Chapter 367
In mid-October, Shi Lei learned from the newspaper that a large-scale riot had broken out in Little Hill County, Victoria.
Given the information lag in different regions, this may have happened between August and September.
During this time, he had instructed Liyue City to keep an eye out for news about Rhodes Island and Talulah. But she seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace whatsoever.
Requiem Night at the end of December was a boring night. I heard that Bison, the young master of Fengchi Logistics, had come to Penguin Logistics for some training. Shi Lei had no interest in mentoring these youngsters and let Exusiai and the others go off and have fun on their own.
Time passed unnoticed, and the year arrived in 1098.
In early January, the air was still chilly.
He brought an older sister with him from Shangshu.
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January 15, 1098.
Shi Lei sat at his workstation in the company, enjoying the warmth of the heater, and flipped through a medical journal from Trimon.
With only a week left until the New Year, the Messenger of Penguin Logistics still seem to be enjoying their leisurely days.
Orders for Emperor Music albums, posters, and related merchandise were all handled by Fengchi Logistics.
The only recent commission with a fee of tens of thousands of dollars has been for security at an internal meeting of the Schwayer Group.
During the period around the first day of the Lunar New Year, the boss was preparing to hold a concert in Liyue City. Therefore, he declined the invitation from Schwayer Group and the front-row tickets for the New Year's Eve gala.
Anyway, business is slow this year, so let's not work during the Lunar New Year. Just eat, drink, and have fun.
The Emperor is flush with cash; at the end of the year, it gave every employee a bonus ten times their monthly salary. Even if the company doesn't take on any projects, it won't let its employees worry about making a living.
Croissant has always run small businesses, and her side hustle income is no less than her salary. She does these things mainly out of interest and hobby; whether she can make a lot of money is secondary.
Shi Lei is probably the one who has the least shortage of money, because he can now print money, and it's pure Pure Gold with extremely high purity.
Although gold is a hard currency, shops won't accept it for small purchases. Texas still needs to step in and pay with his salary card.
Exusiai, who was not focused on reading and had been playing on her phone at her workstation, suddenly spoke up:
"It seems like there's been a war going on in Victoria for quite a while now. Recently, a local armed group called 'Deep Pool' declared war on the Victoria government. I remember Officer Chen went there recently, right?"
Shi Lei, who knew the inside story, continued:
"Yes, she couldn't find Talulah in Lungmen, so she applied to the governor for permission to go to other places to investigate."
Lungmen is located at a major transportation hub in Yan, with convenient access to all directions once outside the city. To the north, one can enter the territory of Ursus; to the east, the interior of Yan; to the southwest, Victoria and Sargon; and to the north, Syracuse.
Chen couldn't find Talulah in Lungmen, he could only try his luck in one of the directions.
The reason it's so complicated is that there's no globally covered communication network in this region. Different countries have different telecommunications operators, leading to delays in intelligence gathering.
To use a more vivid analogy, each country is like a sealed room built in a square formation.
You can talk to the neighbors next door, but sometimes you can't hear them clearly. Once the distance is between two rooms, you can't hear them at all and can only wait for messages from next door.
To be honest, Terra's technology tree is a bit off-track. So many brilliant scientists, yet not a single one possesses the technology to break open Star Pod.
However, they are able to create hovercraft with significantly higher technological sophistication. These hovercraft range in height from several hundred meters to two or three thousand meters above the ground.
"I remember the Sarkaz attacked Victoria over two years ago, right? Where are they now?"
Shi Lei, who usually follows current affairs news, answered the questions raised by Croissant:
"They have now entered Londinium, the capital of Victoria. However, they have only occupied areas such as the Oktriug District and have not made any further advances. For a long time, they have been in a standoff with the local armed forces and have not made any major moves."
Exusiai, always eager for drama, got up, leaned against the partition at her workstation, and asked with a smile:
"Zhongli, they've been fighting for so long, are you interested in going over and ending this war?"
Shi Lei shook his head and explained very seriously:
"No, I'm not the world's policeman, I don't get involved in every conflict. The war between Kazdel and Victoria has nothing to do with me."
If we act rashly, we will be neither righteous nor justified. We could also easily be attacked from both sides by the two countries and be seen as a third party seeking to divide up the spoils.
Unless they turn their attack on Liyue City, in which case I can retaliate appropriately. Otherwise, once I wipe out a country's army, I'll have to govern that country. You know me, I hate this kind of troublesome thing the most.
"What if we rescue Officer Chen? I feel it would be a bit dangerous for her to go to Victoria alone."
