Many pigeons emerged out of the darkness of the night in the city of Kruun, circling over the scorched-black metropolis.
Especially around the airship which was marked as “Kruun 308 ” and had its ID scratched out, they lingered like a flock of midnight ravens, making the airship under the full moon resemble one shrouded by fine demonic clouds.
A figure with a smile on his face took a step and walked over to the Seventh Lion Boulevard, gazing up at the sky.
A relatively short boy jumped down from the second-floor balcony of a building. Tataming raised his body and looked across: “Odyssey, why are you here? “
“I heard you were waiting for your clients, so I came to see which few distributors have been incredibly lucky these past few days to be recommended by you to the World Ark Committee. “
At the street corner of the night, two distributors appeared, one in a grey-white long coat and the other in an indigo-green one, both wearing double-breasted tight-fitting vests inside. Pigeons also flew beside them, and from the small electric megaphones hanging around their necks came the occasional hoot of an owl.
The boy turned to glance at the two gentlemen, a look of slight awkwardness on his face.
Odysseus chuckled softly, “Ah, doing business is nothing to be ashamed of. Recommending each other quality suppliers, I can understand that. “
“Heh heh, Brother Odysseus, when you have time, introduce me to some of your good suppliers too, ” Tata Mingqi said with a pout.
“But I wonder if Yang Buchen knows that you’re doing such things behind his back? “
The two men approached, and one distributor spoke—his face with a gentle demeanor and a slightly flushed complexion typical of a highland skin tone:
“Since such dense flashes of brilliance have been born here, why should we cling to rigid conventions? As residents recognized by this continent, we are free to move as we please. “
Another man—with a wheat-colored complexion, a plump, well-rounded face, but a body still proportionate—spoke with a very simple and honest air:
“I am also from the Fourth Layer, but at the same time, I am representing the Moonlight of the Third Layer. So for a client like Chairman Yang Buchen, who isn’t very willing to sign long-term contracts with people, working with my company is the best choice. “
“So it’s the owner of Moonlight Chamber of Commerce himself gracing us with his presence—Hmph, a threat to me, I suppose.“
Odysseus chuckled coldly, glancing at the patterned pigeons all around him, from whose electric microphones came faint murmurs of voices. Among them, those dealing in the fourth-layer moonlight of the Lunar Realm were likely more than one.
Some strange sounds issued from the broadcast above; someone was testing the audio equipment.
The distributor Wang Yue looked on with a sigh of emotion. It was a sight rarely seen in the world that could bring so many distributors together.
Because everyone knew that the heroic flash about to be born tonight—upon this world—would contain an extraordinary, unprecedented experience.
……
Zhao Anlong and his group aboard the airship finally realized the true nature of what Yang Zicang meant by his so-called broadcast relay.
“No anomalies have yet appeared among the Tower Coach electrical personnel on the train.“
“Because a shift in destiny is not something achieved overnight, like a flash of light.” Sword Thirteen, feeling some relief, stood with his sword on his back, his eyes with their dense eyelashes fixed on the images from the ocean broadcast on the Televi set.
“Yes, in the beginning it might seem mere ordinary disturbance. But when the train charges out of the periphery of this era, this very upheaval has already set a new chord of fate in motion.” Ying Renyu’s words set some of those around him to contemplation.
“A chord of a new era… It carries none of the reek of death about it.“
Inside the crowded pod behind, over twenty people arriving from the sea and the rescue team from Klue City all listened in astonishment as the researchers from Tafke-Tech Electric casually discussed, among the crowd, the efforts their research institute had made over the years.
Someone murmured under their breath:
“We thought that train’s objective was to cross the ocean between two continents in a short span of time. “
Zhao Anlong, standing at the pod entrance, turned to look at the young man’s back view standing by the Tivi machine, watching Cheng Yunze traverse the sea, “This guy… “
He noticed that among the experts he had brought along, some actually revealed expressions of envy.
This made Zhao Anlong, who was still staying in his “brother’s ” room, contentedly cross his arms, casting glances at these fellows who had earlier shown a hint of disdain upon hearing about the need for assistance.
