Above the boundless sea, a group of aerospace crafts flew slowly past. The propeller turned lazily, listlessly.
The cabin was full of people, but it was quiet at the moment. They were all in a daze, and no one spoke. From time to time, the sound of waves could be heard below, and it seemed increasingly silent.
On the largest aeroboat, Xiang Caidi leaned in the corner and looked at the lost man on the sofa.
She didn't bother. Since coming back, the other party has been in this state. The entire team was also enveloped in a sad mood.
She could tell that the group had lost someone very important to them.
She has followed Hua Beidou in battles in the north and south since she was a child, and is used to seeing life and death on the battlefield. Precisely because she has been there, she understands that the best comfort at this time is not to disturb them and let them slowly digest the sadness.
Chen Xing looked at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window, and was in a daze for a long time. He suddenly grabbed the wine bottle on the coffee table, took a big sip of wine, then leaned on the sofa and exhaled heavily.
I sighed in my heart.
Good people don't live long, and disasters stay for thousands of years.
The world has lost a strong-willed man, and has gained an ambitious man who cannibalize people and lick blood.
The heroic words of swearing to the sky were still in his ears, but when he calmed down, all that was left was confusion - what could he, a small town mayor on the edge of a border town, do to fight against the powerful existence in the darkness.
The truth is, ideals are beautiful, but reality is very skinny. It's easy to say bold words, but it's another thing to do them.
While thinking, he took out the black pottery fragments made into pendants from his collar. A faint purple light flows on the black-gold pottery pieces, exuding a mysterious and ancient atmosphere.
After several months of contact, his spiritual energy has been able to fuse and communicate with the black pottery fragments. Although the intensity of the resonance is still far behind the original Goblin skull, it has basically met the needs of exploring the undercurrent of time and space.
It's impossible for every undercurrent relic to achieve 100% resonance. After all, there are only a few who are highly affable, and having seven or eight achievements is enough.
The desire to become stronger has never been so strong. He seems to have returned to the time when he was just starting out, wanting to have his own place in a big city.
He couldn't wait to return to the ground, communicate with the undercurrent of time and space, and find the ancient mysterious urn.
Then, he took out the old pocket watch given to him by Shad Sinclair. The copper surface is pitted and mottled, full of traces of ancient times.
Open the cover of the surface, and the glass on the surface has broken, revealing the mechanical springs and gears inside.
Observe carefully, you can see that three curved hands are twisted together, the hour hand, minute hand, and second hand, pointing at three o'clock in the morning at the same time.
Perhaps this was a coincidence at the time of the damage, or perhaps it was deliberately pointed to this point in time.
After a period of exploration, he discovered that this pocket watch was different from ordinary undercurrent relics. It is not so much an undercurrent relic as it is a charging device, similar to a psychic shield activator, or a psychic battery, etc.
If he attempts to input psychic energy into the pocket watch, his psychic energy will be absorbed and transformed into the pocket watch's own energy.
Generally, there will be residual spiritual energy inside undercurrent relics. If you resonate with these spiritual energies, you can follow the flow of these spiritual energies and enter the undercurrent of time and space.
But this pocket watch does not have this concept, but it will "transform" the input psychic star sand to form a new and unknown energy body.
After being filled with spiritual energy, it seems to be activated, releasing a mysterious energy that draws on the user's perception.
Since Chen Xing did not absorb the large black pottery urn, he did not try to accept the pull of the pocket watch. Although there are many strange things about the pocket watch that are difficult to understand, Chen Xing believes that Shade Sinclair will not lie to him. This pocket watch is the key to entering the shipwreck cemetery.
A few days later, the airship flew across the sea, and after applying for temporary passage rights in the airspace of the United Kingdom of Gratamu Tribes, it flew to the central wilderness via the Great Continent, and then returned to the United Kingdom of Ambergris River.
Chen Xing stayed for several hours when passing through Baixiang City. He went to the White Tower Academy to visit the great scholar Fo Yongqi, and wanted to meet the World Guardian Lumsden through him and hand over Tienuo's relics.
