The girl with white hair and red eyes is serious about revenge

Having said this, Ayane paused, her cherry-colored eyes looked towards the top of Sakura Mountain, and she was silent for a short while.

Then she cleared her throat and began to recite the names of the deceased:

"Please pay your deepest respects to the victims of this time..."

"..."

In front of the formation belonging to the Blue Reef, Furukawa Wataru stared at the cenotaphs floating on the sea without saying a word. His face was old-fashioned, and his algae-green eyes were without any brilliance, but they reflected the shadows of those cenotaphs without hesitation.

He was wearing a black suit, which didn't match the old-fashioned three-legged hat on his head, and even looked a little funny.

Behind him, Grissom and Mei Xinghui held hands and stared at the sea in silence. The boy and the girl did not speak, but their faces were filled with sorrow. They looked at each other from time to time, but quickly looked away from each other.

"..."

At the back of the formation, a somewhat miserable cry continued from the beginning of the farewell ceremony until now——

——That was Hitaro Mama. He was using a crutch and had a plaster cast on his leg. He was obviously seriously injured.

He cried miserably, but even so, he did not bend down, but forced himself to keep his eyes on a cenotaph in the front row.

The name of Shibata Kazuki was written on it.

"..."

Perlis and Aoi stood at the back of the formation, neither of them spoke, just silently witnessing everything. Even Aoi, who usually always had a smile on her face, seemed to be covered with a cloud.

The battle to conquer the islands became much easier than before because of Perlis's unexpected infiltration, and casualties were greatly reduced. But even so, the new fleet of Dila still paid a price in the battle for control when landing on the Broken Islands.

This is essentially due to the asynchronous development of technology and tactics - the distorted development process allowed the Dila fleet to possess factor ironclad ships but not the matching land combat equipment.

This will take time to develop, and now is the time to pay the price for uneven development.

"..."

Finally, Ayane finished reading out all the names and gently shook the Kagura bell towards the sea.

She waited for a moment, letting the crowd's grief weave a gust of wind over the sea, and then continued:

"Let the wind blow away their obsession. May the Dila Empire last forever."

After he finished speaking, Admiral Fujita Hideo, who was wearing a samurai uniform, stepped forward, drew out his sword in a standard motion, and cut the ropes that were tied to the boats one by one.

The wind pushed the boat towards the sea, and it rose and fell among the waves, looking very reluctant.

When the small boats reached the sea far away from the shore, the archers at the front of the array stepped out, put rockets on bows carved with ancient patterns, and prepared to set fire to the small boats.

But at this moment, red lightning flashed on the small boats, and then they all caught fire at the same time. Hundreds of rafts were burning on the sea, smoke rose into the sky, and the wreckage sank into the sea.

Everyone stared at this scene in a daze, and then, as if realizing something, they began to chant the name of [Cang Huang]:

"Your Highness, please bless my brothers..."

"O sea... let them rest in peace..."

"...In the next life, we will sail together..."

"..."

At the back of the crowd, Perlis retracted her snapping fingers, patted Aoi on the shoulder and said:

"Let's go."

Aoi nodded, and before leaving, she looked at the scenery by the sea, her eyes focused on the captain.

Furukawa Wataru was still standing on the shore, and while no one was paying attention, he threw a tricorn hat that obviously did not belong to him into the sea.

He watched the cocked hat go farther and farther away without saying a word.

......

It was not until Perlis returned to the ancient city of Dila that she learned the full story of the Sea Mist Island incident.

According to Admiral Fujita Hideo, the sea suddenly turned dark, and Mikhail Irenfono, the Iron Lord who controlled the Frontier, suddenly landed at the port, and then used the Babel Prism to destroy all the port's infrastructure and most of the cargo ships.

After he left, storms broke out in all the main waterways around the Misty Strait, making it impossible for ordinary ships to pass through.

This is undoubtedly the power of the [Black Emblem]. Perlis determined that the [King of the Isles] Bridger gave the brooch to the [Iron Lord].

She could roughly guess why Duqiao Hexian did this: the paranoid patriot wanted to use a powerful counterforce to force [Canghuang] to make a choice, either to give up the leadership or to compete with [Iron Lord] and let Dila rise again by regaining Akihara.

