Chương 163: The Flight Vessel Approaches

In the human realm, at the core domain of the Mage Guild, lies a certain flight vessel berth in Pioneer City. A manager from the chamber of commerce was shouting loudly, instructing laborers to haul various goods aboard the flight vessel. Most of these goods consisted of depleted mana crystal cores—precisely the cargo Li Qinwu required.

The cargo was loaded in short order, and the personnel bound for the Monster Forest boarded the craft: thirty mages—all crew members of the flight vessel—ten representatives from the chamber of commerce, one officiant from the Church of the Goddess of Life, and six Paladin escorts. People from these three distinct organizations were heading to the Monster Forest with entirely different objectives. Among them, the Church of the Goddess of Life aimed to find a way to redeem the Purity Pendant.

This divine artifact was a precious asset of the Church. Without it, the power of the choir's holy magic would suffer a devastating reduction. The symbolic significance of the Purity Pendant was equally vital: it was said to be a tear dropped by the Goddess of Life in ancient times, unique in all the world. How could such a sacred artifact be left in the hands of filthy, lowborn goblins? It was nothing short of a desecration to the Goddess of Life!

After boarding, the officiant and the Paladins sat silently in a corner, their faces shrouded in heavy gloom. Up to now, very few people knew that the Purity Pendant had been seized by goblins. However, with so many soldiers present on the battlefield at the time, it would not be long before the news leaked to the outside world. This officiant had to buy back the Purity Pendant before the secret got out and ruined the Church's reputation. Yet he lacked any confidence.

Negotiating with monsters was something he had never heard of in his life. Would he be slaughtered and eaten before he even had a chance to speak? Consequently, he sat there wordlessly, wearing a face as grim as a funeral. Once all personnel had boarded, the flight vessel prepared for takeoff. Just then, a staff member from the chamber of commerce ran frantically toward the vessel, calling a halt to the launch moments before the hatch doors could seal shut.

He handed a letter to the chamber of commerce supervisor onboard.

"Lord Lawson, we received a carrier pigeon from Lord Jin Lambo! The goblin chieftain in the Monster Forest has banned all Mage Guild personnel from entering their territory—and declared that if any flight vessel is spotted in their airspace, it will be shot down!" Lawson, the chamber of commerce supervisor, knit his brows tightly. He took the letter and read it carefully before immediately going to find the vessel's captain.

"Lord Pusha, I have received the latest update. The goblin chieftain has strictly prohibited our flight vessel from entering their airspace, warning that if one is spotted overhead, they will destroy it!" The mage named Pusha was a young mentor serving as the vessel's captain. Pusha possessed the innate arrogance typical of all mages. Furthermore, because he captained a flight vessel and regularly commanded the skies, this arrogance was far more pronounced than that of his peers.

Hearing that the goblins forbade his vessel from entering their airspace under threat of being shot down, he burst into a fit of raucous laughter. Not only was he laughing, but the thirty-plus mages onboard also broke into laughter, leaving Lawson deeply embarrassed. Captain Pusha patted Lawson on the shoulder, his tone light and mocking: "Mr. Lawson, please stop joking. Do you know what we are riding in?

This is the crystallisation of the Guild's wisdom—an entity capable of conquering the skies, the largest flying vessel ever created by humanity! To this day, no individual or force has ever brought her down. She is the undisputed sovereign of the sky! Do you truly believe the sovereign of the sky could be shot down by green mold hiding in a forest? Hahahahaha!!" Saying this, he dissolved into another wave of wild laughter, even tearing up from mirth. Lawson scratched his face awkwardly.

In truth, he didn't believe the goblins could shoot down the vessel either. But he was a merchant, here to do business—and with monsters, no less. He had to exercise extreme caution, ensuring he did not offend the local ruler or violate local laws.

"Lord Pusha, we are here to do business after all. It might be wise to respect the rules of the local leader. How about this? We fly to the chamber's station in Haluin Province first to unload the cargo. Then, local personnel can transport the goods into the Monster Forest by land and bring back the Ebony you require upon their return. What do you think?"

"Not a chance." Pusha rejected the proposal without a second thought.

"How long would it take for your people to trek in and out of the Monster Forest on foot? At least two months! I have no time to waste waiting two months in a backwater like Haluin! In short, don't overthink it. Leaving aside whether those ignorant goblins even have the means to bring down this vessel, even if they did—would they dare? A flight vessel is major property of the Guild. Destroying one is equivalent to declaring war on us. Do you think a band of ignorant goblins dares to wage war against the Guild?"

