Jing Yuan handed over another small box.
"General!!! Do you take this seat's divination skills for being rusty?" Fu Xuan snapped.
Jing Yuan calmly handed over a jade terminal next.
"This was merely a joke, Lady Fu Xuan," he said with a smile. "You're still as impatient as ever. A Xianzhou general must remain calm and composed."
Fu Xuan snorted.
"And when does the General intend to retire and yield his position to the worthy?"
Jing Yuan chuckled.
"When I finish cleaning up the Luofu for you, I'll submit a recommendation to the Marshal myself."
"You will certainly become the next General of the Luofu."
Fu Xuan scoffed.
"The General is teasing me again."
"I'll take this watch for now."
Without waiting for his reply, she left with the documents, the jade terminal, the wooden box—
And the pocket watch.
Jing Yuan watched her leave.
"Seems Lady Fu Xuan has seen something again."
He picked up the inspection report.
The more he read, the deeper his thoughts became.
One might think the report was long.
In reality—
It was only a few lines.
Inspection Report
Tracing its origin reveals the pocket watch was manufactured on Planet Screwllum.
However, it underwent extremely complex modifications afterward.
Inside is a special crystalline material highly similar to subspace crystal walls.
Energy circuits constructed around the crystal show extreme sensitivity to Destruction Path energy.
When activated by Destruction energy, it generates a shield equivalent in strength to a subspace barrier, lasting for an extremely short duration.
At the same time, a phase spirit-fire seed sealed within the crystal will activate if the subspace barrier is destroyed.
This triggers multiple random phase shifts while simultaneously sending a signal outward.
During testing, the signal was intercepted beforehand.
The watch hands are not mechanical, but biological structures.
Their function is currently unknown.
Samples have been sent to the Alchemy Commission for analysis.
The watch face contains microscopic circuits made primarily from:
leaves of the Realm-Shifting Treepowder from Hunt Path stones
Theoretical function:
One targeted spatial jump.
Further testing revealed that the biological components partially match the composition of Panacea samples.
Another portion closely resembles Ambrosial Arbor branches.
Preliminary testing suggests the watch hands can sustain life force, granting the wearer a form of near-immortality similar to Borisin regeneration.
However—
Due to unauthorized high-intensity testing by a senior alchemist…
The watch hands were destroyed.
Jing Yuan closed the report.
A pocket watch designed with such specific targeting could hardly be coincidence.
According to Alliance intelligence, Genius Society member Lin Yi had deep grudges against the Path of Destruction.
This wasn't exactly secret information.
Whenever he learned that someone somewhere was fighting the Antimatter Legion, he often went out of his way to help.
And now—
The implication was obvious.
Someone from the Destruction faction intended to target the Xianzhou.
More specifically—
The Luofu.
Ordinary enemies wouldn't dare provoke the Xianzhou.
Those who would…
There was only one category.
Jing Yuan murmured softly.
"An Emanator…"
The possibility that this was all coincidence wasn't zero.
But Jing Yuan would never gamble the safety of the Luofu.
He would prepare accordingly.
"You may leave," he said to the attendant.
"Tomorrow we convene the Six Commissions Council."
Afterward, Jing Yuan ordered someone to bring him the Great Enemy Registry.
His expression was grim.
He had read these files countless times.
Not quite memorized word-for-word—
But close.
Holding the scroll simply helped him think more calmly.
Zephyro…
Proud and straightforward.
Not the type to rely on schemes.
And the trail of destruction left by Nanook's Vanguard didn't currently include the Luofu.
Probably not him.
Phantylia…
If it were truly her…
That would be troublesome.
The Xianzhou was powerful.
They feared no direct confrontation.
But even the strongest fortress had a fragile interior.
And right now—
The Luofu was filled with internal tensions.
If an enemy struck from within…
Cracks would appear everywhere.
And Phantylia's specialty was exactly that—
Internal collapse.
If a Lord Ravager truly attacked, the one Jing Yuan least wanted to face was Zephyro.
As Nanook's vanguard, wherever Zephyro appeared—
Nanook himself wasn't far behind.
Facing him was no different from facing an Aeon.
Phantylia, however, was the second most dangerous.
And ironically—
Also the most likely.
A Lord Ravager who specialized in:
sowing discordmanipulating conflictsdestroying civilizations from within
The Xianzhou did not fear open war.
For the coming War of Aeons, they had prepared many hidden weapons.
Jing Yuan thought quietly.
Since the Moonlight Bodhisattva has already appeared due to the Panacea project…
Perhaps…
Yes.
If we already know the enemy's goal, we should ensure the battlefield becomes one where the Xianzhou excels.
He placed his teacup on the table.
"Lord Ravager."
"If you truly come…"
"Then I, Jing Yuan, will prepare a net that covers heaven and earth."
"The Xianzhou will stand ready."
"And when you arrive—"
"You will not leave."
A new piece appeared on the holographic chessboard projected inside the Divination Commission.
Meanwhile.
Lin Yi lay lazily on a couch, flipping through ancient Xianzhou histories and legends.
His business on the Luofu was basically finished.
The rest would take time.
No need to rush.
Which meant—
It was time for some pleasant slacking off.
He planned to enjoy himself until Herta started yelling at him again.
After all, the big projects didn't really depend on him.
A slacker had the self-awareness of a slacker.
Still—
He really did need to find an assistant.
Someone like Asta's role for Herta.
Having such a person would save him a lot of time.
But finding someone capable and agreeable…
That was harder than expected.
Night fell.
Thanks to advanced technology, the simulated sun and moon inside the Xianzhou were indistinguishable from the real thing.
As Lin Yi drifted into sleep—
The vine bracelet on his left wrist began glowing.
The vines spread outward, wrapping the entire pocket realm.
At the same time, a strange mark on the back of his right hand released flames, hiding the entire realm within a shifted phase.
During the unstable years after he first arrived in this universe—
Lin Yi had developed a serious lack of security.
The next morning.
Lin Yi woke, washed up, and prepared to leave.
Today's plan:
Follow Tingyun around the city and enjoy food, drink, and sightseeing.
When he woke, the vines had already shriveled and vanished.
The phase distortion disappeared as well.
Everything returned to normal.
No trace remained of the protective measures.
Not long earlier—
Tingyun had been standing outside the pocket realm, deeply confused.
Tingyun:
"My pocket realm was right here yesterday…!"
(What happened to it?!)
She blinked twice.
And suddenly—
The realm reappeared.
Tingyun wasn't blind.
And she certainly wasn't stupid.
Clearly—
The genius inside had done something strange again.
She simply pretended nothing had happened.
"Good morning, young master."
"Have you had breakfast yet?"
"I know a small restaurant in Goldsand Alley. It's a bit hidden, but the food is excellent."
"Lead the way."
Lin Yi started walking confidently.
Then suddenly stopped.
He had no idea where he was going.
Sure, he could figure it out using certain methods—
But that felt unnecessary.
He coughed awkwardly.
"...You lead."
Their star skiff stopped outside Goldsand Alley.
Vehicles weren't allowed inside.
It was a pedestrian street.
Walking through the alley, one could see the marks of history everywhere.
Which, in other words—
Meant old and poorly maintained buildings.
At least compared to the luxurious districts of the Xianzhou.
Author Note
Phantylia's invasion of the Xianzhou definitely wasn't something she decided on suddenly.
It required long-term preparation.
Disguising herself as Tingyun.
Establishing the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus.
Infiltrating Borisin agents.
Even sending fake envoys like Du Lan.
None of that could happen overnight.