Don't Tell Me You Stole This Warship! (Ten-Thousand-Word Update Complete)

Seeing this, Zhao Xing took the initiative to lower his cloud-like head and level himself with Chen Lu.

Chen Lu was Seventh Grade, while I was Regular Seventh Rank, so it was perfectly normal for him to bow to me.

However, Chen Lu was currently in a state of Invoking the Gods, specifically the Yin Spirit of Agricultural Official, so he still needed to be a little more Guest Qi.

"Equitable Transport Magistrate the Divine Might Army to transport supplies, Zhao Xing."

He introduced himself and returned the greeting with a cupped hand, "Lord Chen, there's no need to Guest Qi. We're all on the same side. I just happened to be passing by and saw a foreign warship, so I followed it."

Chen Lu remained respectful, descending half a meter from the cloud. "Lord Zhao's magic is truly astonishing. I have never seen anyone as powerful as you. What kind of magic is this cloud you've created?"

Chen Lu truly loved the profession of Agricultural Official. At this moment, he forgot True Lord Tian De's instructions and instead of seeking credit, he started chatting with Zhao Xing.

Zhao Xing found it amusing, because he used his Bright Eyes Art to see the Yin Spirit possessing Chen Lu shaking its head and rubbing its forehead, clearly thinking that this believer was a bit dim-witted.

You can't even teach him! Don't invite me next time, I'm afraid I'll pick up your stupidity!

"Lord Chen, we can discuss the matter of exchanging magical techniques later. Right now, the enemies on the Netherflame Warship have not yet been dealt with. Please lend me a hand, Brother Chen."

Actually, most of the people had been killed, and the remaining Long Xiao could be dealt with, but Zhao Xing was still willing to give Chen Lu face.

As long as he participates in the counterattack, at least he can have fewer points deducted from his battle merits.

Forget about gaining merit; with such heavy casualties after the city fell, they can only deduct a small amount, not increase it.

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

"Oh, right." Chen Lu quickly cast a spell.

Zhao Xing was somewhat surprised, because Chen Lu didn't switch to a different deity to possess him, and the attack spells he cast were relatively weak.

He seemed to understand why Chen Lu, a Priest, had become the Equitable Transport Magistrate.

It turns out this guy likes being the Agricultural Official and only worships the Shennong God.

"Phew~"

Astral Wind blew as Chen Lu Gale Law to blow into the warship, reaping the lives of the alien soldiers.

At this point, Pati was already decapitated.

He couldn't even last ten breaths against Long Xiao before his head was cut off.

His eyes remained open until he died.

Pati must have died with his eyes wide open in disbelief. He hadn't even ventured very far, and had only chosen to ambush a grain city, yet he still encountered two monstrous Seventh Grade- grade geniuses at once!

"All done. And this is..." Long Xiao stepped forward.

"Your humble servant is Chen Lu, the commander of the Sea Pacifying Army's Equitable Transport Magistrate, and the commander of One Hundred Ninth City." Chen Lu quickly bowed. It was clear that Long Xiao was also Seventh Grade, and even higher than Zhao Xing.

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

"Long Xiao, the Valiant Commandant of the Divine Might Army."

"Brother Chen, you're not a very competent commander. The enemy has come to raid your base, and you haven't put up any resistance at all."

Long Xiao speaks very frankly.

From the perspective of the commander, Chen Lu was clearly unqualified.

Although this city is not of a very high standard, it is not so bad that it has no chance of fighting back at all.

When friendly forces appeared, his reaction was rather slow. He didn't seize the opportunity to lead his men to charge forward. Although they didn't need his help, not needing it is one thing. As the commander-in-chief, he lacked the decisiveness he should have shown.

Chen Lu blushed slightly and said, "This humble official is ashamed."

Actually, he was never suitable to be the commander-in-chief. There was another commander-in-chief in this city before, but the Sea Pacifying Army attacked too fast and too fiercely, so many fierce generals were transferred there.

In the end, only he, Seventh Grade Priest, was left to oversee things.

Chen Lu was rather simple-minded, and he did not offer any explanation when faced with Long Xiao's questions.

A mistake is a mistake, and incompetence is incompetence.

"This matter cannot be blamed on Lord Chen."

"It's all because the foreign races are too cunning."

Zhao Xing comforted him.

"No, what Lord Long said makes sense; it was indeed my fault," Chen Lu said, shaking his head.

"Lord Chen, there's no need to worry about it," Zhao Xing said with a smile. "At least nothing major has happened yet, so please, Lord Chen, handle the warship and the spoils of war."

Chen Lu hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, no, Lord Zhao, Lord Long, how could I dare to lay a finger on this warship and its spoils?"

"Without the help of you two gentlemen, I'm afraid I would have to be demoted."

Chen Lu refused to accept it no matter what.

Zhao Xing allowed him to help out, which was more than enough.

Guest Qi 're Guest Qi. If he still takes it seriously and wants a share of the spoils, then he's ungrateful.

