Chapter 54: Hunting the Floating Ship
In that direction, a ship soared over a mountain.
It flew past the peak almost touching it.
The ship wasn't very large, measuring about thirty meters in length.
The two-masted sails on the deck were particularly striking.
"Quick, go tell the boss!"
The goblins who witnessed this scene were overjoyed and excited.
"I'll go!"
"I'll go!"
"You stay here and keep watch. I'll go!"
The goblins perched on the treetops scrambled to slide down.
"Gobu Xia, how dare you fight me for it?"
In the dim forest, a few goblins dashed forward.
One goblin leaped and tackled another ahead of it.
It used a foot to step on the back of the fallen goblin and dashed ahead.
"Gobu Xiao, I'll eat you!"
The fallen goblin roared angrily.
The running goblin turned its head and made a face.
"Who eats who? We'll see!"
"Stop right there!"
The goblins in the forest rushed frantically toward their goblin lair.
"Boss, boss!"
The fastest goblin, Gobu Kuai, was the first to rush into the cave.
It slid to its knees and prostrated before a stone platform.
At this moment, Li Meng was seated on the stone platform, eating the heart of a wild boar.
"What's the matter? Why are you so flustered?"
Gobu Kuai, panting heavily, patted its chest.
"Boss, something is flying towards us from the sky, and it's not a bird!"
Upon hearing this, Li Meng's eyes lit up.
He casually tossed away the heart in his hand and leaped off the stone platform.
"Benben, let's go!"
With a flash, Li Meng darted out of the cave.
Bursting out of the cave, Li Meng didn't stop and headed straight into the forest.
Moments later, Li Meng appeared on the treetop of a large tree deep in the forest.
Standing on the treetop, Li Meng gazed into the distance.
In the direction of the sky, a floating ship was flying toward them.
"So, this is a floating ship? Truly remarkable!"
No wings, no visible propulsion system.
And no airbag like a zeppelin.
Although the floating ship wasn't very large, the fact that it could fly was a miracle.
Li Meng placed his fingers in his mouth and whistled.
"Whooo, whooo!"
The sharp whistle echoed through the air.
"It's the boss's signal!"
The goblins at the cave entrance heard the whistle.
They scrambled back into the cave, stumbling over themselves.
Soon, over a hundred goblins huffed and puffed as they carried three-bow ballistas out of the cave.
A dark mass of goblins, carrying the ballistas, charged into the forest.
The deployment positions for the ballistas had long been rehearsed.
Around the goblin lair, there were 24 deployment locations within the forest.
Each location had a small clearing where trees had been removed.
The goblins carrying the ballistas split into three teams, heading to their respective deployment sites.
In the forest, the three ballistas were arranged in a triangular formation.
Each ballista was spaced about a hundred meters apart.
"Move faster, faster!"
"Tie the spider silk ropes tightly and wrap them a few more times!"
Under the scolding of the larger goblins, the goblins at the three deployment sites began preparing to fire.
The goblins responsible for turning the winches started cranking.
Those handling the harpoon arrows tied the other end of the spider silk ropes to the thickest trees nearby.
Some goblins even climbed the surrounding treetops to monitor the floating ship.
For a moment, the forest was in an uproar.
The goblins' shrill cries echoed through the forest.
"Good, it's heading this way!"
Seeing the floating ship approaching, Li Meng grinned.
The floating ship was about 700 meters above ground and was steadily lowering its altitude.
This height was already within the range of the ballistas.
Meanwhile, not far away in the sky.
A floating ship sailed leisurely, carried by the wind.
On the deck, a few soldiers in blue armor could be seen.
There weren't many of them, only thirteen in total.
They leaned against the ship's railing, observing the forest below.
"Any signs of the savage tribes?"
A military officer in more elaborate armor paced the deck.
He wore a helmet adorned with a red plume.
The helmets of the other soldiers were bare.
"The forest is quiet, no signs of activity!"
"Captain, have we reached the target area yet?"
A soldier stood up, stretching his sore neck.
The officer stopped behind him and kicked him in the rear.
"Don't slack off. We're still 30 kilometers away from the border of the scouting zone."
"Captain, are the recent rumors true?"
"Probably not. The goblin forest is home to many savage tribes. Those guys aren't easy to deal with."
"It's about time. Such a beautiful land shouldn't be occupied by savages."
The soldiers on the ship discussed the topic among themselves.
The officer didn't stop them. His subordinates needed something to pass the time.
"Captain, suspicious goblin activity spotted ahead!"
At this moment, a soldier at the bow of the ship reported loudly.
This caught the attention of the other soldiers.
They all rushed to the bow to observe the forest ahead.
"There are beast bones at the entrance—it must be a goblin lair!"
"The forest outside the cave is too quiet; it might be an abandoned lair."
"Record the location and let the adventurers deal with it!"
"Scribe, mark this spot!"
On the deck were not only soldiers and officers.
There were also a scribe in a blue robe and a low-ranking priest in a white robe.
The scribe held a piece of parchment, which glowed faintly with magical energy.
The low-ranking priest stood at the rear deck, controlling a crystal glowing with blue magical light, functioning as the ship's helm.
Meanwhile, in the forest ahead of the floating ship.
"Boss, boss, the thing in the sky is getting closer!"
The goblins on the treetops kept reporting the floating ship's position.
At the deployment site, Li Meng adjusted the ballista to aim at the sky.
Once the floating ship came into view, he would pull the trigger.
"Come, my floating ship!"
Looking at the blue sky, Li Meng grinned.
If the hunt succeeded, he might unlock the technology for floating ships.
Although the chances were slim, it was worth trying.
This was a magical world, and the floating ship's ability to fly was surely linked to magic.
Lacking magical knowledge, Li Meng doubted he could replicate one just by taking it down.
But no matter what, it was worth a shot.
As time passed, Li Meng waited patiently.
Soon, a floating ship slowly appeared over the deployment site in the forest.
"I see you!"
Li Meng's eyes gleamed as he grinned menacingly.
He placed his fingers in his mouth and whistled.
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