Capital City

Over the past two days, word of his departure spread among the few core disciples of the martial arts hall.

They had all crossed paths with Wang Yu often. He Tie, Zhang Erdan, Li Niushan, and the others all came to offer Wang Yu their blessings.

The last person to seek out Wang Yu was Liu Yemei.

She struggled with her thoughts for a long time. At last, on Wang Yu's final night before departure, she gathered her courage, her face flushed red, and expressed feelings for him that went beyond those between fellow senior and junior disciples.

The result was only natural.

"Senior Sister, you're a good girl."

Wang Yu tactfully and politely rejected his Senior Sister's confession.

What he pursued now was martial arts—the path to longevity. As for romance and marriage, he could think about those in another ten or twenty years.

After all, ordinary humans in this world lived for more than a hundred years.

An age of thirty or forty could only be considered young and strong here, the usual age for discussing marriage.

Not to mention that once he reached the Blood Burning Realm in the future, his lifespan would increase dramatically. As for taking a wife, he would simply leave it to fate.

Liu Yemei's face turned pale after being rejected. She ran back to her room and grieved in silence.

Early in the morning two days later, Wang Yu packed his belongings and kowtowed three times to Sun Chengshan in the inner hall of the martial arts hall.

He would never forget the grace of being taught and guided.

Afterward, he formally left the martial arts hall where he had stayed for more than a year.

Only a few newly initiated disciples were in the courtyard. As they swept away fallen leaves and dust, they watched Wang Yu step out through the martial arts hall's gates in puzzlement, not knowing where he was going so early in the morning with his luggage on his back.

Airship Center.

Wang Yu presented his ticket.

From the remote Island Town 732 to Nanxi's capital, several vast sea areas lay in between, spanning a considerable distance.

By ship, one would have to transfer through multiple island towns along the way. Without one or two months, it would be difficult to arrive.

By comparison, airship travel was undoubtedly the first choice for long-distance journeys. The only drawbacks were the rather costly ticket price and the limit on how much cargo each passenger could carry.

This time, Wang Yu boarded a small-to-medium airship, the kind that could hold only two hundred people.

There was no helping it. The journey was long, and airship tickets were expensive.

Unless they absolutely had to go, few people were willing to leave their island town for the capital.

Moreover, the Energy Stone cost of a round trip was substantial. Thus, being able to wait for one airship flight bound for the capital every half month was already quite good.

By the time it departed, only around a hundred people sat aboard the airship.

There were men and women alike, and judging by their clothing and adornments, most were wealthy.

"Passengers, the airship has departed. This journey's destination is Island No. 701, Nanxi's capital on Fragment Star No. 5.

"Along the way, we will fly over the Silver Belt Sea Area, Torrent Sea Area, Conquest Sea Area, and Black Obsidian Sea Area. The estimated travel time is three days.

"Food and drinking water are available for purchase aboard the airship. Unless necessary, please do not move around frequently. Thank you for traveling with us."

With a smile, a flight attendant courteously gave everyone the usual rundown of the flight.

Wang Yu had taken an airship once before and knew that three days of travel was not short.

Considering the total size of Fragment Star No. 5, the distance covered by flying day and night for three days was practically equivalent to crossing nearly half a Fragment Star.

This was Wang Yu's second long journey. Looking down through the window,

he could sense that even the climates and temperature differences varied across the different sea areas.

The climate of the Silver Belt Sea was fairly pleasant, but upon reaching the Torrent Sea Area, the temperature began to plummet. Storms would gather over the sea from time to time.

For safety's sake, the airship would choose to detour in advance at such times.

Due to its harsh natural maritime environment, the few islands in the Torrent Sea Area were unsuitable for long-term human habitation.

Next came the Conquest Sea Area.

Throughout history, Nanxi, Canaan, and Ximos had all dispatched countless warships, fighting here until the heavens darkened and the earth lost its light.

Soldier casualties numbered in the tens of millions, and even many renowned mighty generals had died here.

In the end, Canaan and Ximos withdrew their troops. Nanxi won this protracted struggle only with great difficulty, incorporating this sea area into its imperial territory. Thus, it was named the Sea of Conquest.

Compared with the Silver Belt Sea Area, which had only been developed for a few years, the island towns here were already quite well established, with populations several times those of the Silver Belt Sea.

Finally, after crossing the Black Obsidian Sea Area, dead silent by day and bright by night, the airship safely arrived at Island No. 701.

At first sight, this immense island situated between the Black Obsidian Sea Area and the Sea of Conquest appeared before Wang Yu like a continent.

Viewed from high above, rolling mountains, crisscrossing rivers, vast forests and plains, and all manner of terrain gathered here.

A towering city stood upon the plains, majestic and magnificent, like a colossal beast crouching low. Yet it did not feel ferocious.

Numerous airships of all sizes circled and passed through the skies above the great city. It looked exceptionally lively, brimming with the bustle and smoke of everyday life.

Beyond the towering walls, as if cast from black iron, stood fortress after fortress and ancient castle after ancient castle, with soldiers and military units patrolling and standing guard within.

Farther out, extending all the way into the forests, many smaller satellite towns were scattered about. Pedestrians and automobiles traveled constantly between them, forming their own unique trade connections across the island.

This truly could be called a small landmass.

With such a vast area, it was no wonder it had been chosen as the site for the capital in the beginning.

A million relocated residents, along with hundreds of thousands of Nanxi troops.

Militarily, this was Nanxi Empire's principal foundation on Fragment Star No. 5, carrying tremendous strategic importance.

"Passengers, we are about to arrive at Nanxi's Capital City on Fragment Star No. 5. Please disembark in an orderly manner after the airship lands."

"Passengers—"

The flight attendant's voice came again from the front of the airship.

Ten minutes later, the airship entered Capital City and landed at one of its airship centers.

Everyone disembarked in turn.

"Dad, is this Capital City?" A little boy tilted his head back and asked his father, who was holding his hand.

"Yes, this is the most prosperous city of our Nanxi on Fragment Star No. 5." His father answered with a smile.

"Do you remember what you came here to do?"

"I remember. Mom told me to study hard, listen to my teachers at the academy, not go bad, and not be lazy..."

The elderly father walked away with the little boy, each hand carrying a suitcase. Their voices gradually faded into the distance.

After getting off the airship, Wang Yu could not help stretching lazily.

Staying aboard the airship for several days straight had made even his bones feel stiff.

His gaze fell on a banner hanging inside the airship center.

Welcome to Capital City. The annual new recruit selection is now in full swing. Registration deadline: July 31.

Registration location: East District Military-Political Building No. 1.

Every July, the unchanging theme of Capital City was always this new recruit selection.

Related slogans could be seen everywhere along the streets. In an even more exaggerated display, even the airships above the city bore recruitment banners, circling the city at low altitude day and night without pause so that everyone in the city would notice them.

This saved people like Wang Yu, who had come from an outer island, quite a bit of trouble finding their way.

Now that he knew the address, he only needed to follow the signs.