The Cold Mountain Agreement
Shortly after Zijin left, Princess Dafulin entered.
Su Ming quickly found a piece of wood to temporarily block the broken window, and the room became warm again thanks to the continuous heating from the coal fireplace.
She strode to the coffee table, deftly poured herself a cup of hot tea, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp, letting out a satisfied sigh.
The princess led the engineering team busy around the tunnel all morning. In order to temporarily conceal the tunnel's existence, they not only had to install hidden doors that could be opened flexibly at both ends, but also had to carefully disguise them as ordinary rock textures, which certainly took a lot of effort.
"What's the current situation with the disguise unit?" Su Ming asked.
As planned, Dafulin secretly dispatched a small team of trusted elites, disguised as the tracks of the White Bone Train, moving towards the northern estuary to mislead intelligence agents from all sides.
"We've arrived near Grodno." She stood up and walked to the huge map on the wall, her slender finger precisely pointing to the target location. It was about a thousand kilometers southeast of the Giant Horn Peninsula where Su Ming had initially landed.
"They're creating the illusion that they're preparing to go to sea," Dafulin said.
"The area is sparsely populated and has flat terrain, making it suitable for landing and entering the sea," Katharine said. "It's indeed a very convincing route, and it's not easy to get close enough to investigate. The location is well chosen."
"Latest intelligence indicates that the Temple of Light's naval fleet has completed its assembly in the nearby waters," Dafulin added. "Our disguise probably won't last long before it's exposed."
Su Ming quickly calculated the time difference in his mind, his brows furrowing slightly.
He realized that the window of opportunity was shrinking rapidly—if he could return to the landing point on Giant Horn Island in time to complete the ship repairs, he could gain the initiative in the ensuing confrontation; otherwise, he might be forced into a passive and reactive situation.
"My plan is to leave Newman and a team of Final Bone Mad Machines behind to continue the dismantling and material collection tasks, while the rest of the personnel will evacuate first on the White Bone Train," Su Ming explained his arrangements.
"Should we keep Professor Newman here?" A hint of surprise flashed in Dafulin's eyes, but it quickly faded. "Forget it, Professor Newman is too busy wanting to witness your amazing industrial base to come with me."
Su Ming glanced at the princess. If there were any possibility, Dafulin would have already come to negotiate for Newman.
He chose to pretend he hadn't heard this. "So I'll need your help looking after Newman for a while. I'll arrange for a ship to pick them up later."
Dafulin nodded. "You must act quickly. The longer we delay, the more spies and agents will infiltrate the Northern Lands."
"Understood."
****
"Next, we'll discuss the misdirection plan," Katharine continued. "We're already cleaning up the evidence at the scene, intending to pin the entire operation on the Plundering Clock."
"It would be best if we could successfully frame them," Dafulin said with a hint of doubt. "But with the Temple of Light's intelligence network, would they be so easily misled by us?"
According to a secret agreement reached beforehand by the three parties, the attack on the Sacred Mountain would be ostensibly the responsibility of the Final Bone Mad Machines and the Star Sand Organization would be borne entirely, while the Cold Mountain Kingdom would completely absolve itself of any involvement. However, the latter would secretly provide assistance in the subsequent confrontation.
Dafulin knew very well that such a large-scale operation could not be completely concealed. However, the game between great powers was never black and white. Without solid evidence, their Cold Mountain Kingdom could simply refuse to admit it.
Given the current situation of the Temple of Light, it doesn't have the resources to overturn the table.
The three organized forces— the Divine Grace Knights, the Choir, and the Azure Sky Battle Puppet— were wiped out, the Radiant Chanter were killed, and the Fate Manipulator were captured. One can imagine their predicament that followed.
"Our encirclement was executed more successfully than expected this time; not a single one escaped," Katharine explained.
This was an unexpected bonus. Su Ming's tactics wiped out too many of Sea of Divine Grace's forces in one fell swoop, leaving them without the strength to carry out their breakout attempt.
"Therefore, we must make full use of this advantage, coupled with some misleading tactics," Katharine said confidently. "We are confident that we can secure at least a three-month buffer period."
After careful consideration, Dafulin concluded that this was largely consistent with the initial action plan and more conducive to achieving subsequent goals. "I have no objections," she said.
"There's another thing I need your cooperation on," Katharine said, handing her a piece of paper.
After quickly glancing at it, Dafulin sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation, "Are you going to use this trick again?"
"Since the method is effective, why not continue using it?" Katharine smiled.
"Okay, I understand." Dafulin carefully folded the document and tucked it into her bosom.
****
With the negotiations over the proposed solution concluded, Dafulin turned her attention back to Su Ming.
"Even if I wanted your pipe jacking equipment, I wouldn't be able to use it, right?" Dafulin asked bluntly.
"Maintenance and logistical support are very complex; you can't handle them," Su Ming told him truthfully.
He is able to use this equipment because "Summoning of All Things" connects him to the industrial production chain on Earth, allowing him to obtain parts at any time, in addition to a professional construction technical team that provides remote guidance anytime, anywhere.
If given to Dafulin, this equipment will quickly become a pile of scrap metal.
"Then help us dig the tunnel." Dafulin changed the subject, proposing a new plan. "I know the timing isn't right yet, but our Cold Mountain Kingdom is willing to wait." She looked directly into Su Ming's eyes. "We will provide all the necessary funds, manpower, and building materials for the project, and pay a generous reward!"
The rugged, mountainous terrain of the Cold Mountain Kingdom severely restricts transportation, and the construction of the tunnel will completely change this situation. From her burning gaze, Su Ming could clearly feel the royal family's extreme desire for this project.
But he was a little troubled, "I don't have that much time to spend on this."
Even with the production base completed and the problems at the Temple of Light resolved, Su Ming still had a host of matters to attend to: the analysis of Gospel Material, the investigation of Earth's superhumans, and the research on interdimensional teleportation technology—each of which was of great importance.
Su Ming suddenly thought of a compromise. "I can design a simple steam-powered tunneling device." He gestured lightly on the table with his fingers. "Although the efficiency will be much lower, you can operate it independently."
The principle of steam engine technology is relatively simple. Given the alchemy and mechanical foundation of this world, and having witnessed its performance, it's only a matter of time before the principle is reverse-engineered and gradually figured out.
One option is to proactively present a mature design to all parties in exchange for benefits when the time is right.
Dafulin's eyes lit up, and she unconsciously clenched her fists. "This plan is good!"
It's better to teach someone how to fish than to give them a fish. Even if it's much slower, at least it's a technological capability they can fully control!
Su Ming tentatively set the delivery date for one year later, emphasizing that additional cooperation conditions would be attached at that time. After hearing the general framework, Dafulin readily nodded in agreement.