"That works. Treat it as a mission to rescue someone, unrelated to the war. If we encounter any obstacles from various forces En route, we can use force to deter them appropriately."
Even saving a passerby is no problem. However, I won't change the overall course of the battle. Whatever you do, you should have a sense of proportion. Once you cross that line, things will become unmanageable.
I think Officer Chen is quite capable and has the ability to protect himself. If you're worried, you can go to Victoria together after the New Year.
Fifty kilometers outside Lungmen City lies a desolate wasteland.
In May or June of this year, she applied to leave the This Ship. She ventured alone into the interior of Yan to search for her sister 'Ling'.
Without any outside help, it took Nian a long time to finally meet Ling, who had just sobered up. She told him about the Dragon King and that she had found a way to deal with the Sui Beast.
Miss Ling is carefree and easygoing, and quite casual about many things. But this matter is of great importance, concerning the lives of her ten other siblings, and must be treated with utmost care.
If the ancient Great Beast mentioned in the old year truly possessed abilities comparable to or even surpassing those of the Sui Xiang.
You could discuss with your older brother whether you need to break the seal early and reseal it.
"Da da da".
The two were heading towards Lungmen along the main road. Suddenly, Ling stopped, unplugged the gourd, took a big gulp of strong liquor, and wiped his mouth with his wrist.
Nian quickly noticed something was wrong and turned to look at the young man who had been secretly following them.
This man had blue hair and blue eyes, and pointed ears. He was Zuo Le, the candle-bearer of the Yan's Si Sui Tai and the son of General Zuo Xuanliao, Marquis Pingsui.
He knew the identities of the Great Beast fragments belonging to Nian and Ling, yet no fear flickered in his eyes. He wielded his sword in his left hand and approached the two, speaking:
"You two gentlemen met without reporting to the Si Sui Tai, which is against regulations. And if I'm not mistaken, you're heading to Lungmen to meet with another fragment of the Great Beast, Xi, is that right?"
Nian sized up the aloof Childe and teased him:
"We three best friends haven't seen each other for hundreds of years. What's wrong with us getting together now?"
Zuo Le stared at Nian and said, word by word:
"But you are not human."
Seeing that both Nian and Ling appeared indifferent, he tightened his grip on the knife and threatened:
"I have something I want to tell you both. At the beginning of this year, Ursus attempted to use the land of the Mobile Cities to crash into Lungmen and provoke a war between the two countries."
From that moment on, His Majesty the Emperor realized one thing: events like the warlordism in Victoria, the constant turmoil in Ursus, and the loss of voice of the Empress of Sargon all foreshadowed impending chaos in the land. Therefore, the Great Yan Dynasty must make ample preparations in advance.
After several days of meetings, the imperial court formulated "Twenty-Eight Strategies," covering all the difficult problems. The aim was not only to ensure peace and tranquility for the Great Yan Kingdom, but also to preserve the vitality of this land.
Besides the twenty-eight strategies, there are actually two hidden strategies that remain unresolved. Externally, there are evil spirits from the northern lands and dangerous creatures from the southern seas; internally, there is the threat of the giant Sui Beast. The Si Sui Tai has consistently advocated prioritizing the resolution of the Great Beast problem.
Zuo Le's words were quite obvious in their intent.
The Great Yan True Dragon summoned his ministers to devise a strategy, taking the Sui Beast into account. If they were to meet during such a sensitive time as the Lunar New Year's Eve, it would provoke a counterattack from the Great Yan.
Nian understood Da Yan's attitude, but this matter also involved her siblings, so she couldn't back down.
"The hidden dangers left over from a thousand years ago must always be resolved. Since the two hidden strategies remain unresolved, who holds the power of decision? The Si Sui Tai? Or the Ministry of Rites?"
"Neither. The decision-making power lies with the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty, not with the Si Sui Tai or the Ministry of Rites."
Upon hearing this, Miss Nian slapped her forehead:
"Looks like I slept too long and got all confused. So that old codger was actually this kind of person? When I first met him, I thought he was a frail old man. Things are really different now."
Zuo Le frowned and said sternly:
"Stop being rude. The Grand Tutor is responsible for managing the affairs of the world. He should be able to identify and fill any gaps and make strategic plans."
"Haha, strategizing and planning? The last time I heard that description was for my second brother."
Seeing that the other party did not respond, he continued:
"If the three of us sisters refuse to listen to you and insist on getting together, what does Si Sui Tai plan to do?"
Zuo Le stood tall and proud, showing no fear whatsoever. It was as if the nation was backing him up.
"If things truly reach a point of no return, the Great Yan will repeat what it did a thousand years ago. Moreover, you are currently incomplete and not in your complete form. We have enough confidence to seal the Year Phase once again."
