Chapter 247; The Male and Female Thieves! (Seeking Monthly Votes)
"How about it? The infiltration plan I came up with isn't bad, right?" Sun Lingtong transmitted his voice to Yang Chanyu.
Yang Chanyu chuckled, "I overestimated the inspection skills of these Yun Traders. I didn't expect them to be so careless in their checks."
Since Sun Lingtong intended to steal, he had, of course, discussed it with Ning Zhuo beforehand.
The two of them conspired and came up with a plan: they would sneak in through the Mechanical Explosive Monkeys.
The Mechanical Explosive Monkeys had storage arrays built in, but they could only store items, not living beings.
So, Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu modified one of the monkeys' arrays, enabling them to hide inside for a short period.
On the surface of the array, Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu worked together to add a layer of camouflage.
In this way, they stealthily infiltrated the Spirit Beast Cloud Whale by hiding inside the Mechanical Explosive Monkey.
At this moment, both of them had concealed their figures.
Only when they moved would there be faint disturbances in the air.
"Where's the door?" Yang Chanyu looked around, marveling at the vastness of the warehouse, yet also feeling confused.
Sun Lingtong knew more than she did. "Follow me! The people of Flying Cloud Nation usually place the control array to the right after entering."
Sun Lingtong led Yang Chanyu straight to the key area that the Yun Trader cultivators had just been manipulating.
Sun Lingtong infused mana into his hand and began feeling along the cloud-like wall.
After a moment of probing, his expression changed, showing a hint of joy. "Here it is."
He then infused more mana into the cloud wall, causing yellow array patterns to appear.
However, they lacked an identity token, so the yellow light only flickered briefly before vanishing completely.
But that was enough!
Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu were excited because they had found the key to breaking through.
"Forging a fake identity token is easy. Watch me!" Yang Chanyu eagerly took on the task and, after a bit of fiddling, she produced a counterfeit token.
She placed the fake token into the slot, and the yellow array patterns appeared once again.
The same scene as before unfolded.
One by one, the cloud-like doors covering the compartments on the shelves disappeared, revealing the Mechanical Explosive Monkeys stored inside each compartment.
Sun Lingtong casually waved his hand, collecting a few of them.
Although the storage bracelet on his wrist was only a magical tool, its storage capacity was quite good.
The reason for stealing the Mechanical Explosive Monkeys was to avoid leaving any clues behind.
After all, they were planning to steal a lot of items later.
If the Yun Traders discovered that only the Mechanical Explosive Monkeys hadn't been stolen, they would surely focus their suspicion on Ning Zhuo.
After Sun Lingtong collected the monkeys, the yellow array patterns on the wall gathered in two places, forming the shapes of doors on the wall.
One was a large door, and the other was a smaller one.
Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu exchanged silent looks.
They both chose the smaller door.
Obviously, the large door led to the main passageway, where there would likely be more Yun Traders and more defensive measures.
The fake identity token wasn't as effective as the real one and couldn't directly open the smaller door.
Yang Chanyu and Sun Lingtong stood before the small door, pondering their next move.
Yang Chanyu frowned slightly in frustration.
The Flying Cloud Nation's array designs were unfamiliar and uncomfortable for her.
After ten breaths, Yang Chanyu only understood a little bit.
This was too slow!
Such efficiency was unacceptable.
Just as she began to feel anxious, Sun Lingtong suddenly said, "I got it."
He then took out various small tools for theft from his storage bag and began working in front of the door.
His hands moved with practiced skill, and his tools were so comprehensive that even Yang Chanyu, a Golden Core True Disciple of the No-Void Sect, was dazzled.
In just five or six breaths, Sun Lingtong stepped back, swiftly stowing away all his tools.
In front of him, the small door quickly dissolved like a cloud, revealing an opening.
"You're quite capable," Yang Chanyu looked at Sun Lingtong with newfound respect.
Sun Lingtong chuckled, not bothering to explain.
Unlike Yang Chanyu, he was quite familiar with the Flying Cloud Nation's array design and style.
This was because, in his early years, Ning Zhuo had shared with him the mechanical techniques left behind by his mother.
Mechanical techniques were a broad field of study. Apart from mechanical arts, they encompassed a wide variety of cultivation skills that could be applied to mechanisms.
So conversely, mechanical techniques also involved a broad range of cultivation skills.
Sun Lingtong had studied the mechanical techniques left by Ning Zhuo's mother deeply, which led to his familiarity with the cultivation skills of the Flying Cloud Nation as well.
He was quite knowledgeable about the various array designs and styles of the Flying Cloud Nation.
"Alright, let's go. The longer we stay, the higher the chance of being discovered."
After quickly checking to make sure there were no traps behind the door, Sun Lingtong immediately stepped forward and rushed ahead.
