Chapter 284: The Forgotten One

Lan Xin Cheng was taken aback and laughed bitterly, “We can only provide one item, and just one. Unless you are willing to offer the original crystals.”

“Original crystals aren’t priced at that level,” Qian Ye smiled faintly.

“Those original crystals in your hand…”

“The attributes of those few original crystals, I presume, you’ve already roughly understood, and should have some expectations.”

When Qian Ye was refining the original crystals, Ji Tian Qing and the others were all present, and they had all seen them one by one. Aside from the Black Book, which they didn’t know about, the properties of the remaining three original crystals were no longer secrets. Apart from the first top-grade original crystal refined, the super-grade original crystal formed by the Dawn Awakening was even useful for divine generals, while the super-grade original crystal, formed from the bloodline power of the vampire clan and some dark stars, carried the terrifying abilities of the vampires, allowing the possessor to surpass many great and powerful inheritances.

The latter two types of original crystals had never appeared before, and it was unlikely that there would be many more. It was impossible to price them based on previous original crystals. Knowing that his small intentions had been seen through, Lan Xin Cheng gritted his teeth and said, “If you’re willing to offer them, the military can provide the latest cruiser-class battleship in exchange.”

Cruiser-class battleships were the empire’s newest development, sitting between battleships and cruisers, combining firepower and speed but sacrificing defense. The cruiser-class battleships were built to counter the demon race’s latest high-speed hunter-killer ships, equipped with the newest generation of equipment and power weapons.

Qian Ye’s desired Tianyun-class power sails and Hou Tu-class engines belonged to the previous generation of cruiser-class floating warships, while the Luan-class main cannon was a battleship main cannon, also an older design, far different from the new cruiser-class battleships.

Qian Ye was somewhat curious, “How many of these cruiser-class battleships does the empire have?”

“Three.” Lan Xin Cheng said expressionlessly.

“Not enough to go around, huh?” Qian Ye smiled.

“The Imperial Fleet’s two cannot be moved; the ship from the Outer Realm Fleet can be given later.”

The Outer Realm Fleet, the fleet guarding the imperial borders, had formidable combat power, second only to the Imperial Guard Fleet, usually numbered between three and eight.

In the fleet, the new high-speed cruiser-class battleships could serve as flagships, and if brought to the neutral lands, they could wipe out an entire fleet.

“Quite a hefty investment. Why didn’t you bring it this time?”

“It hasn’t been finalized yet. Such a significant matter involves many people, so it needs to be discussed for a while.” After a pause, Lan Xin Cheng looked at Qian Ye and finally decided to reveal a bit more, “This time, several dukes and marshals have taken an interest in the two super-grade original crystals you’ve condensed. It concerns the advancement paths of two of them. But what the empire can offer right now is only one new cruiser-class battleship. So, which original crystal to exchange for the cruiser-class battleship is still under discussion.”

The word “discussion” here is far less gentle than it appears. Super-grade armaments affect regional power balances, while the personal strength of marshal-level experts signifies the rise and fall of factions, affecting everything, indeed.

Hearing this, Qian Ye understood that by the next time Lan Xin Cheng came, he might have a concrete plan.

Fang Zhan then said, “Lord Qian Ye, perhaps some aristocratic families will come in the future. Regardless of their conditions, you must hold firm. Only the military can offer the cruiser-class battleship, and we’ll likely bring it when we come next. Those family members, if they say to deliver things later, don’t pay them any mind.”

Qian Ye laughed, “I understand.”

Fang Zhan’s words were true; perhaps only the military had the capability to bring all the bargaining chips to the neutral lands and then slowly choose what to take. It felt like shopping with a truck full of imperial gold coins, leaving no room for worry about payment or trust issues.

After seeing off Lan Xin Cheng and Fang Zhan, Qian Ye instructed on the affairs of Nan Qing City and personally set sail with the two cargo ships loaded with Shan Yue-class engines and Ming-class main cannons, heading for the North Continent.

The North Continent had become even more prosperous. Two towns had been built to a certain scale, and most of the workshops were completed, with most operational and the rest undergoing equipment calibration. Song Zi Ning had sent over a thousand people, making them a force not to be underestimated, comparable to the High Hu people.

The High Hu people continued to arrive, being natural craftsmen and warriors, and forming the mainstay of the North Continent’s first guard force. Although no one knew about the North Continent’s existence yet, the secret couldn’t be kept forever, and it was necessary to form an army in advance.

Outside the towns, the Hall of Heroes stood on the ground, undergoing new modifications.

When Qian Ye was trapped in the vortex, the Hall of Heroes floated in the void, absorbing void primal force on its own. With the heart as the core, new flesh and muscles grew along the ribs, forming a natural outer wall. Some parts of the hull that were previously built were covered and integrated into the new flesh.

Whether human or dark race, the steel alloys they developed couldn’t match the natural bodies of the earth scorpions. Void behemoths were extraordinary beings, and even the main cannons of battleships found it difficult to penetrate their bodies. To kill a void behemoth, only a great lord or celestial king could do it.

