Chapter 1115 – External Hall"s Eight Camps
Zhao Hai has the s.p.a.ce, so he didn"t care about gaining something like authority. Additionally, he has a very good family. There was no reason for him to be sad.
However, humans were group animals. And after ascended to the Machine Field, the Bone Symbol Camp had been really good to him. Although he handed over some benefits, those things weren"t useful to Zhao Hai in the first place. Now, Desbarres was more willing to provide him with benefits, which was good for Zhao Hai.
Zhao Hai also knew that huge families would have their own secrets. And these secrets would be very useful to him.
Desbarres saw that Zhao Hai had not spoken, so he couldn"t help but ask, "Little Hai? Is something wrong?"
Zhao Hai stared, then he shook his head and said, "There"s no problem. But Camp Lord, I have to ask for your help. I have two robots back in the Academy. Please help me to transport them to the camp. One of those two robots is made by Qi Yi. I also see Tinkle to be very convenient."
Desbarres thought that Zhao Hai had some misgivings, so when he heard Zhao Hai, he laughed and said, "This isn"t a problem. That kid Qi Yi might not be good at anything other than tinkering with robots, but he"s really talented. Rest a.s.sured, after you adapt to the density of spiritual qi, everything you need will be taken care of."
Zhao Hai nodded. Seeing Zhao Hai agree, Desbarres said, "Good, then go and take a rest. We"ll be close to the Bone Symbol Camp tomorrow." Then he stood up and proceeded to leave. Zhao Hai also stood up and escorted him out.
Zhao Hai spent the rest of his day condensing formations in his room. He didn"t expect a simple academy exam to spiral into his present situation. Moreover, he was even able to prematurely enter the Bone Symbol Camp.
Recalling the experience, Zhao Hai wasn"t able to see anything improper. Although he showcased his terrifying ability, his true strength was still hidden. This was very important for him.
And Zhao Hai also needed to do this. When it came to the Machine Field, only when one shows off their strength would they get attention and benefits.
Imagine if Zhao Hai didn"t become a level 1 Mage just one month after ascending. If his strength wasn"t as strong as it is right now, if he was like Dins and the others who were old and had no potential, would Desbarres still be polite to him? Will the Bone Symbol Camp allocate materials so that he could cultivate? Certainly not.
Also, if other camps hear that Zhao Hai had the wine formula as well as the means to refine high-level undead, then they would definitely try and eliminate him. The Machine Field wasn"t a simple place. It was precisely because of this that Zhao Hai was careful in revealing his capabilities. Telling Desbarres that he was both a Mage and a Warrior was on purpose.
Zhao Hai discovered that the real essence of the Machine Field were the secrets of the various powers. However, those secrets could only be pa.s.sed on to a family"s loyal members. Even those inside the family would find it hard to get access to restricted magic formations and formation sets, not to say ascenders. Therefore, Zhao Hai revealed that he was also a Warrior to Desbarres so that the Camp Lord would place more importance to him. Only then would Zhao Hai gain the qualifications to learn these restricted secrets.
The day quickly pa.s.sed by. Besides inviting Zhao Hai over for dinner, Desbarres also brought Zhao Hai to the entertainment area to play around for a while.
This entertainment area was for the crew to relax in. There were plenty of fun things to do inside the huge iron hall.
After playing around for a while, Zhao Hai talked to Desbarres and then returned to his room. Regarding Zhao Hai"s actions, Desbarres didn"t say anything. In his mind, Zhao Hai was a person who was infatuated with cultivation. Otherwise, his strength wouldn"t have reached this high in such a short time.
Nothing noteworthy happened that night. The next day was the same as the previous. He had breakfast with Desbarres and was told to prepare his things. They might arrive at the Bone Symbol Camp by evening"s time.
Zhao Hai nodded and returned to his room. Then he investigated the Bone Symbol Camp"s situation. He was able to know the location of the camp"s main base. Zhao Hai also discovered that the ascender academy was quite far from the camp"s base.
The city where the ascender academy was located was called Auspicious Cloud City. This was a city managed by the Ashley Family. About ten thousand li south of the city was a huge remote landma.s.s. This landma.s.s wasn"t any smaller than a continent. Altogether, the island was more than three million square kilometers. This island was the main city of the Ashley Family, named Lofty Demon City.
