Letter
Inside the Pansy's command center, the air conditioning maintained a comfortable temperature.
"June 28th, sunny, 2000 kilometers sailed." Beianqi wrote in her diary, pen in hand. "The food in the mess hall is far worse than at base, and this big ship is ridiculously stable, there's not a single sway. Every morning when I wake up, I'm stunned for a moment before I realize I'm actually floating at sea—"
"We still need to bypass the waters around Green Thorn Port and avoid those ubiquitous merchant shipping routes—"
"Once we're inside the Arctic Circle, it won't be so troublesome. There are practically no other ships around there. Summer has already begun, so it shouldn't be as freezing as it was in March—"
After muttering to herself as she finished writing the last line, Beianqi closed her diary. She got up and went to the huge arched porthole, where she saw Hansite connecting a thin steel cable to a harpoon on the foredeck, while her sister, Qiluo, hopped around beside him, helping out.
It's obvious what these two foodies are up to!
Beianqi then reviewed the ship's surveillance footage and saw that all cabins were operating smoothly and everything was normal.
Many of the undead necromancers who weren't on duty ran to the middle of the largest dragon's lair, squeezing in with the dragons to play a card game called "Hearth Legend".
The rules are somewhat complex, and there are a wide variety of cards, such as "Spirit Cards" that summon powerful creatures, "Magic Cards" that cast various spells, and "Tactical Cards" that allow for strategic planning. The ever-changing nature of the game keeps everyone entertained.
The anticipated concerns that the dragon would struggle to adapt to long voyages were completely unfounded. In fact, just a few days after setting sail, over a thousand expansion packs had already been sold. These rune papers, designed to protect against prying eyes, only contained ten random cards—yet they dared to price them at one gold coin!
Beianqi couldn't understand why anyone would buy it.
The hatch slid open, and Zijin stepped inside. She carried an envelope containing a photograph and a sheet of intricately patterned rune paper. She sealed it with wax and handed it to a staff member nearby.
"When we pass Snow Wing Island, give this to the dragon who disembarks," Zijin instructed. "Have them take it back to Ruby Base."
"Okay." The staff member took the envelope.
Although the Pansy was very stable, two dragons still suffered from seasickness. They will disembark near Snow Wing Island and withdraw from the mission. As replacements, the two most elite Blue Dragon from Snow Wing Island will join them.
"Don't we have magical communication?" Beianqi asked, somewhat puzzled. "What's written in this letter—top secret?"
"No, it's just a very ordinary thing," Zijin replied.
She didn't really know why she was writing physical letters to Su Ming, even though it was the least efficient way to communicate. But she just wanted to convey some of her daily life to Su Ming in a tangible way through ink and paper.
Beianqi didn't press the matter further. She hesitated for a moment, then finally brought up a sensitive topic.
"Um, Scholar Bay Owl," she still hesitated somewhat, "I have a rather presumptuous question—do you mind if President Su Ming has another partner?"
The moment the words left his mouth, the air in the entire command center suddenly turned cold, and all the staff members shivered.
They exchanged horrified glances, wishing they could bury their heads in their workbenches, completely baffled as to how Commander Beianqi could be so bold.
Even if you're going to do something reckless, don't do it when they're around!
Zijin narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at Beianqi, her gaze lingering for a moment on her ample bosom. "You... have something in mind?"
Beianqi quickly raised her hand, "No, no, no, how could I dare!" She hurriedly explained, "It was the Pearl Duchy —their king sent a special envoy to propose marriage, wanting to marry their third princess Ximina, to us, saying that all they need is the status of a concubine."
The Pearl Duchy is a coastal nation on the Western Continent. Its land area and population are among the smallest of the major powers, but it stands out among the smaller nations. Legend has it that Princess Ximina is beautiful, gentle, and virtuous, and is the fourth in line to the throne of the Pearl Duchy.
This show of "sincerity" is undeniably generous.
The coldness in Zijin's eyes lessened somewhat. Ignorance is no excuse; her relationship with Su Ming was probably unknown to these forces.
Her tone returned to calm. "Su Ming, what was your reply?"
"Of course we refused!" Beianqi said immediately. "However, given the current momentum of the Final Bone Mad Machines, such incidents will likely become more and more frequent."
