Chapter 4: The Harvest (Part II)

“Of course! But even those who know a bit about such matters dare not touch these vehicles, which are exclusive to the Imperial Military,” Song Hu chuckled.

“Knowing that it’s from the military, they still dare to reclaim their items. Are they not afraid of causing me more trouble?” Qian Ye said with a half-smile.

A glint flashed in Song Hu’s eyes as he continued, “These troubles will be nothing once you have money, guns, people, and power. Besides, if you weren’t worried about offending the Zhao Clan at the Tianxuan Spring Hunt, would you care about a few lowly scoundrels from the military? These guys, relying on a little background, act recklessly without matching their actions with strength. I’ve seen too many like them.”

Qian Ye’s gaze sharpened slightly, then asked, “What should we do with this vehicle now? Will anyone take it?”

“Of course, why not? For underground channels, they recognize goods, not people. As long as it’s good, who cares about its origin? Moreover, finding a craftsman to modify it isn’t a difficult task.”

Qian Ye nodded, “Alright, leave everything here to you for now. I plan to go further out, to the Black Mud Swamp.”

Qian Ye had originally intended to explore the area around Heilucheng, but after meeting Gu Liyu, he changed his mind. He had a strong premonition that the war with the dark races was imminent, and there wasn’t much time left for him to explore the wilderness slowly.

Furthermore, the mercenary group had everything prepared, but the biggest bottleneck was the lack of money. With their current combat capability, they could only hold off the dark warriors emerging from the swamp by relying on numbers and firepower. The current equipment was standard, and getting heavy firepower or more ammunition reserves all required gold.

Therefore, Qian Ye decided to head directly to the Black Mud Swamp, both to scout for the impending war and to hunt the dark races there, reducing the pressure on future defense.

Song Hu quickly realized why Qian Ye had suddenly changed his plans and, after a moment’s thought, said, “That’s a good idea. With the major battle looming, the dark races will certainly send out many scouts. If we can eliminate them, it might make them retreat. But don’t overexert yourself; your safety is paramount.” He pointed to the map and explained the details of the Black Mud Swamp in detail.

As Qian Ye was about to leave, Song Hu called him over to the row of warehouses behind the training ground. Song Hu pulled open an iron door, revealing a robust two-wheeled motorcycle inside.

The seat was as high as half an adult’s height, and the vehicle stretched over three meters long, resembling a sleek and dangerous cheetah crouching, with smooth, metallic lines full of tension, ready to leap from the shadows at any moment.

“Where did this come from?” Qian Ye’s eyes lit up. Such a single-person mobile machine was rare in Eternaria, where trucks were the norm.

“Traded for after selling that Hound. But this little guy is expensive, especially since it only runs on enhanced power energy.”

The motorcycle was black, with the exhaust pipes originally bright silver, now being painted a matte gray by a craftsman, while another added weapon racks.

From the worn-out, pitted wheels and dented front fork, it was indeed a used item. However, two-wheeled motorcycles were powered by handcrafted prime arrays, so none of them came cheap.

Qian Ye felt a slight stir, calculating the time from selling the stolen goods to buying this, which couldn’t be more than twenty hours, showing the immense influence of Song Zining’s secret trading network.

“The modifications will take some time, but it should be ready by the time you return from the Black Mud Swamp.”

Qian Ye circled the motorcycle several times, recalling his love for machinery during his time with the Red Scorpion. After coming to Eternaria, he rarely encountered such things, and he had a strong urge to test it immediately. But, hearing Song Hu’s words, he recalled the main task and regretfully patted the leather seat.

Before they left the warehouse, they heard a loud engine roar through the ceiling, shaking the entire row of buildings.

Qian Ye and Song Hu exchanged a glance and hurried out. On the training ground, they saw a large shadow in the sky. They looked up to see a military floating gunship hovering low, with several dark gun ports and thick armor plating, indicating it was a military vessel.

On the other side of the training ground, a few Wei family guards were approaching, led by a tall guard who often accompanied Wei Potian.

