In the swirling snowstorm, Uther stared at the mechanical daemon in front of her, its spider-like forelimbs shattered and constantly emitting electric sparks as they fell to the ground. Injecting her own magic into its body, she forcefully dominated the spell, able to seize control even without using administrator privileges. However, the magic circuit of this daemon was too fragile to withstand Uther's immense power, resulting in a burnt-out circuit and severe physical damage.
"Although it's an ancient spell, it's been heavily rewritten," Uther remarked, raising her wrist. Her right arm below the elbow was completely crushed, leaving only a small stump. The severed limb began to regenerate at an astonishing speed as magic gathered within it. First came the bones and nerves, followed by the muscles and blood vessels. In an instant, the fair skin formed, and her hand returned to its original state.
The forced domination earlier resulted in a stalemate, but the mechanical daemon clearly couldn't repair itself. Administrator privileges didn't work well on this thing because it wasn't under the control of any system. It functioned as an independent individual, and combined with the massive rewriting of the original spell, it was difficult to gain complete control. If it entered the coverage range of a certain system, such as the broad-spectrum barrier covering the Qin Mansion, there would still be a possibility of control interference. Unfortunately, there were no such conditions around the dock.
The mechanical spider roared, and Uther leaped to the left. The cemented ground beneath her was immediately shattered by the barrage of multiple machine guns. It seemed that Qin Feng had no intention of showing mercy. Before the ammunition in the drums on the spider's back was exhausted, it was a mobile artillery turret, and a highly powerful one at that.
"Uther Noinheim, are you really human?" Albert asked. "Your hand changed like that, and it healed instantly. It's too exaggerated, isn't it?"
"Shut up!" Uther shouted. "I'm worried!"
"What are you worried about?" Albert taunted. "I think even if your head gets cut off, it will grow back immediately."
"Don't compare me to a dead person like you!"
"But..." Albert changed his tone. "Noinheim, you felt it just now, right? What exactly is driving this magical mech? The nature of that power, it's so tragic."
"How could I not feel it," Uther flexed her just regenerated wrist. "It's like a whirlpool of darkness, as if it's going to devour everything. At the center of that whirlpool is a deep hatred, a hatred for this world. It scared me almost to the point of retreating."
"I've done some research on humanoid daemon spells," Albert said. "This advanced daemon must have had part of a warlock's soul implanted within it. Warlocks would seal a small part of their soul inside the daemon, connecting and synchronizing their thoughts through this technique. While controlling the daemon, the spellcaster would also be influenced by the daemon. If the daemon embodies a hatred for all things in the world, the spellcaster who controls it won't be able to escape its influence."
"That's true," Uther made up her mind. "This makes it even more necessary to destroy it."
"Oh, your expression has changed," Albert said. "You really are a warrior. Once you make a decision, you see it through without turning back. You're truly an unyielding lout. But I like guys like you! After you die, you must join my ranks."
"Only a thank you for your kindness!" Uther leaped up and landed steadily on the icy eaves. "Activate, Inherent Spell No. 71, Battlefield of the Dead Souls!"
A huge amount of magic was injected into the unfolding spell, and then the world twisted. The forbidden incantation eroded the "logic" that composed the world, forcibly tearing open the boundaries of space and time. The surroundings instantly changed as the snow-shrouded dockyard turned into an endless black grassland. A red moon hung in the night sky as ethereal ghostly flames floated in the darkness. Between the drooping blades of grass, the skeletal remains of the fallen soldiers appeared and disappeared.
Uther stood in the waist-deep grass, allowing the night wind to scatter her platinum-like long hair. In front of her, the enormous mechanical daemon assumed a defensive posture, its eyes gleaming with hatred. Behind it, Qin Feng, his hand bleeding, covered his wounds, his contorted face resembling a demon. Confused, Ding Yi stood by his sister's side. Without magic, he had hardly received any training from warlocks, and he couldn't understand what was happening.
"Welcome to my 'Warzone'," Uther declared loudly. "From now on, I will no longer show mercy. As a magus, let us enjoy a delightful battle.""Just as I wished," Qin Feng laughed coldly, "after you die, I will turn you into excellent 'material' to be used by me for a lifetime."
"Thank you for your kind offer," Uther responded with a bitter smile.
"Wait!" Ding Yi stepped forward, "Captain Noyneheim, and sister, why are you both fighting each other? It's very strange, why would you do this?"
