With the situation on the void continent stable, Qianye decided to return to the neutral lands and leave Song Zining here to deal with the aftermath.
Song Zining had also learned of Lin Xitang’s fall at this point. He gazed at the outwardly calm
Qianye and could only sigh. The two merely exchanged a silent glance for they had nothing to say.
Language had never been so empty and useless before. It was also painful, and even the slightest touch was almost unbearable.
Dark Flame was a majestic fleet when it arrived, but it was fairly empty upon its return. Most of the transports were empty, and some didn’t even have enough crew to man them.
After some discussions, Song Zining and Qianye decided to sell most of the transport vessels to the Empire. Although Evernight had taken grave losses in this battle, the Empire also realized the benefits of a large-scale landing of transports. The transports from the neutral lands might be old and shabby, but they were superior in their sturdiness and ease of repair, a good fit for military use.
There were so many mercenary and Zhao clan corpses that it was difficult to identify them individually and differentiate them from the enemy’s. Those who had fallen on the Martyr’s Palace were also buried in the void.
The Empire followed its usual traditions and collected all the name tags they could find. Then, they cremated all the corpses and buried the ashes under a large stele where Whitetown used to be.
At the end of the simple but solemn ceremony, Qianye led the surviving veterans on their journey back.
The battlecruiser served as the flagship with the corvettes guarding the wings and the large transports taking up the center. Almost every vessel in the fleet was damaged, so progress was rather slow. Qianye sent the Martyr’s Palace back to the Northern Continent ahead of them, to reorganize and undergo repairs. In addition, the Northern Continent’s mild atmosphere would serve as a good place for Caroline to recuperate.
The journey was calm and peaceful as the fleet slowly drove toward the neutral lands. Despite their slow pace, home was in sight after several days on the road.
Qianye stood gazing out the bridge window, toward the vague silhouette of the neutral lands at the ends of the void. From a distance, it looked like a scattered collection of islands enveloped in a hazy mist. Only from a distance could one see the traces of the fallen Void Valley Star.
As the destination was drawing near, the captain put the fleet on a new flight path. With the battlecruiser at its lead, the massive fleet turned slightly and moved toward the neutral lands.
What lay before them were merely pieces of fragmented lands to an outsider; only Qianye could see the hazy mist. As the warship charged into the mist, the entire vessel creaked faintly, and many of the gauges and meters jumped about. Some of the apparatus even started to shoot sparks.
“Damn, this again!” Cursing, the captain released his origin power to shield the control room. “What are you all staring at? Check and repair! Switch out the damaged parts and see if we have replacements for them. Oh and look for older models, the older the better.”
The crew flew into action. The captain rushed them a couple more times before arriving at Qianye’s side, saying, “Sire, we’ve already replaced a batch of components on our way out, but looks like it still won’t work.”
“The neutral lands is always like that. Don’t worry, your opponents here are all antiques. I’ll also arrange a suitable place to land the airship,” said Qianye.
The captain’s expression improved slightly. “Sire, I’m not complaining, but my heart aches when I see her like this.”
With that, the captain left the bridge to patrol the entire vessel.
The battlecruiser was the Empire’s latest model, the darling of every captain’s heart. Although it had undergone modifications for the neutral lands, the shipyard still ended up underestimating the adverse environment here. The mist Qianye had sensed contained a clear aura of destructive corrosion, mixed with void origin power. The material used in ordinary origin arrays simply couldn’t withstand the decay.
What happened on the battlecruiser was just a small interlude. The airship drove through two continents to arrive at an unusually large piece of land that was the Eastern Sea. At this point, every mercenary could already recognize their way home. The airship made a beeline for Southern Blue, shooting through a cloud layer as the silhouette of the city appeared far off over the horizon.
A mercenary beside Qianye was filled with delight. “We’re finally back!”
Qianye sighed from the bottom of his heart. “Yeah, we’re back.”
An officer said in a loud voice, “Qianye, Sire, you really must lead us to do greater things after we get back!”
Qianye was woken up by this. Looking back, he saw that the mercenaries in the cabin were all happy, excited, and exuding an extraordinary momentum. In addition to the generals, several of them looked like they were about to break through to the champion realm.
Qianye hadn’t imagined that they would say something like this. Glancing over, he saw the mercenary survivors looking at him with eyes full of radiance and passion. Those at his side were all survivors of Whitetown, most of whom were on the verge of a breakthrough after experiencing the great tribulation.
With nine out of ten men dead, Qianye had thought that the survivors would be depressed and mournful. He was expecting most of them to stay away from the battlefield even if they didn’t quit the corps. Who would’ve thought the great battle would thoroughly ignite these men, instead?
“So many of our brothers have died this time. At first, I thought you guys would want to take a long break before making a decision,” Qianye said.
The mercenaries glanced at one another and, at last, pushed a general in his thirties forward.
This man was the leader of a smaller mercenary band whom Ji Tianqing had threatened into joining with all his men. He wasn’t all that outstanding among Dark Flame’s generals, but he miraculously survived the battle of Whitetown. He was pushed forward since his original position was the highest, and he was also the strongest among the survivors.
