r18novel 5. Eastern Holy Spirits, Burning Spirit Illustrated Guide, and Hunter's Notes [2-in-1]
5. Eastern Holy Spirits, Burning Spirit Illustrated Guide, and Hunter's Notes [2-in-1]
With the savings, Roya resolved to build a real hunter team from scratch as the team leader.
To be an airship hunter, you first need an airship.
A hunter without an airship is like a man without a car in Roya's previous life; he is easily looked down upon, and on a rainy day, he might even get splashed with water by a speeding driver.
Hunting airships have requirements for size, armor, firepower, and range that far exceed those of civilian airships, and are comparable to those of military airships, resulting in high prices.
Roya fantasized about finding a battle-damaged, secondhand ship for fifty gold coins...
It wasn't until he and Wendell visited every airship assembly shop in Blue Mist Town that the harsh reality hit them hard.
A Hunter airship, the smallest of the 30-meter class with only basic configuration, costs over 500 gold nerds new, and over 300 gold nerds for a used one. Even a battle-damaged version with a damaged keel or buoyancy tank costs over 100 gold nerds...
Luo Ya sighed softly.
Turning to look at Wendell, she intentionally tested him:
"With your extraordinary abilities, if you had captured the triangular hyacinth whale back then, you could buy a hunting airship right now."
Wendell shrugged.
"I'm sorry, my abilities are limited. Between you and the rainbow whale, I can only capture one alive at most."
"..."
……
It was getting dark.
The rosy glow of the sunset spread a red carpet over the vast sea of clouds.
A hunter's tavern called "Butcher's Blood Brew".
The lights are just coming on.
The simple open-air tavern is right next to the tavern's kitchen.
Fresh meat decomposes under high temperatures, and the vapors of blood and phlogiston rise and swirl, creating a misty, smoky atmosphere.
The hunters who came to Blue Mist Town to deliver their goods were in high spirits, drinking and feasting while enjoying the exquisite knife skills of the butchers in the kitchen.
For example, how does a ferocious, man-eating giant bird with a wingspan of over eight meters transform from a roaring beast into a golden, crispy, and enticing steamed chicken on a plate under the knives of multiple butchers?
Roya and Wendell ordered a plate of potato slices, two plates of steamed fried chicken, and a bucket of chilled blood beer, and found a seat by the pub's notice board.
From a mechanic being observed by people next to a tavern to an airship hunter going out to eat with his teammates, Roya was still a little unaccustomed to it.
He didn't pretend to be a rugged hunter; he simply buried himself in his drink while keeping his eyes and ears open.
The only thing that could be called a wall in the tavern was a three-meter-high notice board.
The most prominent spot on the bulletin board displays the latest batch of bounty posters, some with staggering amounts.
Luo Ya's gaze swept over the area repeatedly, and after a moment, his tense nerves finally relaxed.
He's not on the list yet!
In the steam age, without wireless telephones and the internet, information was transmitted by mechanical carrier pigeons, which was very slow.
There is no surveillance on the Sky Island. Bounty posters are usually created by a collaboration between painting-type and soul-type superhumans, who extract images from the memories of witnesses and hand-draw them.
It has some degree of authenticity, but not much.
Luo Ya picked up his wine glass and sighed softly:
"After tonight, my bounty might appear on the bulletin board."
Wendell picked up his glass, took a small sip, and comforted him:
"Don't be arrogant. The idiots in the conscription office don't realize your value. You won't make the list."
Am I being arrogant?
Luo Ya had nothing to say and buried himself in eating and drinking.
The blood-brewed wine had a strong, fishy smell and a very heavy flavor, far inferior to the sweet wine from the distillery tavern.
The texture of the steamed fried chicken is far superior to that of the sunfish...
Wendell's eyes flickered slightly, reflecting the shimmering light of the wine.
"However, since you are destined to be wanted by the conscription office and will certainly be sentenced to death and exile on the surface, why not steal a ship? If you want, there is no ship on this island that you cannot get."
