bookbashuk Project 13: Guzheng and Urgent Bounty on the Merlin Route [2-in-1]
Project 13: Guzheng and Urgent Bounty on the Merlin Route [2-in-1]
A few minutes ago.
On his first time piloting an airship, Roya overestimated the maneuverability of the Wide Silence and underestimated the speed of the Ranger.
Before wielding Wendell, a sword that could kill a thousand enemies but also wound eight hundred of his own, he decided to use the wisdom of his ancestors to surgically cut open the relentlessly pursuing Ranger using the long, hard carcass of the Morton fractal horsehair worm.
Code name: Guzheng Project.
This involves pulling a thin string along the Ranger's path to achieve the effect of instantly cutting through the ship's hull.
Horsehair worms are long enough, thin enough, and hard enough.
If both sides are fixed and stretched straight, and the insect body is then splashed with the corrosive liquid of the multiwinged mother insect, the cutting ability will be doubled!
The horsehair worm can be secured and tightened on both sides by the Blue Dragonfly Armor and Steam Flying Armor, hiding it in the thick fog where shadows sway.
The problem now is that Roya needs to choose the best location to cut the black sail!
For airships, the buoyancy chambers are large and most vulnerable to enemy attacks. They are usually made of high-grade spirit-burning materials that are both flexible and extremely strong, making them less susceptible to damage.
Moreover, the layers of black sails surrounding the Ranger's buoyancy capsule also provide some defensive protection.
The buoyancy capsule is not suitable for cutting.
Secondly, the steam boiler and the twelve hoisting ropes are the hardest parts of the entire ship and are not suitable for cutting.
According to Roya, airship gondolas are usually made of lightweight driftwood to save costs and weight, with strength maintained only by a vertical central reinforcing rib.
The gantry layer, without the obstruction of steam boilers and exhaust copper pipes, is the best cutting point!
As Roya was pondering, Wendell drew a steam-powered pistol from its holster.
He raised his gun and aimed it at the rapidly approaching Ranger.
"I've got my sights on the enemy ship's bridge. Should I fire?"
"Can we destroy the buoyancy capsule with a single shot?"
"It will take some extra effort."
Luo Ya understood.
The blood energy switch inside Wendell's gauntlet is currently only barely sewn up; if extra effort is put in, it could easily go out of control and rampage.
"I'll try other methods first."
Luo Ya immediately had the unmanned Blue Dragonfly armored vehicle wrapped in iron wire and leave the ship first.
Soak a section of the iron wire in the corrosive solution for ten seconds.
He himself piloted Wendell's steam-powered flying armor, with the other end of the iron wire wrapped around the armor.
Before leaving, he gave instructions to Wendell, who was looking at him with a blank expression.
"If I'm in danger, can you just shoot anyone or any weapon that threatens me?"
Wendell nodded.
"It's very simple."
Roya decided to trust her one more time, and resolutely jumped ship, disappearing into the hazy fog.
One minute later.
Luo Ya piloted his steam-powered flying armor, quietly hiding behind a thick cloud vortex of seaweed.
He controlled the blue dragonfly armor at the other end of the wire, taut and tightened the one-kilometer-long main wire of the horsehair worm.
The main line, which runs for over 100 meters without branching, has long been coated with insect sap and corrosive liquid.
A moment later.
It sped after the massive black sails of the Wide-Range Silent Ship, smashed through the clouds, and crossed the finish line at full speed!
The iron wire, stained with corrosive liquid, silently cut into the wooden layer between the second and third decks of the gondola...
At first, there was no obstruction, and it was extremely smooth.
So much so that the black sail did not slow down and no one noticed it.
Until Roya pulled down in an arc!
This curve perfectly avoids the central reinforcing column inside the gondola, quietly cutting out from the front bottom of the gondola.
In the instant of the pursuit when no one noticed, nearly a quarter of the hull of the gantry detached from the gantry...
The cockpit where the flight team was located, the command center where Major Poeltl was located, half of the conference room, and the nose of the ornithopter all plunged into the thick fog in an instant.
With half its bow gone, the Ranger, now lightly loaded and gaping, suddenly and uncontrollably rose upwards!