The entire city occupied the whole island. The island"s name was Lofty Demon Island. Surrounding the big island were eight smaller islands. These eight islands looked like soldiers guarding Lofty Demon Island. Stationed on these islands were the Ashley Family"s eight camps of the External Hall.
The eight camps had names that were themed with bones or ghosts. The Bone Symbol Camp was one of the four camps with bone in their name.
The planet where the Ashley Family was stationed at was called Dark Magic Planet. The entire planet was the Ashley Family"s domain, their supreme headquarters.
There were more than ten thousand cities on this planet, with a population surpa.s.sing 10 billion. As for ascension points, there were more than a hundred of them. The area where Auspicious Cloud City was located was under the jurisdiction of the Bone Symbol Camp. The lands surrounding it also belonged to the camp. With the decline of the Bone Symbol Camp, the other camps began to target these lands. However, since these places were under Desbarres, they didn"t dare to be excessive. The least they could do was to poach talents away from the camp.
Although the eight camps of the External Hall were all under the Ashley Family, this didn"t mean that all of them had good relations.h.i.+ps with each other. Conversely, the relations.h.i.+p between the eight camps wasn"t too good. This was because of the system of compet.i.tion that the Ashley Family set up. There would be compet.i.tions between the eight camps each year. The financial support of each camp relied on the results of these compet.i.tions. Control over ascension points and recruitment also hinged on the compet.i.tion.
Besides these things, it was also a matter of status. Each year, people on other camps want to be a step above the others. Those below would treat those above as their elder brothers.
The Bone Symbol Camp haven"t been in a good state in recent years. Although they weren"t at the bottom of the compet.i.tion, they hovered at sixth or seventh place. When they see the other camps, they have to give a salute. Who wouldn"t be embarra.s.sed with this?
The Bone Symbol Camp didn"t lack money. The robots that Qi Yi made already brought huge profits to the camp. Because of this, even if the family hadn"t been giving that much money to the camp, the camp was still quite rich. What the camp needed the most was status.
It can be said that the Ashley Family was a very famous existence in the Machine Field. One family controlling an entire planet was quite rare in the realm.
There were a bit more than 1000 livable planets in the Machine Field. Moreover, these 1000 planets were divided by the three major powers. And in these major powers were smaller powers. If each of these smaller powers wanted a planet of their own, then even 10 thousand planets wouldn"t be enough. Therefore, most planets were controlled by an alliance. Groups like the Ashley Family that controlled an entire planet were rarely seen.
After understanding the strength of the Ashley Family, Zhao Hai knew that they really weren"t simple. Controlling an entire planet despite there being only more than 1000 planets in the realm was a huge accomplishment.
Before long, the fleet arrived at Dark Magic Planet"s outer s.p.a.ce base. All in all, the Ashley Family had four outer s.p.a.ce bases. These bases were used to protect the planet"s safety. The base they were in had ten large-cla.s.s s.h.i.+ps, more than 100 medium-cla.s.s s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps as well as countless small s.h.i.+ps.
Although the Dry Bone was a medium-cla.s.s s.h.i.+p, it was generally used for reconnaissance duty, something that smaller s.h.i.+ps would do. Because of this, the Dry Bone was able to enter planets. As for large and other medium s.h.i.+ps, they weren"t permitted to enter. This was due to the disturbance that they would cause upon entering the atmosphere. It was very possible for them to cause natural disasters. Generally, only smaller s.h.i.+ps could enter a planet.
With Desbarres being the Patriarch"s trusted subordinate, he was able to move ten s.h.i.+ps without reporting. Although the Dry Bone was on the smaller side among medium-cla.s.s s.h.i.+ps, even to the point where it can enter a planet and do tasks that only smaller s.h.i.+ps would do, it was still a medium-cla.s.s s.h.i.+p to its core. Its combat power was much stronger than small s.h.i.+ps. And since it was made for scouting, its speed was extremely fast. This was the reason why Desbarres used it to fetch Margaret.