Luo Ya had a feeling that there was something wrong with this woman.
She is aloof, pure, and tolerant, occasionally appearing lazy and tired... yet she always encourages him to do evil, as if she is intentionally testing him.
"The faith of a materialist warrior will not collapse because of the slaughter of evil people. Besides, I don't want to see you cough up blood again."
With her right hand holding the wine glass suspended in mid-air, Wendell pondered for a moment, and a rare, faint hint of shame appeared on her perpetually aloof goddess-like face.
"Does materialism mean you don't believe in the Holy Spirit?"
The Church of the Holy Spirit is the only legitimate religious organization in the Empire.
It is a monotheistic religion, worshipping the supreme god of phlogiston.
Father Norgiston.
As a native of the East, Luo Ya does not believe in any religion or deity.
He coughed twice and began to recite:
"Easterners have always believed only in people who actually existed. We have faith in our ancestors who, during times of hardship, turned the tide and paved the way for the common people. They are the Holy Spirits that give us nothing to fear."
Wendell gracefully raised her glass, and for the first time, she saw light in Roja's eyes.
"Homage to the Holy Spirit of the East."
In addition to the bounty notices, the bulletin board also posted many group hunting missions.
Luo Ya reviewed every single task.
The mission is initiated by individuals or hunter teams, who go to certain relatively dangerous airspace to hunt.
In Luo Ya's view, these missions have vague objectives, unpredictable risks, and unclear allocations, making them like opening a blind box.
Without a fixed target, it's easy for the air force to be caught off guard.
Once the air force is deployed, the expensive phlogiston fuel will be wasted.
Just then!
The three young men approached Roya and Wendell's table.
The tall, curly-haired youth at the head of the group politely spoke:
"I heard you two just lost your airship. Are you interested in salvaging a new one?"
Luo Ya then realized that showing off in the street was too conspicuous and would easily attract attention.
He picked up his wine glass with his right hand and quickly glanced at the three men.
The group consisted of two men and one woman, all dressed in the distinctive dark blue uniforms of the Mayman County Naval Academy, with standard-issue muskets with bayonets at their waists, a style quite similar to the armaments of the Blue Nest Dominion.
The three were about the same age as Luo Ya, with fair skin, impeccable makeup, and an air of pampered nobility, yet their brows radiated youthful vigor and a dignified righteousness.
This was an era of positivity and boundless innovation. Even among the sons of the powerful and wealthy, not all were as corrupt and greedy as Koch; some were brimming with ambition and vigor.
Luo Ya took a sip of beer and asked calmly:
"What, you have an airship?"
The curly-haired youth glanced around to make sure no one was watching before quietly sitting down next to Roya and saying in a low voice:
"My name is Louis Giles, and these two are Emmon and Allison. We are students at the Mevan County Naval Academy and also volunteers of the Mevan County First Mechanical Regiment."
Righteous soldiers?
Or were they volunteers from the First Mechanized Regiment of Mevan County?
You're not here to arrest me, are you?
Luo Ya is now particularly sensitive to the words "righteous army".
The empire, including its various autonomous territories, implemented a strict policy of elite troops and a lenient policy of righteous troops.
Professional soldiers enjoy high status and good benefits, and are often sons of the powerful and wealthy who perform security and defense duties.
Volunteer soldiers are militia members other than professional soldiers. They apply voluntarily or are forcibly recruited by local military units. They are poorly paid and can only become professional soldiers after completing a series of dangerous missions.
If Roya is captured by the conscription office, he will be sent to fill in the lines on the ground as a special volunteer soldier.
"What, even the righteous soldiers need the hunters' help?"
Upon hearing this, the curly-haired youth glanced around, then lowered his already deep voice even further:
"We've just received a secret mission: to head to the nearby Hillis Mountains and salvage a transport airship that has made an unexpected emergency landing. It's carrying a large, malfunctioning differential engine."
