The Hall of Heroes now hovered in the void, its long tail slowly swaying, channeling the surrounding void origin power to maintain a fixed position and not drift with the chaotic currents.
The movement of the long tail was slow and gentle, skillfully forming origin force vortices around it, using their power to maintain overall balance. Even a Heavenly King would praise its delicate control over the void origin power. This method could save more than half of its energy.
However, for the Earth Skipper, this was just an innate instinct. Despite having only a bit of residual spirituality left, it could still perform this effortlessly.
Therefore, when it came to long-distance voyages through the void, this skipper ship was truly unique, capable of endless drifting, albeit at a slower pace.
At this moment, large dark silver areas could be seen on the skipper ship’s hull, sealed with warship-grade plates. The color blocks were still somewhat mottled, as Ye Qian had not yet obtained enough armor plates, so he prioritized attaching armor to some critical areas.
From afar, the Hall of Heroes looked like a sleeping behemoth enveloped in a faint glow in the void.
This radiant layer was a force field protecting the crew inside. With it, those who were not powerful enough could survive within the ship. After all, the Hall of Heroes was not yet fully enclosed, and most of its interior was exposed to the void.
Besides blocking the void, the radiant light could also prevent the leakage of auras, achieving a concealing effect. The void was vast, and though the skipper ship was large, it was merely a tiny speck in the void. Even if someone deliberately searched, they would not find it unless they were exactly on course. Ye Qian, being the master of the skipper ship, had a natural, intangible connection that allowed him to pinpoint its location accurately.
Thus, Ye Qian felt at ease whenever he parked the ship in the void.
With his current strength, Ye Qian could traverse the void for a short time. Xiao Zhuzhi, being a special case, might even have a stronger body than Ye Qian, naturally not fearing the void either.
The two rushed out of the protective layer of the landmass and flew into the skipper ship. Xiao Zhuzhi then patted her chest and said, “It’s a bit stuffy.”
That was her entire feeling about crossing the void.
Ye Qian first inspected the ship, seeing that the installation of equipment in the key compartments was going smoothly. Most of the skipper-level ballistae were already in place, undergoing final adjustments. The installation of the power engines was a bit more complex, requiring precise calculations for each engine to ensure the ship’s balance and reserve space for future additional engines.
Two propulsion screws had already been installed in the lower abdomen of the Hall of Heroes. These screws did not paddle through water but through origin power, generating thrust. Now, each screw was driven by three engines, creating sufficient acceleration.
With more engines, there was more energy. After assigning two dedicated engines to the main cannon, it finally gained the ability to fire at full power, though it needed five minutes between shots to recharge.
However, Ye Qian was very satisfied. With the Hall of Heroes’ current firepower and speed, it could hold its own against a true ducal-level warship.
The space within the Earth Skipper’s skull had been fully utilized, housing Ye Qian’s living quarters, the command center for the entire ship, and the main cannon with its ammunition.
Ye Qian led Zhuzhi to the head and ascended through a hatch to the top of the skull, where he sat cross-legged.
Xiao Zhuzhi, holding a large piece of roasted beast meat, followed and sat beside Ye Qian, munching on the meat while curiously watching him.
“What’s wrong?” Ye Qian sensed that the little one seemed to have something to say.
Xiao Zhuzhi said, “Daddy, won’t people think you’re unreliable?”
“Ah, what do you mean?” Ye Qian didn’t expect her to say that.
Xiao Zhuzhi earnestly replied, “You reclaimed Nan Qing City. According to common sense, you should be reorganizing your troops, rewarding the loyal, and punishing the traitors. Some surrendered because of Mom, but others genuinely surrendered. These should be identified and punished one by one. Otherwise, others will see that betrayal has no consequences, and they might consider betraying again when the situation changes, right?”
“Uh, yes.” Ye Qian was shocked.
“Also, you should strike at those merchants at least once. These are things you should do, but you’re just standing and staring, then you come here. If Mom knew, she’d definitely scold you.”
“Wait, where did you learn all this?” The young one, not even a few years old, spouting such wisdom, made Ye Qian deeply troubled.
“Mom taught me.”
“When did he teach you these things?” Ye Qian didn’t believe it. Xiao Zhuzhi had only been with Song Zining for a short time when she was very young; otherwise, she had mostly been with him. And she had only grown up rapidly after eating the heart of the six-armed giant recently. Before that, she was still in a state of confusion.
