Decaying World

Chapter 230 Black Cloud II

I don't know how much time has passed.

The sky gradually darkened, and it was getting dark.

Seeing that there was nothing new to see, Lin Hui led the two into the cabin for a meal and rest.

This process repeated itself day after day, with the fleet constantly navigating the emerald sea between high and normal temperatures. More than half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and finally, they left the Jade Sea and began to enter the Crystal Sea.

"Is this the Crystal Sea? It's beautiful."

Inside the ship's main hall, separated by round windows, Lin Hui and the Lin family gathered together, gazing at the sparkling, pristine white sea outside, and sighed with admiration.

"The Crystal Sea is an ocean composed of countless tiny crystals, connected to the Jade Sea, separated by the Baiyi Strait. We have just passed through the strait and entered the edge of the Crystal Sea," the black captain explained. "The Crystal Sea is relatively safe. You can go to the deck later to collect some sea crystals to take back as souvenirs. But remember to wear your heat-resistant suits."

"Heat-resistant clothing? Is it hot outside?" someone asked.

"Yes, the temperature outside is around 300 degrees Celsius. If you go out without heat-resistant clothing, you'll be burned to death immediately," the black captain nodded.

300 rings!!

Lin Hui's heart skipped a beat. This is over a thousand degrees! Is the Crystal Sea really that extreme?

What's wrong with this ship? Why is it continuing to sail despite temperatures exceeding 1000 degrees Celsius?!

He was a little skeptical.

After listening to the captain's words, most of the crew were afraid of dying, and only a few people applied to go up on deck to collect sea crystals. The rest decided to stay in the cabin and enjoy the scenery.

Fortunately, the journey was uneventful, and after about half a month, the Crystal Sea was successfully traversed without incident.

The outside temperature also dropped rapidly, returning to the normal range.

But Lin Hui understood that without the specially designed hull of this divinely gifted fleet, ordinary people would have no idea how to cross the two seas.

The Jade Sea is teeming with marine creatures, highly toxic acid rain, and extremely hot fog. The Crystal Sea is scorching with ultra-high temperatures.

If it were a normal sea vessel from my previous life, it would probably have melted and decomposed halfway through the journey.

After resting at a transit port, the fleet finally entered a stable area called the Edge Sea, and after two more days, it finally arrived at Black Cloud City.

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Marginal sea, on the coast.

A tall, straight white lighthouse swept its beams of light through the fog.

Below and in front of the lighthouse is a semi-circular bay, which is filled with a large number of ships.

Behind the lighthouse is a massive city enclosed within white walls.

The towering white walls make the hundreds-of-meters-high lighthouse look like a toy, tiny and insignificant.

Even the thick beam of light was as thin and tiny as an embroidery needle.

At this moment, in the bay in front of the lighthouse.

The fleet, flying the Heavenly Black Flag, slowly sailed into it.

Soon the fleet docked, the decks were lowered, and people gradually disembarked.

"Is that the Black Cloud?" Lin Hui looked at the huge white wall, which seemed somewhat familiar.

"Yes, this is Black Cloud. White walls are everywhere in the Federation, standard equipment for separating the outer and inner cities. It looks familiar, that's why," the black captain laughed.

"Alright everyone, you can freely enter and exit the outer city, and you can use gold and silver notes issued by the Federation for purchases. Feather Blood is of course the best. However, because this place is much more prosperous and developed than where you came from, remember not to cause trouble here. There are more and stricter rules here."

"Captain Li, don't worry. None of us who made it onto this ship are reckless people," one of the passengers laughed.

The fleet consisted of more than ten ships, not just those from the Lin family and Qingfeng Road. The captain had simply divided them into two ships that were close together.

At this point, everyone disembarked and gathered together, and the number of people who arrived increased.

Lin Shunhe was talking to Huang Dadan, the captain of the fleet, and the two used their belongings to prevent their voices from leaking out.

The caravan split into more than ten groups to explain the rules of Black Cloud to different passengers disembarking.

The content is similar to that of Tu Yue, the only difference being that the management of the outer city here seems to be more formal and stricter.

After paying the money and seeing Huang Dadan and the others off, Lin Shunhe gathered everyone together. Soon, the pre-arranged carriages arrived, and one after another, they were taken to the outer city. Inside the carriage, he patiently explained the local situation to his family before looking at Lin Hui.

"Let's go to the house we bought here first, and the Lin family will move in first. Ah Hui, what are your plans for Qingfeng Road? I haven't made arrangements for your people yet because it's all so rushed."

The carriage sped along the road, lined with rows of neat, tall, straight, brown-green trees. Beyond the trees stretched the endless, pale green sea, its waves rising and falling in layers.

Lin Hui looked away from the car window and answered.

"I'll find a place first, and then determine the situation of this place. Qingfengdao doesn't plan to build a school or recruit people for the time being. Without knowing the people and the place, and without establishing a complete self-sufficient cycle, building a school would just result in continuous losses."

"Yes, that's a good idea. Of course, with your level of ability, it would be easy for you to earn a good income. You could get a high position by joining a major power, but you need to figure out which one is the best to join." Lin Shunhe nodded in agreement.

"What suggestions does Dad have?" Lin Hui asked.

“The situation here is similar to Tu Yue on the surface, but the inner city is actually very different,” Lin Shunhe said quickly. “Because there is no Martial Alliance here, nor the three major forces of the inner city, only the Rain Palace and the government, two major entities. The Federation has a lot of control over this place, so joining a directly subordinate force of the Federation is the option that maximizes benefits.”

“That makes sense,” Lin Hui nodded. He also didn’t want to join the Mist People as someone’s lackey or food supply. Joining the Federation directly was indeed a better choice.
For example, Amamiya is directly under the federal government, which makes it relatively fairer and more just.

