Free Web NovelChapter 2476: Chapter 2477: Frontline
After the banquet, Feng Yuan returned to the dorm at the academy and saw Zhanzheng Qichen standing at the door. Feng Yuan frowned and gently tapped Xiao Ji’s head, saying:
"Something important?"
With his arms crossed and leaning against the wall, thinking with his head down, Zhanzheng Qichen looked up at Feng Yuan. At that moment, he was in his battle attire, the hem of his gray-brown cape gently fluttering in the wind.
"I want to know what you think about our East Continent Great Xia and your attitude towards it."
Staring at Feng Yuan, Zhanzheng Qichen spoke calmly; however, his slightly trembling body suggested that he wasn’t as composed as he appeared.
"Is that all? For now, you haven’t done anything bad to Great Xia. And besides, you helped during the attack on Maomu City, so... neutral, I suppose. You understand that I can’t just help your country over something like this."
Shrugging, Feng Yuan spoke indifferently. Although he had a good impression of the Zhanzheng Qichen from the timeline of war, that was all. Expecting him to help the country that Qichen belonged to was out of the question.
"I understand that. With your strength, if someone isn’t a true friend, you might not step in. Even if you take action now, it would only be because of them."
Smiling, Zhanzheng Qichen said, standing up straight and patting non-existent dust off his clothes.
"I just want to know if you would target our East Continent Great Xia because, as far as I know, we don’t have the so-called Anti-Divine Beast Rune; it’s just..."
"Don’t worry, those people aren’t fools. Given how you’ve been bullied, no one would believe you have such a thing."
Feng Yuan chuckled lightly and glanced at the attire of Zhanzheng Qichen, saying:
"You’re not considering going back, are you?"
"Some things only I can do. I can’t let them take the wrong path."
Nodding, Zhanzheng Qichen confirmed Feng Yuan’s suspicion. Although neither said it explicitly, they both understood that the East Continent Great Xia must not be detrimental to Great Xia, and indeed, helping Great Xia when necessary was not impossible.
Zhanzheng Qichen was very aware that despite the main world being in such turmoil, their strength was likely the strongest among the three timelines.
This was even after excluding Feng Yuan from the equation, because without adequate trump cards, they couldn’t have internal conflicts of this magnitude. Being an envoy here has surely broadened Zhanzheng Qichen’s perspective.
Those lurking forces, even he was unaware of, and if not for the emergence of the Anti-Divine Beast Rune, they might have continued to play dead. However, this made him realize that the main world is far more complex than it seems.
Moreover, those lurking forces are different from various countries; they don’t have such vast territories. For the Imperial Timeline to recreate a surprise attack causing mass destruction would be extremely difficult for them.
Like in Baiman City, if there were one or two Legendary Level Beastmasters lying low, this attack might not have yielded such great results. Not to mention, those hiding forces more or less have weapons comparable to Divine Beasts.
Even if they are one-time uses or of immense cost, they could still inflict massive damage on the Imperial people. In fact, some forces are now rallying under the banner of vengeance, preparing to declare war on the Imperial Timeline.
As for the war timeline, currently, no one dares to act openly, but secretly, there’s no doubt those guys are also on the move.
What worries Zhanzheng Qichen is those people acting against the East Continent Great Xia. After all, as far as he knows, they don’t have similar trump cards. Of course, if they did, he wouldn’t be as concerned.
"Those people probably won’t actively seek out territory because it’s meaningless. Even though the time currents are relatively stable, overall, they’re not as good as the main world. Moreover, they don’t have a significant need for territory, although they might build a base or something. The chances of what you’re worried about happening don’t seem high to me, but forming an alliance might improve things."
Feng Yuan looked at Qichen and gave his opinion. Anyway, he didn’t think those people would act just for territory. If they wanted to, they would’ve done it already.
As for forming an alliance, Feng Yuan figured those guys knew about his existence. As long as the East Continent Great Xia doesn’t have what they’re after, those guys wouldn’t idly make trouble for East Continent Great Xia.
