Castle of Black Iron

The so-called N0.17 Heavenly super deluxe berth cabin could never match that of Zhang Tie’s private airship.

This berth cabin only covered about 10 square meters. It only contained a bed, a desk and a small independent washroom. There was a looming flavor of lavender.

Besides being private and clean, this room was nothing different than a basic single dorm.

Of course, such a single dorm was already super deluxe in long-distance traffic tools like an airship.

The water in the berth cabin was supplied quantitatively everyday. After using up the daily provision, the passenger would have no more on the very day. The bathing function in the washroom was unavailable during normal times; only when the airship landed for supply and was connected to the water pipe in the airport could the shower head work.

The average landing time of the airship was five days. Therefore, Zhang Tie could only take a bath once in 5 days.

The airship provided 3 meals a day; however, passengers needed to enjoy food at a fixed time in the dining hall as the dining hall would be closed except for the fixed time. If they wanted to drink something, they had to consume in the bar, which would run around the clock in the airship. All the drinks and snacks in the bar were not free.

When the weather permitted, the observation deck on the airship would open 14 hours a day from 7 am to 9 pm.

Passengers were forbidden to enter the bellyhold cargo bay, the crew’s living quarters and workspace in the airship.

Fire was forbidden in the airship, which was also a universal regulation across Taixia Country. Smoke was only allowed in the observation deck and the bar area.

Passengers could rent safes to store their valuables. Otherwise, if passengers lost their valuables, the airship would not shoulder any responsibility for that.

If everything went smooth, the ETM of the airship was October 5. If it encountered any force majeure due to weather or mechanical faults, etc., it might arrive at Force Province later.

...

After entering his private room, Zhang Tie took up the notice board for passengers in the room and read the introductions on it. All the introductions above were the very treatments that Zhang Tie could enjoy at the cost of 268 gold coins.

However, Zhang Tie didn’t care about that. He only needed to cultivate quietly in the airship. Therefore, Zhang Tie was basically satisfied with this small single dorm.

The only problem was his height. Every time Zhang Tie stood up, his head would almost touch the ceiling with a distance of less than 20 cm. Therefore, he felt a bit depressed.

The locker was beneath the bed and was connected with the bed.

After looking around the furnishings in the berth cabin, Zhang Tie opened the locker beneath his bed and dropped his luggage into it.

...

After a few minutes, the first mate boarded the airship, followed by two people in the uniform of bounty hunters and started to check tickets one after another according to the routine.

Although Zhang Tie didn’t exit his berth cabin, the moment the two bounty hunters boarded the vehicle, Zhang Tie had known that.

After hearing the knocks, Zhang Tie opened the hatch door with a calm look and saw the first mate and two bounty hunters standing outside the hatch door.

”Sir, please show me your ticket!”

Closely after the first mate’s request, Zhang Tie had passed his ticket to the first mate.

The two bounty hunters looked Zhang up and down seriously; one of them even lowered his head to check the order for arrest in his hand.

Benefited from his height, Zhang Tie could see the contents on the order for arrest clearly.

The first image on the order for arrest was very close to the original look of Zhang Tie while the other 20-odd images on it were all that of important criminals on the wanted list issued by the Supreme Court of Taixia Country.

The images of important criminals in Taixia Country would be posted outside the gates of all the cities, in hotels and pivot harbors across Taixia Country for recognition within 3 months after their crimes were confirmed or in the first half year after they escaped when they would probably be easily caught.

Due to the large territory and population in Taixia Country, there were many common criminals, who were not qualified to enjoy such a special ”treatment”. The common criminals’ images could only be seen in the Pavilion of Brightness or the archives of judicial agencies. Only those whose crimes had shocked one region could enjoy such a treatment to be well known across Taixia Country within half a year after their crimes.

As the former dean of the provincial court in Youzhou Province, at the sight of the order for arrest, Zhang Tie had known that nobody had made a more important crime than him in the late months. Therefore, his image ranked top in the order for arrest.

Zhang Tie had a dense whisker. After gazing at Zhang Tie’s whisker, ear root and lower jaw carefully, the two bounty hunters nodded. The first mate then gave the ticket back to Zhang Tie.

”Wish you a pleasant trip, sir!”

The group of three then moved to the next berth cabin...

After taking the ticket, Zhang Tie closed the door. After that, touching his whisker, Zhang Tie revealed a smile.

Among all the disguising masks, there would always be a loophole on the beard. Therefore, common disguising masks would not have a beard. The two bounty hunters also observed Zhang Tie’s whisker carefully. Given this point, they must be experienced.

After closing the door, Zhang Tie came to the bedside and took off his shoes. After that, he sat on the bed and took out an earth-elements crystal from Castle of Black Iron.