"Huaiyu, you wouldn't understand," Qin Feng said softly, "I need power for revenge."
"Instead of complaining there, catch this!" Uther said without hesitation, throwing Orbede's head towards Ding Yi, who quickly caught it.
"Alright, young man," Orbede said excitedly, "move twenty steps to the left, then turn sixty-five degrees to the right, hahaha, this is an excellent angle for observation, a prime seat for the audience!"
Now that everyone, including the non-combatants and spectators, had taken their positions, the battle began.
The Wraith Battlefield had the attributes of dark 5 and wind 2, with dark and wind attributes being enhanced. As one of the six "battlefields" owned by Uther, it was considered the mildest one. It provided only a vast space for unrestricted fighting and did not hinder or attack the enemies according to the caster's will. However, Qin Feng's Yigui attribute was dark and also received the attribute enhancement from the battlefield.
"Attack!" Qin Feng pointed her iron fan and said, "Rip her apart!"
The mechanical spider let out a roar and leaped towards Uther, swinging its claws to attack, but she narrowly avoided them. With her enhanced body and excellent dynamic vision, Uther's eyes were able to capture every minute movement of the Yigui.
"It's not over yet!" Qin Feng unfolded her iron fan and activated a technique, "Shoot!"
The six-barreled Gatlin machine gun mounted on the mechanical spider was activated, and a storm of bullets rained down on Uther, who leaped backward. In that instant, a golden defensive barrier deflected all the bullets. The world solidified in Uther's hand, and black cryptic incantations floated from the flipping pages of the book.
"Inherent technique 'Golden Fortress,' partial activation!" Uther commanded, "Activate, inherent technique 314, Lightning Blade, continuous rewriting!"
The mechanical spider retracted the Gatlin machine gun and used its front claws to fiercely attack the Golden Fortress. Sparks flew as the golden barrier stood firm. Behind Uther, a formation of magical incantations formed a spell array, and with the gathering of magic power, a shining lightning sword gradually materialized. New spell arrays continued to form, instantly obscuring the night sky behind Uther. Qin Feng looked in astonishment at the lightning sword that almost covered the entire sky. At that moment, she deeply realized the immense gap in power between them.
It was a despairing difference in power.
"I can't stop here!" Qin Feng took out a stack of blood-red talismans from her sleeve, "Magic Shield, multiple regenerations, immediate execution!"
The talismans scattered and floated around the mechanical spider like guards, then a blue-green light enveloped it - a defensive technique.
"Are you ready?" Uther asked, "Is the defense now in place? However, what comes next will be painful."
With that, she snapped her fingers, and the raining lightning blades that covered the sky came crashing down. Qin Feng's defensive technique was instantly destroyed, and the lightning blades pierced the mechanical spider like a hedgehog. The severely damaged mechanical Yigui let out a painful groan, and at the same time, a large amount of blood sprayed out from Qin Feng, dyeing her robe red.
"Marvelous! Truly marvelous!" Orbede shouted, "Come on, little girl! It won't be a problem for you to crush this guy. Tristan, that idiot, has already died once, so he won't die again."
"Captain, you are so heartless!" For some reason, a protest from an undead could be heard in the mechanical Yigui's roar.
Kneeling on one knee, Qin Feng, covered in blood, stood up again, ignoring her bloody appearance. She raised her iron fan once more.
"It's not over yet," she declared loudly, "I can continue fighting!"
Ding Yi, who was standing next to her, looked at her in pain and closed his eyes.
"Tsk tsk tsk! What a pitiful sight, wasting that beautiful face," Orbede sneered, deliberately letting the young man holding him hear, "look at that woman, her mind completely consumed by hatred, the darkness harbored within the Yigui has devoured her soul. The person who gave her that Yigui is truly sinister.""Please stop talking," Ding Yi shook his head.
"You useless fool, do you even have the balls?" Albert sneered, "Forget it, you can just be a good seat for me, you pus bag! Turn left twenty-five degrees, the exciting part is coming, I don't want to miss any details."
Uther, standing behind the golden city wall, erupted with visible enormous magic power. The world recorded in her hands emitted an ominous light, black curses constantly floated from the pages of the book, releasing the wailing of souls. Qin Feng looked at her opponent in front of her, feeling despair from the immense magical power output. The difference in magical power level between the two sides was too great, there was no suspense in this battle from the beginning, but she still didn't give up.
