Intelligence Network

[Author's Note: Characters with names are destined to have a storyline. The fact that Barus's third younger sister, fourth younger brother, and fifth younger brother have names means they aren't just for show; there is an outline, so don't be anxious, there will be plenty of time for them to take center stage later.]

"Is there really no movement from the Star Luo Empire side on the Star Luo Continent?"

Logically speaking, the Emperor had relocated the political center here, and logically, two years had passed; there should have been some major moves by now.

They aren't going to take back some of the local nobles' autonomy? Doesn't he have a 97th-ranked half-sister, Dai Ruoheng, by his side?

"No, my lord, they have, and quite a lot on the intelligence front. Reports from our intelligence organization on the Star Luo Continent indicate that they seem to be investigating the Shrek members of the Spirit Pagoda."

Ulides shook his head as he spoke to Rus Wang.

"Ah, I remember that. Last year, you reported that the indigenous people and the Shrek members of the Spirit Pagoda had a secret trading base at the Black Sea Cliff, exchanging captured spirit beasts for Soul Guidance Devices. When I personally destroyed that place, I rescued over ten thousand spirit beasts, including 54 Heavenly Sun Dragons and 3 Aurora Dragons."

Rus Wang nodded.

Although it was the consensus of the Elf Kingdom's military high command and the Spirit Race Committee to keep the indigenous humans and the Star Luo people in a stalemate, preventing them from completing their expansion into the human-inhabited areas of the Star Luo Continent within the last century and thus threatening the military garrison in the Dragon Valley Forest.

However, issues involving spirit beasts and the dragon race being captured by humans for trade were absolutely intolerable.

"It seems that after I destroyed such a large stronghold, the Shrek humans are in chaos?"

Rus Wang laughed.

"Has Irwin recently condensed her spirit core and become a Title Douluo?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Should I arrange for her to go to the Dragon Valley Forest? I can go pull her out right now."

"No, that's not what I meant, Ulides. I heard from Toriya that she seems to be in contact with a grassroots organization called the Holy Dragon Church. They've canonized me as a Holy Dragon and are worshipping my granddaughter as a demigod?"

"That is indeed the case, Your Majesty, but I have already liquidated that church and shown her how the church members used faith to embezzle funds. She is currently in a state of self-reflection and probably won't come to her senses for a while," Ulides said.

"True faith in you lies in self-sacrifice for the collective in desperate times, and in silent compliance during ordinary times. It is to follow what you, as their predecessor, hope for: to benefit, to build, to integrate, to correct, and to understand. It is not about establishing a sect. While individual faith can ensure integrity, once it develops into a group, every elf is different. No elf is without selfish desires, and when elves gather together, filth will inevitably arise at that moment."

My name is Venicia. Ever since I helped the worker team petition Princess Toriya, and the national internship plan was urgently implemented, my home has inexplicably been filled with many strangers. They constantly send gifts to my parents and family, making my parents lose their sense of proportion while begging me to try and introduce them to Toriya, which has even affected my studies at home.

This forced me to seek help from Toriya, who was already being bothered by more people, even the media.

"There's actually such a thing?"

Toriya was stunned for a moment, then her eyes darted toward the classmates, juniors, and seniors in the school corridor, and she whispered: "Then your parents are truly short-sighted."

"That's what I'm troubled about. Now, on my way home, there are elves everywhere trying to build connections with me to climb up to you, Toriya. It makes me not know what to do, and they are very strong; I can't even break free."

Although elves undergo a Soul Power awakening at the age of 12, schools, in order to prevent damage to meridians before an elf reaches adulthood, absolutely do not teach meditation methods, while simultaneously constantly promoting the dangers of breaking through to level 30 before the age of 45.

"Tsk, eh, these things that aren't even as good as ten-year spirit beasts really dare to fantasize about anything."

Toriya thought to herself, took out a Soul Guidance communicator from her school uniform pocket, and made a call.

"Hello? Aunt Irwin? If you feel you have failed my grandfather's teachings, then get out of that house and go investigate the backgrounds of certain people... Yes... Go quickly."

Hanging up the call, Toriya looked at Venicia.

"Venicia, pay more attention to the characteristics of the elves who come looking for you these few days. I feel like it might be some elves who, seeing me start to follow my grandfather in recent years, have started to let their imaginations run wild."

Toriya paused.

"From now on, in the eyes of other elves, you are no longer just a child from an ordinary elf family who passed the exam to get into high school; you are a close minister and follower of Princess Toriya, the granddaughter of the King."

"...Perhaps I shouldn't have become friends with you in the first place, Toriya. If I hadn't, I might still be with Professor Wuli, wholeheartedly studying physics today."

Looking at her best friend, who had promoted to high school with her since middle school and never hesitated to speak her mind even after she voluntarily revealed her identity, never fearing her because she was a princess, Toriya smiled.

"Ha! Look at you, Venicia. There aren't many classmates now who can talk to me like that in front of me. But unfortunately, there are no 'ifs.' Even if I know you're reluctant, others will only see you as someone who doesn't know how lucky they are. You can only adapt as quickly as possible to the identity others see you as having now."

Inside the Star Luo intelligence agency building.

"Sir, this is what we detected from the Black Water River front line: a group of long-eared humans hidden under camouflage. We can confirm they are definitely not indigenous humans, nor are they the Sun-Moon People of the Douluo Continent, and certainly not Shrek. They are a brand-new force, and they are suspected of being able to coexist with spirit beasts."

A Star Luo intelligence officer summarized the information collected from the front line into a document and handed it to his Spirit Douluo superior, who was sitting on a leather sofa.

"Furthermore, we have determined the reason why the army has never been able to break through that damned river during the various Black Water River Battles over the past few years, or even decades. These humans and the hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts in that Dragon Valley Forest keep destroying the logistics lines at the most critical moments when the Star Luo army and the indigenous army are fighting."

The superior, who possessed the cultivation of a Spirit Douluo, read through it very carefully for a full eight minutes, his face grave.

"This intelligence is very useful, but the Empire needs to focus on the secret channels through which the Shrek members of the Spirit Pagoda are shipping arms to the indigenous kingdoms. These unknown humans affecting the logistics lines and conducting military observation can be set aside for now. Once that damned Soul Guidance Device arms smuggling channel is completely sealed, we will shift our focus to investigating these pointed-eared humans. I will personally present this to General Kallen."

"Yes."

That night, the Grey Feather Division's intelligence agency stationed in the Dragon Valley Forest received a message.

[The Star Luo people have begun to notice us elves.]