Chapter 385
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Chapter 385
There were a few small islands scattered about to the west of Brogora. Each of these had watch stations, expected to be in constant communication with the mainland. A small swoop of them extended further on the northern end, but overall the coverage from just the islands was insufficient to provide sufficient detail on incoming enemies. Ships had to patrol in between the islands as well as further out to sea, a constant workload that was seen by many as pointless. But it was a decent exercise in practicing naval maneuvers even if there had not yet been conflict with the Exalted Archipelago.
Some believed the news was unreliable, while others had been worried about the possibility ever since hearing about the pact. Personally, Anton believed that with a significant imbalance of power, cultivators would be eager to steal others resources. That had been the case before he began cultivating, and for much of the more than six decades thereafter. Only when there was a mutual threat was the majority willing to work together, though some lasting alliances had been formed recently.
Yet even if Anton found himself with friends from both continents and in many powerful sects, there was no guarantee they wouldnt come into conflict with any of the other sects Anton knew less well, or each other if there was something they both desired. The recent upswing had caused the growth of resources available to slightly outpace the use by cultivators, but it was unlikely that would last for long.
Even if he believed the Exalted Archipelago would attack, at the moment there was nothing within the significant range of his senses. He was searching for ships, of course, which allowed him to simply sweep the surface of the water. At long distances he could only search a narrow band at a time, and would be unable to sense everything.
He took some extra caution with extending his senses somewhat under the water. He didnt have any reason to believe that the Exalted Archipelago had ships that could sail underwater, but if they were concealed by some sort of formation they might not hide the ripples from underwater. It required him to sweep about twice the area, but that was something he could sustain.
With a cycle of strenuous monotony, the crew could have easily been overcome by a lack of caution. Since it made no difference if they kept their eyes out or not, they might as well just laze about. Even attacks by sea beasts were rare, and those were not particularly subtle about their approach.
But Anton would not allow whatever crew he was with to become idle. There was a time for rest and relaxation, and everyone was entitled to their breaks but during free time not reserved for rest and times where they were on duty, Anton wouldnt allow them to go too far off course.
He was aided in his goals by those who knew him, and specifically one of those who had specifically requested to be on the same ship as him. Nthanda had been his student in the first training tournament, and as a citizen of Ambati she had a larger personal stake in watching for approaching ships. Simply by matters of geography Ambati would likely be the first target of the Exalted Archipelago, as it controlled the closest shores. There were also chances that Estary and Droca would be involved as they were not too far along, but it was unlikely for ships to aim for the rear of the continent by Facraona first. That was much further, and would make it easy for the attackers to be isolated and cut off from supply lines. While individual cultivators could carry more of their own supplies compared to other armies, there were still limits.
Dont simply focus on what your eyes can see, Anton said. Ultimately, you are limited by the horizon if you do so.
Understood, Nthanda replied. He could feel her extending her energy outward, trying to stretch it into a thin point. The effort was there, but as a practitioner of Western Steel Body her energy was more limited than others.
Anton knew she would never be able to sense as far as he could, but even if she was only able to extend her range just beyond the horizon it was a significant increase. She had the strength to attack at that distance, though worrying about environmental factors such as wind became a problem. Anton had gifted her the bone bow, requiring great strength to draw and contributing significant momentum to her shots- but reorienting them at a distance took energy. Everything did, really. There were simply limitations on what could be done by those who focused on body tempering that were difficult to overcome, though in other circumstances they would outmatch their opponents because of their choices.The initial instance of this chapter being available happened at N0v3l.Bin.
A body temperer could maintain a consistent barrage of attacks without wearing themselves out for quite a while, and the defensive strength of their skin, muscles, and bones meant that attacks beneath a certain threshold were unable to damage them. There were certain people that simply wouldnt be able to defeat them, regardless of luck. Unless they let someone stab them in the eye, but even then if the gap in cultivation was enough attacks would be ineffective.
