Chapter 90: United Effort

The master mechanic of the demonic lineage had not been of much use since he was captured, mainly because there was nothing in Blackflow City that could truly allow him to shine. Normally, Bas was quite free, but his every move was closely monitored. After all, even a non-combative demonic being was still a demonic being, and with a certain base level of strength, they could be formidable when enraged. Now, seeing Bas on the cannon platform, apparently hard at work, how could Qian Ye not be surprised?

He looked around and, as expected, saw many familiar dark race faces among the artisans and craftsmen. These were all the ones he had captured and brought back from the mine battle.

Hearing Qian Ye’s roar, a small figure emerged from inside the fortress cannon, none other than Nangong Xiaoniao. She was covered in oil, her face smeared black and white, holding a module she had just disassembled. The markings on it indicated that it was the core force array control module of the fortress cannon.

Qian Ye’s eyelid twitched, “Xiaoniao, what’s going on here?”

“Well, I noticed that these fortress cannons are quite old, and there are some design issues. I thought about modifying them… to improve their performance…”

Nangong Xiaoniao’s voice grew softer; standing in front of Qian Ye, she always felt inexplicably nervous, but her words did indeed give Qian Ye a pleasant surprise.

“Improve performance? Isn’t this a military model?”

“The design is over seventy years old. If it were the latest model, there would be little room for improvement.”

“How much can the performance be improved?”

When discussing professional matters, Xiaoniao’s speech flowed smoothly. She raised the black metal module in her hand and said, “This is the core force array of the fortress cannon. I will redesign the array and replace some parts, which will allow the cannon to have an overload mode. When needed, it can increase power by 50% and fire rate by 20%. The only problem is that its lifespan will be shortened.”

Qian Ye’s eyes lit up, “Then the improved firing data would be on par with the empire’s newest fortress cannons, right?”

“Only equivalent to the smallest new models.”

“That’s enough!” Qian Ye was overjoyed.

Even the smallest fortress cannon is still a fortress cannon, and placing one in Blackflow City would be a vast underutilization. Nangong Xiaoniao, using only some old parts, had managed to upgrade the fortress cannon to such a degree; no wonder those old Red Scorpion folks treated her like a treasure.

Qian Ye glanced at Bas and the others, and asked, “What about them?”

“The technicians under your command are not very good. They need to learn a lot of basic things and learn very slowly. These guys are much more useful, especially Bas, who is quite smart.”

Bas, hearing this, immediately raged, “What do you mean ‘quite smart’? I come from the Abyss of Darkness, a great demon lineage known as the Metal Mage!”

Nangong Xiaoniao sneered, “You call yourself a Metal Mage with such mediocre skills? You’re just here to deceive the ignorant! The demon lineage I encountered was far more skilled than you.”

A flash of surprise crossed Bas’ face as he asked, “More skilled than me? In mechanical design and metal materials?”

“Of course. And not just in these two areas—force power, array design… everything is much better than you.”

“What’s his name?” Bas’ face showed irrepressible excitement.

“Barbarossa.”

“Barbarossa!!” Bas almost jumped up, lunging towards Nangong Xiaoniao.

Qian Ye, watching from the side, couldn’t possibly let him get away with it. He didn’t even draw Dongyue; he simply swept it out, stopping Bas. No matter how much Bas pushed and shoved, Dongyue stood as solid as a mountain.

Bas clung to the heavy sword, stretching his neck and shouting at Nangong Xiaoniao, “Barbarossa is my teacher’s teacher, a great mechanical master of the Abyss of Darkness! Where is he now? I must see him!”

Nangong Xiaoniao was taken aback, hesitating, “Well… I don’t think that’s possible. He’s been locked up in the Red Scorpion headquarters for a long time. If you go to the Red Scorpions, you’ll definitely be captured, and you might not even end up in cells next to each other.”

Bas’ face immediately darkened, and after a moment, he sighed, giving up the idea. He dejectedly returned to the fortress cannon, continuing his work.

Qian Ye stood by, silently watching.

In Bas’ hands, a faint black flame would ignite, melting any metal quickly before shaping it into the desired parts. His technique was similar to Zhao Yuying’s, though Bas’ personal strength was far inferior to hers. However, his results in metal processing were nearly as good, justifying his title of Metal Mage.

Qian Ye called Nangong Xiaoniao over and asked in a low voice, “How did you get them to work so obediently? Is there no problem?”

Nangong Xiaoniao shook her head vigorously, “No problem at all! I divided all the work into different parts, and each person is responsible for a small part. For them, the operations are simple, and there’s no chance for mischief. The final inspection is done by me personally. Moreover, I promised them the same pay here as they got there, and they can spend it freely as long as they don’t leave the city.”

“Really?” Qian Ye felt incredulous. The conditions seemed too simple. If money could secure these precious technicians, he would have acted long ago.

“Why not? Sister Yuying said if anyone doesn’t agree, chop them up on the spot and feed them to the dogs.”

Qian Ye was speechless.

