"I'll discuss it with Mr. Chen and see if we can speed things up."
"Not discuss." The old man's voice was calm but brooked no argument. "Request. Remember your attitude—Mr. Chen is not our subordinate. He is our partner. Approach him with a request."
"Understood."
The video call ended.
Han Songyue leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.
The global order was being reshuffled by the Mysterious Resurgence. The legacies of the Penglai Archipelago might be Huaxia's greatest bargaining chip in the race into this new era.
And that bargaining chip rested in the hands of a young man who spent his days drinking tea and walking his dog.
He picked up his phone and drafted a message to Chen Siyao, revising the wording three times before sending it.
Thirty-Fifth Island.
The professors' boat reached shore at noon.
After Wen Zhong's legacy had been claimed, the island's power of lightning had vanished completely.
The rocks that had once carried an electric charge now felt cool to the touch, no different from ordinary stones.
Professor Li stepped onto the rocky ground, crouched to take a reading with an instrument, and shook his head.
"There's nothing left. The energy reading is completely zero."
Professor Sun stood beside him, looking at the empty Main Hall ahead. "Once the legacy is taken, the entire island's energy system collapses.
"That means the lightning wasn't a natural phenomenon, but an artificial field sustained by the legacy's Magical Treasure."
"Energy engineering from the Primordial Era." Professor Li stood up, overcome with emotion. "We can't even grasp the principles behind it yet."
The professors split into several groups and began a comprehensive survey of the island, mapping it and collecting samples.
Meanwhile, another group of researchers was working on Thirty-Sixth Island.
The data from both islands