novelraw Chapter 110: Countryman, You Have a Granddaughter Too
Chapter 110: Countryman, You Have a Granddaughter Too
Westheid was not a picky person. His love for power was all-encompassing.
Power wasn’t just about the raw ability to slay foes. Magnificent megastructures, breathtaking wonders, or even cool-looking battleships—even if they weren’t his own power—were all right up his alley.
The Imperial Capital’s Star Gate ran ceaselessly. As the hub of the entire Radiant Holy Tree Empire, no small number of floating ships came and went daily, but the vast majority were transport ships.
In terms of size alone, these Imperial-made imitation transport ships were much larger than a Blazing Flame-class Floating Battleship, but in terms of quality, there was no comparison.
No matter how small a war machine from the Celestial Vault Kingdom was, the firepower it could unleash was enough to incinerate dozens of the larger counterfeits in an instant. The transport ships, on the other hand, could barely fly and use the Star Gate to move cargo, and that was all.
After the Floating Battleship furled its Secret Magic Sail and landed completely on the platform, Westheid and Yolanda drove their car over.
Many transport ships were still docked at the skyport. Some were fully loaded with supplies purchased from the Yuanshi Territory, while others were finishing up loading cargo from the Imperial Capital.
And below the most important vessel, the Blazing Flame-class battleship, Westheid saw the people who had come to see him off.
"His Royal Highness Regent King? I didn’t expect you to find time to come, given your busy schedule."
Yolanda said, immediately stepping forward to greet Sylvia, who had arrived with a squad of the Royal Guard.
The graceful Regent King still wore a magnificent and dignified smile as she nodded to Westheid:
"Duke Qinghui possesses the grand ambition to retake his territory. As the ruler of the Empire, it is only right that I come in person to give you a proper send-off."
Sylvia paused for a moment:
"It’s just that... I had thought Reiya would be going with you, Duke Qinghui, but it seems she intends to build an army of her own."
’I knew it. Sylvia wasn’t being so kind-hearted.’
Westheid saw through the Regent King’s intentions in a single glance. She was clearly unsettled by the ambition Reiya had suddenly displayed, afraid her younger sister would steal her position.
"I was the one who persuaded Reiya."
Westheid explained, "Although she very much wanted to help me, I would rather she lead a surprise relief force than just accompany me. That’s why we’ve split up for now."
"I see."
Sylvia breathed a sigh of relief. What she feared was that Reiya would suddenly stop being so love-struck and start focusing on her own ambitions.
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
As long as Reiya remained a love-struck girl who followed Duke Qinghui’s every lead, Sylvia wouldn’t have to worry about any unexpected developments.
Because from her interactions with Westheid, the Regent King sensed that this Branch of Prosperity’s ambitions were immense. He would never be satisfied with just being the consort to the Emperor of the Empire; not even being a co-emperor would satisfy Duke Qinghui’s appetite.
This was hardly baseless speculation. She had seen Duke Qinghui’s revisions to the Oath, and it looked for all the world like he was desperate to distance himself from the Empire, leaving no trace of a subordinate relationship.
Under normal circumstances, the Regent King would have only scornfully mocked this Branch of Prosperity for his clownish behavior, for forgetting his own heritage. But now...
Sylvia almost wanted to help Westheid.
The Regent King turned to glance at the elegant profile of the Floating Battleship and said with a smile,
"A Blazing Flame-class Floating Battleship is still too small. It’s only suited for patrol and escort missions. Does Duke Qinghui require a larger model? I happen to have a Daylight-class Battleship currently undergoing maintenance that could be temporarily requisitioned for your use."
Westheid politely declined, "I appreciate Your Highness’s kind offer, but Floating Battleships, while useful in conventional warfare, are less than ideal against Chaos. In a life-or-death struggle against the Great Chaos Enemy, I trust the sword in my hand more. Though the Blazing Flame-class is small, it’s fully equipped and will be more than enough."