We lack a highly skilled mechanic who is adept at repairing differential engines. The two of you, capable of defeating the Tyrannosaurus Rex armor with a small, unmanned armored vehicle, are certainly capable of handling this task.
Go to the mountain to salvage the airship that made an emergency landing?
Does "mountain" mean...the surface of the earth?
Having traversed three years, Luo Ya never set foot on the surface of the earth, and instinctively feared and avoided it.
He would never accept the mission unless it was highly profitable and safe.
So, without any hesitation, he went straight to the point and asked:
"If the airship is salvaged, how will the spoils be divided?"
The curly-haired youth responded generously:
"If the airship is salvaged, it belongs to you, but we will take the differential guns it was transporting back to the Corps."
As an airship transporting an important difference engine, its mechanical quality should not be too bad, and Roya is exactly in need of such a ship.
So they pressed for details:
"What is the altitude of the emergency landing site? Is it in the fog zone?"
"It is located at an altitude of about 6,300 meters in Baiyun District."
The curly-haired youth was very certain.
In the steam age, apart from the blue sky above the clouds, the clouds covering the earth's surface were divided into white cloud areas, gray fog areas, and black smoke areas.
The level of danger increases progressively.
Baiyun District itself is not too dangerous, but considering that the airship emergency landing point is on the ground, the danger factor increases exponentially.
Roya took another sip of his chilled beer, his calm gaze subtly shifting to Wendell, who had remained silent beside him, wondering if Wendell's supernatural abilities could cover the surface of the earth.
"Wendel, what do you think?"
Wendell had no concept of danger; he simply felt it was worthwhile to go to the surface for an airship.
"That's fair. When do we depart?"
Luo Ya nodded slightly, remaining expressionless.
The curly-haired youth and his two companions were so excited that they almost rushed to answer.
"Meet at the Central Plaza at 6:00 AM tomorrow, or as late as 7:00 AM!"
Luo Ya did not fully agree, only responding vaguely:
"If it's not seven o'clock yet, then I'll take it as a change of heart."
.
After Giles and his two companions left, the light in Roya's eyes settled down like beer foam, and he began to carefully assess the potential risks of this trip.
An airship that made an emergency landing on a mountain.
A runaway giant difference engine.
They are suspected to be a group of nobles acting as militia.
She even took the initiative to find him...
A strange, indescribable feeling lingered in Roya's mind.
He quietly took a sip of his chilled beer.
His gaze lingered on Wendell's face, which was etched with scars yet still breathtakingly beautiful.
"It's easy for nobles to become professional soldiers; these three may not be righteous soldiers."
Perhaps they want to seize the difference engine for themselves, or perhaps there is a trap waiting for us.
I'm just a newbie, can you handle this?
Wendell couldn't understand the deep thoughts of the weak and could only try to comfort Roya.
"Gales, the leader, has good talent and plenty of vitality. He is a first-tier physical master. The other two are ordinary people, but they are on the verge of awakening..."
Don't worry, I'm much better than them.
As for the surface of Baiyun District... I had just crawled out of the underground abyss before I met you.
That's exactly what Luo Ya was waiting for.
Giles and his two companions were stronger than he had imagined, and as teammates, they weren't exactly a burden.
However, the surface spirits are denser and of higher quality, making them even more ferocious than the spirits in the clouds. To reduce Wendell's burden, Roya decided to create another set of close-fitting armor.
"Next, I'm going to use all the money I have to build a set of armor specifically for the Burning Spirit."
In Wendell's opinion, Roya's physical body was indeed too weak, and creating a set of armor would save her a lot of effort.
"You're the captain, you don't need to inform me about something like this."
Luo Ya felt a little embarrassed by what she said and asked her:
"Is there anything you want to buy?"
"I need some high-energy black tea to stay awake."
"it is good."
Roya realized that Wendell was prone to drowsiness, to the point that he didn't care about many things, and was destined not to be the captain.
However, he had only ever heard of Sleeping Tea...