In an instant, chaos erupted on the deck.
The whistle sounds!
"Enemy attack!"
"Enemy attack!"
"The keel is damaged! The keel is damaged!"
Where is the enemy?
"Major Poeltl!"
"Damn it, the major fell—"
"Rescue the major immediately!"
Inside the rapidly descending command center.
One moment Poeltl was reading the newspaper with a cigar in his mouth, the next he was speechless with astonishment.
The cigar in his mouth didn't fall due to weightlessness; it floated in mid-air in front of his mouth.
Realizing instantly that the ship was separating and plummeting rapidly, he slowly turned his head.
He pulled off the blindfold covering his right eye, revealing an embedded miniature camera powered by blood and qi.
Through the porthole on the left, I could vaguely see an armored vehicle transforming into an ornithopter in the fog and suddenly flying away.
His healthy right eye suddenly opened wide.
He had just seen this ornithopter a few days ago!
Not only had he seen it, but in pursuit of this transformable ornithopter, he also lost an ornithopter and two steam armored vehicles...
"So it was you, kid!"
……
the other side.
Roya retracted the iron wires in his steam-powered flying armor and returned to the ship one after the Blue Dragonfly.
The Wide Silence immediately turned downwards and disappeared completely from the Ranger's sight.
On the deck, Wendell finally put away his steam pistol.
"The black sail is out of control, the cockpit has separated... Aren't you going to get the spoils?"
Luo Ya wasn't sure if she was testing him or learning from him, so he patiently explained:
"Although the Ranger is half destroyed, most of its weapons are intact, and none of the crew members have died. There is a high possibility that there are superhumans among them."
The Wide Area Silent Ship isn't fully repaired yet, and neither are you.
The risks and rewards of grabbing loot now are disproportionate.
They are also easily remembered for their appearance and armor shape, resulting in unnecessary bounties.
Before joining the Hunter Association, you must pay an amount equal to the bounty in order to participate in the Hunter Exam. Reducing the bounty is to save money for the future.
We've already secured the airship and, as an extra, the horsehair worm remains. We've achieved a resounding victory; there's no need for further complications.
Seeing that Roya's analysis was so detailed and logical, Wendell was somewhat surprised:
"How come you're so skilled at hunting, even though it's your first time?"
Roya smiled wryly; he had heard far too many hunter stories at the Distillery Tavern.
"I've seen pigs run."
.
After half an hour.
The Wide-Area Silent Ship slowly emerged from the sea of clouds, rose into the high sky, and sped off in the northeast direction.
"Phew, finally free..."
On the deck, after a full day of adventurous hunting, Roya let out a long sigh of relief.
The setting sun casts its golden rays upon the sea of clouds, creating shimmering waves.
A school of arrowfish ate the exhaust fumes behind the airship, while gulls flew alongside it on both sides.
A steam train slowly passed by on the horizon.
The whistling steam whistles and the periodic swaying of the wheel-driven wings echoed endlessly...
Owning an airship feels amazing!
Wendell, with his flowing silver hair, gracefully raised the ram's horn teapot and glanced sideways at Roya:
"Where to now, Captain?"
"What did you say?"
"Where to now?"
"The last two words..."
"Captain Roya?"
"Yes, this is it."
Luo Ya slowly closed his eyes, letting the evening breeze caress his face.
That's the feeling!
A captain is someone who owns a boat; a team leader is someone who doesn't own a boat.
Which man can resist the temptation of becoming a captain?
Especially young people like Luo Ya, who have worked as a mechanic for three years and have long suppressed their desire to fly.
Even though the hunt was fraught with danger, the moment of triumph brought him boundless joy.
After fully enjoying the pleasures of being captain, Roya finally began to answer the question of where to go next.
"Judging by the time, Koch Bank should have published a bounty on me in the newspaper. The nearby sky islands might be dangerous. Let's find a newspaper and check the latest bounty first."
Luo Ya immediately hid the blue dragonfly in the airship's storage compartment.
The Wide-Area Silent Ship disappeared into the night as it headed north.
Following the navigation chart, Roya will be heading to the most renowned adventure route in Mewynshire—
Merlin Channel.