I cant say yet, Anton shrugged, But it feels like a ship. I dont know of any patrols we should be crossing paths with here yet, but it could be from Brogora.
Anton kept silent about the actual details he had, which involved more than a handful of Life Transformation cultivators present. It was difficult to distinguish them at such a distance, but when they got closer he was able to confirm some things.
There was some sort of formation on the ship blurring his senses, but not hiding anything. Specific details were lost, but the general amount of power was still clear. And having traveled across both continents, Anton could firmly say that the practitioners aboard that ship were not something he recognized. There was also the matter of the ship being pulled along by something in the water.
Anton reported the details as he learned them, both to Captain Othman and through his communication plate to the shore. The latter had to forego some immediate details for the sake of brevity, and so he could get a response.
-Avoid engagement, keep them in view
That was pretty much what Anton had expected, given the previous discussions. While they fully anticipated a war, provoking one was not what anyone wanted. Especially not Ambati, who would take the brunt of the initial assaults.
Captain Othman turned to sail parallel to the ship. They making distance, Anton said. Still sailing on the same trajectory, but theyll pull away if we keep this speed.
Its expected they outspeed us, Captain Othman nodded. But we can narrow that difference. Rowers, to positions! Steady pace.
They were nearly a day of travel from the mainland at their normal pace- somewhere around ten nautical kilometers per hour. At their increased pace they were twice that, and barely keeping up. Yet it was enough for them to be somewhat close when the ship arrived at Tiarhogo Landing, one of the largest ports on the western portion of Ambati.
Most of the ship was well out of the range of affecting any potential combat, though Anton was within his maximum range. But while the port had a clear tension hanging over it when they arrived, no conflict had erupted.
Before they were able to talk to anyone, Anton took note of what had been pulling the ship. A giant turtle. Though compared to Paradise it was nothing, it was still ten meters from head to tail. Anton saw anchor points drilled into its shell where he presumed the chains on the front of the ship would attach.
Once in port, Anton learned that the ship was from the Ponderous Turtle Clan. They came with a small compliment of ten Life Transformation cultivators, purporting to carry demands of the Exalted Archipelago. The initial encounter was over, as they clearly had no intent to negotiate. They simply stated demands, meant for the entire continent. From what Anton saw, the demands seemed to be between ten and twenty percent of basically everything- ores, herbs, food, special materials of all sorts
He imagined the demands would not be well received. It would be one thing if the Exalted Archipelago offered anything in return. A promise of protection from future invaders might be acceptable even with such steep demands, but so far it appeared there were no concessions. He was unsure if they were expecting to get immediate capitulation or if they wanted a war. It was difficult to say.
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Chapter 385
There were a few small islands scattered about to the west of Brogora. Each of these had watch stations, expected to be in constant communication with the mainland. A small swoop of them extended further on the northern end, but overall the coverage from just the islands was insufficient to provide sufficient detail on incoming enemies. Ships had to patrol in between the islands as well as further out to sea, a constant workload that was seen by many as pointless. But it was a decent exercise in practicing naval maneuvers even if there had not yet been conflict with the Exalted Archipelago.
Some believed the news was unreliable, while others had been worried about the possibility ever since hearing about the pact. Personally, Anton believed that with a significant imbalance of power, cultivators would be eager to steal others resources. That had been the case before he began cultivating, and for much of the more than six decades thereafter. Only when there was a mutual threat was the majority willing to work together, though some lasting alliances had been formed recently.
Yet even if Anton found himself with friends from both continents and in many powerful sects, there was no guarantee they wouldnt come into conflict with any of the other sects Anton knew less well, or each other if there was something they both desired. The recent upswing had caused the growth of resources available to slightly outpace the use by cultivators, but it was unlikely that would last for long.
Even if he believed the Exalted Archipelago would attack, at the moment there was nothing within the significant range of his senses. He was searching for ships, of course, which allowed him to simply sweep the surface of the water. At long distances he could only search a narrow band at a time, and would be unable to sense everything.
