Chapter 181: Don't Tell Me You Stole This Warship! (Part 1)

Seeing the situation, Zhao Xing actively pressed his cloud down to level with Chen Lu.

Chen Lu is a seventh-rank junior, while I am a senior seventh-rank; there is no fault in him bowing to me.

But Chen Lu is currently in a state of inviting a god, and the one he invited is the Yin Spirit of the Ministry of Agriculture; I must still be polite.

"Zhao Xing, Equalization Commissioner of the Divine Might Army."

After announcing his name, he clasped his hands and returned the bow: "My Lord Chen need not be polite; we are all one side. I happened to pass by, saw a barbarian warship, and followed."

Chen Lu remained very respectful, lowering his cloud half a meter: "My Lord Zhao's magic is truly astonishing; I have never seen anyone as formidable as you. What kind of magic is this cloud and mist of yours?"

Chen Lu indeed liked the profession of the Ministry of Agriculture very much; at this moment, he even forgot Tian De Zhenjun's warning not to mix for merit, and instead started chatting with Zhao Xing.

Zhao Xing also found it amusing in his heart, because he used the Bright Eye Method to see the Yin Spirit possessing Chen Lu pressing his forehead and shaking his head, obviously thinking this believer was a bit dull.

I've taught you and you still can't learn! Next time, don't invite this god; I'm afraid I'll catch your stupidity!

"My Lord Chen, we can discuss the matter of inquiring about magic later; right now, the enemies on General Ming Yan's warship have not been resolved. Please, Brother Chen, lend me a hand."

Actually, the people were almost all killed, and the remaining Long Xiao could handle it, but Zhao Xing was still willing to give Chen Lu some face.

As long as he participated in the counterattack, at least he could have less deducted when deducting war merit.

Forget about scooping up war merit; after the city fell, the casualties were so great; we can only say deduct less, it is impossible to add war merit.

Of course, if Chen Lu had held the line before, that would have been merit.

"Oh, yes." Chen Lu hurriedly cast a spell.

Zhao Xing was somewhat surprised, because Chen Lu actually didn't switch to another deity to possess him, and the attack spell he cast was also relatively weak.

He seemed to understand why a priest like Chen Lu would become an Equalization Commissioner.

It turns out this guy likes being the Ministry of Agriculture and only worships the Ministry of Agriculture god in his daily life.

"Huff~"

The gale wind blew; Chen Lu cast the Gale Wind Method, blowing into the interior of this warship, harvesting the lives of the barbarian soldiers.

At this moment, Pati was already headless.

He couldn't hold out for ten breaths in Long Xiao's hands before his head was cut off.

Until death, his eyes remained open.

Pati truly died with his eyes unblinking; he hadn't even advanced very far, only chose to ambush a grain city, yet he ran into a seventh-rank genius of the monster level, and twice in one go!

"Done. This one is..." Long Xiao walked out.

"Your subordinate Chen Lu, Equalization Commissioner of the Zhenhai Army, is the main general of City One Hundred and Nine." Chen Lu hurriedly bowed; it was clear that Long Xiao was also seventh-rank, and his rank was even higher than Zhao Xing's.

Zhao Xing is Senior Seventh-Rank Lower, while Long Xiao is Senior Seventh-Rank Upper.

"Long Xiao, Brave Captain of the Divine Might Army."

"Brother Chen, you as a main general are not qualified; the enemy came to steal your hometown, yet you offered no resistance at all."

Long Xiao spoke very bluntly.

From the perspective of a main general, Chen Lu was obviously unqualified.

Although the specifications of this city were not very high, it shouldn't be that there was no chance to fight back at all.

With friendly forces appearing, his reaction was also relatively slow; he didn't seize the opportunity to lead men to charge up. Although help wasn't needed, that is one thing, but the judgment a main general should have was not seen.

Chen Lu blushed slightly and said, "Your subordinate is ashamed."