Nangong Xiaoniao’s work was a delightful surprise. Four fortress cannons, each with the power of the latest models, would be a significant weapon in the war on the Eternal Night continent. The destructive power of such a fortress cannon, if it hit directly, could severely injure a viscount, making it incomparable to ordinary heavy artillery.

Qian Ye let Nangong Xiaoniao continue her work, assigning several high-level warriors to protect her, then returned to the Darkflame Division headquarters with Song Hu. Just as he sat down in his study, a guard came in and reported, “My lord, the expeditionary force representatives have arrived.”

“Please lead them to the operations room.” Qian Ye was clearly in a good mood.

The people waiting in the reception hall were not just one or two, but a dozen. Besides the field and dispatched divisions from Sanhe County, even neighboring county divisions sent representatives, all of whom were senior officers, including the major general of the 10th Division stationed in Duancity.

Essentially, all the expeditionary forces bordering the Blackflow War Zone had sent representatives.

Qian Ye invited everyone to sit down, settling himself in the main seat without much formalities. “You all came together, so I presume you’ve already discussed this matter.”

The expeditionary force officers exchanged glances, and finally, the major general spoke, “Captain Qian Ye, first, I have a question. If the dark races attack, how confident are you in defending Blackflow City?”

Qian Ye sipped his tea, then put it down calmly, “That depends on the support you provide. Blackflow City is on the front line, and thus bears the most significant losses in war. But if you provide adequate support, even a count can be kept at bay.”

The officers were moved. In the dark races, a viscount’s overall strength was comparable to a division of the expeditionary force. A count was a behemoth to the division commanders governing their own territories.

The officers exchanged knowing glances, realizing that the news of the Darkflame Division’s westward campaign, where they seized a large territory and resources from a spider-mage count, was likely true. Otherwise, Qian Ye wouldn’t be so confident.

These colonels and generals were all heavyweights in their respective divisions, mostly seasoned veterans. Some even had gray hair, making Qian Ye, sitting opposite them, appear exceptionally young.

However, Qian Ye’s every move was composed and measured. His speech was gentle and unhurried, with no unnecessary words. If not for the fact that they were sitting in front of him, they would never believe that the de facto leader of the independent Darkflame Division was barely in his early twenties. Instead, they would assume they were facing a seasoned general, at least middle-aged.

This demeanor was partly thanks to Song Zining. During casual conversations, they had discussed the behavior of important figures, and Song Zining had demonstrated it in jest. For instance, during important meetings, one should maintain a serious demeanor, speak slowly, and ensure every word is carefully considered before spoken. It was better to speak slowly than to make a mistake.

Qian Ye’s use of this technique was effective, evident from the expeditionary force officers’ attentive and thoughtful reactions. Moreover, since acquiring the heavy sword Dongyue, Qian Ye’s strong body and surging force allowed him to exude a mountain-like aura, with every movement carrying the weight of moving mountains and filling seas.

The longer the expeditionary force officers sat in front of Qian Ye, the more they felt an invisible pressure, growing heavier and making it difficult to breathe. They were startled, especially the 10th Division’s major general, who smiled wryly and dismissed any lingering resentment.

Initially, he felt Qian Ye hadn’t shown him the proper respect, even though the Darkflame Division was now on par with, and even slightly superior to, the 10th Division. Qian Ye himself, however, was not a marshal. But after feeling Qian Ye’s imposing presence, he realized he was no match.

Strength is respected, and it was no different in the empire.

The major general cleared his throat, “We are here to support you in stabilizing the city defenses. We just need to know what kind of support you require.”

Qian Ye smiled and held up a finger, “One company from each division, fully equipped with trucks. That’s all.”

The officers looked at each other, momentarily speechless.

There were seven or eight divisions, and each contributing one company would amount to nearly three regiments, potentially increasing the Darkflame Division’s combat strength by half. These troops, once in Qian Ye’s hands, would not return. In this special period, only the regular main forces would be sent, with no one daring to sabotage, as it would defeat the purpose of the alliance.

Another colonel coughed, smiling wryly, “Lord Qian Ye, this seems a bit excessive. Rumor has it that the empire will offer exceptionally high military merit rewards for this battle, which should more than compensate for your losses. What do you think…?”

Qian Ye smiled lightly, “It’s precisely because the merits are so high that you’ve come to me. If you are so interested in the military merit rewards, why not earn them yourself?”

The colonel was speechless. The higher the military merit offered by the empire, the greater the risk. The imperial military department was never foolish in this regard. But no matter how high the merit, one had to survive to claim it. This dangerous signal had prompted the division commanders in the surrounding regions to send representatives to Blackflow, hoping the Darkflame Division could withstand the frontline pressure.

The 10th Division’s major general pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth, “Alright, one company. Rest assured, I will send the main force.”

“As long as the combat capability and equipment meet the standards, I don’t care about the unit number or ranks,” Qian Ye said, looking around and noticing some officers’ peculiar expressions. As veterans, they understood the underlying message.

Each division had some troublemakers, excellent fighters but disliked by their superiors due to their lack of social graces. They were often assigned to the most dangerous and arduous tasks. These were the very people Qian Ye wanted.