Pusha spoke with supreme pride. Their Guild stood nestled among the four human nations, remaining undefeated for thousands of years. Just how formidable was their military power? Anyone with eyes understood! This overwhelming power and advanced technology filled the mages with towering pride. Generations of mages had developed the habit of looking down on everything; arrogance was etched into their very bones.

Lawson felt Pusha made a fair point, but his duty remained the same: he was a merchant, and merchants had to abide by rules—at least when others held the upper hand. The Monster Forest was a vast market producing goods in high demand across the human world. Previously, there had been no way to exploit the Monster Forest or secure these resources in large quantities. But now that a monster regime had emerged and demonstrated a degree of stability, maintaining that stability was paramount.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Lawson did not dare act recklessly. The potential profits were simply too immense; he had to force himself to play the role of an obedient, law-abiding partner. Yet he knew the mages' stubborn pride meant they would never listen to advice. His only recourse was to offer an incentive.

"Then Lord Pusha, could I trouble you to stop briefly at the Haluin branch so we may unload the cargo? My men will take the land route into the forest, while you can fly ahead on your own. Could you grant us this convenience?" Pusha was thoroughly displeased. He viewed Lawson's caution as a lack of faith in the Mage Guild's power. His expression turned cold, and his voice grew rigid.

"Regrettably, Lord Lawson, you may not realize that landing and taking off consumes a vast number of mana crystal cores. Until we catch a mana tide, the process burns money constantly. Adding an extra landing and takeoff is neither logical nor economical. I must decline!" Lawson cursed him a hundred times in his heart, knowing the explanation was a mere excuse to withhold a favor. Yet he maintained a respectful posture, saying: "My deepest apologies, my Lord. My request was overly presumptuous.

How about this: the chamber of commerce will cover the entire cost of the extra landing and takeoff. Furthermore, I will personally owe you a favor. Should you ever require anything in the future, you need only send word, and I shall see it done." Hearing this, Pusha felt considerably appeased. Realizing it was no bad thing to have a high-ranking merchant owe him a personal favor—making it easier to procure rare materials later—he nodded in agreement and granted the request. The vessel's hatches were sealed.

After twenty minutes of preparation, the four propellers on either side began to spin rapidly, and the craft slowly ascended into the air. Lawson stood in the vessel's control cabin, watching the ground recede through the glass window, his heart brimming with awe. This was not his first time aboard a flight vessel; the chamber had rented Guild vessels before for urgent deliveries. Yet no matter how many times he flew, taking to the skies never failed to strike him with overwhelming wonder.

The cockpit featured several transparent glass panes allowing the crew to observe the outside world clearly. Over thirty mages were gathered here, operating various brass-gleaming magitech devices that bore a distinct steampunk aesthetic. Captain Pusha kept his eyes fixed on the instrument panel until a needle swung from the far left all the way to the right. He barked orders to the other mages: "Stable mana tide stream located! Maintain altitude and vector southeast!"

With the command issued, Pusha set aside his duties and led Lawson to a premium sofa near a window. He looked down at Lawson with a lofty gaze.

"Mr. Lawson, this is the crystal of the Mage Guild's wisdom—the sovereign of the skies. What do you think? Interested in buying one to deliver your goods? With a vessel like this, your efficiency would skyrocket, and efficiency is wealth." Lawson nodded, then shook his head.

"Lord Pusha, equipping our caravans with flight vessels would indeed boost delivery efficiency tremendously. However, your Guild's asking price is simply astronomical—100, 000 high-purity mana crystal cores for a mere light vessel! The operational costs are equally steep: a single landing and takeoff consumes forty high-purity cores! It is a pure money pit!"

The Mage Guild offered flight vessels for sale, and certain high nobility bought them as luxury playthings, but no organization ever deployed them on a large scale—it was simply too expensive to maintain! Aside from the exorbitant cost of the craft and its maintenance, there was an even more predatory money drain: an annual fee paid to the Mage Guild to receive updated maps of mana tide movements. Mana tides came in several varieties: Fixed tides, which flowed constantly.

Intermittent tides, which appeared and vanished periodically. Random tides—the most common kind—which emerged and dissipated without rhyme or reason. Without accurate knowledge of mana tides, navigating a flight vessel was impossible. And in this world, aside from the Elven Empire, only the Mage Guild maintained mage towers across the lands to observe these tides. Under these circumstances, the Guild held a total monopoly on mana tide data.

