Extraordinary Voyage-Chapter 723 - 622 [Sun Chariot Patrol]

Time quietly slipped by again, five days having passed.

North of Long Island Port, stands Albany City, in the middle reaches of the Hartson River. It's also the capital of all Buffalo and the ghoul stronghold.

In a corner of streets scarred by smoke and flames.

"Open fire!"

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!...

With the sound of lead bullets ripping through flesh and the mournful howls of beasts, over a dozen ghouls driven into a dead-end alley turned red-eyed and charged at the firearms array, poised for a desperate breakthrough.

"Out of the way!"

The three orderly rows of firearmsmen split to the sides at the command.

A black-robed wizard, whose spine and limbs had been transformed into mechanical constructs, stepped forward—none other than Samuel, the evil alchemist who had first pledged allegiance to Aiven.

The mechanical right arm, after several upgrades, swiftly unfolded into a cold, gleaming alchemy fire cannon.

A gruesome grin that betrayed its nature appeared.

Boom!

With a thunderous roar, the cluster of ghouls was blown to bits, with just a few still capable of movement, now surrounded and isolated.

Only a Tier 2 ghoul, equivalent to an Official Knight, using its companions as cover, was about to break free from the soldiers' encirclement. Though charred and heavily wounded, its face prematurely lit up with post-survival joy.

If it could just break free, hiding in the complex city would not be difficult.

However.

At this very moment, a rather short soldier suddenly darted out from an angle like a lingering shadow.

With a sudden flash, the hand half-sword at their waist was unsheathed.

Clang—

Faint flickers of electricity danced around.

[Desperate Thunder Swordsmanship: Instant Flash]

"Uh..."

A mist of blood sprayed from its neck, and the ghoul's eyes gradually dimmed. This heavily wounded Tier 2 ghoul had its head severed by an extremely fast sword light.

"Bach, well done!"

"So strong, maybe it won't be long before he becomes an Official Knight?"

The decapitating sword strike was delivered by Kvarina Bach, Aiven's newly inducted fifth disciple, a wild lad.

Due to his different natural strengths compared to other disciples, Aiven had a different approach to his training. After teaching him the basics of swordsmanship and meditation, he sent him directly onto the battlefield.

From overseas plundering, the Cumberland Line to Buffalo, wherever there was battle, his silhouette could be seen.

With the Seven-gilled Eel as escort, the youth whose "Adventurer's Blood" had already started to boil could maximize his growth continuously through combat.

The [Desperate Thunder Swordsmanship], which emphasizes a balance of body, strength, and agility, seemed custom-tailored for him. Excluding his solitary days on the island, he had only been practicing for four months and had already reached master-level.

Although the Buffalo campaign was progressing smoothly.

Robert and William, who had advanced their command to Albany City, scratched their heads looking at the map of Buffalo gifted by Bess.

Owing to the extent of colonial development, the major cities are concentrated on the eastern banks of the Hartson River, while the Western Region is the Abayachi Plateau and the northern end of the Abayachi Mountains, which spans half of this territory.

On the surface, it seemed to alleviate their workload.

But bordering Buffalo to the west is Lake Erie, and in the northeast is Shining Lake, with the 99-meter drop of the Niagara River between them. The river's north bank is the Manchac Swamp, where the High-Rank Totem God, "Lady Crow," resides.

Then, the southern boundary is the Royal Colony Kabushel, which they don't need to manage, while to the north is the Pine Clan's Fordmon, which is also not their concern. Yet, establishing outposts to defend against the "Spirit Tide" over the 660-kilometer open lake shores and Niagara River would require at least 66 outposts.

If they were to allocate forces according to the kingdom colony's current standards, it would require no less than 6,600 people, an expenditure of personnel, finances, and resources that was no joke.

How many people does all of Buffalo's population have?

This was the very dilemma vexing the two commanders. While the ghouls were expected to flee in the latter half, taking Buffalo shouldn't be too challenging, but wholly defending against the "Ghost" raids seemed an impossible task.

"So, what should we do?"

The two exchanged a glance and saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.

Meanwhile.

North of the Niagara River, Manchac Swamp.

A creature with visible eyes and a mouth, a white body topped with a brilliant red-yellow umbrella-like cap, resembling a human-shaped mushroom, floated in the air, looking towards Buffalo.

On the ground at its feet was an ugly "insectoid" with two legs, four arms, and a chitinous shell.

The peculiar, unique appearances marked their identities. They were from the "Poison Plague School," which had spread the [Super Cystic Fungus] over two years ago, causing chaos along the Golden Sea coast.

They were the last two members left: a "Mushroom Person" made entirely from fungi and an "Insectoid," whose body had been replaced by head lice.

Their location indicated they had evidently pledged allegiance to "Lady Crow."

This situation wasn't surprising; the "Wizard School" itself was meant to be a form of collective organization. Who ever heard of a wizard school with only two members?

Aiven: Cough cough...

However, no matter what, the "Life Tree School," though it had fallen into worse straits than them, had at least established a complete Tier 1 Apprentice to Tier 4 Crowned Wizard system by its predecessors.

While the "Poison Plague School" had barely been founded by four individuals without enough knowledge to reach the Tier 3 Grand Wizard.

At this time.

Gazing at where the gunfire was roaring in the distance, a powerful negative emotion exuding as if freezing the air surrounded the "Mushroom Person."

Crackle, crackle...

After an intense suppression, a faint golden electric light flickered continuously in the air.

