"How would I know if I don't try?"
After laughing, Huaiyan spoke in a calm tone.
"No matter what The Family is planning, it's not the Alliance's concern. But those who've received invitations , it's best they don't go."
-----------------------------------
"This matter ends here. Let's talk about something more important, the recent movements of the Borisin."
Huaiyan's expression turned serious as he spoke solemnly.
To the people present there, the matter in Penacony was a trivial one, best avoided altogether.
But the Borisins were the greatest concern for the Xianzhou, a threat taken very seriously. Frankly speaking, Penacony was merely a battleground between The Family and The IPC.
There wasn't even an opening to drag the Borisin into that conflict.
However, the Borisin were a major hidden danger to the Alliance. Despite the repeated Abundance wars, the imprisonment of warlord Hoolay, and ongoing tribal strife, their enormous influence continued to keep the Xianzhou on alert. Even under the pursuit of the Xianzhou Yaoqing, they maintained formidable combat strength, this alone was enough to prove how much pressure they exerted on the Alliance.
"What kind of tricks are those evil wolves up to now?"
Feixiao frowned slightly. As a Foxian, she had the strongest feelings toward the Borisin among the three present.
Foxians had long suffered under the Borisin's poisonous influence. In front of them, ordinary Foxians felt only fear, completely incapable of resistance. That was why the Foxians had been enslaved by the Borisins for so long. Their alliance with the Xianzhou was not only for refuge, but also to rebel against the Borisins's oppression.
"We haven't uncovered specific details, they're guarding everything very tightly. But precisely because of this tight security, it proves they're hiding something! I think… they're preparing to rescue Hoolay!"
A glint flashed in Huaiyan's eyes as he spoke in a deep voice.
"That would explain their recent movements," Jing Yuan nodded slightly.
The Borisin had long since fractured and fallen into internal conflict and conquest. On an ordinary day, even a casual encounter between them would erupt into bloody conflict, cooperation was impossible unless driven by significant common interests.
"Hah, thinking they can take advantage of Luofu's recent unrest to break Hoolay out? Those bastards sure are dreaming big."
Feixiao sneered with disdain.
She had already guessed what the Borisin were thinking.
They believed that the war with the Antimatter Legion had caused heavy losses for the Xianzhou.
Add to that the war from thirty years ago, and they assumed Luofu's current defenses were weaker than before, hence their scheming.
As for the Xianzhou claiming a major victory with minimal losses… you really believe what others say?
"The Alliance is also watching the Borisin closely. Many within are trying to probe whether Luofu has countermeasures in place. Seems they still don't fully trust the General of Divine Foresight."Huaiyan chuckled heartily.
"Human nature. Who wouldn't be envious of the one sitting in the top seat?"
Jing Yuan knew the minds of the Alliance's parasites all too well.
They believed his success came from luck, or simply couldn't stand seeing him in the high position of Arbiter General.
After all, the seat of one of the Seven Arbiter-Generals was too tempting.
And now that Luofu was in the spotlight while they'd lost face in council meetings, they were trying to test him through other means.
"Should we hand Hoolay over to Yaoqing for custody? Let them hit nothing but air."Feixiao suggested.
Jing Yuan thought for a moment, then shook his head and smiled lightly. "If this were any other time, I'd definitely agree with General Feixiao's proposal.
But this time, if the Borisin dare to act, they must be confident. It's not just that they sense Luofu's unrest.
Elder Yan, General Feixiao, how about we turn the tables on them and play a little game of 'invite the enemy into the jar'?"
...
Ten-Lords Commission.
As usual, Hanya was patrolling.
The work of a Judge was often dull and monotonous. Of course, if you wanted to spice things up, you could,
But most who entered the Ten-Lords Commission were beyond the mundane, even long dead in the mortal world, so they had few desires left.
"Tail, why don't you practice your writing more? I think Sister March's handwriting is quite good."
"Hey! You've got some guts, huh? Daring to tease me like that! Want me to smack you with my tail and throw you down?!"
"Ugh, you're the one who messed up my work first, that's why I asked you to help clean it up!"
"And you've got the nerve to say that! My range of movement is tiny, and you still piled stuff everywhere! Do you have any idea how awful it feels when I'm soaring freely and suddenly a mountain of bamboo slips jumps into my face?!"
"But… it's part of my job…"
"Not my job! I don't work!"
Take it back, some in the Ten-Lords Commission lived very passionately.
"Hehe, how's the collection going?" Hanya walked up and asked calmly.
"Lord Hanya, everything's been collected, just… some creases here and there," Huohuo replied timidly.
"No problem. It's normal for books and documents to get a bit worn. Especially with someone causing trouble nearby," Hanya said in her usual tone, lightly reassuring.
"Who're you calling troublemaker?! Try tearing this talisman and I'll show you what real efficiency looks like!"
Ignoring the enraged Tail fluttering in front of her, Hanya prepared to continue her patrol. Even though she'd finished her tasks for the day…
With her sister away today, she might as well patrol some more to pass the time.
"Hanya!"
Just then, the voice she'd longed to hear for exactly 13 minutes and 26 seconds rang out.