Private owners had no choice but to pay exorbitant fees if they wished to keep flying. Lawson shook his head helplessly, expressing that he simply could not afford such a luxury. The disdain on Pusha's face deepened.

"I know you think our Guild's prices are steep, but don't be so quick to complain. Let me tell you: a flight vessel is essentially a colossal magitech construct. Its hull is inscribed with millions of magical runes, the etching of which requires hundreds of mages working day and night. As for the operational costs, those are incurred mainly during takeoff. Because the ground and low altitudes lack dense mana tides, crystal cores must be injected to drive the vessel upward.

However, once we reach an altitude above 500 meters, abundant mana tides flow freely. At that point, there is no need to feed cores into the mana engines; they automatically absorb energy directly from the tides. And as for paying the Guild for tide-monitoring services, that is only reasonable. Running a network of mage towers requires immense resources—the equipment and monitoring personnel alone represent a massive ongoing expense. You should be grateful the Guild even enables you to operate such vessels.

Ah, unwilling to part with such a modest sum... you merchants truly lack vision." Lawson nodded repeatedly with a polite smile, while screaming curses in his mind. A thousand high-purity mana crystal cores per vessel every single year! A thousand! That was enough to buy several countryside manors! Buying a flight vessel was nothing short of adopting a financial black hole! Unable to stomach Pusha's condescending tone any longer, Lawson sought to change the subject.

He glanced toward the rear at the Church personnel, who still sat with grim expressions, and asked out of curiosity: "Lord Pusha, why are those officiants heading to the Monster Forest? Don't they usually share a mortal enmity with monsters?" Pusha glanced at the officiant and sneered softly.

"What else? They lost a precious treasure from home and are desperate to get it back! Though how the Church of the Goddess of Life plans to retrieve a treasure stolen by monsters is anyone's guess. Quite amusing, really." Lawson was left thoroughly confused. Unaware that the Church had lost the Purity Pendant, he couldn't make sense of the situation. He tried to press for details, but Pusha merely smiled without offering further explanation, prompting Lawson to drop the subject tactfully.

He resolved to have the chamber investigate the matter upon his return—after all, intelligence trading was another lucrative branch of their business. A few days later, the flight vessel arrived in New-Thea, landing at the local branch to unload its cargo. New-Thea had previously suffered an attack by Gob-Run, but with only a hundred troops under his command, the actual damage had been minimal. The crisis had mostly been driven by local panic, as citizens scrambled to flee the city in a chaotic exodus.

Now that the conflict had ended, the population had returned, and the city had regained its former vitality. Having deposited the cargo, the flight vessel took off once more, forging ahead resolutely into the Monster Forest. The Mage Guild had deployed this vessel not only to acquire valuable Ebony, but also to evaluate the capabilities of the monster regime, mapping its controlled territories and surrounding terrain. Aerial observation and cartography were vital.

Thus, Captain Pusha's insistence on flying into the Monster Forest was not driven purely by arrogance, but also by duty. Naturally, regardless of the mission, he refused to believe the monsters possessed either the capability or the audacity to shoot down his vessel. The vessel soon crossed into the boundless sea of green, arriving above Gob-Fort in roughly two days! When Li Qinwu had originally led his troops through the Monster Forest to reach Poloya, the journey had taken over a month.

Yet the flight vessel had covered the entire distance in a mere forty-eight hours.

"By the Gods! Captain Pusha! You need to see this!" A mage gasped in surprise, prompting Pusha to set down his book, rise from the sofa, and step into the control room. He looked down through the glass viewport, and an exclamation escaped his lips as well. Spread out below were perfectly grid-aligned fields and irrigation channels, accompanied by clusters of dwellings lining the farmland. Microscopic figures moved about the fields, where extensive crops had already been planted.

"Gods above... is... is this truly a kingdom of monsters? How could it have developed to such an extent?!" Pusha rubbed his eyes, making sure his sight was not playing tricks on him.

"Farmland on this scale... how many monsters could it feed? Astonishing, truly astonishing!" As Pusha voiced his disbelief, a mage beside him asked: "Captain, should we land here?" Pusha shook his head.

"No. This must be Gob-Fort. Our destination is the monster capital, Iron-City. Keep moving forward. Do you see that stone road down there? According to our intel, following that road leads straight to Iron-City." He had mistaken the paved road connecting Gob-Fort to Iron-City for a simple stone highway.