The man unfurled a map, meticulously detailed, surpassing even the expeditionary army’s military maps. It was only slightly inferior to the ones held by the senior officers of Darkfire.
He gazed towards the northwest of Blackflow City, where, in the newly annexed territory, several mines were scattered. They were mostly black stone and ordinary iron and copper mines. These mines held little value, as the cost of transporting the ores to the central counties controlled by the Eternal Night human clans far exceeded the price of the ores themselves.
The man muttered, “Mines, mines… Could it be that they discovered rare mineral veins near Wolf City? That would be big news!”
Hearing this, the woman sighed, saying, “Unfortunately, Wolf City is accessible only to the most loyal forces of Darkfire. I haven’t managed to infiltrate those troops yet. Should we use those secret channels?”
The man smiled faintly, replying, “There’s no need. There are other ways to find out what they’re transporting. Go and have the higher-ups closely monitor the airships leaving Blackflow City, especially the high-speed ones. The higher-ups know what to do.”
Two days later, at Darkfire headquarters, Song Zining sat solemnly, listening to Song Hu’s report.
“Master, although we’ve conducted two rounds of purges, the number of spies planted by various factions has only increased. Even if we carry out another purge, we won’t be able to clear them all.”
Song Zining nodded, saying, “Let them be for now. We just need to secure our core areas. We can’t drive away all suspicious individuals. As long as they stay quiet, we need not concern ourselves with them.”
With Darkfire’s rapid expansion, it was inevitable to recruit many low-level mercenaries and adventurers. These men often became ruffians upon entering the city. Yet, it couldn’t be denied that they possessed considerable fighting strength; with a bit of training, they could become qualified soldiers ready for battle.
After several wars, the number of mercenaries and adventurers integrated into Darkfire had surpassed ten thousand. Naturally, various factions took the opportunity to plant their spies. This was a common practice among the noble families, and most of these spies merely gathered intelligence without making any overt moves.
Song Zining’s solution was to disperse these people, placing them in unimportant positions such as fixed guards and patrol duties, or grouping them for training. Key defensive points and the newly built Wolf City were entirely manned by veteran Darkfire soldiers.
In Wolf City, built on the former Stuka Earl’s territory, information was tightly sealed off. No mercenary or merchant convoy was allowed to approach. Any outsider who entered the perimeter, regardless of their identity, was treated as an act of war.
Song Hu reported a few more routine matters, to which Song Zining nodded in acknowledgment. He should have been at ease, but suddenly, his expression turned strange.
In an instant, Song Hu knew the reason. A little girl emerged from behind Song Zining, climbing up his head with practiced skill, then settled down like a kitten in its nest.
Song Hu struggled to suppress his laughter, pretending not to see the little girl, and continued reporting on military affairs.
But Song Zining had grown impatient. He plucked the girl from his head, placed her on his lap, and, with a fan handle, gave her a light tap on the bottom, scolding, “How many times have I told you not to climb on my head?”
The little girl, Zhu Ji, wiggled her limbs, turned her head, and looked at Song Zining with a pained expression, calling out, “Mommy.”
Song Hu, who had just taken a sip of tea, sprayed it out instantly.
Song Zining’s face darkened as he clamped a hand over Zhu Ji’s mouth. However, he immediately yelped and withdrew his hand, revealing a row of small teeth marks on his palm.
Song Zining’s expression was a mix of amusement and frustration. He had already activated his origin force to protect himself, but Zhu Ji had still bitten through, leaving a neat row of tooth marks. This wasn’t the first time, and Zhu Ji’s bites were calculated—no matter how much origin force Song Zining used to protect himself, she always left a mark without actually breaking his skin.
At this point, the conversation had derailed. Song Zining asked, “When is the next shipment due?”
“In three days,” Song Hu replied.
“Three days, I can’t wait that long. I’ve received formal orders from the military, and I must leave for the Floating Land battlefield tomorrow. You’ll take care of the next shipment. Remember to be cautious.”
After giving a few instructions, Song Zining dismissed Song Hu. He then grabbed Zhu Ji, placed her on the table, and began to beat her bottom with the fan handle, angrily saying, “Teach you to call me mommy!”
After a thorough beating, looking at Zhu Ji, who had her eyes half-closed in apparent enjoyment, Song Zining was exasperated. The punishment had been no holds barred, with enough force to break a grown man’s leg, yet Zhu Ji barely felt it, akin to a light massage.
