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To be honest, such a luxurious lineup truly tempts me to launch an attack and bury this entire fleet at the bottom of the sea. However, after assessing my own strength, I abandoned this tempting idea. Even without mentioning the mages and priests who can suppress even sea storms, the Holy Sword Knights trained from a young age in the Temple are also proficient in powerful divine spells. The White Dragon is not an absolutely magic-immune Dragon King; being besieged by hundreds or thousands of magical divine spells would inevitably lead to certain death.

Moreover, I have yet to grasp the true nature of the Temple's ultimate contingency plan, which they claim can turn the tide of battle.

I initially thought I could obtain some clues from Knight Apu, but after several inquiries, I learned that even this veteran Holy Grail Knight has no knowledge of the real face of that plan. As for the mysterious person we are protecting, referred to as "Mr. Pang," he spends his days hiding in his room, emerging only with his head and face wrapped in a black robe, refusing any interaction. To date, I have seen him only three times and have not exchanged a single word with him. It is impossible to gather any information from him. Behind closed doors, the Holy Knights accompanying us on the ship have many speculations about this mysterious figure, most of which are dark and negative rumors. Among them, the theory that he is a necromancer infiltrating the Temple is the most widely accepted.

Although I have already relayed the news of the Temple's three contingency plans to the Alliance, I still dare not relax my vigilance regarding this matter. The Alliance's Northern Offensive Plan, which has been prepared for over a century, is indeed comprehensive, but the potential forces of the Temple cannot be underestimated. If they were to employ some unexpected ultimate move, it would not be a laughing matter. After all, the Alliance is currently at a disadvantage against humans, and every bit of strength is invaluable. Unlike humans, who occupy vast territories with abundant resources and a large population, allowing them to quickly replenish their losses, any damage to the elite orc troops in the Northern Campaign would inevitably delay the future plans to conquer the human world.

"Hey, Fengxuan, come down and rest!" From the deck of the largest flagship in the fleet below, Knight Apu shouted up to me.

"Alright, Dongye, let's go down." I patted the dragon saddle and said to my White Dragon.

The White Dragon obediently folded its wings, descended, and gently landed on the stern of the large ship. This flagship was over twenty zhang long, more than twice the size of the largest warships of the Song Dynasty in my previous life. The specially treated platform at the stern was designed to accommodate a White Dragon over five zhang in length without hindering navigation. As soon as the White Dragon landed on the deck, several attendants rushed over to remove the armor and dragon saddle. Dongye nodded at me, then turned and jumped into the sea to hunt.

When people think of dragons, they often first imagine their majestic flight through the sky, but they often forget that dragons are super magical creatures capable of air, land, and sea. Not only do they possess flying abilities, but they are equally adept at running on land and swimming in water. Even fire-type Red Dragons, which dislike water, can swim underwater for over an hour, let alone Sea Dragons, which spend most of their time in the water. Ice-type White Dragons, which are also classified under the water element, have water skills second only to Sea Dragons, especially enjoying cold ocean currents, a trait shared even by hybrid dragons like Dongye.

"Knight Fengxuan, we are still half a month's voyage away from the area where the orc fleet operates. Do you really need to patrol so intensively? Flying for fourteen to fifteen hours every day without a break," a Temple technician responsible for maintaining the dragon knight's equipment asked while arranging for the armor to be maintained.

"Hehe, this isn't just for patrolling. Newly appointed dragon knights must spend a lot of time with their dragons to build rapport, usually taking six months to a year before they can enter battle. With only two months until we face the enemy, I naturally have to work twice as hard," I replied with a light laugh.

For this Northern Campaign, the Temple is fully committed, especially to this so-called ultimate contingency plan, which they take extremely seriously. As a newcomer to the Temple for just over a year, who hasn't even reached the Sword Emperor realm, it would be difficult for me, even as a Holy Grail Knight, to get close to core figures like "Mr. Pang." Fortunately, I successfully became the only dragon knight under the Temple's command, leveraging the strategic importance of the dragon to be selected for this team, becoming a key combat force expected to counter the Orc Alliance's "North Sea Fleet."

The "North Sea Fleet," one of the three major navies of the orcs, has a unique combat style. The main members of this fleet are the Polar Bear Tribe and the Penguin Tribe. The Polar Bear Tribe, the strongest branch of the bear race, naturally possesses formidable combat power, though their numbers are small, with the majority remaining in the Northern Legion in the icy plains. Only a fraction of their warriors join the fleet, less than one-twentieth of the total. The Penguin Tribe, which makes up eighty percent of the fleet's personnel, is a very unique race. As bird orcs under the eagle clan, they have a pair of wings on their backs, but these small, thick wings can barely generate enough lift for flight. However, after tens of thousands of years of evolution, no organ produced by orcs is useless. On land, these Penguin Tribe warriors have combat power comparable to humans, but once they enter the water, their combat power increases tenfold. Their short, sturdy wings allow them to move swiftly and nimbly like birds and fish, and they possess unique diving techniques and underwater combat methods. No other race on the continent, except for mermaids, can match them in underwater combat.

Based on this foundation, the "North Sea Fleet" has established a completely different naval warfare style compared to humans. While human sailors can generally swim, none of them rely on this ability in naval battles. Real combat still depends on mages, ballistae, catapults, and magical cannons, with archery, boarding, and melee combat also being important tactics. However, the "North Sea Fleet" is entirely different. Relying on the Penguin Warriors' resistance to cold and their ability to engage in continuous underwater combat for over ten hours, dive for half an hour, and swim at speeds exceeding twenty kilometers per hour at depths of three hundred meters, they use warships as logistical bases and defensive fortresses, leaving offensive responsibilities to the Penguin Warriors. Human fleets are often surrounded by thousands of Penguin Warriors before they even see the orc warships, then overwhelmed with crossbows, ramming, and fire attacks from all sides. The thick water surface helps the Penguin Warriors defend against magical and projectile attacks, making it impossible for humans to gain any advantage in battles against the "North Sea Fleet" to this day.