It took a month for Victor's Fleet to travel from Madena to Sinolla.
The first day at sea brought calm water and a crisp breeze. Sailors moved with practised precision, adjusting lines, checking barrels, ensuring the fleet held formation. The Holy Trinity led confidently, her deep blue flags snapping sharply in the wind.
Victor stood on the quarterdeck, speaking with his navigator and reviewing charts rather than looking back at the city. There was work to do: the voyage north to Sinolla would take roughly a month, assuming winds favoured them and the sea remained manageable. Messages were sent along signal flags to the rest of the fleet, confirming formation and intended speed.
By mid-morning, Madena's shoreline was already a smudge behind them.
The opening days were uneventful. A calm southerly pushed the fleet along the coastline, keeping the ships in tight order. The Holy Trinity led, with a dozen Ships Of The Line on her flanks and while the troop transports and the rest of the warships trailed from behind. The weather stayed clear, allowing the crews to run drills, inspect rigging, and check the condition of the gun decks.
Fishing boats from coastal villages occasionally appeared on the horizon, turning quickly away upon sighting the fleet's colours. Victor welcomed the quiet—it meant no unwanted entanglements.
Each evening, the ships slowed enough for the quartermasters to exchange signal reports on provisions. Everything remained in good order.
At the start of the second week, the seas grew rougher as the land curved and the open water widened. Winds shifted unpredictably, forcing frequent adjustments. The Holy Trinity handled it cleanly, but the smaller brigs struggled in the chop, prompting Victor to order a reduced pace until they regained stability.
Spray washed over the decks. The officers secured anything not tied down, and lanterns were extinguished early each night to avoid accidents.
Still, the fleet remained intact.
Once the ships were out of the rough patch, they could cut northwest toward Sinolla across a broad stretch of open water. This was the longest leg of the voyage, where monotony set in. Victor kept the fleet busy: daily inspections, rotation drills, sail changes, and musket practice on the stern platforms to keep the men sharp.
The winds were steady, and the current favoured them. The ships made excellent time.
A minor squall struck on the fifteenth night, but it was the sort sailors weathered without comment. Canvas was reefed, hatches secured, and the storm passed within hours with no damage done.
By the final week, the temperature began to cool as they neared the northern latitudes. The water darkened, and seabirds familiar to the coast of Sinolla began to appear. Spirits lifted at the sight—clear proof they were close.
The fleet maintained formation as it entered the established northern shipping lanes. Merchant vessels passing at a distance dipped their colours in respect to the Luxenberg flag.
The Holy Trinity charted the last leg with care. Rocky shoals and sandbars dotted the waters near Sinolla's coast, but the navigators knew the routes well, and no surprises emerged.
Thirty days after departing Madena, the grey-walled port city of Sinolla rose into view—its watchtowers, cranes, and tiered docks unmistakable even through morning haze.
Signal flags went up across the fleet. Lines were prepared. Marines stood ready for disembarkation.
The voyage had been long, but clean, steady, and without misfortune.
When Victor arrived at Sinolla, there were some small tasks left to do before he could continue travelling back to Hannover. Firstly, Victor had to wait for General Picton and General Kamensky to arrive. They were still 3 weeks away since they had to do a decent march from Lodi, where they had been previously guarding prisoners of war.
While awaiting for them to arrive, there was another matter that needed to be taken care of: The governance of Prato. As the new lord of the county, Victor needed to establish a decent garrison and some administrators to run the region since he would be a continent away.
Prato was not even a week away, so Victor made haste to begin his journey to Prato. All the army stayed in Sinolla with the exception of Marshal Bessières and a few hundred Royal Scots Grey cavalrymen from the Royal Guard.
When Victor arrived in Prato, he was pleased to see the city recovering from their siege months ago. People were clamouring in its streets, and life had seemed to move on.
Under Victor's orders, the Lamaro treasury was plundered and used to help improve the city. All repairs that were still needed to be done saw a boost in productivity thanks to Victor hiring more workers. Money was compensated to those who had suffered during the siege, and additional food supplies were bought so that a surplus could be built up in case of an emergency.
With Victor beginning the initial steps, he realised that trusted administrators would be key to running the county in his absence. Victor used 25,000 out of his total 300,000 Store Points and bought a 10x Medium-Level Foreign Follower Summon.
Out of the ten new followers, 8 of them were 3 stars. There were 3 lower-level financial administrators, 2 lower-level industrial administrators and 1 lower-level civil administrator and 2 lower-level merchants. The last 2 summons were both 4 stars, one being a medium-level civil administrator and the other an engineer.
These administrators would be useful to the next Governor of Prato. The merchants and engineer would be sure to integrate well in Prato and find suitable work.
Victor then forked out 75,000 out of his remaining 275,000 Store Points to buy a 10,000-Man Infantry Unit Summon for 50,000 Store Points and a Medium-Level Foreign Commander Summon for 25,000 Store Points.
The newly summoned infantrymen looked the same as their previously summoned comrades, which Victor expected, but what he did not expect was to summon a 4-star general from his Medium-Level Foreign Commander Summon.
The man who stepped through the orange smoke of the animation had dark eyes and thick brows. In addition, he had a strong, neatly groomed moustache accentuating the severity of his face. His hair was dark, curling slightly at the sides, with the look of a man in his late 40s or early 50s.
He adorned the Luxenberg General's uniform and approached the screen with confidence. When the animation finished, the screen read, 'General Orion Valerius' with 4 stars next to his name.
General Valerius would be a great addition to Victor's military.