford such a fully equipped Fleet of Witches. A normal witch Territory would be bankrupt just to get one or two 1,000-meter assault ships. After all, Witch Warships are the ultimate War weapons of the Witch World, containing the most advanced magic-guided technology in the entire world, and each one is priceless.
Therefore, typical Fleet of Witches are actually assembled piecemeal: a big lord contributes the flagship, a few mid-tier lords contribute escort battleships, smaller lords pool together some assault ships, and new lords are responsible for logistics. Such a Fleet of Witches is already enough to easily conquer most other worlds. After the world annexation is complete, everyone divides the spoils according to their contributions.
However, these cutting-edge War weapons are even further out of reach for a novice Little Witch like Dorothy; she has never seen a real Witch Warship in her life.
Sea Moon Island does have an inherited 1,000-meter assault ship, but it is the Sea Moon Witch's prized possession and is never shown to outsiders. Moreover, for the past decade or so, the Sea Moon Witch has been engrossed in economic development and recuperation, and has not recruited anyone to open up new territories on the front lines. Naturally, Dorothy has never had the chance to witness the legendary Witch Warship in action.
However, there are many games about the Fleet of Witches available on the Magic Net, and Dorothy had once played such games, serving as a Witch Warship Captain for a while.
Hmm, a Fleet of Witches with a large group of psychic Ship Girls who can transform into alluring older sisters is truly wonderful.
Unfortunately, games cannot be taken seriously. In fact, generally only legendary warships can be psychic, but there are only a few legendary warships in the entire Witch World. As for an entire fleet composed of psychic Ship Girls, such a thing can probably only be dreamed of. To truly see such a Dream Fleet, one would have to wait until the Sage Council orders a large military exercise or something.
Therefore, that Witch Warship game has always been criticized as baseless fantasy, pandering to male players, and a trash game that's completely unrealistic.
But jokes aside, and criticisms aside, the game is indeed a good one. Although the fidelity is still only ninety-nine percent of reality, the levels set against the backdrop of various classic battles in witch history are quite thrilling, and the strategy is also good. I heard that the military was even involved behind the game company.
Therefore, if a Little Witch wants to experience the feeling of commanding warships in battle and a thousand cannons firing simultaneously on the battlefield, that game is not to be missed.
Anyway, Dorothy, as a typical Witch, had a great time playing the game back then. It was just that one time, when she was happily ganking other players with her Dream Fleet, composed of Ship Girls she had painstakingly refined through full spiritual connection, she suddenly encountered a true master ganking in a solo queue. On that day, Dorothy once again experienced the fear and humiliation of being dominated by a master.
Her max-level main account was completely annihilated by someone using an ordinary Fleet through micro-management. It was like a Dragon riding on her face, despite having a military advantage of nearly dozens of times, she still returned defeated, with all her Ship Girls severely damaged. After that battle, even an optimist like Dorothy was so angry that she couldn't sleep for several weeks.
Finally, the more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She cursed the game on the game forum, calling it trash, saying the balance was terrible, asking if they understood what a real battlefield was, if they knew what equipment Rolling was, and then a series of frustrated lines like, "rnm, refund my money," before uninstalling the game and quitting.
"Hmm, having large Fleets blast each other is what women do. A true man should go for Witch duels, with fists and feet."
However, just as Dorothy was reminiscing about her glorious, impetuous youth, she suddenly remembered something very important.
That was, in fifty years, her birth mother would launch a Lord Waragainst her. This Lord War is a special duel mode that Witch Lords usually undertake when determining their Lord rankings.
The Lord War not only compares the strength of the Witch Lord but also the number of strong individuals in their territory, the equipment of their army, the economic potential of their territory, the degree of support from their subjects for the Lord, and a series of other comprehensive strengths.
Of course, it sounds very profound, but in essence, it's just two witch Territories engaging in a War.
However, if it were a real War, there would naturally be casualties, and such internal conflicts between compatriots have always been prohibited by the Witch Association. But to determine rankings, sometimes a battle has to be fought, which is why the current millennium-long Witch Lord ranking battle has formed.
This is a grand event for the entire Witch World. All participating witch Territories can let loose and revel completely, releasing their destructive desires on the battlefield, because this grand event is personally arranged by the World Mother.
All participating witch Territories will be replicated by the World Mother into a mirrored world. There, even if the world is destroyed, it will not affect reality in the slightest, so they can play and create freely, without worrying about losses caused by internal strife.
However, such a level of miraculous event is a huge consumption even for the World Mother, which is why there is a thousand-year buffer period, requiring a thousand years of energy to play once.
The normal lifespan of a Witch is only a thousand years, so this grand event is also called a once-in-a-lifetime indulgence.
And now, calculating the time, the next Lord War...
Damn it, it's exactly fifty years later.
Oh, this...
Dorothy was dumbfounded.
If this were a normal development, then the Lord War Youfeiliya would launch against her in fifty years would certainly not be to kill her. After all, she was her birth mother, not an enemy; a symbolic test would suffice.
But if this was a Lord carnival where consequences didn't matter, then do you think the Dragon Witch would go easy on her just because she's her biological daughter?
A Lord War is War. On the battlefield, no one will foolishly engage you in a one-on-one duel. At that time, everyone will be bringing out big cannons to blast away. So, the question is:
"Mom, may I be so bold as to ask, do you have Witch Warships?"
Dorothy carefully forced a smile and asked the Dragon Witch opposite her.
"Warships? Why do you ask?"
Youfeiliya, whose mood was uplifted by her daughter's affectionate call of "Mom," uncreased her brows. She looked at her daughter with some surprise, not knowing why she suddenly thought to ask this, but being in a good mood, she had nothing to hide. She simply extended one hand calmly.
"Five ships."
Seeing her mother's five outstretched fingers, Dorothy raised an eyebrow, a look of difficulty on her face.
As expected of a Witch Lord from the Dragon Kingdom, she was truly magnificent, casually fielding a small Fleet. She just didn't know if it was five thousand-meter assault ships or five five-thousand-meter battleships.
But it wasn't a big problem; even if she had to sell everything she owned for fifty years, she thought she could grit her teeth and resist.
Dorothy calculated the disparity and felt it was still acceptable.
"It's five fully-equipped Fleet of Witches, Young Miss."
The Angel Witch, Sophia, delivered a merciless blow, clearing her throat and formally introducing the Young Miss, who knew almost nothing about her own birth mother.
"You might have some misunderstandings about your mother, so allow me to give you a brief introduction. Standing before you now is the representative of the new noble power in the Dragon Kingdom, the inheritor of the Dragon King's noble blood, the Lord of Huiyao Territory, the newly appointed Dragon Prince, the current Legion Commander of the Shattered Legion, and the holder of the title 'Dragon Queen Who Proclaims Destruction', Apex Witch, Lady Youfeiliya."
"Hmm, that's pretty much it. I won't mention some of her other minor achievements; Young Miss, you can learn about them slowly in the future."
Dorothy: "..."
Actually, she didn't remember that long string of titles after Sophia's introduction. Her mind was currently filled with "five fully-equipped Fleet of Witches."
What kind of joke is this? I've never been so extravagant in the game; how can reality be more exaggerated than the game?
Excuse me, in fifty years, I'll be facing a situation where five Fleets are overwhelming me. Can I still be saved?
Waiting online, it's urgent.
Dorothy lay on the sofa like a helpless salted fish, her eyes devoid of light.
I'm going to lie down first, Mom, feel free to do as you please.