Chapter 628: Return (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 628: Return (5)
“You’ve already built a flying ship? The results are even better than I expected.”
“Aside from a few test flights with Valeria, you’re the first to ride it. Consider it an honor. I’ve created something the others couldn't even dream of! I’m going to perform a final hull check, so you two wait here and catch him up on everything he’s missed.”
“Understood.”
Originally, the fastest way to reach Ghost Song Castle was by using a Warp Gate.
Ghost Song Castle was located within the Viment Empire, and the Viment Empire possessed the most Warp Gates in the world. Furthermore, with the Regent, Dante, currently ruling Viment, there would have been no procedural issues to worry about.
However, much had changed in the world during the three years Jin had been away.
“But wouldn’t using a Warp Gate be faster?”
At Jin’s question, Valkas shook his head.
First and foremost, every Warp Gate in the world had been rendered useless.
“It’s because of the chaos that has spread across the globe, Young Master. Warp Gates used to become extremely dangerous only during heavy rain or snow, but now the chaos particles permeating the world have the same effect,” Valkas explained.
“Additionally, once all the factions entered a cold war under the guise of a ceasefire, they sealed their connection points. Not that they could be used anyway, given the chaos particles,” Gilly added.
Furthermore, flying ships—once considered the exclusive property of the Zipple until the appearance of the Gruneil—had now become quite common.
It wasn't just the Zipple and Kinzelo, who, as Jin had expected, had absorbed the eastern regions of the Empire into Zipple territory. Even the Imperial family was now operating a large number of flying ships using blueprints obtained from them.
“If Master Quaul hadn't completed the flying ship, we would have had to travel to Ghost Song Castle by land and sea.”
“He’s completed over ten flying ships so far, my Lord. It’s just that he smashed every single one of them, claiming they were trash. If not for the Golden Top Merchant Group, Tikan would have gone bankrupt long ago.”
“He’s living proof that all geniuses are eccentrics,” Gilly remarked.
There had also been significant advancements in the Zipple’s bio-golems, the Imperial family’s demons, and Kinzelo’s modified humans.
The test subjects Jin had seen in the Great Desert were being consumed by chaos, but they still followed certain rules. As Jin had predicted back then, each faction was now strengthening their subjects through their own methods of ‘chaos control.’
Kinzelo possessed the highest level of chaos control, followed by the Zipple and then the Imperial family. However, none of the factions knew the exact extent of the others' technological prowess.
Valkas and Gilly took turns explaining these developments.
“In any case, what I feared while watching the Zipple fleet in the Sota Desert has come to pass. I suppose it’s a relief that our enemies haven't been able to add many more ships on the level of the Kozec or the Gruneil yet.”
Unlike the other factions, Runcandel was known to possess only a few captured flying ships. Although the Seven-Colored Bird had confirmed that the family had kidnapped shipbuilders, they had failed to secure the core personnel. Even if they had secured the key engineers and the full blueprints, finding a master craftsman capable of building them was another matter entirely.
There had also been zero progress regarding chaos control.
While continuing to raise only pure knights amidst a flood of horrific bio-golems and modified humans was certainly praiseworthy, it was undeniable that Runcandel was falling behind the times.
‘But the Prophet must have made arrangements. If the family is already under her control, they’re likely just hiding their progress…'
The blueprints and components for the spacetime device rescued from the Sota Desert were still in Tikan’s possession, just as they were three years ago. And during Jin’s absence, Runcandel had never once targeted Tikan.
‘If the technological gap were truly at a critical level, Mother would have interrogated my comrades, even if it meant breaking her promise to me.’
Jin had claimed he would complete the blueprints and the device through the brothers of the Pluto Tribe. Since Quaul’s research materials were constantly being supplied to Tikan, it wouldn't have been difficult for Rosa to notice if she had put her mind to it.
‘The fact that she never pressured Tikan means she judged that they were fine as they were. Or… perhaps it wasn’t Mother’s judgment, but the Prophet’s.’
Since the rapid technological advancement of each faction, Runcandel’s international standing had slipped to third, behind the Zipple and Kinzelo. That was certainly the public perception. Some even went as far as to describe Runcandel as a dying house with its days numbered.
“If those evaluations were true, I feel like the Zipple would have pressured Runcandel much more aggressively, ceasefire or not.”
“That is true, Young Master. The major powers are still avoiding any serious friction with the family.”
“Because they’re wary of Father and the Prophet.”
There was still no news from Cyron’s expedition—at least, none that Tikan could confirm.
“You said the Garden of Swords began controlling news about me six months ago?”
“Yes, Young Master. Before that, they periodically published articles about your achievements and your progress in closed-door training. It felt like they were trying to engrave the status of Next Patriarch into the minds of both the family and the public. Now, even news agencies not affiliated with the family are unable to publish articles about you.”
This was why his comrades had worried Runcandel might threaten Jin right before he arrived in Tikan.
It wasn't just media control. For the past six months, Runcandel had completely blockaded Kalon, the city where the Garden of Swords was located, hiding all activities of the family’s leadership.
Because of this, rumors were circulating that the fallen Joshua Runcandel had been reinstated, or that Rosa had usurped the throne in Cyron’s absence.
