I built the Black Tower City in Sumeru.

Chapter 119 Nasita's first real battle: perfectly achieving the predetermined goal and forcing Kujo Sara to retreat.

Thunderstorm area off the coast of Inazuma.

Violent purple lightning churned in the clouds.

These lightning bolts are not natural phenomena, but rather an extension of the will of the Great Power of Narukami, forming the strongest physical barrier to the national seclusion order.

Any ship that attempts to cross this dangerous line will be destroyed by lightning.

Only the weakest points can be barely passed.

However, Chen Bo never looked for weaknesses; there was no need for it.

Just go straight through.

The mech did not slow down.

The four prismatic floating cannons detached from the formation and rapidly disintegrated in mid-air, their slender metal components interlocking to form a massive conductive net covering several kilometers. One end of the net was used to absorb lightning, while the other end dangled into the turbulent sea below.

High-voltage current is precisely directed into the ocean along the network cable.

On the sea surface, bursts of lightning erupted, and large numbers of sea fish floated to the surface, their white bellies turned up.

If Klee saw this fish-frying technique...

Klee would definitely say, "I want to learn, I want to learn—"

After successfully traversing the thunderstorm, Chen Bo also entered the communication channel between Shenzi and Xinhai.

"I've crossed the thunderstorm and am expected to arrive at the target sea area in three minutes."

Chen Bo's voice carried a sense of relief, as if he had just finished a long trip.

As Xin Hai watched the ripples dancing beside the holographic screen, his heart began to beat faster.

The voice sounded young, yet remarkably sunny and confident.

Xin Hai tentatively asked, "Are you the helper Lord Gong Si invited?"

"I wouldn't call myself a helper, I just came to Inazuma to pick up some things and help the Divine Child with a small problem," Chen Bo replied casually. "I wonder if Umijima Island has any special delicacies? After I've dealt with those Atakebune ships, Lord Coral Palace wouldn't mind treating me to a late-night snack, would you?"

Yae no Miko, who was lazily leaning against the cherry tree, immediately perked up her fox ears upon hearing this.

"Hey, Chen Bo." The priestess's voice carried a clear possessiveness: "You're my guest. The most luxurious room at Narukami Shrine is ready, along with Yaedo's latest light novel. What good food is there on Umijima Island? That barren place, all you get is sea breeze and salted fish, what's so great about it?"

Chen Bo chuckled in the cockpit: "Alright, then I'll listen to Lord Miyaji. After the fight, I'll head straight to Narukami Island."

Xin Hai stood on the edge of the cliff, listening to the two's conversation, unable to get a word in edgewise. She was extremely curious about Chen Bo's identity.

Who exactly is this person who can elicit such an attitude from the arrogant Yae no Kami?

Moreover, how could he cross such a distant sea in just three minutes?

And, we just passed through a thunderstorm?

He seems like an extraordinary person.

After entering the Inazuma Sea, the group slowed down to below the speed of sound, but they still quickly reached Goro's airspace.

The thick clouds above the reef area provided the mechs with excellent cover.

Chen Bo shut down the mecha's exhaust flames and instead used the wind element core for silent levitation.

He looked down at the scene below.

Five Atakebune ships of the Shogunate army have completed the encirclement.

Kujo Sara stood at the bow of the flagship, purple lightning elemental energy gathering on her bow and arrow.

Goro on the other side was equally defiant, showing no sign of backing down.

Chen Bo carefully considered the situation.

If we were to use floating cannons to bombard them now, these large ships would turn into fireballs on the sea in just three seconds.

But the consequences of doing so would be too severe.

They came here with the intention of stopping the war, so isn't this tantamount to declaring war directly?

Once the war starts, it won't stop, and no one knows how many people will die.

Chen Bo is the kind of person with a very high moral standard, so he would still try his best to minimize casualties.

Moreover, he had not yet finished developing and had not yet collected all seven God Hearts, so it was not a wise choice to confront General Thunder head-on now.

It's not a good thing to attract the attention of the powerful too early.

At the very least, Chen Bo would need three God Hearts and the assistance of the God of Wisdom's true form to fight Lei Yingdian.

Therefore, this time, it is best to subdue the enemy without fighting.

Chen Bo looked at Luna 2 beside him.

Nasita's clone was curiously observing the battlefield below.

"Moon Two, get ready to work." Chen Bo patted her head. "I want you to use holographic projection to disguise yourself as Coral Palace Heart Sea. Take an invincible fleet" to meet Goro.

"Try to use words to force Kujo Sara to back down and avoid this battle."

The invincible fleet was, of course, also a holographic projection disguise.

Luna 2 pursed its lips, looking somewhat troubled.

"Chen Bo, although I have some of Narcida's data, I haven't had much contact with the complexities of human emotions, nor am I good at imitating humans. What if my tone of voice doesn't match and they see through me?"

Chen Bo laughed, his tone domineering.