He took some extra caution with extending his senses somewhat under the water. He didnt have any reason to believe that the Exalted Archipelago had ships that could sail underwater, but if they were concealed by some sort of formation they might not hide the ripples from underwater. It required him to sweep about twice the area, but that was something he could sustain.
With a cycle of strenuous monotony, the crew could have easily been overcome by a lack of caution. Since it made no difference if they kept their eyes out or not, they might as well just laze about. Even attacks by sea beasts were rare, and those were not particularly subtle about their approach.
But Anton would not allow whatever crew he was with to become idle. There was a time for rest and relaxation, and everyone was entitled to their breaks but during free time not reserved for rest and times where they were on duty, Anton wouldnt allow them to go too far off course.
He was aided in his goals by those who knew him, and specifically one of those who had specifically requested to be on the same ship as him. Nthanda had been his student in the first training tournament, and as a citizen of Ambati she had a larger personal stake in watching for approaching ships. Simply by matters of geography Ambati would likely be the first target of the Exalted Archipelago, as it controlled the closest shores. There were also chances that Estary and Droca would be involved as they were not too far along, but it was unlikely for ships to aim for the rear of the continent by Facraona first. That was much further, and would make it easy for the attackers to be isolated and cut off from supply lines. While individual cultivators could carry more of their own supplies compared to other armies, there were still limits.
Dont simply focus on what your eyes can see, Anton said. Ultimately, you are limited by the horizon if you do so.
Understood, Nthanda replied. He could feel her extending her energy outward, trying to stretch it into a thin point. The effort was there, but as a practitioner of Western Steel Body her energy was more limited than others.
Anton knew she would never be able to sense as far as he could, but even if she was only able to extend her range just beyond the horizon it was a significant increase. She had the strength to attack at that distance, though worrying about environmental factors such as wind became a problem. Anton had gifted her the bone bow, requiring great strength to draw and contributing significant momentum to her shots- but reorienting them at a distance took energy. Everything did, really. There were simply limitations on what could be done by those who focused on body tempering that were difficult to overcome, though in other circumstances they would outmatch their opponents because of their choices.The initial instance of this chapter being available happened at N0v3l.Bin.
A body temperer could maintain a consistent barrage of attacks without wearing themselves out for quite a while, and the defensive strength of their skin, muscles, and bones meant that attacks beneath a certain threshold were unable to damage them. There were certain people that simply wouldnt be able to defeat them, regardless of luck. Unless they let someone stab them in the eye, but even then if the gap in cultivation was enough attacks would be ineffective.
I cant say yet, Anton shrugged, But it feels like a ship. I dont know of any patrols we should be crossing paths with here yet, but it could be from Brogora.
Anton kept silent about the actual details he had, which involved more than a handful of Life Transformation cultivators present. It was difficult to distinguish them at such a distance, but when they got closer he was able to confirm some things.
There was some sort of formation on the ship blurring his senses, but not hiding anything. Specific details were lost, but the general amount of power was still clear. And having traveled across both continents, Anton could firmly say that the practitioners aboard that ship were not something he recognized. There was also the matter of the ship being pulled along by something in the water.
Anton reported the details as he learned them, both to Captain Othman and through his communication plate to the shore. The latter had to forego some immediate details for the sake of brevity, and so he could get a response.
-Avoid engagement, keep them in view
That was pretty much what Anton had expected, given the previous discussions. While they fully anticipated a war, provoking one was not what anyone wanted. Especially not Ambati, who would take the brunt of the initial assaults.
Captain Othman turned to sail parallel to the ship. They making distance, Anton said. Still sailing on the same trajectory, but theyll pull away if we keep this speed.
Its expected they outspeed us, Captain Othman nodded. But we can narrow that difference. Rowers, to positions! Steady pace.
