Whale Bones

Near the Central Ocean Waters.

One of the support ships of the Final Bone Mad Machines was anchored on a blue sea.

The wind swept across the deck, and several detection buoys floated on the undulating waves.

Below the support vessel, in the deep sea, the Albacore is sailing along the seabed ridge.

The skeleton sailors stood quietly at their posts, their bony hands pressing on valves and wheels, adjusting the course according to the mage's commands.

The searchlight was turned on, and the scene was a murky blue-black.

Occasionally, shadows would flit by in the distance; it was unclear whether they were schools of deep-sea fish or something else entirely.

Guided by sonar, the Albacore traversed the underwater canyon and soon made a discovery: a skeletal area.

Huge whale bones lie on the seabed, half-buried in the mud and sand. Some ribs resemble collapsed arches, some skulls are cracked, and the black eye sockets have become the nests of deep-sea fish.

This is a whale cemetery.

An aged and severely injured whale came to this place, sank to the bottom of the sea, and left its skeleton to darkness and silence.

Now, the necromancers have found them. At the bottom of the Albacore, several underwater launchers are deployed, and anchor bolts engraved with runes are fired into the seabed.

Location complete.

"Deploy the summoning circle."

Several necromancers stood in a circle, the rune array beneath their feet shimmering with Pale light.

"Death is the tide, and bones are the boat."

The necromancers chanted prayers, their Magic Power and anchoring resonance flowing into the long-dormant bones.

The seabed sediment began to vibrate.

The whalebone trembled slightly at first.

Then, the ribs buried in the mud rose one by one, the skull broke free from the sediment, and a ghostly blue soul fire ignited in the empty eye sockets.

More whale bones were awakened in the surrounding area.

They have no flesh and blood, only the outline of a giant whale. The White Bone spine meanders and sways, stirring up waves of mud and sand in the deep sea.

Half an hour later, the number of skeleton whales had increased to a hundred. They followed the Albacore as it rose, passing through the murky water, leaving behind a trail of Bonebreaker and sand.

****

On the sea, the personnel on the decks of the transport ships near the support vessel are ready.

The ship extended multiple cranes to both sides.

Skeleton whales swam out of the sea and approached the supply ship under the control of the necromancer.

Steel cables were used to secure the whale bones to their spine and ribs, hoisting them onto the deck.

The soul fire of the skeletal whale gradually subsided, leaving only its enormous and complete skeletal structure.

The weight slammed onto the deck with a dull thud.

The necromancer on the supply ship immediately began sorting the supplies, eliminating those that were too decayed and then refining the rest according to their grade.

About a week later, the fully loaded transport ship returned to Sapphire Port.

Like the other ships that returned earlier, the whale skeletons selected from them were unloaded and sent to the port in the Central Ocean.

There, a massive gunboat was under construction— the Calamity Suppression, a 50,000-ton heavy artillery support ship. Its hull resembled a horizontal steel wall. The main body was complete, with layers of thick armor covering it, and the exterior was further reinforced with a large amount of bone-like structures and alchemical steel interwoven together.

The whale bones were quickly cut, engraved with runes, and then installed into the hull.

The welding torch sprayed flames, fusing the edges of the armor plates together.

Several large Undead Summoning were dragging bundles of cables into the pre-installed conduit.

A large amount of material has been prepared in front of the gun emplacement holes on the deck.

Su Ming raised his hand, and a massive "Summoning of All Things" light unfolded.

The metal material rapidly decomposes and then recombines in mid-air.

Gears, bearings, pressure-bearing frames, rotating gun barrels...

The components are combined with each other to form a large and complex mechanical structure.

Components of a 305mm large naval gun.

As the summoning was completed, the heavy machinery pressed into the reserved base, and a massive triple-mounted weapon was thus placed in place.

While waiting for his Magic Power to recover, Su Ming connected with the support team for a meeting.

The projection screen was densely packed with technical progress, resource lists, experimental plans, and tactical milestones.

"... Currently, all preparations for ' Dandelion Operation ' targeting Water Chestnut Island are basically on track."

Dodder finished his systematic report.

"We need to launch the campaign smoothly in a month and a half," Su Ming said, his words filled with a sense of urgency.

Sangzi spoke first:

"Su Ming, our work with Scholar Chloe is going very smoothly, and the newly joined scholars have also significantly accelerated the progress."

She raised her hand and opened a document.

On the screen, a complex model unfolds layer by layer. Numerous formulas, rune structures, and engineering parameters from the Earth's side are interwoven.

"We are making rapid progress in building the Other Shore Teleportation System."

Jisu also said:

"We and the Quail side are not far from the reproduction of the Gospel Material." (This last part appears to be a website footer or tagline and doesn't translate directly.)

Whether it's spatial rifts or Gospel Material, a wealth of readily available data has been obtained. In terms of technical restoration and reproduction, both the technological and magical sides have leveraged their strengths, making rapid progress.

