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Chapter 179: Don't Tell Me You Stole This Warship!
🕑 Added 2024-10-29 16:04:14 +0000 UTCZhao Xing, seeing the situation, descended from the clouds to be level with Chen Lu.
Chen Lu was a lower seventh-rank official, while Zhao Xing was a full seventh-rank. It was perfectly appropriate for Chen Lu to greet him with respect.
However, Chen Lu was currently possessed by the Yin God of the Shennong, so Zhao Xing still needed to show some courtesy.
"Zhao Xing, Military Shennong of the Shenwei Army."
After introducing himself, Zhao Xing cupped his hands and returned the greeting, "No need for formality, Lord Chen. We're all on the same side. I happened to be passing by and noticed an enemy warship, so I decided to follow it."
Chen Lu remained humble, lowering his cloud by half a meter, "Lord Zhao’s techniques are truly impressive. I've never seen anything like it. May I ask, what is the name of that mist technique?"
It was clear that Chen Lu had a genuine love for the Shennong occupation, as he had momentarily forgotten Lord Tian’s advice about not lingering for credit, and instead engaged in a conversation about techniques.
Zhao Xing couldn’t help but find it amusing, as through his Hawk Eye technique, he could see the Yin God of the Shennong attached to Chen Lu, holding his head in his hands, clearly exasperated at the dullness of his follower.
Even a god can’t teach this one! Next time, don’t ask me for help; I’m afraid your stupidity might rub off!
"Lord Chen, we can discuss techniques another time. Right now, the enemy aboard the Underworld Flame Warship has yet to be dealt with. Could you lend me a hand?"
In truth, the remaining enemies were few, and Long Xiao could handle it alone. But Zhao Xing still wanted to give Chen Lu a chance to contribute, at least for appearance's sake.
This way, when the battle merits were evaluated, Chen Lu would lose fewer points.
There would be no gaining of merits after such a devastating attack, but at least the deductions could be minimized. If Chen Lu had defended the city, that would have been a different story.
"Oh, right!" Chen Lu quickly cast a spell.
Zhao Xing raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. Chen Lu didn’t switch to another god for the task and continued to use weaker attack spells.
It was now clear to Zhao Xing why this priest was assigned as a Military Shennong.
He simply preferred the occupation of Shennong, even worshiping the Shennong gods exclusively in battle.
A gust of wind howled as Chen Lu summoned a gale, sweeping through the enemy ranks inside the warship and cutting down the remnants of the foreign troops.
By this point, Pati, the leader of the raiders, had already been decapitated. He hadn’t lasted ten breaths against Long Xiao before losing his head.
He died with his eyes wide open.
Pati’s death was a clear testament to the cruel reality—he had merely chosen to raid a grain city, and yet had run into two seventh-rank prodigies of Da Zhou. A nightmare scenario.
"All done. And this is?" Long Xiao emerged, wiping his sword.
"Chen Lu, Military Shennong of the Zhenhai Army and commander of the 109th grain city," Chen Lu quickly bowed, recognizing that Long Xiao was also of the seventh rank, and likely higher than Zhao Xing.
Zhao Xing was lower seventh rank, while Long Xiao was upper seventh rank.
"Long Xiao, Brave Captain of the Shenwei Army."
"Brother Chen, you didn’t do too well as a commander. The enemy attacked your home base, and you didn’t offer any resistance."
Long Xiao didn’t sugarcoat his words.
As a commander, it was clear that Chen Lu hadn’t measured up. The city wasn’t heavily fortified, but it still had the means to put up a fight.
Even when allies appeared, Chen Lu’s reaction was slow. While their help wasn’t strictly necessary, he still should’ve led the charge as the commander.
Chen Lu’s face flushed with embarrassment. "I am ashamed."
In truth, he wasn’t suited for command. The original commander had been someone else, but due to the Zhenhai Army’s rapid advancements, many capable officers had been reassigned to the front lines, leaving him to take charge.
Chen Lu didn’t attempt to defend himself; he admitted his shortcomings.
"It’s not all your fault," Zhao Xing said, trying to ease the tension. "The enemy was especially cunning."
"No, Captain Long is right. It is my fault," Chen Lu insisted, shaking his head.
"There’s no need to dwell on it, Lord Chen," Zhao Xing said with a smile. "We managed to prevent a major disaster. Now, please take charge of the warship and the spoils."
Chen Lu waved his hands frantically, "No, no, no, Lord Zhao, Lord Long, I wouldn’t dare claim any of the spoils. Without your assistance, I would likely have been demoted."
Chen Lu refused to take anything. Zhao Xing had already been more than generous by allowing him to assist.
But accepting any spoils beyond that would be presumptuous.
Chen Lu had the decency not to press for a share. Zhao Xing appreciated his honesty and decided to offer a little something in return.
Good allies on the battlefield were invaluable.
Besides, Zhao Xing would need Chen Lu’s help in operating the Underworld Flame Warship, as one person couldn’t possibly manage a ship of this size alone.
After some back-and-forth, Chen Lu finally agreed to take a small share—just ten percent of the spoils—to compensate for the casualties among his men.