They were nearly a day of travel from the mainland at their normal pace- somewhere around ten nautical kilometers per hour. At their increased pace they were twice that, and barely keeping up. Yet it was enough for them to be somewhat close when the ship arrived at Tiarhogo Landing, one of the largest ports on the western portion of Ambati.
Most of the ship was well out of the range of affecting any potential combat, though Anton was within his maximum range. But while the port had a clear tension hanging over it when they arrived, no conflict had erupted.
Before they were able to talk to anyone, Anton took note of what had been pulling the ship. A giant turtle. Though compared to Paradise it was nothing, it was still ten meters from head to tail. Anton saw anchor points drilled into its shell where he presumed the chains on the front of the ship would attach.
Once in port, Anton learned that the ship was from the Ponderous Turtle Clan. They came with a small compliment of ten Life Transformation cultivators, purporting to carry demands of the Exalted Archipelago. The initial encounter was over, as they clearly had no intent to negotiate. They simply stated demands, meant for the entire continent. From what Anton saw, the demands seemed to be between ten and twenty percent of basically everything- ores, herbs, food, special materials of all sorts
He imagined the demands would not be well received. It would be one thing if the Exalted Archipelago offered anything in return. A promise of protection from future invaders might be acceptable even with such steep demands, but so far it appeared there were no concessions. He was unsure if they were expecting to get immediate capitulation or if they wanted a war. It was difficult to say.
Chapter 385There were a few small islands scattered about to the west of Brogora. Each of these had watch stations, expected to be in constant communication with the mainland. A small swoop of them extended further on the northern end, but overall the coverage from just the islands was insufficient to provide sufficient detail on incoming enemies. Ships had to patrol in between the islands as well as further out to sea, a constant workload that was seen by many as pointless. But it was a decent exercise in practicing naval maneuvers even if there had not yet been conflict with the Exalted Archipelago. Some believed the news was unreliable, while others had been worried about the possibility ever since hearing about the pact. Personally, Anton believed that with a significant imbalance of power, cultivators would be eager to steal others resources. That had been the case before he began cultivating, and for much of the more than six decades thereafter. Only when there was a mutual threat was the majority willing to work together, though some lasting alliances had been formed recently.Yet even if Anton found himself with friends from both continents and in many powerful sects, there was no guarantee they wouldnt come into conflict with any of the other sects Anton knew less well, or each other if there was something they both desired. The recent upswing had caused the growth of resources available to slightly outpace the use by cultivators, but it was unlikely that would last for long.Even if he believed the Exalted Archipelago would attack, at the moment there was nothing within the significant range of his senses. He was searching for ships, of course, which allowed him to simply sweep the surface of the water. At long distances he could only search a narrow band at a time, and would be unable to sense everything. He took some extra caution with extending his senses somewhat under the water. He didnt have any reason to believe that the Exalted Archipelago had ships that could sail underwater, but if they were concealed by some sort of formation they might not hide the ripples from underwater. It required him to sweep about twice the area, but that was something he could sustain.With a cycle of strenuous monotony, the crew could have easily been overcome by a lack of caution. Since it made no difference if they kept their eyes out or not, they might as well just laze about. Even attacks by sea beasts were rare, and those were not particularly subtle about their approach.But Anton would not allow whatever crew he was with to become idle. There was a time for rest and relaxation, and everyone was entitled to their breaks but during free time not reserved for rest and times where they were on duty, Anton wouldnt allow them to go too far off course.He was aided in his goals by those who knew him, and specifically one of those who had specifically requested to be on the same ship as him. Nthanda had been his student in the first training tournament, and as a citizen of Ambati she had a larger personal stake in watching for approaching ships. Simply by matters of geography Ambati would likely be the first target of the Exalted Archipelago, as it controlled the closest shores. There were also chances that Estary and Droca would be involved as they were not too far along, but it was unlikely for ships to aim for the rear of the continent by