Chapter 27: Until We Meet Again in the Waking World

Ningshizi Ning straightened his expression and said, "Only you and I should know about this place for now. It must not be leaked out for the time being, or there might be significant trouble. I don’t fully trust those Gao Hu people either, so we need to use some methods to strictly control who comes and goes."

Qianye nodded, it was indeed the right approach.

After a moment of contemplation, Ningshizi Ning added, "My Ningyuan Heavy Industries has some savings; I can procure a batch of equipment and materials and have them transported here first. In the next few days, take me into space with the Valhalla and fly around the Northern Continent a few times to determine the route. Once we select the route, I’ll go back first and get that batch of equipment over here. Additionally, I will transfer a group of my trusted subordinates from Ningyuan and Darkflame to balance against the Gao Hu people."

In these matters, Qianye knew he fell short compared to Ningshizi Ning, so he simply nodded in agreement.

"Oh, and you should also establish a mercenary corps outside. It doesn’t have to be particularly strong; just a shell will do. In the future, we can place our own people in key positions to form the skeleton, then gradually recruit talent. As we grow, we’ll need conventional military power to maintain order in many places."

Qianye nodded, feeling overwhelmed by the myriad of tasks at hand, unsure of where to start.

With Ningshizi Ning nearby, Qianye suddenly remembered something that had been weighing on his mind for a long time. He said, "Ning, the Valhalla was originally built by Emperor Zhiji. The Northern Continent was also discovered by him first. Now, there’s still a hidden move left by Emperor Zhiji on the heart of the core dragon. I’m worried that as we develop, we might alert Emperor Zhiji. Furthermore..."

Hesitating a bit, Qianye continued, "Might there be some kind of trap involved?"

Ningshizi Ning was initially startled, but after careful thought, he said, "Given Emperor Zhiji’s character and cultivation, by convention, he shouldn’t care much about secular wealth and industries. If he wanted to contest, there would only be one position in the entire empire worth fighting for."

Qianye nodded, knowing that Ningshizi Ning was referring to the imperial throne. But over the years, it was evident that Emperor Zhiji showed no interest in the position.

When it came to Emperor Zhiji, Ningshizi Ning became serious and solemn. After a brief pause, he said, "However, if what you say is true and this place is the site of his buried heart, it’s hard to say what might happen if he recalls this. We need to think of something..."

Pacing back and forth a few times, Young Master Seven’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he smiled, "I’ve thought of a way, at least to prevent him from getting enraged and killing you on sight. You really owe me one for this!"

"What’s the plan?"

Ningshizi Ning laughed heartily, "You’ll find out in due time! It’s getting late, we should head back."

Knowing that pressing wouldn’t yield any answers, Qianye helplessly agreed to return with Ningshizi Ning. Qianye felt a nagging unease, aware that when Ningshizi Ning acted like this, it often meant he was up to no good.

On their way back, they took a direct route, reaching the Gao Hu people's ancestral land under construction in half a day.

At the site, Hong Lian was dressed in work clothes, working alongside a group of strong Gao Hu men, unloading massive stones from a truck and placing them in the deep pits as foundations. Qing Yue was no longer holding blueprints, instead wearing rough workwear and engaging in heavy labor like the other Gao Hu men.

Hong Lian’s appearance surprised Qianye and Ningshizi Ning. Ningshizi Ning’s expression immediately turned cold as he called Hong Lian over and asked, "Where did you get the energy crystal?"

Hong Lian bit her lip and remained silent.

Zhufeng’s face changed, showing obvious discomfort. His change in demeanor didn’t escape Ningshizi Ning and Qianye’s keen eyes. Ningshizi Ning glanced at him and said, "Qianye, it seems your subordinate isn’t fully loyal yet."

"It’s not his fault, I forced him!" Hong Lian exclaimed loudly.

Ningshizi Ning’s face was as cold as ice. "So, it seems your orders are effective. Isn’t that right, Zhufeng?"

Zhufeng stammered, "Well, not exactly, actually…"

Hong Lian stepped forward, standing in front of Zhufeng, and looked Ningshizi Ning in the eye, saying, "This was the last favor he did for me. He had no choice because I saved his life!"

Qianye then interjected, "She hasn’t done anything wrong. This place has no airships, and she can’t leave. Why not give her the energy crystal?"

Ningshizi Ning shrugged, "Zhufeng is yours, and so is Hong Lian. Do as you please."

Qianye smiled slightly, ignoring Ningshizi Ning’s petulance, and said to Hong Lian, "Why didn’t you run away?"

Hong Lian lifted her head, meeting Qianye’s gaze, and said, "Why should I? I may have a grudge against you, but I am first and foremost a Gao Hu, and I have an obligation to build my ancestral land. Of course, I still dislike Qing Yue, so don’t expect me to serve under her."

Her voice carried, and Qing Yue, who was nearby, heard it. She stood up and said, "If you can complete the planning, I’ll serve under you!"

Hong Lian was taken aback, unsure of how to respond.

Ningshizi Ning said to Qianye, "Good choice of people, you’re improving."

