Castle of Black Iron

Covering over 10 square miles, this isolated island was located in the open waters in the southeast part of Qiongzhou Province of Taixia Country. It belonged to the offshore area of the Eastern Continent as it was only over 1,000 miles away from the land.

Being in the east of Taixia Country, Qiongzhou Province was one of the medium-sized provinces in Taixia Country. In Taixia Country, Qiongzhou Province was known as the Province of Tens of Thousands of Islands. The open waters of the entire Qiongzhou Province contained tens of thousands of islands and reefs in various types, big or small. Those isles of Ewentra Archipelago were sharply dwarfed by such islands in the open waters of Qiongzhou Province.

On the map, those islands in the open waters of Qiongzhou Province were spreading over the vast waters like a broken small sub-continent. Such an open waters was called Qionghai Ocean. Li Butian and Yang Zhigang had chased after Zhu Liang the Ferocious Wolf on these isolated islands in Qionghai Ocean like playing hide-and-seek game for over 2 months.

If he kept going northwards from Qiongzhou Province, he would arrive at Youzhou Province after passing Mozhou Province and Gaozhou Province.

Mozhou Province and Qingzhou Province were both medium-sized provinces of the same level. Gaozhou Province was a lower province. Of course, Youzhou Province, which was in the north of Gaozhou Province, was also a lower province.

After knowing that his general orientation was not incorrect, Zhang Tie finally recovered his composure. It was only a distance of a bit more than 17,000 miles between the two provinces in the middle though.

Zhang Tie, Li Butian and Yang Zhigang talked overnight. Through Li Butian and Yang Zhigang, Zhang Tie knew a lot of information about Taixia Country. Li Butian and Yang Zhigang were also interested in the exotic situation about Waii Sub-continent.

Before the day broke, they took a nap. After that, they became spirited once again.

When the sun rose, Yang Zhigang chopped off Zhu Liang’s head and immersed it in a medicament. After that, he put it in a waterproof bag. Li Butian ignited a cracker in an open land outside the mountain cave.

With a shrill sound, the cracker flew into the sky and exploded at over 300 m above the ground. The red smoke formed a red longsword, which remained unchanged for a long time in the sky.

In order to catch Zhu Liang the Ferocious Wolf, Li Butian and Yang Zhigang had employed a mini airship which kept circling around the neighboring airspace.

As was predicted, a mini airship had appeared in the distant airspace and flown towards here in less than half an hour.

”Brother Zhang Tie, aren’t you leaving with us? When you arrive at Qionghai City, you can reach Youzhou Province by train in a few days.” Li Butian turned around and asked Zhang Tie who was watching them at the entrance of the mountain cave after releasing the cloud-penetrating cracker.

Li Butian and Yang Zhigang would exchange their booty for the bounty in Qionghai City. However, Zhang Tie insisted on moving northwards so as to unite with his family members. The three people would separate from each other soon.

”No, I’ve got some enlightenment about the cultivation after these days of practice. As Qionghai Ocean has so many islands, its environment is very good and tranquil. I want to meditate and cultivate a few more days!” Zhang Tie fabricated a benign lie.

Although Zhang Tie had long been expecting to reunite with his family members, he had to refuse the suggestion of Li Butian and Yang Zhigang. Because it would take him longer time to return by train. Additionally, if he told them he was going to ”swim” back to Youzhou Province from here, he was afraid of scaring them. In this age, even black iron knights who were good at swimming could barely swim 2,000-3,000 miles not to mention Zhang Tie who treated the ocean as a broadway and a highway.

Until then did Li Butian and Yang Zhigang think that Zhang Tie crossed the ocean alone by a canoe or a sailing boat. Such a ”heroic deed” already made the two guys admire Zhang Tie too much; if they were told that Zhang Tie was going to ”swim” across the surging ocean alone from another sub-continent, they might be scared stiff.

In order to not be that shocking and not expose his trump card, Zhang Tie could only fabricate a lie.