The Merlin Passage is a flowing cloud passage that runs from east to west, connecting Merwen County in the east with Lynn County in the west.
Flowing clouds are vapor cumulus clouds that move along a fixed path.
They swept up household garbage, incompletely burned phlogiston steam, and debris from destroyed airships as they passed over the sky islands.
This nourished numerous small, burning spirits, which in turn attracted giant beasts from the depths of the cloud sea, and then airship hunters...
Ultimately, this formed a stable adventure route.
Merlin Passage is a hunter-only route, with more than half of the hunter teams carrying bounties to varying degrees, even fostering an unhealthy trend of comparing bounty amounts.
Since everyone was a wanted criminal, Roya no longer cared about killing an entire family in Sweet Wine Town.
……
at night.
Starlight shines down, and the sea of clouds stretches endlessly.
The Wide-Area Silent is like a giant gray-blue whale emerging from the sea, gliding across the ocean under the stars and moon.
Since the Wide Silence had only been roughly cleaned and the rooms had not yet been tidied, Wendell leaned against the small watchtower on the deck and took out paper and pen from his chest.
I wrote in my diary by the starlight.
After finishing writing, he leaned against the sword and fell asleep.
Luo Ya does not have the habit of going to bed early.
He used the remains of horsehair worms as fishing line and made his own bait with dry food mixed with fungal juice, fishing in mid-air.
More than an hour later, they caught a hawk, two octopus squid, and three cloud-shaped scallops...
Although they are just low-level, unranked Burning Spirits with low intelligence and no Burning Crystals condensed in their bodies, their flesh and blood are rich in Burning Essence, which can not only satisfy their hunger and quench their thirst, but also be extracted as emergency fuel.
For other airship hunters, the cost of phlogiston for fishing for these Flame Spirits could very well exceed the phlogiston they contain.
For Luo Ya, using wire with bait guarantees a successful catch every time.
You don't even need to fish; just create a feeding area to attract the nearby flammable fish, then tie a wire around it and bring it up.
This means that with the help of the iron wire, Roya will at least not starve to death in the sea of clouds, nor will she drift due to a lack of emergency fuel.
Roya found a phlogiston extractor, a barbecue grill, and a scalpel for dissecting phlogiston in the airship's storage compartment and moved them to the deck to work.
He immediately dissected the burning material.
The meat is placed on the grill.
Fresh blood is used to extract phlogiston.
The remaining bones, flesh, hides, and fur were then used for nest building...
Their descendants will continue endlessly, yet they will never know what an air force is.
After one night.
As dawn breaks in the east, the first rays of sunlight appear.
Wendell Ninglu's long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she twitched the tip of her nose.
Opening his eyes, he saw Roya, covered in filth, fast asleep beside the burnt-out campfire.
Beside them, a small mountain of dried roasted meat slices stood...
Wendell got up and walked over, picking up a piece of squid from the mountain of meat slices and taking a bite.
"It tastes good, but unfortunately the pheromone content is too low to help you awaken quickly."
"An army marches on its stomach; supplies must be prepared before it can move. I'm just preparing some dry rations and emergency fuel."
Luo Ya lifted his droopy eyelids and stretched lazily.
In my hazy state, I felt like I was dreaming about fish biting the hook.
Suddenly, the mountain of dried meat collapsed with a roar!
The boat began to rock and sway.
Roya got up and went to the fence, looking down.
In the vast sea of clouds, a thick cloud with billowing steam and howling winds rushes westward like a great river.
Within it, mud and sand flowed, garbage surged, and various small, carrion-eating beasts swam in the vast cloud river.
The churning, rising, and outward-swirling air currents caused the airships approaching the Cloud River to rock and sway as if facing a storm.
"Phew... We've finally reached Merlin Passage!"
For the first time, Roya approached the Merlin Passage, which the drinkers had described as thrilling and exciting.
It was obvious that the sky had become more lively.
The airships, heading west downstream, ventured deep into the Cloud River, speeding westward with the help of air currents, and rapidly passing beneath the Wide Area Silent Ship.
