Chapter 1: Starting Point: Valley of the Gods
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West Sea, Valley of the Gods.
A large number of warships had surrounded the area. The flag of the World Government fluttered in the wind, and the black and blue cross symbol was dazzling under the sun's reflection.
On the island, two towering mountains stood, their steep cliffs as sharp as if they had been carved with a knife or an axe.
The sky was dark and heavy with clouds, as though a downpour might begin at any moment. Suddenly, in the darkness, a flash of light appeared.
The space distorted, and a strange light burst forth.
From within the light curtain, a massive ship slowly emerged. It was made entirely of black metal. The hull was as smooth as a mirror, yet without any reflection, giving it an air of mystery and solemnity.
- Boom!
The light curtain in the sky suddenly disappeared, and with the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground, the mysterious black ship ran aground in the canyon.
Upon closer inspection, a gear-shaped mark could be seen engraved on the hull, identifying its ownership.
"Ahem... This time, the noise was a bit loud..."
Accompanied by a cough, a figure stepped out of the cabin. The dust swirling around him couldn't hide his piercing light blue eyes.
His medium-short pink hair made him look both unique and full of energy, while a pair of glasses added a scholarly air to his appearance.
"But this impact experiment was a success. This level of impact can no longer cause any significant damage. Now, it's time to test another aspect."
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he patted his chest with satisfaction. A blue light pulsed through him, and the exoskeleton armor-like equipment on his body seemed to shift into a new mode.
However, before he could begin the next round of experiments, he noticed something unusual. The environment was completely different from where he had originally moored his ship.
"Again?"
It seemed this wasn't the first time the man had encountered such an event. He didn't panic. Instead, he glanced at the dashboard on his wrist, which monitored his physical condition. After confirming that he wasn't dreaming, he began inspecting the equipment on the ship.
"The compass is damaged, the power supply system is partially down, the defense system is operating normally, and no supplies are lost... Not bad. It's better than I expected.
But where is this place? There's no such location in Bilgewater... Ionia?"
The man wondered where he had been sent as he attempted to repair the broken compass. At that moment, a shout echoed in the distance.
"Brother, are you planning to sail away from here? Give up! That's impossible. The navy has surrounded the Valley of the Gods for a long time now. No ship can leave here! Haha!"
The cliff on one side was steep but featured several natural rock platforms. On a lower platform, a slightly exaggerated big face came into view.
A man with an oversized face was lying on the edge of the cliff, waving. Another person behind him held onto him, preventing him from falling.
As the words Valley of the Gods sank into his mind, the man realized something was off, including the fact that the language spoken here wasn't one he commonly used.
However, fluent in multiple languages, he didn't find it problematic.
The man's name was Sidilir Oran. As expected, he had neither father nor mother.
After finally passing the postgraduate entrance examination, he had encountered a reopening incident on the eve of his graduation.
His soul arrived in the world of League of Legends—Piltover, on the continent of Valoran—a city renowned for its highly developed commerce and technology.
This time, Oran also received the double misfortune of the "orphan buff."
This magical continent was full of mysteries. One night, Oran discovered his unique talent—dreaming.
This was also why Oran always confirmed whether he was in the dream world first.
Every night, he would fall asleep. Unlike ordinary people, Oran's dreams seemed to connect to fantastical places, even transcending the boundaries of time and space in some areas.
Through countless nights, his knowledge grew rapidly. He gradually made a name for himself in Piltover, becoming a rising star whose fame rivaled even that of Heimerdinger.
Heimerdinger held a prestigious academic status in Piltover, and his knowledge was universally acknowledged as genuine. For a newcomer like Oran, being compared to Heimerdinger was the highest compliment.
Previously, Oran personally led a ship to Bilgewater to purchase a batch of special materials and planned to negotiate new business ventures. However, during an experiment in his spare time, Oran seemed to encounter that mysterious phenomenon once again.
This time, even his body underwent significant changes, becoming much younger and returning to the appearance of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old.
