Chapter 393: Section 180: Legend Welcomes Personally
“Tuck?” Upon hearing Sanda’s reply, several people present showed a hint of surprise.
Tuck was not an unfamiliar name.
Although they had never met him in person, the Justice Pirate Group had indirectly come into contact with him.
More precisely, they had used the Ship Spirit Repair Scroll. This scroll, a creation of Tuck’s, showcased his skills and talents in full.
Additionally, Tuck came from a noble background.
He was from the Steel Pound family, with a rich bloodline, and had shown signs of genius from a young age.
Now, he had become an alchemist of the Holy Domain Level, quite young, merely forty-five years old.
His alchemical skill was extremely formidable—particularly in the areas of Tower Spirits and Ship Spirits, he could be considered one of the top talents in the world.
After using the Ship Spirit Repair Scroll, the battle arrays of Tower Spirits had been significantly repaired, and the Justice Pirate Group had greatly benefited from this.
Zi Di and others had also tried to secure another scroll at a black market auction.
Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful.
The Ship Spirit Repair Scroll was highly valuable, and once it hit the market, it had caused an enthusiastic response. The Empire had also immediately made adjustments, designating the Ship Spirit Repair Scroll as strategic material, which would be tightly controlled in the future.
“If everyone says so,” Lan Zao spoke, “then the news of Tuck’s visit tomorrow can’t be wrong.”
Zi Di shook her head slightly, “For safety’s sake, we should still confirm it.”
Goblin Sanda then said, “It’s easy to confirm this news; we just need to arrange for someone to watch at the dock.”
Fire City was a city built around an active volcano, and for Tuck and his companions to enter Fire City, they first had to choose a port on Fire Island to dock at.
Given the significant activities in Fire City, it was believed that the port would not be neglected.
Therefore, the location of the port where Tuck would dock could be easily investigated.
The young captain pondered and then said, “Then let’s split into two groups, one to verify at the dock, and the other to wait for news before deciding how to enter the city.”
Sanda nodded, “Let’s do that.”
“Hold on,” Cang Xu interjected, “We might be missing something. It’s likely true that Tuck is visiting, but perhaps our theft has been exposed, and the sand-yellow giants have already sought help from Fire City. What if this time, the City Lord of Fire City is using Tuck’s visit as a chance to secretly investigate us?”
Everyone slightly frowned, indeed, they couldn’t dismiss this possibility.
Sanda snorted coldly, “If we worry too much about risks, we will miss our opportunity. I’ll go into the city alone!”
The former leader of the Mercenary Group displayed a resolute will.
He truly was a unique goblin.
Once, Zong Ge had saved his life in a shipwreck; now, he was willing to risk his life to rescue the Half-Beast.
Cang Xu smiled faintly, looking at Sanda, “Your will is as strong as steel, but will alone is far from enough for success.”
Sanda’s frown deepened.
But the words that followed from Cang Xu dissipated his annoyance and impatience.
Cang Xu said, “I’ll go with you. With my Undead Magic, I can be quite useful.”
Sanda’s frown relaxed, revealing a hint of surprise, and he regarded the Undead Mage before him with new eyes.
To be frank, there were internal rifts within the Justice Pirate Group.
Such divisions existed in any group.
A clear opposition existed between the Undead Mage Cang Xu and the Beastman Samurai Zong Ge.
Sanda hadn’t expected Cang Xu to take such a risk for Zong Ge.
Cang Xu continued, “Even if our theft is discovered, it really doesn’t matter much. We have covered our tracks quite cleanly. More importantly, I have confidence in the Pearl Bubble.”
“As long as they don’t hold any truly important clues, with just Divination and Prophecy at their disposal, we have the Pearl Bubble, which makes us relatively safe.”
Thus, after some discussion, the group arranged for Sanda and Cang Xu to head to Fire City.
Zi Di, Lan Zao, and others went to the docks to gather intelligence.
The young captain led Big Guy and others, staying temporarily outside the city, closest to the Deep Sea Monster Fish. If anything went awry, they would need to carry out a rescue or reinforcement.
