Kunpeng

Wu Ling continued reciting.

"Golden Autumn Island has local autonomy."

"The highest ruler of the territory needs the approval of the central government; local legislation, independent local administration, and the formation of their own tribal armies are permitted, but they must abide by the unified laws of the central government."

"Furthermore, customs will be abolished, and the free movement of people and goods between the region and other areas will be permitted."

"This is the framework," Su Ming nodded.

"There are some specific details that we hope to discuss," Su Ming interrupted him, raising his hand.

"Foreign Minister Ainuobia is currently in charge of this matter. Please send someone to communicate directly with her."

"Okay." Wu Ling put away the memo.

Su Ming picked up his phone and sent a text message to Ainuobia.

Congratulations, I've just promoted you to Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Ainuobia's reply came swiftly.

"Thank you for your high regard, Chairman—but may I ask where my department is located?"

"Figure it out yourself—good luck!"

"(十ò-ó)"

The transport plane quickly took off and entered the climb phase.

After that, it began a long, flat flight eastward.

Dragon Valley is located on the eastern side of the Eastern Continent, while Radiant Holy City is on the western side of the Western Continent.

Therefore, heading east and flying across the Eastern Ocean is the shortest route.

The plane was remarkably stable.

If it weren't for the engine noise in his ears, Su Ming would have thought that it was almost no different from staying in his room.

He unfolded the "Operating Manual" and "Technical Specifications" of the Zhurong Nuclear Reactor and began to study them.

As he began to feel sleepy, he glanced at his watch and realized it was past midnight in the Ruby Base region.

So he dimmed the lights.

Seeing this, Lilishan handed over the blindfold.

The plane was flying eastward, so morning would arrive in three hours—something Su Ming had almost forgotten.

He reached out and took the blindfold.

"Tell the crew to wake me up if I'm still not awake by the time we land."

"OK."

The entire trip by the chubby girl will take approximately twenty-two hours.

However, there will be a refueling stop at Yalan Island in the Eastern Ocean, Su Ming was referring to this landing time.

"And," Su Ming continued, "You should rest too."

"Thank you, President. I'm fine," Lilishan replied softly.

"No." Su Ming glanced at the phone in her hand. "I mean, stop staying up late secretly playing on your phone."

Lilishan blushed.

"I only played for a little while."

"Your 'Sheep' has already climbed into the top ten in the rankings," Su Ming said calmly. "I checked the records; it was posted at four in the morning."

Now, Lilishan had no way to deny it.

The people of Taya are completely defenseless against games.

Not to mention the type that, once you get hooked, you simply can't stop.

Su Ming reached out and took Lilishan's phone.

Under the latter's slightly aggrieved gaze, he set a child lock on his phone.

****

The Radiant Holy City.

About ten kilometers outside the city, a simple running track 700 meters long was built.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded from a nearby control tower, and ground crew members mounted their horses and rushed out.

They whistled as they shooed away pedestrians and vehicles from the track.

Such a straight and wide road is naturally very popular with the locals.

The previously scattered main roads and alleys around here have spontaneously extended in this direction, connecting with this "highway".

There were even people drying grains on the track.

They were clearly well-prepared, their movements increasingly skilled as they rolled up the straw mats on the ground and nimbly dragged the grain to both sides of the track.

"Hurry up and pack it up! If it gets scattered, no one will compensate us!"

The ground staff shouted at the top of their lungs.

On the tower, the lookout also caught a glimpse of the Kunpeng.

The enormous plane was still hovering in the sky, just a small black dot.

"This is the control tower. Terminal Bone Aviation 001, we have visual contact with you. Runway 11 is to the right, at your 12 o'clock position."

Air traffic control began guiding the landing process.

"Received. This is Terminal Aviation 001. Reference established. Visual approach to runway 11 (right)."

"Broadcast A, wind direction 180, wind speed 10 knots, visibility 10 km, partly cloudy 1000 m, surface pressure 1015, temperature 28°C, dew point 15°C."

"Broadcast A received, QFE1015."

Soon, ground crew signaled that the runway was clear.

"The runway is dry; you can land."

"Receive."

Inside the cockpit, Miao Xin began issuing orders.

Landing gear down, flaps 30 degrees.