Due to his dream ability, Oran possessed an excellent memory. Even though more than 20 years had passed since he arrived in Valoran, he still remembered some events from before, including the term Valley of the Gods.
However, he could only recall major events, such as the final outcome of a war. He couldn't remember the specific details.
Two people approached Oran with questions. In addition to a big-faced man with an afro and peculiar behavior, there was also a little girl who looked dirty and had a target painted on her clothes.
"Don't just stand there, little brother. My goal is to survive. You don't want to wait here to die, do you? If that's the case, I won't waste my time here, haha!"
Once Oran acknowledged him, the big-faced man stood up, made a strange gesture, and continued waiting for Oran's response.
"Let's clarify one thing first. What are your names?"
"My name is Ginny, and this is my big brother, Ivankov. Is that important? And little brother, shouldn't you tell me your name? Or are we just going to call you Brother?"
Ginny asked while still stuffing food into her mouth. The black, unappetizing food didn't look edible, yet she ate it with great relish.
"Just call me Oran. If you have something to say, let's discuss it later. Your goal is to survive, so I assume you have a plan, right?"
With the familiar names and the mention of the Valley of the Gods, Oran quickly deduced the time and specific events and confirmed his location.
Compared to the nascent land of Valoran that he had initially imagined, this place was far worse.
Ivankov had not yet become the Shemale King, but his striking face was already memorable. According to Oran's memory, Ivankov would successfully escape from here; otherwise, the Shemale King of the future would not exist.
However, Oran had no intention of following him. Relying on oneself was always more dependable. Now that he was here, his presence was already a variable, and placing his fate in the hands of others would not be a wise choice.
Oran also recalled some details about the Valley of the Gods. Whether it was great pirates like Rocks and Roger, marines like Garp, or even Saturn, one of the Five Elder, nearly every future legendary figure could be found here.
But they had one thing in common: no one cared about the ordinary people on the island. If they didn't want the World Government to erase their traces here, they had to rely on themselves.
Oran needed Ivankov and the others to provide some specific information about the island so that he could study his own countermeasures. If there was enough time, the things he carried on the ship might be able to handle the situation.
The reason why Ivankov came forward on his own initiative was very simple. He knew that he and Ginny alone were not capable of escaping from here, so he needed some helpers to form an escape team.
Whether they were slaves or the original residents of the Valley of the Gods, they were all prey of the Celestial Dragons, so they naturally had a common position.
While looking for their companions, they were attracted by the sounds coming from this area. When Ivankov and Ginny arrived, they saw the black ship that had already completed the crossing process.
With the help of trees and vines, Ivankov and Ginny slid down the gentler slope and came to the base of the ship where Oran was.
The pitch-black hull was quite different from the mainstream hulls seen on the sea, and the metallic luster was rare and unusual.
But before they could think too much about it, Oran threw down a rope ladder from above. After exchanging a glance, the two climbed onto the deck of the ship one after the other.
However, their formal meeting wasn't very friendly. As soon as their feet touched the deck, the seemingly tightly fitted surface flipped open, and two black gun barrels extended from it, aiming directly at them.
"Don't be nervous. It's just the automatic defense mechanism on my ship. Come on up, and don't behave aggressively. They won't attack you."
Looking at the bewildered Ivankov and Ginny, Oran motioned for them to relax.
The waters of the Valoran continent were not peaceful, and Oran's ship was naturally equipped with a lot of heavy firepower. This was why he dared to let outsiders board his ship. In a sense, this was also a way to remind strangers not to mess around.
There is no wrong version in the 1619 book forum!
The panic in Ivankov's eyes vanished in a flash, replaced by a kind of joy. In this situation, it wasn't a bad thing to meet someone with a lot of weapons.
"Don't look at them yet. If necessary, I will naturally make them useful. Now, should I hear the intelligence you have?"
Oran could see what Ivankov was thinking. Oran didn't care about these weapons. As long as they worked, that was enough.
