Chapter 166: The Steam Lighthouse Plan

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Soul Fire Rock District, Ramoer Long Street.

The Heartwood Cellar Tavern was exceptionally lively today.

When Taku walked in, the tavern's normally rather empty tables were all fully seated today.

The tavern was a cacophony of noise, and the topics under discussion were things Taku had already heard plenty of today.

Blasphemer, blood clan, S-rank Transcendent talent, Dark Sun Saint...

For Transcendents, the emergence of an S-rank Transcendent talent was an event momentous enough to shake the entire August Twin Star Continent, a talent that might even be recorded in history.

Not to mention, they were right in the vortex of this storm-level event, bona fide witnesses to history.

Two tipsy Transcendents at a nearby table got into an argument over whether the Blasphemer Taku's Transcendent talent reported in today's newspaper was genuine news, quickly came to blows, and it ended with one man being knocked out and carried to a haystack in the backyard.

"I heard the news has already reached the Holy City of Floating Star."

"Really? That fast?"

"How could it not be real? The Extraordinary Steam Tower's magic network has long since connected along the steam and rails."

"Something this big happening in Saint-Landé, they'd definitely know over there right away."

"True enough. Even if we took the train, it's only a one- or two-day journey to reach the City of Floating Star."

The crowd in the tavern continued their discussion.

Taku, in the corner by the bar counter.

Still wearing that same second-tier wizard robe that had been with him for a long time, now somewhat worn and old.

After extensive combat, even though Taku maintained it regularly, damage was unavoidable.

Previously, Taku's wizard physique was powerful enough, but his body's own defense wasn't particularly formidable.

But now, a third-tier first-ring Crimson Flame Dragon Scale Armor was fused to his body.

His defense was now completely different from before.

The wizard robe now served more as concealment and for source energy tempering during daily cultivation; its defensive function had become dispensable.

Quietly sipping his oak stone fruit wine, Taku was thinking about this matter concerning the Principality of Celions and the major plan that Saint-Landé was about to introduce to counter the Dark Sun Church — the Steam Lighthouse Plan!

The Dark Sun Church!

Not an ordinary mysterious church.

But a powerful, mysterious religious faith that spanned many Transcendent worlds, born from the worship of the terrifying, unspeakable evil god "Dark Sun," with a long history and even quite famous "battle achievements."

【Three-Eyed God · Sacred Gaia · Pan-Plane · Spirit Blue Star Sea · Transcendent Holy Spirit Realm】

Also abbreviated as the "Three-Eyed God · Holy Spirit Realm," many borderland Transcendent planes bore the brunt of invasions and infiltration from various factions.

The Dark Sun Church was one of the most powerful among them.

As the surging tide of the steam era rose, the Three-Eyed God · Holy Spirit Realm also faced an era of transformation brought about by the eruption of the Transcendent Steam Epoch.

Coupled with the open and covert struggles among various factions within the Three-Eyed God · Holy Spirit Empire.

The war against the Dark Sun Church was fought with particular difficulty.

Not to mention other Transcendent realms.

Just within the Principality of Celions alone.

Grand Duke Celions had to contend with the "Sunrock Empire," a fellow South Continent faction.

He also had to pioneer the Eastern Sea, whose depths held Transcendent resources even richer than those of the continental territories.

And pioneering the Eastern Sea inevitably meant suppressing the natives of the Eastern Sea's Star Archipelago Islands.

And those once-uncivilized natives had also developed rapidly over the past few decades.

Transcendent Sequences, sea demon ships, steam airships, and other methods and abilities bearing the Transcendent characteristics of the Sequence Era.

Along with Transcendent rituals such as totem worship, blood sacrifice worship, and ancestral hero spirit worship.

Were all swiftly mastered by those barely civilized island natives.

Clearly, the handiwork of other Grand Dukes who were at odds with Grand Duke Celions was behind this.

Furthermore.

The "Stone Golem Empire" of the East Continent was accelerating its unification and establishment.

They were even secretly guided by a mysterious expert, submitting an application to the 【Three-Eyed God · Sacred Gaia · Pan-Plane · Spirit Blue Star Sea · Transcendent Holy Spirit Realm】 to establish a continental principality.

Thereby curbing the Principality of Celions' exploitation of marine resources and its expansion into the East Continent.

The situation in the August Twin Star Transcendent Realm was undeniably complex.

The pressure from the upper echelons of the Holy Spirit Realm was transmitted downward.

The complicated internal environment in which the principality found itself.

All of this led to the Dark Curtain Province, led by Saint-Landé, becoming increasingly passive in its fight against the Dark Sun Church in the northern frontier.

But!

This passive situation finally saw a turning point.

The Principality of Celions.

Would, with Saint-Landé as its core, officially launch the plan to counter the Dark Sun Church — the Steam Lighthouse Plan.

Taku knew the principle, but the specific large-scale preparations were beyond his knowledge.

In broad terms, the Principality of Celions, driven by Grand Duke Celions.

Would use the steam railways and steam lighthouses as hubs and arteries.

To deliver massive amounts of source energy into Saint-Landé's steam lighthouse and Saint-Landé's main body, the Lava Furnace Heart Tree Stump.

