Safe City Ch.93

Chapter 93: Kulawi Jidasumi Sanruo

Cheng Qisheng watched the entire battle unfold.

She deliberately limited herself to being nothing more than an observer.

Ever since Blue Sea Safe City had been established, whenever a major battle broke out, Cheng Qisheng would watch from a bird’s-eye view from start to finish. Whenever she noticed a believer getting injured or struggling, she would dispatch nearby believers to reinforce them.

From time to time, she would also bestow a blessing to give them a boost.

To be honest, Cheng Qisheng never found this particularly tiring. But as Blue Sea continued to grow, so did the number of believers. The residents from the various apocalyptic worlds would gradually spread out, and in the future there would inevitably be more and more large-scale battles. Sooner or later, there would come a day when she simply couldn’t keep track of everything.

The appearance of Mind Domain filled her with excitement.

And that excitement sparked an idea.

Since she could use her psychic power to create blessings that soothed and restored her believers’ bodies and minds, could she also use that same psychic power to create a blessing similar to Mind Domain?

Cheng Qisheng thought it was worth experimenting with.

If it didn’t work, then so be it.

In the past, there had been no precedent, so she had no choice but to fumble around on her own. But now that Cheng Anjing’s ability provided a ready-made example to study, she spent the entire battle observing the little believer’s command in detail.

Cheng Anjing was only eight years old.

Ordinarily, she should still have been a carefree child whose only concern was playing.

In truth, she was exactly that. It was just that among Blue Sea’s children, their favorite game happened to be war games.

Conveniently enough, the Blue Sea residents she was commanding had grown up the same way, so understanding Cheng Anjing’s orders came naturally to them.

Moreover, ever since learning that her ability was Mind Domain, Cheng Anjing had consciously devoted herself to studying military command. Whenever she encountered something in the theory she didn’t understand, she would seek someone out and ask.

As for where Cheng Anjing herself was—

She was aboard the Little Blue Sea, one of the strongest vessels in Blue Sea Safe City and one of those carrying the largest number of people.

Even if her young age caused her to overlook something, Cheng Anjing could simply project the battlefield map she perceived through the other residents directly into the minds of the adults beside her and receive better tactical advice.

Cheng Qisheng silently watched as the Mind Domain Commander directed the operation with calm precision.

The first step was to grasp the overall terrain of the surrounding waters and pinpoint the positions of the nineteen ships.

Next came sorting the more than a thousand vessels according to their size, speed, and firepower, then assigning them to temporary task forces and organizing them into fleets to prevent confusion in the formation.

Finally, she deployed the vanguard, the outer blockade, the inner encirclement force, reserve units that would respond if fighting broke out, and patrol teams stationed on the perimeter to monitor the situation in case another faction entered the fray.

While Cheng Anjing was using her Mind Domain ability on such a massive scale, Cheng Qisheng continuously kept a portion of her own psychic power focused on the little girl. She could sense the fluctuations as Cheng Anjing’s psychic energy radiated outward.

As she observed, Cheng Qisheng used that portion of her own psychic power to imitate the patterns of Cheng Anjing’s mental fluctuations.

It was difficult to describe the sensation.

Mental fluctuations were an extremely diffuse form of energy. They didn’t move in straight lines, nor did they simply flow from side to side. Strictly speaking, they had no discernible shape at all, yet they were undeniably in motion.

Cheng Qisheng’s own psychic power was the same. But there was a world of difference between channeling it into blessings and reproducing the fluctuation patterns of Mind Domain.

The feeling was like an artist who had spent years painting in an impressionistic style suddenly trying to switch to photorealism.

Cheng Qisheng wasn’t in any hurry. If the transition took time, then she’d make it slowly.

She had managed to develop Blessing entirely through trial and error back then. There was no reason she couldn’t learn to imitate Mind Domain now that she had a working example right in front of her.

All she needed to do was learn, little by little.

After all, even if Earth was currently in its dormant phase, that dormancy would last another hundred years.