"Restrainer, release!" Qin Feng commanded loudly, "Warrior form!"
The mechanical spider roared, and the human-like upper body broke free from the spider-like chassis, as if shedding excess weight, standing on the ground relying on the legs stored inside the spider body. Uther frowned, seeing the ghost transformed into a warrior sacrificing the Spirit Seed Furnace in her abdomen, absorbing the life force of the practitioner greatly, converting it into magic power to enhance her own magic power output. She sighed and softly commanded, "Activate, innate technique number 33, the Cannon of the God of War!"
Two magical formations unfolded behind her, magical energy rings composed of incantations extended forward in sequence, forming a structure similar to a cannon. Enormous magic power was injected into the magical cannon, going through layers of convergence and finally transforming into black high-density energy. It was the terrifying existence known as a miniature black hole, capable of obliterating anything in the mortal realm, the ultimate means of attack. But just as Uther was preparing to construct the third cannon, the magical formation went wrong.
"Indeed, have you reached your limit?" she murmured to herself, "My mental domain is still too weak, relying on the magic tome as the catalyst for the first-tier innate technique is really forcing it."
Seeing the third cannon disintegrate midway, anger ignited in Qin Feng's eyes.
"Are you underestimating me?" she shouted, "As your opponent, am I not worth giving it your all?"
"Don't get me wrong," Uther sighed, "I have my reasons too. Relying solely on a magic tome is insufficient to completely control techniques within a hundred, my mental strength is weak. Having immense power but unable to fully utilize it, do you know how frustrating that is? Ah, forget it, let's end the battle. Recognize your own weakness, girl from Jade Jing."
With a snap of her fingers, two cannons of techniques fired micro black holes. The mechanical ghost in warrior form assumed a defensive posture, but the next second, it was completely obliterated by the black holes.
Disconnected from the ghost, Qin Feng fell to the ground like a puppet with cut strings.
As if receiving the proclamation of the battle's end, the "Battlefield" disappeared, the black plain with flickering ghost fires gradually vanished, and the group returned to the snowstormy pier.
Before the snowstorm ceased, Uther organized the Kunlun slaves to salvage the shattered mechanical spiders as much as possible and moved their wreckage and parts into the cargo hold of the Explorer. Due to the use of the Battlefield, the chances of being witnessed were minimized. However, Uther still had some worries. Injured severely, Qin Feng was sent to the sickbay and entrusted to Ding Yi's care after receiving recovery magic, so there shouldn't be any problems.
Once everything was settled, Uther stood helplessly in front of the wreckage of the mechanical spider, the once unrivaled mechanical ghost now in complete disarray, with its main body completely destroyed, only the spider-shaped part of its body remaining. Fortunately, its abdomen remained intact. In order to extract Tristan from inside, Uther had been careful not to damage this area during the battle.
Uther interfered with the abdomen of the mechanical spider, activating the technique, but it seemed like she inserted the wrong key into the lock. Seeing that she couldn't figure it out, Uther fetched a toolbox and, with the help of the slaves, began to dismantle the abdomen of the mechanical ghost. However, they couldn't even find a single screw! The mechanical ghost used some kind of assembly method that she had never seen before. It couldn't be disassembled with a screwdriver or wrench.
"That Lin guy might have a solution," Uther gave up and threw the wrench into the corner. She raised her right hand, preparing to forcibly seize control again.
"Let's call it a night, little girl," Albert, with only one head remaining, said, "You don't want to blast off your hand again, I can feel the pain just looking at it.""I can't blow up, fortunately," Uther moved his right hand, which he had recently regained, "I don't know why, but I'm starting to become numb to pain. Maybe it's because I'm getting used to this body. After all, I used to be human. Although this body isn't the original one, my soul is still intact."
"Good to hear that," the flames in the skeleton's eyes diminished, as if squinting, "At least you used to be human, so you won't cross the line too much."
"What does that mean?" Uther forced a bitter smile.
"I mean, don't you have any self-awareness?" Orbed said, "You're smart, beautiful, and powerful. Humans can't be like that. We are smaller, more pitiful, even cowardly. If I have to describe it, you are like a fairy from legends, a beautiful and wise being that is not human. You have long transcended the realm of humans."
"Thanks for the compliments." Uther sighed in relief, at least Orbed didn't mention the word "doll" in his evaluation.
