Chapter 10: The Springboard

Nan Ruohuai, though born of a concubine, was still a grown prince with some meager private possessions. In the outer islands of the Zheng Kingdom, he owned a modest estate, adjacent to a small town of several thousand people, which made it rather convenient.

The estate was nestled against a mountain and faced a river. The main house was built on a hill, with vast fields stretching below and several small villages scattered around, creating a picturesque and tranquil rural scene. From the top of the hill, one could see the whole town in the distance on a clear day, connected by a relatively smooth dirt road that wound its way from the town to the estate.

It was now late summer, and the weather was hot, but the breeze blowing over the river brought a coolness with it. At the hottest part of the day, lying under the shade of a tree made the heat much more bearable.

This place had remained unchanged for years. Even the struggle for the throne was a matter of the capital, far away across the boundless void, probably tens of thousands of miles away. For those who toiled in the fields, not only was the other side of the void unknown, but many of them had never been farther than the town in their entire lives.

However, the tranquility was finally shattered. A low, rumbling sound came from the sky, and soon, shadows swept across the land. The farmers looked up in astonishment, staring dumbfounded at the colossal flying objects passing overhead, not even noticing when their hoes fell to the ground.

Moments later, the entire town was in an uproar. Everyone came out of their homes, gazing up at the sky in shock. Those who were well-informed knew about airships, but these were different from the cargo and passenger ships they knew from the continent. Especially the Imperial war cruiser soaring highest, it was like a flying town.

The unprecedented sight left the people stunned for a long time. Only after the fleet began to land above the estate, one after another, did the mayor finally come to his senses, exclaiming, “That’s the royal property!”

Without even bothering to get his car, ignoring his plump, unwieldy body, he leaped up and, relying on his third-level origin power, rushed toward the estate.

This was, after all, royal territory. Although the estate was not large, its basic facilities were complete. There was an open space next to the main house used as an airship landing field, but it was too small. After just three escort ships landed, it was already full, and the rest of the transport ships had to find suitable landing and temporary parking spots on the hill behind the estate.

As the door of an escort ship opened, Nan Ruohuai stepped out first, then stood respectfully to the side. Qian Ye appeared at the hatch, glanced around, and then descended the steps, saying to Nan Ruohuai, “This place is quite nice.”

Nan Ruohuai replied, “This was a gift from my father, both the environment and the size are excellent, but it is a bit remote. If it weren’t so far away, I wouldn’t have been given such a fiefdom.”

At that moment, a bald, plump man came running from afar, calling out, “Your Highness, is that you?”

Nan Ruohuai waved at him and then said to Qian Ye, “This is the mayor of Ji Shui Town. He has always been very helpful.”

When the mayor reached them, he was drenched in sweat. He first bowed to Nan Ruohuai, and then, clearly recognizing Qian Ye as the leader, he carefully asked, “Your Highness, who is this…?”

Nan Ruohuai said, “This is Sir Zhao, my distant uncle by marriage. He has been traveling abroad for many years and has not returned to the Zheng Kingdom. Now he misses home and wants to visit. I received the news and came to welcome him, and before returning to the kingdom, we are stopping here first.”

Nan Ruohuai spoke fluently, while Qian Ye listened in silence.

Venturing out at a young age and returning home for a visit was a prearranged identity. However, according to the original plan, Qian Ye was supposed to be Nan Ruohuai’s cousin. Based on age, Nan Ruohuai was actually a bit older, but he dared not let Qian Ye call him brother. Who would have thought that Nan Ruohuai, at the last moment, would change cousin to uncle.

The mayor, looking at the landed warships, turned increasingly pale, with sweat pouring down his forehead, unable to wipe it all away.

Qian Ye suddenly smiled and asked, “What do you think of my warships?”

The mayor stammered, “Of course, of course, they are excellent. These are the Empire’s…”

He stopped abruptly, and Qian Ye smiled slightly, “You recognize these as the Great Qin’s warships, don’t you?”

The mayor, not daring to speak, just nodded. Qian Ye looked back at the escort ships and then up at the still-hovering war cruiser, which hadn’t found a spot to land, and laughed, “These are all standard warships of the Great Qin, just newer models. It’s normal for someone to recognize them.”

After all, the Zheng Kingdom was nominally a vassal state of the Empire, and to gain military merit, they would often send troops and strong warriors to join battles. Therefore, many people could recognize the Empire’s equipment.

The mayor sweated even more. He knew what the new models of the Empire’s warships meant. At that moment, a transport ship finally found a gap and landed nearby, and a team of heavily armed soldiers emerged.

Although they wore mercenary markings, the mayor felt he wasn’t stupid. The entire team was uniformly equipped, with the same style of armor and clear military ranks. Moreover, each of them exuded an extraordinary aura, and their origin power cultivation was likely higher than his own.

How could there be such mercenaries?

Looking at Qian Ye and then at Nan Ruohuai, the mayor understood the situation.

