Monarch of Evernight - Chapter 825

Chapter 825: 825

After the cargo trucks arrived at the transport airship, the drivers and workers proceeded to unload the crates from their vehicles . Bluemoon and a handful of Highbeard warriors began inspecting the goods . The boxes would only be allowed onto the airship after confirming that they were kinetic sail parts of the required specifications .

These sails were fairly big—it would take dozens of one-square-meter boxes to fit a single disassembled sail, and a single cargo truck could only carry two such sails . Bluemoon’s insistence on inspecting every box was making the process fairly slow . Even with all the Highbeard tribesmen helping her, it would take several hours to complete the check .

The merchants stood patiently to the side . It was common practice in the neutral lands to inspect goods on site—there was no such thing as trust or reputation here . Robberies between the two parties weren’t exactly uncommon, either .

But the Southern Blue City Lord had a steep share in this deal, so those small arms dealers didn’t dare play any tricks . Even so, Ji Rui had dispatched four entire truckloads of elite soldiers with the convoy .

With Qianye on the receiving end, whoever tried to rob his goods was as good as dead . The disbanded Stormwind Fury was proof of this . Besides, Qianye’s ruthlessness was quite well known now—his relentless revenge would never stop until the last enemy had been eradicated .

Hence, the transaction went forward without any accidents despite its value going well beyond a hundred thousand .

It was just that a certain person in the crowd was watching the transaction in silence . He then snuck out of the small town toward a distant hill, where he activated an origin array . A strong light flickered in the heart of this array, but it could only be seen from above .

High up in the air, three imperial airships were parked near the void, ready to kill at a moment’s notice .

Lu Saobei stood near the window, gazing expressionlessly at the distant continent . There was a weak beam of light flickering constantly on the land . This was a signaling system that made use of different frequencies to transmit information .

Lu Saobei watched quietly until the flickering stopped . He then looked back and said, “In about three hours, the transaction will end and the cargo ship will take off . It's currently unclear whether Qianye is on the ship or not . At the very least, he hasn’t appeared at the transaction site . ”

“Then, should we follow that cargo ship or sink it?”

Lu Saobei snorted and glared unhappily at his subordinate . “How much can that run-down ship be worth? Qianye is the real heart of this operation! A promotion is certain as long as we can take his head . We won’t need to suffer in this accursed place anymore . Issue my order, instruct the other two airships to follow the flagship, we’ll trail that cargo ship . No one is to fire or reveal themselves without my instructions . ”

At this moment, the long inspection process had just ended outside of the small town . The workers and warriors began moving the crates onto the airship . Meanwhile, Bluemoon ordered her men to move a large crate from the ship and placed it in front of Liu Yuanxi .

Opening the container, the steward’s breathing became coarse and rapid as the neat rows of black crystals came into view .

He quickly shut the lid on the box and gestured for his men to carry it onto the car . He bowed with a face full of smiles . “The transaction is complete now, I wish young miss a peaceful journey . ”

Bluemoon expressed her thanks and boarded the cargo ship .

The old engine emitted a crude rumble as it spat out a mixture of white steam and black smoke . The cargo ship trembled with increasing ferocity until it finally took off, swaying . The creaking sounds from god knew where made the spectators wonder whether the ship could keep itself together .

But the old cargo ship was—just like any other ship in the neutral lands—highly durable despite the outdated design and function . It slowly took to the air and staggered about, but simply refused to fall and crash . After reaching an elevation of several hundred meters, it turned clumsily like a just-awakened beast and flew toward the Eastern Sea .

The slow airship left a lingering trail of steam and smoke, making it extremely easy to follow .

Lu Saobei and the others were relieved to find that they could almost trace the cargo ship with their naked eyes . If they were to lose such an airship, they should commit suicide by ramming their heads against the wall . The only bad thing about this was that the airship was simply too slow, and trailing it was a trial of patience .

On the deck of the cargo ship, a Highbeard warrior was gazing out with a pair of large binoculars, observing the surroundings in great detail . His expression shifted abruptly as he glimpsed an unnatural reflection . He turned toward the flash and began adjusting the different visual modes of the scope in a thorough search .

His scope was large, crudely built, and had strips of cloth attached to it, serving both for protection and decoration . It might not compare to the powerful functionality of high-grade imperial binoculars but was, nonetheless, one of the best in the neutral lands . Imperial scopes wouldn’t last a month of use here before breaking down .