What the heck is this "awakening black tea"?
……
After leaving the "Butcher's Blood" tavern, Roya and Wendell went to a tea shop called "Ceylon Legend".
I selected a bag of high-energy black tea produced in a deep valley, known for its excellent energizing effects.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Luo Ya brewed a cup himself.
The tea soup was deep and dark, like blood.
Taking a small sip, a strange, subtle sweetness appeared on the tip of my tongue.
The sweetness vanished in an instant, replaced by a bitterness that spread from the back of the tongue...
The bitterness was like a needle, piercing from the root of the tongue all the way into the lungs.
With my eyes closed, I couldn't calm down for a long time; what I saw and felt was an endless sea of suffering.
Even if it's not bitter, just endure it!
Wendell also took a bite, his expression indifferent, perhaps feeling it wasn't bitter enough.
Fortunately, it has a significant brain-refreshing effect!
For Luo Ya, it not only refreshes the mind but also enhances the body's pheromones.
After drinking a cup of tea, a surge of burning, fiery energy coursed through my blood vessels, like a fire burning in my chest.
"It's so exciting!"
Previously, Luo Ya mostly drank cheap beer with low-quality flammable ingredients. This was the first time he had drunk a high-flavor beverage, and his awakened spirit was burning brightly.
The hunter's joy has begun to manifest.
Afterwards, Roja thoughtfully replaced Wendell's personal wine pouch with a ram's horn teapot with built-in steam.
Do you like it?
Wendell stared blankly at the shape of the teapot...
I liked it at first sight.
.
Luo Ya continued to make purchases.
I bought a complete set of brown hunting clothes, including a helmet, spiked boots, and cape, from a professional hunter's protective gear store.
And a set that was carefully selected at great expense—
Inner carapace of the venom sac.
The poison sac inner armor is a complete set of thick, gray underwear worn close to the body. It is a double-layered structure of spider silk and dolphin swim bladder, which can protect against basic firearms and sword wounds, similar to the air bladder of a military vest.
In addition, when the inner armor of the poison sac is torn apart or swallowed by a ferocious beast, it will instantly release a pungent gas that is poisonous to the spirit, scaring away the beast or causing it to vomit up the human it has swallowed.
According to the shopkeeper, it can withstand attacks from first-tier Burning Spirits at close range and attacks from second-tier Burning Spirits at long range.
Roya took off his gray-blue mechanic's work clothes and put on a full set of brown hunting clothes with a poison sac inner armor, looking very impressive.
"How is it?"
Wendell, who was drinking tea with his head tilted back, glanced at Roya.
"You're too thin. You need to catch more beasts and eat more meat so you can become a superhuman as soon as possible."
Roya pursed his lips and glanced back at Wendell.
This woman is definitely fleshy...
In order to become an extraordinary being as soon as possible, he also had to live the life of a hunter, drinking from large bowls and eating large chunks of meat!
Afterwards, the two went to a bookstore and selected a must-have guide to hunting in the Cloud Sea.
"Illustrated Guide to the Burning Spirit of the Cloud Sea"
Five hundred pages, a thick book, entirely hand-painted, detailing over two thousand high-value flammable materials.
Roya had read a hundred-page abridged version at the Distillery Tavern and had a general understanding of common types of burning spirits.
Nowadays, as a hunter, one naturally needs to read more professional, complete versions!
With the remaining money, Roya used it all to buy phlogiston, armored ammunition, and easily damaged ornithopter parts.
Luo Ya clutched the empty money bag, his expression complex.
Only when you manage a household do you realize how expensive firewood and rice are.
For hunters, money comes quickly, but they spend it even faster.
So much so that after Roja spent all his savings, he realized he didn't have enough money to go to a hotel with Wendell.
"Sorry, we'll have to sleep outdoors tonight."
"Is there anything wrong with it?"
Wendell shrugged.
……
Midnight.
North of Blue Mist Town, a grassy slope at the edge of a cliff.