"Sis!" She immediately looked over and saw Xueyi walking gracefully toward them.
At the sight of Xueyi, Hanya immediately brightened, visibly warmed by her presence.
"If you miss her so much, why not just start a video call while you work? Or sew a little doll to hang on your waist," Tail muttered, having long grown tired of watching the two sisters' intense bond.
"Hanya, the General has approved your request to go to Scalegorge Waterscape."
"Scalegorge Waterscape? That fast?"
Hearing Xueyi's words, Hanya was a bit stunned.
After all, inside the Scalegorge Waterscape was the Godzilla who had captured Phantylia alive and blasted Zephyro to bits, she didn't expect the general to agree so quickly. Since the frontline army agreed, it meant the higher-ups were on board too.
Happiness came too suddenly, she hadn't expected it.
"Wait! You're not going to see that big guy, are you? Just so we're clear, this lord is not going. That thing is terrifying to no end."
Before Hanya and Xueyi could continue their sisterly moment, Tail shook his head repeatedly, ahem, tail flying in the air.
Of all those on the Xianzhou, the one most afraid of Godzilla wasn't the Disciples of Medicus Sanctus, nor those who had witnessed Godzilla's terrifying might, it was him! To be precise, it was his entire Heliobi race!
A creature that could absorb all kinds of energy without discrimination, wasn't that basically the nemesis of the Heliobi race?
The Heliobi couldn't endure that kind of torment!
But as everyone knew, Heliobi had no human rights.
The three of them completely ignored Tail's howls until Xueyi found him too noisy and slapped a talisman on his forehead to shut him up.
…
There weren't many talismans that could suppress this guy, let alone ones that could silence him completely. If this wasn't possibly Hanya's only chance to fully return to life, Xueyi would rather let him bark in her ear all day.
"Heehee, Tail, calm down, it'll be fine."
Huohuo waved a little flag and smiled cheerfully at him.
...
Scalegorge Waterscape
The once-quiet Scalegorge Waterscape was now filled with the clash of blades and the humming of metal.
Flying swords and heavy swords collided, sparking dazzling bursts of light, brief but brilliant, each clash seamlessly followed by another. It was an astonishing display, full of rhythm and vitality, with a kind of unique aesthetic only found in this vibrant world.
"Clang!"
With one final strike, the two combatants paused, withdrew their force, and stepped back.
Rubbing her tingling cheeks from the impact, Yunli stomped her foot and huffed, "Who uses a flying sword like you do?!"
If Yanqing had just used a flying sword and beat her with better swordsmanship, she would've accepted it, even if grudgingly, and worked hard to catch up.
But!
But!
This guy caught her sword with his bare hand mid-fight!
They were supposed to be dueling with swords, and her brute strength was useless in this kind of match. Getting beaten like this felt incredibly stifling!
"Hehe, Miss Yunli, I must disagree. Whether it's flying swords or heavy swords, the key is to defeat the opponent.
The general once told me: if facing an evenly matched enemy, an underhanded tactic that secures victory is still a good tactic."
Yanqing chuckled.
"Tch, you're just using the excuse that this is a friendly match and you can't use your killing moves. Let's see how smug you are when the Martial Exhibition begins!"
As the two of them sparred, a pair of vertical pupils watched them, with a long tail lazily swaying.
Life needed its little joys.
And what could be more entertaining than a fight?
These two clearly disliked each other, and with the secluded Scalegorge Waterscape as the perfect arena, once they got approval after reporting, they started right away, neither yielding an inch.
After the initial show of dominance, Yunli had grown less afraid of the big guy, especially since she found being near him oddly comforting.
A feeling she'd never had, even after collecting many demon swords.
Godzilla finally understood the joy of watching a fight.
Yunli huffed again and turned to run off.
She was going back to practice, so she could send that guy flying during the Martial Exhibition!
Yanqing watched Yunli's retreating figure, bowed slightly to Godzilla, and followed.
If Yunli could think of it, how could he not? Even if he could use brute strength to control her sword, relying on such crude tricks was unseemly.
Representatives from across the universe would attend the exhibition, and it was meant to showcase the prestige of Luofu swordsmanship. If he messed that up and made them think less of Luofu, he'd really have nowhere to cry.
Scalegorge Waterscape returned to peace, the only sounds the crashing of waves and rustling of plants. Godzilla swished his tail, preparing for a nap.
Speaking of which, why hadn't his caretaker arrived yet…
Just as he was wondering, he sensed a familiar aura approaching. Opening his eyes, he saw Xueyi and the others standing not far off, looking at him.
"Judge Xueyi of the Ten-Lords Commission, accompanied by my sister Hanya, has come to visit Huohuo."
Xueyi respectfully cupped her hands toward Godzilla in greeting.
'Polite.'
Godzilla gazed at Xueyi, sensing the soul hidden within her puppet body.
That was the real Xueyi.
Her current body was just a puppet of the Ten-Lords Commission Office, functional but limited.
Come to think of it, these sisters really had crazy luck, dying together centuries ago and now… wait?
Godzilla blinked and shifted his gaze from Xueyi to Hanya.