The co-pilot immediately followed instructions, and the three main landing gears and the nose landing gear simultaneously extended from the fuselage, with the fourteen tires deploying in sequence, followed by a series of locking sounds.

"Speed 145 knots, stable approach," he quickly reported.

Miao Xin glanced at him sideways.

"The conditions are good today, how about you land?"

The passenger in the front seat was visibly nervous.

Although he had done many simulation training sessions and had previously tried to pilot the H-6 WZ.

"It's alright, I'll cover for you," Miao Xin reassured her. "If things get complicated, I'll take over immediately."

"I have a request," the co-pilot said.

"What?"

"Instructor, could you please put on your mask? I'm getting nervous watching you."

"Ha?"

Miao Xin turned around with a puzzled look, only to find that the other crew members in the cockpit were all nodding.

"Instructor, this is the warden of Divine Might Prison!" the mechanic couldn't help but say. "When we were locked up there, this woman really tormented us!"

"Exactly! We feel like you're putting extra pressure on us during training!"

"No wonder everyone was as docile as Quail wherever I went." Miao Xin snorted angrily. "Damn Su Ming, I knew he was up to no good!"

Inside the cabin, Su Ming, who was adjusting to the time difference and had fallen asleep, suddenly sneezed.

He glanced out the porthole. "Hmm, we've arrived."

****

The cockpit and the airport are zoomed in on from the front.

The sides of the track were packed with people.

"It feels like we're the guests here in this airport," Miao Xin couldn't help but complain.

"Flaps 40, speed 120 knots."

"50 meters----30 meters----2 meters----10 meters----"

"Straighten out—ground!"

With a slight jolt, the rear and front wheels hit the ground one after the other with a muffled thud.

The tires rubbed violently against the ground, leaving a trail of pale blue smoke on the track.

"Ground!"

The passenger's eyes lit up, his voice barely concealing his excitement.

"Reverse thrust engages, automatic braking activates, spoiler rises."

"Maintain your course," Miao Xin cautioned. "There are people everywhere on both sides."

The wind pressure generated when the plane landed caused many onlookers to stagger and fall, with some rolling on the ground twice before getting up as if nothing had happened.

They were clearly already used to it.

Miao Xin was too tired to even complain about how many regulations this violated.

The tail section of the aircraft slowly opened.

Two blurry figures flickered and left first.

Not long after, Can Xin, who was waiting nearby, suddenly felt a light pressure on his back.

Two figures carrying suitcases appeared on his back; the woman also had a large bag on her back.

Su Ming raised his hand and waved it, dispelling the invisibility spell on himself and Lilishan.

Welcome back.

Can Xin grinned, revealing a set of large, white dragon teeth.

Elder Gold Dragon spread his wings and flew towards the Holy City.

Su Ming glanced back at the airport.

Three heavy-duty trucks are approaching from a distance, ready to receive the goods.

Ground staff have already set up a cordon to keep people out of the unloading area.

But those people didn't care.

After drying the grain, many people crowded around the perimeter to begin their offerings.

Many more people, who had just heard the plane arrive, were rushing from all directions to begin various blessing ceremonies.

In their eyes, the Kunpeng's enormous size made it an absolute divine beast of the sky.

Su Ming wanted to complain a bit, but then he thought of his hometown.

It seems I don't really have the right to criticize them.

Su Ming picked up his phone and dialed the airport manager's number.

Has anyone been throwing coins into the Kunpeng turbofan engine?

The person in charge was completely confused, but still honestly replied, "No—the gold coins all contain crystals, which we can detect."

"That's good."

Su Ming then hung up the call with peace of mind.

*****

In the heart of the Holy City, the new Saint Lan Cathedral has been erected.

Although it still made extensive use of previous debris, this time it was restored using "proper" engineering methods.

Many nooks and crannies are not yet properly tidied up, but the entire structure is already in use.

In the main hall, worship services had already begun.

The hall was bustling with activity, with at least a thousand people gathered there.

The priest stood on the platform, loudly reciting the "Hymn of Glory."

The people below listened quietly, their faces focused.

Su Ming was very satisfied with this.

This is a sign of the restoration of order in the cities of this religious country.

He originally intended to pass by discreetly, but the more he listened, the more he felt that the priest's chanting was strange.

"----The Bone Saint commanded a black bird to arrive carrying light. The black bird fell to the earth, transforming into countless sparks of fire, saving all people from the evil sacrifice----"

Su Ming slapped his forehead. Why is it this again!