He bowed toward Qianye and said, “Sire, mercenaries like us spend our lives on the blade’s edge. How can we expect a good ending? Dying on the battlefield is considered a good way to go. What we’re most afraid of are growing old with injuries, unable to join the battle, and living a meaningless life. The mercenary corps would usually take care of us and make sure we don’t go hungry, but it doesn’t get any better.”
Qianye nodded. This was the most common ending for the mercenaries of the neutral lands, a natural law according to Song Zining. In order to adapt and survive, humans in the neutral lands possessed greater reproductive abilities, and their strength growth was also faster. But the neutral lands couldn’t house so many people, so cruel battles were the only way to reduce the population.
The mercenary corps big and small were born to fight. They would either be hired to fight someone else, or they would fight amongst themselves. To sum it up, they had to fight and die, or no one would live.
The Evernight continent at the lowest layer of the realm was even crueler. It was extremely scarce in resources, so much so that even the young and strong couldn’t walk out of the dumpsters. They lived a life no different from wild beasts.
That general paused for a bit before continuing, “This bloody battle is simply our fate, nothing too serious. This battle is different from the past. At the very least, our dead brethren died honorably. Their wives and children won’t need to be left under another’s care and suffer humiliation. This battle, you and Sire Zining allowed us to understand that we mercenaries can also die with dignity and without concerns.”
Qianye had never thought about it this way.
The Empire would follow normal customs and compensate the families of those mercenaries who had fallen in Whitetown. This was also one of the conditions for their participation in this fight. Qianye hadn’t imagined that a memorial stele would mean so much to these soldiers.
The Empire’s standard compensation was also highly significant to the mercenaries of the neutral lands. Their families could at least live on in peace. In the past, there were many mercenary corps that had to disband because they couldn’t pay financial support to the families. Once the mercenaries fell in battle, disaster would befall their families. It wasn’t uncommon for their wives and daughters to be forced into prostitution.
That general looked back at his comrades and said, “Sire, actually, we’ve already discussed this. Only you and Sire Zining made us understand that mercenaries are also humans. So we’re not leaving, we’ll keep following you as you carve out a legacy!”
Qianye hadn’t spoken when another older general said, “Sire, split the compensation into three parts and only issue one part, leave the rest for Dark Flame’s coffers. You won’t forget us when the corps grows stronger.”
Qianye laughed wryly. “You guys trust me that much…”
“You were always at the most dangerous locations in Whitetown.”
“Yes, the same goes for Sire Zining.”
“I’m only alive because you dragged me out from under that werewolf’s claws!”
The mercenaries began to talk at the same time.
The leader gestured for them to quiet down. Only when they were silent did he say, “Sire, we mercenaries aren’t good for much, but we can still recognize a true hero, one who is worthy of following with all our hearts! Don’t refuse anymore, just give us the command if you need us for anything in the future! We won’t hesitate even if we have to fight another battle like in Whitetown!”
Qianye couldn’t help but feel emotional as he looked at these survivors.
The mercenaries lived such dangerous lives because of money. The Empire had always been generous with its compensation, and even the standard amount was an astronomical sum for these mercenaries. Their willingness to forfeit most of the money proved how determined they were to follow Qianye and rebuild Dark Flame.
An older mercenary said, “Sire Qianye, even with this arrangement, the compensation we get is still much higher than the other mercenary corps. I believe that as long as you’re at the helm, our late brethren’s families won’t suffer any grievances.”
Having said this much, Qianye could feel the weight on his shoulders. With this promise, he would have to take responsibility not only for the survivors but also for the families of the deceased. That was more than a hundred thousand people.
The leader said, “As long as you’re willing, the initial rebuilding won’t be a problem. Our dead brethren have children who are coming of age. Those over ten years old can be considered adults in the neutral lands. Just give them a gun and they won’t be inferior on the battlefield!”
Qianye finally nodded. “Very well! Follow me well in the future and I will bring you to conquer the vast world!”
An explosive cheer erupted in the battlecruiser!
Just like that, a seed was planted.
The fleet’s journey was largely uneventful as no one was stupid enough to rob them. Even the poorest, most ruthless of pirates would forget any untoward intentions after seeing the battlecruiser, and slowly shrink away.
A corvette sped forward to Southern Blue and circled the city several times. It then sent a signal after confirming that there was nothing out of the ordinary. Soon, the large fleet of airships arrived over Souther Blue and landed one after the other.
The nominal city lord, Ji Rui, was already waiting for them. He approached with a face full of smiles when he saw Qianye walking out of the battlecruiser. “Your victorious return is worthy of celebration!”
Qianye shook his head. “Most of our brethren have fallen in battle, what’s there to celebrate?”
Ji Rui was stunned. “All fallen? Impossible, you brought roughly… fifty thousand men, right?”
“These are all the survivors we have left.” Qianye pointed behind him.
Only several hundred mercenaries walked down from the airship. Their group looked rather weak compared to the giant vessel, let alone the entire fleet.
Ji Rui looked at the survivors carefully and exclaimed, “Such talented people!”