The "incompleteness" he mentioned refers to the fact that one of the twelve fragments of the Sui Beast had recently died.
With one member missing from the twelve, even if all the Sui Beast Fragment were gathered together, their strength would not be fully restored. Leaving an opening would make them even easier to deal with.
Seeing Zuo Le's firm stance, Miss Nian stopped dancing in the minefield. Her tone was noticeably softer than before:
"The reason we three sisters met today is to resolve the issue of sealing the Sui Beast. Your Great Yan wants to seal the Sui Beast, and so do we."
Zuo Le kept his eyes straight ahead, his left hand gripping the hilt of the knife.
"Hmph, that's easy for you to say. The three of you are just trying to find a way out. If you ask me, we should deal with the Great Beast once and for all, eliminating any future threat!"
The Si Sui Tai, a special institution established by the Great Yan Dynasty specifically for the Sui Beast, is mainly divided into two factions: one advocating sealing it, and the other advocating killing the Great Beast.
The cold-faced Childe in front of me is clearly the latter.
He was unwilling to disclose Shi Lei's affairs to outsiders in the past, but now, remaining silent might not allow him to escape unscathed.
"What if we had a more reliable way to deal with the Sui Beast, somewhere between sealing it and exterminating it?"
Zuo Le shook his head, not believing it:
"Your reasoning is completely unconvincing. If it were truly possible, why didn't you do it sooner?"
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Ling, who had been observing from the sidelines, took the initiative to smooth things over. She raised her hand and pointed to the fiery clouds filling the sky:
"Dragons hold jeweled canopies to receive the morning sun, phoenixes spit out tassels to carry the evening glow. Look, what a beautiful scene! Why ignore all this and instead talk about such unpleasant topics?"
Zuo Le remained stern-faced, unyielding, and sternly corrected him:
"Miss Ling, I didn't come here to listen to your poetic inspiration. You gathered without reporting to the Si Sui Tai, so you have to give me an explanation."
Nian didn't want to reveal anything about Shi Lei and the Dragon King Great Beast too early, because the other party hadn't agreed to help yet. For now, he was just arranging for Xi to stay with him temporarily to maintain their daily relationship.
After all, the Sui Beast is no ordinary creature; it is Great Beast that has existed on this land for thousands of years.
Even though Shi Lei is also Great Beast, it remains to be seen whether Bestialization can defeat a complete Great Beast.
It's important to know that a thousand years ago, the Sui Beast was a major contributor to the Yan's efforts to slay Great Beast within its borders. Even if it wasn't killed, it was driven out of the country, demonstrating its formidable strength.
Even though the Sui Beast will be in a very weak state when it is first unsealed, it is not something that ordinary people can easily harm.
With a single, casual strike, he could easily turn thousands of Yan soldiers into a bloody mess.
Revealing his information rashly before Shi Lei gives a clear answer will only attract the attention of Si Sui Tai.
Knowing that he was a person who hated trouble, doing so could very likely damage their relationship.
At that point, let alone getting Shi Lei to help seal the Sui Beast, the worst-case scenario might be losing him as a friend.
Therefore, Nian was unwilling to reveal any information to Zuo Le and Si Sui Tai, and pretended to be ignorant, saying:
"An explanation? What explanation could there be? We've already said it's a reunion of sisters, why are you so stubborn?"
Seeing that Zuo Le still had that serious expression, he took a sip of wine from the gourd and began to explain:
"There are some things that we are not deliberately hiding. It's just that we can't easily reveal them before we get the results. You have your stance, and we have ours. There's no need to escalate the situation to the point of violence."
To put it simply, we've found an extremely powerful expert, powerful enough to assist the Yan in defeating and sealing the Sui Beast. However, we haven't yet received his approval, so we cannot reveal any information about his identity.
Zuo Le wasn't a rigid person; he came here to demand an explanation from the two sisters. If Ling Fang hadn't said what she did, he wouldn't have been able to explain himself to his superiors.
Furthermore, Zuo Le concealed something when mentioning the "Twenty-Eight Strategies" formulated by the Great Yan True Dragon and his ministers. There was another part of the hidden strategy that did not explain the internal and external troubles.
If a more reliable solution can be found to handle these matters, it should be given high priority. This should be promptly reported to the Grand Tutor to determine the feasibility of the solution.
Given the current strength of the Great Yan Kingdom, if it were to wage war against the awakened Sui Beast, it could theoretically kill the Sui Beast completely, but less than three out of ten of the Yan's soldiers and the Celestial Masters Society would survive.