Chapter 3

"Desperation may make people give up, but as long as there's a glimpse of hope, the will to survive will drive them to fight. Luckily, I can give them that hope.

Compared to your and Ginny's plan, don't you think a ready-made escape model would be more convincing?"

Tangible items always persuade better than mere plans.

As he spoke, Orlan led them to another level of the ship.

This place was slightly more cluttered, with a variety of items.

Mechanical lotuses, strange components, potions emitting purple fluorescence, unknown eggs, mysterious green fruits, and a few crawling green beetles could be seen.

Orlan handed two short cannon-like items to Ivankov and Ginny and then put away the lotuses.

"You're right, but what's this got to do with returning the favor?"

"The teleporter plan tells the island's natives we have a feasible way to leave, but that's not enough. The Celestial Dragons caused all this, and ignoring them would be difficult for me."

Orlan's eyes showed little emotion, and his tone remained calm. However, if his old employees saw this, they would realize their boss was in a highly irritated state, clearly having had his bottom line crossed.

Traditionally, those who offended him this much never had a good outcome, whether it was a Zaun alchemy baron or a Piltover councilor; Orlan always found a way to retaliate.

"Are you saying..."

"It's simple. Whatever they want to do, I'll make sure they can't.

The Celestial Dragons want to exterminate this island, so within my capabilities, I'll save some people.

They treat this place as a hunting ground, so I'll shatter the myth surrounding them."

If not for the current situation, Ivankov might have thought Orlan was the hunter, as he exuded a unique confidence.

In fact, Orlan planned to use actions to prove the hunter and prey roles were not as simple as they seemed.

The Celestial Dragons are world nobles protected by the Navy; attacking them would provoke a Navy Admiral, a common knowledge on the sea.

In many navy minds, protecting the Celestial Dragons is part of their duty. Despite losing everything, many dare not resist due to years of influence.

Even with Ivankov's rebellious thoughts, his current goal was merely to escape, preventing the Celestial Dragons from achieving their objective.

But these thoughts didn't affect Orlan. Whether in his original world or in Valoran, he never succumbed easily.

Especially in Valoran, whether in demigod territories or noble star spirits, humanity never surrendered. Many had made god-slaying attempts, more than just one.

"Shatter the myth? Are you saying you want to..."

Looking at the short cannon in his hand and Orlan's words, Ivankov thought of a result he usually wouldn't dare to imagine.

But he wanted to confirm it with Orlan.

"They have two shoulders and one head. If they can kill, so can we. They're descendants of the original Twenty Kings, but so what? Ancestral glory is not an invincible halo.

You said 200 Celestial Dragon hunters are scattered around the island. I admit we're not capable of taking down the top elites now.

But the Celestial Dragons breed incompetents in abundance. Taking down such guys is doable."

"Haha... that's an unexpected plan..."

No one knew the ancient history, but since Joy Boy's failure in the Void Century, the sea had almost no voices against the Celestial Dragons.

Over a hundred years ago, a mysterious robot attacked the Red Line but achieved nothing.

Orlan's radical idea hadn't been seen in a long time.

"Orlan, you must survive."

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, your idea will shatter the Celestial Dragons' rule foundation one day. Even if only you escape, it's a great victory."

Fifteen-year-old Ivankov was easily stirred by words. Orlan's words opened a new world to him, but Orlan himself showed no excitement.

"Don't put a weird hero label on me. I'm just doing it for myself."

"Wait! Wait! Calm down, you two! Isn't our plan to escape? Orlan, your words are inspiring, but killing Celestial Dragons isn't easy.

They surely have vivre cards. Killing one directly would drive the navy here mad..."

Ginny felt her brother and this new acquaintance were getting too excited and irrational. She admitted Orlan made sense, but the consequences of their actions were too heavy to bear.

"Of course, we won't kill them directly. Even raising a flag happens before the expedition. Those 200 Celestial Dragons won't check in daily.

We just need to catch one at the right time, then eliminate him at another suitable time, achieving our goal."

Once a myth is broken, seeds of resistance will sprout.

This was part of Orlan's so-called return favor, but whether it could ignite a spark on this sea was unknown.

"The short cannons I gave you are net launchers, firing 90-caliber nets, Piltover police equipment. The recoil is heavy. Let's test them outside; I'll teach you if needed."

Orlan needed craftsmen for assembly, meaning more people would gather here.

From Ivankov and Ginny's information, Celestial Dragons called the island's slaves and natives "escapees," assigning points to them.

SR-grade escapees: 13, R-grade escapees: 150, totaling over 100,000 people targeted by the Celestial Dragons. Densely populated areas would be their primary attack points.

Human nature can't withstand trials. Under the threat of death, who knows what one might do?

Some may hold firm, but current circumstances allowed no trial and error.

So before recruiting others, Orlan needed his own small group to ensure plan execution and maintain order among those gathered.

Ivankov and Ginny, who shared their plan and information, became Orlan's priority choice.

...

"The nets are indeed tough. Ordinary Celestial Dragons shouldn't break free. But the recoil is too much; Ginny might struggle."

Orlan used the ship's cutter to free Ivankov and Ginny from their handcuffs, taught them how to use the net launchers, and showed them some trap devices.

Ivankov quickly adapted to the weapon's recoil, but Ginny, malnourished and young, struggled.

Even an adult woman would be pushed back by the recoil. The equipment, similar to Caitlyn's gear, had been slightly modified.

Ginny's weak body couldn't handle it. She mainly used her Den Den Mushi to gather island intelligence.

Den Den Mushi, unique to this sea, were special wild snails turned into communication devices with added components.

Using parts from Orlan's ship, Ginny modified wild snails for enhanced equipment, gathering more information.

"The Celestial Dragons' hunt will start soon. A Bacanarian slave just escaped in that direction."

Ginny checked a simple map and pinpointed a general area. Then, her headphones received a new signal, making her smile.

"Ivankov, Orlan, I found many signal fluctuations nearby. Our earlier message has been received!"

"Ha ha! Great news. The more capable people come, the better. The messier it gets, the more chances we have."

With Orlan's tools and equipment, Ginny's talents shone.

She even contacted God Valley shipbuilders, marking their locations on the map.

Ivankov mastered reloading and aiming, and as they prepared, Orlan readied the next plan.

"Hope can't rest entirely on the unknown. We need more than just the three of us, so let's move.

Another escapee was reported. Many won't wait to die."

(End of Chapter)