But even with the Dry Bone"s properties, it still wasn"t allowed to enter Dark Magic Planet. The only thing they could do was leave the s.h.i.+p on the outer s.p.a.ce base and then transfer on smaller s.h.i.+ps before entering the planet.
Back when Zhao Hai headed towards Tyro Planet for the exam, he wasn"t able to see these outer s.p.a.ce bases. This was because there was no need for them to go to these places. The academy"s s.h.i.+p was a small-cla.s.s s.h.i.+p. They could use another route to enter and leave the planet. Because of this, Zhao Hai wasn"t able to see these bases.
But this time, they needed to stop on a base in order to transfer s.h.i.+ps. Therefore, Zhao Hai was able to look at these outer s.p.a.ce bases. Zhao Hai stared at the sight. He didn"t expect these bases to be so enormous. The entire base looked like a floating metropolis. Besides the base itself, it was surrounded by innumerable satellite ports. s.h.i.+ps were seen everywhere, coming in and out of the base.
Chapter 1116 – Bone Symbol Camp
When the s.h.i.+p stopped, Desbarres brought Zhao Hai and disembarked. When they went out of the s.h.i.+p, Zhao Hai discovered that they were now walking on an airlocked corridor. People could use this pa.s.sage to safely get into the base.
After pa.s.sing through the corridor, they arrived at a platform. This platform was also airlocked. The environment inside it was the same as the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p. There were several vehicles stopped at the platform. Desbarres took Margaret and Zhao Hai to ride one of them.
As they sat inside the car, Desbarres turned to Zhao Hai and said, "Little Hai, we need to quickly head back to the family, so we wouldn"t be able to stay here for long. But next time, I will definitely take you to play around this base."
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Camp Lord is too polite. I also want to head back so that I can continue practicing."
Desbarres smiled and said, "Don"t think about practicing all the time. Your training speed is fast enough. Being able to use five-layer formations in such a short time is already a good accomplishment."
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and didn"t say anything. Desbarres didn"t persuade Zhao Hai further either. He had spent most of his life in the Ashley Family and had seen all kinds of people. Cultivating madmen like Zhao Hai were among these people. And as long as they don"t die in the future, they would definitely become famous experts of the realm.
The car quickly flew through the base. And before long, they were already on another port where a smaller s.h.i.+p was waiting for them.
There were a few people standing at the door of the s.h.i.+p. All of them were dressed in their uniforms. The uniforms were in one-piece with the upper and lower body connected together. It seems like they were made out of leather. It had a tight design, looking quite good.
When Desbarres" group of three got out of the vehicle, the person at the lead immediately said, "We have seen the manager. The s.h.i.+p has been prepared."
Desbarres nodded. Then he said, "Good, help me express my thanks to your chief. I"m in a hurry and don"t have time to see him." The man didn"t dare stop Desbarres.
At this time, Desbarres embarked on the s.h.i.+p along with Margaret, Zhao Hai, 30 Mages and 20 Warriors.
This time, Zhao Hai didn"t go to a room inside the s.h.i.+p. It would only take a short time for this small s.h.i.+p to reach the planet"s surface. Therefore, Zhao Hai spent the time inside the command hall along with Desbarres.
Naturally, there was a captain taking command of the s.h.i.+p. So Zhao Hai and the others just stood in the hall and looked through the displays in order to look at the scenery outside.
When the s.h.i.+p entered the atmosphere, Desbarres let out a long breath. Then he turned to look at Zhao Hai and said, "We"ll be sending you to the camp first to get settled down. After that, I will deliver the young miss to the family. I already gave word to the people back in the camp. They will give you a good room that will allow you to adapt to the Machine Field"s spiritual qi. However, don"t adapt to the density too fast, or else you"ll get corrupted. You need to gradually adapt."
Zhao Hai nodded. On the other hand, the Mages behind them felt their hearts stir. Although Desbarres had been very good to everyone in the Bone Symbol Camp, they had never seen their Camp Lord take care of someone like he did with Zhao Hai.
