Chapter 423: The Ship of Yueguang Valley

Although Suofeiya's ship still had sails, the ship, with its steel-based structure, did not rely solely on sails for propulsion; at the bottom of the iron ship, there was something resembling a propeller.

According to Suofeiya's introduction, the principle was the same as the hypothesis Luoning had previously made: it utilized Magic Energy for propulsion.

The other party stated bluntly that this type of propulsion consumed too much Magic Energy; unless it was an emergency, they relied on the power provided by the sails for navigation most of the time, occasionally inputting Magic Power or Battle Qi manually to drive it, which saved on the consumption of Magic Crystals.

Regarding this technology, Suofeiya was quite generous; as long as Luoning could provide enough iron ore for Ximeng to repair their ship, Ximeng would build a Magic Energy-powered ship for Luoning free of charge.

This was exactly what Luoning had been hoping for; he immediately wrote a letter to the Administrator of Jushi City, Sailin, instructing him to increase the mining efforts at the Chishan Town iron mine, aiming to double or quadruple the annual output—the more, the better.

Furthermore, Luoning could tell that even on the Xinyue Continent, where Battle Qi and Magic were relatively advanced, the field of Steam Engines remained a blank slate.

Moreover, during this period, his ability to smelt steel by combining Heart of the Earth with Mental Power had also improved.

Therefore, when Ximeng began building the ship for him, Luoning would consider having the other party reserve space in the ship's structure for the installation of a Steam Engine.

By then, his ship would be able to be driven by both steam and Magic Energy, thereby completely shaking off the constraints of sails.

Although, having reached the Sage level, Luoning could destroy a country without top-tier combat power all by himself.

Yet, while destruction could rely on one person, ruling still required sufficient manpower.

With such a vast territory, it was impossible for Luoning to personally step in every time a minor rebellion or similar incident occurred anywhere.

At any time, forming a Knight Order and arming one's own strength were necessary.

Power on the sea was naturally equally important.

What's more, the enemies were now not only on the Orland Continent, but also on the Xinyue Continent.

Since the Demon God had set its sights here, if the Xinyue Continent were lost, this side naturally would not be spared.

Luoning, who had already fostered the ambition of becoming a hegemon, would naturally not stand idly by.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was June 10th.

Niujiao Bay Port was docked with ships of all sizes, and the flags hanging on them were of all kinds.

Dennis I, flying the golden mountain flag of the Wushan Family, slowly docked at the port.

Lulansi, dressed in a black robe, stood on the deck, gazing at the prosperous and bustling port, his face full of nostalgia.

"Back then, Niujiao Bay was not this big or this bustling."

Lulansi said with a smile, "I didn't expect that after thirty years, it would have developed into this."

"Indeed, My Lord, trade on both sides of the Screaming Sea has been very frequent these years."

This time, Weituolinuo personally led the escort team, "You must take care of my Dennis Port!"

Lulansi chuckled, "You can discuss such matters with Luoning; for the rest of my life, I want to enjoy more good times."

Weituolinuo scratched his head awkwardly.

He had originally wanted Lulansi to step forward and talk to the Fleming Family before the navy on Jiliu Island formed a scale.

However, it seemed now that the Marquis did not want to interfere much; some matters were left to Weijinsi to handle, but many major issues were left for them to discuss with Luoning.

The Marquis was still there, but the one in charge had become the Earl of Wubei Territory; the actions of this grandfather and grandson had surely set a historical precedent.

Luoning was currently observing the sizes of the ships of the various major families docked at the port, evaluating their strength.

He had originally wanted to ride Kaierluosi to bring Lulansi, Suofeiya, and the others to Jinyu City directly, but Lulansi wanted to see the scenery along the way, so they flew to Jianjiao City and then took a ship over.

"Huh, is that ship flying the Yueguang flag from Yueguang Valley?"

Luoning pointed to a ship on one side of the port and asked in surprise, "I remember Yueguang Valley doesn't seem to have a port, right? And it seems they also have a Griffin."

Lulansi and Weituolinuo both looked over.

"It is indeed the flag of Yueguang Valley."