How could Chen Lu have the nerve to ask for that?

He refused, but Zhao Xing insisted on giving him some benefits.

Chen Lu is a rare honest man. Giving him a favor might come in handy in the future.

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

In addition, he was also hoping that Chen Lu would send someone to sail the Netherflame Warship.

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

He wants to monopolize all the benefits while making people work for free. Even if Chen Lu doesn't think there's anything wrong with it, others might say that Old Master Zhao is so ignorant of worldly affairs.

After much persuasion, Chen Lu finally agreed to share 10% of the spoils to appease his wounded brothers.

"I would like to trouble Brother Chen to lend me some men to lead to my garrison city."

How many people?

We need fifty people.

Chen Lu nodded. "No problem!"

In fact, he didn't have many Mechanism Masters. While the Netherflame Warship destroyed the Magic Array, it also caused many Mechanism Masters to suffer backlash and injuries. Furthermore, under the attacks of Blood Kui and Heavy Water Stones, some died and others fled.

Now is the time to quickly repair the city's Magic Array and strengthen its defenses.

But Chen Lu still called people over to be temporarily transferred to Zhao Xing.

After resting for a while.

Zhao Xing led his men onto the boat.

"Brother Chen, until we meet again."

"Brother Zhao, take care."

After bidding farewell to Chen Lu, the Netherflame Warship roared into the air and leaped into the Astral Wind Layer, while the Arrowfish Flying Boat remained aboard the Netherflame Warship.

"Meow!" The Mountain Cat meowed unhappily when it saw Zhao Xing board the boat. Why didn't you take me with you when you were fighting?

"You're still young, why are you fighting?" Zhao Xing pushed the Mountain Cat away. "Go play somewhere else, I have something to do."

"Meow~" Aotian Meow and walked away looking aggrieved.

Long Xiao walked out of the storage room of the Netherflame Warship, rubbing his hands together with a happy expression.

"Judging from your appearance, you've had quite a haul?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Not bad," Long Xiao laughed. "This group of Sand Tribe People looted quite a lot; the ship's hold is more than half full."

"What's ridiculous is that they neatly arranged all the third and fourth-tier weapons, armor, and pill boxes, while leaving other valuable medicinal herbs and treasures scattered around."

"They're so blind!"

Zhao Xing laughed too. It's good that they're blind to talent; isn't this just making things easier for him?

"Of course, the most valuable thing is this Netherflame Warship," Long Xiao said. "It's the biggest gain."

Even if the Netherflame Warship were sold in the Great Zhou, its price would not decrease, because its craftsmanship already meets the standards of the Great Zhou.

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

"The Sand Clan is just a small to medium-sized tribe in the Golden Feather Royal Court. Even if they sold everything they owned, they couldn't gather a few warships. Now that they've lost one, they'll probably feel the pinch."

Long Xiao stroked his chin and said, "However, I don't recommend selling it. Your current Arrowfish Flying Boat is a small boat. Although it is also a fifth-grade low-level vessel, its value is not in the same league as the Netherflame Warship. The difference is too great."

Zhao Xing said, "I remember you also had a stake in Old Chen's Dragon Bone Warship?"

"Yes," Long Xiao said. "I usually travel with Old Chen, on that ship. Not only that, I also have a stake in Liao Rulong's Dragon Head Tower Ship. If there are any profits, I can earn points without lifting a finger."

"I'll take 30% of your share, and I won't worry about the usual maintenance costs."

"Okay." Zhao Xing nodded.

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

The Five Elements Staff is a top-tier fourth-order item.

Bright Moon Shock Armor, a top-tier fourth-order item.

Mo Shou Jade Pendant.

The almanac, raincoat, Cloud Stepping Boots, and bamboo hat were all upgraded to the fourth-tier top-quality items, even though I didn't have Official Rank yet.

Long Xiao and Chen Shijie are not short of money.

Now they've invested in another Netherflame Warship. It's clear that as long as there's war, Long Xiao and Chen Shijie will never be poor.

"I'll only take 30% of what's in the storage room. When the Military Realm Transportation Envoy arrives, you can process it and give me the points."

The Transportation Envoy was specifically responsible for transporting items from the Military Realm to the various armies at the front lines, as well as handling spoils of war.

If Zhao Xing's position as Equitable Transport Magistrate is like that of a food delivery individual, then Transportation Envoy is someone who works in logistics.

The Transportation Envoy's Tower Ship were all large Tower Ship, and they would travel between cities every once in a while.

"With this Netherflame Warship, it will be much more convenient for you whether you're transporting supplies to the front lines, defending the area, or going out to fight the enemy yourself," Long Xiao said. "I'm waiting for you to lead me to riches."

"Aren't you afraid I won't be able to afford to maintain this ship?" Zhao Xing asked. "Besides, does Ninety-Second City have any skilled Mechanism Master?"