She had plenty of time.

…

Yuan Moshu felt that the time he had left in his life was rapidly running out.

“What the hell is going on?”

He no longer needed a telescope.

The ships surrounding them had drawn so close that the front line was plainly visible to the naked eye.

Yuan Moshu could even make out the crew on one of the ships taking off their shirts on deck and changing into matching uniforms of the same color.

“…”

“They even have uniforms? What’s that supposed to mean? Are they changing into standardized uniforms before the battle so they can tell friend from foe?”

The first mate replied, “With over a thousand ships against our one… I don’t think they need to be that formal.”

Yuan Moshu choked on his words before correcting him.

“It’s a thousand against nineteen ships. They’re obviously not with the Green Skull Pirates. Look—even the Green Skull crew is panicking.”

The first mate clutched his head and crouched down.

“One ship or nineteen ships… does it really make any difference against more than a thousand?”

Yuan Moshu: “…”

That… was hard to argue with.

Still, after looking around at his equally pale-faced crew, he had no intention of simply waiting to die.

“Everyone, stay calm! We haven’t offended any major force recently. These ships must be here for the Green Skull Pirates. They probably provoked some powerful faction or influential family, which is why they’re being hunted by such a massive fleet.”

“And besides, if they really wanted to fight, they could’ve opened fire already. Instead, they’ve only surrounded us and confined us to this area. That means there’s still room to negotiate.”

The more Yuan Moshu spoke, the more convinced he became that he had figured out the truth.

The nineteen ships had effectively been forced together into a tight cluster. From where he stood, Yuan Moshu could clearly see the grim expressions on the pirates’ faces. Yet none of them dared fire their cannons.

Obviously, they had reached the same conclusion.

Most of the newly arrived ships were armed with cannons as well. If a battle broke out, no one could predict how many ships would be lost—but the pirate fleet would almost certainly be wiped out to the last man.

For that reason, as long as the opposing fleet didn’t make the first move, the pirates didn’t dare act rashly either.

As Yuan Moshu continued speaking, his back gradually straightened of its own accord.

“Everyone, don’t panic. The only reason they’ve surrounded us is probably because they saw the Green Skull insignia on our ship and mistook us for members of the Green Skull Pirates.”

“If they really intended to destroy us, they could’ve opened fire immediately. Instead, they’ve chosen to surround us. That means they’re still willing to be reasonable. I’ll go over there myself and explain that we’re not part of the pirate crew. Maybe they’ll give us a chance to talk.”

Yuan Moshu knew full well how dangerous it was.

But it was their only chance to survive.

There was no way he was going to sit here and wait to die with more than a hundred crew members aboard.

The first mate stepped forward.

“Captain, I’m coming with you.”

The security team selected four guards to accompany them, and a bugler volunteered to join as well.

That was the standard size of a diplomatic party on Green Billow Star.

Seven people in total—just enough to fill a small boat and row over to the other side’s vessel to negotiate on their territory.

None of the seven dared claim they weren’t nervous. Including Yuan Moshu, every one of them could feel their hearts pounding.

Even so, they couldn’t help but harbor a sliver of hope.

As long as the other side was willing to talk…

As long as they could explain who they were and prove that the Inkshadow wasn’t a ship of the Green Skull Pirates…

—

“Inkshadow! Which ship is the Inkshadow?!”

The seven members of the Inkshadow, who had just been about to lower their boat, froze.

“…”

Yuan Moshu stared upward in disbelief toward the source of the voice.

The dozens of people he had just seen changing into “uniforms” were now in the sky, with more and more figures joining them from behind.

Before long, the entire sky above this stretch of sea was filled with tall silhouettes bearing wings on their backs.

Their long black wings spread wide.

From the perspective of those below, they looked like predators glaring down at the nineteen ships.

One of them pulled out an enormous loudspeaker and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Is the Inkshadow here?!”

