Seeing Tang De's excitement, Zhang Tie Zhang Tie was dumbfounded. He had never imagined that this greedy Iron Rooster would utter such righteous words. Even more unexpected was the fact that the little book of " Abacus Mental Calculation " he had picked up at the Zhang Tie stall could play such a significant role.
All of this left Zhang Tie's mind a bit confused for a moment. After Zhang Tie mind cleared up a bit, Zhang Tie immediately discovered many useful pieces of information in Tang De's words.
The first key point is that the cultivation of mental power mainly relies on visualization. Before the secret of " Abacus Mental Calculation " was discovered, it seemed that most of the secret methods for cultivating mental power were very complicated and difficult to master. In particular, for many young people and children whose minds were still very impulsive, it was impossible to cultivate mental power before the age of twelve. Cultivating mental power was a daunting challenge.
The second piece of information is that a general store owner in Black Flame City —when did it become his place to care about the survival and development of the Hua Clan, something millions of kilometers away from his own life?
"Do you think you can make that ' Abacus Mental Calculation ' work so powerfully just because I gave it to you?" Zhang Tie asked Tang De. If such a secret were exposed in Black Flame City or the Norman Empire, Tang De would probably be on the missing persons list within two days, wiped out without a trace. Where did he get such confidence and arrogance, talking about hundreds of millions or billions of the Hua Clan all the time?
"Of course I can't do it on my own, but the organization behind me can!" Tang De said calmly.
"The organization behind you?" Zhang Tie asked in surprise, then finally realized that everyone had secrets, including himself, and even Tang De, the Iron Rooster, had his own secrets.
"Of course!" Tang De's tone was full of pride, the fat man holding his head high. A radiance that Zhang Tie had never seen before shone on his face. "My status in the organization is extremely lowly. My mission is merely to be an ear and a pair of eyes that the organization places in Black Flame City. Do you understand?"
Zhang Tie understood; it turned out that Tang De's identity was that of a secret agent planted in Black Flame City by some organization to gather information.
"How does your organization compare to the Norman Empire?" Zhang Tie asked curiously.
"Do you see those Myriad-Year Fluorspar Lamp on the wall?"
Zhang Tie nodded.
"If the Norman Empire is that Myriad-Year Fluorspar Lamp, then my organization is the blazing sun in the sky!" Tang De said solemnly.
Zhang Tie was once again dumbfounded.
"Don't doubt it. If we have the chance to meet again in the future, you'll know I wasn't lying! Because of the ' Abacus Mental Calculation,' I've made a great contribution, and the organization has decided to transfer me back to the Eastern Continent. My mission in Black Flame City is considered completed ahead of schedule, and I finally have the chance to go home and visit!"
"Isn't your organization located in the Blakerson Human Corridor?"
Tang De chuckled softly. " The Blackson Human Corridor —that's what they call it in the Xibo Language. In the Hua Clan, it's called the Weiyi Peninsula, or the Weiyi Subcontinent. This is just a small place on the entire Kun'ang Continent, a remote, uncivilized land far from the world 'Axis of the World Axis of the World yet revolving around it. You should understand what 'uncivilized land' means in the Hua Clan's context. True dragons wouldn't frolic in shallow waters. So, in the Weiyi Peninsula, all we need to do is dump a few guys like me, who would otherwise just be good for nothing, here and let them see how the weather goes!"
Zhang Tie looked at Tang De with some resentment.
"If Hua Clan like you, wandering in this uncivilized land, doesn't make a pilgrimage to the East in your lifetime, doesn't visit the place where the largest concentration of the Hua Clan gather, doesn't see the roots of your bloodline, and doesn't experience the glory and magnificence of the Hua Clan that you've never known before, then your life has been wasted!"
Tang De's words filled Zhang Tie with longing, and he couldn't help but ask, "Are you going back to the Eastern Continent after you leave here?"
"Yes, I'll take the train from Black Flame City to Karur tonight. Someone will meet me Karur, and then I'll take an Karur. I'll have to transfer at a few stops along the way, using other modes of transportation. If there are no delays, I should be able to reach the Eastern Continent in about a month and a half."
Zhang Tie paused for a moment, then asked, "Will I ever see you again?"
Tang De was practically his mentor, and Zhang Tie was genuinely reluctant to see him leave. Memories of their time together flooded back, and before he knew it, Zhang Tie felt a lump in his throat.