Song Zining wiped the sweat from his forehead, tapped Zhu Ji’s forehead with the fan, and sighed, “You, what part of you still resembles an immature spider demon? Even a mature one would have had its legs broken by those strikes.”
Zhu Ji, wide-eyed, stared blankly at Song Zining, having no idea what a spider demon was.
Song Zining could only smile bitterly. Zhu Ji had shed her shell once right after birth and recently molted again, enhancing all her attributes. It was difficult to categorize her by any single race’s standards.
Yet, Zhu Ji’s mental development hadn’t kept pace. She remained like a human girl of three or four, showing no signs of awakening the spider demon or bloodline inheritance.
The next morning, Song Zining boarded a private high-speed airship, carrying only his personal weapons and Zhu Ji as his sole luggage.
Currently, only someone below the rank of War General could hope to control Zhu Ji, and in Darkfire, only a handful like Nan Hua could restrain her. But Zhu Ji’s growth was beyond the norm. Even among the dark races, such an awakening speed was unheard of. What was most worrying was that her mental maturity seemed unchanged despite her physical power awakening.
Unable to predict which racial memory Zhu Ji would inherit upon her final awakening, Song Zining dared not leave her in Blackflow City. For this, Young Master Seven inwardly cursed Qian Ye countless times.
Two days later, another airship left Blackflow, heading for the heart of the Eternal Night.
In the airship’s control room, the weathered old captain was anxiously scanning the surrounding airspace. His youthful and energetic deputy chuckled, “Uncle Liu, we’ve run this route countless times without a hitch.”
“When has the Eternal Night ever been peaceful?” the old captain barked.
The deputy shrugged, “If those bandits could get their hands on even one airship, they’d be lucky. Their ramshackle boats can’t stand up to our warship. And forget about them; even the expeditionary army’s century-old antique warships wouldn’t stand a chance against us.”
Unmoved, the old captain continued his vigilant watch.
The deputy glanced at the armed Darkfire officers in the control room, lowering his voice, and asked, “Uncle Liu, what exactly are we transporting? Why so much security?”
The old captain glared at him, “Don’t you remember the rules set by Young Master Seven? Don’t ask about things you shouldn’t know!”
The deputy nodded, somewhat embarrassed, and stepped back.
Just then, an officer shouted, “Watch out! We’re being followed!”
The old captain’s face hardened as he rushed to the porthole. Several airships emerged from the clouds, clearly with hostile intent.
One look at their speed, and everyone in the control room knew escape was impossible. The leading airship, sleek and with fin-like projections on either side, was the Empire’s latest high-speed destroyer. This single ship could easily decimate their refitted merchant vessel.
The old captain, resolute, ordered, “Prepare for battle!”
“B-but…” the deputy, now pale, stammered. Before he could finish, the old captain steered the airship, turning its side towards the incoming fleet.
Soon, the airspace was filled with thick smoke. The airship, emblazoned with Darkfire’s emblem, crashed to the ground in flames, scattering debris everywhere.
The high-speed destroyer slowly descended, and a man in his early thirties stepped out.
He glanced at the two smoking holes in the hull, sighing, “To be hit so hard by such a broken ship, I really want to meet this opponent.”
But seeing the wreckage, he shook his head. During the entire engagement, no one had emerged from the Darkfire ship, indicating the absence of a War General. With the airship in such a state, none inside could have survived.
He pointed forward, ordering, “Search thoroughly! Don’t miss a single detail!”
A hundred soldiers poured out of the destroyer, dispersing across the battlefield, sifting through the debris. They exuded a fierce aura, moving with precision, yet their armor bore no insignia, indicating they didn’t want their identities known.
Moments later, an officer approached the man, saying, “General, we found these.”
Behind the officer, dozens of soldiers carried six heavy boxes. Though not large, each box required six elite soldiers to lift, weighing at least a ton.
The boxes, made of advanced alloy, had survived the crash, though their surfaces were dented and deformed.
The man stepped forward, drew a dagger, and, with a burst of origin force, sliced off the lock of one box. Lifting the lid, he sucked in a breath, quickly closing it again.
“General, what’s inside?” the officers inquired.
“You don’t need to know. Our mission is complete. Load all the boxes onto the ship, clean up, and let’s go.”
Later that night, in a secret chamber, several people sat around a table, eyes fixed on a piece of ore in the center, their gazes intense.
After a long moment, a young man finally exhaled, “Such high-grade crystal iron ore is indeed rare. Crystal iron forms only under extreme conditions of heat, pressure, and concentrated origin force. Generally, the higher the grade, the larger the deposit. This vein is incredible!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage