While Murphy's side was arming the Astral Army and recruiting more warriors, their allies in the other world were holding an equally important meeting.
The leaders of the "Otherworld Exploration Base," which had relocated deep into the northwestern Gobi Desert, had cleared their schedules for the day to attend. Several leading researchers from the exploration team were there as well. This meeting wasn't just a routine report or briefing. It was also an official review of the current "exploration progress" and an assessment of its results.
The players familiar with the situation in the world of Transia immediately understood what was going on.
"So the outcome of today's meeting will directly determine whether we get involved in the great final battle between Order and Chaos over there, right?"
In the base's conference room, Zaoyao Wan looked around, then leaned toward the yawning Uncle Yincha beside him and spoke in a low voice.
"Come to think of it, our project briefings are sent in every month, right? I don't think we've ever gotten a clear response from above."
"But they haven't stopped us from continuing to invest people and resources."
Uncle Yincha was older, so he saw things more clearly. He took a small sip of his beloved tea and said:
"The fact that they haven't shut the project down says plenty about the official position. When something might affect the overall direction, the authorities never jump in immediately. Strategic patience is for situations like this. A rash decision could involve far more than just one or two people.
"But looking at the situation, it's clear that the time to get involved has come.
"Transia probably can't withstand the Chaos invasion with its own strength. Sure, they've got all sorts of Creator tech and supernatural psychic powers, but even if you