Volume One: The Infernal Lord’s Realm Chapter 38: Setting Sail

After the Fire Raven and the Mars sailed out of the dock, they truly required no one at the helm; the vessels simply followed the current, drifting downstream toward the other end of the subterranean river. Once they left the region of Silver Pine Valley, the ships immediately entered a narrow passageway. This channel was so constricted that only a single elven warship could pass through at a time. Due to the narrowing of the waterway, the flow quickened considerably, and the speed of the ships increased at once. Coupled with the many sharp bends and scattered rocks along the way, if the Fire Raven and Mars had required actual sailors, the ships would likely have crashed into the nearby stone walls within moments.

For nearly ten minutes, they traveled through this pitch-black tunnel, when suddenly Chen Gu heard the sound of a mechanism being triggered. He looked up and saw an iron grate slowly rising ahead of them. The sight gave him quite a start; if he hadn’t heard the mechanism activate, he would never have known such a thing was hidden beneath the water. Soon, Chen Gu understood—this was Silver Pine Valley’s defensive measure against outsiders. If any vessel other than those of Silver Pine Valley attempted to navigate the underground river from upstream or downstream, it would be nothing short of suicide.

Once past the iron barrier, they were officially beyond the boundaries of Silver Pine Valley. Now, Chen Gu noticed that the waterway held new peculiarities. Strange noises echoed from the banks, sometimes even from above, along the ceiling of the tunnel. By the glow of the ships’ firelight, Chen Gu peered outward and discovered twisted black shadows clinging to the stone walls. They craned their heads, watching the two elven warships, seemingly searching for a chance to leap aboard.

“Allen, prepare for combat,” Chen Gu called, warning Allen while simultaneously commanding the Fire Raven to ready itself for battle. Gun ports on both sides of the Fire Raven swung open in rapid succession, and cannons shaped like raven heads were rolled out. As soon as the cannons were deployed, every raven head opened its beak wide. Chen Gu glanced at the handful of Fire Spirit Ravens left at his side—barely a dozen remained—and felt a pang of regret. He had been too generous; had he not been so eager to fuse the Fire Spirit Ravens into ships, perhaps he could have swept this stretch clean with their power. Now, all he could rely on were the Fire Raven cannons.

Yet as soon as the cannons were revealed, those twisted shadows seemed to be startled and quickly melted into the stone walls. Throughout the journey, Chen Gu saw only the enemy’s silhouettes, never their attack.

This allowed Chen Gu to relax—if only a little. He did not know what those things on the walls were, but it was clear they had no intention of attacking the ships. Thus, he saw no need to provoke them. He simply kept the cannons at the ready, so that if an attack did come, he would not be caught unprepared.

Despite the tense atmosphere, the pace of the ships did not slow. After rounding several more bends, they entered another, even darker tunnel. The current here was noticeably stronger; Chen Gu could feel the force of the water pushing them along. He could no longer stand at the prow—he clung tightly to the railing, half sprawled across the foredeck, watching the passage ahead. Suddenly, a shaft of light appeared before them—a sign they were about to burst out of the tunnel.

All the more reason not to let his guard down. Chen Gu had no idea what awaited them outside. He issued his command: “Everyone, be ready—we’re about to exit. If we encounter the enemy, open fire at once, no hesitation!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the pinpoint of light ahead rapidly grew, until suddenly a blinding whiteness filled his vision and the ship exploded out of the tunnel into a river. The attack Chen Gu had anticipated never came. He looked around—the sky above was still gloomy, with no sign of sunlight. The blinding light had merely been the stark contrast between the utter darkness of the tunnel and the faint illumination outside.

Now that they had entered a regular river, Chen Gu finally breathed a sigh of relief. The journey through the tunnel had been nerve-wracking. At that moment, the Mars drew alongside the Fire Raven, and Allen, standing at the prow, called out, “My lord, did you see those creatures back in the tunnel?”

“I did,” Chen Gu replied uneasily. “Thank goodness they didn’t leap aboard—otherwise, we wouldn’t have stood much chance.”

“My lord, I have a feeling they’re not really enemies, but more like natives of the tunnel,” Allen suggested.

“That may be,” Chen Gu mused, recalling the behavior of those twisted shadows. Even before he had deployed the cannons, they hadn’t jumped down to attack.

“And, my lord, have you considered—drifting downstream, the journey is smooth, but what happens when we need to head back upstream?”

Hearing this, Chen Gu realized at once that his own experience was lacking—he hadn’t thought things through as thoroughly as he should have. A pang of unease struck him, and he began to reassess his situation. Chen Gu realized that since entering the world of the lords, he had lost his former caution and was now acting with a kind of reckless abandon. This would not do. If all he wanted was a single city, perhaps he could get by as he was. But his true goal was Black Fortress—the undead capital. To say nothing of what awaited inside, just the legions outside Black Fortress would be more than his current forces could handle.

If he kept drifting along like this, what would he do when the time came to face the enemy at Black Fortress? With this realization, Chen Gu suppressed the smile on his face.

“It seems I’ve grown far too complacent. Allen, from here on, keep your ship close behind me.”

Allen was taken aback. He didn’t understand why Chen Gu would suddenly say such a thing. He was about to ask, but then saw that Chen Gu had already taken out the map and begun issuing orders on the spot.

Every remaining Fire Spirit Raven was dispatched, flying toward the riverbanks to scout the surroundings. Although the gun ports were closed, the Fire Raven cannons remained primed—at a moment’s notice, they could all fire a salvo, and within three minutes, a second volley could follow.

Once he had ensured their safety, Chen Gu pointed to the river on the map and began to direct their course. Though he had never captained a ship before, it scarcely mattered—these vessels required no steering, only directions.

Following the river south, Chen Gu did not rest for a moment; he questioned every scrap of information, weighed every choice. To anyone observing, it might seem as if he did not trust Allen at all. But in truth, only Chen Gu knew that he was tempering himself. This was the time when he could gain the most experience—if he did not take this opportunity to hone his skills, he could never hope to become a true lord.