Qian Ye declared his identity and smoothly entered the central camp. After turning right and walking straight, he soon arrived before a continuous stretch of warehouses. This warehouse area was a separate camp, guarded by both the Zhang family’s private army and the Thunder Cavalry Guard, with defenses even more stringent than those of Marshal Zhang Boqian’s central command tent.
Qian Ye leapt off the all-terrain vehicle and glanced at a warning sign hanging at the camp entrance. The sign was inscribed in scarlet letters: “Warehouse Restricted Area, Trespassers Will Be Executed!”
Seeing Qian Ye approach, an officer from the camp gate came forward, gave him a once-over, and suddenly changed his expression to a broad smile. He asked, “General Qian Ye, what brings you to the armory?”
After the military commendation, Qian Ye had been granted the rank of Imperial Brigadier General, though he had not yet been assigned to a specific legion. This was a common practice; elite soldiers from various noble families, if they achieved sufficient military merit, could also be awarded a military position by the Imperial Army and receive a double salary.
Although Qian Ye’s brigadier general status still required official documents from the Imperial Military, this clearly observant officer did not hesitate to address him as “General.”
“I am here to exchange some military merits.”
“Of course, I will take you to General Han immediately.”
A moment later, the officer led Qian Ye to the office of General Han Dezhong, the head of the armory. Without any further ado, Qian Ye placed his military merit jade token on the desk and explained his purpose.
Just as General Han Dezhong was pondering, his adjutant interjected, “General, the army is set to withdraw soon. All weapons and equipment in the warehouse have already been packed and sealed. It would be difficult to retrieve them now.”
Upon hearing this, Qian Ye’s heart sank.
In this recent great battle, the military commendations were quite different from usual, with many rare items appearing on the reward list. Previously, Qian Ye had focused solely on accumulating military merits to exchange for a pardon, without considering other options. After a deep conversation with Song Zining and some hesitation, he finally decided to use his accumulated military merits to acquire a powerful weapon and gear, hoping to wreak havoc in the upcoming national fortune battle.
But unexpectedly, even though there was still a day before the formal withdrawal, the warehouse had already been organized. However, he reasoned that the truly valuable commendations must be preserved and maintained with special methods, unlikely to be mixed with ordinary equipment. This adjutant either feared trouble or was deliberately making things difficult.
Qian Ye’s expression darkened, and his gaze sharpened slightly. On the battlefield, he had faced many ambushes and hardships, and the number of human lives he had taken might even surpass that of the dark races. With such experiences, Qian Ye was no longer one to be easily pushed around, and with the Zhao family behind him, there was no one who could easily bully him.
Han Dezhong noticed Qian Ye’s stern expression and instantly felt a chill. Turning to his adjutant, he barked, “What are you saying? Military commendations are not trivial matters! Fetch the record of merits immediately. Whatever General Qian Ye selects, bring it, even if it means unsealing the crates!”
The adjutant, taken aback by Han Dezhong’s outburst, glared resentfully at Qian Ye before leaving to fetch the records.
This adjutant, in his early thirties and holding the rank of colonel, showed little respect for Major General Han Dezhong, which surprised Qian Ye.
Once he left, Han Dezhong sighed and said apologetically to Qian Ye, “I apologize, General. I come from a humble background and hold a minor position, making it difficult for me to control these noble scions.”
Qian Ye pondered for a moment but did not comment, instead asking, “Which family does the colonel belong to?”
“He is surnamed Bai.”
Qian Ye nodded, understanding the reason for the adjutant’s difficulty. However, it was a minor issue; the most he could do was give him a cold shoulder, and he likely lacked the power to withhold the commendations.
Moments later, the adjutant returned with a stack of documents. Qian Ye, uninterested in the ordinary rewards, directly perused the top-tier commendations. He had already seen this book and knew the contents well.
After a brief review, Qian Ye had a plan in mind.
With his second-class military merit, Qian Ye could get a standard seventh-grade gun or equivalent resources. Additionally, he had stored merit from a Heavenly Ghost doppelgänger, which, combined, could be exchanged for a custom-made seventh-grade gun. This was no small reward; Zhao Jundu’s Azure Sky and Zhao Yuying’s Mountain Breaker were both custom-made seventh-grade guns, though among the top-tier custom guns.
For someone from a lesser noble family, getting a seventh-grade gun was a lifelong dream. For those without connections, even with all the money, they couldn’t buy one.