But Fo Yongqi told Chen Xing that Ramsden often went out to do errands, and the dragon never came back. Even he, a scholar on duty, could not see him a few times a year. If you want to see the guardian, you must stay in White Tower Academy and wait for the opportunity.
The implication behind the words is that Chen Xing's status is too low, or his importance to the world is too low. The guardian is the guardian of the world and has many things to do. It is impossible to arrange a meeting specifically for him. He can only follow the Buddha. Yongqi is by his side, waiting for the opportunity to meet by chance.
Chen Xing still has a lot of things to do and it is impossible to stay in White Tower College. He originally wanted to entrust Fo Yongqi to deliver it, but he felt it was not solemn enough. After all, it was something Tie Nuo told him before his death, and it would be inappropriate for others to do it for him.
After thinking about it, Chen Xingsi decided to put the matter aside for now and find an opportunity to send it over later. He had to meet Lumsden in person and deliver it in person, so that he could be worthy of Tienuo's heart.
A person's innate skills can be studied and improved to become skills that others can learn and use. All general skills are derived from this, including charged shooting, charge impact, psychic compression, etc. that Chen Xing learned.
Many of the inherited skills of large families are passed on to future generations by their ancestors through studying their own innate skills, such as the "Fire Dragon Wave" of the Yang family in Gray Corner City, the "Ice Shield Technique" of the Moore family in Crow City, and so on.
Under normal circumstances, in order to maintain family advantages, family skills are not passed on to others. Tienuo possesses the two innate skills of body enlargement and iron wall, but he gave them to Ramsden to contribute to all mankind.
Such great kindness is worthy of being received by Lumsden in person.
A few days passed, and the journey of thousands of miles finally came to an end.
Returning to Beiqiao Town, looking at the familiar scenery, I felt like I was in another world.
One person is one world.
When I left, it was a world with Tienuo, but when I came back, it was a world without Tienuo.
Chen Xing hadn't figured out what to do next or how to arrange the Thunder Light Regiment, so he asked the troops to stay in Beiqiao Town and repair on the spot.
Beiqiao Town used to be the base camp of the Beiqiao Regiment. Now the core team has moved to Crow City with Hua Beidou, and the Steel Sisters are stationed in the Great Temple of the Lizard City with Ye Yang Bailiu. There are only regular troops left in Beiqiao Town, and many military camps are empty, which can be used by the Master Regiment and the Thunder Light Regiment.
While on the airship, Xiang Caidi told Chen Xing something. She said that they were preparing to disband the regular troops of the Beiqiao Regiment, and if Chen Xing was interested, he could take over this unit.
After the establishment of the Great Holy Cathedral, the Beiqiao Regiment has shifted from a mercenary regiment to a religious organization, and its main source of income has also changed from the mercenary regiment's combat income to the commercial income from Crow Market.
Originally, the core of the North Bridge Regiment was the North Bridge branch of the Iron Sisters in the Red Earth Continent. However, the state religions of each principality in Ambergris River were all three major religions. They had no room for survival and could only exist as a mercenary group while making a living by fighting. , while preaching sporadically.
The situation is different now. The Iron Sisters have a formal status in the Northern Alliance and can preach and develop openly. But once you have a political status and become a regular army, you cannot start wars casually.
In this case, the original conventional troops became useless. It costs a lot of money and is of no use, so it can only be left in Beiqiao Town for food and wages. It is tasteless to eat and a pity to throw away.
"What are the conditions for taking over?" Chen Xing asked. There is no free lunch in the world. These words must have been inspired by Hua Beidou. The regular troops in Beiqiao Town have more than 2,000 people, which is twice as many as the master regiment and the thunder and light regiment, and the equipment is also the best. Not to mention aerostats, there are more than fifty Valkyrie mechas. No matter how good the relationship is, you can't give it to him for free, right?
"Hua Po said..." Xiang Caidi was a little hesitant, as if she was embarrassed to raise money with Chen Xing. After all, their relationship was here, and talking about money would hurt their feelings.
