57: Chapter 57 Command confirmed, movement begins

[ descent platform under construction, estimated time: 8 hours. ]

[ Watchtower upgrading, estimated time: 4 hours. ]

[ Forging Area upgrading, ... ]

[ Hall of Valor ... ]

[ Magic Zone ... ]

[ Wall Turrets ... ]

[ Treasury ... ]

Eight projects entered the queue simultaneously, with countdowns ranging from five to eight hours.

The standing-by Acolytes busied themselves one after another.

Xu Qin looked out at the vast yellow sand from the Watchtower; the novelty quickly wore off.

He looked at the number on the energy interface.

192,000.

Just floating there without moving consumed two thousand per hour, and if it flew, it would be four thousand.

"No, I can't be a spendthrift. I must save where I can." Xu Qin said, feeling a bit of heartache.

If one were to talk about it being satisfying, it really was satisfying.

But currently, his two armies only brought in one or two hundred thousand soul energy per day, which might not even be enough to fill the fuel tank.

It meant that if his city floated for a day, it was equivalent to working for nothing for nearly half a day.

He opened the control interface and found the line [ Land ].

"Land first. Wait until the day when soul energy is so abundant I can't spend it all, then I'll fly around for fun every day."

Confirmed.

A sinking sensation came from beneath his feet.

The Floating City descended steadily, its deep blue base nearing the ground.

Xu Qin had expected a jarring vibration from the collision.

As it turned out, the bone-based foundation gave the yellow sand a gentle kiss, not even shaking once.

Xu Qin once again showed a look of surprise and delight.

"Not bad. This landing feel is even steadier than when I park my car."

He grew more satisfied the more he looked at it.

This kind of thing was perfect: land it to serve as a base during normal times, and when there is a war, lift it straight up and ram it into the enemy's face. It was practically tailor-made for someone like him who was cowardly yet wanted to show off.

Time passed silently.

As soon as one layer of the Combat Readiness Platform was built, another was added.

Soon, the time reached three in the afternoon.

[ Combat Readiness Platform third level construction complete. ]

"Good, my soldiers finally have a place to rest."

Thinking this, Xu Qin opened the regional map, wanting to check the progress of the two armies that had gone out.

But one look at it made him notice something unusual.

Because the teams led by Manniu and Tian Ming hadn't returned even once since being sent out in the morning, almost a whole day.

According to the pattern of the previous two days, they should have returned fully loaded at most every three or four hours.

Why the delay this time?

He zoomed in on the map for a closer look, and his confusion instantly vanished.

The two armies were perfectly fine; the reason they hadn't returned to the city was that their resources weren't maxed out yet.

There was no help for it; the resources within fifteen kilometers had already been scavenged clean by the armies over the previous three days, and the remaining scattered resource points could be counted on one hand.

Not to mention that the Erosion Beasts were all scattered across the vast land, causing the two armies to spend most of their time on the road. Finding and fighting them one by one naturally resulted in pitifully low efficiency.

The transport vehicles were almost entirely filled with piles of soul energy and bones; there were hardly any wood, stone, or iron ore.

"So they went to scavenge, only to find that they had already scavenged everything clean themselves." Xu Qin rubbed his chin and chuckled.

He had actually been mentally prepared for this situation.

The desert was only so big; each area cleared meant one less, and sooner or later, they would have to gnaw at areas further away.

A few minutes later, the group of blue dots belonging to Manniu started to turn back, moving slowly on the way home.

The team led by Tian Ming, however, did not move and remained in a green area.

Xu Qin switched his view and discovered that Tian Ming had found an Oasis. At the moment, he was leading the skeleton army to harvest on the spot, and it was estimated that he wouldn't be back for a while.

"Looks like it'll be a long time before they return, huh?"

Suddenly, Xu Qin, who was calculating, had his eyes light up.

"That's right, my city can fly, why should I wait at home?"

He opened the Floating City control interface and tapped on Manniu's location on the map.

[ Command confirmed, movement initiated. ]

[ Estimated arrival: about one hour and forty minutes. ]

Rumble!

There was another sinking sensation beneath his feet, and the Floating City lifted off the ground.

After completing its turn in mid-air, it drifted toward Manniu's army.

Xu Qin went to the Watchtower, feeling the breeze, and felt wonderful inside.

"When others are lords, they defend their cities. When I'm a lord, I drive my city out to pick up my employees after work."

"This kind of style, who could understand?"

Because both sides were moving toward each other, the actual meeting time was much faster than anticipated.

In less than an hour, the Floating City floated over the head of Manniu's army.

The dense crowd of undead below raised their heads, the ghostly blue soul fire in their eye sockets all looking up at the sky in unison.

Xu Qin could even imagine the look of confusion on Manniu's face right now...

Huh? Why did our boss drive his house out here?

"Land."

Boom!

The Floating City landed steadily on the ground.

The Combat Readiness Platform at the belly of the city slowly unfolded, extending a three-layered bone walkway.

Manniu took large strides in the lead, with two thousand nine hundred undead following in a continuous stream, and the two transport vehicles also drove into the city together.

Xu Qin personally went to the Combat Readiness Platform to check the haul.

Good heavens, although the wood and stone in the two vehicles were pitifully little, the soul energy was completely full, not to mention the bones piled up to the brim.

"I kind of understand the Americans now; only when you have soul energy can you feel at ease."

He patted the cargo bed with satisfaction.

"My employees are truly amazing. Not only do they work 24/7, but they also do any kind of work. Where else could I find such help?"

Manniu stood to the side, motionless.

Xu Qin waved his hand, reopened the control interface, and tapped on the coordinate of Tian Ming's Oasis.

[ Command confirmed, movement initiated. ]

[ Estimated arrival: about two hours and ten minutes. ]

The Floating City took flight again.

Taking advantage of the travel time, Xu Qin didn't stay idle.

Resources had just been replenished, so it was a good time to upgrade.

He opened the interfaces for the Combat Readiness Platform and the descent platform, filling up the queues.

[ Combat Readiness Platform upgrading... ]

[ descent platform upgrading... ]

More than two hours later, a patch of dark green appeared ahead.

Tian Ming's Oasis had arrived.

Xu Qin didn't rush to land.

This was a new, unexplored area; who knew what might be hidden underneath.

He opened the troop unit column and dispatched dozens of Skeleton Vultures in one go.

"Go, scatter thirty kilometers in all directions, and make sure to check every corner for me."

The group of Skeleton Vultures flew out from the Combat Readiness Platform, spreading out like a large net and gliding in all directions.

Xu Qin switched to the overhead view, scanning across the area with the eyes of the vultures.

Oasis, sand dunes, a few dried-up riverbeds...

Hmm? No monsters?

"Looks like this area has already been harvested."

After confirming there was no threat within five kilometers, he then gave the order.

"Land!"

The Floating City landed steadily on the edge of the Oasis once again.

Below, the army led by Tian Ming was looking up, quietly watching this bone city that had descended from the sky.

The Combat Readiness Platform slowly unfolded, extending a three-layered bone walkway to the ground.

The team led by Tian Ming filed in, the sound of footsteps dense and numerous.

The two transport vehicles brought up the rear, creaking noisily.

Xu Qin stood at the edge of the platform, staring at the cargo beds.

"This load... is a bit better than Manniu's side."

The wood and stone were piled a bit higher.

After all, it was an Oasis; there were some living things, making it easier to cut and gather.

But only a bit.

Soul energy and bones were still the main haul, stuffing the cargo beds to the brim.

"Better than nothing."

Xu Qin looked at the resource amount in the Treasury, "It'll do for now."