Chapter 367: A Year of Abundant Harvest (7)
Ji Huaisu groped his way through the long queue and arrived at the dock. The people waiting to board the ship were talking and chatting, with occasional commotions and protests. The divine guards maintaining order were already exhausted, and one kobold member's eyelids almost closed as he shouted.
"The ferry's capacity is limited! Please go back first, everyone at the back. There will be another ferry tomorrow!"
This had been said countless times, yet the long line of people refused to disperse. Everyone knew that it was impossible to get on the boat tonight, but everyone also knew that tomorrow's line would be even longer than today's.
If I leave tonight, who knows when my turn will come? And what foreigner would dare to stay in this soon-to-be independent city for long?
But at the front of the procession, those about to board the ship showed no signs of joy. Instead, they were filled with a deeper sense of melancholy and sorrow. The city-state would eventually be destroyed. If the front line failed, the first to fall would be the nearby Dust Island. They didn't want to imagine the scene of the wreaking havoc of the heretics in a month. They could only hope that the other major forces would step forward, and that new powerful warriors would emerge to defend the front line for all.
They are not even local citizens and have no right to participate in politics. Besides praying, what else can the creatures on the weak Dust Island do?
A child, about to board the ship, looked back reluctantly at the dazzling amusement park in the distance. He tugged at his mother's sleeve and whispered, "Mom, let's leave tomorrow! I want to play in the amusement park for a few more days!"
The mother smiled reluctantly: "There will be another chance. We'll come back next time."
"But what will we do when we get home?"
The mother was almost on the verge of collapse. She hugged her child and whispered, "At least our family can be together..."
What will happen after we are together?
The child seemed to sense something and stopped asking. They huddled together in the cold wind, like tumbleweeds drifting in the wind.
Ji Huaisu felt so oppressed that she couldn't breathe for a moment. Chu Hengkong followed and patted her shoulder. Then they heard a familiar voice: "Ah! Aren't you two going to leave yet?"
It was a young girl wearing large round glasses, holding a large notebook. Chu Hengkong remembered her; she was a new writer, Miss 987, who wrote "Guardian Spirit."
"We still have work to do." Chu Hengkong smiled. "Are you leaving the city-state too?"
987 blushed again and shook her head. "I'm here to gather material. I want to write about opposing Parrimanism in my next book. But..."
She looked at the long queue and whispered, "I can't remember anything. I feel so sad that I can't write anymore."
"You should have thought of this day earlier, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to write the story of the guardian spirit."
"That's a different matter..." 987 said dejectedly. "Novelists and artists are very good at identifying the problems around them and using them as a basis for pessimistic predictions. But we don't have the solutions to solve them. When our pessimistic predictions come true, we have no choice but to lament and escape."
She smiled bitterly and said, "At this time, the only thing I can do is pray—"
"No, just wait."
Ji Huaisu interrupted her forcefully. She patted the young writer and said loudly, "Wait with hope! Wait until we can change the situation, and then use our own strength to do something for this city-state!"
She pulled Chu Hengkong away, leaving the young writer standing there in a daze, subconsciously holding up his glasses that had been shaken crooked. Chu Hengkong smiled as he walked away, "Aren't we out here to relax?"
"There's no time for being slow and depressed!"
"But both sides of the argument are right. I just can't muster the energy to do anything."
“That’s not a reason to stand still.”
Chu Hengkong pressed on, "Why? Is it because Parriman used despicable tactics? Or do you think the safety of 10 billion people is more important than that of 1.7 billion people?"
"No, it's because I want to be on the side of the Allies."
She walked quickly forward, without hesitation. "The strength of both sides, the legitimacy of the means, the significance of the matter—all of these are secondary. What truly matters is the choice I make. If the enemy is also right, then after victory, I will carry their wishes forward. If there will be sacrifices ahead, I will bear the pain of the dead and wounded and continue to fight!"
We live in troubled times, and there's no room for confusion. If we don't even have the awareness to risk our lives, how can we make this world a better place?
Chu Hengkong spread his death wings and flew up: "Finally figured it out. Can I fly now?"
"I don't need your help with such a trivial matter as hurrying on the road!"
Ji Huaisu took off with the wind, and they flashed across the sky like a comet and returned to the underground of the fourth vein.
During their rest period, the base camp had been transformed into a production workshop. Farmers gathered in the hastily constructed greenhouse, using Velvet's autonomous machinery to sow seeds in large quantities. Senior gardeners like Gulbo gathered in the research room, chattering about how to improve a new plant.
After a simple transformation, the stone species became the core of the workshop. Its vines were responsible for providing energy for the greenhouse area, while its mental power was used to build an assembly line to help mass-produce more Y2K bugs.
"That lady is very rude to order people around," it said mildly.
"I'm afraid now is the time for efficiency over etiquette." Velvet approached quickly, still moving with decisiveness. "New bad news! I've tracked down Fifid's logistics routes. They've recently shipped a large number of war plants to the Second Vein. I'm afraid Parriman will also make some moves in the barracks. We can't pin all our hopes on the Second Captain."
"That bastard is quick enough." Ji Huaisu cursed, "Splitting up?"
"The military camp is where the Jingsha's combat power is most concentrated. We need skilled fighters who can maintain order." Velvet hesitated for a moment. "Perhaps we can mobilize the combat power of the third-order vein..."
"No, the stability of the third pulse sequence is equally important. I don't want to see my hometown fail after all the hard work." Chu Hengkong shrugged. "What do you mean, partner?"
Ji Huaisu patted his chest, full of confidence: "Don't worry, leave this to me!"