"Just say, you are you, Hua Beidou is Hua Beidou." Chen Xing said.
"Hua Po said..." Xiang Caidi seemed to have made a lot of determination before speaking out, "Just use your shares in Crow City in exchange."
"This is good!" Chen Xing's shares in Crow Market are not much at all. Compared with the total value of the regular troops of the Beiqiao Regiment, it is nothing at all.
"It's just personnel and light weapons..." Xiang Caidi added sheepishly.
Sure enough, he is a veteran, how can he do a loss-making business? Not only do you not lose money, you can also gain three birds with one stone. Disbanding a mercenary group requires a severance payment, just like disbanding a company and firing employees. Transferring it to Chen Xing directly saves this fee.
Exchanging a bunch of burdens that have lost their use value for real money is a profitable business no matter how you look at it.
But then again, the soldiers of the Beiqiao Regiment are of relatively high quality and are managed by the regular army. They are not at the same level as those of the Master Regiment who have wild backgrounds. These people followed Hua Beidou in the north and south and had rich combat experience, which was by no means comparable to that of ordinary mercenaries. As long as they are lightly armed, they can engage in large-scale wars.
But Chen Xing hasn't figured out his next plan yet. It's a bit overwhelming to expand so many people at once. He promised to go back and think about it and give an answer after some time. There is naturally no problem with Xiang Caidi. He has been here for more than ten or twenty years, not less than these few months. She still has some feelings for this unit and doesn't want to disband it.
After settling down temporarily, Chen Xing ran to the underground training ground of the Beiqiao Regiment, closed the door, and tried to communicate with the undercurrent of time and space through the black pottery fragments.
Jian Yue Cang Lian and Xiang Cai Die stood outside the door, protecting Chen Xing. It is extremely dangerous to communicate with the undercurrent of time and space. There must be someone around to look after you and help you if anything happens.
Of course, this kind of help is very limited and is limited to small problems. Generally no one can solve big problems.
Chen Xing turned off the light and let himself be in darkness, then took out the black pottery fragments, held them in his hands, closed his eyes, and focused all his attention on the fragments.
There was silence all around, not a single sound. This place is more than ten meters deep underground, and no outside sounds can come in. It is very suitable as a place for communication.
It was as dark as thick ink, with only a faint purple light spilling between the fingers.
In the psychic vision, countless psychic threads as thin as hair penetrated into the fingers and merged with the purple brilliance.
Empty his mind and follow the guidance. Gradually, Chen Xing felt that his body was slowly sinking.
His consciousness penetrated the reinforced concrete beneath his feet and fell into the darkness deep inside.
I don't know how long this situation lasted, but suddenly my body became light, as if it had lost its weight, and it was as light as a floating feather, floating in the endless void.
Suddenly a flash of golden light flashed before his eyes, and at an extremely fast speed, he flew around his body in a jealous manner and fell into the endless darkness.
The trajectory of the light spots is graceful and agile, like swimming in water or playing among the clouds.
Golden scale koi!
Chen Xing immediately chased after him. The koi is an illusion of the psychic energy left in the black pottery fragments. During the endless years of wandering, the black pottery urn absorbed the spiritual energy particles in the undercurrent of time and space, and gradually formed an independent spiritual body. This spiritual body is called the "weapon spirit".
The black pottery fragments contain part of the spirit of the vessel, and there is an invisible connection with the body. As long as you follow the spirit of the weapon, you can find the true body of the black pottery urn.
Time passed quietly. Chen Xing chased the koi, and several hours passed in the blink of an eye. Compared with the last undercurrent trip, this time the senses are clearer. He saw countless wrecks floating in the darkness.
Broken trees, cracked stones, incomplete buildings, half-remaining statues, carriage wheels, rusty broken swords, animal bones, human corpses...
It's like being in a huge ocean of garbage, swimming and exploring among the remains of civilization. Unrecognizable direction, drifting aimlessly, the only guidance is a golden light in front, so that the soul will not be lost in the endless darkness.
An object with smooth lines and a sense of technology floated past. Chen Xing couldn't help but be curious and reached out to grab it.
