Ten days passed in the swift flow of a sandglass, amid the tense yet orderly work of gathering supplies and handing things over.
The camp in the Pale Forbidden Land was bustling, yet tinged with the relief of a job well done.
The last teams to head out had returned safely. In the open space at the center of camp, special metal crates, their surfaces shimmering with tiny spatial runes, had been neatly arranged into several formations.
Zhou Yuxuan strode over to Lin Yi, who was standing outside the command module.
"Captain."
Zhou Yuxuan handed him a data tablet. "The final tally is complete. We brought back standard Blood Crystal Coins, as well as unprocessed Blood Crystal ore with more of its energy intact. The total comes to about seven hundred billion coins."
He took a deep breath and gestured toward the sea of metal crates. "All the supplies have been packed. We used a total of seven hundred standard miniaturized storage boxes."
Although they had expected as much, when the figure of "seven hundred billion" was officially announced, Chen Yu, Andre, and the other core members listening nearby still showed delight in their eyes.
Lin Yi's gaze swept slowly over the sea of crates bearing such vast resources. A sharp glint flashed deep in his calm eyes.
He could already picture how, once purified, these seemingly disparate crystals would become a solid stepping-stone for the East Blade Mercenary Corps to soar to new heights.
"Good work."
"Pack up and prepare to leave. The Star Realm Army has now taken full control of the Secret Realm. Our mission is complete."
The order was quickly passed down. The entire camp sprang back to life like a precision machine, making its final preparations for the return to the Main Universe.
As for