Flipping through the book again, Qian Ye made his decision. He let Han Dezhong find his recorded merits, then turned to the last few pages, pointing at a design, and said, “I will exchange for this.”
Han Dezhong looked at the design and asked hesitantly, “Are you sure about this?”
Qian Ye pointed to a seventh-grade sniper rifle called Thunder, known for its tremendous power and long range. At full power and with the shooter’s abilities, it was almost as effective as an eighth-grade sniper rifle. However, the problem was that it was just a sniper rifle, lacking any special abilities beyond its high power and long range.
At the seventh-grade level, the basic force arrays were strong enough to add many special abilities. Even master craftsmen of the Empire had numerous mature designs. For example, the “Cloud Sea Riding Wind” allowed the shooter’s speed to increase several times over a short period, enabling them to escape or reposition, making it a crucial tool for snipers.
Other sniper rifles could allow the shooter to conceal their aura, similar to latent bloodline powers, though not as thoroughly as Qian Ye’s. Such specialized guns were designed to enhance or compensate for the shooter’s weaknesses. As the higher the force level, the harder the cultivation, many people, by the time they could use a seventh-grade gun, had no hope of further advancement, so they relied on the gun’s additional force arrays to make up for their deficiencies. Only those who served in the main legions for years would choose reliable but single-ability standard guns.
However, Qian Ye said, “I want this one.”
Seeing Qian Ye’s determination, Han Dezhong did not argue further, replying, “There are a few Thunder rifles in stock, and you can have one now. If you wanted other special models, we would have to wait.”
Without waiting for Qian Ye to finish selecting, Han Dezhong ordered the adjutant to fetch the rifle. The adjutant left reluctantly, giving Qian Ye a moment of peace.
Having chosen the Thunder, Qian Ye had half of his merits remaining. He then flipped to the armor section and selected a custom-made fifth-grade armor called Iron Wall. This armor was a mature design, significantly enhancing defense compared to the standard version, though it was nearly twice as heavy.
With Qian Ye’s strength and constitution, the weight of the Iron Wall was not a concern.
Seeing Qian Ye’s choice, Han Dezhong’s eyebrow twitched. The Iron Wall was not meant for snipers but for rangers or close-combat shock troops, a heavy armor. For a sniper, it was too cumbersome.
But given Qian Ye’s earlier choice, Han Dezhong did not object.
Qian Ye valued the Iron Wall’s defense, which could ignore most attacks below the sixth grade.
With the Thunder and Iron Wall, Qian Ye still had some merits left. He then chose a pair of force attachments for short guns, which could enhance their power by about twenty percent. As Qian Ye’s force and blood essence cultivation deepened, the Twin Blossoms’ power had become somewhat inadequate. However, these guns, modified by Anduaiya to channel the Primordial Wings, held many secrets and could not be discarded.
The Twin Blossoms, fifth-grade guns, reached sixth-grade power when combined with the Primordial Wings. With the new attachments, their power would reach the peak of sixth grade, almost matching seventh-grade. As a defensive weapon in melee, this power was sufficient.
Qian Ye’s selections were not particularly rare, so everything was available in the warehouse. Han Dezhong quickly gathered the rewards and handed them over.
When Qian Ye left the armory, he had used up all his military merits but was fully equipped.
Another day passed, and the time for the army’s withdrawal arrived.
As the long horn sounded, countless floating warships rose from the Imperial camp, forming lines at different altitudes and gradually moving away. The sky was filled with hundreds of warships, a sight that even many veteran soldiers of the main legions had never seen.
The first wave of ships carried the Imperial main forces, returning to their garrisons. After they departed, even more warships ascended—those of the noble families, transporting their private armies back to their domains.
In both fleet size and ship quality, the noble families outdid the Imperial main forces.
Finally, the heavy cargo ships took to the air, a massive fleet of thousands. As they floated up, the sky was filled with the shadows of their enormous hulls. The roar of their engines echoed like thunder, causing the entire Grand Beast Slumber Canyon to tremble.
These cargo ships carried heavy supplies and captured goods from the Evernight camps. Though impressive, they were vulnerable, slow-moving targets if attacked by an enemy fleet.
Despite the massive cargo fleet, only a disproportionately small escort fleet accompanied them, with no rear guard. A single raid by an Evernight mobile fleet could have devastating results.
Yet, until the last ship vanished on the horizon, there was no sign of the Evernight fleet.
Qian Ye knew the Imperial fleet was not without a rear guard, but it consisted of only one man: the Imperial Marshal, Zhang Boqian, the King of Green Sun.
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