Chapter 257: Chapter 236: Exclusive Secret

The Cloud-Surging Flying Ship broke through the clouds, leaving a trail of pale green and white across the sky.

Looking out from the porthole, a dark, grim, gray-black silhouette was faintly visible on the distant skyline, like an ancient behemoth sprawled across the land.

That was the Holy Dragon Mountain Range.

Laine stood before the Control Console, gazing at the silhouette of the mountain range at the edge of his vision.

"Slow down."

He spoke in a deep voice, his finger swiping lightly across the Array Disc.

At the same time, the other disciples from Taichu City began operating their own Array Discs.

VMM!

The Flying Ship’s speed decreased abruptly.

The runic patterns on the hull shifted from a bright green and white to a soft, pale green.

Sensing the Flying Ship’s deceleration, the Elves resting in their cabins came out onto the deck one by one to gaze into the distance.

The clouds slowly receded on both sides, revealing a wide, open view.

Below, the silhouette of a massive fortress gradually came into focus.

The gray-black city walls, like the body of a Giant Dragon, stretched across the Storm Rift Abyss, completely sealing off the passage between the Holy Dragon Mountain Range and the outside world.

The surface of the walls was densely covered in scorch marks and cracks, a shocking sight to behold.

Dark red bloodstains remained between the crenellations, silently attesting to the brutality of the nine-year war that had been a veritable meat grinder.

Above the walls, flags of all colors snapped in the wind.

The emerald oak of the Jade Royal Court, the silver star and shield of the Freedom Alliance, the anvil and war hammer of the Heart of the Mountains, the crimson war axe of Blood Roar Fortress, the deep blue waves of the Tide Hall...

The banners of the five top factions flew side-by-side at the highest point, declaring who now ruled this land.

More flags fluttered below them, representing other factions from across the continent.

Some they recognized, but most were emblems they had never seen before.

"That’s Darkness Fortress."

Romance studied the fortress below with curiosity.

The city that once guarded the mountain pass for the Dragon Court had now become the allied forces’ forward base.

Vague figures could be seen bustling about within the city walls.

"Let’s go. It’s time to head down."

Everyone turned to see Anton walking out of the Control Chamber.

"I’ve already contacted Grant. We can land directly in the field outside the fortress."

His voice carried clearly to the Taichu City disciples in the Control Chamber.

"Yes, Master."

Laine acknowledged the order, his fingers sweeping rapidly across the Array Disc to adjust the Flying Ship’s descent trajectory.

...

「North of Darkness Fortress, a temporary landing field.」

This open space, cleared out by the allied forces, was vast enough to accommodate the simultaneous takeoff and landing of over a hundred airships.

Airships of all sizes and styles were parked on the field. Some were unloading cargo, others were undergoing maintenance. Crewmen and sailors bustled about, making the place as lively as a market.

When the streak of pale green and white light first appeared on the horizon, no one paid it much mind.

Airships came and went from the front lines constantly. Everyone was used to it.

But as the streak of light approached at an incredible speed, growing from the size of a sesame seed to a massive shadow that blotted out the sun in the blink of an eye, it was as if the entire field had hit pause.

A few allied soldiers in charge of guiding the airships craned their necks, their mouths agape.

When had they ever seen an airship so enormous and exquisite?

The streamlined hull, the graceful eaves and pavilions that seemed a natural part of its form, and the utter stability with which it hovered silently, not even stirring the air—it was simply beyond their comprehension.

A young human soldier rubbed his eyes hard and stammered to the veteran beside him, "Is th-that an airship? It’s way too big..."

The veteran didn’t answer. He, too, was frozen in place, staring dumbfounded at the behemoth in the sky.

Everyone was stunned into silence by the scene before them.

The Flying Ship drifted down as lightly and steadily as a falling leaf, landing silently in the designated clearing.

The light from the Array on its underside rippled out like water, completely absorbing the last bit of vibration from the landing.

