"Good morning, Mr. Gongsun. It looks like you haven't had a good rest."
Agent Will sat at his desk, a cup of strong coffee in hand. Gongsun Ce tried his best to hold back Jiang's yawn, and said sleepily: "I think I should have slept for about 5 hours... which is enough for the impermanent magician."
"very nervous?"
"It's like the excitement of a child before a spring outing, the joy of thinking about beating up the enemy, and the worry that he will mess it all up at a ratio of 1:1:1." Gongsun Ce scratched his head, "I felt like Not very reliable."
"On the contrary, having such a reaction shows that you are determined." Will said approvingly, "You can even feel excited. You are worthy of being a battle-hardened ace."
"He has always been solid and reliable." Honorwell's voice was like a bell. "You have to have confidence, Mr. Gongsun. I can't find a second expert more trustworthy than you in the whole world!"
The eyes of the two blond and blue-eyed Hezhong gentlemen across the table were full of approval and expectation. Agent Will's face said "As expected of our ace commissioner", and Principal Onowell's face said "I know you." It will definitely work this time.” The trust of the seniors was as deep as a mountain, so much so that Gongsun Ceti did not even dare to mention his private emotional issues, which he was still secretly nervous about.
Gongsun Ce took a sip of coffee and could not resist the desire to make a joke: "Mr. Gongsun, I am really touched, but the principal's words are a bit exaggerated... Not to mention Tianji and his eldest brother back then, Mr. Weir, who was born in the local area, is working here Shangya is probably far more reliable than me."
"This is not necessarily the case." Agent Will said seriously, "I am familiar with the land of Hezhu, just as the enemies of Hezhu are familiar with me. I think you know very well how important the influence of intelligence superiority is on high-level battlefields."
Gongsun Ce knew this all too well. Situ Yi gave him an unforgettable lesson four years ago. Intelligence superiority means that while you are still worrying about the enemy's capabilities, the enemy can already find ways to target you from all angles. With a one-way intelligence advantage, even if it is as powerful as Airandia on the frontal battlefield, it will inevitably end up being defeated by the enemy.
"I understand..." Gongsun Ce thought thoughtfully, "The demons in the Sky City are a familiar opponent in their eyes, but Gongsun Ce, who was reincarnated by Nirvana, is a new enemy. I only use it in the battle of Chi Mage After one channeling, they can even know what my abilities are. At least at the beginning we have an advantage."
"To the point, Mr. Gongsun." Honorwell nodded, "Now let's talk about the mission. Your first goal is to find out the source of the abnormal weather in Hezhong, and secondly, to strengthen yourself as much as possible."
“Does working hard to level up count as a task?”
"Forget it. You have learned a lot of basic knowledge in the past two months, and this journey is a good opportunity for you to integrate it." Will said.
"It seems I have to learn as I go." Gongsun Ce twitched his lips, "Then what equipment will the organization approve for me this time?"
Onover's kind smile gave him an instinctive resistance, as if a senior salesman from a prosthetic company was selling the company's new masterpiece that could easily penetrate several buildings to an enemy.
"Considering your current strength, most of the equipment is meaningless to you. So this time we have prepared heavyweight support!"
Will pulled a metal box from under his desk. The box was about the size of a computer bag. The surface of the silver shell had mysterious brilliance flowing like water patterns, and the emblem of the mithril pillar was engraved with golden lines in the middle, which reminded Gongsun Ce of the signature weapon of an agent.
He understood what kind of material it was. It was a rare metal "mithril" produced in the northern part of Hezhu. A small piece of it was enough to raise the quality of the telepathic weapon to a higher level. This box made entirely of mithril is already priceless. What high-end gadget deserves to be protected like this?
Will opened the mechanism with an ancient key, and he lifted the lid of the box. Gold and scarlet filled the room in an instant!
It was a wine glass that was so luxurious that it could be called a luxury. It was made entirely of pure gold, and the body of the glass was inlaid with countless dazzling gems. It was so bright that it could illuminate Gongsun Ce's surprised face. The golden cup is filled with turbid scarlet liquid, carrying the aroma of blood and wine. The smell seems to be able to penetrate into the heart of human beings and evoke the most essential secret desires of life.
Honorwell reached forward immediately after opening the mithril box. His eyes could not accommodate anything else except the cup. "Wake up, principal." Gongsun Ce grabbed the old principal's wrist and used pain to awaken the other person's reason. "...Hiss!" The old principal seemed to be waking up from a dream, and he stopped his hand as if he was electrocuted. There was more fear in his eyes when he looked at Jin Bei.
They now know why they use the mithril box. This thing is not a protective layer at all, it is the prop used by Agent Will to seal the golden cup!
