Castle's second floor.
Tang Yu made a rare appearance in the office, and through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, he could see the drizzling rain outside.
"The weather isn't very good... but now when I go out, it seems I don't need to bring an umbrella anymore."
With his skilled control of Source Power, he could easily expel it through his body, forming a semi-transparent flame or barrier, which kept rainwater and other impurities like blood from battles at bay.
He had practiced this technique until it became second nature, and he could perform it without any distraction, relying on instinct alone.
The first Floating Airship's test flight was very successful, and the second and third were also starting production.
With the workshop in place, time was mainly spent on assembly, and on average, one Floating Airship could be finished every five days.
"However, with the existing materials, producing three small Floating Airships is the limit. The urgently needed materials must be prioritized by Eileen to arrange the Logistics Department to purchase."
"The various controlling positions on a Floating Airship can be divided: the captain controls the overall situation, and besides that, it is best to equip specialized helmsmen, cannon operators, observers, and Defense Rune control specialists... Preliminary estimates indicate that at least fifty people are needed for a Floating Airship to operate perfectly and to exert its due Combat Power."
A certain number of armed personnel, also known as Air Soldiers, must be equipped.
The first positioning of the Floating Airship is for cargo transport, but in the future, it might also carry some passengers. The presence of Air Soldiers can deal with emergencies as well as passengers with ulterior motives.
"Another important point is that we must have a relatively safe air route. Although Floating Airships can rival Transcendent combat units, avoiding high-intensity combat is best... At least it can save a good amount of Source Crystals. Hmm, later I'll have the Intelligence Department drive a Floating Chariot to scout out an aerial route between Green Shadow and Jing City."
Tang Yu was contemplating and jotting down some key points.
The sound of knocking echoed.
The door pushed open, and Chen Haiping walked in, carrying a stack of documents in his hands.
"Director, here are the recruitment details for the Floating Airship crew."
Tang Yu looked at the documents piled up to the height of several books, his eyelashes twitched, "You can take care of these..."
"There are a few prospective captains' files that you should take a look at, of course, they are not yet clear about the precise position they are applying for."
Tang Yu massaged his temples and nodded helplessly.
Chen Haiping spoke again, "There's another matter. A few people have come to the castle claiming to be envoys from Jing City and wish to see you."
"Take them to the reception room."
There were three people from Jing City, the leader appeared to be in his thirties. Since Tang Yu walked in, his gaze remained fixed upon him, with a mysterious glint in his eyes.
"So, you are Tang Yu from Green Shadow?" he started, his eyes scornful, and his tone confrontational.
Chen Haiping was about to get angry.
Tang Yu gestured to stop him.
The leading youth continued arrogantly with his chin slightly raised, "This time I represent the official Jing City, summoning you to join the exploration team for Mirage Mountain Range..."
"Summons?" Tang Yu raised his eyebrows.
"That's right," the young leader said haughtily, "For a small Sanctuary like Green Shadow, this is a rare opportunity. I hope you do not delude yourselves—"
Mid-sentence, he suddenly found himself sweating profusely.
A powerful aura emanated from the young Director before him, heavy as a mountain, pressing down on him.
"Will you leave on your own, or shall I help you?"
The "Jing City Envoys" dared not say another word and left the castle with their heads lowered in embarrassment.
"Director, these people from Jing City are simply too arrogant! Is that any way to invite someone?"
Chen Haiping said angrily, ever since Green Shadow's development, even an ordinary official had to be taken seriously by outsiders, who had ever belittled them ?
"Too arrogant? That's just for show. They're not here for the exploration team's business."
"Then what is it...?"
Tang Yu shook his head.
In the map, the small dots representing the 'Envoys' were red, and moreover, a deep red.
If it were to recruit Green Shadow to join the exploration team, even a prideful person wouldn't likely be marked with a red dot; the only explanation was that those people had arrived already harboring hostility.
Carrying some unclear purpose, that was why these offensive people weren't detained.
Jing City, Li Family.
'Leader Envoy' Li Ran was standing before a middle-aged man with an imposing demeanor.
"Is Tang Yu the murderer who killed my son?"
"Yes," Li Ran nodded, "My tracking ability has confirmed that the killer of Young Master Li, if not Tang Yu himself, is certainly closely associated with him."
"The director of Green Shadow indeed possesses extraordinary strength, as the rumors suggest; he may not be so easy to deal with."
The authoritative middle-aged man walked to the window, silent.
Today, many magnates gathered together.
Two days ago, the exploration team returned with nothing to show for it, but a Sanctuary once inconspicuous and unknown to all had now caught the eyes of the magnates.
With rune equipment manufacturing technology beyond imagination, even capable of inscribing spells onto scrolls, every Awakener from Green Shadow amazed with their strength.
"The rune technology mastered by Green Shadow, if it were in our hands, the overall strength of the Sanctuary would increase by at least fifty percent! I propose that we demand Green Shadow hand over their rune technology."
The Li Clan Leader spoke, incidentally mentioning how he had 'kindly invited Green Shadow to join the exploration team, which Green Shadow arrogantly declined, sending his people away'.
"Since Green Shadow shows no kindness, forcing them to give up their rune technology wouldn't weigh on our conscience. Such magnificent technology, if we could get our hands on it, enhance and glorify it, would be a boon to mankind."
"Director Li makes a good point."
"We're not coveting the rune technology for ourselves, it's for the survival of humanity."
"Well, leave the dirty work to me then."
Several magnates chimed in, each with their own schemes.
As they spoke, their eyes turned to the number one magnate.
The middle-aged man seated at the head tapped his fingers on the tabletop, neither agreeing nor refusing.
He simply said to discuss it later and dismissed the meeting.
"The Li Family is up to some unknown mischief."
"Clan Leader, what should we do then..."
"First, send someone to Green Shadow Sanctuary to investigate, and then we'll act when the opportunity arises."
"Chief, what about today's matter?"
"Green Shadow is not just a Sanctuary; it has already formed an interest network with Lindong, Heng City, and other Sanctuaries... Thus, send someone to Green Shadow tomorrow in secret, I need firsthand information regarding Green Shadow; additionally, consider inviting Green Shadow to join the exploration team."
"Boss, if we could get our hands on the rune technology, we would make a fortune."
"Hmph, I still don't know what kind of game Li Zongwei that old man is playing. Rune technology is of great importance; we can't follow the Li Family's lead. In that case..."
The dark figure paused, "Send someone to Green Shadow, and preferably establish a secret contact with their higher-ups."