Actually, he was never suitable to be a main general; previously, the main general of this city was someone else, but the Zhenhai Army fought too fast and too fiercely, transferring many fierce generals away.

In the end, only he, this seventh-rank priest, remained to hold the position.

Chen Lu's mind was relatively simple; facing Long Xiao's questioning, he did not defend himself on these points.

Wrong is wrong; incompetent is incompetent.

"This matter cannot be blamed on My Lord Chen."

"It is all because the barbarians are too cunning."

Zhao Xing comforted him.

"No, My Lord Long speaks reason; it is indeed my fault." Chen Lu shook his head.

"My Lord Chen need not take it to heart." Zhao Xing smiled, "Now, no great disaster has been caused. Please, My Lord Chen, handle this warship and the spoils of war."

Chen Lu hurriedly waved his hands: "No, no, no. My Lord Zhao, My Lord Long, how dare your subordinate touch this warship and the spoils of war?"

"Without the help of the two lords, I would have been demoted."

Chen Lu refused whatever he said.

Zhao Xing allowing him to act as an assistant was already doing his utmost.

Being polite is one thing; if he took it seriously and wanted to split the spoils, that would be ungrateful.

How could Chen Lu have the face to ask?

He didn't want it, yet Zhao Xing insisted on giving him some benefit.

Chen Lu was a rare honest man; giving him a favor might come in handy later.

On the battlefield, having more brothers means having more lives.

Besides, he also relied on Chen Lu to send people to pilot this General Ming Yan warship.

A medium-sized warship cannot be operated by one person.

To monopolize the benefits while making others work for free, even if Chen Lu didn't feel anything in his heart, others might not fail to say: How can Master Zhao be so ignorant of worldly ways?

After much persuasion, Chen Lu finally agreed, willing to give ten percent of the spoils to comfort those injured and disabled brothers.

"Trouble Brother Chen to lend me some manpower temporarily to pilot it to my defended city."

"How many people?"

"Fifty people are needed."

Chen Lu nodded: "No problem!"

In truth, he had few remaining Artificers; while the Ming Yan Warship destroyed the formation, many Artificers suffered backlash injuries, and under the attacks of the Blood Kui and heavy water projectiles, some died while others fled.

Now was the time to rapidly repair the city's formation and strengthen the defenses.

Yet Chen Lu still summoned them to be seconded to Zhao Xing.

After resting for a moment,

Zhao Xing led his people aboard the ship.

"Brother Chen, we shall meet again."

"Young brother Zhao, take care."

Bidding farewell to Chen Lu, the Ming Yan Warship roared into the sky, leaping upward into the layer of violent winds, while the Swordfish Flying Boat remained moored within the Ming Yan Warship.

"Meow!" The mountain cat, seeing Zhao Xing board, let out an unhappy cry: Why didn't you take me to fight just now?

"You are still young; what fighting is there?" Zhao Xing pushed the mountain cat away. "Go play over there; I have matters to attend to."

"Meow-ow~" Aotian meowed and walked away, aggrieved.

Long Xiao emerged from the Ming Yan Warship's storage room, rubbing his hands together with great joy.

"Judging by your look, the harvest was not small?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Indeed," Long Xiao smiled. "This band of Sha Tribe people seized quite a lot; the cargo hold is more than half full."

"The ridiculous part is that they stacked the third and fourth-tier weapons and armor, as well as the pill and treasure boxes, in perfect order, while other valuable medicinal herbs and treasures were just piled up randomly."

"Truly blind to the point."

Zhao Xing also laughed; being blind to the point was good, wasn't it? That just made things cheaper for himself.

"Of course, the most valuable thing is still this Ming Yan Warship," Long Xiao said. "It is the greatest harvest."

The Ming Yan Warship, even if sold in Great Zhou, would not drop in price, for its craftsmanship already met Great Zhou standards.

It might even fetch a high price due to its unique tribal style.

