The Illness The Trial Has Already Begun

From the very start of the battle, Serena Feng was working alongside the military physicians to treat wounded soldiers. Most of her attention went to the so-called 'pirates'—those the official doctors refused to touch.

Serena should count herself lucky—her current status as Empress made all the difference. If she were still just the Phoenixfield clan’s daughter, her actions would have instantly made her the public enemy of everyone here.

No—if Serena Feng weren’t Empress, she couldn’t have ordered the soldiers to haul wounded 'enemies' aboard at all.

All things considered, being Empress was proving extremely useful.

Many of the rescued pirates had seen Serena Feng before. Even though they lived far out at sea, after two years they all knew who she was. The moment they realized she was treating them, none dared make trouble.

"Your Majesty..." Whether their injuries were serious or not, the first thing these 'pirates' did when they saw Serena Feng was kneel and pay respects—even with her mask on, they recognized her instantly.

"Are these pirates insane?" The Eastlyn Imperial Navy and the military doctors were utterly baffled, but since Serena Feng refused to explain, no one dared ask. All they could do was suppress their suspicions and keep a wary eye on the 'pirates,' afraid they might try something reckless or even take the Empress hostage.

But to their surprise, the pirates were even more obedient than expected. Whatever the Empress told them to do, they did—docile as cats, never once daring to lay a finger on her.

As the number of wounded grew, the military doctors had no time to worry about the pirates. Most of their energy went into bandaging soldiers’ wounds. But as time passed, the ship filled with more and more injured, and their conditions worsened. Many would need ten days or half a month to recover...

"This can’t go on." Serena Feng set down her scalpel and stood up, beckoning a soldier at the door: "Go tell His Majesty—it’s enough!"

If the fighting kept up, the Eastlyn Imperial Navy would suffer a crushing defeat—the enemy’s ferocity and bloodlust were fully unleashed, and Eastlyn’s sailors couldn’t match them.

"Huh?" The soldier was completely confused, but facing Serena Feng’s intimidating presence, he didn’t dare question her. He immediately ran out, nervously making his way to the deck, where Prince Nolan's shadow guards escorted him to the Ninth Royal Uncle himself.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty—may you live ten thousand years!" The soldier, though anxious, still remembered to show proper respect.

The soldier was so anxious he didn’t wait for Prince Nolan to tell him to rise. He blurted out, "Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress asked me to tell you: it’s enough!"

The soldier was trembling all over, terrified he’d deliver the message wrong or be asked to explain and fail. But to his surprise, the Emperor didn’t even glance at him—he simply walked to the prow and said, "Cease fire!"

In an instant, the scene froze. The cannon-blasted sea fell silent; whether friend or foe, everyone who heard the order stopped fighting and dropped to their knees, shouting, "Long live the Emperor!"

The soldier was utterly stunned by what he saw. He couldn’t understand what was happening—he watched in a daze as the 'pirates' boarded, as the two fleets drew together, as everything blurred...

Even after returning to land, the soldier never figured out what happened that day. All he knew was that his Emperor was truly invincible—just one word from him made those ruthless pirates lay down their blades and submit at his feet.

After retiring, the soldier wrote a book about his experience, leaving it for his descendants. He wanted them to know just how great their founding Emperor was—and that he personally witnessed that greatness...

There weren’t many people as bewildered as that soldier. Once the ceasefire was called, the Eastlyn Imperial Navy’s officers quickly realized what had happened. Seeing their own heavy losses, they knew they’d been outmatched.

The Emperor ordered him to follow the other side’s command in the coming battle at Ghost Hall. The Eastlyn naval commander had no objection—he knew he was outmatched and needed to learn.

There would be plenty of opportunities in the future. For now, he’d stick close and absorb as much experience as possible. When the campaign against Westlyn came, he’d be far ahead of his peers.

Prince Nolan didn’t care what they thought. He clarified everyone’s roles and who would be in charge from now on, then left them to sort out their own problems.

Nolan only valued strength. He gave them a chance—if they couldn’t seize it or command their own men, that was their own incompetence.

Whether it was the pirate chief or the Eastlyn navy, they’d all served under Prince Nolan for more than a day or two. They knew his temperament well—especially the pirate chief, who understood exactly what kind of subordinates Nolan wanted, and had been working toward that standard.

As soon as Nolan left, the pirate chief summoned all the Eastlyn navy’s deputy commanders and asked, one by one, whether they submitted. Did they truly yield, or was it just for show?

If it was just for show, he’d beat them until they really yielded!

There’s not much to do at sea, and fighting is a kind of entertainment. In the army, challenging one another is normal—as long as no one dies, Nolan doesn’t interfere.

Men have their own way of settling things!

Serena Feng had long since gotten used to soldiers solving problems with their fists.

The army was full of men, all brimming with energy. They had to find ways to vent their excess strength, and fighting was as good a method as any. As long as they didn’t go too far—cripple anyone or cause a death—it was fine.

Serena Feng didn’t bother with what was happening outside—she didn’t have time anyway. The casualty hold kept filling up, and the military doctors had worked themselves to exhaustion; by nightfall their arms could barely lift, yet patients still went untreated.

Serena might be Empress, but right now she was just a doctor. She wouldn’t leave until every patient was treated. She stayed in the casualty hold with the others, bandaging as many wounds as possible to prevent small injuries from turning into major problems.

Whether it was the severity of the wounds or the fact that injuries had been soaked too long in seawater and not properly cleaned, by midnight patients started spiking high fevers one after another.

Serena had just finished her work and was about to bathe and rest when she heard someone shouting behind her: "It’s bad, it’s bad! Du Gu’s whole body is burning up—he’s delirious!"

"Old Yan Seven is burning up too—he’s so hot..."

"I think I’m feverish too... Water, give me water!"

One fever case after another—just like an epidemic. After the first patient spiked a fever, the rest followed, all with dangerously high temperatures. If this kept up, even those who survived would end up brain-damaged.

The top priority was to bring down the fevers—fast.

Seeing how serious things were, Serena forgot all about rest and turned back toward the casualty hold. Of course, before she went, she told her guard: "Tell His Majesty—the wounded have a problem. I can’t leave."

With so many people falling ill, there was no way this was a coincidence!