The airships traveling against the current flew parallel to the Wide Area Silent Airship, several miles away from both sides of the Cloud River, avoiding being swept up by the drifting clouds.
However, the passing airships maintained a safe distance of more than one kilometer from each other.
The Wide-Range Silent immediately moved away from the updraft and, like the other airships traveling in the opposite direction, flew parallel to Merlin Passage.
A moment later, Wendell also came to the fence, looked down at the sea of clouds, and frowned slightly.
Luo Ya glanced at it as well.
Deep within the sea of clouds below, several enormous black shadows could be vaguely seen closely following the Wide-Area Silence.
He recognized it at a glance: the finned black-toothed shark recorded in the "Illustrated Compendium of the Burning Spirit of the Cloud Sea".
Roya had heard about this kind of trap targeting newcomers countless times in the tavern.
"A black-toothed shark that hasn't even reached the next level dares to track an airship; it's probably a decoy."
Wendell had already seen through the trick.
"An airship is indeed lurking deep within the sea of clouds... Shall we fight?"
Roya, who had ulterior motives, shook his head.
"We're not in a good state to fight right now. Let's just leave quietly and not cause any more trouble."
The Wide-Range Silent then climbed up to a safer high-altitude area, flying parallel to the Merlin Flight Belt and heading east.
.
Half an hour later, the sun rose into the sky, its rays shining brightly.
A large mechanical pigeon slowly flew across the sky, emitting a continuous, highly penetrating cawing sound.
This is the most common sight on the adventurous voyage: the newspaper pigeon.
Roya responded with a whistle and waved to the sky.
The pigeon that sells newspapers lowers its head in response, and the gear-driven binoculars quickly lock onto the wide-area silence signal below.
Steam billowed overhead, accompanied by a whistling sound, as it slowly descended onto the deck of the Wide Silence.
The rusty, plump newspaper pigeon gave Roya a creaking bow and emitted a distinctly mechanical male voice:
"Good morning, sir. What newspaper would you like?"
"A copy of the Merlin Hunting Daily."
"Please insert a silver ring, thank you!"
Roya took out a silver ring from his pocket and inserted it into the horizontal coin slot located at the neck of the newspaper pigeon.
The newspaper pigeon swayed its rusty, plump body, its belly emitting a dull, grinding sound.
A moment later, the iron door to the abdomen opened, and a roll of newspaper tied with a red rope popped out and landed on the deck.
"Please check your mail for your copy of the Merlin Hunting Daily!"
The newspaper pigeon cackled twice, waited a moment, and after confirming that the customer had no objections, steam billowed from its head, flapped its wings, and flew away to find the next airship.
Luo Ya picked up the rolled-up newspaper and untied the red string.
Although the Merlin Hunting Daily is a local tabloid, it is known for its timely information and enjoys a high reputation among hunters in Merwenshire, which is why it can sell a single silver ring for such a high price.
Opening the newspaper, there are two pages with four double-page spreads.
Roya opened the first newspaper, which contained the first page of "Daily News" and the second page of "Newly Offered Bounties".
Wendell took another copy, which included the third edition of "Recommended Hunting Grounds" and the fourth edition of "Business Frontiers".
Wendell, who happened to glance at a business article on page four, murmured:
"Arden's Extraordinary Factory, one-stop awakening service, no limit on talent or age, 100% awakening within ten days... This is quite suitable for you, Roya."
"I don't usually believe in GG."
Roya looked down at the front page of the "Daily News".
The headline news prominently displayed a line of large text—
"The Hunter's Guild member 'Silent Hunter' officially entered the airspace of Mewtwo County last night!"
The accompanying image shows a dark shadow under the starry sky, with the ship's iconic cold-burning cluster cannon on the bow and a huge mechanical crab claw mounted on the hull.
It is the signature weapon of the hunting party "Silent Hunters"!
Roya had heard of the Silent Hunters.
The Silent Hunters are active on all the major sea routes within Blue Nest. They are a hunter team, but they mainly hunt hunters with high bounties, and are notorious in the hunter community.
"Someone important has arrived... Come to think of it, it's not common to see members of the Hunter Association in Mevin County. Could it be that there's some high bounty on their head?"
