Ominous Premonition

The meeting to plan the convoy was held in complete secrecy.

However, it was impossible to keep the results completely secret.

It was a massive formation: thirty sailing ships of several thousand tons each, with many monsters in tow, plus five 3rd-class battleships serving as escorts.

Of course, such a massive convoy required countless people to be mobilized.

The Eastern trade guilds weren't fools either, so they kept the talk about the 'convoy' hidden...

"Hmm, the number of ships preparing to depart has increased lately."

"The Eastern Royal Navy is also on the move. It looks like they're planning a large-scale operation timed to the ships' departure dates."

Even from surface-level information alone, it wasn't that hard to figure out what was happening.

Besides, over the past year the South had worked hard to plant spies in the heart of the East.

They spared no means or methods, whether that meant throwing money around, using women to manipulate people, using drugs, or wiretapping...