Chapter 772

The morning mist over Tianjin Port was torn apart by the roar of the steam engine.

Zhu Yuanzhang (Zhu Yue) aboard the flagship Zhenhai slowly pulled away from the dock.

The newly installed armor plates on the ship's side gleamed a cold, hard iron-gray in the early morning sun.

On the deck, thirty veterans of the Pure Dust Camp, armored and spear‑in‑hand, stood stiff as pines.

Liu Ji stood beside Zhu Yuanzhang, the sea wind fluttering his robe sleeves.

"Your Majesty, the front is perilous, your priceless person—"

"Precisely because it is perilous, I must go."

Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted him.

"The morale of Jinzhou's troops must not scatter."

"If we scatter, the entire northern line will collapse."

He gazed toward the northern sea.

There, the sky showed an abnormal, murky grayish-yellow.

As if a huge amount of dust had been lifted into the air and would not settle.

"What is that?"

Liu Ji followed his gaze, his expression slightly changing.

"General Xu Da mentioned in yesterday's military report that after the Qing army captures a fort, they will use the burrowing beast's poisonous mist to completely contaminate the land."

Also "earth-digging beast" is a named beast? It's a creature type; maybe considered a named beast. Could be included as a named beast/item. The instruction: named beasts/items. So "earth-digging beast" is a named beast (a type of monster). Should include.

"The poisonous mist swirls, mixed with smoke from burning corpses, forming this kind of 'miasma cloud'."

"Wherever the miasma cloud reaches, no plants grow and no birds or beasts remain."

Zhu Yuanzhang rested his hand on the ship's rail.

"Issue the order: full speed ahead."

"I must mount the walls of Ningyuan City before sunset today."

The paddle wheels of the Zhenhai began to accelerate.

Black smoke billowed out from the smokestack.

This modified treasure ship, driven by both steam engine and sails, cut through the waves northward at astonishing speed.

Along the way, floating debris began to appear on the sea surface.

Broken planks.

Belly-up dead fish.

There was also some kind of slimy algae emitting a faint blue glow.

"The seawater has also been contaminated."

Liu Ji's voice sank.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not speak.

He merely watched the algae clumps rolling alongside the ship, giving off a foul stench.

Looking at the distant coastline, where fishing villages once stood, now only charred remnants of walls remain.

And faint, slowly writhing blue traces could be seen amid the ruins.

Three hours later.

Ningyuan Port came into view.

But the harbor had already changed its appearance.

Most of the original pier had been demolished, replaced by rows of hastily erected earthen walls.

Cannons were mounted on the walls, and the base was piled with wooden stakes.

The ships moored in the harbor were all fitted with extra armor plating, and their prows extended long iron-clad rams.

"That is to keep burrowing beasts from sneaking up from underwater."

The accompanying naval commander explained.

"The day before yesterday, in a bay outside Shanhaiguan, a patrol boat was dragged under and sunk by a monster that burst from the water."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

The Zhenhai slowly drew alongside the shore.

The gangway was lowered.

He stepped onto the land of Ningyuan.

The feeling underfoot was wrong.

It was not the softness that soil should have.

But rather a compacted, brittle hardness like stepping on poor-quality pottery shards.

He lowered his head.

The ground was grayish-white, covered with fine cracks.

In the depths of the cracks, a faint blue light seeped out.

"This is..."

"Severely contaminated land."

A hoarse voice sounded.

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his head.

Xu Da, fully armored, knelt on one knee before him.

His armor was covered in dust and dried blood, and his face bore a fresh abrasion.

Your servant, I respectfully welcome Your Majesty.

Get up.

Zhu Yuanzhang helped him up.

Take me to see it.

Five li north of Ningyuan City.

An abandoned fort.

The fort's walls had completely melted, leaving only a patch of semi-solid, black-and-blue mud-like substance.

Bubbles still rose on the surface of the mud.

Each bubble that burst released a wisp of pungent acidic mist.

Zhu Yuanzhang, wearing a cloth soaked in medicine, crouched at the edge of the mud.

He inserted an iron rod into the mud and stirred it.

When the iron rod was pulled out, its tip was corroded and pitted.