"Go ahead and try. So what if you see through it? If Kujo Sara dares to make a move, I'll go down there and beat her to a pulp."

"It's okay if you fail."

Moon 2 nodded: "Okay, I'll request a connection to the main body."

Hundreds of floating cannons, like an invisible swarm of bees, silently occupied the high-altitude nodes around the Shogunate fleet, with the holographic projection matrix operating at full power.

Countless rays of light intertwined, outlining the thick fog and rows of large ships.

The thick fog was blasted away by the massive bow of the ship.

One, two—a total of ten giant warships appeared on the sea.

These warships were twice the size of the Shogunate army's flagship. Their deep blue hulls reflected a metallic sheen in the moonlight, and all the cannons along their sides were thrust out.

Appearing at the bow of the massive flagship was a young girl dressed in a light-colored long dress, with a cool and pure demeanor.

Coral Palace Heart Sea.

"This is impossible!" Goro stared in disbelief on the deck of the merchant ship: "When did Haiji Island have a fleet of this size?"

""

I've never seen him on Haizhi Island.

Could it be that I am not Lord Coral Palace's confidant?

The soldiers of the shogunate army were thrown into panic.

The original surroundrs became the surrounded in an instant.

This "Heart Sea" was obviously a disguise created by Luna 2 using holographic projection.

Furthermore, Nasita did not miss the opportunity to try to impersonate a human through this connection, and has already logged in.

Nasida crossed her arms naturally in front of her chest, trying hard to recall the tired yet dignified young leader she had seen in the surveillance footage.

She had to perform this act perfectly, so well that no one could find any flaws.

"Lord Kujo, let's talk," Nasita said.

Kujo Sara stood at the bow of the Atakabune, her brow furrowed.

The shogunate soldiers behind her were in disarray; some were retreating, and some could barely hold their swords.

After all, these large ships are simply too intimidating.

"The Coral Palace now houses the heart of the Coral Palace, a shrine maiden of gods and humans?" Kujo Sara's fingers rested on the back of her bow, not drawing it back. "Your Sea Island secretly built this kind of warship. What are your intentions? Could it be that the intelligence from the Survey Commissioner was correct, and these ships are loaded with military supplies for a rebellion?"

Naxida thought about it carefully and then answered.

"If a potted plant withers due to lack of water, it is the gardener's negligence."

"But if the gardener not only fails to water the plants, but also blocks the only irrigation channel and even cuts off the roots that the plants are trying to extend to save themselves, then it's not just the potted plants that will wither, but the future of the entire garden."

Kujo Sara was taken aback. This strange metaphor left her completely bewildered.

What gardener? What garden? What does this mean?

"Sophistry!" Hiiragi Sōjirō, standing beside Kujō Sara, jumped out. Although the legs of this relative of the Imperial Censor were trembling, greed overcame fear.

If he didn't receive this batch of goods, all the promises he made to the merchants of Zhidong Kingdom would be for naught.

At the very least, they need to fight. As long as they fight, regardless of whether the goods are found or not, he can get half of the benefits promised by the envoy from the Eastern Kingdom.

As for his own safety, he was not worried. As soon as a fight broke out, he would run away immediately, as there were speedboats on the ship that could be used for escape.

With nine saras present, the soldiers under the command of the Heavenly Commander should be able to hold out for a while, enough to allow them to escape.

"As expected, Umijima is secretly preparing for war and has declared war on Narukami Island!" Hiiragi Sojiro shouted. "We can't let them leave! Attack! Attack!"

Kujo Sara glanced at him with disgust. The ship was full of soldiers under the command of the Tenryo, and no one listened to him.

Nasita continued to persuade, "The rules are meant to help the fish swim better in the water, not to drain the water from the fish tank."

"Over the past three months, Kaijima Island has submitted five applications to the remote islands to purchase medicinal herbs, each of which has been rejected due to incomplete documentation. Lord Kujo, is the law of the shogunate such that doctors must sit with empty medicine chests while patients wait for divine mercy?"

The data is real; this is what Chen Bo just asked Xin Hai himself.

Hiiragi Sōjirō's face turned ashen. The applications lay on his desk, not just requests for kickbacks, but demands from the envoys to the East.

All applications from Haizhi Island were rejected.

Of course, it also hinted at demanding kickbacks, but even if Mora were given the island, he wouldn't approve it.

"Nonsense! Fire!" Hiiragi Sōjirō, not wanting to listen any longer, lunged at the large barrel next to him, attempting to light it himself.

Nasita also knew that it was time for a little punishment.

Floating cannon locked, minimum power, fire.

Sizzle—

A crimson, high-temperature laser beam tore through the night sky, grazing past the topknot of Hiiragi Sōjirō's head.

"Snap!" The hair bun broke off.

The ray pierced directly through the thick wooden house and gun barrel of the Ataka-sen, leaving a charred hole.

The smell of burnt wood mingled with the smell of burnt hair.