”It’s a rare chance to have insight about cultivation. As this waters is tranquil, it may be a good place for insight. It could not be bought by 10,000 gold coins for each cultivator. Now that brother Zhang Tie wants to continue to meditate here, we will not bother you anymore. We two are a bit famous among the bounty hunters in Yongzhou Province. If brother Zhang Tie needs us in the future, you only need to send a message to the Bright Road Pavilion in Youzhou Province, we will arrive there as soon as possible!”

Zhang Tie felt that the so-called Bright Road Pavilion was similar to the union and industrial organization of bounty hunters in Taixia Country, which was responsible for the identity management, task distribution and information dissemination among bounty hunters. This was a semi-official organization, on the back of which was the Ministry of Penalty of Taixia Country. In Taixia Country, any city of scale would have Bright Road Pavilion.

Zhang Tie didn’t take the 50,000 gold coins, which made Li Butian and Yang Zhigang admire him so much. Additionally, through one night’s talk, they felt that Zhang Tie was a reliable friend. Therefore, they said that before departure.

”If two elder brothers need my financial assistance, just tell Golden Roc Bank!” Zhang Tie also cupped his hands towards Li Butian with a solemn look. There was an old Hua saying, ’Give a plum in return for a peach.’ As Li Butian and Yang Zhigang were sincere, Zhang Tie also treated them faithfully.

Li Butian and Yang Zhigang then revealed a smile at the same time...

...

After over 10 minutes, the mini airship arrived above the isolated island. After confirming the identities of Li Butian and Yang Zhigang, the crew threw off a rope ladder from the airship. The moment Li Butian and Yang Zhigang boarded the airship had they waved their hands towards Zhang Tie. Closely after that, the mini airship left towards the land.

Zhang Tie didn’t move away his eyes until the airship disappeared in his vision.

When Zhang Tie remembered the information about his master Zhao Yuan the Alchemist Demon that Li Butian and Yang Zhigang told him last night, Zhang Tie forced a bitter smile.

If his master fought his wife, Zhang Tie didn’t even know whom to help.

’According to the introduction of Li Butian and Yang Zhigang, my master’s killing spree in Mojiang City of Songzhou Province was ground-breaking and lunatic. Besides the 7 knights, over 170,000 civilians were killed by my master. 10 generations of over 20,000 people of Han Clan in Mojiang City of Songzhou Province were exterminated by Zhao Yuan.’

In Zhang Tie’s impression, although Zhao Yuan’s behavior was inconsiderate, he didn’t look like a cold-blooded guy, not to mention that he could kill tens of thousands of civilians. Zhang Tie remembered that Zhao Yuan was almost beaten on the street by some servants of a mansion in Hidden Dragon Island as he broke in their mansion by mistake. However, he didn’t kill those servants. Those servants also lived well after that. How could such a man kill over 100,000 innocent people?

’As to what happened in Mojiang City of Songzhou Province, I could only figure it out slowly. If my status as the disciple of Alchemist Demon was exposed, I would definitely be chased by those super sects in Taixia Country. Even Li Buttian and Yang Zhigang had not heard about Huaiyuan Palace, not to mention those super sects in Taixia Country.’

’Alright, forget about that. I will go back home first!’

When he recalled his parents whom he had not seen for many years and his 3 sons whom he had not seen since they were born, Zhang Tie’s heart raced.

As a sea wave arrived at the bank, Zhang Tie disappeared...

...

In the ocean, it only took Zhang Tie a few seconds to accelerate to about 650 m per second, which was about 10% higher than when he headed for Ice and Snow Wilderness by sea for the second time.

In each split second, numerous tiny bubbles would come into being and break over Zhang Tie’s protective battle qi. The powerful cavitation effect started to present while numerous tiny shock waves, jet flows, high heat and corrosion started to beat and shock Zhang Tie’s body and protective battle qi...

As Zhang Tie moved forward, he started to taste the formation and disappearance of each tiny bubble...