“Everyone, we are about to start an all-night live broadcast. “
“It is estimated that around 4:50 a.m. in our time, through this electromagnetic signal connecting two worlds, we will witness the first cross-sea live broadcast of this era. “
A wave of noise erupted.
“I believe you all know what we are about to verify. “
With Yang Zicang’s words, the pod was filled with looks of exclamation or envy.
“According to my distributor friend, many messengers from different moon realms have come tonight. “
“Indeed, this is practically a miracle, ” the people nodded his replies.
“If any of you need accessories, especially my brothers who haven’t fully obtained the distributor accessory beacons from the first to seventh layers of the Moon Realm, you can go find my Moon Realm first-layer distributor, Loki. Tata Mingqi—er, young lad. He will provide you all with communication beacons to your respective distributors. “
Many faces in the pod lit up with joy.
Amid the chatter, a clear and elegant voice broadcast sounded.
Everyone looked towards the brightly lit orange cabin beneath another airship in the distance. Inside, a silhouette in a black dress was holding headphones to her ear in front of a microphone, reading from a script and broadcasting in standard Mutao Language.
— “Brothers and sisters around the world, tonight we will witness a miracle of the Mutao Continent together… “
— “Right now, a group of our World Ark’s warriors are crossing the vast ocean. It is expected that by the early hours of tonight, this transoceanic train will lead everyone to see the horizon of the next era’s continent, the Horizon Continent! “
……
— “…The horizon of the Horizon Continent! “
…The horizon~horizon~…rizon…~~
The broadcast speakers echoed over the midnight city.
In his bed, Lieutenant General Ross, who had already gone to sleep, turned over in shock and sat up, pulling open the curtains to gaze at the airship suspended high above.
Moonlight cast shadows along the edges of his sturdy frame.
— “Now… what we can see… is already the ocean surface beyond the Horizon Continent… “
“They’re a bunch of madmen. ” Lieutenant General Ross muttered, quickly turning to look at his shoes and clothes, momentarily unsure which to put on first.
Suddenly, the door was knocked twice before the handle was turned and it was pushed straight open.
The new female adjutant in military uniform panted urgently from outside:
“Sir, the Prince has an urgent call, he insists we get in touch with Chairman Yang Buchen of the World Ark. “
“What? “
“He says he wants to make a statement for tonight’s feat. “
……
At a private residence in the capital of Hevenzik, the Second Prince was pacing frantically back and forth inside the room.
But there was nothing he could do. The liaisons he had sent that afternoon to the Hailisi family, as well as the Goas and Augustus families, had all received warm receptions—yet none of them delivered any word. This was because all the major families stated that Chairman Yang of the World Ark had had little contact with them ever since the investigation had begun.
“Those ungrateful Fogfolk! ” the Second Prince roared in fury.
A woman in her twenties, living in the same residence, burst into the room: “Honey, news has it that the Crown Prince is preparing a speech to celebrate the successful trans-sea crossing at dawn. “
“That damned bastard. ” The Second Prince’s eyes reddened as he turned to look out the window at the faint silhouette of the airship in the distance.
“How did he manage it? How did he get in touch with the Fogfolk? “
“It’s Lieutenant General Ross, ” the woman said. “The young lady that the Haili family managed to push next to him has now been shoved over to Yang Buchen’s side. The way these old nobles see things, it’s really not something someone like us… could ever match up to. “
“Haili…? ” The Second Prince pondered for a moment, hands on his hips, remembering that the list for the visit to Schieffen did indeed have two women.
Damn it, that Haili family is playing me for a fool!
As his anger grew even more intense, the woman walked over gracefully to soothe his emotions:
“It doesn’t matter. Even if we don’t see it tonight, we’ll be able to truly see that coastline in the future. “
The Second Prince breathed out a sigh of relief and said:
“You don’t understand. If it were me doing this tonight, I, I… ugh, damn it, these bastards from the Mist States, ” he rubbed his hands together, looking left and right at the few cars outside the window.