Seeing this, Qian Ye smiled and said, “This estate seems a bit small, we might have to stay in the town. You two, go with the mayor and make the arrangements. Be careful, and don’t hurt anyone.”

Two mercenary leaders walked over, one on each side of the mayor, lifting him like an eagle carrying a chick, and sneered, “Sir said not to use too much force. Hurry up and get going, let’s handle this first.”

Another leader called out, “Fifty men, line up and follow!”

The mayor’s face was filled with despair. Such fierce men, even ten of them, would be enough to wipe out his pitiful town guard without a single casualty on their side.

Nan Ruohuai quickly said, “I’ll go along and take a look too.”

“Good,” Qian Ye nodded.

A short while later, Qian Ye was seated in the mayor’s office, on a spacious and comfortable leather chair. The office was decorated in a retro style, luxurious but somewhat crude, with many famous paintings and calligraphy on the walls, probably all replicas.

Nan Ruohuai and the mayor stood on either side, one respectful and the other tense. There was also a middle-aged man sitting at the desk, even more flustered and sweating profusely.

Qian Ye, holding a roster, glanced at it and was surprised, “Such a small place, and you have 150 town guards? Can you afford to keep them?”

Ji Shui Town had only a few thousand people, how could they possibly afford 150 full-time guards? And the town was remote and peaceful, with no real danger except for wild beasts and stray people. They didn’t need so many people for security.

The middle-aged man at the desk was the captain of the town guards, with a second-level origin power cultivation. In the town, he was a significant figure, but in front of Qian Ye, he couldn’t even speak. He couldn’t discern Qian Ye’s strength, but a sense of fear welled up, impossible to suppress.

Hearing the question, the captain could only look at the mayor. The mayor, cursing inwardly but smiling, quickly explained, “Yes, the expansion of the town guard was to prepare for possible unrest. Right now, we only have the quota, and not all positions are filled. I’m just being cautious, Your Highness.”

Qian Ye understood, shaking his head with a smile, “So it’s a case of ghost soldiers, I didn’t think of that.”

He put the roster aside, his smile fading, and said calmly, “You both are smart people. Some things don’t need to be said for you to understand. Now, bring out all the maps and information about the floating island, as much as you can.”

The mayor secretly glanced at Nan Ruohuai, seeing his unchanging smile, and understood. He steeled his resolve, went into the back room, and soon brought out a stack of documents, placing them in front of Qian Ye.

Qian Ye first picked up the atlas, flipping through the pages, and then compared them with the documents.

Time slipped by, and soon the sun was about to set. Qian Ye finally looked up, deep in thought.

Nan Ruohuai, the mayor, and the town guard captain held their breath, not daring to even exhale. After a moment, Qian Ye looked up and said, “This place is really nice. Ruohuai, I think you should make this your first fiefdom.”

Nan Ruohuai was taken aback. Wasn’t his fiefdom already on this island? He quickly realized and felt elated, bowing deeply, “Thank you, Uncle!”

Qian Ye, resigned, had to accept this familial relationship. He waved for the mayor and the captain to leave, calling in Song Lun and several other generals, and passed the atlas around.

The floating island was quite large, equivalent to half a county of the Empire. However, it was the farthest from the mainland, making transportation difficult. Additionally, the edge of the floating island was close to the continental protection layer, causing unstable weather and frequent natural disasters, making it uninhabitable. Only the western part of the island was suitable for living, while the eastern part was desolate.

However, due to its proximity to the edge of the continental protection layer, the eastern part of the island was rich in minerals, with rare ores often visible. But the mining operations could only be conducted for a month or two each year, and the rest of the time, the area was idle due to the harsh conditions.

But for people from the neutral territories, these harsh conditions were nothing. At most, they would feel a little uncomfortable after a long stay. According to historical meteorological data, most of the year was calm by neutral territory standards, requiring shelter only during void storms.

The population of the floating island was only a few hundred thousand, mostly self-sufficient due to the difficulty of external trade. In Qian Ye’s eyes, it was an ideal base and springboard. The distance from the Zheng Kingdom’s mainland was a natural barrier, but for Qian Ye, who controlled the Ancestral Hall, the void was not a problem, giving him a strategic advantage to attack and retreat as needed.

The largest city on the floating island, Yuanjing City, was located on the western shore, the most stable area of the entire floating island, and the primary transit point for trade with the mainland. The island’s small fleet was stationed there.

The fleet’s roster listed over a dozen airships, which seemed impressive at first glance. But when the generals saw the specific models and parameters, they burst into laughter. Those airships could hardly be called warships, even gunboats were a stretch. They were basically ordinary airships with small cannons mounted on them.

One of the captains thumped his chest and loudly declared, “Sir, give me two escort ships, and I’ll wipe them out right now!”

Another general glared, “Do you need two escort ships for these punks? Give me one, and I’ll handle it.”

“Let me go, I only need an armed transport ship!”

“I don’t even need a transport ship!”

Seeing the generals becoming more and more unruly, Qian Ye had to tap the table to quiet them down.