The main obstacle for the technical team is the sheer volume of work involved.

Su Ming leaned back in his chair, looking at everyone, "So?"

Fengshou continued:

"Give us just six months, no, a few months, and our weapons can undergo a generational upgrade."

He expressed everyone's opinion:

"With the current strength of Taya, attacking Water Chestnut Island would be extremely risky."

"If the start of the campaign can be postponed by two months, we will definitely be able to provide even stronger support!"

Su Ming sighed.

"Can not wait."

He shook his head and looked up at the person on the other end of the screen. "During the battle in the North Pole, I crossed space and gazed into the eyes of a wisp of Jörmungandr across the void."

Su Ming's fingers slowly closed.

"I'm sorry, it's hard for me to describe that feeling."

Sangzi frowned.

"Jörmungandr extremely powerful?"

"It's not a matter of strength," Su Ming corrected, "It's about transcending understanding and cognition."

He paused, as if searching for a sufficiently close answer.

"I don't want to use that word, but if there really are such things as gods..."

"That Jörmungandr is—or at least half of him."

The entire support team gasped in shock.

Su Ming continued:

"Jörmungandr damp and greedy, like a shadow lurking in the cracks of the world." "I cannot describe His power to you concretely with words like size and scale."

"He is not something that can be categorized using known things or known creatures."

"We must avoid fighting with Him!"

When faced with the unreasonable behemoth that was Charybdis, Su Ming was not discouraged at all and dared to rush up and "inject" it.

Now, the attitude is. "If you can avoid it, then don't."

"In short, I choose to race against time and completely thwart Eden's ' Plane Gate ' plan!"

He looked at everyone.

"Don't give Jörmungandr a chance to come."

No one dared to ignore Su Ming's judgment.

Jin Rongjia remained silent for a moment before nodding.

"Understood, the original plan remains unchanged."

"We'll continue to increase our combat readiness here." "Of course," Su Ming replied, "If ' Dandelion Operation ' fails to resolve the issue, we'll just have to wait for you to arrive."

****

The meeting's discussion of war-related topics concluded quickly.

Chloe suddenly stood up. "Excuse me, may I say something?"

The image of this Feather Race woman was immediately magnified on the large screen in the Earth conference room.

"I think you have concerns," Chloe laid it all out in the open. "You're worried that after Taya, with your help, resolves the threat to Eden, the people here might abandon the Other Shore Plan."

In the conference room of the Earth Support Base, everyone looked at each other.

This concern has always existed, but it has been inconvenient to voice it publicly.

The importance of the Other Shore System to Earth goes beyond simply supporting Taya. It signifies a major breakthrough in space technology, meaning that Earth's civilization has finally touched the threshold of another world.

In a sense, it also represents leaving the home planet.

Jin Rongjia hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"I'm sorry, but space research is extremely important to us." He said it very solemnly.

"We don't want it to be just a one-off, temporary byproduct of cooperation during wartime."

"I understand you," Chloe said.

As the prime minister of the Feather Race, her insight was not limited to academics.

"I just hope that people won't underestimate the perception of the beings in our world."

"Eden is the invader, Earth is the outsider."

"The former needs to be resolutely suppressed and kept at bay. The latter, however, presents an opportunity for the development of the Taya civilization."

She raised her hand and unfolded a document.

Special techniques, the development of spatial rift access, and various high-combat-power creatures that have not yet become extinct—all the collected information about Eden was compiled on it.

"Eden is far ahead of us in both magical techniques and Magicules energy levels."

"Taya must make changes, or it's only a matter of time before it's devoured by such a powerful enemy!"

Chloe put it more plainly. "There will inevitably be some people who, after the crisis of the Plundering Clock has temporarily subsided, will try to betray us because of their short-sightedness or for their own short-term interests."

She looked at the other end of the screen.

"But I am certain that the core members of the Taya Rift research team will absolutely see this path through to the end and accomplish the monumental feat of pioneering space technology!"

"This is the pursuit and belief that flows in the blood of a scholar!"

The atmosphere in the meeting room changed slightly.

Sangzi stood up and looked at Chloe on the screen.

"Miss Chloe, we've been blocked by a wall for far too long in our exploration of the mysteries of the universe."

"We very much hope to use this opportunity to uncover a corner of the truth."

Jin Rongjia also stood up and said.

Please.

"This is a goal we absolutely must achieve. So many people are willing to pay any price for it!"

Chloe looked at them and nodded slightly. Several key scholars attending the meeting also stood up.

Let's all work together!

****

When the Calamity Suppression was initially completed and entered the testing phase, Su Ming met with Queen Ghostly Flower at the Ruby Base.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't fulfill your request."

After the political consultation was completed, Su Ming went straight ahead.

Several months ago, after defeating the Super Crystal Dragon, Ghostly Flower visited in person.

Su Ming and she made numerous transactions.

Ghostly Flower represents the Silver Moon Forest and supports Su Ming's side in the upcoming war against the Divine Covenant Faction.