"This is the most important thing I've called you here to tell you today!" Tang De's expression turned serious. "You must remember what I'm telling you today. No matter what, you must find a way to leave Black Flame City within the next two years, taking your family with you. First, settle in a Hua Clan nation in the southeast of the Weiyi Peninsula. After settling there, try your best to move your family to the Eastern Continent. The entire world is about to undergo a great change, and billions of lives will be lost in the blink of an eye. The Weiyi Peninsula is not a place to stay for long. For the sake of your and your family's livelihood, you must leave as soon as possible!"
"Why?" Zhang Tie's heart pounded with unease.
"Because the Holy War of humanity is about to begin!" Tang De said solemnly.
" Holy War for humanity?" Zhang Tie was taken aback for a moment, but when he realized what Tang De meant, his Zhang Tie changed drastically.
Holy War? That one word is enough to make anyone's blood run cold.
Of all the history and knowledge he had learned at school, and the oral accounts from his teachers, Zhang Tie had only one impression of Holy War: destruction!
Swarms of Devil Race poured out of the Underground World like a plague of locusts, instantly engulfing human cities and countries. Wherever the Devil Race passed, mountains of corpses and seas of blood remained, and no one could survive.
The First Holy War occurred approximately 600 years ago. At that time, humanity, which had just begun to recover, was nearly wiped out by the Devil Race. In school, when the natural history teacher introduced the First Holy War, he only mentioned a few figures: 27 billion people died in the First Holy War, more than 600 countries and regions were destroyed by the Devil Race, and the First Holy War lasted for nearly 70 years, three generations. After the First Holy War, the total human population was only a little over 10 billion. Two-thirds of humanity perished in the First Holy War.
The Second Holy War occurred approximately 300 years ago. Also known as the Hundred Years' Holy War Second Holy War, this Holy War lasted over 110 years from beginning to end. The human population suffered 48 billion deaths, and nearly 1,000 countries and regions were destroyed by the Devil Race. Compared to the First Holy War Holy War, the Second Holy War was far more devastating, with many human races being completely wiped out and becoming history. The number of families torn apart and lives lost during this period is truly countless.
Every Holy War is a catastrophe for all humanity!
Back in school, that respected natural history teacher would often choke up and weep during his lectures on those Holy War. Unlike any war humanity had ever fought before, the Holy War were wars of self-preservation for humanity's survival, because to the Devil Race, humans were the most delicious food; human blood, muscle, and brains were the favorites of all Devil Race creatures.
Every black-and-white photograph taken by human historians and war correspondents after each Holy War, and allowed to be published and circulated, depicting places occupied by Devil Race, is a vivid picture of hell on earth.
Zhang Tie once saw a photograph brought in by his natural history teacher during class. Although the photograph was black and white, the shock of the gruesome scene in it was so powerful that for the first time in their lives, all the students in Zhang Tie's class couldn't eat lunch in the school cafeteria...
Holy War, a nightmare that everyone is forced to live through for a century!
Based on the experience of the previous two Holy War, there is an 80% chance that this Third Human Holy War Holy War be more brutal than the previous two, may last longer, affect a wider area, and result in more deaths in that long Holy War.
"Go to the East. Only the most powerful Hua Clan is the hope for the Third Holy War of all mankind. Even if all mankind on the Kun'ang Continent is wiped out after this Holy War, the East is the place that can hold out until the very end!" -- These are Tang De's original words.
The conversation with Tang De before leaving Black Flame City resolved many of Zhang Tie's doubts. Zhang Tie suddenly understood why so many things had happened in Black Flame City in the past two months, why the Andaman Alliance had been destroyed overnight, why grain prices in the market had started to soar months ago, and why Jerome had said that chaos was on the horizon.
Those powerful figures who have the right to write the history of the Blakerson Human Corridor are already accelerating their preparations for the impending Holy War. In the face of Holy War, so-called emperors and generals are no different from squirrels busy preparing for winter.
How long will it take for the true Third Holy War to break out in full force? Tang De estimates it will take at least five years and at most twenty years. In the face of Holy War of this scale, this amount of time is only enough for those big shots to barely complete the pre-war mobilization and warm-up for this war that concerns the survival of the human race.
