Chapter 320: Chapter 293: A True Helpmate

Berth Square, in the outer city of Taichu City.

The square, established not long after the outbreak of the Dragon Slaying War, had recently undergone another round of expansion.

Its area had expanded by more than three or four times, enough to accommodate the simultaneous takeoff and landing of over a hundred Cloud-Surging Flying Ships.

At this moment, over a hundred disciples of Taichu City were gathered in the square. They craned their necks and stared, wide-eyed and unblinking, at the colossus in the center of the square, their faces filled with shock and curiosity.

It was a gigantic, nine-story tower.

The tower’s body was octagonal and dark gold, exuding a sense of profound weight and substance.

The eight corners of its flying eaves curved upward, and from each corner hung a fist-sized bronze bell. The bronze was ancient and unadorned, and the faint, intricate patterns of runes were barely visible on its surface.

Beneath the eaves, layers of interlocking brackets extended outward. The patterns on each layer were different, ascending from auspicious clouds to spiritual birds, mystical beasts, and immortal herbs, symbolizing the climb to greater heights.

A bronze statue of a three-legged Golden Crow stood proudly atop the tower.

The statue was made of pure red-gold. Its wings were spread as if about to take flight, while its three legs firmly gripped the dew-collecting plate at the tower’s peak, its talons digging deep into the metal.

Sunlight streamed down through a break in the clouds, bathing the tower in a faint golden halo.

From a distance, it looked like a divine dwelling that had sailed straight out of ancient mythology.

"So this is the Feiyao Flying Tower."

"It’s several times larger than a Cloud-Surging Flying Ship."

"I hear this tower can hold over ten thousand people..."

The disciples gasped in endless amazement.

They had seen the Cloud-Surging Flying Ships and thought those were already incredible flying Magical Treasures.

But standing before the Feiyao Flying Tower, they finally understood the true meaning of colossal.

Compared to the tower before them, a Cloud-Surging Flying Ship was like a small fishing boat docked next to a massive cruise liner, appearing tiny and frail.

Evan stood among the crowd, his eyes also filled with undisguised awe as he gazed up at the magnificent tower.

Ryan, standing beside him, was also clicking his tongue in wonder.

"This is a Profound Artifact-grade flying Magical Treasure. I wonder what it’s like to pilot it?"

Ryan nudged Evan’s arm, his voice filled with unconcealable excitement.

"Evan, the Meeting Hall has posted a recruitment mission for disciples to pilot the Feiyao Flying Tower. Do you want to join?"

"Pilot the Feiyao Flying Tower?" Evan was slightly taken aback.

"Yeah." Ryan looked eager to try. "If we learn how now, we can take on missions to pilot the Feiyao Flying Tower when the Clan goes to war. Just imagine it, sitting inside the tower, controlling the Arrays, and looking down on the entire battlefield! How awesome would that be?"

Evan hesitated for a moment before finally shaking his head.

"I think I’ll pass."

"Why not?" Ryan was a little surprised.

"If a war really breaks out, isn’t it easier to earn Contribution Points by fighting on the battlefield directly? How many Contribution Points can you even make piloting a flying tower?" Evan said with a slight sneer.

Ryan thought about it and realized Evan had a point.

He sighed, giving up on the idea of taking the piloting mission, and asked disappointedly, "So what are you planning to do next?"

Evan smiled. With a flick of his wrist, a black banner materialized in his palm. He waved it at Ryan. "Know what this is?"

Ryan studied it for a moment.

The banner was as black as ink, its material neither silk nor linen, and it faintly radiated a chilling aura.

The staff was grayish-white and covered in tiny pores. A faint, grayish-white mist seeped from these pores, swirling around the staff without dispersing.

Ryan suddenly remembered something and exclaimed in a low voice, "Is that a Soul-Gathering Banner?"

Evan nodded with a smile. "That’s right."

Ryan immediately understood. "You’re planning to go out and collect Residual Souls."

The Meeting Hall had recently posted a new mission to go out and collect Residual Souls with a Soul-Gathering Banner. The rewards were very generous.

Coincidentally, with frequent wars breaking out all over, battlefields were littered with Residual Souls, making them easy to collect.

Because of this, many disciples had eagerly accepted the mission.

In the past few months, a large number of disciples had already set out to various regions to collect Residual Souls.

The realization dawned on Ryan, but his brow quickly furrowed. He hesitated. "But I heard that a new area called the Red Blood Fertile Soil was recently discovered near Nine Nether City. The Clan will most likely start a war to conquer it. Aren’t you going to participate?"

Evan chuckled. "You’re behind on the news."

"What do you mean?" Ryan looked at him, confused.

"I heard from Laine that the mission to collect Residual Souls is precisely in preparation for the attack on the Red Blood Fertile Soil." Evan lowered his voice, his expression growing more serious. "The Teacher is preparing to refine a new type of Daoist Soldier called ’Shadow Soldiers’ to deal with those subterranean creatures."

Ryan’s eyes instantly lit up.

"Shadow Soldiers? What are those?"

"I’m not too sure about the specifics." Evan shook his head. "But Laine said the Clan will probably wait until the Shadow Soldier Legion is established before sending troops to attack the Red Blood Fertile Soil. We can totally collect Residual Souls to earn Contribution Points first. It won’t be too late to join the war after Nine Nether City launches the attack."

Ryan’s eyes shone as he listened. Without another word, he turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Evan called after him.