The current Hall of Heroes had a noticeable increase in the coverage of its flesh, with about half of the chest cavity covered by natural flesh, and there were signs of it growing along the spine towards the head and the back of the body. However, waiting for it to naturally complete its growth would likely take decades.

From the air, the Hall of Heroes had regained a bit of the glory of the earth scorpion, with large artificial hull marks remaining, and more empty spaces. The outline of the deck had appeared on its back, and several rows of holes remained on both sides, reserved for side cannons. These Ming-class main cannons would be placed in these positions.

The dense yet slightly thin firepower of the Ming-class main cannons was perfectly suited for secondary side cannons. The real target would be handled by Chen Lu, a fully-fledged duke-class main cannon crafted by Lin Jia Er, stronger than the old battleships of the empire.

Seeing the floating cargo ships land, Qing Yue immediately rushed over. When the hatch opened, Qian Ye saw dozens of gun barrels pointed at him.

“Master!” Qing Yue exclaimed joyfully, throwing down her gun and flying over.

Surprised by her sudden enthusiasm, Qian Ye patted her and gently pulled her away.

Qing Yue looked up, “You haven’t been back for a long time.”

Her eyes were already red. Not knowing how to respond, Qian Ye pointed to the floating ship behind him, “I’ve brought some good stuff this time. Let’s install them on the Hall of Heroes.”

Qing Yue nodded, turned, and called out, and several dozen High Hu warriors ran over to help with the transport.

“Show me the progress on the Hall of Heroes.”

“Sure.”

Qing Yue led Qian Ye onto the Hall of Heroes and guided him around. Inside, the stored materials were almost used up. While the earth scorpion absorbed primal force in the void, hundreds of craftsmen were continuously building compartments, installing equipment, and optimizing layouts.

The main cannons and engines had long been installed, and the craftsmen began constructing various compartments.

Now, the crew living quarters had taken shape, with medical, leisure, storage, and dining areas divided and basic facilities built. The Hall of Heroes could now house several hundred people. Since only a small portion of the earth scorpion’s body was sealed, and the areas protected by flesh were prioritized for engine rooms, power cores, armories, ammunition depots, and various primal force arrays, the living space for the crew was not much.

Qian Ye had brought a large amount of construction materials for the basic facilities. High-grade panels could be used for the outer walls, with armor plates added, while general-quality panels were for internal compartments. This would create a large functional area, capable of accommodating over a thousand crew members.

For a giant ship like the Ming, housing ten thousand people was not a problem. Looking at the internal space, Qian Ye said, “Add another living area, not needing to be particularly comfortable, just enough for people to stay for a week.”

Qing Yue quickly calculated in her mind, “With the current space, we can build a living area for three thousand people. But the corresponding warehouses and dining halls need to be renovated. How many people do you want to accommodate?”

Qian Ye originally wanted to say ten thousand but then thought, “Let’s make it three thousand.”

Three thousand was just enough to house the most elite mercenaries of Dark Flame. With the Ming’s mobility, these three thousand could be deployed behind enemy lines, giving Qian Ye a mobile force to strike any area behind the enemy’s front.

Over the next few days, the Mountain Range engines and Ming-class main cannons were installed. All the engines Qian Ye installed greatly increased the Hall of Heroes’ speed. Though still not as fast as standard imperial battleships, let alone the largest war motherships, it was already faster than cargo ships. A few more Mountain Range engines could allow it to keep up with war motherships.

Impatient to wait, Qian Ye flew the Hall of Heroes into the void, heading for Nan Qing City.

Back in Nan Qing City, Qian Ye left the Hall of Heroes in the void for the craftsmen to continue the installation. He then flew to Nan Qing and returned to the Dark Flame headquarters.

He ordered Zhang Xuan Ce to be brought up. After several days in the dungeon, Zhang Xuan Ce was visibly haggard, with his arrogance long gone.

Seeing Qian Ye, he rushed forward, shouting, “Lord Qian Ye! You’re back!”

“Missed me?” Qian Ye smirked.

“You see, I’ve been locked up for so long, and you haven’t said whether to kill me or let me go…”

“Oh, I see. I’ve been busy lately and forgot about it.”

Zhang Xuan Ce’s face was a mix of emotions. He had thought of all sorts of reasons, but he never imagined that Qian Ye would simply forget about him.

From childhood, Zhang Xuan Ce had always been the center of attention. Even if Zhang Bu Zhou’s legitimate son hadn’t died, he would still be a focus. He never imagined that one day, his fate would be insignificant enough to be forgotten.

All the carefully prepared words were now useless. After a long moment, he finally said, “Lord Qian Ye, if you don’t intend to kill me, then please release me. My family is certainly willing to pay a price for my freedom.”

“What kind of price?” Qian Ye seemed to show a bit of interest.

Knowing he had to be clear, Zhang Xuan Ce gathered his courage and set a price for his life.