From Tang De, Zhang Tie learned that many countries and Lineage on the continent had been preparing for this third Holy War for over a hundred years. But no matter how much they prepared, when the Holy War was about to arrive, all the preparations would never feel enough. Before the overwhelming arrival of the Devil Race, no one knew whether their prepared steel fortresses would ultimately become worthless, easily breached by the Devil Race, nor could anyone confidently say that their prepared strategic resources would last until the end of the Holy War.
Before leaving, Tang De left Zhang Tie with the documents proving the transfer of ownership of the apartment building to Zhang Tie's name, a bunch of apartment building keys, several property deeds, 400 gold coins, and a strange resin card with many small holes that Zhang Tie could use to contact him after arriving in the Eastern Continent. Tang De told Zhang Tie that as long as he had this card, he could find him after arriving in the Eastern Continent.
Oh, right, besides these things, Tang De also left Zhang Tie a book called " The Disguise Technique ". Everything in this basement was prepared for " The Disguise Technique " – various props, materials, and costumes. There was also a hidden tunnel in the secret room, which led to a permanent private room in an underground bar on Monet Avenue.
That underground bar is open 24 hours a day, with a lot of people coming and going, so going in and out won't attract anyone's attention.
The Holy War is not coming anytime soon. Tang De hopes that once Zhang Tie is ready, Zhang Tie can use what he left behind to raise enough money for his family's journey to the Eastern Continent.
This was the escape fund Tang De left for Zhang Tie. It was a huge fortune that could instantly elevate a poor student like Zhang Tie to the ranks of the propertied class in Black Flame City. Tang De didn't care about it; he said it was just a small amount, a meager reward for taking advantage of Zhang Tie 'Zhang Tie " Abacus Mental Calculation." The organization he worked for had given him many times more for discovering " Abacus Mental Calculation," so he told Zhang Tie Zhang Tie not to worry about it.
After leaving the apartment building, Zhang Tie walked alone on Monet Avenue for a long time. His head was still spinning, and he hadn't fully recovered from what he had experienced that day. It wasn't until he was almost on the street where his home was located that a little boy riding a bicycle with a bell jingling happily passed by Zhang Tie, and Zhang Tie suddenly came to his senses.
Watching the little boy's joyful smile as he rode his bicycle, and hearing the clear sound of the bell, Zhang Tie felt as if a transparent glass wall had been shattered in front of him, and the whole world suddenly became free and vibrant again.
The matter of the Holy War is none of my business. If things turn out badly, I'll just take everyone with me and run away. Even if I include Pandora and Barry, the travel expenses should be enough for them to get to the Eastern Continent.
A smile appeared on Zhang Tie's face. Thinking of the wealth Tang De had left him, Zhang Tie's mood improved dramatically.
I'm rich! I'm rich! I've become the landlord of an apartment building, and I get gold coins every month. I never thought that bastard Sista's dream would come true before me! Hahahaha...
Suddenly, the entire Black Flame City was bathed in bright sunlight!
Zhang Tie hummed a little tune as he returned home. Upon arriving, he found three guests: Alice, Beverly, and Pandora. The three girls, dressed like pretty dolls, were chatting with his mother. Seeing Zhang Tie's stunned expression, they all laughed. Zhang Tie Zhang Tie's mother, both amused and annoyed, glared at him—this rascal son! He said he found three girlfriends during the trial, and it was true! These three girls had actually arranged to come to his door together today.
Having such a son, Zhang Tie's mother didn't know whether to be happy or worried. She was experiencing a happy kind of trouble. She had never seen Zhang Tie as a womanizer or someone who attracted girls before. How come he could come back from a casual trip with three girls at once?
Guoguo has Guoguo grown up! Mom sighed inwardly, feeling both relieved and saddened...
Unbeknownst to Zhang Tie, the news of his impending duel with Sode had already caused a sensation in numerous schools throughout Black Flame City within the past two days. The fact that Zhang Tie had become a lieutenant in the Norman Empire was still relatively unknown, circulating only within a small circle. To many, the spectacle of a graduate dueling a level four Battle Soldier was the truly captivating aspect...
Zhang Tie, however, didn't take the duel too seriously. For Zhang Tie, the upcoming life in the Iron-Blood Battalion was the most important thing before him...
It wasn't until after Tang De left that Zhang Tie suddenly remembered that after hearing the news of the impending Holy War, he was so shocked by the news that he had forgotten to ask Tang De about how he suddenly learned to throw Flying Spear before he left.
...(To be continued, please search for the novel for better and faster updates!)