Chapter 125: Captain Magellan, How About a Deal?

Locking his gaze on the lantern maker who was already nearing the skies above the *Trinidad*, a cold glint flickered in the depths of his eyes.

"You use us as bait to draw fire, so I, in turn, need a target to test if I can seize this ship. Even in the worst-case scenario, you think you can take advantage of me, Master Wang, to snatch the Elixir of Immortality? Not a chance!"

The secret technique from the *Record of Treasures from the Toad Palace*, the "Five Emperors' Coin Sword," had not been mastered by anyone for over sixty years. Upon returning to Yingzhou, he would undoubtedly face endless political maneuvering and intrigue. He intended to use this secrecy as the signature trump card of Wang Cheng, the "Heir to the Prince of Jinghai," to distinguish himself from the "Dazhao Hundred-Household Official," Wang Fugui. He even planned to stage a public confrontation and engage in some strategic mutual posturing.

"The Heir is incredibly strong!"
"Stronger even than Captain Huang, who is six or seven years his senior."

Only when the platinum sword light dissipated did the crew of the *Conch* awaken from their stupor, their mouths hanging open in silent shock. The greatest secret regarding Wang Cheng was known only to a very few confidants and close kin. Most of the crew did not realize that Wang Cheng was one and the same as Wang Fugui; they only knew that before their departure, their "Mirage General" had suddenly recovered the young master who had been missing for many days. They had assumed the young master was weak and would surely face traps and schemes upon returning to Wufengqi, so they had resolved to lay down their lives to protect him, help him inherit the old master's position, and restore their former glory. This was a significant part of why they had abandoned the quest for the Elixir of Immortality.

They never expected that the young master, who had always kept a low profile on the ship, was actually the strongest among them, saving the entire vessel with a casual display of power.

"We can never repay the kindness of the old master and the young master!"

Watching that retreating figure, their eyes shone with an intensity that was almost frightening. Only the Tanka people, who had endured centuries of oppression and humiliation and had suffered through the darkest of times—the fall of Prince Jing—truly understood the name of the light they saw in his eyes.

It was called: Hope.

"Though one sun has set, a second sun is already rising."

The most fundamental rule for following a lord to achieve great things is: he must be able to win! The ultimate power in this world is violence, and violence is the root source of all power. When you seize the throne from orphans and widows during a dynastic transition, that is called an "illegitimate mandate." But when the previous dynasty is corrupt, you champion the people and punish the wicked, you start from scratch, and even though you recruit brilliant ministers and fierce generals, you personally win two-thirds of the empire—and all other generals combined aren't as capable as you—that is called: The Mandate of Heaven!

If the founding monarch is the strongest, he can dispose of his old comrades as he pleases without needing to spare anyone's feelings. If the second generation is the strongest, even with only eight hundred men, one has the confidence to emulate the great emperors of the past and declare: "Eight hundred men are enough!" Once one attains the highest seat, the most virtuous quality of a ruler becomes "the willingness to share the wealth."

Having seen the "Envied by Ghosts and Gods" and "Startled by Ghosts and Gods"—the two top geniuses of the Twenty-Four Guards—at Yuegang, they were certain their young master, at the nominal age of eighteen, was destined for the top spot.

"Gratitude!"
"Loyalty!"

The crew members' eyes turned red, and they began to fill their own minds with visions of a grand future until they were overwhelmed with fervor.

In another direction, the diplomatic mission remained far enough from the battlefield. As the naval fleet turned in time, the few Yunmeng ghost masters who reached the mission were unable to shake the massive formation. Everyone struck together, and the "dead-risen" were quickly suppressed.

Deputy Envoy Jiang was a follower of the School of Mind; his teacher, Grand Secretary Xu, was a disciple of the Saint of the School of Mind, Wang Bo'an. The Saint, having attained the first rank of Confucianism during his life, became a deity after death and was enshrined in the Confucian Temple; his legacy was naturally extraordinary. Facing the scattered dead-risen, this official of the Heavenly Class, a "Confucian Scholar of the School of Mind," recited a holy maxim using the "Dragon-Ascending Technique of the Literary Arena":

"Flowers bloom and fall without cause; all things reside within the heart!"

A hazy boundary immediately emerged around him. As the dead-risen attacked, their weapons became like bubbles in a dream, unable to harm him in the slightest. Yet, when he swung the scroll in his hand, it struck like a heavy hammer, shattering the dead-risen into gore with a single blow.

Wang Cheng’s Yang-body merely paddled along the sidelines, silently observing the unique skills of everyone on the ship.

The Chief Envoy, Luo Wenlong, ignored the attacking dead-risen, his eyes locked firmly on the Elixir of Immortality aboard the *Trinidad*.