Using the roaring power of the entire empire's Transcendent industry.

To light up the many lighthouses, driving out and burning away the entire northern frontier.

It could be said that this was utilizing the entire transcendent industrial power of the Celyons Duchy, wielding Saint Lander's ecology as a spear, to confront the Dark Sun ecology of the entire Northern Frontier.

This would also involve deploying the 【King's Crown】, a King Sequence that could potentially affect the power of the Grand Duke of Celyons.

Yet that Grand Duke of Celyons still confirmed the plan.

It could be said, the Saint Lander Lighthouse Plan!

This was a war of utmost importance.

A war that concerned the future fate and direction of the Celyons Duchy.

If they won, the Celyons Duchy would secure a dominant position in the Western Continent, and even the entire August Twin Star Realm.

Even a draw would be an enormous gain for the Celyons Duchy.

The power of transcendent steam industry would only grow ever more fiercely; sustained, the roar of source-energy steam engines would shake the entire world.

But once they lost.

The power of the King's Crown would scatter.

The networks established among the major transcendent city-states would also suffer blows.

Those voices of opposition would rise accordingly.

Once hearts scattered, the ranks became hard to lead.

This would also be the Celyons Duchy's fate of defeat in this confrontation.

Why the high-ranking powerhouses made such a decision.

Taku had no mind to concern himself with.

But.

This Steam Lighthouse Plan, for Taku.

Was of utmost importance.

It was an unprecedented boon.

It even had considerable influence on Taku's imminent advancement to Tier Three, and on the birth of the 【Angel Sequence】's abilities.

Earlier, Taku and Xiluo'er together completed the destruction of the blood clan's castle.

They even obtained a large quantity of blood crystals.

Two days after returning, Xiluo'er learned through channels from the High Tower about Taku's invasion of the blood clan council, and his brief clash with the Holy Son Wendell Francis.

She immediately came to question Taku about the truth of the matter.

And Taku did not hide anything, disclosing everything.

In Taku's view, this was nothing more than a chance encounter; since Xiluo'er asked, there was no harm in telling.

But in Xiluo'er's view, the significance was entirely different.

Soon after, Xiluo'er reported truthfully to the Saint Lander High Tower the entire process of her and the blasphemer Taku's assault on the blood clan castle.

Of course, many details were hidden just a tiny bit.

But the combat magic footage of the two joining forces against the blood clan, Xiluo'er recorded in full.

And this!

Gave Lamore Street, which already had the capacity to independently build a steam lighthouse, even greater support from above.

Today.

Xiluo'er arranged to meet Taku here.

To explain to Taku the construction matters regarding the steam lighthouse on Lamore Street.

And to inform Taku of the questions previously raised.

Before long!

Xiluo'er, dressed in ordinary Saint Lander resident clothing and with her hat pulled low, entered through the tavern's side door.

After the two exchanged a glance, Xiluo'er proceeded on her own toward the tavern's second floor.

This Heartwood Cave Tavern itself had Xiluo'er's shares.

The tavern had a dedicated secret resting spot for Xiluo'er.

Taku downed the stone-fruit wine in his cup in one gulp, then stood up unsteadily, looking somewhat drunk, and headed toward the tavern's back door.

At this moment, a scout who had been tailing Taku for a long time followed silently.

Just then, in the corner of that row of drinking tables between the entrance and the narrow alley leading to the back courtyard.

A voice carrying a warning tone rang out.

"Hey… don't cause trouble here!"

Carlos was coldly scrutinizing that newly arrived Tier Two scout.

In the transcendent world, taverns, inns, casinos, and the underground red-light district.

If you wanted to maintain order, you had to rely on yourself.

The only use of a peace officer was probably to come collect corpses, and incidentally issue wanted notices and the like.

Facing Carlos's intimidation, the scout flashed the dagger within his sleeve, gave Carlos a cold look, and ignored him.

That Tier Two sorcerer, he had been watching for a long time.

And his magical pet "Sniffer" had scented a lot of magic gold on the other party.

Seeing that fellow completely ignore the warning.

Carlos shook his head.

"Fool, that one… is not to be trifled with. The only one who'll be unlucky is you."

"Then again, that fellow's methods are so familiar!"

"Could it be that guy?"

Carlos tapped the table, sinking into thought.

"Whatever the case, I hope that wizard doesn't cause any deaths."

"Otherwise, dealing with corpses is a hassle."

Immediately, Carlos rubbed his chin.

"Last time my sister said the same thing, and it could intimidate others—why can't I?"

"Could it be that my sitting posture is wrong?"

Waited about two minutes.

Only then did Carlos get up and walk toward the back.

As expected.

The scout who followed the wizard out had completely fainted, lying in the hay pile of the sheep pen.

In the sheep pen's hay pile, there were three more individuals similar to the scout.

Carlos went over and felt around.

Sure enough, the wizard's technique was quite practiced; he left nothing valuable behind.

Only the scout's worn-out first-rank leather armor and first-rank boots, barely passable, added up to a few magic gold.

"That guy didn't finish looting—could it be because I spoke up earlier to help, and he deliberately left something for me?"

After getting these things in hand,

Carlos looked left and right, but saw no trace of the wizard.