Chapter 248: The Enigmatic Device

“Actually, I don’t know much either.” The vice-duke hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.

“It’s alright, just tell me what you do know,” Qian Ye responded, already expecting this.

The vice-duke took out a palm-sized box from his armor, saying, “My main mission was to bring this into the inner world and deliver it to Emperor Everburning Flame.”

Qian Ye took the box and inspected it. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a spatial equipment. Following the instructions provided by the vice-duke, he opened the small box and swept his consciousness through the space, discovering that it was filled with various parts. The one that caught his attention the most was an unseen transparent tube. Through the outer wall, he could see that it was neatly packed with black crystals.

“What is this?”

The vice-duke pointed to the transparent tube, explaining, “This is the only thing I recognize. It is a new type of energy recently developed by the council, containing highly purified black crystals. The origin power density is dozens of times higher than that of ordinary black crystals.”

“It must not come cheap,” Qian Ye remarked.

Having established an industrial system in Yongyang, he naturally had a deep understanding of industrial product pricing. A product with such a high origin power density would cost at least several hundred times more. Each piece of high-density origin power energy is undoubtedly a luxury.

“We certainly can’t afford it,” the vice-duke said. His words carried an underlying meaning, implying that only strategic materials at the faction level were too expensive even for him.

“And what are these parts for?” After inspecting the parts, Qian Ye found that they could not fit together. But their shapes suggested they were components of some large machinery, perhaps not as a complete set.

“I have no idea, really no idea.”

Qian Ye frowned slightly but did not press further, asking instead, “How many sets of these parts are there in total?”

“As far as I know, each marquis has a transportation task, differing only in quantity and value. The core device should be in Emperor Everburning Flame’s possession.”

Qian Ye nodded, as it likely was the case. This device seemed extremely important, but if the main unit was with Emperor Everburning Flame, there wasn’t much Qian Ye could do. Even if the empire’s Heavenly Kings decided to besiege, it would depend on whether Everburning Flame was willing to engage in battle.

For now, the best course of action was to hunt as many powerful figures from the Evernight side as possible and seize more spare parts to gain the upper hand.

Qian Ye made the vice-duke leave all his equipment and weapons, leaving him only in his undergarments. The vice-duke did not argue, broke off two branches, fashioned them into a makeshift stick, and hurried away. The inner world was extremely dangerous, and whether he could escape safely with his injuries was uncertain, but there was always a glimmer of hope.

After dealing with everything, Qian Ye turned his gaze to the imperial god general.

He was a graceful middle-aged man who had been silent throughout. In terms of bearing, he appeared even more regal than the emperor Hua Di that Qian Ye had met. This unfamiliar yet dignified figure narrowed down his identity to a specific range.

Though Qian Ye had no intention of engaging, he glanced at the god general. Before he could react, the god general cupped his hands and politely said, “Thank you, Duke Wei Yuan, for your assistance.”

Qian Ye frowned, about to turn and leave.

Slightly taken aback, the god general quickly changed his address, showing a hint of embarrassment, and calmly said, “Lord Qian Ye, I’ve long heard of your reputation. Meeting you today, I realize the rumors fall short in describing your combat prowess.”

Given the other’s respectful demeanor, Qian Ye paused and replied, “You held your own against two opponents; even if overmatched, you could still retreat. There’s no need for false modesty. May I ask your name, sir?”

“I am Ji Su Jin, an imperial prince with the title Xuan Wei. I usually reside in my fief and haven’t been around for a long time, so Lord Qian Ye probably hasn’t heard of me.”

The royal family was vast, with numerous princes of varying strengths. Qian Ye had indeed never heard of this person. However, the two-character title suggested a border-garrisoning prince, revealing that the empire had sent even these reserves into the inner world.

“The imperial house… has indeed paid a heavy price,” Qian Ye commented, genuinely admiring the bravery of the Ji clan despite any prejudices.

Ji Su Jin sighed, “I regret not having strived harder in the past. My skills barely match a fraction of my ancestors’.”

After a few polite exchanges, Ji Su Jin cautiously asked, “Do you have any plans now? If not, perhaps we could act together?”

Qian Ye countered, “What are the empire’s goals in the inner world?”

Ji Su Jin smiled bitterly, “What goals? If there’s any, it’s to prevent the dark races from succeeding in whatever they intend to do.”

It was a frank answer.

Qian Ye nodded, “If that’s the case, it’s better for us to act separately. The Evernight Council must have a significant plan in motion. To be honest, it wouldn’t be a good idea for you to accompany me.”

