Chapter 100: People from the Royal Capital

According to Gao De’s expectations, from the moment the message was sent, to when the higher-ups received it, made a decision, and dispatched personnel—plus travel time—it would take some time before support from the royal capital arrived.

But reality was otherwise.

In the evening.

Less than two hours had passed since Gao De received the specific news from Pierre.

A steady, distant hum grew louder as it approached, echoing over the city of Bremen.

So loud was the sound that Gao De and most Bremen residents instinctively stepped out to investigate.

Some opened their doors, others their windows, all looking upward.

A terrifying colossal object emerged from the clouds, appearing above the sky of Bremen.

Every Bremen resident who had looked up to find the source of the noise—including Gao De—stared, mouths agape, at the thing hovering in the sky.

It was an airship.

An airship none of the Bremen residents had ever seen before, suddenly hovering at over two hundred meters above ground.

Its sleek, streamlined shape minimized wind resistance to the greatest extent.

Its elongated hull stretched over three hundred meters, gleaming silver, covered in dense, intricate magical runes.

These runes were complex and mysterious—the soul of the airship, granting it extraordinary power.

From below, it looked like a silver fish with strange markings gliding through the sea of clouds.

Two auxiliary wings extended from either side of the hull, like the graceful wings of a bird, providing additional lift and maneuverability.

At the rear of the airship and on both auxiliary wings were mounted massive propeller thrusters.

At the tail of the airship was painted the emblem of the Duchy of Schien.

The steady, deep hum came from these propellers.

They spun continuously, stirring powerful air currents that churned the surrounding clouds like crashing ocean waves.

Clearly, this was an airship from Shengxi City.

As for its purpose—it was obvious, no explanation needed.

In short, this was the first time many Bremen residents had ever seen an airship—a massive alchemical construct.

They could thank the “newly born ley line” for this.

The arrival of the airship sent the entire city of Bremen into a frenzy.

Bremen residents called out to one another, rushing outside to witness the spectacle.

Yet the airship hung silently, motionless, above the city square.

Minutes later, a large contingent of fully armed Bremen city guards arrived at the square.

The grim-faced guard officers ordered soldiers to evacuate the crowds near the square and dispatched teams to seal off a small surrounding area with barriers.

Then, they erected several temporary, fixed anchor points on the square.

Only after completing all this did they signal the airship above.

Upon receiving the signal, the crew aboard immediately threw down several massive mooring ropes.

Ground personnel, upon catching the giant tether ropes, sprang into action.

They had to secure the tether ropes to the temporary anchor points on the ground.

Once this was done, the airship began releasing gas from its internal compartments, descending slowly and steadily.

As the airship lowered, its shadow grew larger, casting a vast darkness that nearly covered the entire city square.

Fortunately, the crowd had already been guided by the city guards to a safe distance.

The airship finally touched down smoothly, and the dull hum of its propellers gradually faded.

With a rumbling sound, the side hatch of the airship slowly opened, and a mage in a dark robe stepped out, staff in hand.

His robe was embroidered with intricate, finely detailed runes, each pulsing with potent magical energy.

At the tip of his staff, made of unknown material, was set a brilliant ruby.

At its center spun a miniature magical vortex, greatly enhancing the mage’s spellcasting.

Undoubtedly, this was a powerful high-tier mage.

On the square, the deputy mayor of Bremen had already been waiting; he stepped forward respectfully and said, “Mage Frey.”

Mage Frey waved his hand. “Prepare supplies overnight, issue the summoning order—everything must be ready tonight. I depart for the Hogan Ley Line tomorrow.”

“Hogan Ley Line” was the name the Duchy of Schien had given this newly born ley line.

That evening, when the pocket watch showed just past seven fifteen, Gao De’s door was knocked on.

When he opened it, he found a Bremen city official in uniform standing outside.

Amid Gao De’s confusion, the official stated his purpose: the city government would launch its first large-scale purge of ley line creatures emerging from the Hogan Ley Line tomorrow. Due to manpower shortages, a summoning order had been issued, calling on all city mages to participate actively.

As one of the mage apprentices who had fought in today’s defense, Gao De was the top candidate for summons.

“So I just follow the main city guard force to hunt ley line creatures beyond the affected zone, while the Shengxi mages handle the interior?” Gao De confirmed.

“Of course. What else could you expect from mage apprentices?” the official replied matter-of-factly—brusque, but not mocking.

After hearing this, Gao De hesitated.

This summoning was unlike this morning’s—no longer just defending the walls, but truly entering the wild forests to fight.

Even with the official force moving as a unit and watching each other’s backs, the danger remained significant.

Originally, Gao De planned to wait until his Qi could cast at least ten minor spells before considering venturing out.

But this opportunity was truly rare.

Organized by the government, there would surely be official personnel leading the group—with many eyes watching, he wouldn’t have to overly worry about betrayal by companions.

Plus, with fellow mages to support each other, Gao De could use this chance to gain combat experience against ley line creatures in the wild and accumulate primordial energy.

“It’s not a free summons—the government pays all non-official mages,” the official added, seeing Gao De still hesitating.

“Second-rank mage apprentice, Qi insufficient for ten minor spells: five gold coins per day.”

“Qi sufficient for ten or more minor spells: ten gold coins per day.”

“Third-rank mage apprentice: fifteen gold coins per day—all pay settled the same day,” the official stated.

“But no extra rewards, and all hunted ley line creatures belong to the government.”

That was reasonable—the government provided funds, manpower, and logistics; naturally, they claimed the spoils.

Besides, without government support, no one could transport hunted ley line creatures back into the city for sale.

“Fine, I’ll join,” Gao De decided after consideration.

Undoubtedly, he would eventually have to hunt ley line creatures to obtain primordial energy—he couldn’t keep “hiding” forever.

In a world where transcendent power belonged to those who seized it, combat and danger were unavoidable.

He had to accumulate experience to adapt to this world.

Besides, primordial energy was hard to come by—he had no reason to miss such a perfect opportunity! The challenge, however, would be how to “claim kills” amid the crowd—his timing and perception would be tested.

And in Gao De’s view, any mage summoned by this order would hardly refuse to join.

“Meet at Black Horn Square at seven tomorrow morning. Don’t be late,” the official nodded, handed Gao De a copy of the summons, and left.

(End of Chapter)