"ah"

Hiiragi Sōjirō let out a scream, his legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the deck.

He was soaking wet down there, and his whole body was trembling uncontrollably. He scrambled and crawled behind the mainmast, covering his mouth tightly with his hands, afraid that making a sound would attract a second beam of light.

The surrounding Shogunate soldiers all took a step back. No one could see where the attack came from, whether it was launched by a person or by some weapon.

"Lord Kujo," Nasita's voice rang out again, "that noisy little bird behind you seems eager to release the arrow. But he forgets that when a hunter's bowstring snaps, it is always the person closest to the bow who gets hurt."

Kujo Sara took a deep breath and ordered, "Take Hiiragi Sōjirō away."

Although she was loyal to the general, it didn't mean she was willing to die for such a fool, nor did it mean she couldn't see the situation clearly.

The fact that the other party is far stronger than us, yet is still willing to negotiate, is itself a sign of sincerity.

Nasita said, "This is not the military supplies you mentioned. The ship is loaded with herbs to cure the autumn epidemic. If Lord Kujo doesn't believe me, you can board the ship and search carefully."

"The duty of the Shogunate army is to protect the people of Inazuma and ensure their peaceful lives. Does this mean that the common people of Umijima Island are excluded from the protection of the Raiden Shogun in this sea area? Is it the kind of governance you want to see where the sick do not receive medical treatment?"

These words struck at Kujo Sara's weak spot.

Kujo Sara was a pure warrior who believed in the shogun's eternity, and everything she did was to carry out orders.

But her true intention was never to slaughter unarmed civilians who were just trying to survive; she also had her own sense of justice.

If it's contraband, she won't hesitate to order an attack.

But if it were ordinary medicinal herbs for treating common ailments—her hand holding the bow hesitated slightly.

Furthermore, the other party mentioned that Haiji Island had submitted formal applications multiple times, but the application was not approved by the surveying and demarcation commissioner, which led to this last resort.

Sensing Kujo Sara's hesitation, Nashita pressed further, forcing her to make a choice.

"General Kujo, you are also a commander, and you should be able to see the situation clearly. If war is to break out here, not a single shogunate warship will be able to escape unscathed from this reef area. I do not want to see pointless sacrifices, and I do not want the people of Inazuma to be unable to return to their homeland because of the lies of the Kansei Magistrate."

She surveyed the ten enormous warships on the island of Haiji, then glanced at the terrified Hiiragi Sōjirō beside her, before finally returning her gaze to the cargo crates filled with medicinal herbs.

As the general's most loyal and sharpest weapon, she was unafraid of death. Even if the entire army was wiped out, she would fight to the very end.

But what the other person said hit her bottom line.

If war breaks out, all the hundreds of brothers I brought will perish.

The other party's purpose was simply to transport the herbs back to treat the illness.

Kujo Sara said, "I want to board the ship for inspection."

Nasita answered without hesitation, "Yes, Goro, let her board the ship and inspect her as you see fit."

Although Goro sensed that something was wrong with Lord Sango, he still subconsciously obeyed orders.

After inspection, no contraband was found.

When Kujo Sara returned to his large ship.

Nasita reiterated, "If the magistrate can act impartially in the future, all commercial purchases on Haizhi Island will be submitted through the proper procedures again."

Kujo Sara nodded in approval.

The other party did not smuggle any prohibited items; it was just a misunderstanding.

Although it was a smuggling operation, it seems that the Kanting Provincial Administration failed to fulfill its responsibilities.

"All troops, heed my command!" Kujo Sara raised his right hand, his voice cold and firm. "Put away your weapons, turn the ships around, and retreat!"

The soldiers under the command of the Heavenly Command immediately sprang into action, maneuvering the sails. The five Atake ships laboriously maneuvered through the narrow, reef area and returned the way they came.

After the shogunate army's ships completely disappeared.

A deafening cheer erupted from the merchant ship on Haizhi Island. Soldiers threw their rifles onto the deck, embraced each other, and some even wept with joy. The life-saving herbs had been saved.

"Long live Lord Coral Palace!"

"Thanks to the adults' prior arrangements, we're saved!"

"As expected of Lady Coral Palace, she is incredibly resourceful. In just a few words, Kujo Sara retreated."

midair.

After confirming that it was safe, the holographic fleet that had been hovering on the sea surface withdrew into the thick fog.

Then, it simply disappeared.

Luna 2 also deactivated its holographic projection disguise, returned to its original form, and went back to Chen Bo's side.

The play is over, time to wrap up.

High above the heavens.

The floating cannon matrix was reorganized and arranged around him.

Chen Bo gave Naxida a thumbs up.

"Well done, Nashita. You applied pressure while also giving the other side a reason to retreat. Kujo Sara has been completely drawn into your rhythm."

"The only drawback is that there are too many metaphors. Fortunately, Kujo Sara has never seen the Coral Palace Heart Sea before and did not find any flaws at all."