It's a helmet with blocky, crystal-like modules inside.
Another object floated past, and he grabbed it in his hand. It was an ancient coin with a humanoid creature with a lizard head printed on it.
Just as he was immersed in the novelty, his scalp suddenly tingled, and a huge sense of crisis hit him.
In the deep and boundless darkness, a ferocious eye opened, and scarlet light passed through countless spaces and swept across Chen Xing's body.
The aura of violence swept over like a flood, and the whole world turned blood red.
What followed was a fear as deep as the abyss. Chen Xing's whole body felt like he had fallen into an ice cave, and his blood seemed to freeze in an instant.
The wild and terrifying atmosphere is mixed with a hint of familiarity. Chen Xing's pupils suddenly shrank!
Gluttonous King!
The golden-scaled koi seemed frightened and fled among the wreckage, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Chen Xing was suddenly startled and looked back. It was pitch black and he couldn't see anything.
Let alone going back, there is no way.
He couldn't help but become nervous. He only focused on getting stronger, but he didn't realize that he had the mark of the abyss on him. Once he entered the undercurrent of time and space, he would be hunted down by the Gluttonous Lord.
what to do?
He was a little at a loss. He was just a novice, only the second time he came into contact with the undercurrent of time and space. He didn't know how to deal with this kind of crisis.
He racked his brains to think, but after thinking for a long time, he didn't have any clue.
As time passed by, the pressure became stronger and stronger, as if it were real. He could feel the Gluttonous Lord approaching.
There is no retreat in front, and there are pursuers behind
He became increasingly anxious, his body trembled, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Roar!"
A dull roar exploded in his mind, severe pain invaded him, he was in a trance, his vision was blurred, and he had double images. He felt like his body was crumbling, as if he would faint at any time.
No, I can't pass out!
If you faint, you will sink into the undercurrent forever. The body is still alive, but the spirit is dead.
He gritted his teeth, but his consciousness dissipated little by little, unable to stop it.
Just when he could no longer hold on, he suddenly heard a crisp phoenix cry.
Just like a sword suddenly coming out of its sheath, cutting off the imprisonment, the sinking consciousness quickly awakened.
A little green light flew from far to near, fluttering its flexible wings, flying around him in a circle, and then flew into the darkness.
Qingluan leads the way!
He quickly followed and shuttled between the wreckage. An unwilling roar came from behind him. He was extremely angry but could do nothing.
After a moment, Chen Xing opened his eyes suddenly, his face and body covered with sweat. He knew that he had been on the verge of death. If Qingluan hadn't saved him, he would have become a vegetative state like Zhao Ruoxi back then.
Not even lost, but devoured by the gluttonous monarch.
"call……"
He exhaled heavily, looked at the black pottery fragment in his hand, and put it back into his clothes. As long as the mark exists, he will not be able to communicate with the undercurrent of time and space. The realm has been locked. At this moment, he is like a bird in a cage, unable to fly out of the cage no matter how hard he flies.
A huge feeling of despair enveloped my heart, suffocating me.
After leaving the training ground, he changed into old clothes and planned to go to the Lizard City to get some fresh air.
In order to hide his identity from others, he put on an old mercenary uniform and big sunglasses. After all, there are two people in the city who want his life. Although it is unlikely that the other person will run out on the street, it is right to be careful.
At midnight, he was walking by the river in Monitor Lizard City, thinking about it, but he couldn't think of any solution.
He is just a small person, with neither ability nor background, so he has to rely on himself for everything. In this current situation, there is simply no way to go to heaven and no way to go to earth.
Is that all there is to it?
Is there no other way?
Despair, still despair, nothing but despair...
Before I knew it, it was daybreak.
He was walking aimlessly on the street, and the shops had just opened.
The waiter in the coffee shop moved the chairs out and started the day's business.
The owner of the flower shop took out the flower rack and placed the exquisite flower baskets one by one.
They are all pure white orchids, with a light fragrance.
He sat down near the flower shop and ordered a cup of strong coffee. No sugar or milk was added, hoping that the bitter coffee and the fragrance of orchids would bring him a sense of clarity and inspiration.