Yuan Moshu: “…”

The first mate swallowed.

“…Captain, I think… they’re looking for us.”

Yuan Moshu desperately tried to recall everything he had done over the past few years.

No matter how hard he thought about it, he had always been a law-abiding, conscientious man. Even when he encountered pirates, he never fought them head-on. He simply started the engines, turned the ship around, and ran.

So why would anyone be looking for the Inkshadow?

He tried to reassure himself.

“Maybe… it’s just another ship with the same name. Green Billow Star is huge, and there are countless ships. Ours can’t be the only one called the Inkshadow…”

…

“Inkshadow! Is Captain Yuan Moshu of the Inkshadow aboard?!”

Yuan Moshu: “…”

The Blue Sea resident holding the loudspeaker was Xiong Cuican, a Soundwave ability user. Upon reaching the Tier 2, he would unlock Soundwave Intimidation, and if he continued developing his ability, he might one day be able to generate shockwaves and sonic booms with nothing more than a roar.

For now, however, as a Tier 1 ability user, all he could do was shout louder than most people.

It wasn’t hard to imagine that jobs involving relaying messages would eventually become his specialty.

Fortunately, Xiong Cuican didn’t think the task beneath him in the slightest. He approached it with complete enthusiasm, using the polished announcer’s voice he had painstakingly learned by imitating radio broadcasters as he repeated the call over and over.

“Inkshadow! Is Captain Yuan Moshu of the Inkshadow aboard?!”

“If you are, would you please come out?”

Yuan Moshu was still in a state of utter mental shutdown.

Meanwhile, the eighteen pirate ships reacted with remarkable speed. They all squeezed backward in perfect unison, neatly exposing the Inkshadow in front of the entire fleet.

Xiong Cuican descended with the rest of the group.

Throughout their descent, the cannons of the Blue Sea fleet remained trained on all nineteen ships, ensuring that everyone would be able to conduct the conversation peacefully—and safely.

Since Mind Domain was currently being operated aboard their own ship, Song Xi enjoyed the privilege of speaking first.

“Hello. Which one of you is Captain Yuan?”

Her gaze swept across the people on deck before settling on Yuan Moshu.

There was a noticeable difference between a captain and an ordinary sailor.

You could tell just by looking into their eyes.

As expected, Yuan Moshu stepped forward.

His expression remained fairly calm, but mentally he had already checked out some time ago. Even his voice sounded a little dazed.

“I’m Yuan Moshu. May I ask… why you’re looking for me?”

“May our God watch over you. I’m Song Xi.”

Song Xi placed a hand over her chest and gave a slight nod, a gesture of goodwill.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Yuan Moshu immediately copied her gesture, patting his own chest.

“May our God watch over you. Hello.”

He could tell that the other party bore him no ill will, and he quietly let out a sigh of relief before asking cautiously,

“May I ask what business you have with me?”

Song Xi replied, “We’re not here for you. We’re looking for someone from another world. He’s one of your crew members. Could you let us meet him?”

Yao Dangkong had only heard Yuan Moshu mention this person once and hadn’t remembered his name, so Blue Sea had no choice but to look for Yuan Moshu instead.

Yuan Moshu froze.

The moment he’d heard his own name called earlier, he’d even remembered a prank from elementary school—drawing a blood-smeared mosquito on his palm, slapping a classmate’s arm, and pretending he was just killing a mosquito.

And now these people were telling him…

They had come looking for someone else?

His eyes lit up.

He suddenly recalled those brainless wish-fulfillment novels he’d read before the apocalypse: the long-lost heir who had been missing for twenty years, the family that searched everywhere before finally finding them, and then showered everyone who had helped the protagonist with gold, jewels, and endless rewards.

He stole another glance at the black skeletal wings behind Song Xi.

Those definitely weren’t native to Green Billow Star.

Could it be…

The alien crew member he had rescued… had people from his homeworld finally come looking for him?

That seemed like the only possible explanation.

My God… am I really this lucky?

