Void Cultivation

Meanwhile, Grey, who had been walking steadily through the bustling streets, suddenly felt a strong impulse to look behind him.

The sensation came without warning.

It was so sudden and intense that Grey found himself unable to resist it. His footsteps slowed, and after a brief hesitation, he turned around, his gaze sweeping across the street behind him.

However, apart from the multitude of people constantly shuffling their way through the streets, each one seemingly occupied with their own destination and affairs, Grey saw nothing or no one peculiar.

There were merchants shouting out the prices of their goods, pedestrians weaving through the crowds, and the occasional carriage making its way through the busy streets. Nothing appeared out of place.

Grey narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Strange..." he muttered under his breath.

He continued staring for a few more seconds, carefully observing his surroundings. Yet, no matter how thoroughly he searched, he could not find anything unusual.

Eventually, Grey turned around and continued in the direction he had originally been heading.

Although his expression remained relatively calm, his senses had become considerably sharper. A trace of caution and vigilance could be seen in his eyes as he walked.

That sudden impulse had not been without reason.

At least, that was what Grey believed.

He had experienced enough strange and dangerous situations to understand that instincts were sometimes more reliable than one’s eyes. There were many things in this world that could conceal themselves from ordinary perception. If something had prompted him to look behind him, then there was a possibility that something, or someone, had been watching him.

Grey did not immediately come to any conclusions, however.

Instead, he simply remained vigilant.

The place he was heading to in Sky Mist City was the Transportation Department.

It was there that Bao worked.

More importantly, it was where his magic ship had been undergoing repairs and modifications.

Thinking about it, Grey felt a faint sense of anticipation building within his heart.

It had been some time since he had handed over his magic ship to Bao, and he was quite curious to see the results of the repairs.

After all, Bao was an expert concerning magic ships. And he had promised on upgrading the magic ship and making even more modifications.

In the blink of an eye, time passed.

The day Grey had been waiting for finally arrived.

The time to retrieve his magic ship had come.

Grey took several moments to suppress the excitement rising within his heart before finally setting out for the Transportation Department.

He had initially asked Violet if she wanted to accompany him.

However, her answer had surprised him somewhat.

"You can go ahead. My magic ship isn’t ready yet. I asked Bao to make a few more personal modifications for me."

She had said this with a soft smile while casually chewing on an apple.

Grey had been flabbergasted when he heard this.

He did not remember Violet, or the Captain, making any personal requests or asking Bao to modify her magic ship.

At least, he had never heard her mention anything about it during the time they were with Bao.

Therefore, Grey could only assume that the request had been made sometime after they returned to Sky Mist City.

Still, Grey did not pry into her affairs.

Everyone had their own secrets, after all.

Besides, he was hardly in a position to question her about how she wanted her own magic ship modified.

Thus, after exchanging a few more words with Violet, Grey quietly took his leave.

Now, he stood before the Transportation Department.

The fairly large warehouse immediately came into view.

Even from outside, Grey could already hear the constant clanging of metal and the occasional roar of machinery. The sounds blended together to create a chaotic yet strangely orderly rhythm.

Upon entering the warehouse, Grey’s eyes immediately swept across the vast interior.

Artisans could be seen moving to and fro, carrying large materials and pieces of equipment in their arms. Some pushed heavy metal components across the floor, while others stood beside partially dismantled magic ships, carefully inspecting their internal structures.

The entire place was bustling with activity.

There was hardly a moment when someone stood still.

The artisans moved with remarkable efficiency, each seemingly aware of their own responsibilities. Some worked on the hulls of magic ships, while others focused on their engines, magical formations, and various other components.

Their expressions were filled with concentration and, in some cases, anxiety, as they hurried to complete their work.

It was obvious that they were under pressure.

Even so, none of them appeared to be slacking off.

Grey silently admired the scene before him.

He had always known that maintaining and repairing magic ships was not an easy task, but seeing the process firsthand gave him a deeper appreciation for the people working in the Transportation Department.

These people were truly hardworking.

Every movement they made was deliberate, and every task seemed to be carried out with utmost seriousness.

There was no room for carelessness when dealing with magic ships.

A single mistake could potentially result in disastrous consequences.

Grey’s gaze moved across the warehouse once more.

The sheer number of people working here, combined with the enormous magic ships being repaired, gave the entire place an atmosphere of organized chaos.

Yet, somehow, everything seemed to function smoothly.

Grey nodded inwardly.

The people of the Transportation Department were indeed very hardworking, and it was clear that they took their jobs extremely seriously.

They were so serious about their work that some of them were even willing to sacrifice their personal time and days off just to finish the seemingly never-ending workload that awaited them.