Although the Final Bone Mad Machines is currently just a new force, all countries and organizations are constantly updating their assessments and understanding of it, and are beginning to treat it with national standards.
It's not a problem that the Final Bone Mad Machines doesn't have its own territory—given its current strength, land will grow on its own!
Especially for Pearl Duchy, which are caught between powerful nations and struggling to survive, this is seen as Dawn of hope to break their deadlock.
Zijin began to wonder, if the ruler of the Pearl Duchy, along with the top three heirs, were to encounter some kind of "accident," would Princess Ximina be unable to leave to "marry abroad"?
"----Is it only the Pearl Duchy?" she asked.
"Uh—actually, no." Beianqi shrugged, a little helplessly, "It's just that everyone—doesn't dare tell you."
Zijin shook her head, intending to put these things behind her.
In this world, political marriages and diplomatic alliances are commonplace. Just like in the case of Eternal Night Port, her first thought was to tie Chloe to a marriage contract, without feeling anything was wrong with it.
Moreover, she and Su Ming had only just officially established their relationship, and they hadn't discussed marriage yet.
Zijin picked up the talisman book, intending to read it, but couldn't stop the thoughts from flooding her mind. So she took back the letter she had just received, opened it, and wanted to add a few words to the letter. After hesitating for a while, she put down the pen in dejection and rested her forehead lightly on the table in frustration.
Beianqi sighed inwardly. Even the sharp-tongued Scholar Bay Owl could show such an expression.
****
Star Empire, City of Radiance, Imperial Conference Hall.
King Xialike slammed the harshly worded interrogation letter onto the long table. His gaze swept over his trusted advisors seated around him. "Where exactly does the problem lie?"
On the long table were piles of intelligence files about the Final Bone Mad Machines, interspersed with several pictures: thermobaric bombs advanced through the dense lines of the goblin army, raising mushroom clouds that blotted out the sky, leaving only twisted metal wreckage and unrecognizable limb fragments on the scorched earth; giant warships launched a surprise landing on the goblin heartland, and fierce artillery fire completely leveled the above-ground part of the Goldglint Fortress, almost wiping out the goblin high command.
What was most chilling was the enormous furrows plowed into the land of the Dwarf Kingdom, and the remains of the super Crystal Dragon, which resembled a mountain range. Although intelligence indicated that the Final Bone Mad Machines had only defeated it with the help of large-scale local facilities, the sheer scale and brutality of the battlefield still sent chills down the spines of the high-ranking officials present.
Would their legion even be enough to fill the gaps in this colossal beast's teeth?
What's most terrifying isn't the power displayed in these battle reports, but the endless stream of Final Bone Mad Machines and their combat techniques and methods that constantly overturn the world's established understanding!
Being defeated by a powerful force is one thing, but what's truly terrifying is being destroyed without even knowing how the enemy managed it!
Therefore, the true core purpose of the Star Empire's "Borrowing Pearl Fins for Theft" operation was to create some trouble for Su Ming, to hinder his outward offensive, and to allow the Divine Covenant Faction and the Naga Clan to hold out longer, thus weakening the edge of the Final Bone Mad Machines as much as possible.
Only in this way can the Star Empire buy itself the time and space to study this terrifying enemy and develop magical technologies capable of countering it.
The unfathomable potential power of the Final Bone Mad Machines truly made them feel the deepest threat!
"Could it be that something went wrong on the Naga's side?" a senior council member dressed in a dark purple robe speculated.
"Absolutely impossible!" Foreign Minister Fernand stood up solemnly and said, "I handled this matter personally, and the entire contact with the Naga Queen was conducted under the name of the Pearl Duchy, never revealing the name of Stars!"
"I've arranged the reception of the materials," the Minister of Commerce added, pointing to the map. "Even if Su Ming traces the trail back from the White River estuary, every possible clue will ultimately point to the Pearl Duchy." He emphasized, "I've completely bypassed Ambassador Dalilan'an; he's completely unaware of the plan!"
Fernand nodded, "The same goes for me; they haven't informed our embassy in Dragon Valley."
In addition to diplomatic work, the mission of Dalilan'an and his embassy also included gathering information on Dragon Valley and the Final Bone Mad Machines. This was an unwritten rule, a tacitly accepted gray area as long as "crossing the line" was not used.