"Sigh, forming an alliance is something even I can’t push forward quickly."
Sighing, Zhanzheng Qichen chatted with Feng Yuan for a while before leaving. From Feng Yuan, he got the answer he wanted; now, it was up to him to see what he could manage on his own.
If she were still here... perhaps things wouldn’t be this tiring...
Thinking of himself in this world and her, Zhanzheng Qichen had this thought more than once, even if he clearly understood such assumptions were meaningless.
"Feng Yuan, didn’t you join the fun today either?"
In the evening, after completing today’s joint combat training, Qichen and Dou Yanlan came to find Feng Yuan. After taking a glance at the two, Feng Yuan shook his head and said:
"No need. Though they are growing, I’m not suited for that team."
Even though Qichen and the others were in the reserve forces, Feng Yuan didn’t intend to join in the excitement either. Because to avoid attracting trouble, he had to restrain his own strength. Instead, it’s better to linger outside the team, ready to act at any time.
This way, it’s easier for him to protect Qichen and his team. Otherwise, in the team, he couldn’t be in the same group as Qichen and his team; if something happened, Feng Yuan wouldn’t be able to leave the team to help. Doing so would be irresponsible to his current comrades.
Dou Yanlan seemed to guess Feng Yuan’s intention, but after some hesitation, she didn’t persuade him otherwise.
"By the way, my self from the timeline of war seems to have left?"
Remembering something, Qichen asked. He had only learned in the past couple of days that his self from the war timeline had handed over duties to the envoy who came to replace him and returned to the war timeline.
He still couldn’t understand what his self from the war timeline intended to do, as the envoy, shortly after arrival, headed to Shangjing. It was clear that Zhanzheng Qichen previously staying here was entirely his own will.
"There are some things that only he can do right now. If it were you, it would be about the same."
After thinking for a moment, Feng Yuan didn’t plan to explain too much. Sometimes, knowing too much only brings unhappiness. Glancing at Dou Yanlan, who seemed deep in thought, Feng Yuan shook his head.
"Speaking of which, the defense line seems to be almost complete now. Some production activities should start to resume, right?"
Not lingering on the topic, Feng Yuan directly changed the subject. Qichen thought for a while and said:
"It seems there’s a plan, but according to the announcement, first, the Beastmasters will restore industrial production. As for agriculture..."
"That side has never stopped. But honestly, it’s a bit risky. Without enough manpower to protect agriculture, if something goes wrong..."
Feng Yuan was aware of the agricultural production situation. The reason it didn’t stop was partly the demands of the local people, and partly because Maomu City couldn’t have everyone move to Data City, abandoning the land entirely.
Kidding me, even with the power of Spirit Beasts, food isn’t so easy to solve. Especially when war breaks out, logistic pressure increases. Continuous combat requires Spirit Beasts to consume high-energy food. Although using Spirit Beasts to hasten such crops is possible, due to the conservation of energy, Spirit Beasts facilitating crop growth must consume equivalent energy.
This single point was enough to restrict production.
So agricultural production across towns was mostly ongoing, even if it meant more casualties.
"This matter... it’s hard to say whether it’s good or bad."
Dou Yanlan, who had been silent, spoke. There are pros and cons; if it’s completely halted, once Maomu City is surrounded, the trouble escalates.
Judging by the several assaults from the Imperial Timeline, those guys fully possess large-scale offensive capabilities. During such times, Maomu City might not receive reinforcements in time.
Under these circumstances, the priority is to bolster supplies of critical items, even at significant risk.
"Everyone hopes for an overwhelming victory in war, but it’s not that easy. It’s not just about the opponent’s displayed strength. Even before, without considering the Divine Beasts, we weren’t at an advantage."
Shrugging, Feng Yuan said helplessly. From the start, humans in the main world were at a disadvantage, only appearing dominant due to the presence of Divine Beasts.
Even so, when real fighting breaks out, there’s bound to be casualties. Perhaps precisely because of this, they chose to bide their time and wait for the right moment initially.