·
The quicker the better, Chu Hengkong had already set off, carrying Vander. Velvet led her to a room filled with strange equipment, seemingly a makeshift laboratory. Inside, Hariroa's projection was writing and drawing, and upon seeing them arrive, she greeted them in a friendly manner.
"Considering I'm unsuitable for combat on the surface of the Fourth Vein, I'm afraid you'll need to upgrade quickly to cope with the situation in the field." Velvet closed the door. "I'll assume you'll succeed in the upgrade. What abilities will you gain after becoming Free Wind?"
"The ability to control the wind, the ability to seal elemental forces, and a mount with strong combat power." Ji Huaisu gestured. "Our... faction's cultivation method is quite unique. We don't take the path of elemental transformation. I will seal most of the power of the Free Wind within the mount, and only unleash its strongest power when fighting alongside it."
"What's your mount?"
"I searched for a long time but couldn't find a suitable beast, so my bestie and I made one together." Ji Huaisu made a miniature ice sculpture. "It looks about like this."
Hallelujah took two exaggerated steps back: "It doesn't look very just~~"
"But it's powerful! That's why it's strong!"
"That's enough. The most important thing in the supreme path is your mentality. What you like is the most reasonable design."
Velvet used the ice sculpture as a foundation, supplementing the modeling with additional information, to create a knight seated on the back of a ferocious, sinister beast. She then added a long staff to Ji Huaisu's hand and asked, "Is this it?"
"Almost...almost..." Ji Huaisu bit his nails, "But I always feel a little awkward. The target is a little too big."
"This is because the Path of the Discipline Knights thrives in war. Your inheritance is more like a 'troop class,' and each Sephiroth's form corresponds to a specific war situation," Velvet said. "Your Sephiroth 4 is designed to inflict massive damage on the battlefield. Its intended enemy is the Empire's fleet and the frenzied Mabō. Naturally, it would appear cumbersome in an urban environment."
"I see..." Ji Huaisu nodded, "Hey, that's not right. How come you know all about my family's background?"
Velvet ignored her question. "And your opponent, Ling Feng, is a highly mobile soldier skilled in assassination, and has a large number of war plants to support him. If we don't have a countermeasure, we'll easily be at a disadvantage."
"If you flash onto the mount's back, you'll be in a disadvantageous close combat~" Halleluja agreed.
"Wait, wait, wait, before that, answer my question! How do you know about knights?"
"Because I've been to the Bloodless Plain."
“Is this true?!”
“Don’t tell Sora.” Velvet pulled up a blueprint. “During my exploration of Bloodfield, I exchanged intelligence with the local Knights of Discipline and designed a system based on their sealing techniques. Due to time constraints, this system only exists in theory and has not yet been verified in practice…”
Ji Huaisu was mad: "You want to use me as a guinea pig, right? Do you want me to step on a landmine?"
Velvet continued, "Therefore, its design is risky. It may disintegrate during actual operation, and its power must be appropriately limited to operate..."
"Isn't this all bad?! What good is this crappy system even doing?"
"In return, it can provide wider combat adaptability and increase the theoretical maximum output of the current particle."
"Let's do it!" Ji Huaisu slammed the table, "No matter if it's risky or not, let's try it first!"
Velvet knocked her palm, and the wall flipped to reveal dozens of sets of protective gear that shone with cold light, ranging from retro knight gauntlets to near-future translucent goggles. The styles were comprehensive and thoughtful.
Halleluja introduced with a smile, "Let's start with the catalyst. Do you like traditional ones? Or modern ones?"
“Don’t be too corny.”
Hallelujah picked up a pair of psychic gloves. "Lightweight?"
"Better."
"Offense or defense?"
"Guards first."
Halleluja turned around and took out a gauntlet, which was as crystal clear as jade and had a dragon head carved in gold thread.
"Made in Longquan Township, using Soul Banyan Jade as the main material, compatible with existing equipment and supports custom fine-tuning."
Ji Huaisu summoned her original jade armor and added the dragon-headed gauntlet. After fine-tuning the jade armor and integrating the new equipment, she nodded with satisfaction, "Not bad."
"The combat support system will be constructed with this gauntlet as the starting point. Don't worry about operational efficiency; the most important thing for you is its appearance," Velvet said. "The core of the system is your Discipline Seal. You need to build a large seal with this as the center to ensure normal operation, allowing energy to be used more efficiently to ensure exceptional performance in critical moments."
"Each Discipline Knight has his or her own specialized sealing method. What are your suggestions for the sealing method to be used?"
"No need for a magic circle." Ji Huaisu said, "It's too big and difficult to construct."
“Non-mainstream construction,” Velvet noted. “Material medium?”
"I'm afraid of losing it. It's best to be able to use it immediately after sending it, so that I can still take pictures even if I become mentally retarded."
"Trigger fixation technique."
"That sounds good."
"Then set it up as a dual catalyst of elemental power and mental power. I will install a mental power printer in your system, so that you can activate the seal even in extreme situations where you cannot use your physical power." Velvet modified the design. "What form do you want?"
"Convenient. Doesn't affect combat. Light and fast enough."
"Longquan Township-style talismans?"
"It's a bit soft, a little harder..."
Hallelujah showed a card: "Like this?"
Ji Huaisu snapped his fingers: "This is great!"
"Requirements gathered. We'll fine-tune the details as we go along." Velvet glanced at her watch. "Captain Hareroa and I will immediately begin practical development of the combat support system, and the gardeners will prepare for formal operations. How long do you expect your upgrade to take?"
"Three days at most."
“All the work will be completed in three days,” Velvet said briskly. “There’s plenty of time, but we can’t waste it. Let’s get started now.”
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