The poisonous mist of the burrowing earth beast is more corrosive than expected.

Xu Da said in a low voice.

It not only melts bricks and stone, but also alters the nature of the soil.

Contaminated land becomes like this……'comes alive'.

Comes alive?

Yes.

Xu Da pointed toward the depths of the mud.

There, something was wriggling.

It was not a living creature.

It was an amorphous mass of soil, gravel, humus, and dark blue energy mixed together—a soft mud monster.

It slowly 'crawled' across the ground, leaving behind a fresh, slimy trail wherever it went.

This thing moves slowly, actively eroding the surrounding land that has not yet been contaminated.

We have tried burning it, flooding it, even bombarding it with cannons.

But as long as dark energy remains underground, it will regrow.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up.

He looked at the expanse of contaminated land stretching several li before him, still constantly expanding.

He watched the soft mud monsters rolling and twisting in the mire.

He looked into the distance, at the grayish-white wasteland where even weeds could no longer grow after total contamination.

What about the people?

He asked.

Those who could evacuate have been moved to the interior.

Xu Da's voice sounded a little hoarse.

But some elderly people refuse to leave.

They say their ancestors' graves are here, their roots are here, and they would rather die here.

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent.

He walked along the edge of the contaminated zone.

After walking half a li, he saw an abandoned village.

The old pagoda tree at the village entrance had withered, its trunk covered in dark blue fungal spots.

By the well platform under the tree, three old men sat.

They were thin, emaciated.

Their eyes were cloudy, their skin covered in brown spots.

But upon seeing Zhu Yuanzhang's party, they still struggled to rise to their feet.

Are……are you officials of the Imperial Court?

The oldest of them spoke, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows.

I am the emperor.

Zhu Yuanzhang removed the cloth from his face.

The three old men stared.

Then they all knelt down.

Commoners……commoners pay their respects to Your Majesty!

Zhu Yuanzhang stepped forward and helped them up.

Why don't you leave?

We can't walk anymore.

The old man gave a bitter smile.

Besides, where could we go?

He pointed to the village behind him.

My family has lived here for six generations. My great-grandfather's grave is on Eastern Hill, my grandfather's on Western Slope, and my father's behind the village.

Now all this land has been taken over by that bluish ghostly thing.

If I left, who would burn paper offerings for them? Who would sweep their tombs?

When I die, who will bury me beside them?

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the old man's cloudy eyes.

Looking into those eyes, he saw the deep despair hidden within, and a stubbornness that refused to be extinguished.

"I promise you."

He spoke slowly.

"One day, I will take these lands back from those monsters."

"I will cleanse the pollution, inch by inch."

"I will let you be buried with honor in your ancestral graves."

The old man looked at him.

He stared for a long time.

Then he bowed deeply.

"Then… this commoner will wait."

"Wait for Your Majesty to bring us home."

Leaving the village, Zhu Yuanzhang climbed the watchtower north of Ningyuan City.

From here, the entire front line can be seen clearly.

To the north, the bluish pollution zone resembled a huge scar, continually spreading across the land.

At the scar's edge, sporadic fires flickered—these were the Ming outposts still resisting.

Farther off, in the direction of Jinzhou City, thick smoke rose to the sky.

"How much longer can Zu Dashou hold out?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Xu Da fell silent for a moment.

"If the Qing forces send no more reinforcements, with Jinzhou's current supplies and armaments, it can last at most three months."

"What if they do reinforce?"

"One month."

Zhu Yuanzhang's fingers tapped on the battlement.

"What can we do to help him?"

"A new batch of armor-piercing spears has already been sent over."

"The Investigation of Things Institute is still testing a portable generator for the 'Momentum Neutralization Field'; if successful, it might temporarily curb the pollution's spread."

"But…"

Xu Da paused.

"But what?"

"But the fundamental problem remains unsolved."

Xu Da's voice was heavy.

"Our speed at killing monsters cannot keep up with their rate of production."

"Our speed at purifying the land cannot keep up with their rate of contamination."

"Unless…"

"Unless we can strike at Hetu Ala."

Zhu Yuanzhang continued.

"Strike their nest and pull out that 'brain'."

Xu Da nodded.

"But we can barely hold Jinzhou now."