...

Half an hour later, the two bounty hunters left the airship. Closely after that, all the hatch doors of the airship were closed. With a slight shock, the airship began to take off...

Zhang Tie had already absorbed the first earth-elements crystal and took out the second one...

...

When the huge vacuum airship set off for Force Province, Zhang Tie started his new round of cultivation.

Zhang Tie could enjoy food from Castle of Black Iron very well in the berth cabin; however, in case of doubts, he would exit his berth cabin at noontime and have a lunch in the dining hall everyday. After that, he would return to his berth cabin to continue his cultivation. He didn’t even want to go to the observation deck.

In the single-minded state, Zhang Tie would consume 40 earth-elements crystals in 20 hours each day. As for the remaining 4 hours a day; he would enter deep sleep 2 hours, eat and shit 1 hour and practice those battle skills of ”Fire Dragon Sutra” in trouble-reappearance situations 1 hour...

Zhang Tie just entered cultivation in such a small berth in this way.

Zhang Tie’s fierce look and the sturdy figure would bring people a sense of oppression wherever he was in the airship. Therefore, very few people dared to talk with him when he exited his hatch door for lunch. Benefited from this reason, Zhang Tie felt quieter and could concentrate on cultivation.

The great pile of earth-elements crystals that Zhang Tie plundered from Waii Subcontinent also started to be consumed rapidly.

5 days later, when the airship landed for the first supply, Zhang Tie had already lit the 15th scale on his knight’s crystal plate...

From then on, Zhang Tie would light one scale per 8 days. As he was so devoted, he almost forgot about the existence of time...

...

The vacuum airship flew over prefectures and mountain ranges and moved all the way towards Force Province...

Zhang Tie just consumed his earth-elements crystals at a high speed...

Time flew past...

The order for arrest of Zhang Tie, Zhang Mushen, the former dean of the provincial court in Youzhou Province was still effective...

The color of the land below gradually turned from green to yellow...

...

Until one day, knocks finally drifted from the door of the No. 17 Heavenly berth cabin.

A voice sounded outside the door, ”Sir, the vehicle will arrive at Thunder Battle Fortress in Force Province in an hour. Please keep your belongings handy and be ready for getting off.”

After hearing the sounds, Zhang Tie, who was absorbing earth-elements crystals cross-legged on his bed opened his eyes with a flickering red light...

”Okay, thanks.” Zhang Tie replied.

After putting away that earth-elements crystal, Zhang Tie got off the bed and put on his shoes. He then relaxed his limbs and took out the military luggage from the locker beneath the bed. Carrying it on his back, Zhang Tie opened the door and exited calmly.

The calendar memo on the aisle outside the berth cabin marked the date clearly.

October 7, the 900th year of the black iron calendar.

The actual time of arrival was 2 days later than the estimated time of arrival because the airship met a heavy thunderstorm when it passed by Guanzhou Province two months ago. For the sake of the safety, the airship stayed 2 more days in Guanzhou Province.

As usual, many passengers were gathering on the observation deck and watching the scenery below after hearing that they had arrived at the destination.

With the military luggage on his back, Zhang Tie also came to the observation deck. At the sight of a muscle man, although being a bit crowded on the observation deck, those in front of him still hurriedly gave way to Zhang Tie.

At the sight of such a giant man, they knew that he was tricky. He might be here to join the army. As they had arrived at the destination, if they were fractured by him, it would be too unfortunate.

It was Zhang Tie’s first time to board the observation deck of this airship.

It was golden all over on the land below, which indicated that the harvest season had arrived. Being covered with fiery maple leaves, the mountain range in the far seemed to catch fire...

There were only battle fortresses instead of towns on the land.

”Wow, is this Force Province? It’s covered with battle fortresses!” A passenger who came to Force Province for the first time exclaimed...

”It’s said that the largest battle fortress in Force Province could match a Class A city...”

”All the commoners and factories are in the battle fortresses!”

They started to discuss about that...

Zhang Tie came to the guardrail of the observation deck and immediately jumped into the air.

Such a dangerous movement aroused exclamations from the surroundings——is this tough guy seeking for death?

Closely after that, everybody became dumbfounded as they found the tough guy was ascending like a bird instead of descending. After a short while, he even suspended in the air...

”A knight? That tough guy is a knight? I’ve not imagined that there’s a knight among us.”

The airship was sent into an uproar...

Zhang Tie ignored their uproar; instead, after identifying the direction, he flew towards the direction where the sun was going down.

Carrying the grass-green military luggage, in a few seconds, Zhang Tie had disappeared into the sight of the passengers...