Desbarres didn"t tell anyone else about Zhao Hai being both a Mage and a Warrior. When Zhao Hai told him this information, Desbarres decided to block it from spreading. In his opinion, being both a Warrior and a Mage was Zhao Hai"s trump card. But what he didn"t know was that Zhao Hai had much more terrifying secrets.
At this time, Zhao Hai saw nine islands arranged in a squarish manner on the s.h.i.+p"s computer. The middle island was much bigger than the eight surrounding it. The surrounding islands looked like it was guarding the middle landma.s.s.
Desbarres pointed at an island and said, "There is Bone Symbol Island where the Bone Symbol Camp is. Currently, the camp has more 4000 Mages and more than 6000 Warriors. The weakest is level 1 while the strongest reached level 5. In addition to the camp itself, there are also two residential areas as well as eight training regions in the island. While you get settled in the island, I will send the Young Miss home. I will certainly come back as soon as possible."
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "Camp Lord can relax. I don"t have a lot of demands anyway. After I reach the camp, I will immediately practice. I won"t be doing anything else in a short time."
Desbarres nodded and said, "I already told them to not make any mistakes. Alright, let"s prepare to head down." The s.h.i.+p had already reached the Bone Symbol Camp"s airs.p.a.ce. It was now slowly descending into the camp.
The Bone Symbol Camp also had their own port. However, it wasn"t very large. Its main use was to accommodate small s.h.i.+ps that brought supplies from the outer s.p.a.ce base as well as the other islands. Because of this, the port doesn"t need to be too big.
Zhao Hai used this period of time to observe the camp"s headquarters. Although it was called a camp, it was actually a very high building. From his estimation, Zhao Hai reckoned that it was about 200 floors high, exceeding a kilometer tall. Its surface area also reached about ten thousand square meters. The entire building was tower-shaped with gla.s.s windows. It actually looked very beautiful.
Zhao Hai didn"t expect the camp to have a very advanced building. It was not what he expected.
At this time, the s.h.i.+p had safely landed on the ground. Desbarres brought Zhao Hai as well as the Mages and Warriors out of the s.h.i.+p.
There were members of the Bone Symbol Camp waiting for them outside. Desbarres looked at Tao w.a.n.g who was standing at the front and said, "Tao w.a.n.g, Zhao Hai has already joined the camp. Have you arranged his things?"
Tao w.a.n.g nodded and said, "Camp Lord, you can rest a.s.sured, everything has been prepared."
It was obvious that Desbarres trusted Tao w.a.n.g. So he nodded then turned to Zhao Hai and said, "Little Hai, go follow Tao w.a.n.g while I send the Young Miss home. If you need anything, just ask Tao w.a.n.g."
Zhao Hao nodded and gave Tao w.a.n.g a salute. Then Desbarres turned around and re-entered the s.h.i.+p. He would be heading to Lofty Demon Island.
Seeing the s.h.i.+p fly away, Tao w.a.n.g turned to look at everyone and said, "Alright, all of you should get going. Little Hai, come with me. I"ll lead you to your place."
Zhao Hai nodded and said, "Thank you, Big Brother Tao." Tao w.a.n.g smiled and said, "There"s no need to be polite. We"re already camp brothers. Let"s go." Then after he said that, he led Zhao Hai into the building. The building"s first floor was a very large hall. There were dining rooms and resting areas on the side. But the biggest attraction on this hall was the huge electronic wall, showing all kinds of information.
Tao w.a.n.g said to Zhao Hai, "Besides the funds the family gives each year, the camp is pretty much self sufficient. The family would also post tasks for the camps to accomplish. These tasks would be sent through the internal network. We can complete these tasks in order to gain more money. So every year, there would be a lot of people who are idling here to pick tasks. Additionally, we take the funds allocated by the family and distribute them to the members as wages. However, for those who want to practice, this wage is simply not enough. Because of this, the camp needed to create its own wealth."
Zhao Hao nodded at Tao w.a.n.g"s words. Although the Ashley Family supported the camps, this didn"t mean that the family would shoulder all of their expenses. Every year, the money provided by the family was always limited. So each camp needed to think of ways to make money on their own.