But hearing Ye Qian’s question, Xiao Zhuzhi tilted her head and thought for a moment, saying, “Mom taught me all this. It was during the time when I just hatched and he took care of me.”
“But you couldn’t speak much back then! Alright, what else did he teach you?”
“Lots of things, the history of the Empire and Evernight, war theory and military strategy, literature and art of various races, how girls should dress up to look pretty, how to wear clothes, color coordination, spatial patterns, a hundred ways to spot a man lying, interracial love…”
“Wait! What are these things, and how did he teach them to you?” Ye Qian was speechless. But thinking about it, it seemed like Song Zining’s style indeed.
Xiao Zhuzhi carefully recalled, “Sometimes, Mom would read books to me, and sometimes he would just keep talking. After teaching me to read, he let me read many books on my own.”
“When did he have so much time?”
“Often, Mom would talk to me while looking at maps.”
Ye Qian understood that the guy was multitasking, studying military strategy while teaching Xiao Zhuzhi. He wondered what kind of military strategy he could come up with under such circumstances. Yet, Song Zining was undefeated, earning a reputation as a future god of war. Whether he was too talented or his enemies were too foolish remained unclear.
A hundred ways to spot a man lying, such frivolous things? Well, it might be useful in politics. But the seasoned politicians were so good at lying that even they believed their lies. And though women were few in politics, each one was a force to be reckoned with. For example, Empress Li, even communicating telepathically, made Ye Qian ponder carefully, not daring to be careless.
Fashion, makeup, and dressing up, these were things beautiful women naturally did. Learning them wasn’t a bad thing. Even with a perfect face, one still needed to dress up. The problem was, how old was Xiao Zhuzhi, and was it right to teach her these things from birth? Wasn’t he afraid of influencing her wrongly?
“And what kind of attitude is that to teach things!” Ye Qian fumed, finding it absurd that simply reading a book aloud constituted teaching.
Suddenly, Ye Qian realized, how did Xiao Zhuzhi remember all this? She could barely speak back then.
The little one replied, “I just remembered! I didn’t understand at the time, but after eating what Auntie gave me, I could figure it out.”
“You mean, you remembered everything you heard, no matter what?”
“Yes, is there something wrong with that?”
“…No, nothing.” Ye Qian was speechless again, rubbing his forehead. Xiao Zhuzhi’s talent would make most people envious.
Understanding her learning process, it was no wonder she spoke so wisely. However, Ye Qian felt a bit uncomfortable. A child too smart wasn’t always a good thing, especially if she remembered everything. What if she remembered something bad he did to her when she was young?
Ye Qian felt fortunate that it wasn’t him teaching her. Song Zining filled her head with nonsense, and as she grew, she would eventually see through it.
Since Xiao Zhuzhi had grown up and was sensible, he could no longer treat her like before. Ye Qian explained, “I’m just not in the mood to deal with those things right now.”
“Why are you in a bad mood? Is it because of Auntie?”
Such a direct question almost made Ye Qian fall over. He smiled bitterly, “What are you talking about!”
Xiao Zhuzhi seriously said, “I’m not making it up! You like Auntie, but Auntie doesn’t like you. Is that why?”
Ye Qian nearly spat blood but, with his profound self-control, managed to suppress it. He glared sternly, “What do kids know!”
“Why don’t I know? The book writes it clearly!”
Ye Qian, both amused and exasperated, asked, “What book writes about this!”
“Interracial love!”
Ye Qian finally fell to the floor.
“Is that a book, or a novel?”
“It’s very good and makes a lot of sense! You and Auntie are just like what the book says!”
Ye Qian realized he couldn’t reason with a girl who knew too much and was too smart. Grinding his teeth, he said, “Song Zining! You wait and see!”
Xiao Zhuzhi looked puzzled, “Why should Mom wait because of your issue with Auntie? Do you and Mom have something too? The book didn’t mention this, maybe I need to find a new book to read.”
Ye Qian shot up from the floor, almost straining his back, and exclaimed, “You’ve learned enough! No more reading for now, focus on growing up.”
“Growing up is just eating and sleeping, right? Do I need to practice?”
Ye Qian was momentarily speechless. Ordinary dark races did need to practice, but during the growth stage, the stronger the innate bloodline, the less the practice mattered. For Xiao Zhuzhi, who was already at such a high level, eating well and sleeping enough was indeed enough.
Seeing Ye Qian at a loss for words, Xiao Zhuzhi asked, “What’s going on between you and Auntie?”
The little one’s eyes sparkled, and Ye Qian felt like she was burning with gossip.
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