"The Sha Tribe is merely a medium-to-small clan within the Wang Ting; even if they sold everything they owned, they could not gather a few warships. Now that one is lost, they must be in pain."

Long Xiao stroked his chin and said, "However, I do not recommend selling it. Your current Swordfish Flying Boat is a small vessel; although it is also Fifth-Tier Lower Grade, its value is not on the same level as the Ming Yan Warship; the difference is too great."

Zhao Xing said, "I recall you held a share on Old Chen's Dragon-Keel Warship as well?"

"Yes," Long Xiao said. "I usually act with Old Chen, riding that ship. Not only that, I also hold a share in Liao Ru Long's Dragon-Head Tower Ship; if there are profits, I can lie back and earn merit points."

"I will take thirty percent of this one; I won't worry about routine maintenance costs and the like."

"Agreed," Zhao Xing nodded.

He now understood why Old Chen and Long Xiao had casually given him so many things back then.

The Five Elements Staff was a Fourth-Tier Supreme Grade item.

The Bright Moon Shock Armor was Fourth-Tier Supreme Grade.

The Ink-Guard Jade Pendant was Fifth-Tier Lower Grade.

The almanac, rain cape, cloud-treading boots, and bamboo hat were all upgraded to Fourth-Tier Supreme Grade, at a time when he held no official post.

Long Xiao and Chen Shijie were both men who lacked for no money.

Now investing in another Ming Yan Warship; one could imagine that as long as there was war, Long Xiao and Chen Shijie would not be poor.

"As for the items in the storage room, I will also take only thirty percent. When the Military Realm Transport Commissioner arrives later, once you have handled everything, just give me the merit points."

The Transport Commissioner was specifically responsible for transporting items from the Military Realm Treasury to the front lines for each army, as well as processing spoils of war.

If Zhao Xing's Equalization Order was like an individual food delivery vendor, the Transport Commissioner was in logistics.

The Transport Commissioner's tower ships were all large tower ships; at regular intervals, they would travel between each city.

"With this Ming Yan Warship, whether you transport goods forward, defend, or go kill enemies yourself in the future, it will be much more convenient," Long Xiao said. "I am waiting for you to make me rich."

"Aren't you afraid I cannot afford to maintain this ship?" Zhao Xing asked. "Furthermore, does City Number Ninety-Two have any skilled Artificers?"

"Yes, Wang Ji is already waiting in City Number Ninety-Two."

Wang Ji himself belonged to the Divine Might Army; during the Ten Yang Cave Heaven period, he was an A-Class Genius and had conducted breakout training with Zhao Xing.

Later in Yuncheng, Wang Ji was dispatched again to cooperate with Zhao Xing for two months; they could be considered old acquaintances.

After his internship ended, Wang Ji was promoted to Junior Seventh Rank, Upper Grade, just one rank below Zhao Xing.

Originally, Wang Ji was the Commander of City Number Ninety-Two; as an Artificer, he managed the overall situation, and all department heads had to obey him.

Three days ago, an order suddenly arrived at City Number Ninety-Two informing Wang Ji that the Commander position had been changed; he was very displeased.

"I was doing well in City Number Ninety-Two; I repaired the city as required, and not a single item of supplies sent to the front lines was missing."

"Why does the higher-ups want to remove me from the Commander position of City Number Ninety-Two?"

"What kind of second-generation official is it, that I must make way for him?!"

"Wanting me, Wang Ji, to work for someone who got in through the back door? No way!" Wang Ji slammed the table in fury. "Either I leave, or he leaves!"

The envoy said indifferently, "Perhaps you should hear the name before getting angry."

Wang Ji snorted, "What? I, Wang Ji, am a man of iron bones. No matter how great his background, I am not afraid. A craftsman can eat anywhere! Afraid of whom? Tremble before whom?"

The envoy remained silent.

Wang Ji said, "Fine, then tell me, who exactly has such influence that I must hand over my position?"

