The Future Six-Winged King

The unicorn emerged from the cabin, looked at the two figures standing close together in the morning light and sea breeze, and couldn't help but whistle.

The two men turned to look at her.

"Did I disturb you two?" the unicorn said. "The communications tower is beeping; it's a request from the Federation."

"Thank you, I'll go receive it." Zijin turned and walked towards the communications tower.

Qiluo came running over on all fours, "Su Ming, I didn't eat much this morning, could you make me some more? I really liked the glutinous rice cakes and the rice soup!"

"That's bean curd sheets and rice wine!"

Su Ming returned to the workshop and then cooked a whole pot of rice wine for Qiluo. The food in the refrigerator was all used up. Fortunately, this guy was leaving soon, otherwise the White Triangle's food reserves wouldn't have been able to withstand such a waste.

As for the bean curd sheets, he didn't make any. He heated up some pancakes on an electric griddle, and the unicorn didn't care. He picked up the bowl and showed it off.

[This is a liaison from the Federation. Let's go to the operations room to discuss it.] After receiving the communication, Zijin sent a message to Su Ming.

[good.]

Su Ming took off his apron and went to the operations room. He locked the door. "Is the Federation asking about our location?"

"Yes, the reason is to discuss the location for the next rendezvous with the supply ships," Zijin replied. "Whether there's really a problem with the supplies is no longer important; the Jade Sea and Tang Valley, with its giant dragon, is lying in wait for us."

"The underwater vehicle program must begin immediately." Su Ming, and Zijin raised her hand, enveloping the operations room in a silencing barrier.

"Let me tell you about my entanglement with the dragon," the girl said. "Forty-four years ago, I was attacked on Water Chestnut Island."

On the verge of death, it was forced to transform into a bone dragon. In the past, bone dragons were born by necromancers stealing the remains of giant dragons, and the control of the bone dragons was in the hands of the necromancers.

"I've heard of such things," Su Ming replied. "Usually, Dragon Race will reduce necromancers to dust, while bone dragons will be taken back to their dragon tombs for burial."

"Yes, but what makes me special is that I transform on my own and possess free will, which leads to the Dragon Race— " Wait a minute, how does your soul reside? Su Ming interrupted.

Physical undead creatures cannot preserve their souls and must be placed in a suitable phylactery as a container.

Alternatively, one could transform part of the soul into a spirit-like undead, like Miao Xin, who is divided into a skeleton and a vengeful spirit, but Zijin is clearly not one of those cases. As a rapidly improving necromancer, Su Ming already understood these things very well.

Both of these methods have significant side effects.

"My human bloodline was separated from Atiya, and she nurtured me into a human infant, making me a special life-bound being," Zijin explained. "This is the origin of Ailisha's form."

Su Ming's mouth dropped open in surprise, "No wonder you said you were human—in your magical world, is life so easily manipulated?!"

"On the contrary, it's extremely troublesome and the cost is enormous. I'm the only case!" Zijin sighed. "The secret I'm about to tell you, please keep it a secret. First, you should already know about my mother, Atiya."

"Yes, his title is Shattered Light Sword Saint, a renowned Saint Rank warrior, the pinnacle of combat power in your world."

In terms of combat class characteristics alone, spellcasters are generally recognized as the strongest class overall, while warriors have always been at a disadvantage. However, once they reach the Saint Rank, these seemingly ordinary spellcasters become the fathers of all combat classes, and are invincible in one-on-one combat!

"The Light-Chasing Sword in her hand is actually the sword form of the Divine Favor Scepter, the ' Unyielding Blade' —I use the scepter only because I haven't yet grasped the form that suits me."

"Are there many Divine Favor?" Su Ming, somewhat puzzled.

"No, just one. Divine Favor only chooses the most recognized one, and changing holders is common. A year ago, he gave up Atiya and chose the current Pope Augustus, and recently it changed to me." Zijin recalled, "Speaking of which..."