“From what we’ve gathered, a total of seven explosions and earthquakes have been detected near Kalon in your absence, my Lord. We couldn't confirm whether they were due to a civil war or something else.”
“It was likely a rampage from Mother’s demonization. If Tikan detected seven, there were surely many more.”
It was difficult to guess the current state of the Garden of Swords just from hearing about it. If Rosa’s rampages had destabilized her command or if a civil war had broken out, other factions wouldn't have stayed quiet. If the technological gap were severe, they would have made a move on Tikan. If Joshua had been reinstated, he would have appeared on the front lines by now.
None of those things were happening. That was what made Jin even more uneasy.
The worst-case scenario was this: The Prophet had already seized control of the family, her power had grown to a level that other factions feared, and the only reason Runcandel had protected—or ignored—Tikan until now was to confirm and absorb the ‘new information’ Jin would bring back.
“…I am sorry. We should have gathered more information before you arrived, my Lord.”
“The world has changed much faster than I expected. The fact that all my comrades have endured without anyone dying or being seriously injured is more than enough. Don't say such things, Sir Valkas. Everyone has done better than I could have ever hoped for.”
Truly, Jin felt it was a miracle that all his comrades were safe in this rapidly changing world.
“Anyway, it’s best to reserve judgment on the family until I see it for myself. Depending on the situation, I’ll either use the remaining six months Mother promised me to achieve more, or I’ll return immediately. After I’ve put out the urgent fire that is Smarion Prochi, of course.”
As the conversation reached that point, Quaul announced that he had completed the hull check.
Following him to the shipyard and launch pad built in the middle levels of Tikan, Jin couldn't help but let out a stream of admiring gasps.
‘The scale can’t compare to the shipyard in the Sota Desert, but anyone could tell at a glance. The ships Master Quaul is building far surpass the Zipple’s technology from back then.’
Tens of thousands of gears and machines operated with an almost beautiful precision. In the center, in a wide space prepared like an altar, Quaul’s first masterpiece—the only one he hadn't smashed—revealed its elegant form.
It wasn't a large-scale ship like the Kozec, the Gruneil, or the other mass-produced ships known to the world.
“It’s a small-scale ship.”
“Yeah. It can carry five people, and its only onboard weapon is a single main cannon—a modified version of the Imperial family’s mass-produced Dragon Spear.”
Quaul spoke as if the flying ship’s firepower was pathetic, but the Dragon Spear had been the Empire’s strongest weapon of war until the Sword Emperor Holy War. Shrinking a mass-produced version of it without any loss in performance and mounting it on a small ship was something only Quaul could achieve in this world.
In fact, building a ‘small-scale ship’ was something only Quaul could do at all.
“However, the performance of its built-in protective artifacts is on par with Enya’s Dragon Fire Barrier. It’s an artifact created by Valeria and yours truly, the pinnacle of current magic and magitech.”
As he explained, Quaul’s eyes momentarily reddened. He had broken through so many barriers of magic and magitech to create this. At the moment of its completion, even Valeria had looked choked up.
“You’ve worked so hard, Master Quaul. Here, a handkerchief…”
“Hmph, knock it off. I just got some cigarette ash in my eye. Anyway, the official name of this flying ship is the Wavelength Tracking Synchronized Space-Jump Ship. But to put it simply…”
“…Don't tell me this ship is capable of teleportation?”
“Exactly. It’s a creation that overcomes all the weaknesses of the Warp Gates, which have now become symbols of a bygone era. The fact that it requires a massive amount of power is a challenge we still need to solve, though.”
Regardless of his trust in Quaul, it was a claim so shocking that it was difficult to believe without experiencing it firsthand.
“The name Valeria and I gave this fellow is the Red Owl.”
It seemed more likely that Valeria had come up with the name herself.
“It shouldn't happen, but the manual is inside, so check it if an exceptional situation occurs. Now, get on!”
Jin, Gilly, and Valkas boarded the cabin of the Red Owl with dazed expressions.
“Do we not need to operate it ourselves?”
“I’ve already set the arrival and return coordinates to Ghost Song Castle and Tikan. Once the launch pad opens, just press the button in the center of the cabin. You’ll be in front of Ghost Song Castle in the blink of an eye. And since the invisibility feature is still under development, make sure to worry about exposure as soon as you arrive.”
“Invisibility?”
“I don't know when it’ll be finished. Anyway, keep in mind that if the Red Owl is ever damaged, Valeria and I will kill you by any means necessary.”
Rumble, rumble!
As Quaul opened the launch pad, the endless sky and sea came into view.
Then, as Jin carefully pressed the button in the center of the cabin, the Red Owl was enveloped in mana and vibrated briefly before it shot forward with explosive acceleration.
It was just like Pirate King Cosmos’s Order No. 7 from his days as a reserve flagbearer—or perhaps even faster.
Jin and his comrades were momentarily stunned by the absurd acceleration. Their minds went blank, and their vision momentarily blacked out.
When they opened their eyes again a few seconds later…
They blinked, looking out the cabin window at the bleak scenery of Ghost Song Castle.
“…Really? This is real?”
Even after seeing it with their own eyes and experiencing it for themselves, it took them a long time to accept that it was reality.