“How did they come up with this kind of method? Damn it, why couldn’t it have been me instead? No, I need to get in touch with Yang Buchen too. “
He shoved aside the ordinary-looking woman with thick makeup, who was nearby, grabbed the coat from the wooden coat rack, and rushed out the door.
He wished he could get on a plane right now to get close to that airship, take a good look at the display on it, but reason told him that he had to visit that honorary Viceroy of the Haili family tonight to have any hope of solving the problem.
After he left, the old man who had appeared earlier in the Second Prince’s office walked in and said, with a tone of worry, “Has he finally swallowed his pride to go approach the Haili family? “
The woman sighed softly as she approached, “Yes. Forced to the brink. A man like that, if it weren’t that he wants to move toward the Eras Continent, I really wouldn’t want to be his… concubine. “
“But among the princes, he’s the only one who can be used. No one else can take us to the Eras Continent. “
The Older Man looked up at the airship outside.
“The Fogfolk did well. A pity they don’t understand the principle that the bird that sticks its neck out gets shot. “
The woman also turned around, her arms resting on the window sill as she gazed at the moon outside, letting the cool night breeze ruffle her soft gauze skirt.
“Indeed. Times will easily find the instigator. Where there are peaks, there are valleys; where there is life, there is decay. He will bear all the curses from the great upheaval of fate, falling just like our emperor. “
……
In the hotel room high in the tower, Lie Yan Dao lay sideways on the bed. The faint broadcast from the airship drifted into his ears.
His eyes snapped open wide; he rose slowly and turned his head to look out the window.
The door slammed open with a bang, and the man outside, pulling Sha’er along, burst in, startled, shouting: “Big brother! Damn it, could this really be another Radiance waiting to emerge? You really don’t know that Yang Buchen? ” _”
“Huh? ” The man lying on the bed in a bear-print pajama turned his head in daze-eyed confusion.
“Are you seriously telling me you’ve never met him? There are only three hours left until the final arrival— we might have chance to still him how some duty. “
As soon as he finished speaking, a huge bundle of fireworks burst open in the outside world, rising simultaneously from the rooftops and the ground, exploding into colorful clusters of fiery stars that awakened the sleeping people.
“Shit, some brother has already started moving. “
— “The gentleman now waving at us is Researcher Fenmore of Taxco Electric… He is a representative of the Timber Waves delegation visiting our people… “
The woman rushed over, grabbing the clothes of Evil Sword Shard and shaking him, “What exactly is your feud? Tell me! If you’re really mortal enemies, why didn’t you go to him the first chance you got, go to kill him since you’re so powerful? Talk, talk! “
— “Hello, everyone… “
“I, I… ” Evil Sword Shard looked at the fireworks outside that were undoubtedly standard for hometown folks, “It was him… who sent me away from my beloved woman. “
“How is this possible? How did Chairman Yang pull this off? ” Jiang Tao rushed over, asking Evil Sword Shard, who was a bit dazed.
“By… investing in nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine years of time sequences. “
“Holy crap! “
……
Essentially, all the foreign leaders had been woken up.
Chairman Yang Buchen of the World Ark, along with his team, will perform a cross-ocean broadcast to the major cities of the world tonight. This news left many leaders momentarily unable to grasp the meaning of certain words and phrases.
“What is a broadcast? “
“Cross-ocean, how are they crossing it? What, the Crimometer train of Science of Evil?! “
“Where are they?! “
Countless people rushed out, looking up at the sky. Above some cities, there were only stars and the moon, while above others, the sound and flickering screens spread across the air.
The train streaking straight across the black, terrifying waves flashed on the screen. Politicians wearing glasses pushed open doors and windows, generals and commanders raised telescopes, crowds on the streets gradually grew noisy, and refugees in the shelter areas huddled together—none were not captivated and shocked by the train’s rushing figure, which resembled a straight holy sword.
Suddenly, the train on the screen threw out a wooden crate, then abruptly accelerated!
“What is that thing? “
Some people on the ground asked.