However, he sat there all morning and still had no clue.
Unless there is a miracle, otherwise, given his situation, he can only hide back in Orchid Town and linger until Qin Wu comes to visit.
It would be better to die than live in such a miserable state.
"It seems there is only one way left." Chen Xing said to himself.
Another way is to join the kingdom's army and make achievements. After gaining status, use the power of the kingdom to fight against the Gluttonous Lord!
It seems that this is the only way.
"Ms. Su, I'm here to buy flowers again today. Welcome."
"Well, I have important guests for dinner. I want to buy some orchids to put on the dining table."
"Oh, Miss Su, you really know your stuff. Our orchids are the best in the entire Giant Lizard City."
The woman's voice was soft, reserved and polite, and sounded very familiar to her ears.
Chen Xing turned around subconsciously, and in the afternoon sunshine, a beautiful shadow came into his eyes.
She was wearing a white suspender skirt, revealing a pair of lotus shoulders, and her white porcelain skin seemed to be glowing.
Bright eyes and white teeth, fresh and pleasant, like a female student who just walked out of campus.
He couldn't help but widen his eyes, and to make sure he saw correctly, he subconsciously took off his sunglasses.
In an instant, he seemed to have returned to that summer afternoon.
The girl is sitting next to the piano, with a slender and graceful silhouette, a pious and serious expression, and beautiful music jumping out of her elven-like fingertips.
Everything is so beautiful.
In high school, he once secretly liked a girl, but because of the gap between family and grades, he only dared to watch her from a distance and buried this love in his lost youth.
Later, he met a girl. Although they had different origins, they had the same temperament, which made him dream about them, and for the first time he had the idea of returning to a peaceful life.
A job with a low salary but enough to live on, a small but stable nest in a small place, and a wife who is not too bright but gentle and pleasant.
But fate made them pass by each other and become each other's passers-by.
Looking back, the other person also recognized him and opened his eyes wide.
"Mr. Mercenary!" The beautiful eyes were filled with light and sparkling.
Chen Xing stood up subconsciously. His attention was attracted by the girl in front of him, and he didn't even notice that he knocked over the coffee and chair.
The two looked at each other. Time flies by like a white horse passing by. Even though several years have passed, the love hidden deep in the memory is awakened at the moment of eye contact.
"Su..."
Before Chen Xinglai had time to call out the other party's name, a figure suddenly broke into his sight.
It came very suddenly, as if I was admiring a beautiful landscape oil painting, and suddenly a knife flew out and was inserted into the middle of the oil painting.
A long and strong arm hugged her slim waist.
In an instant, Chen Xing's world seemed like a broken glass window. With a banging sound, it shattered into shards of glass on the ground.
The man is extremely handsome, with deep and bright eyes, a clear face, and a perfect figure. He is tall and well-proportioned, and is over 1.85 meters tall. His face was gentle and elegant, but he had a coldness that could repel people from thousands of miles away. At first glance, he had the feeling that he was the best among men, as if he could not find any shortcomings in him, which made people feel ashamed.
"Xue Fei, have you bought the flowers? It's time for us to go back." The man's voice was calm and soft, full of doting.
"Not yet." Su Xuefei looked at the man beside her with a happy smile on her face, "Jiatu, I met a friend."
"Is this gentleman?" The man looked at Chen Xing.
"Well!" Su Xuefei nodded and introduced to Chen Xing, "Mr. Chen Xing, this is my boyfriend, Ricardo."
Chen Xing felt his neck was a little rusty and nodded with difficulty.
He felt extremely sour in his heart. His first love in the past was now in the arms of someone else. The sadness, powerlessness, and indescribable embarrassment made him want to turn around and leave immediately.
But for some reason, his feet seemed to be filled with lead and he couldn't move a single step.
"Jiatu, this is Mr. Chen Xing. He is a very good man."
Ricardo, the eagle owl on the dragon's back!
How could Chen Xing not have heard of Chen Xing, the leader of the four great military geniuses in the Red Earth Continent?