With his powerful knight’s consciousness, Zhang Tie immediately entered an exotic world by the forming and vanishing tiny bubbles. In this world, all the formation and disappearance were calculated in milliseconds...

...

After 7 hours, Zhang Tie rushed into the sky from the ocean and reached a high altitude in a split second...

”Ah, I saw something fly out of the sea and disappear in the sky...” A young sailor who was arranging the wire cables on the deck of a huge liner suddenly screamed when he raised his head. The liner was driving on the shimmering sea when the sun moved to the west.

”Gangzi, are you blinded? You’ve just not f*cked a woman for a few days!” Another sailor teased him as they found nothing abnormal in the sky.

”No, I really saw something fly out of the sea ahead of us. It even aroused a spray. It moved so fast that it immediately disappeared the moment it entered the sky...”

”Like how you did on the Hebrew beauty?” Another sailor winked before bursting out into laughter...

The young sailor blushed at once.

”Quiet, no more kidding. We’re arriving at Youzhou Province. Cheer up. After delivering the Fuxi Type-1 difference engine to them, we can rest a few days. By the end of this year, your bonus would increase by at least 1/3 than that of the last year!” A steward with whiskers walked out of the cabin as he told those sailors. These sailors were all members of the same business group, therefore, the steward revealed a message to them when they almost finished their task.

”Steward Liu, Youzhou Province is just a lower province. Which business group is so ambitious? Fuxi Type-1difference engine has over 200,000 calculating gears. It’s more powerful than Xuanyuan Type-7. Is there any business group in Youzhou which could use such a big machine?” A shrewd sailor asked.

”It’s ordered by Jinwu Business Group!”

”Jinwu Business Group? I’ve not even heard about that. It does not seem to be that famous. I only heard about Long Wind Business Group in Youzhou Province.” That sailor doubted.

”The two business groups are closely related with each other as they belong to the same clan” The steward smiled, ”Have you heard about the all-purpose medicament?”

”Yup!”

”After delivering this big machine to them and doing a preliminary test to it, we will carry back 100,000 vials of all-purpose medicament. It’s a big deal that has been signed by our CEO, we’d better not ruin it...”

All the sailors on the deck became spirited...

...

Although Zhang Tie concealed his battle-qi luster, his speed was also very amazing in the sky.

After a short while, he had already seen a coastal city and a prosperous harbor. The harbor was located between two mountains, which was an advantageous geographic location. Watching the two mountain ranges that surrounded the harbor and extended from the land to the ocean like two sharp claws, Zhang Tie knew that his destination finally arrived.

Huaiyuan Palace bought over 1 million square miles in the southeast of Youzhou Province and built that harbor, which was called Embracing Tiger Harbor or Embracing Tiger Mountain. As a clan elder, Zhang Tie once saw its photo when he was in Huaiyuan Prefecture.

The city behind Embracing Tiger Harbor was called Embracing Tiger City, which was the undertaking that Huaiyuan Palace had gained in Youzhou Province from the scratch.

At present, 8 branches of Huaiyuan Palace had built 8 cities on the 1 million square miles of land in the southeast of Youzhou Province, which was linked with each other and formed a prefecture called Yanghe Prefecture.

According to the Hua tradition, Yanghe Prefecture became the private prefecture of Huaiyuan Palace and the forever foundation of Zhang Clan. According to the strict regulation of Taixia Country, the land that Huaiyuan Palace occupied in Waii Sub-continent was not Huaiyuan Palace’s prefecture. Hua clan’s prefecture could only be in Taixia Country on the Eastern Continent, instead of in wild places.

In Taixia Country, the so-called major clans and young members of families holding official ranks for generations would always call the name of their prefectures and families, which indicated the foundation of a person or a clan.

Later on, Zhang’s offsprings of Huaiyuan Palace could call themselves Zhang’s branch in Yanghe Prefecture.

As his family members didn’t live in Embracing Tiger City, Zhang Tie didn’t mean to stay here; instead, after throwing a couple of more glances at the city, Zhang Tie continued flying towards the northwest of Embracing Tiger City...

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