Soon, the loudspeaker on the airship began broadcasting an explanation.
—I｛****｝ “The floating wooden crates we are now seeing thrown into the sea come from the former Golden Shell Federation, once a set of discarded wireless signal relay stations.“
“No way! “
“How is that possible? Could it be that those relay stations were tossed into the seawater one by one along their route for signal relaying?! “
People were utterly stunned beyond words.
……
On the sea, a golden skeleton carrying a camera quickly returned to the train as Ning Jiajia’s broadcast feed cut to the scene.
The live broadcast achieved its desired effect. Cheng Yunze could even hear the cohesive sound of protection talismans carrying the wills of over a thousand people.
—I｛****｝ “Well done.“
From the loudspeaker came Yang Zicang’s encouraging words and a burst of cheers.
“Now, we just wait for the coastline to appear. “
After taking a short rest, Cheng Yunze and the others began to place the photography equipment further away from Phamor and started preparing for the most crucial item—the “Tivi Machine. “
Stephen, Haiven Czick, even the Grand Duchy where the airship hadn’t yet reached the capital, and many other places—people who had received the news that night were all waiting.
They didn’t understand why their emotions were caught up in such tension. Even suppressing it felt impossible.
Some people, confused, looked out the window at the airships. Why were the Fogfolk choosing to act this way at this very moment?
Three hours passed in a flash.
— “Friends… from all over the world! “
As a woman’s voice came from the airship, everyone looked up and paid attention.
— “Our train is about to arrive ten minutes ahead of schedule! “
People watched nervously as the seawater became clearer. At that moment, the stars in the sky were still bright. Under the moonlight, a deep train carriage appeared on one side of the screen, while the dark green waves ahead remained an endless gloom.
Closer, even closer.
People held their breath, staring intently at the screen.
The sound from the speakers beside them seemed to have been cast out of their consciousness.
Suddenly, a deeper black shade emerged from the edge of the dark seawater.
It rose very slowly, as if taking dozens of breaths without showing much more, from the very center of the screen.
But after a few seconds, a faint speck of light pierced the deep, dark rift in the distance!
“A lighthouse! “
No one knew who let out the first cheer! Then came another! And then, a wave of cheers roared like an avalanche!
“It’s the sea lighthouse of the Radiance Continental Crown!!! “
The blast of heat from the crowd shattered the dark clouds in the sky.
Aboard the airship, the people who were watching the same scene and cheering together hugged and high-fived each other in encouragement.
At that moment, Yang Zicang was startled to feel a thought arising in his heart.
｛More than two hundred thousand people are united in their wishes, waiting together…｝
｛And I, the Great Quadrilateral Rectifier, can sense three hundred thousand… seven hundred thousand… nine hundred and fifty thousand…｝
In countless great cities.
“We succeeded! “
The airship high above could hear the sounds of celebration coming from below. The people in the gondola smiled.
“Friends, let’s now bear witness to something together. “
“There’s more? “
The cheering crowd looked up, somewhat confused.
……
A few hours later.
In the spacious Grand Council Chamber of the Steffen Republic, Yang Zicang and the others stared at the distributors standing before them.
And at this moment, standing before him was a distributor of special status, for he hailed from the seventh layer of the Lunar Realm.
“I have two shares of Radiance here. I’ll trade them for the piece on the Tivid Mech you’re holding. “
“Why? They are both the same ‘Heroic Flash’ type. “
This distributor, dressed in a light red, gown-like coat with a white bow tie at his collar, replied: “Because their worth differs. If I were to tell you, consider this an additional price. Knowing this piece of information is also worth another Radiance. “
“What is it then? “
“Saying it means signing the contract, you know. It’s a privilege of a high-credit merchant like me. ” He snapped his fingers, and a ring’s jingling sound flew up. The distributor caught the falling ring with a light laugh.
“Because this experience of yours contains successful efforts that reversed a fatal, evil threat in the real world. “
“That… ” Amid the shocked gazes of the people around him, Yang Zicang thought back to his previous speculations about the Radiance.