The pervasive blue mist quietly dissipated, revealing a night sky as clear as the Milky Way.
The Milky Way's starlight spills across the sea of clouds, and a cool evening breeze stirs up layers of silvery waves.
Blue dragonflies and steam-powered flying armor stand on the grassy slope, gazing at the vast silver waves.
Wendell leaned against an oak tree and took out a quill pen and a thin piece of parchment from his tightly bound leather bodice.
I write quietly by the starlight.
Roya leaned against the other side of the oak tree, flipping through his newly bought books by the starlight.
The two remained silent, as if they were secretly competing in their eyesight.
The rustling sound of the pen tip rubbing against the parchment mingled with the gentle breeze, the rustling leaves, and the chirping of insects, creating a beautiful symphony.
The various magical spirits in "The Illustrated Compendium of the Cloud Sea Spirits" come to life under the starlight, as if they were alive.
Luo Ya felt as if he had returned to his childhood days of reading comic books.
After quickly finishing writing, Wendell stuffed the quill and parchment back into his bosom.
Roya turned his head and glanced at him, and couldn't help but admire Wendell's broad-mindedness and all-encompassing inclusiveness.
Based on her usual literary tone, she suddenly asked:
Are you a bard?
The evening breeze caressed my face, lifting Wendell's silvery hair, and his golden pupils reflected the starlight.
"No, I'm just keeping a record of my daily life so I don't forget."
"So it was a diary..."
What normal person would keep a diary?
Roya speculated that the narcolepsy resulting from Wendell's backlash might cause memory problems.
Just as I was about to ask, Wendell said goodnight.
Goodnight, mechanic.
After saying that, I fell asleep in a second!
No matter what Roya said, he couldn't wake her up.
The starlight outlined her elegant, voluptuous sleeping posture. Even with flowers brushing her face and bees and butterflies landing on her shoulders, she remained motionless, like a sleeping angel statue, holy and serene.
"What a strange woman..."
Luo Ya also closed his book and waded into the grass.
Surrounded by flowers, plants, insects, and butterflies.
He rested his head on his arm, crossed his legs, and dangled a blade of grass in his mouth, gazing at the dazzling night sky studded with stars.
Today's events, though fleeting, seem as if they were happening right before my eyes.
Strictly speaking, he became a hunter only because Wendell tipped him off, followed him, rescued him, kidnapped him, and recommended him.
But for some reason, he didn't feel restricted.
Being the captain of a duo team brought an unprecedented sense of freedom and exhilaration, far more comfortable than working or chasing girls.
As for the safety he values most...
The people on the floating islands are unpredictable and may not be as safe as those in the sky.
Moreover, Wendell was there to protect him.
Tomorrow will be his first battle as a hunter, and his first trip to the legendary surface.
"I hope nothing unexpected happens."
Luo Ya fell into a deep sleep, his murmured whispers fading into the cool night breeze, starlight disappearing into his deep slumber.
……
Meanwhile, in Wendell's dream.
In the sea illuminated by the silvery holy light.
A naked woman with stunningly beautiful features and a seductive figure, entwined with black snakes and purple flowers, sits high on a throne suspended in the sky.
Black mist, like a waterfall, flowed slowly, staining the sea surface.
The ram's horn teapot held loosely in the woman's hand reflected the image of an Eastern youth in her deep, enigmatic pupils.
Her slightly furrowed, misty eyebrows remained furrowed for a long time.
"While Wendell's beauty is slightly inferior to mine, and she lacks the ability to charm men, she is still the Holy Maiden of the North Wind, and is hailed as the most beautiful woman in the North."
The way this guy is looking at Wendell's body... it's like he's looking at a mechanical structure.
Is so-called materialism simply the objectification of women?
Perhaps I can use this to my advantage...
The woman suddenly gave a wicked smile, and the dark shadow flowing beneath her seemed to come alive, instantly covering the entire sea surface.
"Sleep well, Wendell. I'll mold him into whatever shape you like."