"Maybe one day, you might gradually lose your humanity," Orbed continued, "but I believe as long as your beliefs remain, you can maintain your sense of self in the endless vortex, never taking the path of evil." He then changed the subject, "But, you better fix your nosy habit. It's good to be helpful, but please remember one thing – you don't owe anyone anything, so help only to a certain extent."
"Why does everyone say that?"
"So many people have said it, and you still haven't changed!"
"Fine, I don't care anymore." Uther kicked the abdomen of the mechanical spider, "Figure out how to get your subordinates out by yourself."
"Wait a minute, what's wrong with you? Don't throw a tantrum! Are you not a child?" Orbed became anxious, "Helping others to the end, you're going back on your word. Uther? Miss Noyonheim? Can you help me get that idiot Tristan out?"
"Let's talk about it tomorrow." Uther waved his hand, "I'm tired, going to sleep."
Yawning, she walked toward the cabin door but collided with a beautiful black-haired woman. Qin Feng came to the cargo hold with Ding Yi's support and happened to encounter Uther, who was about to leave.
"Oh no!" Orbed chuckled bitterly, "This seems like a familiar scene in movies when enemies meet. But I don't think the young girl would lose in a physical fight against that enchantress."
However, with only a head left, he couldn't do anything. But the Kunlun slaves were prepared for battle, ready to protect their master at any moment.
Uther and Qin Feng stood facing each other. In terms of height, Qin Feng was a head taller, and her graceful figure gave her an overwhelming advantage. However, Uther was no less powerful in terms of magical ability. Nevertheless, Uther felt as if he had done something wrong, and Qin Feng's expression seemed uncomfortable as well. Both of them maintained a subtle silence.
"Is your body... better?" It took Uther a while to squeeze out these words.
"Thanks to you, I'm still alive," Qin Feng replied casually, "But it seems my Yigui is destroyed."
"Sorry," Uther forced a smile, "I had no choice. Although I know an apology won't solve the problem, if you have any requests, I'll do my best to help."
"Hey," Orbed shouted, "You're meddling again! And this time, it's an enemy!"
Uther threw a wrench at him, hitting him right between the eyes. Orbed's head rolled into the corner like a ball, then it was picked up by a Kunlun slave.
"I have no intention of being your enemy," Uther said, "I'm just a merchant, carrying the banner of the Trade Alliance, wandering the four seas. I don't want to involve myself in your family's disputes because, in this matter, I'm simply an outsider. However, I hope you can release Captain Orbed's subordinates. After all, he helped us avoid the Federation's attack on the ship. We owe him a favor."
"I understand. I was too arrogant," Qin Feng seemed to have given up, speaking with a weary tone, "Yigui has become like this, and I can no longer confront my father. The undead have become useless to me." She drew a line of incantations in the air, and the abdomen of the mechanical spider opened, revealing Tristan's skeletal body falling out. "It was me who provoked the conflict. Blame it on my immaturity, blinded by revenge, and tempted by the dark power residing in Yigui's body, leading me to do many excessive things. I apologize for this.""It's okay, I should be the one apologizing." Uther sighed, "I'm sorry for beating you up so badly, but at that time, there was really no room for mercy."
"Thanks to you, Captain Noyinheim," Qin Feng touched the fragmented ghost, "I am fully aware of my weakness. I have awakened from the dream of revenge. I have nothing left to cling to in this family. Even the identity of a sorceress is no longer important." She turned to Uther and respectfully knelt down, "If you don't mind, I am willing to serve by your side."
This development exceeded Uther's expectations. Qin Feng was definitely a beauty, and a particularly outstanding one at that, with elegant manners, powerful magic, and an intelligent mind. If Uther were still Calus, she would be overjoyed, but now that she had bid farewell to her male identity, she felt a bit regretful.
"Sister?" Ding Yi was even more surprised, "Is this really a good idea?"
"This is my choice," Qin Feng said seriously, "In order to seek revenge, I killed many people. Now I only have this life left to repay my sins. I am no longer qualified to stay in Yujing."
"Well, I happen to need a vice-captain." Uther placed her hand on Qin Feng's shoulder, "Before you find a new purpose in life, travel with me for the time being." She straightened her back and reintroduced herself, "Welcome aboard the Explorer, Miss Qin Feng. I am the captain of this ship, Uther Noyinheim. Please take care of me in the future."
"Master," Qin Feng bowed and kowtowed, "I am Qin Feng. I am willing to serve by your side."
