Chapter 300: Flying Magic Ship

The reason Jack Black wanted to join Donald was that, even when Donald’s reputation was just beginning to grow, the leader of the Black Knights Brotherhood had already thought of this idea—to join his side and cleanse both himself and his brothers’ names.
But he lacked a sufficient excuse and dared not act rashly. After all, no matter how good his reputation was, he was still a thief leader, with a hefty bounty on his head in Thelos’ official warrants!
So he didn’t want to risk his three hundred brothers, nor did he have major tasks left unfinished.
Now, with the Siren plague erupting and his homeland in peril, Black Knight Jack immediately took his brothers and arrived in Gardrel in secret, planning to step in when the Sirens could no longer hold out. Even if he would still be charged with treason afterward, it would be worth it.
Unexpectedly, today, Jack, who now saw only one path left, heard good news from a few loyal former thieves he kept as spies: the rising noble he had intended to join had arrived in Peace Harbor, planning to support the Sirens against the plague on behalf of Thelos.
It was as if someone had brought him a pillow right when he was about to fall asleep. If he could gain the baron’s acceptance and fight as a Thelos soldier, he could contribute to saving his homeland from this disaster while also protecting himself and his brothers.
After discussing it with others, they all agreed the plan was feasible and far better than the previous desperate one. Now, it all depended on whether the baron was as upright and generous as rumored, and whether he valued talent highly!
Upon learning of this, Donald felt deeply moved. Jack Black’s story reminded him of various events from his past life. Yet he was also very satisfied with the Black Knights’ decision to join him.
After all, it was already difficult to select qualified warriors, and even harder to ensure their loyalty. He had put in a lot of effort in his territory to gather just over two hundred men, not all of whom were satisfactory—only through class changes using magical creatures had things improved. The three hundred elite members of the Black Knights Brotherhood were said to be young knights at the peak of Black Iron level, with exceptional combat skills both on horseback and on foot. If their loyalty could be secured, they would be a tremendous asset.
So Donald had no intention of refusing Jack Black’s loyalty.

But he still needed to remind the other party, to prevent any ulterior thoughts from arising since things had come so easily.
“I know about your requests, and they’re not impossible. Yet your loyalty still needs to be tested. I don’t like situations outside my control in my territory, so I’ll have to watch your performance. If you do well, I won’t hesitate to grant you the title of hereditary knight upon your return. I’ll even help you restore your reputation in Siren. Recapturing your princess isn’t impossible either!”
“Really, my lord?”
With the title of hereditary knight from Selt, even though there was still a warrant for his arrest in Siren, those old folks wouldn’t be able to do anything to him. This way, he could see his lover often. He wouldn’t have to meet her secretly just a couple of times a year, as he had in recent years, each time in a hurry.
Jack Black was truly overjoyed this time—something he had long dreamed of could be easily promised by this person.
“Of course it’s true. Have you forgotten the relationship between my queen of Selt and Siren? Besides, as a Grand Mage with legendary warriors in my territory, even the Duke of Siren has to take me seriously!”
“Legendary warriors…”
Now, Black Knight Jack finally understood why his lord had such confidence.
“I don’t seek to clear my name or the position of Duke of Siren. I just want to be with Sophie. If my lord can truly fulfill my wish, I, Jack Black, am willing to serve him forever—my loyalty won’t change even in death!”
Donald nodded.
“You’ll get that day. Maybe if the magical disaster is resolved smoothly this time, you’ll have your chance. The group sets off tomorrow, and I need to return. There are too many eyes in Peace Harbor, and it’s not convenient to gather you and your men now.”
Black Knight Jack immediately said, “My lord, rest assured. I’ve already made arrangements. Tomorrow, your group can head southwest along the main road. There’s a jungle there, and my knights will be waiting there in advance. Once you pass by, you can join your group.”
“Good arrangements. Do as planned! This is my family’s emblem. It’s also a magical item that can cast spells up to level six. Currently, it’s equipped with the defensive spell Magic Shield, which can protect you from at least five attacks by someone of silver strength as long as its magic power isn’t exhausted!”

