A Backup Plan.

Unfortunately, after catching and severely punishing a few people, the others were less likely to continue their reckless investigation.

It's like a secret order; only a few people know its true nature.

But besides that, what touched them most deeply was actually something else.

The Great Yan has produced another general.

A very, very beautiful female general.

To be honest, they weren't really surprised by the appearance of the female general.

After all, the Great Yan Dynasty has a long history, and it has indeed produced many outstanding female generals.

But...

This female general appeared too suddenly.

No one knew where she had been or what she had done before. She was directly appointed by the emperor and, upon her arrival, was granted a host of privileges that others would never even dare to dream of.

For example, she can form her own team, enter the palace without bowing, and face anyone without paying respects... She can even directly label anyone who dares to obstruct her from doing things as disobeying the imperial edict!

It can be said that the emperor granted the other party the highest rights without the premise of rebellion.

Many civil officials nearly risked their lives to remonstrate with him after learning of this.

But in the end, the emperor overruled all objections and made the decision.

And this female general did not fail to live up to the privileges granted to her by the emperor.

Just one month later, she led the first batch of members from the Hundred Refining Bureau to a distant place.

Two months later, they heard another piece of news that sent a chill down their spines.

The Great Beast... defeated successfully?!

They knew about the Great Beast, they could understand fighting them, and they would be even more pleased if they succeeded.

But...

Why is it that when these words are put together, they don't quite understand?

Great Beast? Defeated? Successfully?!

Is this still the language of the Great Yan?

It was only through a desperate resistance in South River City that the Great Beast was finally defeated, at the cost of heavy casualties.

Result...

How long has it been?

They actually took the initiative to attack and hunt down the Great Beast?!

Is the world changing that fast?

Now, even those who believed in the Great Yan were starting to have doubts.

The fact that South River City had defeated the Great Beast was already exhilarating for them, but the current outcome was a hundred times more ferocious than what happened in South River City!

Many people are wondering if this was all orchestrated by the so-called female general herself.

Is it all so that others will think she got her position legitimate?

But these doubts were eventually silenced as Maria led her team from afar, step by step, until they finally understood the Great Beast's head, which had been barely severed and carried back.

It was a Great Beast resembling a wild boar.

Its eyes were wide open in anger, and in addition to its rough and hard skin, there were burns and dents of varying degrees.

It's hard to imagine what it went through to become like this.

But none of that matters anymore.

With Maria bringing him back to Hundred Stoves, the entire city was plunged into an indescribable frenzy.

While the events in South River City were inspiring, they ultimately couldn't be witnessed in reality.

But this time is different.

Maria returned with the carcass of her prey, much like Hunter returning from a hunt displaying his prize.

This action greatly encouraged everyone!

The Great Beast... is not invincible!

Humanity will eventually defeat these seemingly towering creatures!

Everyone was shouting excitedly.

But it was only at this point that they realized they didn't even know the other person's name.

Maria seemed to have no intention of passing down her name, and simply led her team back to the Hundred Refining Bureau in silence.

The Great Beast's remains were symbolically displayed to Hundred Stoves for three days before being removed and replaced with a model.

As for its whereabouts...

Not many people in the entire Hundred Stoves knew about this.

In contrast to the excitement of ordinary people, some people are extremely resentful about it.

Inside an ordinary little building, several remnants of the Shanhai Assembly gathered together, discussing the events of the past few days.

"It must be those fools trying to attract attention; how could human strength possibly defeat Great Beast?!"

One member cursed a few times, concluding that Maria was just making a fuss.

First, he sealed off the Hundred Refining Bureau to give everyone hope. Then, he sent a mysterious general to do some exaggerated things, hoping to elevate his own status and leave a good reputation in the future.

Pooh!

Nausea!

"That's right!"

The member's words quickly drew echoes from others around him.

Many people were indignant, seemingly convinced that this was all a show put on for the rest of the ignorant masses!

But...

"If that's the case, why don't you have someone assassinate her?"

Amidst the Shanhai Assembly, a voice suddenly rang out, carrying a hint of mockery.

Everyone immediately looked in the direction of the sound.

A young girl in green sat to one side with her legs crossed, looking at them with a mocking expression.

The other members of the Shanhai Assembly, seeing this, dared not speak out in anger.

After all, it was the other side that saved them when the Imperial Court was trying to eliminate them.

In other words, if the other party is really dissatisfied, they can kill them again at any time!

Naturally, no one dared to disrespect them.

This attitude left the girl somewhat bored.

"I thought you were funny and bold, so I rescued you from those pursuers. I thought you had some skills... but this is all?"

"Are you satisfied with just a few words?"

"What a bunch of useless trash."

The girl shook her head, her expression calm.

She slowly got up, sat down to the side, and looked at everyone present.

Seeing the terrified looks on these guys' faces, he shook his head and sighed.

What a bunch of useless trash, all they talk about are Great Beast, desolate lords, great beings, and masters of the world.

It's as if they want to elevate every Great Beast to a divine status.

But if you ask these people just how strong the Great Beast really is, they all stammer and can't give a straight answer.

To put it bluntly, they're just a bunch of pathetic creatures who've been scared by Great Beast, so they're huddled together trying to appear obedient like pet dogs, thinking that this will make the Great Beast accept them.

They're not even as good as lackeys!

To be honest, she initially had some expectations for these guys.

Is that all there is to it?

What a boring guy.

The girl waved her hand, too lazy to waste any more words with these guys, turned around and left the small building, walking step by step into the night street.

As the center of the entire Yan, Hundred Stoves naturally has places like night markets.

But the girl wasn't interested in that kind of place.

What interests her is another little-known place...

Ghost Market!

Although she had only been mocking those guys, the girl had indeed taken a liking to this mysteriously appearing female general.

She racked her brains but couldn't think of anyone in the Hundred Stoves with such abilities.

She didn't know what she looked like... she had only heard that she was exceptionally beautiful, a beauty rarely seen in the world...

Is it good-looking?

The girl looked up, saw the tiny crescent moon peeking out from the top of her head, and couldn't help but smile.

A scarlet tongue licked across his lips.

How good can it be?

~~~~~

312

Chapter 312 A Second Move

The so-called "Ghost Market"... in essence, is just a shady market.

This thing has a scary-sounding name, but in reality, it's only the name that's impressive.

Those who come here are mostly from the lowest rungs of society, either petty thieves who want to sell something good, or impoverished rich kids who are selling off their possessions to maintain a semblance of dignity.

To put it more bluntly, everything that's being sold here is of dubious origin.

But this was only its initial form.

As a city develops and prospers, it will eventually attract more and more people from all walks of life.

These people interacted and exchanged ideas, eventually giving rise to a series of extraordinary industries.

For example...

"Oh."

The girl, wearing a large cloak, slowly walked into a shop with its door open but no lights on, and greeted the person at the door who was doing the accounting.

Although many people who come here put on a coat to conceal their identities, the shop assistants, who have been doing business here for many years, do not try to hide anything.

"You've arrived?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, the cashier paused for a moment before a smile immediately spread across his face.

He put down his ledger and pen, rubbing his hands together with a smile.

"What do you want this time? Rare antiques, anecdotes about famous people, or perhaps...?"

"Just asking for some information."

The girl was used to the respect shown to men, which clearly indicated that she frequented such places.

She casually tossed a small piece of wood as proof and then sat down to the side.

In this Ghost Market, people dared not carry large sums of money when buying and selling goods, but because of the demand, some places gradually started to do business.

This street was run by a company called Gongwei Trading House Company.