A subtle atmosphere filled the air between the two, one side filled with fiery loyalty, and the other in a state of concealed confusion. Uther felt like she had done a terrible thing. She secretly glanced at Ding Yi, who had been silent all along, and saw the young officer turn around and leave with a relieved expression.
Arranging for a slave to escort Qin Feng back to rest, the cargo hold quieted down once again, leaving only Uther, Orbede, and the Kunlun slave holding Orbede's head. However, the Kunlun slave looked terrified. Although Tristan with his skeletal appearance couldn't move due to a large amount of magical power being drained from him, in reality, a pile of bones was already quite terrifying, especially when it was capable of moving.
"I feel like I've seen my deceased grandfather." Tristan blurted out for some reason.
"You bastard, you've already crossed the Naihe Bridge, and you're still babbling nonsense!" Orbede gritted his teeth, "Tristan, get up, I'm going to beat you up!"
"Yes, Captain!" Tristan stood up all of a sudden and even leaned his face closer.
Is this guy a masochist or what?
"Oh, where are my fists?" Orbede yelled, "Forget it, let's escape!"
Tristan snatched Orbede's head from the hands of the Kunlun slave and turned around to run towards the ship's exterior, but a lance made of light mercilessly pierced through him, pinning him to the ground.
"Captain," Tristan's jawbone opened and closed, "please escape quickly..."
"You idiot, I'm just a head, how am I supposed to escape?"
"What the hell, are you two doing a comedy routine?" Uther angrily stomped on his head, "Do you think I'm invisible when I don't get angry? Captain Orbede, are all the people on your ship idiots?"
"Damn it, I can't argue with that." Orbede helplessly shouted.
After sixty-two hours, the ice storm finally ended. Uther ordered the Explorer to weigh anchor immediately and head to the nearby military port to load the supplies urgently needed by Yang Jiye. In these few days, she didn't know how the battle in Qingyang was going, but promises must be kept. Moreover, Uther judged that leaving now would be best for Qin Feng and Ding Yi.
The only thing that concerned her was who gave Qin Feng that dangerous mechanical ghost?
With about 170 tons of cargo loaded, the Explorer set sail once again, thanks to Ding Yi, who carried a letter of introduction from Yang Jiye, the loading of the cargo was shortened by quite a bit. On the third day of the voyage, Uther stood on the helm bridge and looked into the distance at the massive Floating Island. That was Yujing, approximately 177 kilometers in length and 65 kilometers in width, it was the largest Floating Island in the world. And above this large Floating Island, a silver palace floated at the end of the sky, a height that humans could not reach."Is that 'Penglai'?" Uther looked up at the elusive figure in the sky.
At the moment, she had not yet found a way to reach Penglai, so she could only gaze up at the floating white palace in the sky. Since there was no plan to go to the main island of Yujing, the Explorer was left behind after reaching the visual distance. After finishing her preparations, Uther walked into the bridge of the compass, where the helmsman was steering. The rest of the crew were taking a break. Albed's skull hung on the back of the captain's seat, looking so animated as if he had become the captain himself.
"How's everything?" Uther sat down with her legs crossed.
"Master, our ship has passed the main island of Yujing and is now heading east," the helmsman answered. "If the wind doesn't change, we will arrive at Qingyang Port in four days."
"Very well, let's make up for lost time." Uther nodded and began to infuse magic into the Spirit Seed Furnace of the Explorer. Her bottomless reserve of magic almost completely replaced the high-concentration Magic Element in the fuel tank, to the point that the Explorer didn't need any Magic Element replenishment at all.
In other words, the Explorer could travel anywhere without being limited by the amount of fuel it carried. As an extremely unstable substance, storing Magic Element was very difficult. If they simply increased the fuel tank of the hovercraft and stored more Magic Element, the danger would increase exponentially. A certain mass of Magic Element would automatically undergo a chain reaction and explode just by being left there.
Just then, the cabin door opened. A black-haired beauty dressed as a maid walked into the bridge and headed straight towards the unsuspecting Uther. Albed was the first to notice her, and his eyes immediately lit up with excitement. "This is truly the power of clothes," he said. "People change as soon as they put them on."
"What are you blabbering about?" Uther turned her head, her expression immediately frozen.
Qin Feng, dressed as a maid, bowed respectfully, and her black hair cascaded down her shoulders. Uther instantly felt like she was in a dream. The beautiful maid sister that could only be seen in aristocratic or royal households was standing right in front of her. Moreover, this beautiful maid sister exuded a strong exotic charm. What a blessing!