Facraona first. That was much further, and would make it easy for the attackers to be isolated and cut off from supply lines. While individual cultivators could carry more of their own supplies compared to other armies, there were still limits.Dont simply focus on what your eyes can see, Anton said. Ultimately, you are limited by the horizon if you do so.Understood, Nthanda replied. He could feel her extending her energy outward, trying to stretch it into a thin point. The effort was there, but as a practitioner of Western Steel Body her energy was more limited than others. Anton knew she would never be able to sense as far as he could, but even if she was only able to extend her range just beyond the horizon it was a significant increase. She had the strength to attack at that distance, though worrying about environmental factors such as wind became a problem. Anton had gifted her the bone bow, requiring great strength to draw and contributing significant momentum to her shots- but reorienting them at a distance took energy. Everything did, really. There were simply limitations on what could be done by those who focused on body tempering that were difficult to overcome, though in other circumstances they would outmatch their opponents because of their choices.The initial instance of this chapter being available happened at N0v3l.Bin.A body temperer could maintain a consistent barrage of attacks without wearing themselves out for quite a while, and the defensive strength of their skin, muscles, and bones meant that attacks beneath a certain threshold were unable to damage them. There were certain people that simply wouldnt be able to defeat them, regardless of luck. Unless they let someone stab them in the eye, but even then if the gap in cultivation was enough attacks would be ineffective.I cant say yet, Anton shrugged, But it feels like a ship. I dont know of any patrols we should be crossing paths with here yet, but it could be from Brogora.Anton kept silent about the actual details he had, which involved more than a handful of Life Transformation cultivators present. It was difficult to distinguish them at such a distance, but when they got closer he was able to confirm some things.There was some sort of formation on the ship blurring his senses, but not hiding anything. Specific details were lost, but the general amount of power was still clear. And having traveled across both continents, Anton could firmly say that the practitioners aboard that ship were not something he recognized. There was also the matter of the ship being pulled along by something in the water.Anton reported the details as he learned them, both to Captain Othman and through his communication plate to the shore. The latter had to forego some immediate details for the sake of brevity, and so he could get a response.-Avoid engagement, keep them in viewThat was pretty much what Anton had expected, given the previous discussions. While they fully anticipated a war, provoking one was not what anyone wanted. Especially not Ambati, who would take the brunt of the initial assaults.Captain Othman turned to sail parallel to the ship. They making distance, Anton said. Still sailing on the same trajectory, but theyll pull away if we keep this speed.Its expected they outspeed us, Captain Othman nodded. But we can narrow that difference. Rowers, to positions! Steady pace.They were nearly a day of travel from the mainland at their normal pace- somewhere around ten nautical kilometers per hour. At their increased pace they were twice that, and barely keeping up. Yet it was enough for them to be somewhat close when the ship arrived at Tiarhogo Landing, one of the largest ports on the western portion of Ambati. Most of the ship was well out of the range of affecting any potential combat, though Anton was within his maximum range. But while the port had a clear tension hanging over it when they arrived, no conflict had erupted. Before they were able to talk to anyone, Anton took note of what had been pulling the ship. A giant turtle. Though compared to Paradise it was nothing, it was still ten meters from head to tail. Anton saw anchor points drilled into its shell where he presumed the chains on the front of the ship would attach. Once in port, Anton learned that the ship was from the Ponderous Turtle Clan. They came with a small compliment of ten Life Transformation cultivators, purporting to carry demands of the Exalted Archipelago. The initial encounter was over, as they clearly had no intent to negotiate. They simply stated demands, meant for the entire continent. From what Anton saw, the demands seemed to be between ten and twenty percent of basically everything- ores, herbs, food, special materials of all sortsHe imagined the demands would not be well received. It would be one thing if the Exalted Archipelago offered anything in return. A promise of protection from future invaders might be acceptable even with such steep demands, but so far it appeared there were no concessions. He was unsure if they were expecting to get immediate capitulation or if they wanted a war. It was difficult to say.
