The Final Odyssey, the fantastical journey of a cat boy

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The envoy's words once again sparked a noisy discussion in the hall—although before this, the people of Oasis Harbor had made many speculations about the Duchy of Fayun's purpose in purchasing Deep Dark Island, ranging from building a military fortress to mining minerals. However, no one could have imagined that they had come for an ancient myth!

"Your Excellency, Special Envoy!" Although interrupting a speech was against diplomatic protocol, someone still spoke up, "Are you serious? You really intend to buy Deep Dark Island for the legendary 'Guardians'?"

"Exactly. We believe it to be some kind of ancient, long-forgotten military weapon." The envoy paused his speech and began answering the question. "As you all know, the old civilizations left behind a wealth of technological products, including weapons, or various devices that could be used as weapons. The armored warriors and the 'Gorlon' walking machines are typical examples."

"We know that..."

"Although the Principality of Fayun is a pacifist nation, and our beloved Emperor also desires that the Pan-Pacific Empire be bathed in a long-term atmosphere of peace free from war and conflict, unfortunately, at present, the shadow of turmoil and danger is brewing in every corner of the world," the envoy said. "You should all know what happened in the north not long ago, right?"

"Oh, I'll never forget..." Baron Ruan Aofu, currently the special envoy of the Duchy of Penglai, murmured not far away—after all, he had personally experienced a life-or-death battle there, where his armored forces were almost completely wiped out. If Fish and the others hadn't arrived in time at the high ground they were trapped on, the rest of them would likely have perished as well.

"Yes, the horrors buried underground were awakened, slaughtering tens of thousands of people. Dozens of colonies were severely damaged, and His Majesty the Emperor even mourned for that tragedy for an entire day," Fayent said in a sorrowful tone. "Although the cause of this terrible event has not yet been determined, its occurrence warns us that the terrible legacy left behind by the defeated humans of the old civilizations seems to be being awakened by some factors."

"Oh, right, 'certain factors'," Fish heard Ange say in a sarcastic tone in a low voice.

"While I have no doubt that we can, like our heroic ancestors, rebury these evil spirits left behind by the old civilization into hell, the losses in dealing with them would be much smaller if we could acquire more powerful weapons. Therefore, after systematically studying a large number of ancient records, the technological archaeologists of the Duchy of Fayun have concluded that the strange island known as the Dark Isle is likely a storage facility for military equipment from the old civilization. Moreover, the automated weapons within may be of use to us."

"Really?" someone asked. It was common knowledge that while many relics from the old civilization were still usable, automated equipment, especially military weapons, were not. Whether it was combat robots, intelligent drones, or automated turrets, no one had been able to command them until now.

“Indeed. The ancient legend you have passed down is the best evidence,” he replied with certainty. “Most of the automated devices from the old civilization era that are still operational either malfunction or treat anyone who approaches them as an enemy, which is why those ancient city ruins are so dangerous. However, there are a few exceptions: the programs of these devices require them to protect the humans who are considered ‘users’ and eliminate threats.”

"So, in that story..."

"Those fishermen were clearly saved by this automated weapon system, which allowed them to escape danger—our archaeologists believe they may have accidentally registered themselves as users of the device. Admittedly, we cannot control them, but they automatically provide us with protection."

“However, Oasis Harbor has also encountered enemies many times in the past century,” a man in military uniform raised his hand. “Yes, there have been no large-scale wars here, but we have suffered pirate attacks and fought five small wars with other city-states over commercial routes and fishing rights, but no ‘guardians’ have ever come to our aid.”

"That's because they're not in an activated state," the envoy said. "However, our archaeologists have identified potentially effective activation methods. If Oasis Harbor is willing to cooperate, we could potentially obtain crucial security in this increasingly dangerous era."

