Chapter 264: Plantal Captain
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Since the moment the large fleet of spacecrafts arrived, Hilda and her officials had been thrown into a state of confusion. Thanks to Hao Ren and 883, they assembled a group of like-minded captains, whose style caught the elves by surprise; the elves had planned for a high-profile diplomatic reception ceremony, but things did not turn out as they had expected. Before they managed to read out their script, the speech was scrapped and the group of elven diplomats were left in the cold on the platform. The captains of the fleet hit the ground running from the moment they arrived, surpassing Hilda in their commitment to their work.
But it was not a surprise. Most private fleet captains worked for the same cause, they were here for business. For these captains, it was just another day at work, they did not give a sh*t.
Fortunately, Hilda had somewhat expected this. Her subordinates possessed all the required training. Though the various departments of Aerym were confused initially, they quickly got up to speed. The transfering of people and materials went according to plan.
Hao Ren and Hilda stood on the high platform in the Royal District, looking down at the nervous, expectant and confused faces on the street. The elves had clearly been caught by surprise. Although they had been preparing for the past three days, once the giant fleet of spacecrafts appeared above the islands, a sense of surrealism overwhelmed them. Vimm could not help but pinch his ears and murmur, "Is this a dream?"
Vivian looked at Hilda and said, "Do you think it's okay for you to just sit by and watch? I guess you should be on the ground, giving orders and instructions?"
"Not really. There is a specific department for every kind of work. In this large scale operation, a large number of professional personnel are required and a strict set of systems need to be followed. There' is no place for VIP showmanship. My job as well as Vimm's is done. It is now time to see that everything goes according to plan," said Hilda as she stared at the giant spacecrafts, flying past the dome above, casting a shadow on the ground. "At last... it begins. Our hardwork for the past three days has paid off."
She glanced at at her glowing body and said, "I have suddenly discovered that there is an advatange to being a so-called 'living holy spirit'; I never felt tired plus, I have not slept for the past three days and I still feel energetic."
Lily looked at Hilda's glowing body, carefully observing it. She found that the glow was clearly dimmer than before. "The effect remains. Don't you realise that you are losing your soul?"
Hao Ren said, "...Girl, you're probably imagining things. Would you be happy if I give you a large bone so you can shut the f*ck up?"
Lily was instantly elated. "Yes, please!"
Meanwhile, a group of spaceshuttles of different colours, shapes and sizes flew from the northeast towards the Royal District. They were not stopped by anyone as they had obtained permission in advance to fly in the dome's airspace. They were captains of the migration fleet. As the spaceshuttles landed on the Royal Platform, a muscular man with a square face disembarked from the leading, triangular flying craft—it was 883, whom Hao Ren had not seen for quite a while. Behind him, there were other captains; most were humanoids while some were odd-looking alien species. They had gone to the other city gates, saying hi to their passengers and giving out leaflets before coming to Hao Ren.
The captain was overwhelmingly zealous; it is uncertain if this was because he genuinely missed Hao Ren, or he was simply excited to strike a profitable deal. Nonetheless, his hug was powerful. "Hey man, long time no see. Why the heck are you so nervous?"
Light danced across Hao Ren's body. "Shouldn't I be? Look at your size. I couldn't help it, my shield just deployed on its own."
Seeing the arrival of the main characters, the officials standing behind Hilda shoved themselves to the front to greet the captains. The veteran pilots reciprocated enthusiastically with insterstellar style. " Hi, my name's Kepala, the commander of the Star Voyager, this is my business card..."
"I'm the captain of White Mountain, this is my business card..."
"883, we're a dual-use spaceship, let's keep in touch."
"Shining Dragon. We specialise in mass transit, this is our promotion leaftlet..."
Hao Ren broke them up and said, "That's enough! You guys don't have to be so aggressive. When they arrive in their new home, it will take them at least a few years to settle down before they can even think about interstellar travel."
A group of old captains exchanged looks with each other. Then somebody yelled, "It's a front-end investment. Don't underestimate these bastards, they may steal the deal before you know it!"
