Firefly Journey

Chapter 320 After the Storm, All Grasses Turn Green (12)

The explosion suddenly rang out, catching everyone in the Black Sword Legion off guard.

Fear stemmed from the unknown. The soldiers panicked, not knowing where the explosion had come from, and their formation crumbled, rendering them completely ineffective. Faced with death, the might of the Imperial Elite Legion vanished; they were nothing more than a group of ordinary people desperately trying to survive.

The ordinary soldiers naturally didn't know where the explosion came from, attributing it to some kind of powerful divine oracle. After all, they had heard that the Papacy and the Holy Temple had turned against the Chu Kingdom, so it was quite normal for them to be ambushed.

However, not everyone is as ignorant as the lower-ranking soldiers.

Some noble officers were filled with disbelief, because they knew that the cause of such a large-scale explosion was not divine revelation, but alchemical technology.

Wasn't it said that weapons created using alchemical technology were only used for defense by Chernobog and never circulated outside the city? How is this possible?

With no time to think and survival being the top priority, the Black Sword Legion was not completely wiped out in their single-minded focus on escaping; several high-ranking officers managed to escape.

The imperial soldiers who had surrounded the retreat route met a violent end, and the Chu army, no longer hesitant, safely returned to the city.

The few imperial officers who had escaped returned trembling to the allied camp to face Henry I.

In the empire, desertion in the face of battle was not a serious crime, especially for noble sons. Moreover, this time the Chu state had deployed weapons of mass destruction, and the defeat was beyond human control, so it was understandable.

After learning the situation, Henry I, though cruel, was not unreasonable. He verbally berated a few people and fined them several months' wages.

Turning back, Henry I said to his officers, "It is truly despicable and hateful that the State of Chu is colluding with Chern! Chern prides itself on being peaceful and uncontested, but I never expected them to be doing such shady things behind the scenes. I am very curious about how much benefit the State of Chu has given them."

Henry I's face was as black as coal; it was clear he was in a very bad mood.

Ever since the god of machinery and technology brought the chaotic continent under control and transformed it into the City of Progress, Chestanton has made it clear that it will not participate in any conflicts on the continent.

Due to the power of the mechanical wings, the advanced alchemy technology, and the fact that the island of Luanzhou is isolated overseas, there is no church or country that opposes it.

As long as you don't cause trouble, we don't care. After all, it's just a small island, very small compared to the entire continent, and it doesn't have many resources. It's really not cost-effective to cross the Stormy Sea to conquer it.

But now, the appearance of alchemical weapons made Henry I realize that things were not so simple. Did the fact that Chu had their aid indicate that Chu and Chern were secretly colluding?

As he pondered, Henry I's face grew increasingly dark, his eyes almost spitting fire.

"Your Majesty, there is something fishy about this."

Henry I's dark face proved that he was angry, and when he was angry, most officers would avoid him like the plague, not daring to speak loudly, lest they become the target of his anger and have no one to reason with.

Claude is different.

He was older than Henry I and had always been a staunch supporter of him. Claude even played a part in Henry's ascension to the throne.

Even in the rage of Henry I, he dared not vent his anger on such a person.

"The State of Chu is located east of the continent, while Chestanton is in the Stormy Sea to the west of the continent. How did these two places, separated by tens of thousands of miles, reach an agreement and transport these weapons?"

Claude asked a question.

Henry I’s eyes regained some clarity. Yes, geographically speaking, his Debasa Empire was not closer than the Chu Kingdom.

The central part of the continent was almost entirely controlled by the Debasa Empire. How could the Empire not have any news if the Chu Kingdom wanted to cross the continent, traverse the Storm Sea, and then demand weapons from Chern City?

Henry I remained silent.

Grand Duke Claude added, "What's done is done, and we can't stop it. Our task now is to resolve the immediate trouble."

"The Grand Duke is right, I was irrational." Henry I suppressed his anger and adopted a gentler demeanor.

This night raid further strained the already limited supplies of the allied forces. Henry I knew that the Chu Kingdom was willing to expose its trump cards to attack the supply depot in order to force him to fight a quick battle.

"Alright, then I'll grant your wish."

Henry I sneered: "Send orders to all ministries to attack the city tomorrow."

……

……

"Father, what's going on?"

When the Chu army launched a surprise attack on the allied forces' supply depot, Lü Jianming was standing on the city wall, and he heard the deafening explosion.

Immediately afterwards, the scene of the Black Sword Legion being almost completely wiped out left him stunned.

The Black Sword Legion had no idea what was happening, but he saw it all clearly.

Suddenly, a barrage of artillery shells rained down from Danyang City, countless metal warheads crashing down on the Black Sword Legion's position. In an instant, the warheads exploded, the shrapnel causing widespread casualties.

He had no recollection of having such powerful weapons in the Chu army.

“As you can see, those shells came from Chestanton, the city of progress,” John answered frankly. “The world we live in is round.”

Lü Jianming frowned: "You mean..."

"My father and I have always known about Lord Du's affairs, and even the arrival of that fishman was because of us."

Sally the fish-woman said her hometown was in the Starflow Sea. When Lü Jianming first heard this, he thought she was out of her mind. Everyone in the Pan-Ancient Continent knew that to the east of Chu was the endless Starflow Sea, a forbidden zone for life, rarely visited by humans. How could there be life there?

However, Sally remained steadfast in her statement, which seemed undeniable. Now that Emperor Zhuang had personally acknowledged it, Lü Jianming's worldview was shaken.

Emperor Zhuang continued, "There's a reason why the Starflow Sea has been regarded as a forbidden zone for life for the past ten thousand years. It's too big, bigger than the entire Pan-Ancient Continent."

The merfolk lived deep within the stars, never appearing in the world, and had no contact with the other races of the continent. Until…

"until?"

“Until your uncle went there.”

"what?"

Emperor Zhuang smiled and said, "You probably don't know, but ever since my elder brother became a demigod, he has been challenging powerful figures all over the continent. He has defeated almost every demigod with a name."

Since those so-called gods could not exist in the world, and he had no rivals, he got bored and came up with other ideas, such as seeing what was in the depths of the Starflow Sea.

The result was the discovery that life existed there, and that life, like humans or other races, was part of this world.

"Since then, we have opened up a new sea route. Although it is far away, it is well-kept secret, and the Rockon Islands, where the fish-men live, are our transit point in the Starflow Sea."

Our trade with Chernobyl has also benefited the Rocken Islands. Our barter system has brought them greater convenience, making their lives more comfortable – a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Lu Jianming said, "Does the Debasa Empire not know about these things?"

Emperor Zhuang scoffed: "Those arrogant and conceited fellows think they are invincible. How could they possibly have any interest in the legendary forbidden zones of life? Their limited thinking restricts their progress. This is a common problem among the old nobles. Chu is different. We never confine ourselves to the past. This is why Chu has always been strong."

"I understand."

"The future of the Chu Kingdom is in your hands; you must understand this."

Lü Jianming nodded emphatically.