The surrounding allied soldiers instinctively took a few steps back, not daring to get any closer.

The first to jump down were a group of young Elves dressed in pale green robes.

They fanned out around the Flying Ship with practiced efficiency and began inspecting the runic patterns on the hull. The entire process was silent and orderly, as if rehearsed countless times.

Then, the ramp lowered silently, and a tall, slender figure was the first to emerge.

Anton was not wearing his usual moon-white robe today. Instead, he wore a deep blue, belted robe adorned with cloud patterns. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with silver clouds, giving him an even more ethereal and otherworldly air.

Following closely behind him, an elite squad from the Silver Moon Clan emerged in single file.

Romance, a War Axe half her height slung over her back, scanned the surroundings with curious amber eyes.

The three elders walked side-by-side, with Cedric bringing up the rear.

Though there were only a few of them, each person exuded a profound and composed presence.

The allied soldiers standing guard felt a shiver and instinctively straightened their postures.

They didn’t recognize these Elves, but the Flying Ship and their sheer presence were enough to tell them that these were no ordinary people.

From the other side of the field, several figures were striding over quickly.

It was none other than Grant, Ignatius, and Alicia.

The moment they saw these three, another commotion stirred among the surrounding allied soldiers.

’Three of the Fallen Dragon Association’s Five-Star Pillars are here. Who are they here to welcome?’

Soon, they discovered to their astonishment that Grant and the other two were heading straight for the Elves who had just disembarked from the peculiar flying ship.

Anton saw the trio as well, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

’I thought Grant would be the only one to greet us,’ he mused. ’I didn’t expect Alicia and Ignatius to come too.’

Before Anton could even speak, Ignatius’s gaze shot past him and became fixed on the Cloud-Surging Flying Ship.

"Anton!" The Dwarf’s voice cracked with excitement as he rushed over, taking two steps at a time, his beard twitching. "This thing is yours?!"

"That’s right," Romance cut in before Anton could answer, puffing her chest out with pride. "This is a Flying Ship Anton built. Impressive, isn’t it?"

Her tone was filled with undisguised pride.

"Impressive... Incredibly impressive..."

Ignatius was a master of both Alchemy and Enchantment and had extensively researched airship construction. He could see the ingenuity of the behemoth before him at a single glance.

He circled the Flying Ship several times, standing on his tiptoes, wanting to touch it but not daring to. He felt that every single pattern on the hull exuded a profound complexity he couldn’t begin to comprehend.

Finally unable to restrain himself, he grabbed Anton’s sleeve and craned his neck to stare up at him, his old, weather-beaten face filled with eagerness.

"This airship—no, Flying Ship—how was it made? What powers it? What’s the hull made of? And those patterns... they aren’t Runes, are they? They feel different..."

He fired off a barrage of questions, his eyes gleaming with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, like a child who had discovered a fascinating new toy.

Grant and Alicia watched Ignatius’s antics and exchanged a helpless glance. They knew their friend had once again fallen into that state of obsession where only exquisite alchemical creations existed, completely oblivious to all else.

That said, they could understand how Ignatius felt.

They, too, had been astonished at their first sight of the Flying Ship.

Its size alone, not to mention anything else, far surpassed that of any existing airship.

’Anton’s gone and cooked up something amazing again.’

Anton, meanwhile, calmly pulled his sleeve from the Dwarf’s grasp. "That’s a trade secret," he said evenly.

This nearly drove Ignatius frantic.

He had come with Grant to welcome Anton for one particular reason: to discuss the crafting process for Sensing Spirit Stones and Spirit Fire Talismans.

Four years ago, the Heart of the Mountains had traded its Demon Crystal technology to the Silver Moon Clan in exchange for the techniques to forge Rune Equipment.

Only afterward did they discover that the Silver Moon Clan had pulled a fast one on them.

However, the Heart of the Mountains had its own guilty conscience in the matter, so they weren’t in a position to demand an explanation from the Silver Moon Clan. They could only swallow the bitter pill.

