"Yes, Your Majesty," the woman in the red dress replied softly, her voice gentle and delicate, like that of a girl in her early teens.

She lowered her head slightly, and her slender, almost translucent, white fingertips gently touched the pipa strings.

The gentleness of that lowered head almost stirred pity in several foreign envoys.

Lucat, sitting in the audience, felt a strong urge to protect him.

But the next moment.

"Clang!"

A sudden, sharp, tearing sound arose.

Lucate's heart skipped a beat; he was somewhat taken aback, as he had never expected things to start this way.

This beautiful and delicate young lady actually produced such explosive music right from the start.

Isabella smiled faintly, enjoying the music with great interest.

"Clang clang clang—"

Like lightning flashing across the night, the plunging string pierced the tranquility of the harbor.

The woman in the red dress suddenly looked up, but all the tenderness in her phoenix eyes vanished in an instant.

Instead, there was an almost sharp focus, even carrying an unsettling sense of chilling intensity.

Below the stage, several envoys in their seats felt a chill run down their spines and silently sat up straight.

The woman in the red dress lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a shadow, her face expressionless.

But the rapid finger movements were like a sudden downpour hitting the window, so intense that it was hard to breathe.

Slender fingers danced and swept wildly across the strings, so fast that they were almost invisible.

And the sound of the pipa no longer seemed to be the sound of a musical instrument.

Sometimes it sounded like countless pieces of armor rubbing and clashing, clanging and ringing; other times it transformed into the faint sound of footsteps lurking in the grass, conveying a sense of eeriness and unease.

Before she knew it, Isabella's smile froze, and she unconsciously gripped the armrest of her seat.

She could clearly sense that, unlike the grand and exhilarating "General's Command," this piece was gloomy, tense, and filled with deadly intent.

It felt as if I were surrounded by an invisible encirclement, with enemies lurking all around, sending chills down my spine.

Eddington, standing beside him, also held his breath, sweat beading on his temples, and suddenly became somewhat restless.

He nervously looked around and saw that the others seemed to be doing the same, all with somewhat uneasy expressions.

Isabella then shook her head slightly at Eddington, indicating that he shouldn't be nervous, it was just a performance.

At this moment, the buzzing sound in the air seemed to change tone, as if countless giant bees were flapping their wings behind the clouds, mixing with the fierce sounds of the pipa.

"They're here."

Suddenly, Qin Ze, who was gazing into the distance from the railing, spoke up.

The guests were puzzled; some hadn't even heard it clearly, as the music was indeed very tense and unsettling.

But as soon as the words were spoken...

The melody of the piece also changes accordingly.

The woman in the red dress spread her arms wide and powerfully, delivering a sweeping motion like a general drawing his sword and issuing a command!

"kill--!"

Amidst the music, it was as if thousands of people were shouting in unison! The sheng, guan, dizi, and xiao simultaneously erupted with passionate sounds.

The sound of war drums, like the thunder of horses' hooves, came from afar, as if a thousand troops were suddenly rising from their slumber.

In an instant, everyone present felt a chill run down their spines and their expressions changed drastically from shock.

"Has it...started yet?" Lucate craned his neck to look out at the sea, his wide eyes seeing a dark shadow in the distance.

So he subconsciously took it as the start of a drill.

Not only Lucat, but others also began to see the blurry black shadows appearing on the sea surface.

They all talked about the head, feeling both shocked and puzzled.

Why is the exercise not being conducted in a port, but starting from the sea far away?

While people were observing, the performance continued.

The pipa music grew increasingly urgent and high-pitched, like two armies about to clash in a fierce hand-to-hand battle.

Listening to the frantic music, people stared intently at the distant sea, where a dark shadow was approaching.

Although it was blurry, it was enough to indicate that it was a large fleet.

Suddenly.

A shadow blocked out the sunlight, which the group did not notice at first. It was only when they looked into the distance and saw more and more shadows covering the ground that they gradually realized something was wrong.

It was a clear, cloudless day, so where did the clouds come from that obscuring the sun?

At the railing, Qin Ze was looking up at the sky.

This action was noticed by everyone, which made Isabella restless. In the end, she got up and walked straight towards the open railing.

"Your Majesty, has the exercise begun?" Isabella asked softly, her gaze already instinctively rising upwards.

And so the unfinished words came to an abrupt end.

She suddenly opened her deep blue eyes wide, her pupils contracted, and she involuntarily covered her mouth and took two steps back, her rosy face turning snow-white in an instant.

"What's going on?!"

Eddington, who had been closely watching Her Majesty the Queen, was startled. Upon seeing Isabella's terrified expression, he quickly got up and ran away.

Upon reaching the railing, he subconsciously looked up at the sky.

In an instant, Eddington's eyes widened in horror, his heart pounding, and he could hardly believe what he was seeing.

It seemed that with Isabella and Eddington's lead, some guests were getting restless.

So they carefully left their seats and went to the terrace.

Lucat went along too, feeling both puzzled and nervous; in fact, his heart had been pounding ever since he first heard the piece.

And now, when I lift my face and look up at the sky...

"Thump thump thump—" His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his chest.

In that instant, Lucat's breath hitched, goosebumps rose all over his body, and he, who was not usually very brave, even felt his legs go weak and almost fell to the ground.

In fact, several guests who were looking up at the sky at that moment had already fallen to the ground in fear and kept screaming.

"How could there be a monster!"

"What's going on?!"

They were panicked and completely terrified.

Even many years later.

Whenever those present recall the spectacle they witnessed that day, they are still deeply moved. This day has become an unforgettable memory for everyone.

From this day forward, the invited nations no longer harbored any thought of starting a war, and from then on, they regarded the Yan Kingdom as the most respected.

But look, beneath the azure sky and the bright sun.

Dozens of enormous vessels hovered in the air, their towering bodies, hundreds of meters long, blocking out the sunlight and casting long shadows on the ground.

Its body is decorated with dragon carvings, which are lifelike and appear to be alive.

Thus, these advanced aerial weapons seem more like mythical creatures soaring through the heavens.

From land to sea, spears replaced lances, and steamships replaced sailing ships.

Today, the boundless sky, which is far more expansive than land and sea, also has an owner.

Qin Ze, a faint smile playing on his lips, looked at the fleet that had been lying in wait for so long and had arrived uninvited. He then turned to the still-shocked foreign guests and said:

"The target has arrived."

"Ladies and gentlemen, our military parade is now officially beginning."