Chapter 422, Departure
"Huh? Your guild is this troublesome?" Philippa complained.
"Wait a few days. When I joined the guild, it also took a few days," Wu Heng said.
"How many days did you wait?"
After thinking briefly, "It seemed like three days. Yours should be about the same."
"Oh, three days isn't too bad."
After telling Philippa about the Whisperer matter,
Wu Heng continued to ask, "Your pirate friend didn't suspect you, did he?"
"No. I said he tipped off the guild, and we seized some of the ships that followed us. Now I have three ships," Philippa boasted.
Unless someone figures out the radio, it's hard to trace anything back to Philippa.
Wu Heng thought for a moment, but he didn't see any significant benefits to having more ships.
"Don't focus on developing the pirate crew. The more people you have, the more likely problems will arise. Prioritize gathering intelligence."
Philippa paused, "Ah, you seem to have a point. I'll think about it. Maybe I'll sell the ships for some spending money."
Wu Heng didn't say much more about this but instead brought up the book he acquired, "Have you heard of the Pirates' Chronicle?"
"Whose history?"
"A book called 'Pirates' Chronicle: The Omniscient of the Emerald Sea'."
"Uh… pirates don't read books! I've never seen it."
As expected, she didn't know about it.
Wu Heng briefly explained, "It mainly talks about a pirate king in the Emerald Sea who could know the movements of ships at sea."
"Ah… blank envelopes!" Philippa exclaimed, immediately thinking of the blank envelopes.
"I thought of that too. Keep this in mind and stay alert for any intelligence," Wu Heng instructed.
"Alright. Some of the older pirate groups might know something. I'll try to find out."
Wu Heng considered, "There's also a treasure map. When I get the chance, I'll hand it to you and see if you can locate the place."
Philippa replied, "Sure. I'm heading to a port with the Flying Fish Pirate Group to rest. I'll return in a couple of days; you can give it to me then."
"Alright!"
Philippa continued, "How's my mom?"
"Next time I get the chance, I'll let her talk to you. I just returned to Gold-Silver Island myself."
"Oh, alright. I'm not in a hurry."
"Then that's it for now. Be safe out there and don't make friends with pirates."
"Got it. Bye, Dad."
"Mm."
Hanging up the receiver, Wu Heng returned to the fourth floor.
He opened the dimensional gate and entered the Zombie World.
...…
Elsewhere, still in the manager's office of the mall,
he took out a walkie-talkie to call Qi Hancai.
After a short while, footsteps sounded, and a figure in a long down jacket and Martin boots approached.
"You called for me?"
Wu Heng asked, "Everything alright here?"
"Nothing much. The regional area continues to collect gold. They'll also sell us more blueprints and ammunition," Qi Hancai reported.
"Alright. Have them send over more rotary cannon shells. Also, if possible, get the blueprint for the shells," Wu Heng said.
The rotary cannon had high firing speed and immense power.
In less than a minute, it could obliterate both people and ships.
However, the ammunition consumption was enormous.
The shells that came with the cannon last time were gone in under a minute.
Now they had to keep buying more from the sellers.
Qi Hancai pulled out a small notebook, clicked the pen, and wrote it down, "Got it. I'll contact them once I'm back."
Wu Heng nodded, then asked, "Has the equipment for smelting gold arrived?"
"It's here."
"What about the site for the water well?"
"That's been chosen too."
Wu Heng stood up, "Let's go. We'll check it out."
The two left the mall. Following Qi Hancai's lead, they walked to a courtyard behind the mall.
The snow in the yard had been cleared, revealing a massive pit in the center.
"Will this work?" Qi Hancai asked.
"Should be fine. Have someone start smelting the gold. Pour it in before it cools." Wu Heng instructed.
"Alright!" Qi Hancai picked up the walkie-talkie and immediately relayed the orders.
Wu Heng, meanwhile, took out the components for the "Water Element Well."
He summoned a large number of skeleton warriors to begin assembling it.
The well resembled a large reservoir.
The stone well body was engraved with intricate symbols and patterns.