"What kind of people do you have here?" Hao Ren pulled the Captain 883 aside and mumbled. The latter laughed. "Business acquaintances. I've known them for decades. No worries, they're good men. It's the trick of the trade, we give out flyers to anyone we meet as long as it's an intelligent life. And who knows if they might be our clients after a few years?"
Hilda stared in awe at the rough yet warmhearted captains. She then bowed and said, "Thank you for coming for us."
"No. Please don't. You'll make me feel guilty for charging you for our service if you do." The captain quickly took a step back and looked at Hao Ren. "She's the queen?"
Hao Ren nodded. Hilda was immediately rounded up by the group of men, who tried to give her their flyers...
It took quite a while for the elves to get used to the veteran pilots' enthusiasm. Everyone was ushered into a reception room at the corner of the platform, where they could rest or get some shut-eye. Meanwhile, reports of loading and boarding progress were sent in from time to time by the crew. A large number of elves had boarded safely and they had no problems adapting to the spacecraft's ecological environment. The task handover between the Aerymian crew leader and the spacecrafts' crew went smoothly. Suddenly, something came to Hao Ren's mind. "Oh ya, Hilda, how did you solve the Lotto Group problem?"
"Those who are still skeptical are on the Darklight Isle." Hilda continued, "It is the base of the Lotto Group and other dissidents. I was able to let the skeptical dissidents occupy Darklight Isle after days of inducements and campaigns. As the isle has been moved to the other end of the island chain, the people who refuse to believe in the migration will not be able to influence the migration operation even if they stay uncooperative."
"So, you coaxed them into isolation?" Hao Ren nodded in comprehension. "Hmm, I see, that's how you did it. But, you can't just isolate them forever."
"Of course not. It is just a tactic of compromise and delay. When most of the elves have settled down in our new home, there would be no reason for Lotto Group to remain defiant. They will give in and cooperate."
Hilda's tactic was mild but effective. Apparently, she had planted her own centre of influence inside Lotto and other dissident groups much earlier. For the sake of her kingdom's stability, or the possibilty that the Lotto Group would not cause any trouble that warranted total elimination, Hilda did not activate her insiders. But now, it warranted the move and the moles she had planted earlier came in handy—coaxing the opposition into occupying the island. The Lotto Group was probably still celebrating its occupation. Little did the members realise, they were being isolated.
The 883 captain listened to the conversation between Hao Ren and Hilda. He then asked curiously, "What the heck? Some kind of trick going on here?"
Hao Ren gave a brief explanation about the Lotto Group and other skeptics. He waved his hand and dismissed it. "Don't worry, this won't change a thing."
The 883 captain thought for a while. "All you want is for them to migrate, isn't it? I've got an idea."
Hao Ren was currious. "What idea do you have in mind? First thing's first, we're not into kidnapping. We're doing this for a good cause, no violence. The opposition have not committed any heinous crimes, they're just skeptics."
The captain laughed. "No worries, no violence will be used." Then, he looked at Kayber across the table. "Are your three spaceships fully charged?"
Hao Ren looked towards the captain's line of sight; an incredible creature was sort of squating on the table—it looked like a plant. Its upper body had leaves of mimosa while its lower body was of a robot. Its roots were joined with a series of robotic arms, which looked freaky and weird. The plant was small, so it squatted on the table. No one had noticed it as it had been squatting there quietly by itself the entire time, stretching out its root and drinking the water from a pot nearby.
It did not give out flyers like the other pilots did. It was low-profile, kind of easily forgotten.
"Twenty minutes. It's not easy to activate the energy field generator." The robotic lower part of the plant creature emitted a slightly high-pitched, synthesised voice. "The air quality here isn't good, I feel like my leaves are withering... Hey, Popas! How many times do I have to tell you, don't smoke in front of me!"
The smoking captain sitting next to the plant creature quickly extinguished his half-finished cigarette as he smiled. "Forgive me. Bad habits die hard."
Hao Ren's jaw almost dropped to the floor. He wondered what else he had yet to see. A plantal captain of a spacecraft, seriously?