Chapter 513: Chapter 333: Was the Forecast Wrong?

This was something she had promised Li Xiang before—ten of them. Erin wouldn’t go back on her word. However, she had a secret little plan: to have ten children with Li Xiang as compensation. But such a thought wasn’t something she could say out loud, for fear of scaring him off.

Over the next few days, the two continued their Dual Cultivation, but only to consolidate their Realms. They didn’t attempt another breakthrough, as advancing too quickly would certainly cause problems.

Finally, five days later, Erin’s Magic Alchemy Ship was complete. It was a massive vessel, approximately one hundred meters long, over ten meters wide, and about twenty meters high, with three full decks. The top deck was carved with numerous totems of winged griffins, matching the style and appearance of the griffins at Erin’s family castle.

At the top of the mast floated a navigational Compass formed from the Illusions of seven golden, fleur-de-lis crowns. To top it off, thirty-six Magic Cannons protruded from the sides of the hull, with Runes on the cannon barrels’ surfaces that ebbed and flowed like the Tide.

The most striking feature was the Alchemy Furnace at the stern. Li Xiang had no idea what it was, so he activated his Nine Nether Falsehood-Breaking Gaze to take a look. Inside, seven or eight different substances, including what looked like liquid gold and mercury, churned together, serving as the power source.

Li Xiang asked Erin about it, and she didn’t hold back, giving him a brief explanation. It was an Alchemy Perpetual Motion Machine driven by Merovingian Holy Blood, but it required regular replenishment of metal alloys.

’Is this another form of nuclear power?’ Li Xiang wondered. He was tempted to get a copy of the blueprints to give to Jiang Cai’Er for research, but he ultimately abandoned the suicidal thought.

"Per sanguinem et aeternitatem..." Erin chanted a few lines of a Spell. The massive Alchemy Ship began to rumble and vibrate, then transformed into a small swan figurine with its wings poised for flight, landing in her hand. The sheen of liquid Mithril flowed through the texture of the swan’s feathers.

Li Xiang clicked his tongue in wonder. Western Classical Alchemy certainly had its secrets. He had also benefited from his Dual Cultivation with Erin. His Crystal Gold Armor had improved significantly, and he gained new insights almost every time, all thanks to Erin sharing her knowledge of Alchemy. Since Erin herself was also progressing, every Dual Cultivation session was a win-win for them both.

Li Xiang took Erin with him, and in a single dash, they arrived in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Erin flicked her wrist, tossing the swan figurine into the sea. The Magic Alchemy Ship rose to meet the waves, transforming into a pitch-black, steel behemoth of a classical Western design.

The two landed on the Magic Alchemy Ship, and Erin took the helm, taking Li Xiang for a joyride.

The weather on the open sea was volatile. Before long, they encountered a fierce storm. But Erin was fearless; in fact, the blonde beauty only grew more excited, steering the Magic Alchemy Ship straight into the heart of the storm.

Li Xiang remarked, "A bit like Don Quixote, aren’t you?" As a Saint Tier, he naturally had nothing to fear, so he went along with her wild impulse.

The eye of the storm was split apart by the ship’s bow. Erin stood on the Elemental Cannon Platform, her golden hair whipping like a banner in the Category 12 Gale. "Southeast by 37 degrees, depth two thousand meters! Target: swarm of giant octopuses!"

The great ship rode the wind and waves, and even had a diving function. Before long, it had completely annihilated the swarm of giant octopuses.

When it was time to dive, Erin pressed the Holy Blood Crystal Stone at the center of the helm. The entire ship suddenly folded lengthwise into a spindle shape. At the same time, Erin’s alchemical gown automatically reconfigured into a streamlined diving suit.

The two spent the next several days out on the ocean, testing every aspect of the Magic Alchemy Ship’s performance. Erin was very thorough, recording all sorts of data and noting improvements she would make upon her return.

Of course, during these sea trials, the two also frequently engaged in Dual Cultivation in various locations all over the Magic Alchemy Ship.

Due to the frequency of their Dual Cultivation, Erin inadvertently broke through another tier, reaching the Realm of a Tier Eight Extraordinary Being, putting her on par with Chiba Yuki.

Erin’s Magic Alchemy Ship was, of course, also capable of handling the great flood. While its current form was enormous, its ability to transform into a small swan figurine meant it could also change into other appropriate sizes.

However, it couldn’t change to just any size, only to three pre-designed dimensions.

One of these was about ten meters long, suitable for navigating the Seine River and smaller lakes.

With the great flood drawing near, Li Xiang returned home.

During his absence, the giant panda, the five tigers, and the herd of Elephants were all fed on a regular schedule. Eternal Night Media was highly profitable, so of course, they wouldn’t let the animals go hungry.

Both the tigers and the herd of Elephants had enormous appetites, requiring vast amounts of food each day. The tigers, in particular, were carnivores through and through.

An ordinary family or company truly wouldn’t be able to afford to keep them; they’d be eaten into bankruptcy.

It was like in ancient Thailand, when the King of Thailand would bestow a White Elephant upon a court official. It wasn’t a blessing, but a punishment!

If the king took a disliking to an official but had no grounds to punish them, well, he would simply gift them a White Elephant.

It was an auspicious symbol, a sign of the King of Thailand’s favor. How could the official dare to refuse?

Unfortunately, the upkeep for a single Elephant was immense. The noble families were often unable to bear the financial burden, and their houses would quickly fall into ruin.

However, the nobility of a tiny nation like Thailand could hardly compare to the aristocrats of ancient China, let alone to Li Xiang’s current fortune.

Feeding the tigers and Elephants was a huge thrill for the security guards—even more exciting than feeding the panda.

Even Lei Jiaming would join in whenever he was free, taking the opportunity to film some videos.

During feeding times, tourists would get excited as well, eagerly pulling out their phones to take pictures.

Li Family Village also introduced an activity where they sold various foods that the Elephants and tigers enjoyed, allowing tourists to purchase them and experience feeding the animals themselves.

This was limited to the Elephants and tigers only.

Those two types of behemoths had hardy stomachs and wouldn’t get sick from overeating, whereas the panda was far more delicate, so the program wasn’t opened for it.

Lei Jiaming was especially fond of the tigers.

"Brother Xiang is really something else, raising such massive Golden Chinchillas. I’d love to go up and pet them." However, Lei Jiaming was only a Tier Three, far weaker than any of the tigers. He didn’t dare get close and could only watch with envy.

...

The great flood that had the whole world on edge never came. The torrential rains never came either. Instead, what summer brought first was an extreme heatwave.

The heat was suffocating, growing worse with each passing day. The temperature in Sichuan Province soared to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Someone even went out onto the street under the blazing noon sun and filmed a video of an egg frying on the cement. It was no trick; the egg cooked in an instant.

An infrared thermometer measured the ground temperature at over 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Some of the elderly and children with weaker constitutions collapsed from the heat and were rushed to the hospital.

Cases of heatstroke were innumerable. Emergency rooms were overflowing, cases of severe heat-related illness became frequent, and ICU beds were in critically short supply.

Many crops withered and died in the drought. The ground cracked. Lakes dried up.

People began to wonder if the forecast had been wrong. Had they mistaken a heatwave and drought for a flood? How ridiculous would that be?

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