Having experience with the "Bone Burial Ground" and the "Flame Furnace," he was now much more familiar with magical constructions.
They carefully followed the assembly design.
Soon, several survivors arrived, carrying molten gold.
Wu Heng directed them to pour the gold into the grooves at the connections.
Once the gold cooled,
a faint magical ripple spread out instantly.
The runes on the well began to activate, gathering nearby water elements to form droplets that were stored within the well.
Wu Heng turned to Qi Hancai and said, "The water from here is safe for everyone to use. Make sure to station guards here. Damaged runes or poison could be a problem."
Hearing "runes" for the first time, Qi Hancai guessed it referred to the patterns on the surface.
She nodded and agreed, "Let the skeletons guard it. They're more reliable."
"Mm, that works too."
He stationed a few skeletons to guard the area.
The two then walked back out.
Qi Hancai added, "The train has been nearly fully modified. We tested it on a short run, and it's fine."
They'd had the train for about a week now.
With their experience modifying cars, adapting the train wasn't too challenging.
Progress had been swift.
Wu Heng thought for a moment, "Get the manpower ready. Tomorrow, we head to the next city."
The Zombie World had shown little progress lately.
It was time to move on.
"Got it. I'll start preparing right away."
Back in the mall,
Qi Hancai went off to handle her tasks while Wu Heng returned to Gold-Silver Island.
...…
Heading downstairs,
he saw Minnie, Andviel, and Shanaila chatting about recent amusing incidents in the living room.
Wu Heng joined them and chatted for a while.
The skeleton chef brought out dinner.
The group sat at the dining table, eating and talking.
"What have you been busy with lately?" Shanaila asked curiously.
"The guild's been assigning me to capture pirates," Wu Heng replied.
"You'll never catch all the pirates. Don't overwork yourself," Shanaila said gently.
Her concerned tone made Minnie widen her eyes in confusion.
Shanaila quickly changed the topic, "The island is forming a second batch of ships to set sail. Some merchant guild guards and mercenaries are being assigned to join."
Wu Heng took a sip from his wine glass and asked, "Are they heading out to sea?"
"No, I heard they're conducting some training. But this group is almost like an island patrol, authorized to apprehend and search," Shanaila explained.
"Oh, is Starflower assigning people too?"
"With search rights granted, other guilds are assigning people. We had to as well. Competition among merchant guilds isn't as peaceful as you think," Shanaila said helplessly.
"Makes sense. Driving off pirates is also a good thing."
"Mm!"
How the island handled such matters fell under local policy.
The guild had certain rights but couldn't interfere arbitrarily.
Unless there was evidence of conspiracy or significant threats.
After dinner, they chatted a while longer in the living room.
Shanaila left, and the others returned to their rooms to rest.
Late at night, Shanaila sneaked over again.
The two embraced on the bed.
"Aren't you tired of sneaking over every night?" Wu Heng asked.
"It's exciting."
"Ah! Lady Shanaila enjoys this thrill!"
"Stop it. Why call me 'Lady' at this moment?"
...…
The next day in the Zombie World.
North Train Station.
The train now looked like a moving steel fortress.
The engine had a shiny triangular battering ram. The windows were reinforced with steel bars as thick as fingers.
The train's body had additional metal plates, with key areas specially reinforced.
It exuded a sense of heavy power.
Solar panels and antennas were installed on the roof, providing energy and enhancing signal reception.
The train's rear was even more exaggerated, with several half-meter-long steel spikes welded on.
This was likely to prevent zombie hordes from dragging the train down from behind.
There were six carriages in total, designed to carry supplies, skeletons, and survivors. Railings were welded on the roof for deploying skeleton wyverns.
Food and supplies were loaded onto the carriages, and staff checked the train's condition.
Qi Hancai approached, saying, "Everything's ready. We can depart anytime."
"Let's go. We'll board and head out early," Wu Heng said.
After speaking, he took the skeletons directly into the arranged carriage.
After all the skeletons were ready.
Qi Hancai held the walkie-talkie and said, "Set off."
Amid a rumbling sound, the train slowly began to move.