"To accept the mission!" Ryan waved without looking back. "How could I miss out on something this interesting?"

"Wait for me! I’ll come find you after I get my Soul-Gathering Banner. We’ll go collect Residual Souls together."

Evan watched his hurried retreat, shook his head with a laugh, and started to follow him.

Just as the two of them left the Berth Square, a low hum suddenly sounded from overhead.

Evan and Ryan instinctively looked up.

They saw a cyan-and-white Flying Ship streaking across the sky above Taichu City. It was incredibly fast, crossing the city walls in an instant and disappearing over the horizon.

"A Cloud-Surging Flying Ship?" Ryan was stunned for a moment. "What’s going on?"

Evan was also puzzled.

Cloud-Surging Flying Ships were not deployed lightly.

After all, the Taichu Spirit Realm had Teleportation Arrays. If you wanted to go somewhere, you could just use those.

Only for travel to more distant places, such as beyond the Eldron Plain, would one ride a Cloud-Surging Flying Ship.

Besides, only a few Legendary Powerhouses in the entire Clan were qualified to travel on a Cloud-Surging Flying Ship.

’Who could it be?’

A few names flashed through Evan’s mind, but he couldn’t be sure.

He shook his head and looked away.

"I don’t know, but if they’re using a Flying Ship, it must be for something important. Come on, let’s go to the Meeting Hall first."

Ryan nodded, and the two of them quickened their pace toward the Meeting Hall.

「...」

Ninefold Celestial Tower, Celestial Essence Hall.

Eleanor sat behind a long table, a quill in her hand, her head bowed as she reviewed documents.

The hall was exceptionally quiet, the only sounds being the soft scratching of the quill on paper and the occasional chirp of birds from outside the distant window.

Just then, the sound of light, quick footsteps came from the entrance of the hall.

Furlo walked in briskly, stopping before the long table and bowing slightly.

"Lady Eleanor."

Eleanor didn’t look up, her quill continuing to move across the paper. "What is it?" she asked casually.

"Lady Romance has left the city on a Cloud-Surging Flying Ship," Furlo reported.

Eleanor’s hand paused for a fraction of a second. She raised her eyes and looked at Furlo in confusion.

"Left the city? Where is she going?"

"The Green Highlands, to Bilin City," Furlo replied. "An entire Vassal Race has come to seek refuge with our Clan. They’ve already arrived at Bilin City, and the Clan needs to send someone to receive them. Lady Romance happened to hear about it and volunteered to handle it herself."

Eleanor was stunned for a moment, then shook her head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"She’s as carefree as ever."

Romance’s current status and position were not what they used to be.

She was the Deputy Commander of the Silver Moon Legion and one of the Clan’s few Legendary Powerhouses.

Outside the Clan, she was an influential figure wherever she went.

Why would a mere Vassal Race require her personal attention?

But on second thought, Eleanor realized it wasn’t strange at all for someone with Romance’s personality to do something like this.

Her friend had never been one to care about pomp or status.

Eleanor was about to speak when her expression suddenly changed, and she shifted the topic.

"Which Vassal Race is it?"

"It’s the Dogman Race," said Furlo. "They originally lived on the Frost Ridge Plateau but were forced to migrate their entire race due to local wars. Later, they heard we were recruiting Vassal Races and proactively contacted us, hoping to become one of our vassals in exchange for protection."

"No wonder," the Elf Maiden murmured, a look of understanding in her eyes.

The Dogman Race was a beast-kin demi-human race, similar to the Catman Race.

They had near-human appearances but retained many canine features.

For example, pricked ears, a fluffy tail, and a keen sense of smell and hearing.

Furthermore, the physical constitution of the Dogman Race far surpassed that of ordinary humans. Their speed and explosive power were both outstanding, making them natural-born Warriors and hunters.

Ever since the Clan Leader began his experiments with Demon Race bloodlines, the Clan had paid special attention to Vassal Races that had the potential to evolve Demon Race bloodlines. Among them, beast-kin demi-humans like the Catman Race received the most focus.

The Dogman Race naturally fell into this category as well.

Romance had probably taken action personally for this very reason.

’Of course, knowing my friend,’ Eleanor thought, ’Romance is probably just curious about what the Dogman look like and wants to see them with her own eyes.’

’She’s already reached the Third Transition of Force, yet she’s still so... childish.’

A helpless expression appeared on Eleanor’s face as she shook her head.

Furlo stood to the side, smiling without a word.

She wouldn’t dare bad-mouth Lady Romance behind her back.

Lady Romance held a transcendent status in the Clan. Even the three elders wouldn’t dare to slight her.

After all, everyone knew that Lady Romance and the Teacher had grown up together and were extremely close.

Many even believed that if the Teacher were to choose a Dao companion in the future, it would be Lady Romance, nine times out of ten.

’However...’

Furlo secretly glanced at Lady Eleanor, musing to herself.

’I think Lady Eleanor would also be a very suitable Dao companion for the Teacher.’

’Lady Eleanor is calm, meticulous, and exceptionally capable. She’s managed the Clan’s affairs so well all these years, allowing the Teacher to focus on his cultivation. Now that’s a truly supportive partner.’

’Besides, anyone with eyes can see how Lady Eleanor feels about the Teacher...’

But these were thoughts Furlo only dared to entertain in her mind; she would never voice them out loud.

She lowered her gaze, suppressed her chaotic thoughts, and quietly awaited Eleanor’s next instructions.

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