“So you have two choices,” Lin Shunhe said. He held up one finger. “First: Tai Su Martial Academy. This is a large-scale educational organization established by the Federation in various places, with the core purpose of cultivating charismatic and martial officials. Although it is called a martial academy, many former noble families also hold positions there, because many former noble families send their children there for further study.”

“I understand, I get it,” Lin Hui nodded.

Just like Hong Ling sent people to him to learn martial arts. Everyone has their own expertise, and it's perfectly normal for the original blood nobles to absorb the cultivation experience of pure martial artists and those who have been inspired to strengthen themselves.

"Therefore, the power and influence of Tai Su Martial Academy is considerable in Black Cloud," Lin Shunhe said in a deep voice.

"Second: the Hundred Seas Merchant Alliance. This is the largest merchant alliance in the Federation that I've also joined, and its power is even greater. If the former, the Tai Su Martial Academy, is an official institution, and therefore has a great influence, then the Hundred Seas Merchant Alliance is the largest commercial organization in the entire Federation. If you join with your Qingfeng Dao disciples, you can easily pursue the path of guest elders and hired bodyguards, earning a high income. The development potential is also enormous. You should know that the top executives of the Hundred Seas Merchant Alliance are all high-ranking officials in the Federation's inner court. In fact, many people believe that the Hundred Seas Merchant Alliance is just a front for the inner court to generate revenue. That's not entirely wrong. The alliance has what the Federation calls the most complete secret manual of martial arts, containing a massive amount of secret manuals on the Summoning System and the Martial Arts System."

It's clear that Father Lin Shunhe has put in a lot of effort; he has investigated this intelligence very thoroughly.

"Business Alliance. So which side has stricter jurisdiction?" Lin Hui asked.

"On the surface, it's called Tai Su Martial Academy, but in reality, the Hundred Seas Merchant Alliance is much stricter. Every so often, the Alliance organizes a two-month military training program for everyone, and the caravans are required to be transformed into soldiers at any time to form a high combat force. As for the Martial Academy, if you go in, you'll just be teaching students, the same job Tu Yueshi did, still your old profession. It's said that as long as you don't kill too many students, no one will care."

Lin Hui was speechless.

"Isn't this a bit too outrageous?" Liu Shenglan, listening from the side, felt a chill run down her spine. "With a martial arts academy like this, who would dare to study there?"

“There are plenty, and many at that.” Lin Shunhe shook his head. “Because for ordinary geniuses from ordinary backgrounds, this is the only channel they can access top-tier resources. In addition, the tuition is very cheap, and if they perform well, they may even gain the appreciation of the higher-ups and rise to the top in one step. So even though many people die, countless people still choose to apply every year.”

"Then I'll choose the Martial Arts Academy. What about my disciples?" Lin Hui asked.

“After you successfully assume your post, you can open a study center under the name of a martial arts academy teacher. This will attract many martial arts academy students who want to improve, creating a positive cycle. Your Qingfeng Dao disciples will also be able to settle down in Heiyun as members of the study center. The income of the study center here is not low. Some are wealthy people who want their children to be protected from being bullied at the martial arts academy, to become masters, and eventually to pass the imperial examinations and take up official positions. So, Ah Hui, you can gain a lot of benefits just by showing a little bit of your strength,” Lin Shunhe explained.

"Alright, then I'll leave it all to Dad's arrangements." Lin Hui nodded.

My father is truly amazing. He can arrange everything perfectly in the shortest amount of time, and he's even managed to get his connections into the Federal Martial Academy, where he can arrange temporary positions without even asking.

From Tu Yue to Hei Yun, neither Yu Hai nor Jing Hai could stop Old Man Lu Ziye's wild ways.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered!" Lin Shunhe patted his chest.

"And then there's you, Xiaoxiao. Miss Han's marriage is off. I think you and Ahui are a good match. How about you two get married in a few days after you've settled in? Having a few kids early on will help you settle down here. Giving birth here means you can directly get Heiyun residency. It's a great deal."

"Ah!! Father, what are you saying!?" Liu Xiao's face turned bright red, then vanished in a flash, disappearing from his original spot, disappearing to who knows where.

Lin Hui was speechless. His father's topic of conversation had changed way too quickly.

"Don't be surprised. Your mother, your stepmother, and I have all discussed this. We shouldn't let good things go to outsiders. Xiaoxiao is someone we've watched grow up. She's honest, generous, righteous, and protective of her own. She's beautiful, has a great figure, and a big bottom, so she's easy to raise. All you do is cultivate, you can't even find time to go out and date. Even if we force you to go on blind dates, outsiders can only judge by appearances. Who knows what kind of person she is or what her personality is like? She can't compare to our Xiaoxiao. We know her inside and out, and she's talented. She's a genius priest at such a young age. If you two get together, your child will definitely be a genius among geniuses."

Lin Hui listened to this long-winded discourse, speechless, and simply closed his eyes to cultivate, ignoring it all.

In fact, ever since he revealed his true strength and boarded the ship, his parents have been nagging him about similar things quite a bit.

This was the first time he had brought this up in front of his second sister, which she couldn't stand and ran away on the spot.

He also felt a slight sense of anticipation for the Tai Su Martial Academy and the Hundred Seas Business Alliance that his father had mentioned.

The martial arts academy, with its abundance of talent, replaced the Tu Yue Martial Arts Hall and Martial Alliance system, while the Hundred Seas Merchant Alliance boasts the most complete collection of secret martial arts techniques. Under such conditions, it is certain that many powerful beings far surpassing Tu Yue will emerge, and the massive demand will also generate a huge amount of precious medicinal resources.

This place will definitely accelerate his path to becoming stronger even faster than Tu Yue!
Lin Hui's conviction grew stronger.

(End of this chapter)