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

Wang Ji was originally from the Divine Might Army. He was a top-tier genius in the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven and had undergone breakout training with Zhao Xing.

Later in Cloud City, Wang Ji was sent there to work with Zhao Xing for two months, so they were old acquaintances.

After his internship, Wang Ji was promoted to the rank of Seventh Grade, only one grade below Zhao Xing.

Originally, Wang Ji was the commander of Ninety-Second City. As the Mechanism Master situation, and all the department heads had to listen to him.

Three days ago, an order suddenly arrived in Ninety-Second City, informing Wang Ji that the commander-in-chief had been replaced, which he was very unhappy about.

"I did a good job in Ninety-Second City. I repaired the city as required, and I delivered all the supplies to the front lines without fail."

"Why did the higher-ups remove me from my position as the Ninety-Second City?"

"Who is this rich kid who expects me to make way for him?!"

"You want me, Wang Ji, to work for someone who got in through connections? No way!" Wang Ji slammed his fist on the table, furious. "Either I leave, or he leaves!"

The envoy said calmly, "Would you like to hear my name first before you get angry?"

Wang Ji scoffed, "What? I, Wang Ji, am a tough nut to crack? No matter how powerful his background is, I'm not afraid. A craftsman can make a living anywhere! Who am I afraid of? Who am I afraid of?"

The messenger remained silent.

Wang Ji said, "Fine, then tell me, who exactly has such great influence that I need to relinquish my position?!"

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

"I don't care who he is... Huh? Who are you talking about?"

Wang Ji's hand, which was slamming on the table, remained suspended in mid-air.

"Zhao Xing, your former boss, did you hear me clearly?"

"Oh." Wang Ji's hand gently fell, touching the table. "When will he arrive? Did he give me any orders? Is there anything I should do in advance?"

Han Bing chuckled amusedly, "Look at your shameless face. What did you just say? Oh, it's impossible for me, Wang Ji, to work for you."

"I, Wang Ji, am a tough nut to crack... tsk tsk."

Wang Ji angrily said, "Damn it, you expressionless idiot, why didn't you say it was him earlier? You made me get so angry for nothing. Zhao Xing... how can he be the same as others?!"

Wang Ji wasn't originally going to reach the Seventh Grade so quickly, but after following Zhao Xing in Cloud City, he consistently achieved Grade A ratings in every mission starting from the fourth ring. Before that, his three-ring missions hadn't been as Wishful.

It was as if Zhao Xing had artificially elevated him to the rank of Seventh Grade official.

While Wang the Engineer might disagree with others, he was quite impressed with Zhao Xing.

Han Bing said, "Did you even give me a chance to speak? The moment I mentioned someone wanted to take your place as commander, you exploded."

"Don't you think that even I, the chief official in Agricultural Official, am willing to step down? Who else has that ability?"

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

Han Bing shook her head. "No, he'll probably be able to come in three days."

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

"Look at you, so pathetic." Han Bing snorted.

As they approached Ninety-Second City, Zhao Xing first ordered the Netherflame Warship to stop, and then sent out Arrowfish Flying Boat to give them a heads-up, to prevent his own people from mistaking the Netherflame Warship for an enemy.

"Zhao Xing!" Wang Ji ran out excitedly, followed by Han Bing. "Hahaha, you've finally arrived! We've been waiting for three days!"

"Wang Ji." Zhao Xing grinned, patted the other's arm, and said, "We're old acquaintances, so there's no need for formalities like bowing."

He then looked at the people beside him. "Han Bing, how have you all been?"

Han Bing nodded. "It's not bad, except that Wang the Engineer got angry when he heard that you were coming to take his position as commander, and he smashed two or three tables."

Wang Ji immediately flew into a rage. "You bastard! How could you slander someone! I was targeting Zhao Xing, I thought it was someone else!"

Han Bing coldly replied, "That's right. After you heard it was Zhao Xing, you put the table back together. Look at your pathetic self. Can't you be as calm as me?"

"Those who possess thunder in their hearts yet remain calm on the surface are worthy of respect... Holy crap, what's up there?"

Han Bing suddenly looked up, staring blankly upwards.

Wang Ji also looked over sharply and saw a huge object descending from the clouds. It was black with red wings and trailed a tail flame. When it landed, the sky was dyed red.

Zhao Xing waved and gestured towards Long Xiao above, indicating that they could land without being attacked by their own people.

Wang Ji and Han Bing were dumbfounded as they watched Zhao Xing waving and giving instructions.

"Brother Zhao," Wang Ji stammered, his eyes burning with fervor, "This fifth-tier Netherflame Warship, is it yours?"

"Zhao Xing, you can't afford a warship like this." Han Bing also stared at Zhao Xing: "Don't tell me you stole this Tier 5 Netherflame Warship halfway through!"

Second update delivered, chapters 4 and 6, totaling 10,000 words. Includes 2,000 words added yesterday.

I'll start catching up on missed updates after the Dragon Boat Festival.