"What the hell, Master Chi's cup?" Gongsun Ce was surprised, "Why don't you give this thing to me if you don't smash it?"
"It is a telepathic weapon with excellent performance, and it is your trophy."
Agent Will looked calm. He carefully picked up the cup and turned it around in his hands. Gongsun Ce noticed that there were faint burn marks on the outside of the cup, and there were several tiny gaps in the mouth of the cup, as if it had been slashed with a sharp weapon. He remembered the fierce battle at the end of June, when Master Chi used this golden cup to seal the Last Sword.
"I don't know what name Chikou Kongjue gave it. I'm used to calling it the Holy Grail of Defilement. As you can see, it was damaged in the battle two months ago, but its power is still there." Will will Defiled The Holy Grail was sealed again and handed the entire mithril box to Gongsun Ce, "From today on, it is your weapon."
Gongsun Ce grabbed the box in fear: "Isn't the organization responsible for helping me repair it? To be honest, I'm a little afraid that if this thing explodes halfway through, things will not be easy to control."
"Consider the law of impermanence that you have inherited. No craftsman can do it better than you."
Gongsun Ce had a guess in his mind and nodded slowly. He thought it was going to be over, but the agent and the principal didn't seem to want to see him off.
Honorwell was wiping the sweat from his head. He had just recovered from that glance: "It's so amazingly beautiful...Ahem, now let's take a look at your second piece of equipment."
"Is there something more heavyweight?!"
Agent Will pushed his second piece of gear toward the desk. This piece of equipment is small in size and looks exquisite. It is a small gadget that can be easily hung on the belt. Then Agent Will led Gongsun Ce to the small cubicle on the side of the office and showed him an ink painting that could be called a master's work.
Gongsun Ce listened to the agent's explanation, his mouth slightly opened in surprise.
·
At the same time, Central District, Central United University.
"Go to Hezhong, go to Usters, that's my hometown!" The blond top hat woman lamented, "Sisters, how could you not take me with you!"
"If you take Caldesia with you, Mr. Shigure will be so anxious that you can't sleep." Qin Qianbai said.
"Then wouldn't it be nice to let Reiichi go with us~"
"We're going to infiltrate the enemy's territory, not go on an outing, you silly cat." Rei Shigure poked the landlord in the forehead. "What do you mean the stupid cat landlord is angry!" Caldesia bared her teeth and claws and got into a fight with the evil-smiling huntress. Not far away, Mr. Shigure tried his best to maintain a serious face, trying not to let himself be infected by the relaxed air. After all, the person he was talking to now was a big shot.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Shigure." Dawn Knight shook hands with him, "We may need your assistance in this mission."
"Assisting in the Sky City?" Shigurei confirmed.
"Most of the time." The Dawn Knight handed him a stack of paper documents. Shigurei glanced at it briefly. The beginning of the document was a long list of names, as well as the contact information of another important person.
It seems that this time he will be responsible for checking the old eucalyptus first.
"I understand... I'd be happy to."
During the conversation, they walked through the campus with few people around and came to the first assembly department behind the laboratory building. "The last debugging will be done in five minutes, please everyone~" "Very happy, Miss Qiluo!" A dozen familiar people in white coats were running around under Qiluo's command, conducting emergency debugging of the remote receiving equipment. , to ensure that Qiluo, as the core of information protection, can maintain stable communication with the Capital of the Sky. Mo Yuankai stood among the people in white coats and waved cheerfully when he saw them coming.
"I'm almost ready here, come and take a look! I guarantee you will like it."
The group of people followed Mo Yuankai into the depths of the warehouse. This was once one of the assembly sites for the Artificial Machine God No. 2, so it had an extremely wide space. Shigure Rei thought of the many big robots designed by a certain intelligence dealer, and lowered his expectations to the lowest point: "What kind of big robot is this time..."
"Wow." Qin Qianbai in front said.
"?"
Shigure Rei's sight was completely occupied by the color of brass. A solid wall made of unknown metal stood like a city wall in the depths of the warehouse. She couldn't help but raise her head to see the full picture of this giant alloy creation.
That's actually a ship! The brass-colored alloy is cast into its sturdy swordfish-like hull, and strips of silver metal outline distinctive patterns on its surface. The front is cast into an elegant horn reminiscent of a unicorn. . The raised trapezoidal structure in the middle of the hull forms a bridge and living area with a wide view. Above it is a huge balloon shaped like a blue whale that is being filled with gas. Its graceful appearance was so surprising, like a vehicle that escaped from a fantasy story, making Rei Shigure couldn't help but cheer in surprise.