I haven't been in contact with my mother Atiya, since I was put on the wanted list, and I haven't been able to find out the details.

"So, Lady Atiya used the power of Divine Favor to create a hybrid of human and dragon, and then separated from you when you were critically injured and on the verge of death, and conceived Ailisha?" Su Ming asked.

Zijin shook her head. "It's not that simple. Sebastian was in charge of the technical aspects, along with Master Huo De'er. Life alchemy is taboo; even Xiwo didn't know about it. We mustn't let this get out; it will damage Sebastian and Huo De'er's reputations."

Sebastian, the greatest medical scholar of the Western Continent, also known as White Peng, passed away more than a decade ago.

Huo De'er, an alchemist with the title of Bronze, who was also Beianqi's teacher, died in an accident a year ago.

Unexpectedly, he also ventured into human alchemy, which is considered a gray area and receives mixed reviews in academic circles.

"Well, why are you telling me all this?" Su Ming, somewhat surprised.

"You're essentially my doctor now, and I'm not oblivious to your care for me." Zijin clasped her hands together, tightening her grip slightly. "Okay, I should be honest about some things. For example, it's not that I can't drink juice, it's just that I really dislike it when you plan my meals."

"Did I do something that made you hate me?" Su Ming was shocked; he really hadn't expected this.

"No, I don't hate it! These things remind me of how Xiwo took care of me when I was a child—I'm not saying I hate Xiwo." Zijin didn't know how to express this feeling, so she paused.

Su Ming did not interrupt.

Zijin calmed down a little. "I've been living alone for years, and I've never had such close interaction with people. Is there something wrong with me?"

Su Ming thought about it seriously for a moment, "I didn't think you were weird or withdrawn." However, he still didn't understand the other person's feelings and could only guess, "Is it because this kind of life makes you uncomfortable in many ways?"

"Habit?" the girl thought for a moment. "For example, even though the food you make for me is much tastier, I'll still eat a raw potato if I see one?"

"Zijin!" Su Ming exclaimed angrily, "I told you not to eat raw food anymore!"

The girl stuck out her tongue. "I'm sorry!"

"In short, I wasn't born a normal life form, and having both a ghost and a human body was a coincidence." Zijin quickly changed the subject, "The Dragon Race eventually allowed this situation, and to this day I am still a member of the Dragon Race."

"The dragons have such a broad sense of racial identity!" Su Ming exclaimed.

"The dragon culture values every individual," Zijin explained. As a small and low-fertility group, without corresponding cultural support, it would have been eliminated by history long ago.

"Then what's with this chase?" Su Ming was confused.

"My first form was Faerie Dragon, possessing affinity-level talents in the four elements of wind, water, fire, and earth. After transforming into a bone dragon, I supplemented my dark element power. Later, as my Ailisha form grew, I also mastered the light element—and that's how I became Six-Winged Magic Dragon."

"What does 'six wings' mean?"

Zijin shrugged. "I've encountered some problems. The Faerie Dragon's elemental affinity talent hasn't been fully integrated, and her dark element is relatively weak. But if she can complete and master it, she'll probably be considered a strong one even at the Saint Rank."

Su Ming gasped, "All Saint Rank spellcasters?"

With her unparalleled spellcasting abilities, coupled with the battlefield-defining domain "Natural Rhythm"—no wonder she chose this path!

"Hmm." Zijin's voice carried an undisguised hint of smugness. "The strongest among the Dragon Race are kings. If this continues, I'll become the next Dragon King!"

Imagine a skeletal dragon becoming the Dragon King—the image is too beautiful! No wonder the Dragon Race is searching for her all over the world!

Even the undead are not creations of nature. It's one thing for them to be members born under special circumstances, but if they become the king of a race, it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction and dissent among many members. For example, noble Gold Dragon and elegant Silver Dragon will absolutely not recognize them, thus causing internal divisions within the Dragon Race. This is a huge crisis for Dragon Race with a small number of individuals.

