"The atmosphere in the Desolate North has felt a little off lately."
Inside the temporary schoolhouse.
Egouptos nudged Zong Shen's clone with his elbow.
As the No. 1 Desolate North clone deliberately left out in the open.
Most of this clone's consciousness usually remained dormant.
It was more than enough for him to play the part of a dimwitted student.
Egouptos, however, often struck up conversations with him and had already noticed the changes in the Desolate North over the past few days.
First was that heavy atmosphere.
It had originally weighed down over the entire city.
Anyone who came to the Desolate North Imperial City could feel the taut pressure within it.
Yet it was as though the dark clouds hanging overhead had suddenly dispersed, and the tension had visibly eased considerably.
The second matter was the obvious mobilization of the Mechanical Workshops within the satellite cities.
This applied to both personnel and military supplies.
At first, Egouptos thought the army was preparing to march.
If that were the case, it would have been good news for him.
After all, the more chaotic the world became, the easier it would be for him to find an opportunity to strike.
But the anticipated wartime mobilization never came.
Moreover, he had keenly noticed that the flow of trade within the city seemed to have accelerated somewhat.
The amount of raw materials being bought and sold in bulk from various regions had surged.
Clone No. 1 rolled his eyes at Egouptos.
"Don't you like pretending to be a student?"
"Be good and study for five years!"
"Once the academy is built, you'll even have to leave the city to attend school!"
Zong Shen said casually.
But Egouptos wore a faintly mocking smile.
"I'm not in any hurry, anyway."
"You're the one who