Airship

Civilian spirit cards were far more widely used than arcane spirit cards, and among civilian spirit cards, Spirit Storage Cards were the most numerous. Unless they wanted to return to a primitive life, no household could do without them.

Spirit Storage Cards stored highly stable Spiritual Power.

Spiritual Power could take myriad forms, but only Spiritual Power that could be stably and continuously output could be called "spirit energy."

The high-energy Spirit Crystals contained in spirit ore were the most suitable source of spirit energy. Extracting it from them was simpler and more convenient than refining it from a Spirit Spring, and their reserves were enormous.

"The Pioneer War still hasn't begun. The higher-ups must still be locked in a struggle." The Spiritual Apprentices attending the Spirit Society's lecture all began discussing it.

They were called apprentices, but most of them were already middle-aged. Having struggled in various professions for many years, they clearly had far more experience than ordinary people and analyzed matters with impressive precision.

"If it were only a Medium Spirit Spring, a simple Pioneer War would be enough. But with spirit ore involved, things are different."

"Indeed. The new nobles enfeoffed through the Pioneer War probably won't be able to swallow it all by themselves."

"So many Mercenary Groups have moved in lately. I made careful inquiries, and it feels like every single one has someone backing them. Take the Sword Shield Mercenary Group, for example. They're backed by the Flamingo Family of Liehuo Town... Apparently, the Flamingo Family has a Great Arcane Mage stationed there!"

Only Arcane Mages of the fourth ring or above could be called Great Arcane Mages.

"Forget those Mercenary Groups. Just look at CBD Spirit Ore Company. How many important figures in Chen Jiao City have invested in it?"

"Personally, I think the more major factions get involved, the better. More people means greater safety. We're only running a small business in Snakehead Town, so we can just follow along and earn a little extra."

"I'm afraid that may not be the case."

"Boss Gongerfu, what different opinion do you have?"

Gongerfu owned a potion shop on First Vertical Street. He was worth quite a bit and held considerable prestige among the Spiritual Apprentices.

He shook his head and sighed. "I'm a few years older than you. I took part in the entire Pioneer War for Black Snake Lair last time... Too many things have become impossible to explain clearly. You only need to remember one thing: yield when you should, and don't be stubborn."

"What are you saying? Do you mean someone is coming to snatch our business, Boss Gongerfu?"

"Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. Who knows?" Gongerfu was unwilling to say more and merely hinted at the matter. "In short, during the initial chaos, protecting yourselves is most important. It won't be too late to think about getting rich after things stabilize... Of course, this is only my personal advice."

Someone joked in response, "Boss Gongerfu, are you afraid we'll steal your chance to get rich, so you're deliberately telling us to withdraw first? Hahaha."

Quite a few people chimed in, and the room filled with laughter.

Gongerfu wasn't angry either. He smiled and said, "My little scheme really can't escape your eyes."

The public lecture had ended, and everyone was chatting and joking around. No one could tell whether anyone had taken the advice to heart. Duke mingled among the crowd, listening to various rumors for a while. When most of the people had dispersed, he left the great lecture hall as well.

However, he had grasped the meaning behind Boss Gongerfu's words.

Nothing more.

Keeping a low profile was his principle. If he quietly developed in safety, he could eventually reach tremendous power. Why risk things by chasing a sudden fortune?

By mid-September, more and more Mercenary Groups had gathered in Snakehead Town, and public order in the streets had deteriorated severely.

Street brawls, harassing women, refusing to pay at restaurants, and other incidents occurred repeatedly. Robberies were also frequent along the roads leading into the wilderness for adventures.

The Black Snake Family's patrol guards and the town security team were already struggling to maintain stability.

The route between Chen Jiao City and Snakehead Town, however, had not yet been affected. Every shuttle on the route was accompanied by a Great Knight, who could effectively stop outsiders from causing trouble.

"Boss, the tickets have gone up," Levin said, holding three tickets.

"I know."

Duke frowned. He was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with life in Snakehead Town.

The benefits of the Pioneer War had yet to appear, but prices had already risen rapidly and public order had plummeted. The businesses and residents around the streets were all seething with complaints, yet they could do nothing to change reality.

Fortunately, he had stockpiled supplies earlier, and with Arcane Card repairs booming, Little Sam's Card Shop had earned quite a bit over the past half month.

Duke had accumulated fifteen Golden Dragons.

After deducting nearly five Golden Dragons for a single restocking trip, he still had ten Golden Dragons at his free disposal. He wanted to buy a 0-Ring Spiritual Plant that could help regulate spiritual energy. The 0-Ring Earth Orchid he kept at home couldn't regulate spiritual energy. He cultivated it with his breathing technique every day, but had yet to see any sign of it doing so.

"Ah, 0-Ring Spiritual Plants can be bought for ten Golden Dragons, but the effect certainly won't be good... 1-Ring Spiritual Plants are too expensive... Cultivating supernatural power is truly difficult."

He had already been smooth sailing, after all. Not everyone could own a shop of their own.

But he still lacked cultivation resources.

From this, it was clear how arduous cultivation was for everyone else. It was also why so many Spiritual Apprentices who relied on drugs remained stuck at this level for their entire lives.

At that moment, Harper suddenly shouted, "Boss, Levin, look! It's an airship!"

Hearing this, Duke looked out the carriage window and saw a huge airship somewhat resembling a Kirov airship slowly descending toward an open area not far from the station.

It was nearly three hundred meters long and over fifty meters in diameter, practically an aircraft carrier in the sky.

Its outer shell glittered brilliantly beneath the morning sunlight.

It was clearly made entirely through spirit-metal integration.

This was a fortress capable of crossing the wilderness and simply crushing spirit beasts it encountered.

A line of large black characters was painted along the side of the airship's hull: Elvin Mage Tower—Sunset.

"How beautiful!" The passengers in the Black Beetle Car all got out to admire the behemoth. For many residents of Snakehead Town, they might not see an airship even once in their entire lives.

Duke was no exception.

Before crossing over, he had ridden airplanes several times. But the airship before him was far larger than an airplane. Its massive body exerted a powerful pressure, inspiring awe and making him feel an overwhelming disparity between its size and his own insignificance.

"I really want to ride an airship sometime," Levin said wistfully.

Harper struck him down. "Your salary for an entire year wouldn't be enough to buy one airship ticket... As for the boss, he can definitely afford to ride one."

Duke didn't respond. Wealth was best kept out of sight.

Instead, he asked a familiar shopkeeper, "Why has an airship come here? Boss Winston, do you know where this Elvin Mage Tower is from?"

"I don't know, but we'll probably be seeing airships often from now on."

"Because of the Pioneer War?"

"That's for sure. More important figures will come to Snakehead Town in the future. Important figures won't be accustomed to riding Black Beetle Cars, so they'll certainly take airships... Airships are great—safe and steady. I've also heard that the inside of an airship is incredibly luxurious, just like a palace!"

Although the Seven Towers Federation had a system of enfeoffing nobles, it had abolished the imperial system long ago, so it had no palace.

Some countries outside still retained the imperial system.

The airship had come to a stop. Several luxurious cars bearing the Black Snake Family's emblem could be seen speeding over to receive it.

A large number of mounted knights guarded the surrounding area, so no one could see whom the Black Snake Family's convoy had come to greet.

Only when the Black Beetle Car let out a hooting steam whistle did the passengers watching the airship return to the car. Duke also withdrew his gaze.

It was only an airship.

Sooner or later, he would have one too.