Following several adjustments and meticulous angle selection, three faint shadows appeared in the scope’s visual field . Only the silhouettes were visible, but it was enough for this Highbeard warrior to make a judgment .

He packed his scope away and rushed into the control room . “Honorable Shieldmaiden, there are three warships following us outside . Their capabilities are quite outstanding, we’re not their match in the air . I would suggest performing an emergency landing and then dealing with them when they’re on the ground!”

Bluemoon looked indifferent, almost as though she wasn’t worried . “It’s too late to land now and also unnecessary . We fly according to the planned route, Sire Qianye will arrive to help us . ”

The Highbeard warrior looked worried . “But… those three warships are extraordinary, and one of them might be a destroyer . Such airships are quite rare . Even if Sire Qianye arrives on time, he can’t deal with three airships can he?”

“You guys just watch . ”

The Highbeard warrior had nothing left to say since Bluemoon had already made up her mind . But all the soldiers inside the command room looked solemn . They had been killing their way through the battlefield from a young age—even those who hadn’t personally experienced airship battles had seen them before . Hence, they were very clear that this ragged cargo ship wouldn’t be able to take a single salvo from the enemies’ main cannons . Besides, the imperial warships liked to use powerful ballista cannons that could blow this airship apart in one hit .

Bluemoon didn’t try to explain . She merely stood in front of the cabin windows, gazing into the boundless void .

The cargo ship moved at a steady pace over the Eastern Sea . High up in the sky behind it, the three imperial ships also arrived above the sea .

The Eastern Sea was a notoriously dangerous place . The beasts in the ocean were powerful, ferocious, and there was no lack of giant beasts that could leap into the air . The imperial ships were flying well out of the creatures’ range; it was the cargo ship below that was at greater risk .

Bluemoon remained expressionless, but she was still wondering how Qianye was planning to deal with the three imperial airships . She had expected trouble this time, but she didn’t expect the empire to dispatch three warships . Such a force was almost half of the forces the empire had hidden in the neutral lands .

The atmosphere in the imperial command center was quite relaxed . Someone joked, “I heard there’s an extremely powerful colossus hidden inside the Eastern Sea and that even flying over it isn’t safe . We won’t be devoured, will we?”

This joke wasn’t funny, but a string of exaggerated laughter rang out in the command center . Following this snail-paced cargo ship was simply too dull, and these bored sailors were desperate to find some form of entertainment .

Lu Saobei broke into a frown but said nothing . He felt there was something wrong with the atmosphere . These guffawing officers were laughing so loudly because they were actually afraid of something .

Lu Saobei knew what his subordinates were afraid of—they feared Qianye .

From the bloody battles under the Iron Curtain, the war on the floating continent, his breaking into a military stronghold, and all the way to destroying Stormwind Fury, Qianye’s accomplishments were simply unbelievable . If one were to ignore his cultivation level and look only at his accomplishments, everyone on the ship added together wasn’t his match .

Lu Saobei chose a showdown in the air because it put them at an advantage and exploited the enemy’s weakness . But true experts possessed the ability to launch a brief assault through the air, and Qianye seemed especially good at this . It would be a calamity if they were to fail the interception and allow him to board the airship .

At the thought of this, Lu Saobei’s heart beat faster and his chest grew tight . The feeling was fairly uncomfortable . What should he do if Qianye were to board the ship?

This question was like a fishbone stuck horizontally in his throat; he couldn’t swallow it no matter how hard he tried .

It was at this time that he felt the scene before him turn somewhat dark, almost as though the sky had turned cloudy .

But the warship was flying along the edge of the void, way higher than where the clouds should be . Besides, the sky above the Eastern Sea was supposed to be clear today .

“Why did the sky turn dark?” someone mumbled after noticing the abnormality .

Shaken, Lu Saobei looked up just in time to see a massive shadow appear right above their fleet .

“Heavens, w-what is that!?” The other officers were shocked to see this shadow, and even their voices were trembling .

An officer with sharp eyes suddenly cried out, “Colossus! That’s a colossus! How can it be one so big? Is that a void colossus?”

At this moment, Lu Saobei was staring into the sky, so shocked that he couldn’t speak .

The shadow grew larger and larger until it loomed over the entire fleet . The once calm skies were filled with fierce tempests and restless fluctuations of void origin power . The three imperial airships were tossed about by the fierce waves, not unlike ships on a stormy sea .

At this moment, everyone saw an Earth Dragon of unbelievable size bearing down on them .

Lu Saobei’s entire body trembled when he noticed Qianye standing atop the head of the void colossus .