Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 298 - 298 0240 Grand Ambition

Chapter 298: Chapter 0240: Grand Ambition Chapter 298: Chapter 0240: Grand Ambition Chapter 0240 Ambitious Intentions

Zhang Lei replied, “In these last two days, the Chi Di haven’t operated their trebuchets. We’ve assigned a monitoring team for these siege weapons that pose threats to us, but we’ve yet to discover any movements from the Chi Di. Not only that, but we’ve noticed fewer people safeguarding their trebuchets. It’s unclear what schemes they’re scheming.”

Qi Tian nodded, “Continue closely monitoring. I refuse to believe that they would go through the tedious process of hauling such hefty trebuchets, only to launch a round of stones and just give up.”

Zhang Lei nodded, then asked, “During this period, the cultivators on the Chi Di side have been quiet. Should we take the initiative to attack? Many Sirs have volunteered to fight, requesting to cross the Tongmen West Pass, enter Chi Di territory, and actively cause trouble for them.”

Qi Tian shook his head and said, “There’s no rush, we wait. In past years, this kind of standoff has lasted at least a month, and it’s only been two days so far. There’s plenty of time.”

After addressing some matters with Zhang Lei, Qi Tian excused her to her duties. He then climbed onto the city wall, stood atop the City Gate Tower, and gazed at the spot where the trebuchets were positioned beyond the Tongmen West Pass.

The trebuchets built by the Chi Di this time were incredibly towering, each of them no less than ten meters in height. They were stationed approximately five hundred meters from the Tongmen West Pass, lined up in a row. Under the sun’s radiance, they appeared somewhat cold.

Although there was a distance of five hundred meters, Qi Tian, being a cultivator, possessed excellent vision and could largely discern the designs of these trebuchets. He scrutinized these trebuchets, and subsequently furrowed his brow. There was definitely something off about these trebuchets.

In his previous life, Qi Tian was an outstanding student of engineering and had a deep understanding of various kinds of mechanics. Despite the Chi Di’s trebuchets being giant, many of their components were quite delicate, with some even being key supporting parts of the trebuchets. Such slimness was abnormal. With such a structure, it was impossible to support these towering trebuchets, let alone launch stones weighing thousands of pounds.

Could it be that these trebuchets were just for show, designed by the Chi Di to deceive us, while the real trebuchets were already relocated, ready to be set up surreptitiously elsewhere to bombard Great Zhao without warning?

Pondering this possibility, Qi Tian broke out in a cold sweat, hurriedly waving over an officer to fetch Huang Zhiwei.

Qi Tian brought Huang Zhiwei to the top of the Gate Tower and pointed out the distant trebuchets. After explaining his analysis, Huang Zhiwei too began to sweat.

“Immortal Master, this can’t be. We’ve had our men keeping twenty-four-hour surveillance on the Chi Di’s trebuchets. The reconnoiters even marked them as their primary focus. If the Chi Di could switch out these trebuchets under such strict observance, wouldn’t that be amazing?” Huang Zhiwei tried his utmost to convince Qi Tian while also seeking a considerable degree of psychological comfort, hoping that Qi Tian’s analysis was incorrect.

Qi Tian grunted coldly, “Do you understand the methods of a cultivator? With a Storage Bag and an Illusionary Matrix, they could easily mess around unnoticed right under your nose.”

Huang Zhiwei broke into a cold sweat and asked, “So, what should we do?”

Qi Tian answered, “For now, we can only strengthen the patrols within the city and around the Liucheng boundaries. At the same time, we must increase the inspection of strangers and suspicious individuals. Also, if the Chi Di truly plan to manipulate the trebuchets, it’s likely they’ll resort to the power of cultivators. In that case, get my senior sister to allocate some cultivators to patrol and inspect suspicious people with your forces.”

“Alright,” Huang Zhiwei quickly nodded. If the Chi Di really used a Storage Bag to relocate the trebuchets, his side might indeed be incapable of discovering it.

Qi Tian cautioned, “When assigning others to work, you must pay. They’re here to contribute, not to work for free.”

Huang Zhiwei immediately nodded and said, “Rest assured, Immortal Master. I won’t let the other masters work for nothing. They’ll certainly receive the reward they deserve. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go prepare now.”

After waving Huang Zhiwei off, Qi Tian continued to stand atop the City Gate Tower, observing those trebuchets. Earlier, he’d thought of the possibility that the Chi Di might have staged a feint with their trebuchets, and accordingly made arrangements with Huang Zhiwei. But what if the Chi Di didn’t resort to any trickery, and the displayed trebuchets were the ones capable of flinging stones weighing thousands of pounds?

This possibility made Qi Tian’s face turn somber. He felt that certain parts of the trebuchets were too delicate based on the assumption that they were composed of regular materials, but if they were made of other materials, or fabricated using cultivator techniques, then their delicacy wouldn’t matter. For instance, tripods constructed mainly from wood or steel would have vastly different weight-bearing capacities. Cultivators mastered many such alchemical techniques.