"Dragon King Gezelie is very old and could weaken at any time. Therefore, the Dragon Race is in a hurry, which is the situation we are facing now."

"Understood." Su Ming nodded. "I will take these into account in my tactical considerations."

"Thank you for your hard work. What was the Federation's response?"

"Just go back to any rendezvous point, and in a few days send a message saying the ship broke down and we can't go. I need time to prepare the submersible."

"We can't just reply like that. Katharine can deduce a lot from the smallest details," Zijin warned. "Even if she knows we're lying, she can still get information."

"Unfortunately, I'm best at dealing with these wise men." Su Ming smiled, reached out and pinched out a round bone bead, then tossed it onto the sand tray.

The bone bead rolled back and forth, eventually stopping near an island.

"Alright, reply with this address. She likes to scheme, let her outwit the bone beads!"

Su Ming switched his focus to Earth and began searching for information related to unmanned underwater vehicles.

It seems that quite a few factories make this; it's used in marine aquaculture, scientific research, underwater photography, and so on.

He and Miao Xin quickly selected a manufacturer.

[Time is tight, we need to hurry.] Su Ming said.

"I'll head over tonight and discuss placing the order with the factory tomorrow morning," Miao Xin said.

[Would a face-to-face meeting work?] Su Ming couldn't help but worry. Although Miao Xin's dressing skills had improved greatly during this time, she probably still wasn't good enough to face people up close in normal lighting.

[I didn't master your Pulse Stun Spell.] Miao Xin brought up another matter. [I don't know where I went wrong with it.]

It had absolutely no offensive power and no stun effect whatsoever.

[That one]

[As a result, by sheer accident, it became able to interfere with thinking.] Miao Xin said smugly, [Those affected will unconsciously avoid me.]

[Avoidance?] Su Ming didn't understand.

"[It's just that subconsciously I don't pay much attention to me, I don't see me as often,'" Miao Xin said.

Is this triggering a subconscious defense mechanism? Su Ming never expected things to develop this way. [You must be a genius in this area.]

[A genius in the power of vengeful spirits? That doesn't sound like a compliment.]

[Let's assume that's the case.]

That evening, the White Triangle arrived at Earthworm Island and successfully made contact with supplies.

In addition to artillery shells, fifty tons of alchemical explosives, and three hundred tons of various materials and rare ores, Su Ming also supplied a ton of food. The advantage of having a large number of zombies began to show, and the cargo was quickly loaded onto the ship.

This time, two tons of petroleum-related derivatives were added. The otherworldly petroleum industry is too fragmented and has a narrow range of applications, making this scale of procurement difficult even for the Chamber of Commerce.

His research on oil-related information yielded results: crude oil was found naturally overflowing from the ground in the Naga Clan territory. This news greatly encouraged Su Ming, as it represented the possibility of obtaining large quantities at low cost.

The Naga Clan have almost no trade relations with the outside world, so establishing connections and making purchases will take time. But this is only the first step; the real challenge lies in building crude oil fractionation and refining production lines. Only after these are accomplished can the supply of oil be secured.

Otherwise, the hundred or so grams of fuel he painstakingly converted through molecular reconstruction using a great deal of Magic Power wouldn't even fill a cup, let alone power any mechanical equipment.

The efficiency of Summoning of All Things in compounding cannot be increased indefinitely with proficiency. Su Ming gradually understood the essence of his Summoning of All Things —the energy for molecular reconstruction is provided by Magic Power. The fuel summoned through recombination can provide a calorific value equal to the Magic Power he consumes.

This counterproductive approach is far less effective than simply having him use Magic Power to do the work; at least there's no loss in the process.

Without solving the fuel problem, internal combustion engine technology will never be unlocked. And the internal combustion engine is a key technological cornerstone; at present, it cannot be used in any equipment with slightly higher power requirements, let alone aircraft, which have extremely demanding requirements for power stability, continuity, and energy efficiency per unit weight.