In this case, there was nothing wrong with sharing some supplies for the ultimate goal.
"Let me tell you something. You probably don't know about this. Anyway, those people will organize such an event every once in a while.
Slaves who were disobedient or disliked by them, criminals, and indigenous peoples of the countries chosen as venues would become their prey.
After three weeks of hunting, all the people on the island will be slaughtered by them, and the island will become the new territory of the World Government."
Ginny provided her information. It took a certain amount of time for the Celestial Dragons to select a site and prepare for their activities. The journey to the destination also required time. It was during this period that Ginny and Ivankov saw some opportunities.
"The Celestial Dragons will give prizes to the winners of the event, and those prizes are the key to our escape."
"Prizes?"
While listening to Ginny's plan, Oran also reviewed the equipment on the ship. In this case, Oran wanted to make sure there was something on the ship that could be used to prevent any accidents from happening.
"Yes, I am an expert in stealing and eavesdropping. Two of the prizes are of the highest caliber—devil fruits. One is the Mythical Zoan-type Azure Dragon fruit, capable of transforming the user into the legendary beast. The other is the Paw-Paw Fruit, which can send oneself or others flying to distant islands. If we can grab these two fruits, we'll be able to escape using their powers. If we're lucky, we might even get dozens more people out with us."
As she spoke, Ginny waved her hands dramatically toward the sky, as though to encourage herself, as if this act alone could boost her confidence.
"Heebulu, bro, that's our plan. Can you dismantle the cannons on your ship? The prizes are at the center of the island, so we need to prepare thoroughly.
We also need more people..."
Ivankov's eyes roved over the items aboard Oran's ship. Everything was new to him—the special materials, the advanced equipment—none of it resembled anything he had seen before.
Ginny's curiosity wasn't as overt, but her eyes couldn't hide the interest she felt as she looked around.
"Those weapons aren't suitable for mobile use. Come with me; I have something that could help. I'll also share my ideas with you.
But let me warn you in advance—don't touch anything without permission, or you might get hurt."
Oran motioned for the two of them to follow him into the cabin. They obeyed, treading carefully, mindful of his earlier warning.
The automatic defense artillery had made an impression on them. Despite their curiosity about the ship's equipment, they refrained from touching anything and kept their questions to themselves for the moment.
Due to the partial damage to the ship's energy supply system, the cabin was dimly lit. The unfamiliar environment made Ginny a little nervous, but she continued speaking:
"I've already spread the news. I'm hoping the prizes will attract others to join us. That's all for now—do you have anything to add?"
Ginny and Ivankov's plan was still vague. Given the circumstances, it was impossible for just the two of them to succeed. For now, they had only outlined a rough framework.
"First of all, it's certain that ordinary ships can't leave this place, right?" Oran asked.
"Yeah, the warships have surrounded the area. I don't know how strong those forces are, but it'll be tough to fly out...
Your ship looks impressive, but I doubt it can withstand that kind of firepower," Ivankov admitted grimly. Their plan offered only a sliver of hope in an otherwise desperate situation; it didn't change the underlying problem.
"So, what do you think about this?"
Oran led them through a corridor and into his studio. He retrieved a pair of spherical objects from a box on the table and set them down.
The spheres were not plain metallic; their surfaces were adorned with intricate golden patterns, giving them a sophisticated, mechanical texture that seemed to tell an unknown story.
Oran pressed a switch, causing cracks to appear on the spheres. Through the openings, a faint blue light glowed at the center of each one.
Under Ivankov and Ginny's puzzled gazes, Oran casually picked up a screwdriver from the table and placed it against one of the spheres.
The moment the screwdriver made contact, gears within the sphere began to turn. The glowing blue light rippled like waves, and the screwdriver was gradually absorbed by the light.
Meanwhile, the gears on the opposite sphere began to rotate, and its port lit up as well.
As the blue light condensed once more, the screwdriver appeared intact on the other side, emerging from the second sphere.