Void Cultivation

Chapter 356: Chapter 355- Paranoia (4)

Bao had invested considerable effort into building his previous magic ship. The vessel had been exceptionally durable and incredibly fast. Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators would have found it difficult to damage, much less destroy.

Moreover, it was a gift from Caster that was already exceptional on it’s own.

Unfortunately, the enemy Grey had faced was no ordinary Foundation Establishment expert.

His opponent had been a peak Spirit Core Formation cultivator.

Against such overwhelming power, even Bao’s craftsmanship had limits.

"You can’t be serious..." Bao muttered.

His voice sounded almost broken.

"What about the divinity core? The storage compartment? Surely that survived, right?"

He looked at Grey hopefully.

"Please tell me you at least recovered that."

Grey could only shake his head again. Bao’s face instantly turned pale.

Beside the table, Violet nearly dropped the apple she had been eating.

"Wow, Grey."

She stared at him in disbelief.

"What happened after I left?"

She pointed toward him with the half-eaten apple.

"I’m pretty sure your magic ship was still perfectly fine when I left. What exactly did you do to it?"

Grey chose not to explain. Instead, he simply patted Bao’s shoulder.

The gesture somehow made Bao feel even worse.

"Wait..." Bao suddenly said.

His gaze shifted between the two of them.

"You two were together for the past few months?"

Realization dawned on his face.

"...I suppose that explains everything."

He let out a long sigh before slowly standing upright again.

After collecting himself, Bao regained some of his usual professionalism.

"If that’s really the case, then repairing it isn’t an option."

He folded his arms and looked at Grey seriously.

"You’ll need to purchase an entirely new magic ship."

His gaze moved between Grey and Violet.

"Honestly, considering how often the two of you seem to get your ships destroyed, I should probably stop making ordinary ones for you."

Violet coughed awkwardly.

Grey remained expressionless.

Bao rubbed his forehead.

"Fine."

A determined look appeared in his eyes.

"I’ll personally modify both ships."

He pointed toward the massive vessel behind him.

"The upgrades won’t be cheap, but I’ll make them sturdy enough to withstand attacks from peak Foundation Establishment cultivators."

A grin slowly spread across his face.

"That way, maybe—just maybe—you two won’t come back asking for another replacement a few months later."

"I’ll also reinforce the engraving arrays and upgrade the divinity core," Bao said confidently. "The new core will allow the ship to gather and release energy much faster. Not only will it be capable of launching attacks more quickly, but the attacks themselves will also be considerably stronger than before."

As he spoke, his eyes seemed to shine with enthusiasm.

For most cultivators, magic ships were simply tools for transportation. To Bao, however, they were masterpieces. Every ship represented a challenge, an opportunity to improve upon his previous work. The more difficult the modifications, the more excited he became.

"Of course, upgrades of this scale won’t happen overnight," Bao continued. "Give me two weeks. By then, both of your magic ships will be completed."

His previously exhausted expression had disappeared entirely. Instead, he looked energized, as though discussing ship construction had restored all the strength he had lost studying blueprints.

Violet chuckled.

"Alright then. We’ll leave everything to you."

She stretched lazily before continuing.

"Once you’ve started working on them, just send us the bill. We’ll transfer the spirit stones."

Bao nodded immediately.

"Not a problem."

Violet’s gaze wandered around the warehouse.

Artisans moved busily between workstations. The sounds of hammers striking metal echoed throughout the building, while various arrays glowed faintly on unfinished ship hulls. Crates filled with rare materials were stacked neatly against the walls, and workers constantly carried supplies from one location to another.

The entire warehouse was operating like a well-oiled machine.

A thoughtful look appeared on Violet’s face.

"So you really are the director of the warehouses in District 12, huh?"

As she spoke, she casually pulled out several fresh apples from her storage artifact and tossed one toward Grey and another toward Bao.

Grey caught his without difficulty.

Bao hurriedly grabbed his own apple before it fell to the ground.

"Yeah."

He took a large bite before speaking again.