"Hello..."
After a night of melancholy and the sudden changes in front of him, Chen Xing's mind couldn't turn around. He was in a daze and subconsciously reached out to the other party. It was a knee-jerk move out of politeness and without much thought.
"Yes." Ricardo looked at Chen Xing. Perhaps his mercenary uniform was too old. Ricardo just nodded and did not extend his hand.
Chen Xing's hand froze in mid-air. If he took it back, it would be wrong. If he didn't take it back, it would be wrong.
One is a well-known figure, and the other is a little-known mercenary. There is not even a slight difference in status. How could the other party shake hands with him.
Seeing Chen Xing's embarrassed look, Su Xuefei felt a slight pain in her heart. She pushed Ricardo away by accident, stepped forward and held Chen Xing's hand with both hands, "Mr. Mercenary, how have you been lately?"
Ricardo seemed a little surprised, but there was no other expression on his face.
"Alright, not bad." Chen Xing replied.
At this moment, several young men and women came up from behind.
"Hey, isn't that Mr. Li in front of you?" "I didn't expect Mr. Li to be so leisurely and come out to go shopping with his girlfriend."
These people are all handsome men and beautiful women, dressed in extraordinary clothes, and extremely noble. You can tell at a glance that they are the sons of powerful people in the Lizard City.
Compared with them, Chen Xing, who had a gloomy face and wore an old mercenary uniform, looked like a local dog on the street.
"It's really an honor for us to meet Brother Jiatu here." "My father will hold a cocktail party the day after tomorrow, and Mr. Li is going to show his respect." "Go, go, Mr. Li has to accompany his girlfriend, so whenever we have time, we can just attend Yes?"
"Hahaha, brother Jiatu, you are the sharp sword of our Northern Alliance. You can't indulge in sex, play with things, and lose your morale..." "Look what you said, our Lord Li is in good health. He doesn't have seven or eight girlfriends anymore." question."
This group of people were minding their own business chatting with Ricardo. In their eyes, Chen Xing was like a transparent person.
Not only Chen Xing, but Su Xuefei was also the same in their eyes. They were like bubbles in the air, and their words were full of teasing meaning.
"Okay, okay, don't laugh at me." Ricardo cupped his hands and looked begging for mercy.
"How dare you do this? You are making fun of Mr. Li. Even if we have a hundred courages, we wouldn't even dare." "Everyone is just joking. Mr. Li, please don't mind."
"We have great respect for Brother Jiatu in our hearts. If we talk about the young talents in this giant lizard city, Brother Jiatu is definitely the leader among us. Whether it is the formation of troops or the writing of poems, he is a role model for our generation. …”
Everyone gathered around Ricardo to praise him, and the two ignored people looked at each other and smiled.
After a long time, surrounded by young dignitaries, Ricardo left with Su Xuefei.
Su Xuefei didn't speak, but looked back at Chen Xing several times, with a trace of unspeakable reluctance hidden in her eyes, but she didn't dare to look any further and let others notice.
Watching the crowd leave, Chen Xing sat down in despair. The strength in his body seemed to have been drained away, and there was no sparkle in his eyes.
With his status, joining the kingdom's army means leading everyone to become cannon fodder.
The empire of our ancestors is forged with iron. It is extremely difficult to have a place in the Lizard City where the powerful are everywhere.
After a long time, Chen Xing pounded the table and exhaled heavily.
"All right……"
"It seems that this is the only way to go..."
He seemed to have made some kind of determination, and there was determination in his eyes.
He was prepared to use his life as a bargaining chip to take a chance.
An opportunity that can change your destiny!
Instead of living humbly, it is better to have a vigorous life.
If you don’t succeed, you will succeed!
He walked steadily from the commercial street to the city center, then through the Parade Square, and walked step by step to the Red Castle.
"The important area of the royal city is closed to traffic!"
In front of the castle gate and on the protective bridge, the guards crossed their spears to prevent Chen Xing from moving forward.
"I am Chen Xing, asking to see the Demon Princess!"