"So, Your Excellency Katarina, will this so-called 'guarantee' have any impact on our two countries?" Moon Butterfly, who had been silent all along, finally couldn't help but ask. "Although the Marquisate of Ten Victories and the Duchy of Penglai have no intention of being enemies with Oasis Port and Fayun, this new weapon that your two countries have acquired may have an adverse effect on the balance of power."

"Rest assured, the ancient civilization artifacts we plan to activate on Dark Deep Island are purely defensive in nature," replied Fayun's envoy. "In fact, the entire Dark Deep Island is likely a man-made facility, and its automated weapon systems can only be maintained and resupplyed within this facility. Therefore, it cannot be moved, and its area of ​​influence is limited—we estimate the radius will not exceed one thousand kilometers. Within this range, apart from Oasis Harbor, there are only some small island settlements directly under the royal family, and no other states."

"Well……"

"In other words, even if our plan succeeds, this equipment will only prioritize the safety of the Fayun people and the Oasis Port people within a radius of 1,000 kilometers of sea. After all, several of Fayun's most important commercial shipping routes pass through this area, and Oasis Port is an important trading partner of our country. Obtaining such protection is very valuable to our country's economic security."

"And it won't affect the Duchy of Penglai, right?" Ruan Aofu nodded—since the two countries are far apart, one in the south and one in the north, although the Duchy of Penglai and the Marquis of Shisheng do have trade relations with Oasis Port, their overall share in foreign trade is negligible. They also have no special interests around Oasis Port.

"Yes—of course, if the Duchy of Penglai and the Marquisate of Shisheng are willing, we would also be happy to register your merchant ship crews as users of that equipment, so that they too can be protected," said the envoy from Fayun. "After all, we welcome all things peaceful... eh?"

Just as the special envoy was about to continue his eloquent speech, a loud explosion suddenly came from the direction of the embassy of the neighboring Duchy of Fayun. The shockwave traveled through the foundation and walls into the Coral Palace, causing the ground to shake and the ornate chandeliers hanging from the ceiling to swing back and forth and collide with each other, producing a series of ear-piercing clanging sounds.

Then, after a brief moment of shock, the guests in the hall rushed out of the Coral Palace like ants whose nest had been doused with boiling water, fearing that if they were even a step too slow, they would be buried alive by the collapsing building.

"Don't be afraid, everyone." Just as everyone else was pushing and shoving and scrambling to escape, Huang Yan said in the encrypted communication channel, "I have already calculated the structural strength of the building. The explosion just now was not enough to damage the main part of the Coral Palace building. In addition, the location of the explosion is very likely the ground floor of the embassy area of ​​the Principality of Fayun, and the power is equivalent to 5 kilograms of TNT."

"The basement level... Oh no! Could it be..." Fish shuddered.

"Cough...cough cough cough...everyone, can...cough cough...can you hear me?" Just then, Xiaoxing's voice came through the encrypted communication channel.

"Xiao Xing?! Are you... are you alright? How is Luca?!" Fish asked hurriedly.

"We're fine, just...cough...just a few minor injuries," Xiaoxing said. "And it was me who got hurt, Miss Luca is alright...I just...cough...just protected her."

"Well done." Fish nodded—for armored warriors, proactively using their bodies to shield unprotected allies when necessary is a basic skill. Although it sounds easy, because "proactively protecting the other side" goes against human instinct, it took him and Xiaoxing quite a while to train this conditioned reflex. "What was that explosion just now? Was it from the enemy...?"

"No, the explosion just now was intentional. We found some very important clues, some secret documents... but we fell into their trap, so we had no choice but to do it," Xiaoxing said. "Mr. Fish, please activate the emergency plan! The sooner the better!"

"Understood. Please relay this to all groups: begin operations now!"

"I notified them half a minute in advance," Huang Yan replied coldly, "right when the explosion occurred. For any commander with decent tactical skills, an explosion should be considered an 'emergency,' not a passive wait for the other side to request it. I hope you'll behave better next time."

"Uh...you didn't have to be so harsh..." Fish's forehead was covered in sweat—after all, being scolded by one's own equipment was really embarrassing, no matter how you looked at it.

