However, today seemed different. Among the hundreds of auras, I clearly recognized Ruan Qiushui, Jiang Han, Zhao Yu, Qin Rongxue, and Jing Chen. I had never expected all these marshals to be here—not even Ruan Qiushui was absent. It was almost as if they had known I would be returning today.
"Big Brother, what brings you here?" Ruan Qiushui asked, clad in a sharp suit of soft armor and brimming with confidence.
Qin Rongxue had once been her deputy, but now she was one of the marshals as well. Of course, there were many other marshals with unfamiliar faces in Sky City. After all, with the territory expanding so vastly, the defensive front had expanded without limit. It was impossible for just a few marshals to handle the defenses of the entire Ninth Heaven.
Jiang Han, Zhao Yu, and Jing Chen were all wearing Sky City's standard marshal armor. Each of them had his own imposing air. Zhao Yu, however, showed signs of middle-aged spread, looking different from the last time I'd seen him. I didn't know whether that was deliberate or simply the latest fashion.
"Yes. I just sealed the Heavenly Sword. I came here to see how your preparations for this war-game exercise are going. After all, we may have to add three seeded contestants from each of the other factions after the top fifty are decided, so I came to tell you personally." I smiled.
"Big Brother, the other factions are joining too? Won't that add another twenty or thirty people?" Ruan Qiushui asked in surprise. When I nodded, she said, "That's fine. I'm only the chief judge anyway. Even if the workload increases, that's Marshal Jing's problem."
Jing Chen gave a wry smile. "It seems our plans have practically become an open book to the other