Chapter 57: I Reckon It Can Fly
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57: I Reckon It Can Fly
After realizing he had fallen into a very precarious situation, Brandon took a moment to analyze the field.
Aside from the cook working behind the counter, everyone here was incredibly powerful—especially the young girl in the center.
In Brandon’s long life, he had encountered his fair share of characters who looked soft and fragile on the surface but were terrifyingly strong underneath.
Scanning the room, he decided to address the person he was most familiar with: Thanatos.
"Greetings, my lord. I didn't expect us to meet again so soon. According to our agreement, I should be allowed to know your name. However, since this young lady has already mentioned it, I won't trouble you to repeat yourself. Isn't that right, Mr. Thanatos?"
Observing Brandon’s composed demeanor, Thanatos couldn't help but feel a spark of curiosity.
"You don't seem panicked by the current situation. It appears your experiences over the last thirty million years were indeed quite substantial. It’s a pity that before this, I had never heard of an Immortal like you."
Faced with Thanatos’s slight praise, Brandon shook his head.
"Hardly. I don't have nearly as much talent as you suggest. I’ve simply lived a long time and seen a lot. Even if you replaced my head with a block of wood, thirty million years would be enough for it to sprout a few ideas."
As he spoke, Brandon turned his gaze toward Xie Bai.
"It seems this young lady is the leader here. If it’s not too much trouble, please allow me to offer a few words of praise. My beautiful lady, in all my thirty million years of life, you are undoubtedly the most moving presence I have ever encountered. It is as if, on the very last day of autumn, I happened upon the very last falling leaf. It is something to be cherished and unique, yet it also evokes a sense of melancholy. After all, something so beautiful is a thing one can only hope to encounter, never to possess."
Halfway through his speech, Brandon adjusted his officer’s cap.
"Pleasantries aside, nameless lady, you seem to be in need of an experienced helmsman to pilot a ship for you. As it happens, I am quite skilled in that regard. I wonder if I might be of service?"
Xie Bai was momentarily stunned by Brandon’s smooth-talking approach.
After a moment of thought, she looked at him.
"I don't know what kind of person you are, but since you don't seem to have any objections, then you're hired."
[Level check passed. Fooler has taken effect. The target has accepted your request.]
[Brandon’s loyalty has increased to 100.]
[Lust's Blessing triggered: Brandon’s loyalty is now locked at 1000.]
Seeing the prompts pop up, Xie Bai’s eyes narrowed slightly.
When encountering a being with a lower level than her own, Fooler could enhance the persuasiveness of her words, ensuring the target believed or accepted what she said. If the target was more than ten levels below her, the manipulation effect became a guaranteed success.
With her ultra-high level of 137, Xie Bai could essentially force her will upon any sentient being capable of being manipulated.
However, this talent was an active one. Aside from times when she felt uneasy about a stranger, she generally didn't use it. To Xie Bai, if everyone around her obeyed her mindlessly, it would be no different from living among a group of marionettes—it might even get a bit creepy.
Thinking of this, she looked back at Brandon.
When she first saw him, she had sensed he wasn't an easy character to deal with. The fact that he could remain so calm and collected in such a bizarre situation made her feel a bit uneasy. To be safe, she had decided to give him the "one-two punch" of Fooler plus Lust's Blessing to ensure she wouldn't be betrayed.
Sure enough, once Brandon became completely loyal to her, Xie Bai saw the hidden information on his character panel.
[Brandon, Lv.85 (115)]
[Class: Titan Flagship Captain (First Legion Commander of Rolands)]
[Godhead: None]
[...]
[Talents: Fearless One, (Atheist), (Curse of Immortality)]
[Skills: Humility Lv.13, Command Lv.13, Helmsmanship Lv.13...]
[Equipment: Imperial Chief Captain’s Hat, Imperial Honorary Saber, Book of Dustlessness...]
[The Empire’s finest Captain, First Division Commander of the Expeditionary Force, and without a doubt, Atoris’s most loyal follower!]
[(A man from a fallen nation thirty million years ago. After being struck by the Curse of Immortality by the gods, he began an incredibly long life of wandering. He was fortunate enough to survive a Great Purge targeting Immortals.)]
Seeing this long string of information, Xie Bai didn't fully understand the context behind it all, but she realized none of it was simple.
Before she could finish reviewing the data, Brandon responded.
"Very well, my lady. Since you have entrusted me with this task, I naturally cannot fail your expectations."
Looking at the faint smile on Brandon’s face, Xie Bai felt a strange sense of confidence radiating from him, as if everything were under his control.
Is he just used to acting this way, or does he really believe nothing has gone wrong?
She decided to ignore the question for now.
"Alright. Oh, right, and that Stri-whatever... oh, Strife. What about you?"
Hearing Xie Bai call his name, Strife, who had been pondering the situation, snapped to attention.
"Ah, me? Uh... I don't have any objections. But I do have a question. What are we doing next? Are we going to take back the territories we lost outside?"
Hearing this, Thanatos facepalmed.
"So, did you not listen to a single word I just said?"
Strife blinked.
"Uh, Big Brother, what did you say...? Oh, oh, oh! The Void Expedition! I remember now. Don't worry, Master, I'm an old hand at Void Expeditions. By the way, Master, where is our ship?"
At Strife’s question, Xie Bai searched her memory.
"I think... it’s still sitting in the scrapyard."
In Xie Bai’s memory, the Golden Dragon had been gathering dust in a remote corner ever since it was trashed and decommissioned. She hadn't touched it since.
After a bit of searching, Xie Bai quickly located the ship.
If it could even still be called a ship.
"This... is the Golden Dragon? How did it end up here?"
Brandon’s expression turned a bit strained when he saw the Golden Dragon snapped clean in two.
"While I am quite skilled at piloting all sorts of vessels, this one... can it actually fly?"
"It can fly."
"?"
Brandon turned to look at Strife.
The man was currently observing the wreckage of the ship with great intensity.
"In my memory, I once saw a ship that was split into front and back sections, yet it could still maintain normal flight."
Brandon tried to explain. "Mr. Strife, the kind of ship you're talking about does exist, but those are specifically designed modular vessels. This one is clearly a broken piece of junk—"
"Oh, so they're called modular vessels? That’s a pretty common-sense name. Thanks for telling me, brother."
After Strife patted him on the back, Brandon watched with his own eyes as the man boarded the broken halves of the Golden Dragon.
A few moments later, the scrapped Golden Dragon actually rose into the air right before Brandon’s eyes.
"It’s... flying?"
"Yes, it’s flying."
Thanatos glanced at Brandon.
"I usually call this Idealistic Power. You’ll get used to it. In Strife’s eyes, as long as he thinks something should move, it really will move. Unless you personally go and correct his misconception. But that guy isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, so it’s usually impossible to convince him otherwise. In a way, you could call it one of his strengths."
Hearing this explanation, Brandon wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.
"I didn't realize such a concept existed in this world. It seems thirty million years of experience still isn't enough..."