Boom!
A massive steel ship five zhang long or about sixteen meters in length cast entirely from steel possessed a weight that was self-evident. Although the Moon Worshiper had tried to place it as lightly as possible this tens of thousands of pounds of weight still caused a resounding noise in the lake while sending waves surging outward...
However the emperor and the common people were far more concerned about whether the steel ship could actually float. They craned their necks with their eyes wide open to watch intently.
Even the Moon Worshiper while outwardly calm harbored a lingering sense of unease.
However unlike the others whose gazes were fixed on the steel ship the Moon Worshiper glanced at Alex.
Seeing Alex's calm demeanor the Moon Worshiper's anxiety immediately subsided.
"Mister Alex looks so confident. I guess he is full of confidence" the Moon Worshiper thought to himself.
Under the intense gaze of the crowd the massive steel vessel was lowered into the water. The tens of thousands of pounds of pressure naturally caused it to sink significantly at first.
Everyone watching the vessel felt their hearts sink as it descended.
However after sinking a certain distance the vessel bounced slightly upward and soon it was quietly hovering above the water surface.
At a glance it looked almost exactly like a wooden boat.
"Oh my god! Steel can actually float on water?" Although everything before their eyes was already an undeniable fact countless people still felt a sense of disbelief as they watched the steel vessel drift peacefully.
It was absolutely astonishing. All that steel could actually float?
"As expected..." Seeing this miraculous scene the Moon Worshiper's heart settled completely and he nodded silently.
The truth he sought was the ultimate truth in the universe. Even if it was completely different from common sense truth was supreme.
"Master! Master!" The Moon Worshiper's reputation in Nanzhao was already immense. The sight of him making a massive steel ship float seemed to defy the laws of nature. This ignited even more fervor among the people. Their voices blazed with adoration.
The Nanzhao Emperor standing nearby felt his eye twitch slightly at the sight.
He felt a growing threat from the Moon Worshiper's actions. Simply pushing a massive steel ship into the water had only heightened his already dangerous reputation.
Seeing his people so fervently adoring the Moon Worshiper the Emperor of Nanzhao grimaced. No matter who held the throne this would be deeply concerning.
"As expected Mister Alex is a profound scholar. All this knowledge represents the ultimate truth..."
While countless people held the Moon Worshiper in immense adoration the Moon Worshiper at this moment was deeply impressed by Alex. He even bowed before him respectfully and spoke.
After their lengthy conversation Alex had revealed that the Moon Worshiping Cult leader had already learned a wealth of basic scientific knowledge. In his eyes this was a true treasure.
"Hmph Shi Jieren you are misleading the people with your lies and sorcery!" Suddenly a loud shout rang out and Elder Shi stepped out dramatically.
"Elder Shi!" The emperor's face lit up with delight as he watched Elder Shi emerge.
He could not defeat the Moon Worshiping Cult leader alone. But with the highly respected Elder Shi the odds might tip in his favor.
"Ah Elder Shi says these are the Cult leader's sorcery? Are you deceiving us?" Elder Shi's reputation in Nanzhao was undoubtedly high. As he stepped forward many people looked at each other in bewilderment. They were unsure who to believe.
"Shi Gonghu you say all this is due to my sorcery. Do you have any evidence?" Turning slightly the Moon Worshiping Cult leader's gaze fell on Elder Shi. His expression betrayed neither sadness nor joy. He asked calmly.
"Evil creature how dare you call me by my name in public!" Elder Shi's face darkened upon hearing the Moon Worshiper's words and he shouted loudly.
After all he was his adoptive father. Openly calling him by his name was sheer treason.
"Hmph do you need proof? Steel sinks to the bottom of water while wood floats to the surface. Just like the rotation of the sun and the moon it is common sense. You use sorcery to deceive the world with ulterior motives..."
"Ah..." Elder Shi's response made the Moon Worshiper sigh helplessly.
The world is drunken but I am sober. The truth I understand is indeed unacceptable to ordinary people. Even the highly respected Shi Gonghu and the Emperor of Nanzhao cannot accept it.
As the saying goes those with different ideologies cannot work together. With them there is truly no need to explain anything more.
"Evil creature you spread lies and deceive the people. Today I will execute you on the spot!"
In Elder Shi's view the Moon Worship Leader's actions today were pure sorcery to deceive the world. He had been seeking to deal with him. Now that he had left the Moon Worship Leader's headquarters it presented a rare opportunity.
Following Elder Shi's words many elite Nanzhao soldiers rushed out with their spears creating a forest of weapons...
"Master Alex we are here to rescue you!" At the same time Liu Jinyuan and Lin Yueru followed while calling out to Alex who stood beside the Moon Worship Leader.
"Protect the Leader!" As Elder Shi finished his words the surrounding Moon Worshiper followers rushed to the Leader's side. Seeing so many soldiers appear they formed a protective barrier.
"Your Majesty the Leader is a good man!"
Not only the Moon Worshiper followers but also many civilians seeing the Moon Worship Leader about to be attacked shouted and pleaded for his mercy.
However as the Emperor of Nanzhao seeing so many people openly disobeying him for the Moon Worshiper made his face even uglier. At the same time he became increasingly wary of the Moon Worshiper's power over the people.
Although hundreds of soldiers and weapons were pointed at him and there were also masters like Elder Shi the Moon Worshiper remained completely calm. He clearly did not take these forces seriously. He simply looked at the Emperor and Elder Shi calmly and said "So you have been prepared for this ambush. You can always find a pretext to accuse me."
"Attack!" Elder Shi shouted loudly. At this point with both sides already facing each other with drawn swords there was naturally no room for peaceful discussion.
Immediately the soldiers all attacked together while rushing toward the Moon Worshiper.
However in contrast to these soldiers Liu Jinyuan and Lin Yueru rushed toward Alex instead.
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