Chapter 71: Journey to Lorcadan

Morning light bathed the wondrous continent, and everything along the broad banks of the Tianqing River was awakening. Shen Tuo and Feng Jun packed up their tent and, basking in the warm sun, sat on the riverbank’s embankment to eat breakfast.

The rushing waters seemed to cleanse all impurities from the Sacred Radiance Continent. A gentle breeze blew in their faces, and the majestic scenery was no less impressive than that of the Yangtze or Yellow Rivers on Earth.

“Shen Tuo, what are your plans next?” Feng Jun tore off a piece of dried rhino meat and fed it to the little blue creature coiled around his wrist.

Gazing out at the newborn sun on the distant horizon, the brilliant sunlight shone on Shen Tuo, gilding her in golden radiance, so much so that Feng Jun had to avert his eyes.

Shen Tuo did not hesitate long. She turned to him, her expression resolute. “I’ve decided to go to Lorcardan first!”

Lorcardan—the capital of the Sky Peak Empire.

“You want to meet Master Wei Lan, don’t you?” Feng Jun instantly pierced Shen Tuo’s intentions.

Wei Lan was widely regarded as the continent’s foremost swordsman and served at Jocelyn Academy, one of the Sacred Radiance Continent’s renowned higher institutes. Because of Master Wei Lan, the academy focused on training swordsmen, making it the dream sanctuary for every aspiring swordmaster.

Shen Tuo nodded. The Sacred Radiance Energy allowed her to travel between two planes, but not to any precise location. The elder who had taught her the sword remained in Luo City on the other plane, but now, with Feng Jun accompanying her, she could not move freely between worlds. Yet she needed to strengthen herself quickly. Even though swordsmanship was not the mainstream cultivation in this realm—illusionists held that place—she required thorough guidance.

Back in Luo City, Lina had briefly mentioned Jocelyn Academy, where Shen Tuo could find systematic teachings and a personal mentor. If she gained admission, she would no longer need to grope her way forward as she did now.

“Comprehensive training at the academy would be beneficial, and I’m sure Master Wei Lan will be overjoyed to meet you,” Feng Jun said. For once, the perpetual icy mask on his face broke into a smile.

He was quite eager to see Master Wei Lan’s expression upon discovering Shen Tuo’s talents.

“Are you coming, too?”

“Jocelyn Academy stands near the Dawn Gorge. My father told me stories about it back in our family city—dangerous and exhilarating. When I set out to wander the world, I planned to see it for myself. This is the perfect opportunity.” His long, dark eyes flashed with a confident, combative gleam.

Shen Tuo laughed, clapping his solid shoulder. Feng Jun was a true adventurer. Hearing him speak, her own blood began to surge with excitement.

Both were people of swift action. Once they settled on their destination, they made ready to depart.

Because the journey ahead was long, Shen Tuo and Feng Jun agreed to stop first in Niwei City to stock up on food and necessities.

They entered a tavern, where the proprietress looked up in astonishment. Her face quickly shifted to one of deep respect. “Might you be Lord Shen Tuo and Lord Feng Jun?”

Shen Tuo and Feng Jun exchanged glances, realizing their feat of capturing two one-star divine phantom beasts had already spread.

Shen Tuo nodded, confirming their identities.

Instantly, the proprietress blossomed into a joyous smile and insisted on treating them to a drink. Shen Tuo and Feng Jun did not refuse; it was a good chance to gather information.

“You two are so strong yet so approachable—it’s rare indeed. My luck must be extraordinary today, to meet such esteemed Sky Illusionists in person!” The proprietress was an amiable woman in her fifties, herself a two-star Grand Illusionist, and quite talkative. Shen Tuo purchased plenty of dew nectar and assorted homemade dried meats from her, which made her beam with pleasure.

“You two are worlds apart from those others who came through a few days ago,” she said, her tone indignant at the recollection.

“Oh? Who were they?” Shen Tuo asked casually.

From her words, Shen Tuo deduced it must have been Zoe, Doris, and their group. That day, they’d hurried off with a river-crocodile, some of them injured; if they’d fallen into an ambush, they might have lost both their quarry and their lives.

“Well, as it’s said, evil meets its match. I heard they didn’t even make it out the city gates before being ambushed. The old man among them even perished,” the proprietress recounted with vengeful relish.

Shen Tuo had suspected things wouldn’t end simply when Doris took the river-crocodile; if she failed to keep a low profile, that beast would never truly be hers. She hadn’t expected, however, that Zoe would lose his life. Such was the harshness of this world.

As for who orchestrated these dirty deeds, it could only be the nine-star Spirit Illusionist Xie Dong, or the Songyan and Songshi brothers.

Shen Tuo and Feng Jun sighed and took their leave of the tavern, passing by the mercenary guild and the auction house.

At last, they arrived at the far eastern docks of Niwei City.

Both had changed clothes. Feng Jun concealed his power with a bracelet, and Benyi, his companion beast, remained in the phantom beast space training ceaselessly. Now, they looked like nothing more than an ordinary brother and sister traveling together.

They purchased two regular tickets and boarded the ship.

This vessel was both a passenger and cargo ship, enormous and iron-clad, looking exceedingly sturdy. The wide deck featured an open-air café serving all types of drinks and desserts, allowing passengers to sip refreshments while admiring the Tianqing River’s scenery.

The ship was also equipped with various small craft for different purposes, and even boasted a miniature arena for illusionists who wished to settle their differences.

Niwei City was not the ship’s point of origin, merely a small port of call along the way.

With April approaching, countless small flying magical beasts were entering their migration season, severely disrupting the sky-eagle air routes. For safety, many travelers now chose to journey by ship or to rent unicorn steeds.

Lorcardan lay upstream, near the middle reaches of the Tianqing River. They would disembark at Normans and continue overland, passing through the Zhou Clan’s main city, and from there directly to Lorcardan.

They each found their assigned cabins and, after a brief rest, watched as the massive sails unfurled from the deck’s tall masts.

Wind provided only part of the ship’s propulsion. Its true engine was an ore called blackstone, not unlike coal on Earth, but burning blackstone produced a thin spiritual energy, and the entire ship was powered by this mystical force—a marvel indeed.

Shen Tuo couldn’t help but imagine: if only a few powerful Illusion Masters worked together, could they drive such a giant ship by will alone? That would be magnificent!

She never expected that this offhand fancy would one day become reality…

The ship was called the “Sailing Dawn.” By rough estimate, it carried more than a thousand passengers, not counting those who lived and worked aboard.