These were several family emblems he remade after returning from the Battle of the Two-Feet Swamp, available in bronze, silver, and gold tiers, with the bronze version being the most numerous. Middle-ranking officials in Dalaran’s territory each possessed one for self-protection and as a symbol of their status. Since these emblems had been reworked using the Book of Truth, ordinary people could also activate them with their minds, which could save their lives in critical moments. Moreover, Donald added a mental fluctuation locking function to prevent them from being lost or stolen. The silver emblems, capable of storing level eight spells, were only given to a few key officials and followers in the territory, such as William, Kord, Clinton, and Uther. Only two gold emblems were made so far—this process was quite wasteful of magical metal. With the recent construction of the mage tower requiring large amounts of magical materials, aside from himself, the lady countess occasionally visited Queen Sophia in the capital to gather information for Donald and network with nobles. Concerned about this, Donald gave one to Catherine for protection. The other was given to his teacher for research, though it could also be used as a combat tool in emergencies. After handing the bronze emblem to Black Knight Jack, Donald teleported back to his mansion room with Kelsas, leaving Black Knight Jack alone to excitedly fiddle with that rare high-level magical device. The next morning, the group from Thelos set off. Without mentioning the officials and nobles who saw them off in Peaceport, let’s just say the group of over two hundred people led by Duri left Peaceport in a grand procession, heading southwest along the main road. The prince and other high-ranking officials and mages rode in carriages and horses arranged by Peaceport’s elite, while the soldiers had to walk. At this pace, it would likely take at least a month to reach Thelen territory. Donald couldn’t help but think of the magical ship he had stored at the port. When he first remodeled the Ship of the Dead Island, he had left room for further modifications to create a flying magical ship capable of traveling on land, sea, and air. However, the energy required to sustain such a large ship in flight was enormous, and Donald still hadn’t developed a complete modification plan. The difficulties of this expedition reminded him of this plan again, so he brought it up with his teacher Messele and several other mages in the same carriage. The old mage was the first to speak up:

“That’s a great idea worth exploring, but it lacks the crucial magic arrays for flight. So it’s unlikely we can complete it in a short time!”
Chris, who was the most enthusiastic about research here, also sighed, “It’s a shame we don’t have the design plans for the great Sky City of the Arcane Empire. Even the plans for the Cloud Tower would be useful!”
Malf added, “How dare you even think about it? What is a Sky City? It’s one of the greatest achievements of the Arcane Empire, coveted by even the gods. It’s said to contain virtual divine entities that can grant powers akin to those of deities. It’s an aerial fortress that’s practically impossible to defeat from the outside in the main world. Even the Cloud Tower, which is a lower-tier version, is an arcane structure more advanced than the mage tower we built. With such a stronghold, one would have an invincible position—even the Witch Kingdom, with its strongest mage powers, couldn’t obtain such an arcane structure, so let’s not get our hopes up!”
Chris immediately retorted, “How can it be mere delusion? With Donald, who’s good at creating miracles, it’s possible we might get a Cloud Tower someday. Just look at our current mage tower—could you have imagined back at the guild that we’d end up living in an arcane tower even more powerful than the one belonging to the Mage Association?”
That remark left Malf speechless. Indeed, since Donald appeared, he had created many miracles. In just two or three years, he had surpassed them and reached the rank of Grand Mage. So what was there not to imagine?
Witch Hentia, who was smiling as she watched her brother and Chris bicker, interjected, “Enough, stop arguing. Donald is indeed a genius beyond my prediction. Didn’t he develop the Alchemical Airship, an ancient flying device that was long lost? I believe he will eventually obtain something like a Cloud Tower!”
Facing the praise from his senior peers, Donald had intended to be modest. After all, only those closest to him knew his situation—he had achieved everything mainly thanks to the Book of Truth, a highly powerful artifact. His luck was beyond description.
But when he heard certain key words from Hentia’s speech, he became distracted, muttering, “Alchemical Airship, Alchemical Airship…”
Suddenly, an idea struck him. He grasped the key point and exclaimed, “Right! Airships, hot air balloons! That’s it…”

Under the surprised or curious gazes of the others, Donald immediately took out paper and pen and began to sketch out his ideas. Although he wasn’t originally trained in art, his coordination skills were now far beyond ordinary people’s, and his drawing skills were not much worse than those of designers and painters. Soon, a design for a novel magic ship—based on the original magic ship with some additional structures—appeared on the paper.