"marvelous!"
Qin Qianbai glanced at her: "It's rare to have a common language with you."
Rei Shigure didn't even put on airs: "This is an airship, an airship, a necessary vehicle for fantasy stories, synonymous with dreaming of flying into the blue sky to seek freedom! I have changed my mind about you, information dealer, I didn't expect it. You can make such a beautiful thing."
Mo Yuankai wiped his nose: "You can always trust me in terms of mechanical aesthetics!"
Orianna's tone on the side was complicated: "Actually, Mo originally planned to paint it bright red and add a one-eye structure to the corner, but I don't think it's appropriate..."
Rei Shigure immediately glared at the information dealer, and Mo Yuankai quickly changed the subject: "Let's not mention this for now. This ship was not made like this just for the sake of looking good. There are a lot of strange and weird landforms in Usters, which are not allowed in some states. If it uses normal energy, then you have to rely on a special balloon module. I have sent an electronic copy of the specific instructions to Ate. Another small problem is that it hasn't been named yet. Do you have any good suggestions?"
"Bebop number." "Dream number!" "Shining☆Fantasy number!"
The girls talked all over the place, and Alandia waited for her traveling companions to speak before speaking: "Venus?"
"Sounds pretty good." Gongsun Ce's voice came from behind. He hurriedly approached with his mithril suitcase in hand and stood at the front of the procession, raising one hand like a politician participating in an election.
"Dear ladies, would you mind choosing me to be the captain of the Morning Star?"
Everyone had no objection to this arrangement, and everyone liked the name. Everything about the airship was decided. They spent another half hour discussing follow-up tasks and saying goodbye to their friends.
"When you are in the Firewind State, you can go to the store I recommend~" Caldesia waved.
"That was the store ten years ago. Is it really still there now?" Qin Qianbai asked.
"I checked with my parents to confirm that most of them are still there!"
The doctor finally arrived, carrying several boxes of potions and some "native gadgets" provided by Unova researchers, the latter of which looked like dog food.
"Have a nice trip." The doctor hugged Gongsun Ce, "Be safe and come back well, you know?"
"Don't worry, Sister Mafan, I'm not a child anymore." Gongsun Ce patted her back, "Thank you very much."
Orianna, who was watching, remembered the time when they set off from the Sky Capital four years ago. At that time, Gongsun Ce was still happily pestering this cold girl, while the other party expressed his care in an awkward way. She thought to herself that four years was really a long time, and growth was not a privilege for a few. Everyone was different from the past.
The top of the warehouse opened to both sides, and the airship took off under the gaze of everyone, rising into the blue sky like a real morning star, heading for the distant Hezhu.
·
The flying speed of the Morning Star is not as fast as the Lightning Caterpillar they took when they went to Zero Island, but it is also much faster than ordinary civilian airliners. The wonderful technology of Sky City makes it almost impossible to hear the noise during the journey, which makes the time Yu Ling was very satisfied.
As the captain, Gongsun Ce does not need to drive and navigate himself. Qiluo, who has taken over the authority of the main control center, can handle route planning and detailed operations with just a thought. They spent about half an hour getting familiar with the layout of the ship, allocating rooms, and carrying luggage (and wow), and everyone felt more or less as excited as going out for an outing.
After doing all this, the five-person team gathered in the middle of the hull. The room they are in is connected to the main control room in the front and the living area in the back. The three walls can be set to one-way transparent mode to facilitate observation of the external environment. There is a portable display screen on the big table in the room, and several paved screens are placed around it. Royal style single sofa with soft blanket. The metal plate next to the door had the word "living room" written in imperial language, but both Qin Qianbai and Gongsun Ce insisted on calling it "bridge."
Gongsun Ce sat on the sofa in the middle and threw the copied plan to all the members: "Look here, ladies, here is our travel plan. Our first stop on this trip is Xuanci in the south of Hezhong. State, arriving in about an hour and a half. It is the hometown of Principal Onowell, and his family and Mithril pillars will provide us with all-round support and help us understand the local customs."
Qiluo raised her hand expectantly: "Is there any abnormal weather in the Xuanci State?"
"Yes. The giant dragon landform in this state is..." Gongsun Ce flipped through the text description and frowned, "Colorful magnetic currents? I don't quite understand it, but that's what the information says. It is said that it started to appear locally more than half a month ago." Magnetic Storm' and the unusual activity of the 'Magnet Monster' have made local residents extremely distressed..."
"Sounds like the opening introduction of an RPG game." Qin Qianbai said.
"That's really what the information says." Gongsun Ce repeated helplessly, "To be honest, I have never been to Hezhong and I have only uploaded some travel videos online. Can anyone help me introduce the local situation?"