No matter what, he was a senior official wizard who had thoroughly studied the second volume of "Flesh Sacrifice" [Flesh Puppet].

With the perception ability of a senior official wizard of a different kind, he could clearly feel the army sweeping through Buffalo, slaughtering ghouls, "ghosts," and natural spirits. The guards wrapped in heavy steel armor were unmistakably true [Flesh Puppets].

Moreover, many soldiers and officers, wearing combat uniforms of varying shades of dark green, even included research results from their own "Poison Plague School" [Pathogen: Parasite Transformation]!

The scene from two years ago, when senior school members were halved, the disease-infested Nika Crystal Cave was seized, and he nearly lost his life, vividly resurfaced in the mind of the "Mushroom People," engraved in his memory.

The culprit behind the total destruction of the "Poison Plague School's" foundation was undeniably connected to the existence behind these people!

"I can still recognize the Phaletis military uniform. Just wait, although we no longer have autonomy, we are not entirely without support!"

The emotions of the "Mushroom People" surged uncontrollably within the [Spore Cloud Mind Sensing].

The "Insectoid," resembling a giant louse on the ground, also hissed with hatred:

"The 'Wild Bull God' Bello, who recently joined the Goddess, is just upstream on the Hartson River, isn't he? Even a Tier 3 Great Shaman is no match for him. Perhaps we could...?"

The Mushroom People nodded slightly, a plan forming in his mind.

...

On the mainland of the Phaletis Kingdom, at the Portsmouth Royal Navy Shipyard located south of New Inn Port.

Other than Queen Isabella, Crown Prince Liweina, Principal Princeton, and a few select attendants witnessing the ceremony, everyone else had been completely cleared out. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Glancing at the time, Aiven signaled to the Queen and stepped forward.

Snap—!

With a snap of his fingers.

A massive, elegantly shaped sea vessel emerged on the sea before them amidst a rising blue mist.

Indeed, it was the "Birchwood," the Star God Aiyarindir's ship, already transformed from blueprint to reality. The crescent-shaped vessel still resembled a crescent falling onto the sea surface, only now the silver keel turned emerald green, more fitting for Anita's power attribute.

In military uniform, Anita and Olivia together managed to set the ship in motion, but it took them over ten minutes to slowly position it before the port so the group standing there could see its full form.

Aiven watched, facepalming.

Having entirely exhausted the inventory of Extraordinary Ship Materials "Treasure Tree," and consuming a large quantity of gemstones, sea monster leather, and other precious materials, the ship's operability was truly indescribable.

If not for the myriad [symbols] spread throughout the ship, Aiven felt that this beautiful crescent ship's rightful place should actually be an inland lake.

If even Anita, a Great Knight, couldn't sail it alone, requiring Olivia, a senior official wizard, to assist, then in its current state on the battlefield, it would be nothing more than a live target with no other outcome.

Now, the only hope lay in the Saint Angel's power to truly transform it.

Under the piercing gaze of the Queen and others, Aiven raised his left hand, branded with the "Black Iron Cross Sacred Mark," high above his head.

Swish—

A pillar of pure white light shot straight into the sky from the Sacred Mark.

Above...the clouds and winds suddenly stirred.

As a "Saint," his status was more titular without corresponding divine art power, except to not be inexplicably killed by the [Divine Shelter] and the hallmark [Blessing] of a Holy Professional, none of which he could wield.

Only this [Celestial Messenger].

Effect: Ignoring any barriers below Demigod Level, communicate with the Goddess's messenger "Angel," with the response depending entirely on the communicator's mood. Somewhat like an upgraded version of a "Spirit Realm Messenger," the effect could be incredibly weak or incredibly strong.

And this time.

Following the prior agreement, Saint Angel Bellenus's feedback was exceptionally swift.

Dong! Dong! Dong!...

Amidst the resounding, world-filling bell chimes, a golden pillar of light suddenly descended from the heavens, enveloping the crescent-shaped warship. Countless tiny luminous spheres with wings, like little angels, circled the warship, dancing continuously.

Observers might merely feel as though they were bathing in warm, gentle sunlight.

But for Anita and Olivia aboard the warship, they experienced a miraculous, inexplicable transformation.

The gigantic warship, built without a single nail, was engulfed by the pillar of light, turning entirely into a pure gold color.

Soon after.

The lone mast in the center of the ship's deck, created from giant sea monster skin, first transformed into a light substance oscillating between reality and illusion. Then the mast, deck, hull, and oars...

After ten minutes, the entire warship had completely transformed into a "Ship of Light."

Do you believe in light?

Neigh—

Suddenly, a loud horse neigh echoed, and a horse head seemingly forged from gold grew from the ship's sharp bow, snorting as if alive.

The horse's head, personifying the "Ship Spirit," opened its mouth to spit out a golden ring, which landed in Anita's outstretched palm surrounded by a halo of golden light.

With a sense of divine inspiration, the girl slipped it onto her left index finger, giving a clear command:

"Pegasus, [Legendary Battleship: Emerald Coronet] launch!"

Whoosh—

Then, four gigantic flame Celestial Horses' phantoms flickered before the warship, causing the entire legendary battleship to radiate a luminous gold-blue, transforming into a towering sun, with a golden corona encircling this sun.

Under the incredulous gaze of the onlookers.

The massive warship soared straight into the sky like a rising sun.

[Legendary Battleship Skill: Sun Chariot Patrol]