The purpose and result of the Iron Lord's raid on the port of Sea Mist Island were also very clear: if the Blue Emperor planned to re-establish a resource hub on Sea Mist Island before launching an attack on Akihara, it would obviously be impossible. On the one hand, there was not enough time, and on the other hand, the Iron Lord could come back at any time and destroy the gathered resources.

What made Perlis feel a chill down her spine was everything she saw in the warehouse of Panshe City: the actual sponsor behind the [King of the Islands] was [Cang Huang], and it was that being who personally created the demons between the islands.

According to this line of thinking, the current situation was planned by [Cang Huang] from beginning to end, but why?

Is the "rise" created by such extremely inhumane behavior really the future that the people of Dila hope for?

"..."

Under the moonlight, Perlis squatted quietly on the eaves, overlooking the [Cang Palace] not far away.

The funeral came to her mind again. Although she had not been with the crew of the Blue Reef for a long time, she had been deeply impressed by many of them.

Among them was the first mate who used his body to blow up the Soul Eater: Shibata Kazuki. Perlis remembered his hearty smile, his heroic shouting and his straightforward personality.

No matter what she should do next, Perlis decided that she had to at least find the [Cang Huang] and ask him.

Even if some truths can never be made public, she needs an explanation.

An explanation that she would never have desired before.

......

9) The Great Landing (Part 2)

Under the moon, the [Cang Palace] was immersed in tranquility. By late at night, most of the palace maids had already returned to their bedrooms, and only a few guards were still patrolling with lanterns. The lights passed along the outline of the courtyard like shooting stars in the night sky.

In the back garden, [Cang Huang] was sitting quietly beside the stone table in the Moon Viewing Pavilion. The face wearing the god's mask raised slightly and looked at the sky outside the pavilion, letting the white light of the bright moon illuminate the pattern on the mask.

That is the East.

"..."

The back garden was very quiet in the moonlight, with only the occasional chirping of insects. The blooming cherry blossoms were illuminated by the moonlight, emitting a transparent light and swaying in the wind under the moon.

After staring towards the east for a long time, [Cang Huang] pulled his gaze back and looked across the stone table——

——I don’t know since when, a girl with white hair and red eyes has been sitting there, her blood-red eyes quietly looking at [Cang Huang] under the moonlight.

"You have good skills to bypass the palace guards."

[Cang Huang] seemed to have anticipated Perlis's arrival, and his hoarse and neutral voice carried a hint of sarcasm.

"So, where are you this time, little detective?"

"You are the one who funded the King of the Islands behind the scenes," Perlis said calmly, "I saw it all in the warehouse in Panshe City."

After hearing what Perlis said, [Cang Huang] was silent for a moment, emitting an aura that was difficult to guess.

But not long after, that being chuckled and said:

"You know, to some extent, you are the biggest contributor to the recovery of the Broken Isles. If you hadn't been able to sneak into the Dead Serpent Bay in that way, I'm afraid the sudden attack of the Iron Lord and the rebellion of the Lord of the Isles would have attacked us from both sides at the same time. You accelerated our efficiency and allowed us to deal with these things one by one."

"Answer my question," Perlis said coldly, "Why do you want to support the King of the Islands?"

"What evidence do you have?" Cang Huang's voice was slow, "Dead Snake Bay has sunk along with the bridge and the chord, taking away everything around him."

"But I'm still alive," Perlis silently grasped the butterfly knife in her sleeve, "I need an explanation."

"..."

In the pavilion under the moon, the two looked at each other, and their silhouettes outlined by the moonlight seemed a little unreal.

After only a moment, [Cang Huang] chuckled and immediately said:

"You should know that the Federation can destroy the Infinite Steel Legion in a few minutes by using the Tower of Babel, but this has not happened for a long time. Do you know the reason?"

"That's not the question I asked you," Perlis replied coldly, "Answer me, why..."

Before she could finish, Perlis suddenly realized something, her eyes slightly opened, and she stopped talking.

And [Cang Huang] nodded with satisfaction, and continued with a hint of sarcasm:

"Why does the Federation suddenly need us to fight the Iron Lords at this time? You know, after the crash of the Ocean-Wide Royal Family, the Federation has never sent out a main force again. If the Admir Sky Eye is sent to Autumn Plains, even without the Tower of Babel, the Iron Lords will never be able to cross the center of Autumn Plains."

Why...Perlis thought carefully, she searched everything in her memory, but could not come up with any definite information.