Shigure Rei shook the plan: "Before that, can you explain why this thing only has the four characters 'Adapt to Adaptive Response' from the third page?"
Gongsun Ce silently looked at the person who made this trip plan. The Dawn Knight acted very calmly.
"Due to the multi-faceted impact of the complex local situation, we decided to choose an investigation route based on the specific circumstances."
Shigure Rei's black eyes were full of doubts: "In other words, running around like a headless fly?"
"Yes."
For some reason, Airandia looked happy.
Gongsun Ce, who was slightly guessing, cleared his throat and brought up the topic: "Ahem! I believe Alandia will explain the reasons at the appropriate time. Now, can you ask the Grand Traveler to introduce Hezhong to us?"
"Do you have to listen to the background introduction every time on the ship?" Rei Shigure rolled his eyes, "This place in Usters is so chaotic that I don't even know where to start. How much do you know about the United States?"
"Hezhong..."
One of the two poles alongside the empire, a paradise for capitalists and scientific researchers, the most fashionable country in the world, and the hometown of Caldesia. This was Gongsun Ce's basic impression of Ustes before he went on a mission. The night before his trip, he crammed in written materials about Hezhong at home.
As of the end of last year, the total population of Usters was approximately 2 billion. This empire-like giant is located to the north of the Eternal Light Empire and is a federal country that occupies the entire northern continent. It is the "youngest" big country in the world. It was founded only a thousand years ago, and it took nearly five hundred years to truly unify the country. Therefore, Usters always means nouveau riche in the eyes of old-school people. and lack of cultural heritage.
Just as Zero Island has its whirlpool, and the Kingdom has its fog and crystals, the United States also has its own dragon landscape. Two thousand years ago, a dragon disaster known as the "Yao Change Disaster" came to the northern continent. This dragon disaster brought irreversible catastrophic effects to the entire continent, causing dozens of completely different strange phenomena. At the same time, it appeared on the land of the northern continent. There are meteors that send blessings, trees that grow like crazy, and fire winds that bring destruction. They are all different. Some people are born to live in a beautiful environment and live a comfortable life, while more people live in strong winds, blade rain or magnetic turbulence. They have to go to war with the earth that gave birth to them, find ways to defeat nature, and win vitality.
The ancestors of Usters grew and strengthened in the confrontation with the environment. They carved out habitable territories in the terrifying natural environment, and relied on the differences in local landforms to carve out autonomous regions on the northern continent. area, which is the prototype of the fifty-one "states" that make up the federation today.
"...I know so much about the United States in the outside world, but I know nothing about the United States in the inner world. I know nothing except the official association of impermanent law called 'Mithril Pillar'...Did I say anything weird?"
Rei Shigure started laughing strangely when she heard the second half. She glanced at her boyfriend with a sense of superiority, raised her chin and said, "Who told you that the Mithril Pillar is an official organization?"
"Ah?" Gongsun Ce scratched his head, "No, isn't that an organization of agents?"
"Oh, this is the so-called common sense mistake. The agents are official personnel, but the Mithril Pillar is a private organization~"
The three outsiders who had never been to Hezhong all showed blank expressions. The eldest lady spoke on behalf of the three of them: "How chaotic is this country going to be?"
Rei Shigure twirled a short arrow at his fingertips: "Can't you figure it out? This matter has to start from a very long time ago... We can continue after we have dealt with the matter at hand."
Almost at the same time she changed the topic, Qiluo looked at the ceiling.
"A small aircraft is approaching." Qiluo reported the situation, "Platinum spray paint, wingless structure, no organizational or official logo, and the vital signs detected were one person. The other party did not send a signal to request landing... It landed on on our deck."
"This guest is a bit rude." Gongsun Ce said.
As if to refute his statement, there was a knocking sound above their heads. The rhythmic knocking had an off-line energy, as if they were knocking on a neighbor's door rather than the deck of the Morning Star.
The eldest lady activated the loudspeaker and announced in common language: "Please come in."
Qiluo opened a special "channel" for this uninvited guest: the metal above the bridge moved rapidly, opening a vent that led directly to the deck. The guests obviously didn't care whether the way to enter the ship was formal or not, and they slid through the winding passages naturally and quickly like a python. Three seconds later, a piece of brilliant blond hair hung upside down from the vent like a waterfall. At the end of the blond hair was Zhang's beautiful face, with curious light shining in her blue eyes.
The blonde woman grinned, her teeth as sharp as a shark's, and her smile reminded Gongsun Ce of some large carnivores.
"Hey! Can you open this opening wider? I'm stuck."