"Miss Qin Feng? Why are you dressed like this?"
"I found suitable clothes in the captain's room's wardrobe and put them on without permission," Qin Feng elegantly bowed, "The size is just right, perfectly fitting attire."
Unable to help but smile wryly, Uther realized that the chaotic assortment of various women's clothing in the wardrobe, which had a strong COSPLAY color, was all a private collection of the previous captain, a perverted slave master. Uther had only thought it was a waste to throw away these exquisitely made clothes, so she had never cleaned out the wardrobe. Unexpectedly, this beautiful young lady had taken them out and put them on without any sense of dissonance! Maid outfit, the dream of every man, but when the dream came true, she had turned into a girl herself.
"My lord," Qin Feng said respectfully, "Please let me comb your hair."
"Huh? Comb my hair?" Uther couldn't help but become flustered. "It's not necessary, I can do it myself! By the way, is your body feeling better now? You've only rested for a few days, you should take more time to recover..."
"Thank you for your concern, but taking care of my lord is my duty," Qin Feng took out a comb, "Besides, girls' hair is very delicate and requires careful care, something my lord usually doesn't pay attention to."
Feeling an inexplicable pressure, Uther couldn't move and could only let Qin Feng undo her hastily tied up hair. Qin Feng carefully took out the comb and gently untangled Uther's long hair, then braided it. When she saw the pointed ears hidden under the ends of the hair, her surprise showed for a brief moment. But this fleeting surprise quickly disappeared, and her loyal gaze returned to her eyes.
Just then, Ding Yi walked into the bridge, holding a telegram he had just received. However, he witnessed the scene of his sister combing Uther's hair and couldn't help but stare in amazement.
"Your sister is amazing!" Albed said to him, "The image of a sister combing her sister's hair has deeply touched me, making me feel warm and emotional, oh..."
Uther punched it away without a good temper.
Over the next three days, the Explorer turned north to avoid as much as possible any Federation military attack ships that might be lurking along the transportation routes. After months of intense attrition warfare, the naval power of Yujing had greatly diminished and was no longer capable of striking the elusive Federation attack ships. Qingyang was gradually being isolated."Captain!" A clanging armored figure pushed open the door to the bridge, immediately letting in the cold wind. Everyone, including Uther, quickly wrapped their clothes tightly around themselves.
"Quick, close the door! We'll freeze to death!" Uther impatiently said, "Hurry up, Mr. Tristan."
The armor creaked as it walked in, shaking off the frost. Since Tristan was essentially a walking skeleton, Uther had taken the decorative full-body armor from the captain's quarters and forcefully fit it onto him, in order to reduce the crew's panic. Undead beings barely felt pain or discomfort, so Tristan didn't complain.
"The ice removal work on the bow is finished," he said, "The aft deck has been cleared as well."
"Well done," Uther nodded, "We'll do another round of work in three hours."
Ever since the undead joined the crew, Uther had assigned all external tasks to him. The undead could work tirelessly and didn't fear the cold, making them very useful during the harsh winter.
"When do you plan on setting us free?" Tristan asked.
"I don't have any plans for that at the moment," Uther smiled candidly, "Please remember your status. You are a captured pirate. Do you know how people deal with pirates like you?"
"Being locked in a cage and hung by the harbor?" Tristan shrugged, "Prisoners slowly die under the wind and sun, turning into skeletons, until the next unfortunate soul takes their place."
"But if you were locked up, you might become a living ghost story, wouldn't you?" Uther said, "I will free you at the appropriate time, but not now."
"Damn it!" Tristan clenched his fists. Uther snapped his fingers, and six radiant spears materialized out of thin air, aiming at him from all directions.
"Tristan, don't be so impatient," Alberd, who was hanging from the captain's seat, spoke up, "Gentlemen should be gracious. Being too eager will only annoy the ladies."
"You're absolutely right, Captain," Tristan humbly lowered his head.
"Alright, we'll be nearing the blockade in three days," Alberd said, "For the sake of love and peace, I'll assign you the task of clearing the ice and snow outside."
"Understood," Tristan stepped back.
Uther took Alberd down and placed him on his thigh. The skull, lubricated with precious oil, comfortably squinted its eyes with supernatural flames dancing within. Uther seemed to have become very accustomed to this.