When I was escaping from the Federation... [Admir Sky Eye] appeared... This means that the giant ship used to launch contestants in the competition can still be used normally... but it has been guarding near Lavis...

Could it be that... that thing is guarding...

Suddenly, as if realizing something, Perlis raised her head and said:

"Could it be that... [Tower of Babel] is unusable now?"

"Yes, you are very smart," Cang Huang nodded, "The Federation is using the Tower of Babel to achieve a certain purpose. The Iron Lord knows this purpose, Laplace knows it, but we have no way of knowing it."

"This goal allowed the Iron Lord to accurately control the time to start the war. It was nonsense to wait until early spring to launch a surprise attack because of the blizzard in Wanren Mountain. The Thebits have never been afraid of blizzards. Blizzards are their curtain and sharp blade."

"The reason why the Federation cannot send a large number of troops is probably because of other things, in addition to guarding the Tower of Babel where a certain event is in progress... I think that E.Tran and the Kingdom of Grau Yad have reached an agreement recently... There may be a game and conflict going on at the border between the Federation and E.Tran that no one knows about..."

The deity pattern on the [Canghuang] mask flickered faintly under the moonlight, leaving Perlis dazed for a moment, unable to look away:

"We can extend this to another question: Ever since the Tower of Babel appeared, the Federation could have conquered the world with its existence, but it has not done so for a long time. Why do you think that is?"

"Because the [World Alliance] surrendered," Perlis said, "but..."

"It's just setting up a special zone instead of ceding territory, and it's just stationing troops in the border areas instead of stationing military bases in the country. Do you think this is what a powerful entity like the Federation should do?"

[Canghuang]'s voice was neutral and hoarse, without a trace of emotion, but it made Perlis feel a little chilly.

Unconsciously, she felt that her thoughts were being guided by [Cang Huang], but she did not have much intention of resisting.

Could it be that...the Tower of Babel doesn't actually have that much power?

No... I saw it all... Perlis recalled the scene during the war to retake Charon. She saw with her own eyes the red beam of light tearing through the sky and earth, turning the entire city of Charon Special Zone into ashes.

Seeing Perlis lost in thought, [Cang Huang] sneered and immediately said:

"Let's think about it another way. If power really exists, is there a limit?"

Hearing this, Perlis's thoughts paused for a moment, and then she changed her mind.

Soon, she thought of what the bridge chord said to her in the dark space:

"Go to the other side, go to Qilang, and you will understand everything."

Qi Lang... this name is unfamiliar... I have never heard of it... According to the bridge and chord, it seems to be on the other side... that is, above the dark land...

Thinking of this, Perlis made a guess: Qi Lang might be the name of the civilization on the other side, or at least one of the names.

Thinking of the old photos she had seen in Edward's old mansion, Perlis sorted out her impression of Qi Lang: the Great Wall with shining red lines, the dark earth, and the sky with flickering fiery clouds.

Miss Mei said... Black Island is the gateway to the other side... Could it be that the island is actually related to Qi Lang?

"..."

After reaching a vague conclusion, Perlis said softly:

"Hei Dao, Qi Lang."

Hearing the words "Qi Lang", [Cang Huang] seemed to show surprise for the first time. But that emotion only lasted for a short while before disappearing:

"Your idea is correct. Black Island is the key."

9) The Great Landing (Part 3)

Upon hearing the affirmation from [Cang Huang], Perlis was not delighted, but instead keenly aware of some problems:

This guy ignored the two words "Qi Lang" and only mentioned Hei Dao. Is he trying to hide something?

Only people from the Federation have been to the other side... and the claim that there is "no life and the climate is harsh" on the other side was also unilaterally put forward by the Federation. Could it be that... this is to cover up the existence of "Qi Lang"?

But why is this? At least for the people on the Ademir continent, "Qilang" is a meaningless name, because there is no sound coming from the other side.

Could it be that...it's not that it doesn't exist, but that it was intercepted by the federals?

Perlis looked at the mask of [Canghuang] in front of her. The patterns on it reflected the moonlight, looking ancient and mysterious.

She did not ask Cang Huang what he was thinking. Obviously, if this guy deliberately did not respond, continuing to ask would be a waste of time.

At this moment, a guess suddenly occurred to Perlis' mind: Could it be that [Cang Huang] had received a voice from the other side? What was the content of this voice? Why did this guy try to cover it up?