"Grand Secretary Yan, the head of the Cabinet, is already eighty-one. The Master of the State has spent his entire life seeking immortality. I don't need to collect all five temple treasures; if I can offer even one, I can guarantee the prosperity of the Luo family for generations. I must not let this opportunity slip by. If I accomplish this and gain the Emperor's favor, it will be a hundred times more useful than pacifying those great pirate captains."

He unfurled a scroll, and another "Luo Wenlong" stepped out from the painting. He then splashed ink onto a blank scroll, and a yellow crane flew out from it. A great wind rose, and the painted Luo Wenlong rode the crane away, following Wang Cheng as they approached the *Trinidad*, which was locked in fierce combat.

The Frankish warship was embroiled in a brutal battle with the Yunmeng ghost masters and could not spare a moment for these small insects, allowing them to close in. Unlike Luo Wenlong and the lantern maker, who flew through the sky with great fanfare, Wang Cheng’s spectral Yin-body had long since reverted to its true form, hiding in the shadows beneath the water.

The folklore anchored to the "Heir to the Prince of Jinghai on an Imperial Inspection" was derived from the "Sending of the King's Ship," making its essence very similar to these ghost ships. Specters were mere cultural phenomena without self-awareness; Wang Cheng had never seen a specter as sentient as his own Yin-body. Slipping among the Yunmeng ghost masters, he did not trigger the hostility of the hundred thousand dead-risen.

Upon closing the distance, he finally saw the precious rarity of this ship:

[Rare Item: Spirit-Suppressing Sailing Ship - *Trinidad* (Core Flagship of the Oceanic Fleet, a National Treasure)
Accomplished an epoch-making feat and gained abilities suited to its duty. As time passes and its name spreads, its power will grow. In the near future, it will surely become a legendary warship capable of suppressing a small or medium-sized nation!
Garden of Abundance: The ship's hold is a world unto itself; one can grow vegetables and crops and raise livestock, never fearing hunger or scurvy during long ocean voyages.
Circumnavigation: If all five ships can be gathered to reform the global fleet, it can locate every node in the voyage, leading a massive oceanic fleet back to those places to easily establish a colonial empire. Alternatively, this ship can independently teleport at random, though it cannot carry a large fleet. Can be used once per day.
Symbiosis: The natural affinity between the liver-flower and wood allows it to merge with the warship, becoming the brain of this war machine and turning the entire ship into a living entity. It has consumed all the crew and lives in symbiosis with them.
Obsession: Eat, eat, eat. It can consume wood-attribute Yin-ghosts and specters to replace its liver and draw nutrients for development.]

"This flagship has gathered the most legends; it is clearly far superior to the two ships already captured. Its ability to 'teleport' the moment things go wrong would leave countless pursuers helpless."

Wang Cheng grew even more cautious. The dragon robes he wore, anchored to his natal star official, the "Horn Wood Dragon," were of the wood attribute, weren't they? If he were accidentally ensnared by it, the consequences would be catastrophic.

While Wang Cheng was searching for a weakness, the white-haired lantern maker began his move, riding a dragon-shaped lantern and releasing numerous human-headed Kongming lanterns. The lanterns bore painted faces and housed Yin-ghosts, with hemp ropes covered in talismans dangling beneath them, writhing like flexible tails.

"Go!"

They surged toward the "Five Temple Treasures" from all directions, the ropes extending to snatch one of the flowers. A low, strange cry erupted from deep within the warship. Most of its cannons and vines were occupied fighting the ghost masters, and it could only recall a few vines to defend.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

The vines lashed out, shattering the human-headed lanterns in mid-air, turning them into sparks. But the lantern maker, sparing no cost, had released hundreds of lanterns, and a few slipped through the net. A rope descended toward the nearest liver-flower, stopping just three inches away.

"Got it!"

The excitement on the lantern maker's aged face suddenly froze. A figure leaped high from the deck, vaulting onto the tree canopy like an arrow. A flash of sword light severed the human-headed lantern in two. He turned and struck repeatedly—the position, angle, and force were calculated with absolute precision—puncturing the remaining fish that had slipped through the net.

The momentary pause allowed Wang Cheng, hidden in the shadows, to see his appearance: gaunt, his face full of weariness, wearing a tricorn captain's hat and gripping a slender Frankish rapier.

What he had just displayed was the Frankish martial art—the Supreme Technique of the Rapier!

However, his state was clearly wrong. A green vine was embedded in the back of his neck, and his skin had turned woody, making him look just like a "Ginseng Fruit" growing on a tree. Only his eyes retained a faint glimmer of light and a profound sadness, as if, even after being assimilated by the immortal elixir, he still retained a shred of human consciousness.

[Rare Item: The world's first navigator to complete a circumnavigation, Ferdinand Magellan.
Obsession: Freedom!]

Seeing this, Wang Cheng felt a surge of joy.

"A flaw! One obsession is to eat, eat, eat, and the other is freedom. Divided loyalties are my opportunity. Captain Magellan, I have a deal for you."