Therefore, the "Borrowing Pearl Fins for Theft" operation, which was absolutely out of line, did not involve the embassy, a publicly known foreign affairs agency.
In the conference hall, everyone racked their brains to consider various possibilities, but still couldn't understand what had happened. To make matters worse, the person responsible for the problem, Dalilan'an, was being held captive by Su Ming.
"Investigate the details immediately," Xialike's voice commanded. "Fernand, have Baxter set aside all matters and head to Dragon Valley at once!"
Baxter, the Star Empire's ambassador to the Dwarf Kingdom, is currently the highest-ranking official closest to Dragon Valley.
"Yes!" Fernand replied. "Regarding Baxter's diplomatic stance upon arrival—" he inquired, "Was it an admission of our involvement, a slight concession, or a firm denial of all accusations?"
The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat heavy. Although Su Ming's letter of inquiry only targeted Ambassador Dalilan'an, this action could be seen as a bluff, a way out deliberately offered by the other party, or even a trap set by Su Ming!
"Absolutely not!" Xialike said decisively, his eyes flashing coldly. "Su Ming could never possess evidence pointing to the Star Empire —at least, he couldn't possibly have irrefutable evidence that we can't explain or refute! Have absolute confidence in our plans!"
Everyone nodded in agreement, acknowledging the firm stance. If Su Ming could produce unexpected evidence, then Baxter could adapt and counter accordingly.
"Could we try to analyze Su Ming's modus operandi?" suggested an elderly minister with a goatee. "So far, we've only had a handful of direct interactions with him, haven't we?"
"Only twice," the clerk standing to the side immediately replied, while unfolding two detailed dossiers.
The first was the Midsummer Island incident.
At that time, the White Triangle was just beginning to show its strength. Although it was showing its edge, its power was as weak as a lone wolf.
Taking advantage of the situation, Xialike helped the Temple of Light overcome its doctrinal crisis, gained actual control of Midsummer Island, and easily reaped the fruits of victory.
But this is only the surface of the deal. The deeper benefit is that the Church of the God of Light was forced to cut tariffs on goods entering the Star Empire by 80% and further relax restrictions on the list of Stars goods and the scope of business operations.
Sharico was quite satisfied with his Xialike, but he was also worried about upsetting Su Ming and Bay Owl, the "lone wolves," who might come and sabotage his operation at any cost.
Therefore, Xialike sent Fernand to visit the two "on the way" on his way to the Dwarf Kingdom, and presented them with one million gold coins as "compensation" to appease them.
"Did Su Ming and Bay Owl write a letter to His Majesty back then?" the minister asked, flipping through the records.
"They used a highly classified, confidential letter, requiring it to be opened only by His Majesty," the scribe explained. "But that letter is actually the Temple of Light's ' God's Wind Decree.'"
That was actually a letter from Pope Augustus to Bay Owl, demanding the redemption of the Heavenly Father of the Gospel. Zijin completely ignored Augustus and instead withheld the valuable letter that was supposed to be her reply.
"It seems this is their trap," the old minister said with certainty.
Everyone understood. Since the "God's Wind Decree" came from the Temple of Light, it meant they had a way of knowing the contents of the letter. Su Ming and Bay Owl had essentially written them a sinister "open letter."
"A divisive tactic, trying to create a chain of suspicion between us and the Temple of Light," the Minister of Military Affairs judged. "So what exactly did Su Ming write in that letter?" he inquired.
"I suspect they mostly want to unite with our Star Empire to jointly attack the Temple of Light, and then continue to divide the spoils."
The elder minister smiled.
A complex, bitter smile played on Xialike's lips. "His demand is: the Temple of Light is Bay Owl's alma mater," he said, "So the compensation must be increased by another 500,000 gold coins!"
Everyone present was stunned. The Bone King had gone to such lengths, creating such a perplexing situation, only to end up with a mere 500,000 gold coins?
"When I first received this letter, I also suspected something was wrong," Fernand recalled, a hint of helplessness still on his face. "After reporting to His Majesty, I took the letter directly to the Temple of Light, and we opened it together." He sighed, a look of utter disappointment on his face, "And the contents turned out to be like this."
"We overestimated Su Ming," the elder sighed, shaking his head.