Silver Moon Forest provided material support, and Ghostly Flower even persuaded the dwarves to participate in the "Great Pill" trap set against the Divine Covenant Faction.

At the time, she made one condition: Su Ming must minimize the killing of the Naga Clan.

Su Ming agreed, but the result wasn't good. Throughout the entire battle, the Naga Clan were the ones he tormented the most.

"You've done part of it, I suppose," Queen Ghostly Flower sighed softly. "You only wounded the Naga Clan army; you didn't attack their homeland."

Su Ming paused for a moment.

This statement is not entirely accurate.

After assassinating the Naga Queen's army, he arranged for Xiwo to instigate internal strife within the Naga Clan.

The casualties during the process were not much less than those from a direct naval bombardment.

"I'm sorry, but given the situation at the time, it was necessary to completely deprive the Naga Clan of their ability to intervene in the war," Su Ming explained.

Even if we review the entire battle, although the schemes against the Divine Covenant Faction were carried out from beginning to end, in terms of absolute combat power, the Final Bone Mad Machines was always walking a tightrope, so there was no room for it to hold back.

Queen Ghostly Flower shook her head.

I mean now.

"You have broken free from your dependence on the Naga Clan seabed oil."

"When we were clearing out the murlocs a while ago, we didn't choose to blow up the Naga as well, which is keeping our promise." Su Ming said with some curiosity.

"I didn't have time to ask then, but now could I find out why you made this request?"

"Oh, I just owe Naga Queen a favor," Ghostly Flower replied.

Su Ming raised an eyebrow slightly.

This cannot be summarized by the word "human relationships".

Before he launched his attack on the Radiant Holy City, from the perspective of the native creatures of Taya, no one really thought he had a good chance of winning.

At that time, Ghostly Flower chose to bet on him, which was extremely risky. She could have easily switched to a more powerful and advantageous offer.

Su Ming did not press the matter further.

"So, regarding the captured Naga Queen— "

"Yes."

Queen Ghostly Flower immediately took over the conversation.

"I hope you can entrust her to me." Her expression was serious.

"I guarantee that the Naga will not retaliate in any way."

After a moment's thought, Su Ming agreed.

"OK."

"Then we're even," said Queen Ghostly Flower.

****

Su Ming quickly steered the conversation towards Qiluo.

"I suspect your daughter is the Painter of Fate."

"The Painter of Fate?" Ghostly Flower was taken aback. "What's that?"

Su Ming informed Ghostly Flower of the information he had gathered regarding the Children of Calamity.

Queen Ghostly Flower listened quietly, clearly learning this information for the first time.

After Su Ming finished speaking, she paced back and forth in the room, her long, light green hair swaying with her steps. "Broken Wing, Painter, Traitor, Visitor, Doll, Wallfacer."

Ghostly Flower repeated it softly.

"These six --"

She suddenly stopped, her brows furrowing slightly.

"No, it's these nine."

She looked up at Su Ming.

"To Jörmungandr, the Children of Calamity is the most serious threat to Him."

"More than half must be killed."

"Judging from the attitude of the Plundering Clock, that's the case," Su Ming said.

His voice lowered.

"Including Miao Xin, four have already sacrificed their lives."

"So none of the remaining ones can die." Ghostly Flower understood Su Ming's meaning. "Wallfacer?" she asked.

Su Ming shrugged.

"I'm sorry, we have absolutely no idea where to begin calculating."

Ghostly Flower paced around the room a few more times, lost in thought.

Su Ming spoke first.

"In short, we must now pay special attention to Qiluo's safety."

He looked out the window.

"You should take her back to Silver Moon Forest. Don't go anywhere until we've taken care of Eden's Water Chestnut Island outpost."

Ghostly Flower also came to the window.

Downstairs, Qiluo was playing with Su Ming's Dragon Guard.

She leaped up, her body transforming into that of a little girl in mid-air, and landed on Mo Yuan's back.

The tiny foot stomped down, making a dull "thump." "Ouch!"

Mo Yuan couldn't help but draw out his words.

"Old Black Dragon, you can't even handle this little bit of weight?"

Qiluo stomped on it again, this time heavily.

Oh~~~

Mo Yuan's roar was even longer this time, and a sense of comfort permeated it.

"One more time... below the cervical spine... yes... right there..."

Su Ming: "..."

****

A hint of pity flashed in Ghostly Flower's eyes.

She quickly looked away and turned to Su Ming, "My daughter could not be Painter of Fate."

Queen Ghostly Flower's tone became serious, "She has no abilities related to fate." Su Ming looked at her in surprise, "... Are you serious?"

"Yes."

Ghostly Flower answered without the slightest hesitation.

She looked out the window again at the little girl leaping back and forth on the back of the Black Dragon.

So there's no need to worry too much.

"Ghostly Flower said softly."

"Let Qiluo go wherever she wants."

Afterwards, Ghostly Flower ended the meeting and left directly.