A trace of anticipation crept into Yuan Moshu’s voice.

“You’re here for him? May I ask… what your relationship with him is?”

Song Xi answered without the slightest pause.

“We don’t know him. We’re just curious, so we came to take a look.”

Yuan Moshu: “…”

The first mate: “…”

“You’re saying that on a planet as vast as Green Billow Star, you heard about some random person, got curious, assembled a fleet of over a thousand ships armed to the teeth with cannons, tracked down the Inkshadow with pinpoint accuracy across the open sea, surrounded us completely… just so you could see what this person looks like?”

Song Xi waved her hand.

Above them, a member of the Little Blue Sea Guild who had been carrying something all this time folded his wings and descended neatly.

Thud!

The two-meter-tall carcass of a snow beast, still in the middle of thawing, landed on the deck of the Inkshadow.

“This is your compensation,” Song Xi said.

Yuan Moshu: “…”

“…Kulawi Jidasumi Sanruo, come and greet our guests.”

A crew member who had been hiding timidly at the very back took off his hat and cautiously stepped forward.

Meanwhile, Cheng Qisheng, who had been watching attentively, fell silent.

…No wonder Yao Dangkong couldn’t remember his name.

Although this unfortunate “transmigrator” had an absurdly long name, he had confirmed Cheng Qisheng’s hypothesis.

As a living being, the qi clinging to him was more than ten thousand times richer than what had lingered on the painting or the robot vacuum.

The difference was like dipping a stone into water and then taking it back out—the stone would only be wet on the surface.

But if you submerged a sponge instead, it would soak up and retain far more water.

Completely focused on carrying out her god’s task, Song Xi looked at the man’s long pointed ears and yellow-green vertical pupils. After confirming that the identifying features matched, she smiled and stepped forward.

“Kulawi…”

The man spoke softly.

“Just call me Kula.”

“All right, Kula.”

Song Xi took another step forward and clasped his hand firmly.

“Hello. I’m Song Xi.”

The instant her believer made physical contact with him, Cheng Qisheng “consumed” the qi that Kula had picked up while passing through the space-time rift.

The sensation was like savoring a cup of rich chocolate ice cream—

smooth, velvety, and utterly satisfying.

Cheng Qisheng’s expression relaxed.

She raised a hand and flexed her fingers experimentally.

Their movements were noticeably faster than before.

A smile spread across her face.

Just as she’d expected, the qi carried by a transmigrator could accelerate the healing of her Mortal Body Syndrome.

She couldn’t help wondering how many more people like this existed on Green Billow Star.

She was looking forward to finding out.

Through her believers, she gently patted their heads and delivered a divine oracle, expressing her praise and approval.

The members of Squad Eight were, unsurprisingly, overjoyed.

Song Xi withdrew her hand, then waved again.

Thud!

Another snow beast carcass landed on the deck.

“Kula, this is your compensation.”

She turned around.

“Let’s go.”

Yuan Moshu: “…”

Kula: “…”

You really mobilized all of this… just to take one look at me?

And you even brought us this much meat as payment?

Yuan Moshu swore that in his entire life, he had never encountered a group this utterly baffling.

“Oh, right.”

Song Xi had been about to leave with cool, effortless style when she suddenly remembered the other eighteen ships.

“What’s the story with those ships?”

She pointed toward the pirate vessels, which had been standing as quiet as chickens the whole time.

Yuan Moshu answered weakly,

“They’re the Green Skull Pirates. Before you arrived, they were trying to kill us.”

“Oh!”

Song Xi’s eyes lit up.

Behind her, the Blue Sea residents who had been striking cool, imposing poses instantly lit up as well.

Even Cheng Anjing, who had been directing the entire operation through Mind Domain, brightened with excitement.

Pirates!

The Mind Domain group chat had been active the entire time.

In an instant, every Blue Sea resident shifted their gaze toward the eighteen Green Skull pirate ships.

<< _ >>