Tao w.a.n.g continued, "These tasks aren"t only on Dark Magic Planet, there are some that were on other planets. If you want to accomplish this task, then you can only use a s.h.i.+p. And if you want to get there faster, then you will have to use a transmission formation. However, the transmission formation"s fee is higher. If the task is issued by the family, then the costs would be subsidized. Otherwise, we would need to pay for it with our own money." While he said that, Tao w.a.n.g and Zhao Hai went inside an elevator. Then Tao w.a.n.g pressed the number for the 180th floor.
After he pressed the b.u.t.ton, Tao w.a.n.g turned to Zhao Hai and said, "Actually, our camp is similar to the academy. The first floor has the restaurant. There are also places for practicing and other things. The building also has a market where people run their own shops. This is also where people trade for goods. The tasks we do usually don"t just include monetary compensation. Sometimes, people would unearth treasures. You can go to the marketplace and trade them for some money. Naturally, you can contribute these treasures to the family. The family would certainly make sure that you would not be treated unjustly."
Zhao Hao nodded. He understood that the External Hall"s camps were actually just the family"s exclusive mercenaries. They would receive remuneration in exchange for accomplis.h.i.+ng tasks given out by the family.
A huge family"s development not only depended on their experts and powerful s.h.i.+ps. They also need to work on other aspects such as their foundation.
The External Hall plays an essential duty for this aspect. Although the people in the External Hall weren"t individually strong, their overall strength wasn"t bad. They were equal to an army. The External Hall was an army that doesn"t need too much money to function. And at the same time, they could also provide the family with benefits.
For example, an External Hall Mage could dig up a valuable ore during their time outside. If they didn"t have any uses for this ore, then they could sell it off to other people. However, this exposes them to the possibility of being robbed and killed. Because of this, their best choice was to sell the ore to the family in exchange for something of equal value. Naturally, they could also keep them for their own use. When they were strong enough in the future, they could use the ore. But before that happens, if someone knew what they had, then they would definitely be in danger.
This ore might very likely be an indispensable piece for a powerful weapon. If the family gets their hands on it, then they could make a weapon that would help the family increase their strength.
With this setup, the family would acquire a lot of good items. And during wars, these manufactured weapons might play a critical role. A weapon"s value was very difficult to estimate, especially in the World of Cultivation. There were some average powers in the World of Cultivation that rose into prominence just because they had an extremely powerful weapon in hand. Ordinary people wouldn"t dare to provoke them. This was akin to a country having their own nuclear a.r.s.enal.
It was because of this that the family allowed the camp to post their own tasks for their members. This way, the External Hall"s members would bring them more benefits.
Tao w.a.n.g proceeded to introduce Zhao Hai to the camp"s situation. The market was divided into two floors, one on the 100th floor and the other on the 105th floor. The market on the 100th floor was a mall opened by the Ashley Family. This was where potions and goods for Mages and Warriors were sold. Moreover, the prices here were cheaper than the markets outside.
On the other hand, the market on the 105th floor was the trading floor. People from the camp go there to trade. Mages that obtained magic swords would trade it since it was useless for them. Meanwhile, a Warrior that needed items like magic swords would find it on this floor.
When he heard this, Zhao Hai"s eyes shone. He didn"t expect a trading floor to exist here. This will certainly provide him with a lot of items for the s.p.a.ce. At the same time, he could use the Processing Machine to make items that he could trade for.
At this time, the elevator sounded out with a ding. When the elevator doors opened, Zhao Hai couldn"t help but stare. This was because he didn"t expect this floor to look like his. The floor was very tall at about ten meters high. There were also some ornamental trees planted on the ground as well as some gra.s.ses. Most importantly, the rooms here didn"t look like the other places. Each accommodation had its own yard, just like a villa. They looked very elegant.
Looking at Zhao Hai"s reaction, Tao w.a.n.g smiled and said, "Normally, this place is reserved for people level 4 and above. However, the Camp Lord specifically instructed me to prepare a spot for you. Let"s go, I"ll show you to your house."
Zhao Hai was somewhat touched. He was no doubt treated specially. Although he hadn"t seen the other floors, he knew that the other rooms weren"t as good as the ones on this floor. Zhao Hai felt that only level 5 experts deserve spots on this floor.