However, before he could say anything more, the crackling sound of firecrackers exploding in a gasoline drum, the shrill sound of police sirens, and the clamor of different people quickly approached from the entrance of the Coral Palace.

Just as planned, upon receiving Huang Yan's order, the lurking members of the Short Skirt Pirate Gang and the "Red Cat" Righteous Thieves immediately began creating chaos with fireworks and noise, guiding the bewildered crowd toward the Coral Palace. Due to the previous explosion, most of the guards who were originally stationed near the gate had rushed toward the direction of the Fa Yun Embassy, ​​so the few remaining guards at the gate were completely unable to stop the surging crowd in the face of the unexpected turn of events.

Then, the chaotic crowd collided with the dignitaries and their entourage who had escaped from the Coral Palace. The crowd immediately descended into even greater chaos, with bewildered people pushing, jostling, and shouting like sardines trapped in a fishing net…

Finally, just as Fish and the others had predicted, a portion of the chaotic crowd surged into the embassy of the Principality of Fayun. Fearing for the safety of any important figures caught in the crossfire, the guards there didn't even dare fire a shot into the air, simply standing aside. Meanwhile, some quick-thinking individuals began taking advantage of the situation to actively "redistribute" valuable items within the embassy.

"How's the situation?" Amidst the chaos, Fish and his group had already retreated to the second-floor terrace of the Coral Palace, less affected by the crowd, and met up with Yue Die and Ruan Aofu. The guards and attendants they had brought from the cruiser "Inaba" formed a human wall around them. "Xiao Xing? Can you hear me?"

"Yes. I've already had Miss Luca slip away with the secret documents and blend into the crowd; no one saw her face. Then... ah!"

Xiaoxing's voice was interrupted by the sound of clashing weapons on the communication channel. It sounded like she was clearly fighting an enemy with a weapon that had transformed from her intelligent combat armor—and anyone who could fight a melee warrior face-to-face was obviously no ordinary person.

"Xiao Xing! Don't linger, disengage immediately!" Fish shouted urgently. "Use your special ability to retreat!"

"No... They're pushing me too hard, I simply can't do it..." Xiaoxing's voice sounded quite strained—although the optical camouflage stealth ability unique to her intelligent combat armor "Grape" was practically a bug in many situations. However, it also had a flaw: there was a three- to five-second transition time required to activate the optical camouflage. During this time, the intelligent combat armor could not perform any other functions.

Although this time may seem short, it becomes a huge problem when fighting an opponent of the same level in close combat—after all, for a high-level armored warrior, a five-second gap is enough for them to kill their opponent more than ten times in various ways.

"Then let's try to get to an open area!" Ange said. "We have a final contingency plan."

"Ah, I understand!" Xiaoxing said after two more clashes of weapons. Then, another explosion occurred on the first floor wall of the Fayun Embassy. Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, two fully armed armored warriors, their arm armor transformed into weapons, leaped out from the hole in the wall.

While some armored warriors, like Moon Butterfly and Frostleaf, have the bad habit of disliking wearing helmets, both Xiaoxing and her opponents concealed their faces with closed helmets, making their features impossible to discern. The armored warrior fighting Xiaoxing was clearly a typical melee-focused damage dealer, wielding a heavy hammer in one hand and a shield in the other. His strength advantage allowed him to relentlessly overwhelm Xiaoxing, who was weak in close combat. Furthermore, this guy's physique was quite striking, especially his large breasts, enough to make most women weep with envy.

Of course, the one who reacted most violently was Moon Butterfly, who was standing to the side.

"Hey, calm down," Fish quickly advised after seeing Moon Butterfly briefly bare her teeth—he knew very well how annoyed she was after seeing her greatest advantage being surpassed. "Now I'm counting on you."

"I know that." After quickly tearing off her gorgeous dress and activating her close-fitting smart combat armor, Yue Die said.