Heavy trucks pulled up beside the cargo airship, and drivers, along with accompanying workers, began unloading crates. Qingyue, accompanied by several Gao Hu warriors, opened each crate for inspection. Only after confirming that the crates contained power sail components of acceptable quality did she allow them to be loaded onto the airship.
The power sails were enormous, and a single large one could fill over a dozen of these one-meter-square crates. A heavy truck could only carry components for two such sails. Insisting on inspecting each crate, Qingyue made the process painfully slow, even with the assistance of the Gao Hu, it took several hours.
The merchants, though, were not impatient. They stood by, waiting quietly. In the Neutral Grounds, on-the-spot inspection was the norm, for there was no such thing as trust here. It was not uncommon for disputes and even violent confrontations to erupt during large transactions.
However, in this transaction, the Lord of South Green City held a dominant position, and with his backing, the small arms dealers dared not attempt any tricks. Nonetheless, Ji Rui still dispatched four trucks full of elite warriors to escort the convoy.
As the other party receiving the goods, Qian Ye, if anyone dared to try and steal from him, would be courting death. The disbanded Furious Wind was a testament to this. Moreover, Qian Ye had already made a name for himself; everyone knew he was ruthless and unforgiving, exacting relentless revenge until all his enemies were annihilated.
Thus, the handover of the valuable cargo, worth hundreds of thousands, went smoothly without any mishaps.
Yet, in the crowd, a man silently observed the proceedings, then slipped out of the town, heading to a distant high ground where he activated an origin array. In the core of the array, a bright light flashed, visible only from the sky.
High above, near the void, three Imperial warships hung in the air, exuding a menacing aura.
Lu Saobei stood by the porthole, his expression indifferent as he gazed at the distant land. On that land, a faint light flickered, a signal used to convey messages through patterns and frequencies.
Lu Saobei watched quietly until the signal ended, then turned and said, “The transaction will end in about three hours, and the cargo ship will take off. We don’t know if Qian Ye is on board, but he hasn’t appeared at the transaction site.”
“Should we track the cargo ship or take it down first?”
Lu Saobei snorted, glaring at his subordinate. “What’s the value of a rickety ship? Qian Ye is the key! If we can capture his head, our promotion is assured, and we won’t have to suffer in this wretched place anymore. Order the other two warships to follow the flagship and trail the cargo ship. No firing, no revealing ourselves, without my command.”
Outside the town, the long and tedious inspection finally concluded, and the workers and warriors began loading the crates onto the cargo ship. Qingyue then ordered a large crate to be unloaded and placed before Liu Yuanxi.
Liu Yuanxi opened the crate and saw stacks of neatly arranged black crystals, his breathing became labored and quickened.
He quickly closed the crate, signaling his men to load it onto the truck, and with a smile, bowed and said, “All accounts are settled, wishing Miss a safe return journey.”
Qingyue thanked him and boarded the cargo ship with her people.
The old engines roared, white steam mixed with billowing black smoke, enveloping the surroundings. The cargo ship trembled, and as the engine power increased, the shaking intensified. Finally, it lifted off the ground, but a creaking sound from somewhere made one worry if it might disintegrate mid-air.
Like other machinery in the Neutral Grounds, this ship was outdated, old, and inefficient, but incredibly sturdy. It slowly ascended, swaying precariously but refusing to fall. Reaching several hundred meters, it lumbered like a giant just waking from slumber, turning awkwardly towards the East Sea.
The cargo ship flew slowly, trailing a long, smoky plume, easy to track.
Hidden in the high sky, Lu Saobei and his men saw the clear trail of the cargo ship and felt relieved. If they couldn’t track a ship this slow, they might as well bash their heads in. The only downside was the patience required to tail such a sluggish vessel.
On the deck of the cargo ship, a Gao Hu warrior held a large telescope, scanning the surrounding space. Suddenly, his expression changed, catching an unusual reflection in the lens. He adjusted the telescope, carefully searching the direction of the flash.
This telescope, large and rugged, wrapped in protective and camouflaging fabric, was a typical Gao Hu artifact. While it might not match the advanced telescopes of the Empire, it was top-tier in the Neutral Grounds, where Imperial multifunctional scopes would fail within a month.