The envoy, expressionless, said, "Zhao Xing."

"I don't care who he is... hmm? Who did you say?"

Wang Ji's hand, which had been slapping the table, hovered in mid-air.

"Zhao Xing, your old superior. Did you hear clearly?"

"Oh." Wang Ji's hand gently lowered, touching the table surface. "When will he arrive? Is there an order for me? Should I prepare anything in advance?"

Han Bing smiled with amusement, "Look at that cheap look of yours. What were you saying just now? Oh, 'It is impossible for me, Wang Ji, to work for someone'."

"I, Wang Ji, am a man of iron bones... tsk tsk."

Wang Ji snapped, "Damn it, you dead-faced idiot, why didn't you say it was him earlier? You made me waste all that anger. Zhao Xing... how can he be compared to others?!"

Wang Ji wouldn't have reached the seventh rank from the sixth so quickly on his own, but following Zhao Xing in Yun City, starting from the fourth-ring mission, he forced every single evaluation to be top-tier. Before that, his third-ring missions hadn't gone so smoothly.

It was as if Zhao Xing had personally lifted him into the ranks of seventh-rank officials.

Wang Gong might not have been convinced about other things, but he was very convinced by Zhao Xing.

Han Bing said, "Did I ask you to speak? The moment I mentioned someone was going to replace your commander position, you exploded."

"You should also think: if even I, the Chief Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, am willing to step down, who has the capability to do so?"

Wang Ji didn't argue with Han Bing: "When will he arrive? Are there truly no other orders?"

Han Bing shook his head: "No more. He will probably take three days to get here."

Wang Ji rubbed his hands: "Three days? Good, three days is good. Once he arrives, I can save myself a lot of trouble, hehe."

"Look at your pathetic ambition." Han Bing snorted.

Approaching City No. 92, Zhao Xing first ordered the General Ming Yan warship to stop, then released the Arrowfish Flying Boat to send a greeting first, preventing their own people from attacking the General Ming Yan warship as an enemy.

"Zhao Xing!" Wang Ji ran out excitedly, with Han Bing following. "Hahaha, you're finally here! We've been waiting for three days!"

"Wang Ji." Zhao Xing grinned, patting the other man's arm. They were old acquaintances; the formal bowing ritual was unnecessary.

He then glanced at the person beside him: "Han Bing, how have you been lately?"

Han Bing nodded: "Getting by well enough. It's just that Wang Gong heard you were coming to seize his commander position and threw a fit, smashing two or three desks to pieces."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ji flew into a rage: "You rascal! How can you slander my integrity! Was I angry at Zhao Xing? I thought it was someone else!"

Han Bing said coldly, "Exactly. After hearing it was Zhao Xing, you put the table back together. Look at your pathetic ambition. Can't you be as calm as I am?"

"One who holds thunder in their chest but has a face as calm as Pinghu can be appointed as the supreme... damn it, what is written above?"

Han Bing suddenly looked up, staring blankly at the sky.

Wang Ji also looked over sharply. He saw a massive object descending from the clouds. Its base was black, its wings were red, and it trailed a tail of flame. As it descended, the sky was dyed red.

Zhao Xing was waving, signaling to Long Xiao above, indicating that he could land without being attacked by their own people.

Watching Zhao Xing directing and waving, Wang Ji and Han Bing were dumbfounded.

"Zh-Zhao Brother." Wang Ji became somewhat stuttering, his eyes burning with intensity: "Is this fifth-rank General Ming Yan warship yours?"

"Zhao Xing, you couldn't afford such a warship." Han Bing also stared at Zhao Xing: "Don't tell me you snatched this fifth-rank General Ming Yan warship halfway through your journey!"

Second update delivered. 4+6, two chapters totaling ten thousand characters. Made up for yesterday's 2,000 characters.

Repaying the owed chapters will begin after the Dragon Boat Festival.