Siege at the City Gates

The day after the meeting ended, every corner of the Federation felt tightly gripped by an invisible giant hand, rapidly plunging into a tense atmosphere as a storm seemed to quietly approach.

Several cities surrounding Shrek City now resembled drawn bows, the air heavy with oppression and unease.

On the streets, patrolling Law Enforcement Teams noticeably increased in number, clad in uniform black uniforms, walking with hurried steps and scanning everything around them with vigilant gazes.

The originally bustling markets grew desolate, merchants putting away their usual enthusiastic shouts to quietly guard their stalls.

Citizens hurried along with worried and fearful expressions, their exchanges with one another turning cautious as if terrified of touching that sensitive nerve by accident.

Inside the government buildings, officials frequently entered and exited meeting rooms, files and reports drifting in like snowflakes.

Although they knew Shrek Academy had a two-thousand-year heritage and deep roots, checking into it proved truly eye-opening.

The families and soul masters connected to Shrek Academy were simply too numerous; to counter these potential threats, they had been busy for a long time, their faces written with exhaustion and anxiety as they constantly discussed response measures, trying to find a trace of stability for their jurisdictions in this impending storm.

During the verification process, to ensure nothing went wrong, suspicious individuals with overly deep ties to Shrek were placed under surveillance, and quite a few people within their own internal ranks were even isolated.

Unlike the previous adulation shown toward Shrek Academy, the Federation now spoke of anyone originating from Shrek Academy with bated breath.

This was no alarmism, but rather the Federation understanding Shrek's scale and strength and not daring to be careless.

Fortunately, after the initial chaos, coordination between various departments grew tighter and information transmission faster, with every link