"How about it? My infiltration plan isn't bad, right?" Sun Lingtong transmitted to Yang Chanyu.
Yang Chanyu chuckled, "I overestimated these cloud merchants' ability to verify goods. Didn't expect them to check so carelessly."
Since Sun Lingtong wanted to carry out the theft, it was naturally something he had discussed with Ning Zhuo in advance.
The two conspired and came up with a plan to smuggle in using a Mechanical Explosive Flame Monkey.
The Mechanical Explosive Flame Monkey had a Storage Formation, but it could only store items, not living beings.
Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu modified the Mechanical Explosive Flame Monkey, improving the formation, so they could temporarily fit inside.
On the surface of the formation, Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu jointly applied subtle disguises.
Thus, Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu quietly arrived inside the Cloud Whale through the Mechanical Explosive Flame Monkey.
At that moment, the two of them hid their forms.
Only during their movements did they cause slight disturbances in the air.
"Where's the door here?" Yang Chanyu looked around, marveling at the warehouse's vast space while feeling perplexed.
Sun Lingtong knew more, "Follow me! The people of Flying Cloud Country typically arrange a control array on the right-hand side of the entrance."
Sun Lingtong led Yang Chanyu to the critical position where the cloud merchant cultivator had just operated.
Sun Lingtong infused mana into his hand, stroking the cloud-like wall.
After a while, his expression changed, revealing joy, "It's right here."
He then infused more mana into the cloud wall, causing yellow array patterns to appear immediately.
Without an identity token, however, the yellow light only appeared briefly before disappearing completely.
This was enough!
Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu felt excited, knowing they had found the key to breaking the situation.
"It's not hard to forge an identity token; watch me!" Yang Chanyu volunteered, and after some tinkering, she created a fake token.
She placed the fake token into the slot, and the yellow array patterns reappeared.
The scene from before unfolded once again.
The doors of individual compartments on the shelves dissipated like clouds, revealing Mechanical Explosive Flame Monkeys stored in each compartment.
Sun Lingtong casually took some with a wave of his hand.
Despite the storage wristband on his wrist being merely a magical artifact, its storage capacity was excellent.
They planned to steal the Explosive Flame Monkeys to avoid arousing suspicion. After all, they planned to steal many more items next.
If the cloud merchants found only the Explosive Flame Monkeys missing, they'd certainly suspect Ning Zhuo.
After Sun Lingtong collected the Explosive Flame Monkeys, the yellow array patterns on the wall gathered in two places, drawing the shapes of doors on the wall.
A large portal and a small door.
Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu communicated silently.
They both chose the small door simultaneously.
Clearly, the large door led to the main route, likely filled with more cloud merchants and more defense mechanisms.
The fake identity token couldn't directly open the small door.
Yang Chanyu and Sun Lingtong stood before the small door, pondering.
Yang Chanyu showed slight difficulty.
Flying Cloud Country's array style was unfamiliar and unusual to her.
After ten breaths, Yang Chanyu barely understood a little bit.
This was too slow!
Such efficiency was unacceptable.
As she grew anxious, Sun Lingtong suddenly said, "I got it."
He then took out various small magic artifacts used for theft from his storage pouch, standing before the door and working swiftly.
His skill and comprehensive tools dazzled even Yang Chanyu, a Golden Core True Transmission of the Bukong Sect.
After just five or six breaths, Sun Lingtong quickly retreated and put away all his tools.
In front of him, the small door dissipated like a cloud, revealing an opening.
"You're quite capable." Yang Chanyu gave Sun Lingtong a newfound respect.
Sun Lingtong chuckled without explaining.
Unlike Yang Chanyu, he was very familiar with the array philosophies and styles of Flying Cloud Country.
In his early years, Ning Zhuo had shared with him the Organ Technique Classics left by his mother.
The classics covered a wide range of knowledge, not just Mechanical Techniques but all kinds of Cultivation arts expressed through machinery.
Thus, conversely, the classics dabbled in all Cultivation arts.
Sun Lingtong had studied the Organ Technique Classics left by Ning Zhuo's mother profoundly. This led to his extensive knowledge of Flying Cloud Country's Cultivation arts.
He was very familiar with their various array techniques and styles.
"Alright, let's hurry. The longer we delay, the more likely we'll be discovered." Sun Lingtong quickly checked to ensure there were no traps behind the door, then immediately moved forward.
"Wait for me, and be careful." Yang Chanyu hurriedly followed.
The two came to another warehouse.
This warehouse was as spacious as the previous one where they had just been.