Ji Su Jin tried to persuade him further, but seeing Qian Ye’s reluctance, he didn’t insist. Instead, he handed Qian Ye a signaling device, saying, “This is a special communication signal used by the Ji clan. It can transmit signals over great distances under any circumstances. Though the origin power environment here is strange, the interference is minimal. You can use it if needed. Of course, if you see anyone else using this signal, please lend a hand if it’s convenient.”

Qian Ye was momentarily surprised. How many people did the Ji clan send? He accepted the signaling device and said, “Naturally,” before bidding farewell to Ji Su Jin and disappearing into the depths of the forest.

As soon as he was out of Ji Su Jin’s sight, Qian Ye changed direction, following the retreat routes of the arachne and demonic duke lieutenants.

The two major Evernight figures left in roughly the same direction, suggesting they knew where to meet or had a way back to the outer world.

The sinkhole in Black Sun Valley was mostly a one-way passage, and finding another way back might be necessary. The empire had no clues either, so those entering the inner world, including the Heavenly Kings, were essentially ready to die.

However, there was a ray of hope in the inner world. The path to the inner world was created by the Three Sovereigns of the Holy Mountain, and if they could create a pathway, it also meant they could create a return route. Additionally, since a connection between the two worlds had been established once, creating a second one would be easier.

Qian Ye wanted to see what the dark races were planning, and they surely weren’t on a one-way trip.

Not far along, Qian Ye discovered traces left by the arachne and demonic duke lieutenants. The demonic lieutenant, missing both legs, left obvious signs and did not bother to conceal or disrupt them.

After traveling deeper into the forest, the demonic lieutenant left a clear symbol on a tree and imbued it with a bit of his origin power before continuing onward.

Tracing to this point, Qian Ye pondered briefly and then diverted towards the arachne’s direction.

The demonic lieutenant, having lost the vital cargo, was in deep trouble, and with both legs severed, his combat strength was halved. Returning rashly would not end well. The best option was to find a safe place to recuperate until the situation stabilized or a return method was found.

Thus, even if Qian Ye didn’t understand the symbol’s meaning, he knew pursuing further would yield little.

The arachne’s trail might reveal something new. More importantly, based on the demonic lieutenant’s information, he likely possessed similar parts.

This meant following the arachne might lead to the location of the mysterious device or at least intercept the parts and energy components, preventing them from falling into the demonic hands.

Bent like a hunting leopard, Qian Ye moved through the forest. In his vision, a faint, dark-green thread of origin power appeared. This was the trail left by the arachne lieutenant.

After a short while, Qian Ye suddenly stopped, looking up. On a large leaf above, a small strand of spider silk floated.

The remaining silk was tiny, easily overlooked without close inspection. Qian Ye ascended, examining the silk and its trailing marks on the leaf. Following the direction of force, he indeed found another trace dozens of meters away.

This trace was even smaller, no bigger than a bean, but it didn’t escape Qian Ye’s notice. Using the two points as reference, he quickly found two more traces of spider silk.

Standing below the fourth trace, Qian Ye smirked. The arachne lieutenant’s trail, though unassuming, was very conspicuous to skilled trackers, even to a degree that it catered to less adept ones.

This could be explained by the lieutenant’s lack of stealth skills, but intentionally breaking a strand of silk was excessive. And Qian Ye knew there were likely no spiders in the inner world.

If another strong tracker followed this trail, they might pursue it despite suspicion, as it was the only lead. Even if the arachne lieutenant intended to mislead, he would have to leave genuine marks, turning it into a race between the tracker and him.

But Qian Ye had the Eye of Control and an origin power vision. He didn’t rely on these trails, needing only the lingering origin power of the arachne.

The stronger the individual, the less likely their traces would be assimilated by the inner world. The arachne lieutenant’s recent escape left very noticeable marks in Qian Ye’s eyes. With the Eye of Control, he could follow the origin power trail directly, ignoring the misleading marks.

After zigzagging and circling, the arachne lieutenant eventually fled in a definite direction. Qian Ye followed, maintaining a distance of about ten minutes.

Believing he had shaken off potential followers, the arachne lieutenant’s route began to change, indicating a clearer destination.

Following the origin power, Qian Ye suddenly saw a faint, bluish-black mass of origin power in the sky, likely a residual of a signal flare fired half a day ago. The arachne lieutenant probably had a secret method to track it.

This revealed that the demonic lieutenant had withheld some secrets.

Since Qian Ye had already tracked the arachne lieutenant, he disregarded this detail, concealing his aura and heading towards the dark race gathering point.

Hours later, Qian Ye saw a tall tower being erected on a distant hill, almost complete. Several dark race elites lifted a large, pot-like part, flying it to the top and placing it. Artisans, all with the rank of marquises, waited to install it.