However, at the end of the day, their efforts were never ignored.

There was always a generous payment waiting for them.

The Transportation Department was one of the few places in Sky Mist City where hard work was properly rewarded. The artisans and workers here might spend countless hours repairing magic ships, maintaining their magical engines, or constructing entirely new vessels, but they were compensated handsomely for their efforts.

Such people were priceless workers.

In this world, finding laborers who were both highly skilled and genuinely dedicated to their work was exceedingly rare. Most people would not willingly spend their free time working unless they had a sufficient reason to do so.

The members of the Transportation Department, however, were different.

They possessed both the skills and the dedication required to handle their demanding jobs.

Naturally, Sky Mist City valued such people immensely.

As a result, the Transportation Department was treated with an importance that far exceeded what outsiders might expect.

The members of the department were rarely placed in situations where their lives would be in danger. In fact, throughout the entirety of the Sky Mist Sect, the Transportation Department had one of the lowest casualty rates.

At the same time, the dangers they faced were generally kept to a minimum.

Unless they deliberately went out of their way to provoke trouble or placed themselves in a dangerous situation, they would rarely encounter any life-threatening circumstances.

And even if something did happen, the Sky Mist Sect would not simply sit back and watch.

The Transportation Department was too important.

The sect would always protect them.

Thinking about this, Grey suddenly recalled the first time he had met Bao.

The memory was still relatively fresh in his mind.

Back then, Bao had provoked him and had nearly killed him.

That incident had been enough to ignite Grey’s killing intent.

At the time, Grey had made a firm decision to kill Bao.

There had been no hesitation in his heart. If not for Violet explaining Bao’s importance to him and the role he played within the Transportation Department, Grey would probably have already killed him.

Of course, Bao himself had also shown genuine remorse for his actions.

If it had not been for those two factors, Grey doubted that Bao would still be alive today.

Thinking about it now, Grey could not help but feel that their relationship was somewhat strange.

Their first meeting had nearly ended with one of them dying.

Yet, somehow, things had developed to the point where Bao was now repairing his magic ship.

Life was truly unpredictable.

With these thoughts in mind, Grey continued walking deeper into the Transportation Department.

The further he went, the more intense the atmosphere became.

The sounds of metal being hammered, magical formations being activated, and various mechanical components being moved around echoed throughout the large warehouse.

However, amid all the noise and activity, Grey’s gaze suddenly landed on a familiar figure.

A slightly chubby figure was leaning against an iron barrel.

It was Bao.

Unlike his usual energetic appearance, Bao currently looked completely exhausted.

His face was filled with tiredness, and his eyes seemed to have lost some of their usual brightness. His entire body appeared to be on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.

It was as though he had not slept properly in several days.

Grey raised an eyebrow slightly.

He had expected to see Bao working on his magic ship.

He had not expected to find the man looking like he had been completely drained of his energy.

On top of the iron barrel was a flat piece of wood that served as a makeshift table.

A large blueprint document had been spread across its surface.

Grey’s gaze naturally fell upon it.

Even from where he stood, he could make out the intricate drawings and complicated designs covering the blueprint.

It was the design of a magic ship.

However, judging from the incomplete portions of the blueprint, the vessel was still under construction.

There were several sections that had yet to be completed.

Bao stared at the unfinished blueprint.

After a while, he let out a long, heavy sigh.

His expression seemed to suggest that he had encountered an extremely difficult problem.

It was as if he had reached a point where he could no longer figure out how to continue.

His chubby flesh trembled slightly.

It was almost as though his body could no longer withstand the exhaustion that had accumulated deep within his bones.

From a distance, Grey could see that Bao was holding a peach in his hand.

The slightly chubby artisan took another bite from the fruit, chewing slowly as his gaze remained fixed on the unfinished blueprint.

For some reason, the sight made Grey feel somewhat speechless.

He had come here expecting to retrieve his magic ship.

Instead, the first thing he encountered was an exhausted Bao, leaning against an iron barrel, eating a peach while staring helplessly at an unfinished magic ship blueprint.

Grey stood silently for a moment. Then, his eyes narrowed slightly.

He wondered just what exactly Bao had been working on all this time.

Judging from his current appearance, it seemed that the man had pushed himself far beyond his limits.

And yet, despite his exhaustion, Bao did not appear willing to give up.

His eyes remained fixed on the blueprint.

It was obvious that whatever he was working on was extremely important to him.

Grey watched silently for a few more seconds before finally deciding to make his presence known.

"Bao."

His voice echoed through the nearby area. The slightly chubby figure suddenly froze.

The peach in his hand stopped halfway to his mouth. Slowly, Bao turned his head.

When his tired gaze landed on Grey, his expression changed slightly.