The Fish That Got Away

The client needed it urgently, so the halfling craftsmen rushed to finish the roughly shaped bathtub before sunset.

They only hastily applied a layer of sticky waterproof glue, without even having time to apply a primer, before several hurried buyers loaded it onto their truck and drove away.

These people, dressed in dusty coats and mixed with a few wary mercenaries, were driving a few inconspicuous carriages, looking like an ordinary merchant caravan.

The members of the Final Bone Mad Machines hiding nearby were about to make their move when they were stopped by Xiwo.

"The fishing has only just begun," the old elf said calmly, watching the hurried convoy with amusement. "What's the rush?"

"You mean follow them?" a necromancer asked, "And then follow the trail to find the hidden Naga?"

"Naturally." Xiwo nodded.

"But why not just take them down and interrogate them?" The necromancer asked, puzzled. "Are you afraid they'll be stubborn? Don't worry about that." He said confidently, "We're very good at interrogation, both alive and dead."

"No, no," Xiwo shook his head, "When you can cast a long line, following along for a while often yields unexpectedly big catches."

That was a valid reason, and the group wasn't lacking in patience. They split into smaller groups with different responsibilities and quietly followed behind the caravan.

Two hours passed in a tedious trek. The group arrived at a base near the road, where the heavy bathtub was unloaded from the wagon and then laboriously carried into a dilapidated building.

Xiwo and his men, lying in wait, assessed the situation and discovered that there were quite a few people in the stronghold, indicating that it was a fairly large caravan.

After observing for a while longer, they confirmed that there were no particularly powerful combat professionals among them.

Although our side has fewer people, we have a giant dragon in our ranks, so this numerical disadvantage is nothing to worry about.

"Should we just charge in?" someone suggested.

"No rush." A sly smile played on Xiwo's lips. "Think about it, why would ten Naga leave the perfectly good sea and travel thousands of miles to dry land?"

This question truly stumped the necromancers. While the Naga wouldn't be helpless on land, their strength would certainly be greatly reduced.

"Actually, I don't know either." Xiwo tightened his waterproof cloak and found a comfortable tree root to sit on. "But one thing is certain: they went to such great lengths to penetrate deep inland, there must be a reason why they absolutely need the Naga."

He pulled out a piece of his hard, dry rations, added, "And along the way, there will be plenty of people to help us."

"Mages are highly intelligent, after all; they understand things immediately," said one mage. "Merchants are extremely shrewd. If we make a move here and alert them, the other nodes on this line will surely vanish like startled rabbits."

"That makes sense," another necromancer agreed. "If they scare away the others online, it'll be difficult to track them down one by one."

"That's right!" Xiwo praised. "We can take care of these people like swatting flies at any time—so what's the rush? Let's just treat it as patiently fishing."

The plan was finalized, and the next step will be several days of continuous monitoring.

The necromancers redistributed tasks, and two of them wrapped themselves tightly in black robes, blending into the night to begin their shifts of surveillance. The rest found places to sit down and began to eat their rations.

"There's no takeout here." The dragon observer patted his partner's head helplessly, who was practically pressed against the ground for concealment. "I can only find you some tubers to make do."

The dragon let out a grumbling sound, its massive head gently nuzzling against his leg.

****

On the third day, the caravan met up with another group. Five wagons covered with thick, waterproof tarpaulins and with wheels covered in mud joined the procession and drove together into the territory of the Dwarf Kingdom.

After careful observation, they determined that these newly arrived carriages also carried ten Naga Clan, who had obviously landed from another place.

On the surface, it was all just an ordinary caravan activity. But for Xiwo and his party, it was clear that they had caught a few more fish.

"See that? That's double the harvest!" Xiwo said with a hint of pride.

"Your insight is brilliant!" the others complimented jokingly.

However, by the fifth day, the ease on Xiwo's face had vanished.

As several more merchant guilds joined them, the target team grew exponentially, with the number of carriages increasing to thirty in one go!

Many of the vehicles were clearly overloaded, their ruts creating deep grooves in the road surface.