He saw that Hanya's body, previously cold and lifeless in his perception, was now gradually showing a vitality that didn't belong to the dead.
"So that's how it is."
Godzilla's tail began swaying faster, he understood what this was about now.
Hanya's current body was a zombie body. Technically, if she were killed, she'd really die again.
Unlike Xueyi, who could switch puppet bodies and revive freely as long as her soul remained intact,Hanya's zombie body had a bit more humanity, but she was still, fundamentally, dead.
"Lady Hanya, your body…"
Huohuo looked at the gradually recovering Hanya in shock, curiously and fearfully reached out to poke it, it was a little soft. She poked again, softer than before. Another poke, softer than the last...
Unconsciously looking up, just as she was immersed in poking, Huohuo suddenly made eye contact with Hanya. She shivered, gripped the little flag tightly, and said nervously, "I'm sorry, Lord Hanya, I didn't mean to, I just…"
"No matter," Hanya stared blankly at her gradually recovering body, stunned.
"It really worked. It really was because of Lord Godzilla!" Xueyi grabbed Hanya's recovering hand, her right hand caressing Hanya's gradually fading bluish face, looking excited.
She never expected it to be effective immediately after coming here!
And visibly effective too!
She hadn't felt this kind of excitement in a long time!
"Sister." Grasping Xueyi's hand in return, Hanya was equally excited, but as she felt the artificial body of her sister, her emotions were complicated.
If, even her zombie body could recover and truly return to life, then what about her sister? Her sister only had her soul remaining and could only move through the world in a puppet body.
In the past, the two sisters, one a zombie, one a puppet, though both dead, accompanied each other and were each other's reason to keep going.
'If, if she really returned to life, what would happen to her sister?'
"It's okay, Hanya, as long as you're well." Sensing her sister's thoughts, Xueyi said softly.
"What a touching scene of sisterly love, I have mixed feelings." Tail.
"Shut up… I mean, we probably shouldn't be talking right now." Huohuo's tone was harsh at first, then timidly advised.
"Pfft, don't need you to tell me that." Tail muttered under his breath.
If there weren't an even fiercer Godzilla nearby, he'd have already said something sarcastic…
Not that it would be truly mean, just his usual jabbering. Hard to hold back the habit.
Though, these two were annoying, always bossing him around, but seeing them like this… Eugh, still not used to it.
Poke.
Poke.
Just as the sisters were having their heartfelt moment,
They both suddenly felt a push from behind. Turning around, they saw Godzilla slowly retracting his tail.
Vertical pupils gazing at the two, Godzilla lifted Huohuo onto his back with a flick of his tail.
He also conveniently placed the nursing supplies that Ting Yun had specially prepared on his back and pointed to them with the tip of his tail as a signal.
'Get to work,' "ROAAR"
was the clear message from Godzilla.
...
At Cloudford, gazing at the entrance Gate in the distance, Serval couldn't help but feel awe.
"Majestic, grand… If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe there was a gate this massive in the world."
What she had seen and heard these past few days had brought strong shockwaves to Serval, a person from Jarilo.
This was the foundation of a top-tier civilization in the universe...
And from various studies during this time, she realized that Stellaron really wasn't a big deal to the Xianzhou, and not to other top powers either.
Even if the Ambrosial Arbor was revived because of a Stellaron, that was only because that miraculous creation was a blessing from an Aeon.
It wasn't just about the Stellaron… If Stellarons were truly that powerful, then all the factions would be frantically collecting them instead of not caring.
Antimatter Legion? What's that? You dare fight us over a Stellaron?
Imagining that scene, Serval couldn't help but laugh.
Cough cough!
Cough cough!
And then she paid the price.
"Oh dear, you have to savor Boba Tea slowly. If you rush it like that, the sweetness will linger in your throat and choke you."
Qingque, in her laid-back version, held a cup of Boba Tea and spoke slowly with a hint of reason.
As the first from Jarilo to set foot on Luofu, and with a special status, Serval naturally received special treatment. Qingque was specifically assigned as her guide.
And for Qingque… slacking off on public funds couldn't be more delightful!
This time, the budget from Divination Commission was enough to buy 300 cups of Boba Tea!
Enough for her to enjoy herself, ahem, enough to take Serval around Luofu.
If it wasn't enough, she could apply for more.
'Master Diviner, never did I imagine your stature could be so mighty!'
After a short break, Serval looked toward the direction of the Divination Commission, contemplated for a moment, and said:
"Qingque, the Xianzhou is so advanced. You must be powerful in weapon research too, right?"
"Weapons? That's not really my area of expertise. If you want to know about weapons, you'll have to go to the Artisanship Commission and ask the old craftsmen."
"Can I ask them?"
"Oh, those old folks love tinkering with stuff all day. They'd love to talk. Let's go, if you're curious."
Qingque got up with a grunt, full of enthusiasm as she headed toward the Artisanship Commission.
This time, she would finally prove her worth!
'Craftsmen of the Artisanship Commission, prepare to receive the baptism of Lady Qingque!'
Serval looked at Qingque's excited back, a little confused.
Didn't she only care about slacking off...?