After several adjustments and precise angle selections, three faint shadows finally appeared in the telescope’s view. Though only rough outlines, they were enough for the Gao Hu warrior to make a judgment.
He put away the telescope and rushed into the control room, saying, “Respected War Maiden, three warships are tracking us from the void. They are highly capable, and in the air, we are no match. I suggest an emergency landing to deal with them on the ground!”
Qingyue remained calm, as if unconcerned, and replied, “It’s too late to land now, and unnecessary. We’ll continue on our set course. Master Qian Ye will come to our aid.”
The Gao Hu warrior looked worried, “But… those three warships are no ordinary ships. One appears to be a destroyer. Such large floating warships are rare. Even if Master Qian Ye arrives, how can he handle three warships?”
“You’ll see,” Qingyue said decisively, and the Gao Hu warrior fell silent. However, the expressions of all Gao Hu in the command center were grim. They knew from years of combat that this fragile cargo ship could not withstand even a single volley from the main guns. And the powerful ballistae favored by Imperial warships could easily blow the ship to pieces with a single shot.
Qingyue offered no explanation, standing by the porthole, gazing at the endless void.
Over the vast East Sea, the cargo ship proceeded slowly, and the three Imperial warships followed, soaring over the sea.
The East Sea was a notorious perilous region, home to fierce and powerful sea beasts, some of which could briefly ascend into the air. However, the Imperial warships flew so high that the sea beasts could not reach them. The cargo ship below, however, was in more danger.
Though expressionless, Qingyue wondered how Qian Ye planned to deal with the three Imperial warships. Though she anticipated trouble, she hadn’t expected the Empire to dispatch three warships. This display of strength likely represented a significant portion of the Empire’s hidden forces in the Neutral Grounds.
In the command center of the Imperial warships, the atmosphere was relaxed. Someone joked, “I heard the East Sea has some extremely dangerous behemoths, even flying over is risky. Do you think we’ll get swallowed whole?”
The joke wasn’t funny, but the room erupted in exaggerated laughter. Trailing a slow-moving cargo ship was unbearably dull, and some amusement was needed.
Wu Saobei frowned but said nothing. He sensed something amiss, a tension beneath the levity. The officers laughing were actually masking their fear.
Wu Saobei knew what his subordinates feared: Qian Ye.
From the Iron Curtain bloodbath to the Floating Land battle, to the confrontation with the Demoness, to the assault on the military base, and the decimation of Furious Wind in the Neutral Grounds, Qian Ye’s record was unbelievable. Ignoring his origin level, purely in terms of battlefield performance, the combined force on the three warships might not be a match for him.
Choosing an aerial battle was meant to play to their strengths, but true powerhouses, like Qian Ye, were adept at short-range airborne assaults. If they failed to intercept him and he managed to board, it would be a disaster.
Contemplating this, Wu Saobei’s heart raced, and he felt uneasy. What if Qian Ye truly boarded the ship?
This thought stuck in his throat, unable to be swallowed.
Suddenly, Wu Saobei noticed the sky darkening, as if a cloud had passed overhead.
But the fleet was flying near the void, far above any clouds, and the East Sea today was clear, with no clouds in sight.
“The sky is getting dark?” someone muttered, noticing the change.
Wu Saobei’s heart jolted, and he looked up, seeing a massive shadow had appeared, hovering above the fleet!
“My God, what is that?” Other officers also saw the shadow, their voices trembling with shock.
An officer with sharp eyes suddenly cried out, “A beast! That’s a beast! How can there be such a huge beast, is it a void creature?”
Wu Saobei stared, speechless, at the sky.
The shadow rapidly expanded, engulfing the entire fleet. A sudden, violent storm erupted in the quiet high altitude, the void origin power roiling restlessly. The three Imperial warships, like ships in a tempestuous sea, pitched and tossed violently.
Everyone then saw an impossibly large drake descending from the sky, bearing down on the fleet!
Wu Saobei’s body shook. He noticed, atop the void beast, Qian Ye standing there.
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