Gengxin City.
Over this period, Yang Ming had fully consolidated the Blacksmith Association, bringing all its blacksmiths into the Sky-Blasting Gang. Given time, with their skilled craftsmanship and the steamship painstakingly developed by Divine Craftsman Lou Gao, Yang Ming believed they would surely build a steamship capable of crossing the ocean within five years at the earliest, ten at the latest.
That day, just as Yang Ming was preparing to find the visitors from Sea God Island and give them a thorough sales pitch, a Sky-Blasting Gang member wearing black robes and a Demon Mask hurried over and dropped to one knee.
"Report! Urgent military intelligence!"
Although the forces occupying Gengxin City ostensibly belonged to the Heaven Dou Empire, the Sky-Blasting Gang actually called the shots throughout the city. Any stirring of the wind or rustling of the grass would be reported to Yang Ming first.
Without betraying any emotion, Yang Ming took the intelligence report from him and slowly unfolded it.
"Three months ago, an unexpected upheaval struck the Star Luo Empire. Prince Dai Weisi led the remaining conservative nobles and officials in a successful conspiracy to rebel, murdering the previous emperor and using a stratagem to capture Crown Prince Dai Mubai alive. Prince Dai Weisi has now ascended the throne and announced a peace treaty with the Spirit Hall Empire. Both sides have ceased hostilities and established friendly relations as neighboring nations."
Every word stabbed at the heart; every sentence delivered a shock.
Yang Ming did not care whether the Star Luo Empire's former emperor lived or died. What concerned him was the whereabouts of his good classmate and close friend, Dai Mubai.
"The Star Luo Empire has now handed the former crown prince, Dai Mubai, over to the Spirit Hall Empire. Qian Daoliu, Grand Consecration of the