If there were no accidents, they would continue transporting materials.
The materials Zi Di had purchased had to be stored in rented warehouses. For the Justice Pirate Group, every supply opportunity was precious, and they hadn’t yet moved half of these materials.
The night passed, and dawn arrived.
Sanda and Cang Xu were the closest to Fire City; they quickly noticed something new.
The gates of Fire City had opened once again.
Sanda took a tour around and observed before he came back to meet with Cang Xu.
“The main gate hasn’t opened yet; that must be the passage for receiving Tuck.”
“But the other three secondary gates have opened; people have started moving in and out.”
Cang Xu analyzed, “This doesn’t really tell us anything. It could be that Fire City never searched for us, or they might have searched all night to no avail and are now deploying this tactic intentionally, trying to lure us out of the city to find more valuable clues!”
“Let’s just wait a bit longer.”
Sanda grew a bit impatient, “Can’t you use a ghost to scout?”
Cang Xu sighed, “I do carry a ghost with me, but using spells would create noticeable mana fluctuations; I would need to use an Alchemy Array to conceal it. But setting up an array near the city is easily observable, it takes a long time to install, and we only have one set of materials left for the array.”
Sanda could only grit his teeth in patience; he looked towards the dock direction, “Then we’ll wait a bit longer.”
They were waiting for a message from Zi Di.
Zi Di and Lan Zao, along with others, were waiting near the docks for Tuck’s arrival.
Sunrise came.
The sun rose above the ocean, filling the sky with dawn light; soft, salty sea breeze carried the light chirps of sea birds.
Initially, in the horizon Zi Di gazed upon, she spotted a silhouette.
“Do you see that? Looks like someone is coming over in a canoe?” Zi Di was somewhat uncertain.
Lan Zao squinted against the sunlight.
The sun had just risen, and the light wasn’t too glaring.
Lan Zao quickly spotted the dark figure Zi Di mentioned.
Unlike Zi Di, Lan Zao had spent a long time struggling for survival on a sea ship and was an experienced sailor.
He quickly realized part of the truth, “That distance is great, unless he’s a giant… indeed it looks like a giant rowing in a canoe.”
Zi Di suddenly affirmed, “That must be Tuck.”
“What?” Lan Zao was puzzled, “Isn’t Tuck human?”
Zi Di pointed not far away, “Look, those people, they’ve started moving.”
A large group of people was already assembled there, having arrived much earlier than Zi Di and Lan Zao.
They had blocked off part of the area and made some simple arrangements.
As the giant canoe approached, those who were initially resting now sprang into action. A human, seemingly a housekeeper, was shouting loudly, directing the people.
The City Guard reassembled in formation, while the band began to handle their instruments, especially the trombonists, who arranged themselves on either side of the road, ready to perform.
Apart from these, there were also many passersby.
Some were sailors, some were dock workers, and others were wealthy merchants and dignitaries who had come specifically to watch the spectacle.
Zi Di, Lan Zao, and others took early positions on the balcony of a building, unobtrusive.
The giant canoe drew nearer, gradually revealing its true form in the eyes of Zi Di and others.
It was not a giant, but a giant puppet. Its upper body resembled that of a human, while its lower body was a boat, and it held a huge pair of paddles.
It was Tuck’s flagship, the Steel Giant, a Golden Level demon energy ship, just like the Deep Sea Monster Fish.
As the Steel Giant approached, the dock suddenly became bustling.
A large group of giants arrived; they exuded a heavy presence, at least Silver Level, and a few were even Golden Level.
They escorted a female giant.
Her body was obviously a bit larger than the other giants around her, with reddish-brown skin and brownish-yellow hair draped casually over her shoulders.
She had two dark blue horns on her forehead, each with distinct spirals.
The female giant’s aura was immense, distinctly Legendary!
Seeing her appear, Zi Di instinctively ducked her head.
Lan Zao swallowed hard, “The Fire City Lord? Why is she personally coming to meet Tuck?”
Tuck was indeed prestigious, but only Holy Domain Level. The Fire City Lord was a veteran Legend!