After that, they invested massive amounts of manpower and resources into developing replacements for the Sensing Spirit Stones and Spirit Fire Talismans.

But four years passed with nothing to show for their efforts.

The Silver Moon Clan, on the other hand, had taken the Demon Crystal technology and, in just four short years, launched a series of products like Magic Crystal Lamps and Magic Crystal Furnaces.

Rumor had it the products were immensely popular upon release, with sales skyrocketing. They were so flooded with external orders that even merchant caravans from the Kazadum Mountains were lining up for their turn.

The more the Heart of the Mountains thought about it, the more sour they felt.

That was why they had sent Ignatius to negotiate with Anton for the transfer of the crafting techniques for Sensing Spirit Stones and Spirit Fire Talismans.

But before any negotiations could begin, he discovered Anton had produced an unprecedented flying ship.

From the speed he had just observed, this thing was at least several times faster than the fastest airship of the Heart of the Mountains.

Then there was its silent hovering and the way it landed without the slightest disturbance in the airflow. Such stability was simply beyond the current technology of the Heart of the Mountains.

As an expert on airships, Ignatius immediately realized the value of this Flying Ship. The matter of the Sensing Spirit Stones and Spirit Fire Talismans was instantly forgotten, replaced by a single-minded desire to pry the ship’s secrets from Anton.

Grant saw that Ignatius was on the verge of losing it. He cleared his throat, patted the Dwarf’s shoulder, and said, "All right, we can talk about technology later. Anton and his people have traveled a long way. Let’s get them settled in first."

He turned to Anton and smiled. "Anton, and to all our friends from the Silver Moon Clan, welcome to Darkness Fortress."

Anton smiled faintly. "The three of you coming to greet us is quite the reception."

"You did the Fallen Dragon Association a huge favor. It’s only right that we came," Grant said with a laugh. "It’s a shame Seline and Rek’sa are busy, or they’d be here too."

Alicia smiled and nodded in agreement.

Ignatius shot Anton a woeful look, but he nodded as well.

By slaying the Radiant Ash Dragon, Anton had exposed the Dragon Race’s secrets, doing the Fallen Dragon Association a massive favor.

They had not forgotten this debt.

By personally welcoming the Silver Moon Clan, they also hoped to make a statement on their behalf and ward off any unnecessary trouble.

After all, in a frontier fortress teeming with all sorts of characters, a new faction without sufficient backing could easily become a target.

A personal welcome from the Five-Star Pillars was the best form of protection.

Ideally, all the Five-Star Pillars would have been present.

But it wasn’t convenient for Seline to appear in public.

As for Rek’sa, with his explosive temper, having him welcome Anton might have done more harm than good.

Considering this, Grant had only brought Ignatius and Alicia along.

"Let’s go. We’ll get you settled in the fortress first. Tonight, we’ll hold a banquet to welcome you."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Grant didn’t linger, leading the Elves toward Darkness Fortress.

The arrival of the Cloud-Surging Flying Ship was already a spectacle. The three of them appearing together at the landing field, given their status, drew even more attention.

The gazes of the surrounding allied soldiers and people of various races were fixed on them like spotlights.

Only after Anton, Grant, and the others had disappeared into the shadow of a guard tower did the field thaw, and a tide of discussion surged through the crowd.

"Did you hear that? Even Lord Ignatius couldn’t praise that airship enough."

"It’s called a Flying Ship... To think the Silver Moon Clan actually built something like that."

"The clan of the legendary Fallen Dragon Sword Saint? I hear they recently launched a number of popular Demon Crystal products."

"Looks like there’s more to this Silver Moon Clan than meets the eye."

Hearing the discussions around them, the Taichu City disciples who had just finished inspecting the Cloud-Surging Flying Ship showed flashes of pride.

They exchanged smiles but said nothing more before turning and reboarding the Flying Ship.

During their time at Darkness Fortress, their mission was to guard the Cloud-Surging Flying Ship and handle its maintenance.

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