"I was promoted a few weeks ago."

There was a hint of pride in his voice.

"Though technically, I’m only the deputy director. Since I’m still in the Foundation Establishment Realm, I don’t have the qualifications to become the actual director yet."

He gestured around the warehouse.

"The real director oversees several warehouses at once. He doesn’t work here personally."

Violet laughed.

"Deputy director, director. What’s the difference?"

Bao merely smiled.

He understood that the captain wasn’t mocking him.

For someone who rarely cared about titles or authority but held the title as a Captain of the Homicide department, that statement was practically a compliment.

As such, he chose not to argue.

The atmosphere relaxed.

For several minutes, the three simply chatted while eating apples. The sounds of workers and machinery filled the silence between conversations.

Then Bao suddenly looked around.

His expression became serious.

After ensuring no one was standing nearby, he lowered his voice.

"You guys have noticed the tension in the sect recently, right?"

Although his voice was barely above a whisper, both Grey and Violet heard him clearly.

The two immediately nodded.

Bao visibly relaxed when he saw their reactions.

At least he wasn’t imagining things.

"For the past few weeks, something strange has been happening."

He paused briefly.

"More and more cultivators have been returning from the sea. Entire groups are coming back earlier than expected. On top of that, elders who normally spend years in secluded cultivation have started appearing throughout the sect."

His brows furrowed.

"They all seem anxious about something."

Grey’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Violet’s casual demeanor also disappeared.

Bao leaned closer.

"Most people probably haven’t noticed."

A bitter smile appeared on his face.

"But the Transportation Department notices everything."

He tapped the table lightly.

"When something changes, we’re among the first to know."

His voice became increasingly grave.

"Orders for magic ships have increased dramatically. Not just civilian vessels either. Combat ships, transport vessels, long-range patrol ships... we’re receiving requests for all of them."

He pointed toward the warehouse around them.

"We’ve also been importing huge quantities of materials into the sect."

Grey listened silently.

Bao continued.

"Spirit cores. Array materials. Defensive formations. Rare woods. Refinement metals. Massive amounts of resources are arriving every single day."

His expression darkened.

"The scale is ridiculous."

He shook his head slowly.

"Honestly, it’s even worse than when the sect was preparing for war."

Those words caused Violet’s eyes to narrow.

A few moments of silence followed.

The sounds of the warehouse suddenly seemed much louder than before.

Bao remained quiet for several seconds before finally speaking again.

His voice had dropped even lower.

"I think another sect is preparing to attack Sky Mist."

The statement caused the atmosphere to freeze.

Violet stopped chewing.

Grey’s expression remained calm, but his attention sharpened instantly.

Bao glanced around one final time before continuing.

"I heard a rumor."

"What rumor?" Violet asked.

Bao hesitated.

Then he said,

"Several months ago, an elder from the Ancient Sword Sect personally came to meet one of our sect elders."

His eyes revealed obvious concern.

"And he didn’t come alone."

Grey remained silent.

Bao swallowed.

"They brought one of the Ancient Sword Sect’s mystical artifacts with them."

A trace of apprehension appeared on his face.

"You know how important that is, right?"

Violet slowly nodded.

Every major sect possessed treasures that were rarely moved from their headquarters.

Such artifacts served as foundations for an entire sect’s power.

Unless something extremely important was happening, they would never be taken outside sect territory.

Bao’s expression became increasingly uneasy.

"That’s why I’m worried."

He clenched the half-eaten apple in his hand.

"Those artifacts almost never leave the Ancient Sword Sect."

His voice grew heavier.

"So if they were willing to bring one all the way here..."

He paused.

The implication hung heavily in the air.

"...then whatever happened must have been serious enough to alarm even the upper echelons of both sects."

The warehouse suddenly felt much quieter.

Even the sounds of construction seemed distant.

Neither Grey nor Violet spoke immediately.

A storm was clearly brewing.

The only question was how long it would take before it arrived at Sky Mist Sect’s doorstep.