It's been raining non-stop for the past few days. If it weren't for the solid and smooth surface of the newly built "Friendship Avenue" between the Dwarf Kingdom and Dragon Valley, this convoy would probably be stuck in the mud by now.

"This is definitely no ordinary formation!" Xiwo murmured, looking at the convoy that had snaked into a long, winding line.

The message was quickly reported to the headquarters of the Final Bone Mad Machines, and a new support team was dispatched, which joined Xiwo and his group the following day.

"Hello, Uncle Xiwo!" Rupert, the leader of the group, greeted him with a smile, raindrops dripping from the hood of his cloak. "Judging by your actions, you've struck it rich this time!"

Xiwo simply sighed heavily, "Such a large force must be backed by someone with considerable power."

"Heh heh," a necromancer who had come with us chuckled, "We're about to go find fault with the Pope anyway, what's one more meal to us?"

With their arrival, three menacing Bone Model war machines joined the mission. Rupert patted the cannon barrels on them triumphantly, "Enough firepower now, right?"

"It's definitely enough." Xiwo had long heard of the fame of these weapons. For combatants who lacked strength, numbers would be completely meaningless in the face of these weapons.

"Should we just attack?" a necromancer asked.

"We're still on dwarven territory," Rupert shook his head. "Su Ming's instructions are that this is a minor matter and doesn't need to escalate to a diplomatic note. We'll continue monitoring, and if anything unusual happens, we'll act immediately!"

"Understood," Xiwo replied knowingly. "If nothing unexpected happens, we'll wait until they enter the Dragon Valley area before closing in."

"Yes, that way it'll be cleaner and more efficient," Rupert said.

The addition of support teams made manpower more plentiful and greatly improved logistics, finally freeing them from eating cold, hard rations. In addition to the main combat forces having to be deployed to the rear, more people could join the rotation.

The annoying rain just wouldn't stop, and everyone felt damp to the bone, as if mold was about to grow on them.

"Just a few more days!" Rupert wiped the rain from his face. "Once we get into Dragon Valley, it'll all be over!"

****

At the Ruby Base's administrative center, Su Ming received Dalilan'an, the Star Empire's ambassador.

The Temple of Light still classifies "Final Bone Mad Machines" as a cult, and the Star Empire, as its ally, is only offering verbal support in public.

This does not prevent the Star Empire from establishing a high-level embassy in the Dragon Kingdom, nor does it prevent the ambassador from frequently going out for "strolls".

"His Majesty Xialike wishes to procure a batch of marine steam power equipment from your side," Ambassador Dalilan'an made the request.

"No problem," Su Ming replied, gesturing to Ainuobia beside him, "Have the ambassador review our standard price list."

The most basic configuration of the "Watt I" steam engine has begun to be supplied stably to the Dwarf Kingdom.

Su Ming did not intend to attach political terms to this kind of trade—he wanted to establish trade chains with various forces first.

Moreover, these rudimentary steam-powered devices were, in a way, a deliberate incentive he offered.

However, Dalilan'an shook his head. "I'm sorry, Chairman Su. What our Emperor is interested in is the large, high-performance propulsion system equipped on your warship, the ' Pansy.'"

Su Ming almost choked on his own saliva; this Stars Emperor certainly had quite the appetite.

"Even if I sold it to you, it would just be scrap metal in your hands," Su Ming sighed. "You might as well get 'Watt One' up and running properly first, and then think about what to do next."

"The dwarves have successfully loaded Watt I onto small cargo ships on the inland rivers," Ainuobia explained. "They've set up refueling stations along the banks and are learning how to use and maintain this new equipment."

This is a clear suggestion to the other party to proceed gradually.

"Then, we hope to obtain a model with greater power than Watt I," the ambassador insisted. "His Majesty Xialike desires to build a fleet powered by steam."

Su Ming was thinking of throwing these guys who knew nothing about machinery into the workshop and giving them a good lesson. They were all so ambitious!

However, the Star Empire is a naval power, and its rise is closely related to its maritime hegemony. It is understandable that King Xialike attaches great importance to this point.

"Then," Su Ming said, too lazy to argue any longer, and decided to ask for a high price to make the other party back down.

What price are you willing to pay for this?

