Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys

If it were moored at the harbor, Rein estimated the draft of the sailboat to be about four meters above the waterline based on the design plans.

Additionally, the design plans showed that the captain's cabin was equipped with a small side window, some circular, others semi-circular.

Thus, they were quite easy to recognize, especially if there was a light on in the opponent's room.

This made Rein nod slightly to himself.

However, a note on the design plan indicated the hull thickness of the three-masted sailboats was about thirty centimeters, and that of the four-masted ones nearly forty centimeters.

This made Rein's eyebrows furrow slightly once again.

At the bottom of the paper was a structure resembling an ancient castle, two stories high and housing dozens of rooms in size.

From the annotations beside it, Rein learned that this was the main base of the Bloody Hand pirates on Meritet Island, known as 'Bloody Hand Fortress,' built from the island's massive rocks, very sturdy.

However, the pirates preferred to call it the 'Little Fortress.'

Seeing this, a mixture of ships and fortress, Rein couldn't help but wonder, were they planning to split forces for the battle?

One team responsible for boarding combat?

Another for assaulting the Little Fortress?

At this moment, someone suddenly asked, "Sir, is this going to be a boarding battle? Are those leaders on their ships, or in the Bloody Hand Fortress?"

Sure enough, Rein wasn't the only one puzzled.

"We don't know yet," the naval commodore shook his head and said.

"However, once we disembark, we should find out. It will not be a boarding combat, but rather an assault on the ship," he added.

"What you need to do is familiarize yourself with the structural plans of both the ships and the fortress," the commodore further instructed.

At this point, a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache, dressed in noble hunting attire, reminded everyone:

"Lastly, I want to remind everyone that unexpected situations can arise during combat, and in some cases, even the few of us responsible for the assessment might not be able to rescue in time."

"So please cherish your life and don't overreach," he added.

He paused for a moment and said reassuringly, "Even if you do not pass the nobility examination this time, you can still apply again in five years."

Although the man said this, Rein looked up slightly and felt that not many were taking it to heart.

Since most had signed up for the nobility examination, they believed in their own abilities.

And for the few twenty-seven or twenty-eight-year-olds, with age being a penalizing factor, this could be their last chance.

After all, in five more years, they would be in their thirties, and unless their skills reached the level of a Veteran Knight, the hope of passing the nobility examination would naturally become slimmer.

Hence, for them, going all out in the fight seemed to be the preferred choice.

Isn't there a saying from the previous life, "Strike it big, a bicycle becomes a motorcycle!"

Now, they strike it big, a commoner becomes a noble!

So... they naturally had to go for it.

Now that the objective was clear, Rein slowly removed the chrome iron suit he was wearing and put on the leather armor made from otter skin.

Fighting in the cramped space of a ship's cabin, being more agile could offer significant advantages. Besides, wearing heavy armor would be quite awkward if one fell into the water...

Moreover, Rein had the "Iron Skin lv3" Transcendent trait, which naturally made him more suited for combat in leather armor.

After shedding over a hundred pounds of weight, Rein immediately felt much lighter.

...

Around one o'clock in the morning,

they arrived at Meritet Island.

Only then did everyone realize that another ship followed behind them, from which dozens of elite naval assault troopers, dressed in the light armor of Swordsmen and accompanied by crossbows, as well as more than ten naval officers, disembarked in orderly fashion.

It seemed that these were the main attacking forces.

Oh?

She actually came too.

Rein quickly noticed one of the officers was someone he was familiar with, the female major named Mary who had been responsible for receiving them at the Navy's Home Inn.

However, Mary was not the only woman there; there were also two other female officers, who were likely responsible for recording, communication, and coordination.

As Rein jumped off the ship, his Dark Vision allowed him to easily discern his surroundings. The island was not large, and the first thing that caught his eye was the low fortress at the island's center. Despite being labeled a castle, it indeed resembled more of a small fortress.

This was obviously the Bloody Hand Fortress.

Rein could vaguely make out several guns, their dark metal gleaming, mounted on the walls of the Little Fortress.

Besides, there was the makeshift dock about two to three hundred meters to their left, where a four-masted sailboat, three three-masted warships, and several small boats were moored.

Clearly, these were the main ships of the Bloody Hand pirates and the two kinds of vessels depicted in the design plans.

At that moment, a middle-aged man dressed as a pirate with a red headband suddenly emerged from the front, about a dozen meters away from the bushes, startling everyone.

But the naval commodore seemed to have expected the man to be waiting for them, and calmly asked:

"What's the situation now?"

"Sir, because the Bloody Hand pirates are on high alert for an attack from the Imperial Navy, Willy has arranged the meeting with the messenger on the central four-masted sailboat—the flagship, 'Bloody Hand.'"

"From the banquet up until now, Bloody Hand Willy and the messenger haven't come out, and they should still be on the flagship. The other three three-masted sailboats are also on full alert, including the captains and first mates; they are all aboard."