After a teasing remark, Ningshizi Ning added, "Let’s not delay; quickly determine the route."

Qianye nodded and activated the Valhalla, flying into the void. Even with the Valhalla’s speed, it would take two days to circle the Northern Continent, but Ningshizi Ning finally found a secret route that bypassed the East Sea landmass, allowing direct landing on the Northern Continent.

After confirming the route, Ningshizi Ning made no further delays and had Qianye drop him off at the harbor city on the East Sea landmass, where he would catch a floating ship to leave.

This time, Qianye chose to fly directly across the East Sea. The Valhalla flew along the edge of the void and the protective layer of the landmass, making it untouchable by the numerous terrifying beasts in the East Sea. Additionally, the Valhalla retained some of the Earth Dragon’s residual power, causing any beast that smelled its presence to flee far away.

Before parting, Ningshizi Ning suddenly remembered something and said to Qianye, "Give me that gun barrel. I still have some resources in the empire. I’ll see if I can assemble a gun when I return."

Qianye nodded, retrieved the gun barrel, and handed it over to Ningshizi Ning.

Ningshizi Ning slung it over his shoulder, patted Qianye’s shoulder, and said, "Wait for me, and I’ll introduce you to some beautiful women!"

Without waiting for Qianye to protest, Ningshizi Ning leaped off the Valhalla and quickly disappeared from view.

Standing atop the Earth Dragon, Qianye watched as Ningshizi Ning departed, feeling a sense of loss. If Ningshizi Ning hadn’t come, he wouldn’t have been reminded of so many past events. Now, the empire, its people, and its affairs all flooded his mind, impossible to dismiss.

Qianye sighed, turned the Valhalla around, and prepared to return to the East Sea. Little Zhuji, appearing beside him, asked, "Has Mother gone?"

Qianye patted her head, "He’ll be back soon."

"How soon?"

"After you take a nap, you’ll see him again."

The little one nodded drowsily, "I’m sleepy, I’ll go to bed now."

On the top deck of the Valhalla, a group of Gao Hu engineers was hanging a new power sail on the spine mast. As the large power sail unfurled, people cheered, and the Valhalla’s speed increased slightly.

Though there were only a dozen Gao Hu engineers working on the Valhalla, each worked tirelessly, managing to complete the assembly of the power sail in a fraction of the time it would have taken hundreds of engineers months to do. They were utterly loyal to Qing Yue and knew that the safety of their new ancestral land depended on the Valhalla’s perfection.

Thus, like the Gao Hu building their ancestral land, the Gao Hu on the ship also displayed an unimaginable burst of energy.

The Valhalle slowly flew into the void, hovering high in the sky. Qianye, leaving the Valhalla, prepared to head to Nanqing City. By his calculations, the first batch of four ballistae should have arrived. Although they were second-hand, at least the Valhalla now had some basic armament, avoiding the awkwardness of having to fight by ramming.

Of course, in the entire Evernight, there were few ships that could match the Valhalla in a collision.

Nanqing City seemed not to be Qianye’s lucky place; every time he came, something always went wrong. In the Empire, Qianye might have infiltrated Nanqing City at night and assassinated Jiri discreetly.

But in the Neutral Zone, this was the norm. At the start of any business, the first thought of both parties was not how to make money, but whether they could swallow the other party and gain all the goods and deals. In the Neutral Zone, if Jiri wanted to kill, no one was off-limits.

Qianye understood this and, thus, entered Nanqing City openly once more.

The guard officer, seeing Qianye, naturally greeted him warmly and with great attention. Qianye was a major customer for Nanqing City, and several deals had filled the city’s coffers, even providing extra meals for the city guard. On the other hand, Qianye’s reputation as a formidable fighter, having defeated the Furious Wind Mercenary Corps, made the mere guards too afraid to provoke such a dangerous person.

Sitting in the officer’s off-road vehicle, Qianye half-jokingly, half-seriously, said, "I hope there’s no ambush waiting for me ahead, right?"

The officer immediately broke out in a sweat and repeatedly said, "No! Absolutely not! If there really was an ambush, wouldn’t I be risking my own life? Besides, how could I know you were coming at this time? And if there were an ambush, it wouldn’t be set up like that, right?"

The officer was quite eloquent. Qianye smiled, ceased his teasing, and closed his eyes to rest.

The off-road vehicle swayed gently as it drove toward the city lord’s residence.

While Qianye appeared to be resting, his senses were fully active. A slight opening in his eyes revealed pupils with a faint blue glow. He had activated True Vision, constantly monitoring the changes in the surrounding origin power.

In True Vision, any changes in origin power could not escape Qianye’s notice. Even if someone concealed their aura, unless they possessed an extraordinary ability like latent bloodline, the stronger they were, the more impact they would have on origin power, revealing their presence.

After experiencing so many incidents in Nanqing City, Qianye had learned to be cautious, no matter how dull he might seem.

Turning a corner, the off-road vehicle entered the main road leading to the city lord’s residence. In True Vision, a storm seemed to be brewing above the residence, with a massive vortex of void origin power slowly rotating around it.

Qianye suddenly opened his eyes!