"By the way," Uther dabbed a bit of oil on a handkerchief and gently wiped it, "Captain Alberd, you seem to have no urgency to return, do you?"
"I just find it very interesting," Alberd said, "After all, the Barbarossa has already had its fill. I've never seen it behave so obediently. Perhaps it's been attracted to you? Just like myself."
"Do ghost ships have their own will?" Uther asked, "Aren't you the captain?"
"The core of a ghost ship isn't something of this world," Alberd said, "How should I put it? If I had to describe it, that thing is more like a parasitic organism. It parasitizes on my ship, lost in the gates of hell, resurrecting us who have long died and using us as its slaves, to obtain more souls. The core's will is probably just hunger, right? Although the devoured souls do go through the cycle, they are drained of a large amount of energy, so their reincarnation may take hundreds of years."
Just thinking about being followed by that thing made Uther's stomach ache.
"Well, whenever you think it's appropriate, you can release us," Alberd said, "Since the core of the ghost ship fears your power, I'll just take a break here. It probably won't object, right? The feeling of being with humans... I almost forgot, not bad."
"My Lord," Qin Feng entered the bridge, "It's about time for a meal. Please come to the captain's quarters."
Since Qin Feng came on board, the biggest change has been the greatly improved food. The ship's cook now is a slave from Kunlun, who can make a variety of dishes, although they rarely exceed the level of basic meals. They are not bad-tasting, but definitely not delicious. The previous cook on the Explorer was a free man, hired by the former captain and left immediately after being released by the Empire. Since Qin Feng personally took over the kitchen, the quality of the meals has greatly improved.
The mess hall was located below the compass bridge. It consisted of two long tables fixed to the floor, accommodating half of the crew for meals. Uther usually didn't care much and ate and drank with the slaves, creating a harmonious atmosphere. However, this was strongly opposed by Qin Feng. "As the master, you should act like one. How can you mingle with the slaves?" After being lectured like this by Qin Feng, Uther was grabbed by the collar and dragged out of the public mess hall.On the third day, Uther ordered the alert level to be raised to the highest, and the Explorer set off at maximum speed to break through the Federation Navy blockade. Since "Rule A of Engagement" had been declared, all merchant ships entering this area would be indiscriminately attacked. However, in order to transport the urgently needed materials for Yang Jiye, they had to forcefully break through.
Under the cover of night, the Explorer powered up, leaving behind a glowing trail on the Sea of Emptiness shrouded in darkness. The light particles released by the Spirit Seed Furnace were impossible to shield and stood out particularly in the night. However, due to the Explorer's high speed, it became even more difficult for enemy ships to aim their cannons at it during the night. Furthermore, most of the Magic Armor pilots had no experience in nighttime combat, and the captain would not risk sending out Magic Armor for boarding missions at night. Taking all these factors into consideration, breaking through the blockade line at night was still the best option.
With wide-scope scanning enabled, Uther closed his eyes, having complete control over everything within a fifty-kilometer radius. Two Federation cruisers were located south of the Explorer's course, but they showed no signs of intercepting and were unlikely to have discovered the Explorer. "Just let us pass," Uther thought, injecting more magic power into the Spirit Seed Furnace, causing the Explorer's thrusters to roar happily and further increase its speed.
Ding Yi stood at the bow of the ship, nervously watching the Sea of Emptiness illuminated by moonlight. The moon was full and hung like a silver plate in the night sky, dimming even the stars. The desolate moonlight shone on the vast Sea of Emptiness, with faint shadows cast by distant thin clouds. Even the light particles released by the Spirit Seed Furnace were not as prominent amidst this elegant moonlight. Uther Noinheim must have carefully considered choosing a full moon night to break through the blockade line. How did the young Uther gain such experience? Ding Yi couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. He was already twenty years old but still had achieved nothing. Compared to her commanding the entire ship from the bridge behind, he felt so insignificant.
"Why am I so weak?"
Unconsciously, Ding Yi's hand tightly gripped the frozen railing.
"Do you want to become stronger?" Uther's voice rang out from behind him.
Ding Yi didn't answer, only nodded vigorously.
"Let me teach you how to pilot a Magic Armor," Uther stood beside him. "Even without a trace of magic power, the Magic Armor provided by Lady Filicia can still be controlled by you. Don't you want to make it your strength?"
Looking into Uther's eyes, Ding Yi felt a surge of excitement.
