Chapter 154 - 117: The Arrow’s End

Chapter 154: Chapter 117: The Arrow’s End"Everyone, get down and move the ingredients onto the carriage," Yan Kong’s subordinate, a female Winged Person, shouted loudly, directing the staff to work. Yunxiao City prohibited flying, except for the Royal Court guards, the Lingyu nobility, and privileged guests. Other people were forbidden from flying. Yan Kong herself could fly in, but her giant eagle and cargo couldn’t, so they had to unload on the platform and transfer the goods via carriage to her restaurant. This platform was a dedicated cargo transfer station, with many carriages for hauling goods parked there. Ji Xinghuo, along with others, moved the ingredients onto the carriage. Winged guards were all around, constantly watching over the situation on the platform. There were also Winged People coming forward to inspect the goods and ingredients with great care. A female Winged Person, who was clearly the Guard Captain, fixed her sharp gaze on the restaurant staff. "Yan Kong," She looked at the elegantly dressed Yan Kong with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Why do some of your staff look unfamiliar?" Yan Kong was not the least bit flustered, "They’re newly hired." The two clearly knew each other. Being from the Lingyu Clan, the Guard Captain was unsatisfied with the response, "Your restaurant changes its staff too frequently. Don’t think I don’t know what tricks you’re playing. I’ve overlooked it before, but the Queen’s jubilee celebration is coming up. If anything goes wrong, you can’t afford the responsibility." "What could go wrong?" Yan Kong impatiently flicked her claw, "They’re just a few Third Rank Winged People. If they dare to harbor any ill will, I’ll kill them with a flick of my hand." "It’s not just the Winged People..." The Guard Captain glanced toward Ji Xinghuo and another from the Star Realm’s Human Race. Ji Xinghuo felt his heart sink. "Enough, enough, don’t create trouble out of nothing," Yan Kong cut off the Guard Captain, then suddenly lowered her voice, "We’ll talk tonight when we meet." The Guard Captain’s face paused, and she ultimately did not pursue the matter further. Ji Xinghuo breathed a sigh of relief in secret. It seemed that Yan Kong was so confident in bringing people into Yunxiao City because she had greased the wheels with this Guard Captain. The money she collected was likely shared with the Guard Captain. After finishing the transportation, Ji Xinghuo and the other employees got on the carriage. The Guard Captain waved them through, and they gradually left the cargo platform. Passing through the tall archway, the view suddenly opened up before them. A magnificent and marvelous city unfolded in their sight, and although Ji Xinghuo had already seen a glimpse of the iceberg and was mentally prepared, he was still shocked. Dozens of giant peaks undulated high and low in an orderly fashion. Each peak was a separate area, some with flat tops forming floating islands for vast and spacious districts; others pointed with homes built along the slope, roads winding through the mountains surrounded by green trees and flowing trickles of water. The peaks were both independent and interconnected. Huge chains fixed them in place, with many corridors and cableways built between them. Large swaths of clouds and mist twined around, with many exquisite and majestic buildings half-hidden by white clouds, like a veritable paradise on earth. The carriage drove on clean and orderly streets, lined with many meticulously pruned plants and trees, fragrant breezes wafting by, the entire city much like a garden. Flocks of birds occasionally took flight from amid the greenery, dancing in the air. Birdsong and floral scents filled the air with tranquil harmony. Ji Xinghuo inwardly marveled but kept his emotions well hidden on his face, pretending, like the other Winged People, to be accustomed to all of this. The streets of Yunxiao City were sparsely populated, as most of the residents were Winged People capable of flying. Still, roads crisscrossed in all directions had been constructed. The carriage wound its way to a stop at the midsection of a Giant Peak within the city, reaching the top where Ji Xinghuo saw the tallest peak of Yunxiao City. It was higher and larger than the other Floating Mountains, occupying almost a quarter of the city’s space by itself. The tip of the peak pointed upward, but the slope was gentle, and upon it sat a sprawling expanse of magnificent palace complexes, stretching to the highest point of the mountain. There lay the Royal Palace of Queen Lingqi! Golden light shimmered on the glazed tiles of the palaces, casting splendid rainbows as if wrapping them in a holy light, awe-inspiring to all who beheld it. The scene was straight out of a dream. Several Winged People who had smuggled their way up alongside Ji Xinghuo, upon seeing this vista, were moved, staring unblinkingly at the palace. Descending from the peak, the carriage traveled over a suspension bridge at the foot of the mountain. A gust of wild wind blew, shaking the bridge and causing the carriage upon it to sway, unsteady. Ji Xinghuo jumped in surprise, quickly grabbing onto the carriage’s handle to steady himself. Several from the Star Realm’s Human Race, like Ji Xinghuo, turned pale and were noticeably frightened. The carriage’s Winged occupants burst into ridicule. "Think you’re so great because you can fly..." Ji Xinghuo muttered to himself, but on second thought, flying really did seem amazing, and admittedly enviable. The carriage raced as if it were flying through the mountains, one moment ascending, the next descending, passing over cloud-top walkways and cableways. After half an hour, they finally reached their destination. This was an inverted peak platform, adjacent to the Royal Palace peak, with an area of over five square kilometers. It had been developed into an entire bustling district. Yan Kong’s restaurant was situated in the central quarter, and the carriage entered the warehouse through the back of the restaurant, where Ji Xinghuo and others began unloading the goods. After the work was done, Yan Kong’s female Winged subordinate called the several people who had smuggled