"We are willing to pay three times the price of Watt One," Dalilan'an Ando said, "To purchase a brand-new power plant of equal size but with three times the output power!"

Pay three times the price for equipment with three times the power density?

"Five times the price." Su Ming, too lazy to argue any further, changed his mind.

A hint of joy appeared on Dalilan'an's face. He instinctively wanted to haggle, but then shrewdly refrained from saying anything more. "Alright!"

"Ainuobia, have the Trade Department follow up on the contract details," Su Ming instructed.

"Thank you, Chairman Su!" Dalilan'an, "I will immediately report this good news to His Xialike!"

Su Ming gestured to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' entourage to see the guest out.

"Keep him calm for now, don't sign the formal contract." After the ambassador's figure disappeared out the door, Su Ming turned to Ainuobia and instructed, "The reason given is that our production capacity is currently full of orders from the dwarves, and we need to prioritize fulfilling their contracts. But on the surface, our attitude must be very friendly."

"Understood." Ainuobia nodded, then added with some concern, "However, President, it's not diplomatically appropriate for you to agree so easily and then not keep your word."

"I know what you mean, but I'm creating a false impression," Su Ming admitted. "And believe me, when I confront Xialike a month from now, these steam engine issues will be the least of my worries."

"----It seems that this time, you're planning to include the Star Empire in your scheme as well," Ainuobia said knowingly.

"Of course," Su Ming admitted. "After this battle is over, let's see if Xialike dares to send such an idiot again!"

As he spoke, he rubbed his temples. "How come it's so much easier to understand and communicate with the dwarves?"

"Ambassador Dalilan'an is a seasoned diplomat," Ainuobia explained tactfully, "But he lacks expertise in the field of mechanics. The dwarven negotiators, on the other hand, are almost all master mechanics or senior engineers."

"So what is this Dalilan'an proficient in?" Su Ming asked.

"It's probably something like traditional power struggles, Machiavellian political infighting, or something like that?" Ainuobia carefully chose her words.

Su Ming narrowed his eyes. "Then let's hope he doesn't go overboard this time."

The two walked to the window. Outside, everything was shrouded in gray, and a continuous curtain of rain had enveloped the Ruby Base.

According to the Black Dragon Clan's detailed climate records, Dragon Valley often experiences long periods of rainfall similar to the rainy season in early summer.

Through the glass, streaked with water, one could see Ambassador Dalilan'an being guided away from the Ruby Base by staff downstairs.

The Star Empire's embassy is near Dragon Court; he has quite a distance to travel.

Su Ming suddenly had an idea. "Let's invite Mr. Dalilan'an to take the train to the Celestite Wharf, where we can transfer him to our steamship to take him back to the embassy."

Currently, Su Ming has deployed ten small steamships on the White River for inland waterway transportation, which has greatly alleviated the strain on land logistics.

Since this diplomat knows nothing about steam machinery, let him see it for himself.

"That's a great idea!" Ainuobia's eyes lit up, and she immediately turned to make the arrangements.

****

As the caravan passed through customs and slowly entered Dragon Valley, the tracking team, which had been enduring days of cold rain, immediately began preparing for action.

But just as they were about to make their move, another convoy that had arrived at the customs joined them. The number of carriages increased to sixty, and the number of mercenaries guarding them also grew to eighty or ninety.

"President Su Ming is truly adored by everyone," Xiwo remarked coldly.

The situation changed, and Rupert did not hesitate at all; he immediately called for backup.

Three hours later, the sound of flapping wings tore through the low-hanging rain clouds. Bowers led ten giant dragons to the scene, accompanied by Elder Yin'er.

The dragons deftly unloaded the ammunition boxes from their backs; these were the support weapons arranged by Su Ming.

By this time, the target caravan had arrived at the banks of the White River, and was shouting as they set up camp and unloaded the heavy cargo boxes from the wagons.

"At least it didn't double again," Rupert said, still shaken.

"Hehe, I heard that when you were searching for the missing girl last time, you unearthed a Saint Rank and three Master Rank enemies," Bowers teased.

"No way!" Rupert exclaimed. "If we keep adding more ingredients like this, we'll only be able to bring over several full battalions!"