Weituolinuo frowned and said, "I recently heard that Hesusu reached a cooperation agreement with Viscount Lucio of Langtao Castle; Yueguang Valley has leased Langtao Port, and this ship might have sailed from there."

Lulansi chuckled; he hadn't heard this news yet.

"This guy Hesusu has always been dissatisfied with only being an Earl, bent on expanding his territory and raising his rank. I don't know what he actually paid to make Milk willing to lend the port to such an ambitious person."

Luoning also said, "It's strange to say, but during this recent turmoil involving Earl Aosen of Black Python City, Yueguang Valley actually kept its cool and didn't cause any stir near Anbian City."

"They must have been intimidated by the several Knight Orders of Wushan Castle."

Weituolinuo said as a matter of course, "To occupy Anbian City under the noses of two Knight Orders, Hesusu would have to dispatch an elite Knight Order. This is not something that can be covered up by using some bandit group or Brotherhood as an excuse."

Luoning nodded slowly; he agreed with this explanation.

Standing not far away, Suofeiya listened quietly to the conversation of the three.

This continent was not troubled by Demon Gods, but whether within the Kingdom or between Auduin and Telixiya, it was filled with the scent of war.

It would likely be very difficult to unite the people on the Star Continent and concentrate them to participate in the extermination of the Demon God.

In these recent days, Luoning had said things like "to repel external aggression, one must first settle internal affairs" to her, and she felt more and more that there was some truth to it.

If it really had to be this way, then it involved the question of which side their five-person team would take.

Should they stand with the promising Luoning, or with the larger-scale Auduin Royal Family?

But choosing the latter would inevitably lead to being in opposition to Luoning one day.

Because she could feel that what this young man wanted was definitely not as simple as just fighting for the Auduin Royal Family.

Moreover, this Marquis of Wushan Territory was also a Silver Moon Knight, and under his command were a Meteor Knight and a friend at the Great Archmage level.

The top-tier combat power of Wushan Territory was very strong.

She whispered, "Hameng, upon arriving at Jinyu City this time, we must carefully investigate the strength and intelligence of the various nobles, and also understand the relationships between them."

She wanted to know just how unstable the situation here had become.

"Woo!"

Amidst the low sound of a horn, Dennis I successfully docked at the port.

Lulansi raised an eyebrow, looked at the troops lined up to welcome them at the port, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Luoning, come down from the ship with me quickly."

At the front of the welcoming party was none other than Blanche.

"It seems your relationship with His Majesty is truly excellent, Grandfather; he actually sent Blanche to welcome us."

Luoning smiled and sighed, "I didn't receive this kind of treatment when I came here last time."

"Hahaha, when Bruno was young, he often came to my An'an to eat and even received my guidance, though it's a pity his talent was quite ordinary."

The two of them spoke as they disembarked from the ship.

Blanche's gaze shifted from Lulansi to Luoning.

To be honest, a while ago, when she heard that a civil war had broken out in the Wushan Territory, she subconsciously assumed that neither Luoning nor Lulansi would be able to come, and she had been so worried about it that she couldn't sleep for Along time.

Fortunately, the civil war ended so quickly.

Now that she saw her beloved had arrived as scheduled, the heart she had been holding in suspense finally settled down.

"Respected Marquis, please allow me to welcome your arrival here on behalf of my father, His Majesty the King."

She first said the welcome in a very official manner, then switched to a more relaxed tone: "It is truly wonderful that you have recovered!"

Lulansi nodded in satisfaction; setting aside Blanche's less-than-glorious past and the rumors, he was quite satisfied with this granddaughter-in-law.

Moreover, if any situation were to arise in the future, their Wushan Castle could be considered part of the royal family, and any choice they made would be seen as having a legitimate cause.

"It has been Along time, Blanche. For His Majesty to have you come personally, he is truly giving this old man too much face!"

Blanche smiled slightly, "Not only have you recovered, but you have also broken through to the Silver Moon rank; this is a joyous occasion for the entire Auduin Kingdom. Father is waiting for you at the Golden Feather Palace and hopes to meet with you soon."

"I am also looking forward to meeting with him."

Lulansi said, making a gesture of invitation.

Blanche nodded, winked at Luoning with a smile, and then led everyone away from the pier. (End of chapter)