Zhu Yuanzhang gazed northward.

He looked at the sky shrouded in bluish haze and thick smoke.

"Then we must first hold our ground."

"Using every means possible, we must hold."

He turned and looked at Xu Da.

"Convey my decree."

"Effective today, all troops on the northern front will receive double pay."

"Those who die in battle will receive tenfold compensation."

"Beheading a bone demon earns a reward of one hundred silver taels and a third-class merit."

"Beheading a digging beast earns a reward of one thousand silver taels and a first-class merit."

Xu Da took a deep breath.

"Your Majesty, the treasury…"

"As for the treasury, I will find a way."

Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted him.

"You just need to tell the soldiers."

"Every drop of blood they shed, I remember."

"The Great Ming will not shortchange anyone who fights desperately for her."

Xu Da knelt on one knee.

"Your servant, I obey the order!"

That night, in the central command tent of Ningyuan City.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not rest.

He summoned Dr. Wang of the Investigation of Things Institute who was accompanying him, as well as the artisans in the army.

On the table lay soil samples taken from the contaminated zone, remnants of sludge monsters, and condensed crystals of the spit of burrowing beasts.

"Conventional purification methods—burning, washing with water, even covering with strange‑iron powder—only treat the symptoms."

"strange-iron powder" -> "strange-iron powder". Not a name.

Doctor Wang pointed at the sample.

"The contamination of these things penetrates down to the molecular level of the earth and stone."

"It's like dropping ink into clear water—not floating on the surface, but thoroughly dyeing it."

"Then let's change our approach."

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at those azure crystals.

"If burning doesn't work, we'll use a higher temperature."

"If washing with water doesn't work, we'll use stronger pressure."

"If covering with strange‑iron powder doesn't work—"

He picked up a crystal.

In the candlelight, the azure light within the crystal slowly flowed.

"Then we'll use strange‑iron to create a 'field'."

"A field that can strip, neutralize, or transform this energy at the molecular level."

Doctor Wang's eyes lit up.

"Like... the resonance principle of the armor‑piercing spear?"

"Similar, but on a much larger scale."

Zhu Yuanzhang quickly sketched on paper.

"We need a device that can generate a potential‑energy resonance field covering at least ten zhang."

"The frequency must be adjustable, the strength controllable."

"Ideally... it should be movable."

Doctor Wang leaned in for a closer look.

"Your Majesty's drawn structure resembles arranging the resonance cores of multiple armor‑piercing spears in a specific geometric array..."

"... and then synchronously activating them via a master control core."

Zhu Yuanzhang put down his brush.

"How long will it take you to build a prototype?"

"If materials are sufficient... two months."

"Too slow."

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head.

"I'll give you one month."

"If you need anything, write a requisition, and I'll have Liu Ji transferred from Ying Tian."

He paused.

"Also, the test site—"

His gaze turned outside the tent, toward the contaminated zone in the north shrouded in darkness.

"Let's choose Bai Lang Fort."

"It just fell, and the contamination there is the freshest."

"If this 'field' works—"

His finger pressed heavily on the drawing.

"We'll give the Qing state a surprise there."

At the same moment.

Under Hetu Ala.

The old Manchu's tentacles slowly retracted from the monitoring node.

"The Ming emperor has arrived at Ningyuan."

His voice was icy.

"He is inspecting the contaminated zone."

A Mu Han lowered his head.

"Should we send someone to assassinate him?"

"No."

The old Manchu's eyes glowed with blue light.

"Let him watch."

"Let him see with his own eyes how his realm is turning into a wasteland, inch by inch."

"Also..."

His tentacles swayed gently.

"Notify the front-line war slaves."

"Starting tomorrow, slow the attack tempo."

"Besiege without attacking, wear down without fighting."

A Mu Han was startled.

「Master, we aren't supposed to quickly capture Jinzhou? 」

It is to be taken down.

In the old shaman's voice, for the first time, there was a trace that could be called 'emotion'.

That is… playful.

"But compared to a city…"

"Destroying an emperor's confidence isn't more interesting?"

The azure light flickered uncertainly within the cavity.

Illuminating that non-human mouth, slowly splitting open in the shadow.