The Wei guard greeted Qian Ye and, pointing to the sky, shouted, “This is a gift from the Young Master before he left! We hope you like it!”

Qian Ye, stunned, asked, “A gift? You mean this military floating gunship?”

“Yes!” The Wei guard replied proudly.

“But… it needs a captain and gunners, right?”

“It’s all set. We’re just showing it to you now; it will soon be moved to the airship base.”

He waved to the sky, and the gunship turned, ascended, and headed towards Heilucheng’s airship base.

The Wei guards departed quickly, leaving Qian Ye and Song Hu standing there.

Qian Ye showed no joy, while Song Hu said, “Congratulations, my lord!”

Qian Ye, straightening his expression, said, “What’s there to congratulate?”

“Of course, for the new powerful weapon! And, my lord, you’ll need to work harder to earn more.”

Qian Ye sighed, ignoring Song Hu’s remark. Having come from the elite corps, he knew such military equipment was extremely expensive.

Wei Potian’s floating gunship was relatively small, carrying no more than thirty people, with only two multi-purpose guns. Even a small floating ship required significant maintenance, power, ammunition, and professional personnel.

Qian Ye remembered that the monthly cost for such a gunship was at least five to six hundred gold coins. This alone surpassed the entire mercenary group’s expenses, not counting spare parts.

While military-grade floating ships were indeed powerful, they were of limited use to Qian Ye. A thousand-man mercenary group, able to defend Heilucheng independently, would benefit more from a gunship.

Qian Ye could only smile bitterly, unsure how to evaluate the day’s events.

Wei Potian, sometimes sharp and sometimes absurdly careless, had acted again. Qian Ye looked at Song Hu, who also seemed helpless, shrugging his shoulders.

Without further delay, Qian Ye packed his gear, loaded it onto a light off-road vehicle, and headed out.

The vast Black Mud Swamp was treacherous, filled with deep, murky mud, and the poisonous insects, wild beasts, and hook-scaled crocodiles posed lethal threats to humans. Only high-level warriors could navigate the swamp.

However, the dark races could avoid these dangers. The dark aura emitted by the demonic and bloodline races repelled lower-level creatures, including swamp beings. The arachnid servants of the spider demons included swamp spiders. Werewolves, though less adapted, could ride the swamp spiders through the mire.

Thus, the Black Mud Swamp was a one-sided passage between human and dark territories, allowing dark armies to attack while human forces rarely ventured into the swamp.

Qian Ye arrived at the Black Mud Town near evening, and in Eternaria, night had already fallen. He drove through a dense forest with no clear path, guided by the map, and found the town on the other side.

However, the town was dimly lit, with only a few faint lights, easily mistaken for marsh phosphorescence.

Qian Ye stopped and used his dark vision to observe the town, finding no anomalies. It must have been under curfew due to the war preparations, which was understandable.

Black Mud Town, being a border town near the strategic Black Mud Swamp, had a forward post with about a hundred expeditionary soldiers. Though under Heilucheng’s jurisdiction, they were marginal in the Seventh Division, unaffected by Wu Zhengnan’s incident and welcoming Qian Ye warmly.

After verifying his authorization, Qian Ye entered the town with the escort of several officers. Mercenary groups typically gained command of such towns, and the officers treated Qian Ye with almost sycophantic respect due to his higher rank.

Qian Ye didn’t go directly to the town leader’s house but parked his vehicle on the main street and took a walk around.

The town’s walls were five meters high and solid, indicating its importance. The population was much larger than Beacon Town, but the area was only half the size. The houses were densely packed, with narrow streets, and only two main roads allowed the light off-road vehicle to pass.

Inside the town, Qian Ye noticed some low-lying light sources still functioning, casting a dim, oppressive glow. The air was thick with an indescribable, nauseating stench, worse than the swamp’s decay.

Everywhere, scavengers lay sleeping, filling the already crowded pathways.

Seeing this, Qian Ye frowned. The number of scavengers and homeless, possibly reaching a thousand, was a significant proportion of the registered residents.