He immediately found Yuya and questioned her, "Priest Star Sand, why are you spouting these exaggerated stories again?"

"Huh?" Yuya was clearly taken aback when she saw Su Ming. "I already followed your instructions and strictly forbade it."

"But isn't the discussion still going on in the main hall right now?"

"This is clearly a realistic version!" Yuya was even more puzzled. "The current promotional materials don't contain any exaggeration."

Su Ming savored the prayer he had just heard.

It seems like that's the case?

But he still felt something was off.

"It's mainly because of 'The Poem of the Bone Saint,' the people really love listening to it," Yuya said matter-of-factly. "They always specifically request to hear it at every event—it's the same everywhere else."

"----Other places----" Su Ming was even more helpless.

"To be precise, it refers to the entire territory of the Chuxu Republic."

Is this turning Mass into a storytelling performance?

Yuya told Su Ming the reason.

"We've all heard about the doctrines of the Light Church for almost a thousand years."

1

"When a fresh story suddenly appears, one's interest is naturally high."

"Now, every time there's a mass, people flock to it."

Su Ming's gaze turned suspicious.

"I have to hide when I go out now—it's all your fault, isn't it?"

"How could that be!" Yuya chuckled awkwardly. "That's the people's spontaneous gratitude for you saving them from dire straits!"

The appointed time was approaching, so Su Ming left to attend to other matters.

Yuya then quietly patted her chest and let out a long breath.

Fortunately, the part mentioned in the main hall didn't involve much "artistic embellishment."

The airport was the same; why didn't they notify us at all? Yuya complained inwardly.

A priest rushed over and, upon seeing Yuya, immediately stepped forward and grabbed her.

"Yuya, everyone's almost familiar with chapters one through five. Hurry up and write out the rest of the story from 'The Poem of the Bone Saint'!"

"Shh!"

"Keep your voice down!"

Yuya's expression changed, and she quickly covered the other person's mouth.

****

In the annex on the third floor, Su Ming met Zijin.

A large stack of wooden crates lay at her feet, their surfaces still smelling of dirt, clearly having been recently unearthed.

Upon seeing Su Ming, Zijin immediately rushed over and hugged him tightly.

Recently, various forces have been constantly inquiring about her and Su Ming, both openly and secretly, and their conversations always revolve around the topic of marriage.

Zijin finally understood – continuing to hide things would only make her uncomfortable.

Su Ming released the suitcase from his hands, picked her up, spun her around, and then gently put her down.

"Where did they dig up so many boxes?"

"They were buried twenty years ago, the day I smashed the church," Zijin replied. "How could I bear to let them be buried with the church?"

Su Ming approached for a closer look and discovered that the box was filled with a dazzling array of exquisite works of art.

Many of the items appear to be made with extremely fine craftsmanship.

Several priests entered.

Upon seeing Su Ming and his companion, they all bowed respectfully.

"Bone King Gown, Lady Saintess, greetings!"

The leading bishop approached the saint and asked in a low voice, "Your Grace, what brings you here?"

Zijin kicked the box beside her feet with her toe.

"Classify these things, sort them by value," she instructed.

An elderly man stepped forward and examined the contents of the box.

With just one glance, his eyes reddened and tears welled up.

"Holy Maiden, we have finally recovered the precious sacred relic from that time!" His voice choked with emotion. "By the God of Light!"

Su Ming and Zijin exchanged a glance.

[You'd better put aside your desire to sell it for money.] Su Ming teased.

"Then sell them secretly, what else is there to do with them?" Zijin said matter-of-factly.

****

Su Ming had already adjusted to the time difference while on the plane.

Chu Xu convened a military meeting on time in the morning.

"Currently, the total number of troops who have joined the rebellion has reached 300,000," Yise reported to Su Ming. "This is after filtering out the 'elite' among them."

Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly slapped her forehead.

"Oh, right, the Expeditionary Crusaders fleet also surrendered—that means we'll need another 40,000 men."

Su Ming glanced down at the notebook and corrected the numbers.

"How many are still unresolved?" he asked.

"There are still about 80,000 left, all scattered in remote areas," Yise replied. "These men don't have much decent combat strength; we expect to deal with them all within ten days."