Luo Ya subconsciously looked at the second edition of the "Newly Offered Bounty".
After sifting through the densely packed, latest wanted posters on the left page for a while, Roya finally found his own name—
"Roya, a 19-year-old male mechanic from the Distillery Tavern in Sweet Wine Town, is handsome with exotic features and pilots a blue, bionic dragonfly-shaped flapping-wing aircraft. Koch Bank has placed a bounty of one hundred gold coins on his head!"
There was only a name, no photo, and Luo Ya breathed a sigh of relief.
"Handsome appearance, with somewhat exotic features... a very accurate description indeed. It's a pity there's no photo, nor any mention of a transformable armor form. Can anyone find me?"
The words had barely left his mouth!
A page of urgent text and images, slightly larger than the palm of a hand, slipped from the page that Wendell had just unfolded.
Then, it quietly floated back into Wendell's hand.
"There is an urgent copy."
"Um?"
Luo Ya's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the expedited page.
The expedited page contains four blurry photos that appear to have been taken in dim fog.
It was clearly the transformation process of the Blue Dragonfly from a flapping-wing aircraft to an armored vehicle!
Although the colors are indistinguishable, the outlines are clearly visible.
Wendell asked curiously:
"Is this you?"
Luo Ya's expression was solemn, and he sighed helplessly.
"Is photography technology so advanced these days? They can even take pictures from so far away in the fog..."
"Perhaps it's some kind of extraordinary visual ability."
Roya also believed it was the work of the superhumans on the black sail.
There were many individuals or hunter teams in the newspapers with bounties higher than his, but he was the only one with an urgent bounty.
Is it that urgent?
Luo Ya was completely puzzled.
Below the photo, a line of small print reads:
"A blue, dragonfly-shaped, bionic flapping-wing aircraft that can transform into armored mode, is offered a bounty of three hundred gold coins by the First Mechanical Regiment of Mevin County!"
"The color isn't visible in the photo, but the clue clearly indicates blue. It seems the Ranger is the Black Sail that chased me after receiving Oliver's tip!"
Roya firmly believed in his hypothesis.
Wendell stared at the bounty amount, lost in thought.
"One hundred gold naans from Koch Bank and three hundred gold naans from the First Mechanical Legion, combined, could buy a new airship. Why don't I just capture you for the reward, then rescue you later..."
"Stop!"
Luo Ya's forehead was covered in black lines.
He always felt that this woman was both holy and sinister.
After this battle, Roya realized that a hunter like him couldn't afford to be low-key.
Achieving a state of wide-area silence is extremely difficult.
Fortunately, he had a premonition and moved the Blue Dragonfly from the bottom of the gondola into the storage room in advance, and no one noticed along the way.
Wendell didn't take the high bounty too seriously.
"Where are we going now?"
Luo Ya sighed softly, already having a plan in mind.
"With so many bounties on my head, I can't just wander around aimlessly anymore. I must awaken as soon as possible and become a true superhuman!"
Wendell's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked with great interest:
"It sounds like you have some kind of shortcut?"
Roya flipped open the newspaper in Wendell's hand, pointing to a line of small print with a picture in the "Daily Hunting Ground" section of page three:
"Near Merlin Route, there is an aerial hunting ground called the Mica Sea, inhabited by tens of thousands of luminous mica, as well as a considerable number of mica dragons that feed on luminous mica."
Upon hearing the word "dragon," Wendell's usually unfocused golden pupils instantly focused into a single point.
"Mica Dragon... There are dragons in such a small place? Could it be a no-go?"
Mica Dragon is the first choice for Roya's Awakening Plan.
Moreover, for more than a year now, it has consistently been listed among the recommended hunting grounds in the Merlin Hunting Daily!
"It is said that they are descendants of a collateral dragon bloodline. They only need to consume one Mica Dragon Crystal to ignore their talents and awaken the potential of mortals. I have personally witnessed an old hunter I knew awaken because of this."
"If you truly possess dragon blood, even if your lineage is impure, it will allow you to awaken quickly."
As he spoke, Wendell's gaze fell on his right hand.
"Perhaps, it can even reinforce my Dragon Scale Valve..."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"