However, making some preparations is worthwhile. Su Ming entrusted the procurement of crude oil to the Blue-Eyed Chamber of Commerce of Zijin. Subsequent matters such as refining equipment were added to the to-do list.

Some loose items were locked in a large wooden crate. The zombie carried it onto the ship, and the unicorn used the corresponding unlocking spell to open the crate.

"Miss Li, here are the materials for the magic array you requested." Qiluo pulled a large bag out of the box. Although she was small in Human Form, she was incredibly strong.

"So much replenishment? You haven't been consuming much lately," Su Ming asked her.

"Well, we've got Yexiya's body now," Zijin explained. "I'm going to make a Dread Skeleton."

Since the Plundering Clock was made from the body of the Dwarf King, Zijin planned to use the body of Yexiya instead, a case of giving them a taste of their own medicine.

"Saint Rank materials." Qiluo's tone was slightly sour. "Really extravagant."

Su Ming glanced at the two black and white skeletons who were working silently, and said nothing.

She pulled a large bag from the box. "Mr. Su Ming, your alchemical medical supplies."

Su Ming took it, and his hand suddenly felt heavy. It was better to have the healer's things on hand than not, and it would be good to learn some things about this other world.

Qiluo pulled out more than a dozen cans with their labels torn off from the box. "So much milk powder?"

"What's wrong with cooking it?" Su Ming asked.

"But you've already calculated this."

Finally, there was a small package. Qiluo practically fell into the box before being pulled out. "Let me see, cod liver oil and children's calcium supplements, strawberry flavored."

Su Ming grabbed it, "Mine, I have a habit of eating these before bed."

The cod liver oil was originally intended to supplement Zijin's vitamin intake, since she doesn't drink fruit juice or eat vegetables much. As for calcium, it's inevitable that she'll need it during her growth spurt.

Zijin grabbed Su Ming's arm. [Children, growth, calcium supplements?]

[This is the only medicine on the list provided by Beianqi.] Su Ming explained, vehemently denying that he had made this choice on purpose.

"Why did you buy it for me? Don't give me that excuse about eating it yourself. Don't you eat strawberries?" Zijin questioned.

On the contrary, strawberries are her favorite flavor.

Su Ming's mind raced. The scholar clearly disliked being treated like a child, even when facing Xiwo. "[You've always taken good care of me,]" he said slowly. "[I hope to repay you in some way!]"

This answer surprised Zijin: "[I'll take care of you?]"

"[There's a lot. They've taught me about this world, how to fight and survive in this cruel world,'" Su Ming replied. "[I believe care should be mutual, so...]"

Zijin tossed the medicine bottle in her hand. This reason was acceptable. "Fine, I won't hold it against you for choosing the children's flavor."

Passed! Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

Qiluo rested her elbows on the box in a V-shape, propping them up as she looked at the two of them with a strange expression.

"What's wrong?" Su Ming asked.

"Finished chatting? Let's continue counting." She stood up, muttering, "I really don't understand what's so interesting about arguing over the taste of calcium tablets."

Zijin froze, slowly turning around. "You can hear my communication with Su Ming?"

"Are you using Wind Message Spell?" Qiluo asked in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't even notice!" She shook her head. "Wind is my friend. Sending private messages to me is no different from speaking directly!"

The Bone Staff of the End grew larger and returned to its original size. Zijin grasped it in her hand. "I haven't sparred with the Unicorn yet, Miss Qiluo. Would you mind if we had a friendly spar?"

Qiluo blinked her big eyes; this was the first time she'd encountered something like this. "I'm just a plant cultivator, not a combatant!"

"Then let's have a hand-to-hand combat contest. You use your physical form, and I won't use magic." Zijin smiled kindly.

Qiluo thought about it and realized that selling the birds this way wasn't a bad idea; neither of them would suffer a loss. "Okay!"

Su Ming sighed and walked behind Zijin. Sure enough, the girl leaned against him and slumped down. A moment later, a huge bone dragon burst out from the deck and spread its wings in the moonlight.

"Little unicorn, let's cut it properly!"