Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 630

Chapter 630

Chapter 630: Safe Return

“Yeah, we just escaped the Starfields . Our first move was to get this data to you . Send it to the Eastern government as quickly as you can . We’ve learned a lot this time . ” A smirk spread across Lan Jue’s face .

”Alright!” Lan Qing Replied, then cut the connection .

The data was uploaded to An Lun under the Accountant’s direction . When the progress bar hit one hundred percent Lan Jue allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief . They had succeeded, their scouting mission was over . In the end they were more shaken up than anything . Small wonder for a team of five Paragons . If they’d failed with so much overwhelming firepower behind them, humanity would be lost .

Zeus-1 sailed toward An Lun as fast as they could to collect the rest of Star Division . There would be more missions for them once the Eastern government analyzed what was gathered . However, before all that they had to bring the vital crystals back and determine how much they’d gained .

They would give some of these crystals to reliable members of the Eastern government, in order to maximize their profits . As more of these crystals were recovered their worth would decrease . Until then, they could be exchanged with the North and West for essential goods – like battleships . Strength would determine who would be victorious in the fight against the aliens, the East had to keep that in consideration .

Once the file transfers were complete, Lan Jue allowed himself some personal time . He continued training with the Driver, determined to complete the transformation of their Discipline . Once it was, they could truly say their powers were the stuff of Paragons . Lan Jue wouldn’t let his brother get too far ahead .

At first Lan Jue thought he was comparable to Lan Qing while he and Qianlin were joined, especially with the addition of immortal qi and Captus . Of course, no one could have imagined Lan Qing would break through to Paragon and immediately become a Reflection of Heaven and Earth . It’d filled Lan Jue with happiness, but also a sense of urgency that only deepened the more he learned about the alien menace .

As an Adept, Lan Jue was among the strongest of them . But when it came to Paragons his strength was a drop in a bucket . It was a deficiency, one he knew he had to correct by sparing no effort or expense on his own progress . If he wanted to help when he was needed, he had to be as strong as the best of humanity .

If he was alone, Lan Jue knew that becoming as strong as he wanted would be a long process . He would need to achieve at least Nirvana, like the Photographer or the Violet Princess . But he wasn’t alone, he had Qianlin by his side . If they could become Paragons together, with Captus and Demortus they could carve bloody swaths through even the strongest of these creatures . It was still possible . After his recultivation, an abrupt rise like his brother’s was still in the cards .

Zeus-1 returned to An Lun without incident, and was greeted at the docking port by Lan Qing . Now that he’d broken through, his standing in the military was entirely different . He was the youngest commander, youngest admiral, and the youngest supreme commander in military history . He could lay claim to all of these records with pride . It also meant he was one of the most powerful men in the Eastern Alliance, and that was before considering his martial and Adept prowess .

Before Lan Jue and his team left for their scouting mission, the Eastern government had decided to send their Fourth Fleet to An Lun . It was now considered a permanent fixture of the planet, under Lan Qing’s direct command . With an entire fleet – nay, a whole planet – under his personal direction, Lan Qing was the most famous commander in the whole history of the East .

War was on the horizon, no one was running care-free through fields of flowers . The soldiers were well-trained and continued to push themselves . The fleet was equipped with state-of-the-art equipment . Already, Lan Qing had them training with the rest of An Lun’s soldiers to make sure they were up to par . There was no question that the Fourth Fleet and An Lun’s warriors – as well as Lan Qing himself – would become one of the strongest factions of the Eastern resistance effort .

The East was comparably weak, and suffered from its own internal political strife . However, compared to the other two Alliances the East was much more unified . No one stood in the way of the government’s work to protect themselves from these aliens . Everything they did was to strive for the survival and expansion of the East . Of all the Alliances the East had been the first to react to the threat, and were the quickest in making the necessary changes . After publishing their findings on the exuvium process, flocks of talented individuals had begun to immigrate into the East, searching for opportunity . Of course, this was done privately .

“Brother . ” When he saw Lan Qing, Lan Jue felt his pride in victory flush through him . His brother had spent the days after his breakthrough perfecting himself, smoothing the rough edges of his dharma . He was calmer, and the waves of erratic energy were gone . He looked and felt like any normal man, entirely ordinary . It was a potent example of his abilities . In so short a time he was able to reign in the raging tides of protogenia and bring them under his control . Such tremendous talent!

Lan Jue wasn’t the only one to notice it . The Pauper, Wine Master, and Clockmaker saw it as well . Inwardly the Wine Master sighed . He was an old Paragon, and even still the gap between him and Lan Qing was vast beyond measure . The young commander may not have had the experience he possessed, but he was like a child when it came to comprehension .

“It’s good you’re back . The information you brought back is priceless . ” Lan Qing nodded at his brother before offering his regards to the Paragons .

Jue Di was the picture of calm, standing tall with his hands clasped at the small of his back . However, his eyes said he was thinking about something .

“Father!” Lan Qing walked over to stand in front of Jue Di .

He nodded in greeting . When he spoke, his voice was full of satisfaction . “Not bad, it looks like you’ve brought your powers under control . Keep striving . I may have recommended your dharma for less than savory reasons, but it is one of the most potent . When you learn to communicate with heaven and earth, when you achieve Nirvana, it will serve you well . Perhaps one day you’ll discover the long-lost Western Paradise . ”

Lan Jue interjected . “Don’t you want grandchildren? Are you trying to make my brother a monk?”

“Dharma isn’t faith,” Jue Di said in irritation . “Monk my ass . You have as many pretty girls crowding around you as clouds in the sky, but you don’t introduce any to your brother . I’ve never troubled you over that, yet you have the gall to try and call me out?”

Lan Jue just shrugged . “His standards are too high, what am I supposed to do?”

This earned a glare from Lan Qing . “You must be tired . Rest . I have everything prepared . ”

In reality, everyone had had ample time to rest on the trip back to An Lun . However mentally, they could only begin to relax once they were back on the base . The Wine Master, Clockmaker and the other Paragons had been especially harried to say nothing of the team’s commander . But Lan Jue could not rest, and once he got back to his room he summoned the Bartender and Coffee Master to make their report on the Division’s training .

He was surprised to learn that his soldiers took to An Lun’s environment quickly . They worked very well with his brother’s Bloodiron Khans and had already undergone two expansive joint military exercises . Both times Star Division had emerged victorious . If it had been a real fight, it would have been difficult to overcome the Khan’s superior training and teamwork . On the other hand, Star Division’s advantages were obvious . Firstly was their individual skill . There were over eighty ninth level Adepts in the Division, and each one could take out a squad of Khans . They weren’t as unified as their brothers in arms, but don’t forget that their experienced was forged in the fires of ruined pirate bases .

From the beginning, Lan Jue had trained his people like a pirate fighting force . Ten people to a squad was the best organization to play off of their individual strengths .

So it was that as a traditional military organization, they weren’t as structured as most, however it did come with a unique set of advantages . Squad mates worked well together as a solitary fighting force . Adepts that made up the Division were among the best the East had to offer and were organized well so that each soldier supplemented the others of their team . It wasn’t perfect, but there were improvements too . Each squad was as disciplined as an army, as harmonious as a family . Whenever they were together, a squad’s first concern was how to make the team stronger . Their competition was their brothers and sisters in other squads .