Following the previous steps, Yang Chanyu forged another fake identity token.
They placed the token in the array slot.
Through the array, they made the cabinet doors on the shelves dissipate, revealing the materials stored in the compartments.
Each compartment contained a cloud of mist, within which a mysterious orchid was faintly visible.
Yang Chanyu frowned slightly, "This is..."
She searched her memory.
She felt vaguely familiar with this peculiar flower, thinking she had seen it in the sect's classics before.
Sun Lingtong blurted out, "This is the Mist Embroidery Orchid."
"It's an orchid that grows only in dense mist, and its flowers are the color you see, all white."
"Thus, it's easily overlooked by herb collectors."
"This orchid is often used to make disguise talismans or elixirs for masking auras."
Yang Chanyu nodded immediately, "Yes, that's it."
She once again gave him a newfound respect, praising, "I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable."
Sun Lingtong waved his hand, chuckled, and continued forward.
Along the way, they collected many Mist Embroidery Orchids.
Even if they had no use for them, they could sell them. As a specialty of Flying Cloud Country, they would sell well in Southern Bean Country.
They opened the small door, arriving at another warehouse, still a massive space.
This time, when they opened the compartment doors, they found beetles in slumber inside.
The beetles were sleeping soundly, with the smallest ones the size of millstones and the largest ones as big as carriages.
Their shells were very hard, with streaks of electric light flickering on the surface.
"These are Heavy Thunder Beetles." Yang Chanyu immediately recognized them this time.
"They're a specialty of Thunderclap Nation."
"These beetles are very heavy and move very slowly."
"Their shells are extremely tough and can be used to create many lightning-based magic artifacts, especially defensive ones."
Thunderclap Nation was located between Southern Bean Country and Flying Cloud Country. These cloud merchants likely did business there en route, purchasing many local specialties.
The two collected many Heavy Thunder Beetles and continued forward.
This time, after passing through the small door, they came to a warehouse nearly half the size of the previous ones.
They activated the array, making the shelves appear, then opened the doors of each compartment on the shelves.
These compartments were very small, containing slender bottles filled with dew.
Yang Chanyu took a bottle, poured out some dew, examined it, and smiled. She recognized its nature.
She looked at Sun Lingtong, "Do you recognize it?"
Sun Lingtong waved his hand, "Isn't it Heavenly Dew?"
"Alright, we're short on time. No need for unnecessary talk."
Heavenly Dew was no longer the specialty of one nation or region; it appeared widely in the heavens.
Heavenly Dew coalesced among the clouds at dawn, crystal clear but short-lived.
It would either be blown away by the wind or evaporated by the sunlight.
Cultivators wanting to collect Heavenly Dew had to set up early in the high skies to gather it before it dissipated.
For ordinary cultivators, collecting Heavenly Dew was quite difficult, as it typically formed in the high skies.
This was easy for the cloud merchants of Flying Cloud Country. Their spirit beasts flew high, making collecting Heavenly Dew a daily morning routine for them.
Sun Lingtong and Yang Chanyu collected some Heavenly Dew and continued forward.
This time, when they opened the small door, they saw a Mechanical Puppet before them.
Startled, Yang Chanyu was about to attack but was stopped by Sun Lingtong in time, "Wait!"
The Mechanical Puppet showed no signs of attacking.
After stopping Yang Chanyu, Sun Lingtong carefully examined the Mechanical Puppet.
The Mechanical Puppet also examined them and chuckled, "Who are you two? Are you thieves?"
Yang Chanyu was shocked again, with a sudden wave of killing intent.
Sun Lingtong was also surprised, but he had dealt with talking Mechanical Puppets before. Yuan Dasheng, by Ning Zhuo's side, was one such entity.
Sun Lingtong quickly replied, "Of course, we aren't thieves! We're on the same side. Look, our token is still in the wall slot."
Sun Lingtong gestured with his thumb behind him towards the fake identity token in the wall slot.
Before the Mechanical Puppet could take a closer look, Sun Lingtong quickly changed the topic, "Can you let us through? We need to check the goods. It's our job to inspect their quality and ensure nothing is damaged."
"We're inspectors assigned by Lord Song Fuli."
"By the way, what's your name? What's your level of spiritual nature? Can you do math? Eight times eight is what?"
The Mechanical Puppet, with wide eyes, looked at them again, examining them from head to toe, and replied in a soft voice, "My name is Ru Die. Since I can talk to you, it means I've reached the Spiritual Wisdom Phase. Eight times eight is... Sixty-six?"