Volume One: Lord of the Infernal World Chapter Thirty-Six: The Vessel

The failure of synthesizing three new types of pets did nothing to dampen Chen Gu’s enthusiasm for researching new magic. If the bee swarm and the poison bee grass didn’t disappear after attacking, he might have considered modifying those two spells as well.

He spent nearly an entire day inside the magic tower. It wasn’t until Allen returned with a freshly drawn map that Chen Gu finally emerged.

“How did it go?” he asked.

“We’ve cleared everything within a fifty-mile radius. There won’t be any new undead appearing for a while. We also took a gemstone mine and a lumberyard, but we didn’t find a Seer’s Hut or a Witch’s Hut.”

“That’s fine. We can look elsewhere. I’ve recruited two new heroes—have you met them yet?”

“I have. Good choices, Lord. The first looks well-suited for defense. The other is better for logistics—his combat ability isn’t great, so we’ll need to assign him some troops.”

Chen Gu nodded in agreement. “That’s what I was thinking. With only one city at the moment, he can focus on gathering resources outside Silverpine Vale. Once we capture a second city, we’ll have him transport troops between them. Our next target is the Elven Holy City.”

The abrupt shift in topic left Allen momentarily at a loss for words, but Chen Gu was too busy to discuss further. After leaving the magic tower, he went to the tavern for a meal, then made his way to the docks.

By now, the shipyard had completed his first order—a brand-new elven warship, docked and gleaming. It was a double-decked, twin-masted vessel, nearly thirty meters long and about three meters wide. In addition to the main deck, there was a lower deck below. Without accounting for cargo, it could carry a hundred elves or five hundred fairies. Naturally, the actual troop capacity would be less after factoring in the necessary crew.

Allen boarded the ship with his men for a quick inspection. When he returned, Chen Gu remarked with some resignation, “If we want to transport all your troops, we’ll need at least five ships.”

“And five captains—at least one with navigation skills,” Allen added, having already heard about Chen Gu’s plan. He agreed that traveling by water to the Elven Holy City was feasible, but the shortage of ships and sailors was a serious headache. Captains weren’t like heroes; they couldn’t simply be recruited from the tavern at will.

Faced with this predicament, Chen Gu frowned. “Perhaps I should try another method.”

Remembering Chen Gu’s unique talents, Allen simply replied, “As you wish, my lord.”

Chen Gu then prepared to use his synthesis technique, intending to see if any of his current units could be combined with such a large ship. The first pet he considered was his corpse-eating vine. In his mind, if it could be merged with a carriage, then surely it could be merged with a wooden ship. But the chances of success were dishearteningly low, so he decided against it.

Next, he tried the fire spirit crows. This was a spontaneous idea, but he discovered something interesting: for each fire spirit crow added to the elven warship, the synthesis success rate increased by 1%, up to a maximum of 55%. Not a bad probability. It would take fifty-five fire spirit crows.

Taking a gamble, Chen Gu began the synthesis.

[Fire Spirit Crow*55] + [Elven Warship] = [??? (Success Rate: 55%)]

At his command, fifty-five fire spirit crows, trailing sparks, flew at the elven warship. Though this wasn’t Chen Gu’s first synthesis, such a bold attempt was unprecedented. The way the crows crashed into the warship, it looked more like an attack than a synthesis ritual.

As the birds struck the vessel, the entire ship burst into flames with a thunderous roar, becoming a massive fireball. “Forget it, I’ll just prepare another ship,” Chen Gu sighed, ready to leave—when suddenly, the flames on the warship rapidly contracted, and the vessel emerged from the fire, transformed.

The masts were still standing, but the sails had all been burned away. In their place were blazing tongues of fire, and the ship’s prow, once a simple ram, now bore the likeness of a crow’s head. Chen Gu was surprised; he had thought the synthesis had failed.

[Pet synthesis complete. You have obtained a blue-quality Fire Crow Warship.]

[Pet Attributes]

Name: Fire Crow Warship

Quality: Blue
Type: Living Vessel
Trait: Warship
Level: 1
Attributes: Attack 13, Defense 8, HP 2500
Movement Speed: 60 kilometers per hour (water)
Initial Skills: Fire Crow Cannon, Level 1 (equipped with 30 cannons, each with the power of a Mars Explosion); Firewing Sails, Level 1 (ignites the sails to increase speed by 15%)
Description: A warship fused with fire crows, capable of sailing automatically without sailors. Each ship can carry three hundred humans or seven hundred units smaller than humans.

“Well, that’s a success. It can move on water by itself, and it’s got some firepower too. The defense is a bit low, though—I wonder why?”

In truth, Chen Gu understood the reason: the ship had been burned once, so its defense naturally suffered. Still, as long as it could carry three hundred people and didn’t need a crew, he was satisfied. The question of defense wasn’t his primary concern.

“We’ll call this one Fire Crow. Two more ships like this and we can set out.”

Chen Gu did a quick count—he had just over a hundred fire spirit crows remaining, enough for two more syntheses, though the success rate wasn’t ideal.

Mulling it over, he took the building stone for the Fire Crow Farm to the council hall.

Inside, Lixia was busy managing affairs in Silverpine Vale. When she saw Chen Gu enter, she hurried to greet him.

“My lord, is there something you need?”

“Here’s a building stone. Please find a suitable spot for it in Silverpine Vale,” Chen Gu said, handing it over.

Lixia examined the stone, then headed into a room on the right side of the hall. After about seven or eight minutes, she returned.

“My lord, there’s still one suitable spot within Silverpine Vale, but it doesn’t quite align with the domain’s nature. We could build it just outside, though—that way, the farmland could be expanded a little more.”