Decaying World Chapter 230

Chapter 230

Ti passed. As the sky dimd toward evening with nothing new to observe, Lin Hui led the other two below to eat and rest.

Day after day, the routine repeated, the fleet cutting across the jade-green ocean through cycles of extre heat and bearable temperature. In what felt like the blink of an eye, more than half a month had gone by. They cleared the Jade Sea and began entering the Crystal Sea.

"So this is the Crystal Sea? It's beautiful..."

Gathered in the cabin's main hall, Lin Hui, the people of the Lin Manor, and the others pressed close to the round portholes, gazing out at the dazzling white expanse beyond, and the admiration in their voices was genuine.

"The Crystal Sea is an ocean composed of countless tiny crystals. It connects to the Jade Sea through the Baiyi Strait—we've just co through the strait and are now at its edge." Captain Nong Zhuo, the dark-skinned captain, gave his explanation. "The Crystal Sea is relatively safe compared to what we've crossed. Later, everyone is free to go on deck and collect so sea crystals as keepsakes. Just rember to wear your heat-resistant suits."

"Heat-resistant suits? Is it that hot out there right now?" soone asked.

"About 300 Rings at the mont. Step outside without a suit, and you'll be ash before you've taken two steps," the captain said.

Three hundred Rings. Lin Hui's stomach dropped. That was over a thousand degrees. And the Crystal Sea was safe?

He found himself staring at the hull with fresh eyes. What was this ship built from, to hold together at over a thousand degrees and keep sailing? It defied easy comprehension.

After hearing the captain's warning, most people quickly made their peace with the view from the porthole—only a handful requested to go up and collect sea crystals. The rest stayed below, enjoying the scenery from a distance.

The remainder of the journey had its share of frights but no genuine danger. Close to half a month later, they crossed the Crystal Sea without incident.

The outside temperature fell rapidly back to a normal range. But Lin Hui had a clear-eyed grasp of what that journey had required: without the Heaven-bestowed fleet's purpose-built hulls, no ordinary vessel could have made the crossing. The Jade Sea brought swarms of sea beasts, highly toxic acid rain, and scalding mist. The Crystal Sea brought heat sufficient to lt iron. Any conventional ship from his previous life would have disintegrated before reaching the halfway point.

After a stop at a transit port to rest and take on supplies, the fleet entered the calm waters known as the Edge Sea. Two days later, they arrived at Black Cloud City.

On the Edge Sea coast, a tall, straight white lighthouse swept its beam through the Mist in a slow, clean arc. Below it lay a semicircular bay packed with vessels of every size. Behind the lighthouse rose an enormous city enclosed within white walls—walls so vast that the hundreds-of-ters-tall lighthouse beside them looked like a pocket toy, its broad beam reduced to sothing as slender as a sewing needle by comparison.

The Heaven-bestowed fleet's black flags ca in slowly, the ships easing one by one into the bay. Gangplanks descended, and passengers began filing off.

"Is that Black Cloud?" Lin Hui looked at the great white wall and found it oddly familiar.

"That's Black Cloud. The white walls are Federation standard—built everywhere to divide the Outer City from the Inner City. No wonder it looks familiar," Captain Nong Zhuo laughed. "Alright, everyone. You can move freely in and out of the Outer City. For expenses, Federation gold and silver notes are accepted, though Feather Blood is naturally preferred. One thing to keep in mind: this city is far more prosperous and developed than where most of you are coming from. The rules here are many and strictly enforced. Don't go looking for trouble."

"Rest easy, Captain. Anyone who could afford a berth on this fleet isn't the reckless sort," one of the passengers chuckled.

The passengers were far more than just the Lin Manor and Clear Wind Dao contingent. The original dozen ships had been consolidated into two along the way, so as everyone disembarked and gathered on the dock, the crowd swelled considerably.

Lin Shunhe drew the rchant fleet captain Huang Dadan aside for a private word, activating a Relic to keep their conversation from being overheard. Nearby, more than a dozen caravan guards spread out to walk the disembarking passengers through Black Cloud City's rules. They were largely the sa as Tuyue's, though the Outer City administration here was clearly more rigorous and less forgiving.

Once the fees were paid and Huang Dadan seen off, Lin Shunhe gathered his people. Pre-arranged carriages arrived on schedule, loading them up one by one and setting off into the Outer City.

Inside the carriage, after walking the family through the local situation, Lin Shunhe turned to Lin Hui. "We'll head first to the courtyard residence I purchased here—that'll give the Lin Manor side a place to settle in. As for the Clear Wind Dao, Ah Hui, what's your plan? Everything happened so fast that I haven't had a chance to arrange anything for your people yet."

The carriage rolled smoothly along the roadway. Neat rows of tall, brownish-green trees lined both sides; beyond them, the faintly green Edge Sea stretched endlessly, its waves turning over in a steady rhythm.

Lin Hui pulled his gaze from the window. "I'll find a base first and get a feel for the lay of the land. I'm not planning to open a branch hall or recruit for the Clear Wind Dao yet. We don't know the area or the people here—opening a hall without a functioning revenue cycle would just an bleeding money."

"Sound thinking. With your strength, generating inco won't be difficult. Attaching yourself to a major faction will secure you a strong position, but you'll need to choose which one suits you best," Lin Shunhe said.

"Any suggestions, old man?"

"On the surface, Black Cloud looks similar to Tuyue, but the Inner City is a different animal entirely," Lin Shunhe said, his tone sharpening. "There's no martial alliance here, and no Three Great Powers. Only the Rain Palace and the governnt office. The Federation's grip on this place is absolute, which ans attaching yourself to a faction under their direct authority is the choice that gets you the most out of your position."