"Wait for me, be careful of the guards," Yang Chanyu hurriedly followed.
They arrived at another warehouse.
This warehouse was just as spacious as the previous one.
Following the same steps, Yang Chanyu once again forged a fake identity token.
They placed the token in the array slot.
Using the array, they dissolved the cloud-like doors of the compartments, revealing the goods stored inside.
Each compartment contained a cloud of mist, within which a faint orchid flower could be seen.
Yang Chanyu frowned slightly. "This is..."
She was searching her memory.
The peculiar flower seemed familiar to her; she had likely come across it in sect records before.
But Sun Lingtong immediately blurted out, "This is a Mist Embroidered Orchid."
"It's an orchid that only grows in dense fog, and the flower is always white, just as you see."
"That's why it can easily be overlooked by herb collectors."
"This type of orchid is often used to craft disguise talismans or pills that can mask one's aura."
Yang Chanyu nodded immediately. "Yes, that's it."
She looked at him with new appreciation and praised him, "I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable."
Sun Lingtong waved his hand, chuckling, and continued forward.
Along the way, they collected many Mist Embroidered Orchids.
Even if they couldn't use these themselves, they could sell them as a specialty product of the Flying Cloud Nation, which would be in high demand in Southern Dou Country.
They opened another small door and entered another warehouse, which was again vast in size.
This time, after opening the compartments, they found each space filled with sleeping beetles.
The beetles were all in hibernation, the smaller ones as big as millstones, and the larger ones the size of carriages.
Their shells were incredibly hard, with tiny streaks of electricity flickering across their surfaces.
"These are Heavy Thunder Beetles," Yang Chanyu recognized them immediately.
"They're a specialty of Thunderclap Nation."
"These beetles are extremely heavy and move very slowly."
"Their shells are incredibly tough, and they're often used to craft thunder-attribute magical tools, especially defensive ones."
Thunderclap Nation was located between Southern Dou Country and Flying Cloud Nation. It was likely that these Yun Traders had passed through Thunderclap Nation and purchased a large number of local specialties.
They collected several Thunder Beetles and continued forward.
This time, after passing through the small door, the warehouse they entered was nearly half the size of the previous ones.
They activated the array, revealing the shelves, and opened the doors of the compartments.
Each compartment was small, containing only a narrow bottle, filled with dew.
Yang Chanyu picked up a bottle, poured out some of the dew, examined it, and smiled. She recognized what it was made of.
She looked at Sun Lingtong. "Do you know what this is?"
Sun Lingtong waved his hand. "It's just Heaven Dew."
"Alright, we're short on time, let's not waste it on pointless chatter."
Heaven Dew was no longer the specialty of any single nation or region; it was commonly found across the heavens.
Heaven Dew formed in the clouds at dawn, crystal clear, and only lasted for a short time.
It would either be blown away by the wind or evaporate under the sunlight.
For cultivators to collect Heaven Dew, they would have to wait in advance and set up in the sky, gathering it before it dissipated.
It was quite difficult for ordinary cultivators to collect Heaven Dew, as the clouds where it condensed were often very high up.
But for the Yun Traders of Flying Cloud Nation, this was an easy task. Their Spirit Beasts flew at high altitudes, and collecting Heaven Dew was a routine morning activity for them.
Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu collected some Heaven Dew and continued onward.
This time, when they opened the small door, a mechanical puppet appeared in front of them.
Yang Chanyu was startled and was about to make a move, but Sun L
ingtong quickly stopped her. "Wait!"
The mechanical puppet showed no signs of aggression.
After stopping Yang Chanyu, Sun Lingtong carefully examined the puppet in front of them.
The puppet also studied them, letting out a soft laugh. "Who are you two? Thieves?"
Yang Chanyu was taken aback again, and a murderous intent quickly spread.
Sun Lingtong was also surprised, but he had encountered talking mechanical puppets before. Yuan Dasheng, who followed Ning Zhuo, was one such puppet.
Sun Lingtong's eyes flickered as he replied to the puppet, "Of course, we're not thieves! We're on the same side. Look, our token is right there on the wall."
Sun Lingtong gestured with his thumb toward the fake identity token still embedded in the slot on the wall.
Without giving the puppet time to investigate, Sun Lingtong immediately changed the subject. "Can you let us pass? We're here to inspect the goods. It's our job to check if anything is damaged."
"We were sent by Lord Song Fuli to inspect the goods."
"By the way, what's your name? How high is your intelligence? Can you do math? What's eight times eight?"
The puppet blinked its large eyes, looking them over from head to toe, and then, in a soft voice, said, "My name is Rudi Niang. Since I can talk to you, I've obviously reached the level of intelligence. Eight times eight... hmm... sixty-six?"
(End of Chapter)