“Once you possess this ‘Heroic Flash,’ we can resonate more easily, and new, similar fates can emerge. “
Yang Zicang’s pupils dilated sharply.
People around who heard this news opened their mouths in silence, but immediately realized they couldn’t repeat these words at this moment.
“If you want to share this news, you’ll have to pay a price. Each time you tell it, you must pay me a Radiance information introduction fee. It’s also in the contract. ” The distributor from the seventh layer of Moonlight Hall snapped his fingers with a smile.
Then the surrounding crowd glanced at their chests and eventually chose to shut up. Few would accept such a price.
“So, do we start the transaction now? “
“I want to know, does this flash transaction count as fulfilling my long-term contract with you? “
“Hmm, of course. ” The distributor nodded, then shifted his tone. “But, since it’s an exchange of Heroic Flash for Heroic Flash, this transaction doesn’t include the Moonlight Core from the seventh layer. “
“This… ” Yang Zicang frowned.
“It’s nothing. As long as you sign a long-term contract with me, this Glory Light plus ten Glow Lights will be considered as your full completion of this deal. I can also inform you of the other piece of news as agreed, along with a 300% Moonlight worth of those ten Glow Lights. “
Facing the smiling face gazing at him from the front, Yang Zicang said, “Alright. This isn’t a losing deal. Except… the ten Glow Lights. “
Ta Ta Ming Qi rushed in quickly: “Forget about the Glow Lights! As long as you sell me the five Glow Lights we discussed earlier, I’ll tell you that extra news. That’s what we’ve settled. “
The last sentence was directed at the distributor from Layer Seven who stood before him.
“That works too. Friend from Layer One (First Layer). “
Yang Zicang gripped the pendant hanging from his chest.
｛I begin cataloging the memorable new life experiences worth noting.｝
｛I invested 10N.｝
A spark of light began to be born upon the emerald gemstone.
All eyes around focused on the double-sided skull-shaped gold pendant.
｛-Radiance of Heroes’ Emblem: The Visualizer that shattered the Shell of Death.｝
……
On a sea, far, far away—
On the ship, Hong Haocheng stood at the bow. His wind-tossed black hair glowed with the faint reddish tint of the sunrise kissed by the light of dawn.
But the two dark circles(under his eyes) / prominent dark circles beneath his eyes spoiled his youthful vigor, making him appear somewhat wilted/languid.
The woman walked over beside him and leaned on the railing, _”Bai Yuan says Yang Zicang’s plan has succeeded. Will that put him｛bai Yuan reference｝ in danger ｛of being used/no relevance, understood reference variable maybe broad implication regarding other characters actual situations being probable possibilities concerned here maybe｝… Well Will ｛name not repeated within of specific selection here checking reference direction obvious from dialogue｝ shall things upcoming pose threat to and (principe proper translation procedure achieved).
“Times will easily find the will that disturbs its life’s strings, and then pour into it the opposing potential energy accumulated by the fate this person has stirred.“
Hong Haocheng looked out at the distant sea with a hint of pride.
After a brief silence of two seconds, he snorted lightly:
“But it cannot find those who are not within the era.“
Amid the sound of the waves, Hong Haocheng pulled a small radio and a pair of earphones from his chest, handing them to the woman beside him.
“Nor can it find the nodes that, like rivets, have long been fixed within its rigid fate, existing outside that dead destiny.“
The woman, as beautiful as a hibiscus flower, lowered her head in thought for a moment.
“This… everyone is together doing this, it’s really hard to say whether you were the original initiator or not.“
Hong Haocheng put one earphone into his ear.
“So, even if it wants to trouble us before it dies, ha, who would it look for? Look for me? I certainly won’t admit to being the chief commander.” He then nudged the woman’s arm with his hand:
“Mm-hmm, hurry up and listen before this radio turns into a nightmare before we reach the shore.“
The woman took the earphones, and together they leaned against the ship’s rail, swaying their heads as they listened to the electronic music from the late 20th century coming through the device.
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