"That makes sense." Lin Hui nodded. He had no interest in serving the Mistborn as their lapdog—or their next al. A Federation-aligned faction was clearly the better choice. The Rain Palace, operating directly under the Federation, was at least a reasonably fair institution.

"Two options," Lin Shunhe said, raising a finger. "The first is the Taisu Martial Academy—an institution established directly by the Federation. It's a large-scale educational organization whose core purpose is producing Called Ones and martial officials. The na says academy, but many Trueblood Nobles hold positions there and send their own disciples for advanced study."

"That tracks," Lin Hui said.

It was entirely natural for Trueblood Nobles to absorb the cultivation insights of pure martial artists and Called Ones to fortify themselves.

"Which is why the Taisu Martial Academy carries enormous weight in Black Cloud City," Lin Shunhe continued. "The second option is the Hundred Seas rchant Alliance—the Federation's largest rchant alliance, which I have also joined. Its power is even greater. If the Martial Academy's influence cos from its official standing, the rchant Alliance dominates through sheer comrcial scale; it is the largest trading organization in the entire Federation. Bring your Clear Wind Dao disciples in and join as a guest elder or an external escort captain, and the inco is substantial—the room for growth, more so. The Alliance's senior leadership is all high-ranking officials from the Federation's Inner Court. There's even a school of thought that treats the Hundred Seas rchant Alliance as the Inner Court's primary revenue engine. On top of that, the Alliance reportedly holds the most complete secret vault of supre arts in the entire Federation—a massive collection of secret manuals spanning both the Call system and martial arts."

It was clear Lin Shunhe had put in serious work. He had mapped this out thoroughly.

"The rchant Alliance," Lin Hui said. "Which of the two runs a tighter ship?"

"On paper, the Taisu Martial Academy. In practice, the Hundred Seas rchant Alliance is stricter by far. The Alliance runs mandatory two-month military training camps on a regular rotation—their rchant caravans need to be able to form into a fighting force at a mont's notice. The Martial Academy, on the other hand, is essentially the sa job you had in Tuyue—teaching students. Word is, as long as you don't kill too many of them, no one looks twice."

Lin Hui had nothing to say to that.

"Is that not a bit excessive?" Liu Shenglan asked, looking faintly ill. "With an academy like that, are there actually people who enroll willingly?"

"Plenty. More than you'd think," Lin Shunhe said. "For talented people from ordinary backgrounds, it's the only channel to access top-tier resources. The tuition is cheap, and a standout performance can catch the eye of the right person and change everything overnight. High as the mortality rate is, people line up every year."

"Then I'll take the Taisu Martial Academy. And my disciples?"

"Once you've secured your post, you open a study hall under the banner of a Taisu Martial Academy instructor. That draws ambitious students in on its own and creates a self-sustaining cycle. Your Clear Wind Dao disciples can settle in Black Cloud City as mbers of your hall. The inco from study halls here is substantial—there are plenty of wealthy families who want their children protected from bullying, properly trained, and positioned to pass the examinations for an official appointnt. Show even a fraction of your real strength, Ah Hui, and you'll be turning people away at the door."

"Alright—I'll leave the arrangents entirely to you, old man," Lin Hui said.

His father was sothing else. Wherever he went, he had a plan up and running before the dust settled. He had already mapped out a direct line into the Federation's Taisu Martial Academy and had a posting ready to arrange from day one. Two great seas, crossing from Tuyue to Black Cloud City—and not even the Jade Sea or the Crystal Sea had been enough to slow his father's web of connections.

"Leave it to !" Lin Shunhe patted his chest with confidence. "Now—about you, Xiao Xiao. Since things with Miss Han didn't work out, I think you and Ah Hui are rather well-suited to each other. Once we've settled in, what do you say the two of you marry? Having children early gets you a Black Cloud City household registration on the spot. Very cost-effective..."

"Father, what are you saying!?" Liu Xiao's face went scarlet. Her figure blurred, and an instant later she was simply gone—vanished from the carriage and away to sowhere unknown.

Lin Hui was speechless. His father's pivot had been completely without warning.

"Don't look at like that. Your mother, your second mother, and I have all discussed it. Better to keep exceptional people within the family. We watched Xiao Xiao grow up—she's direct, bold, loyal, protective of her own, pretty, well-built, and the sort who'll make a strong mother. You spend every waking hour cultivating and can't be dragged to et anyone. Even if we arranged blind dates, you'd only see a stranger's face—who knows what's underneath? How would that compare to our Xiao Xiao, whom we know through and through? She has real talent too—a genius Divine Officer at her age. The children the two of you would produce..."

Lin Hui closed his eyes and let the words wash over him.

In truth, ever since he had revealed his real strength and co aboard the ship, his parents hadn't let the subject of marriage rest. But this was the first ti they had raised it directly in front of Liu Xiao herself—apparently, even she had her limits.

As for the Taisu Martial Academy and the Hundred Seas rchant Alliance, he found himself quietly looking forward to what lay ahead.

An academy stocked with genuine talent, replacing the martial hall and alliance structure of Tuyue. A rchant alliance reputed to hold the most complete archive of supre arts in the entire Federation. These conditions would naturally breed powerhouses far beyond anything Tuyue could produce, and the demand that ca with that would generate a steady flow of rare and precious dicinal resources.

This place could push his path forward far faster than Tuyue ever had. Of that, Lin Hui was increasingly certain.