Chapter 193: Chapter 90: The Blood Sail Pirate Gang
The confrontation between national-level Steam Ceremony Towers.
It begins at the very start of its construction.
It gathers the power from every steam-belching creation in the region—Steam Factories, Steam Furnaces, steam trains, steamships, and so on.
This immense convergence of power forges the National Steam Sacred Mark.
It is a dual Sacred Mark, possessing the power of the national framework and the might of the steam tide.
The moment the Steam Ceremony Tower is complete, its activation ceremony gathers power to forge the Sacred Mark upon a canvas of epic history.
Once this forging is finished and the nation’s steam power has converged, the colossal National Steam Sacred Mark will be fully formed.
Attacking at that point would obviously be too late.
The initial phase of the ceremony is its most vulnerable moment, much like a newborn infant.
Enemies are certain to attack during this window of vulnerability.
This requires Pioneers and constructors of the Steam Ceremony Tower like Zorn to act as Tower Guards and protect the ritual’s progress.
Over in Ogrande City, back in the winter, Zorn had already arranged for Ogrande City Hall to approve the construction of eighteen Steam Towers to concentrate the steam power of Ogrande City.
This power would be transmitted along the steam railway network to the Ancient Porcelain Holy City, setting the stage for the confrontation there.
Furthermore, by utilizing the Great Prophecy Technique of the Evil Spirit Divine Mage and resources from the Ancient Ruins, the Steam Towers in Ogrande City had already established their Tower Source Pools well in advance.
Compared to a simple Steam Tower, a Steam Source Pool Tower is significantly more resilient.
Coupled with certain Enlightenment properties, the network of Steam Source Pool Towers in Ogrande City would provide Zorn with extremely potent defensive power.
When the time comes, Zorn would not only be able to calmly repel enemy attacks, but could also secure even greater benefits from this confrontational ritual.
After all, at this current stage, whether it was the fledgling Otan Grelle Steam Empire or Saintisman, which had long since established the power of its own National Steam Sacred Mark, their national Sacred Marks were still in their infancy.
Their defenses were far from comprehensive.
During the confrontation, Zorn could absolutely exploit their defensive vulnerabilities to siphon off a considerable amount of valuable resources.
In the days that followed, after deploying his Steam Magical Castle, Zorn began to focus on designing a brand-new Steam Ceremony Tower.
It had to integrate seamlessly with the existing Steam Towers while also cutting off the Hidden Wilderness Sect from siphoning his Holy Mark Power.
At the same time, he also had to devise a way to absorb as much Spiritual Essence as possible for his own use.
’Since I’m designing and building it myself, of course I’m going to leave myself a backdoor.’
Before he knew it, several days had flown by.
About a week later, Zorn finished the design for the all-new Steam Ceremony Tower.
After Lady Sun received the plans, several days passed before her side began construction.
Clearly, they had spent the intervening time conducting their own detailed verifications.
The version he gave them was, of course, free of any vulnerabilities.
The version Zorn kept for himself, however, was designed to absorb more Essence.
...
Unlike the inland areas adjacent to the dangerous gray mists, the Ancient Porcelain Holy City faced the vast ocean and its promise of endless riches.
Especially in recent decades, the combination of steam power and the great age of seafaring had ushered in a massive boom in wealth for coastal steam cities with ports.
A massive deposit of Ancient Agate Stone was discovered on a mysterious island, transforming a penniless captain into a merchant whose wealth could rival a nation.
In a hidden, fog-shrouded sea, a secret shipwreck graveyard was discovered, and immense fortunes were salvaged from its depths.
A deal was struck with a terrifying entity on a mysterious, mobile island, granting someone a powerful Extraordinary Sequence and with it, unimaginable Extraordinary Power.
In this age of steam and seafaring, maritime legends were endless.
In the original story, Zorn Corick’s father was also drawn in by the ocean’s wealth and mystery, ultimately becoming food for the fishes.
The immense fortunes on the ocean, the freedom of the open sea, and the countless islands perfect for hiding... all this gave birth to a great many outlaws.
The great Pirate Gangs of the ocean were a force that could not be ignored in the age of steam and seafaring.
Passengers on the great steamships and sea merchants alike were terrified at the mere mention of them.
The great Steam Empires wished for nothing more than their eradication.
And while the bounties on those damned pirates grew ever higher, those pirates, far from feeling shame, wore the bounties as a badge of honor.
And among the many Pirate Gangs, the Blood Sail Pirate Gang was a cut above the rest.
...
「North Ship Bay, Pier 2 Street.」
Inside a black steam-powered car parked by the roadside.
Dusk was falling, and in the distance, the many taverns were starting to liven up.
Zorn’s gaze swept over the familiar Silver Conch Tavern.
Memories from countless past lives came flooding back.
Once upon a time... he too had been a naive grunt who stumbled his way into a Pirate Gang, looked down upon by all. He had painstakingly studied the art of navigation, growing stronger step by step through one naval battle and raid after another.
Once, he had become the powerful first mate of a Pirate Gang.
He distinguished himself in battle after battle, earning the right to enjoy the... *very* personal attention of the tavern proprietress and her sultry women.
Once, he had been a Dominator who commanded the high seas. Though he never reached the rank of Legendary, he was an all-but-invincible existence among the Holy Crown.
The Empire’s invincible armada would scatter and flee at the very sight of his pirate ship.
The great Steam Empires had joined forces to place a bounty on his head that reached a staggering one million.