their way up into a room. "Take off your clothes," she stated, expressionless, "Change back into your own clothes, then leave through the back of the restaurant. How you live in the Upper City from now on has nothing to do with the restaurant. You’d best not cause trouble in Upper City. If anything happens, Lady Yan Kong will not acknowledge having employed you. Take care of yourselves." The Winged People quickly assured they understood. Yan Kong’s ability to bring someone into the Upper City suggested a network and status that was not to be trifled with. Merely being part of the aristocratic Lingyu Clan was enough to keep them at bay. Ji Xinghuo changed back into a set of ordinary clothes and left the restaurant through the back door. The several stowaways split up and went their separate ways. He found a high-end clothing store through his magnetic field sensing and walked in, wearing the arrogance and confidence of a highborn. "Bring out the best clothes in your store, and let me pick," Ji Xinghuo said haughtily to the attendant. The attendant, a member of the Winged People, originally wanted to kick Ji Xinghuo out upon seeing his Human Race appearance and shabby clothes, but his attitude warmed up immediately when he heard Ji Xinghuo speak. Because Ji Xinghuo was speaking in Dragon Language. It was one of the three languages he had specialized in during university. Dragon Language was the official language of the True Dragon Dynasty, and the Sky Feather Royal Court was a vassal state to the Dynasty. "Esteemed guest, please wait a moment." The Winged People attendant had a good eye and soon brought several sets of fitting clothes for Ji Xinghuo, ranging from suits with tops and shorts to the more ancient-styled, magnificent robes. Several Winged People were attending to Ji Xinghuo, striving to meet any and all of his requests. "I’ll take all of these," Ji Xinghuo said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of True Dragon Coins. The Sky Feather Royal Court didn’t have its own legal currency, and the Winged People also used the Dragon Coins of the True Dragon Dynasty. The day before, in the Lower City, Ji Xinghuo had exchanged a Golden Dragon Coin worth ten thousand for various lower denomination Dragon Coins, storing them in his Dimension Stomach for future use. What seemed like reaching into his pocket was actually him taking the Dragon Coins from his Dimension Stomach. A moment later. Ji Xinghuo emerged from the clothing store dressed in a robe of blue and white, a cape tied to his back, with dragon scale patterns embroidered on the shawl, a jade belt cinched at his waist, exquisite knee-high leather boots on his feet, and a sword and dagger hanging at his side. Just by his current appearance, he looked for all the world like someone from the True Dragon Dynasty. In fact, the ruling class of the True Dragon Dynasty was a subspecies of the Human Race called "True Dragons," and half of the citizens of the Dynasty were various races of humans. Ji Xinghuo strutted down the street. He entered a restaurant, and everyone there, whether they were Winged People or some other race, instinctively made way for him. Then, hearing him speak in immaculate, fluent Dragon Language, their doubts dissipated, and their demeanors grew even more respectful. Sitting alone in a third-floor VIP room, Ji Xinghuo took up an entire table to himself, eating the delicious dishes prepared by the Winged People, and looked out of the window. That direction was where the arrow was pointing! The distance was less than four kilometers. Since entering Yunxiao City, Ji Xinghuo had been checking the arrow’s changes almost every minute, and it was still as before, evidently the other party had not detected his presence. But there was also a possibility that the item was an inanimate object, not a person. Maybe it was stored as a treasure. Maybe carried on one’s person and not merged with the body like his own, thus having no perception at all. However, no matter what, the mystery was set to be revealed today! Ji Xinghuo lingered over his meal for hours, and the arrow stayed mostly in one place. He decided it was time to go investigate. He paid his bill and left, walking step by step toward the mountain peak indicated by the arrow. On the way, just as he was about to step onto that upside-down mountain peak, Ji Xinghuo casually stopped a Winged Person to ask for directions and learned that the mountain adjacent to the palace was called "Welcoming Peak," a place specifically used by the Sky Feather Royal Court to entertain distinguished guests, where various embassies were also located. After learning this, Ji Xinghuo had a bad premonition. Envoys... distinguished guests... He remembered that the other party had come from the north, and the True Dragon Dynasty was to the north of the Sky Feather Royal Court. Although another vassal state lay in between, judging from the distance the arrow had moved, it was highly likely that it came from the True Dragon Dynasty! Ji Xinghuo looked down at his current attire and couldn’t help but smile wryly to himself. Was he, Li Gui, about to meet Li Kui? Soon, Ji Xinghuo ascended Welcoming Peak, getting closer and closer to that item, and his heartbeat involuntarily quickened, yet his face remained calm, as if he were strolling in the gardens of Yunxiao City. Three thousand meters... Two thousand five hundred meters... Finally, the item at the end of the arrow entered the range of his magnetic field perception—two thousand meters. Ji Xinghuo immediately detected its presence; its magnetic field was extremely reclusive, all magnetic lines condensed into a very bright point that stood out starkly in his perception, like the sun, impossible to overlook despite appearing as a tiny dot. He felt a profound attraction; the Wanxiang Star Pupil interface automatically popped up in his field of view. The arrow was trembling. The entire interface was flashing. Ji Xinghuo could clearly hear a strong call, rising from deep within him, an instinct that he must obtain it! S~eaʀᴄh the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. But in the next second, as Ji Xinghuo became fully aware of the other magnetic fields, his face suddenly changed.