Chương 58: Three Feathers City (Part III)

The sun stood high in the sky when Wang Chen and Bai Xiaomeng finally arrived. It was difficult to descend the cliff range to the beach. So, they had been forced to leave the horses and the silver box behind, planning to make a second trip later. Wang Chen was the one pulling the cart, dragging it down through the rocks and sand. Needless to say, the journey took far longer than expected due to the uneven terrain and the difficulty of navigating the area.

If not for the star-shaped rock Lucian had marked on the map, along with his detailed written directions, they doubted they would have found the place at all. When they arrived, Lucian was sitting on a wooden boat, large enough to carry ten people, with a thatched roof at its center to protect goods from seawater and rain. They also noticed Little Crab, the smuggler with atrophied arms and inward-pointing legs. Seeing them, Lucian gestured for Little Crab to stop speaking and stepped off the boat.

"We leave after nightfall," he said absentmindedly, still processing the information he had gathered and comparing it with Xu Hua's memories.

"Load what you can. Prioritize the less valuable items." He approached Wang Chen and extended his hand.

"Give me the pouch." Before Wang Chen could react, Bai Xiaomeng stepped forward. She retrieved a leather pouch and handed it to Lucian with both hands. Noticing her silence, Lucian gave her a brief nod before walking toward the rocks. Meanwhile, Wang Chen scratched his head, glanced at Little Crab, shrugged, and began unloading books and weapons from the cart.

"Wait!" Little Crab suddenly shouted, his face paling.

"It's forbidden to smuggle weapons!" Wang Chen looked toward Lucian, who nodded in confirmation. With that, all of them, except Lucian, began loading the boat with whatever goods they could, leaving the most valuable items, such as jeweled ornaments and gold, for last, while the weapons remained in the cart for later consideration. Deep in his thoughts, Lucian began organizing what he had learned.

Three Feathers City had once been a fortress, built to defend against demonic sea beasts and rogue cultivators from the Great Sea, he reflected, a glint of curiosity flashing in his eyes. The first City Lord, the one who renamed it, was said to be a mysterious man who chose the name simply because he had three concubines. He could still be the one ruling the city, but Little Crab can't confirm.

Lucian knew that most cities in the Golden Peng Empire followed a bird-related theme, as the Empire itself bore the symbol of a great bird, even if he did not fully understand the deeper reason behind it. After driving out the Empire's direct influence and limiting sect interference, the City Lord had gathered powerful followers two centuries ago and maintained a delicate balance with both the Sects and the Emperor, a clear display of his political power, Lucian continued, tapping his thigh thoughtfully.

Clicking his tongue, Lucian continued refining his understanding. As the true dominant force in Three Feathers City, the City Lord commands the guards, the Feathered Serpent Fleet, and the City Council, composed of cultivators and affluent mortals. Together, they govern the city, enforce its laws, and shield it from outside interference. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

He glanced toward Wang Chen and the others, who were discussing how much weight the boat could carry. Then, his thoughts shifted to the next matter. Because of its unique position, Three Feathers City attracted constant traffic, and many inhabitants of the Great Sea abandoned their homes for the odd chance of becoming rich. After all, the city was always lenient with taxes and allowed commerce to flourish with minimal restrictions since its foundation.

Lucian smiled inwardly, finding it amusing how easily people reshaped their lives in pursuit of wealth. The most famous example was the Bo Clan Brothers, who had established a Chamber of Commerce a century ago. Through connections and ambition, they rose into a major force. However, a little over a dozen years ago, their descendants clashed, splitting the organization into two rival factions: the East Bo Merchant Chamber and the West Bo Merchant Chamber.

Each specialized in trade with different regions of the Empire. Standing up, Lucian moved toward another rock formation, one that offered better protection from the sunlight. Leaning against it with his arms crossed, he continued his analysis. Besides the East and West Bo Merchant Chambers, the remaining merchant groups are minor forces tied to larger powers. This means I only need to focus on the other three major forces and that hidden one. A faint headache formed as he organized the information.

Madame Ching, captain of the Deep Shadow Fleet, also led the Shadow Alliance, which controlled the city's brothels and intelligence networks. From Xu Hua's memories and Little Crab's accounts, she was ruthless, calculating, and driven by greed. Lucian felt a trace of caution, mostly because her recent return from the seas suggested a change in the city's balance. The only reassuring detail for him was that she had a family hidden somewhere.

It was said she left to live with her son and granddaughter years ago, and in his view, that was her weak point. Next was Prince Xuan, captain of the Azure Royal Fleet. A bastard son born of a Great Sea princess and a noble of the Golden Peng Empire, he commanded the most powerful naval force among the fleets, largely due to the cultivators under his banner. His primary business revolved around protection and kidnapping targets outside the city. Lucian recalled the massive warships he had seen at the docks.

Even those were only a fraction of each fleet's strength, as no single fleet was allowed to anchor more than three ships within the city at once. Finally, there was the Tidal Church and the Sailor School. Lucian paid particular attention to these two. Unlike the others, both Xu Hua and Little Crab had little reliable information about them. The Tidal Church maintained four locations within the city, with its main temple close to the Feathered Serpent Castle. That alone revealed something important for Lucian.

Either the church is an ally of the City Lord, or it is firmly under his control, he thought. Noticing that Wang Chen and the others had finished loading the boat and were waiting for him, Lucian pushed himself off the rock wall and walked toward them. The Sailor School is far more intriguing, however, he thought with a small smile. Little Crab had not described it as a minor or major force, simply mentioning that it was a place where the children of prostitutes and members of the middle class studied.

It was a place for those who could not afford private tutors or did not want their children to grow up unprepared for the dangers of the sea. The reason Lucian knew about its true relevance came from Xu Hua's memories. He had once encountered a teacher from the Sailor School during his travels and noticed that the man was a sword cultivator. The said teacher was a young man with innocent, clear eyes who, judging by the school's uniform, looked more like a freshly graduated student than a teacher.

Xu Hua's Sword Heart had urged him to challenge the self-proclaimed teacher, who gladly accepted. The duel lasted one second. With a single ordinary strike, the calm man defeated Xu Hua, a Sword Master. Afterward, Xu Hua could no longer find the swordsman, and no one within the school acknowledged that such a person had ever existed. Even so, Lucian felt certain that, had Xu Hua continued investigating instead of leaving the city, he would have been silenced for asking too many questions.

Or perhaps it had been his connection to Resonant Sea Ancestor that saved him, Lucian thought. The only clue Lucian possessed was the mysterious teacher's name. Zhi Jian.