"May I borrow fifty men from you to help crew the ship?" Zhao Xing asked.
Chen Lu agreed without hesitation, "No problem at all!"
Even though his remaining engineers were few, as many had been killed or wounded in the earlier attacks, Chen Lu still managed to gather the necessary manpower for Zhao Xing.
After a brief rest, Zhao Xing and his men boarded the warship.
"Until we meet again, Brother Chen."
"Take care, Brother Zhao."
With those words, the Underworld Flame Warship roared to life, rising into the sky and entering the gale wind layer. The Swordfish Airship was safely stowed inside the warship.
"Meow!" The mountain cat, Long Aotian, meowed in discontent as it saw Zhao Xing board the ship. Why didn’t you bring me into battle?
"You’re still too young to fight," Zhao Xing said, gently nudging the cat aside. "Go play."
"Meow..." The mountain cat let out a pitiful mew and slunk off, clearly displeased.
Long Xiao emerged from the ship’s storeroom, rubbing his hands together with excitement.
"Judging by that look, you made quite the haul?" Zhao Xing asked.
"Not bad," Long Xiao grinned. "These Shapa raiders looted quite a bit. The storeroom is nearly full."
"The funny thing is, they carefully organized the third and fourth-rank weapons, armor, and elixirs, while just dumping the more valuable treasures like herbs in a pile."
"Completely clueless, really."
Zhao Xing chuckled. Their ignorance was a stroke of luck.
"Of course, the most valuable thing is still the Underworld Flame Warship itself," Long Xiao said. "That’s the real prize."
Even if sold in Da Zhou, the warship would fetch a high price, as its craftsmanship met Da Zhou’s standards. Its unique tribal style might even make it more valuable.
"The Shapa tribe is only a mid-tier faction under the Golden Feather Court. Losing a ship like this must sting."
Long Xiao stroked his chin thoughtfully. "But I wouldn’t suggest selling it. Your Swordfish Airship, though also a fifth-rank vessel, is a small ship and can’t compare to the Underworld Flame Warship."
Zhao Xing replied, "Didn’t you say you already hold shares in Chen Shijie’s dragon-bone warship?"
"Indeed," Long Xiao said. "I usually travel with him, aboard that ship. Not only that, I also hold a share in Liao Rulong’s dragon-head tower ship. I make passive income that way."
"For this ship, I’ll take a thirty-percent share. I won’t worry about the maintenance costs."
"Deal," Zhao Xing agreed.
Now it made sense why Chen Shijie and Long Xiao had been so generous back when they gave him gifts.
Items like the Five Element Staff, the Bright Moon Battle Armor, and the lower fifth-rank Inkstone Amulet—those weren’t things they lacked.
Long Xiao and Chen Shijie were, in fact, quite wealthy.
And now, investing in a ship like the Underworld Flame Warship was just another way to increase their earnings.
"The items in the storeroom—I’ll take thirty percent. When the logistics officer from the military arrives, you can handle the transaction and transfer the points to me."
The logistics officers, or transfer agents, were responsible for delivering supplies and handling spoils of war for the army. They ran a type of front-line logistics service.
With this warship, Zhao Xing would be able to transport supplies, defend his posts, and engage in battle far more effectively.
"You’re sure you can handle the upkeep on this ship?" Zhao Xing asked. "And do we have skilled engineers at the Ninety-Second Grain City?"
"Yes, Wang Ji is already waiting at Ninety-Second Grain City."
Wang Ji, a talented engineer, had been part of the Shenwei Army since the Ten Sun Cave-Heaven days. He had trained with Zhao Xing during their breakout exercises.
Later, in Yun City, Wang Ji had worked alongside Zhao Xing for two months, and they had developed a good rapport.
At Ninety-Second Grain City, Wang Ji wasn’t happy about being replaced as commander.
He had done everything right—repairing fortifications, ensuring supply deliveries—and yet, here came some upstart to take his position.
"I’ve done nothing wrong! Why should I step down for some noble's kid?!" Wang Ji slammed the table in frustration.
The messenger simply said, "You might want to hear the name before getting angry."
Wang Ji retorted, "I’m not afraid! My craftsmanship will get me work anywhere!"
"Just listen."
"Fine! Tell me, who is this big shot?"
The messenger replied, "Zhao Xing."
Wang Ji’s hand froze mid-air.
"Zhao Xing... my former superior?"
"Exactly."
"Oh." Wang Ji quietly sat down and stroked the table, "When does he arrive? Should I prepare anything?"
When Zhao Xing arrived at Ninety-Second Grain City, he was greeted warmly by Wang Ji and Han Bing.
Wang Ji, having heard that Zhao Xing was the one taking over, was excited and relieved. "Zhao Xing! I’ve been waiting for you for three days!"
They laughed and exchanged greetings. But then Wang Ji and Han Bing spotted something massive descending from the clouds.
It was a giant black-and-red warship, with flames trailing behind it.
"Zhao... Zhao Xing, is that Underworld Flame Warship yours?" Wang Ji stammered, eyes gleaming.
"Don’t tell me you stole this thing halfway through the trip!" Han Bing added, wide-eyed.
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