Duke Qinghui shrugged. "Besides, even if you lent me the Daylight-class Battleship, I wouldn’t dare accept. It would be a huge headache if I broke it. I’m already carrying enough debt as it is; there’s no need to add to the burden."
"Hahaha, you have a point, Duke Qinghui. Floating Battleships truly don’t perform well against Chaos. Unfortunately, the Imperial Army of Light has no spare forces to offer. When it comes to aid, I certainly can’t provide as much as your two fellow Branches of Prosperity, especially the Shadow Flame Duke... He has truly spared no expense."
Sylvia clicked her tongue and sighed. She didn’t mention Luyetan burning through piles of money, but was instead astonished by the aid from the Shadow Flame Duke.
"The Shadow Flame Duke? What about him?"
Westheid’s curiosity was piqued. He knew the Shadow Flame Duke was sending a support contingent today, but he hadn’t yet seen who had arrived.
’I figured it would just be a Guard of one or two hundred men,’ he thought. ’Just a token gesture.’
"Does Duke Qinghui not know? Oh, they only arrived this morning. Look, they’re right over there."
The Regent King raised her eyebrows, pointing to a spot not far away.
A group of technicians dressed in bright orange outfits, resembling leaping flames, was bustling around a transport ship, carefully moving and calibrating various pieces of precision equipment.
"Are those... Shadow Fire Technicians? Wait, so many of them? Are they all...?"
Yolanda exclaimed in surprise after narrowing her eyes to get a better look at the group.
Sylvia nodded. "Ah, seventy Shadow Fire Technicians. The real deal."
Westheid, too, recalled the origins of these technicians, and his pupils contracted sharply.
"*Sss*— This is truly unexpected."
Every Branch of Prosperity is a Holy Spirit Descendant, and over the hundreds, nearly thousands of years they have managed their lands, they have naturally developed distinctly different inheritances. For instance, the Glow Gatherers of the Qinghui Territory developed the Supreme Technique known as the River of Qinghui.
But compared to the River of Qinghui, which almost no one knew about, the specialty of the Shadow Flame Territory was far more impressive, renowned throughout the entire Empire.
Specializing in weapon forging and defensive architecture, the Shadow Fire Technicians were widely recognized as an outstanding support class, second only to the Light Casting Technicians of the Holy Tree Inheritance within the Empire. When it came to weaponry alone, they were considered even superior to the Light Casting Technicians.
Weapons from "Shadow Fire Manufacturing" are extremely rare. Most are kept for internal use, and only a small fraction circulates on the Imperial Market, where every piece is in high demand.
Westheid and Yolanda immediately walked toward the Shadow Fire Technicians. Upon seeing Duke Qinghui, the group of technicians also came forward to greet them.
At the very front of the group of technicians was a conspicuous, petite figure.
Her long, flax-colored hair hung neatly down her back, straight to her waist. She wore a tailored, gothic-style one-piece dress in a combination of black and brown, paired with tall brown boots. She was wrapped up so completely she looked like a meticulously dressed doll.
The doll-like girl’s skin was fair and smooth, with an almost cold texture. But that chilling sensation vanished without a trace upon seeing her eyes—her orange-red pupils burned with an eternal flame, and that was not a metaphor.
Just like with the Shadow Flame Duke, Westheid still had no idea what the old man looked like, as the burning pupils beneath his mask obscured almost his entire face.
But he could see the young girl before him clearly. Her delicate features were like dew-kissed petals under the moonlight, and the stern expression she tried so hard to maintain had an adorable, adult-like seriousness to it.
Although she was still very young, one could already see she would grow into a great beauty.
The young girl, a long Sword Box on her back, walked up to Westheid. After bowing, she lifted her small face and said in a dead-serious tone,
"Good day, Duke Qinghui. I am Shamuel of the Shadow Flame Clan. By my grandfather’s command, I have come to assist you in reclaiming your homeland."
’Well now, old friend. You have such a lovely granddaughter!’