In the depths of despair, revenge at any cost—if that’s the case, Maomu City might very well become a target, because the enmity Feng Yuan harbors is not insignificant. However, Feng Yuan feels this possibility is relatively low, because they might not think that way.
Aside from the Mordan Empire, after all, the other side can somewhat foresee the future. Unlike the current hopeful other empires, they truly have the ability to see through the truth.
"Sigh, still a bit uneasy..."
After finishing the fried small fish, Feng Yuan sighed, washed his hands with the clear water in the lotus bowl next to him, and summoned the Ancient Black Book to write with his finger. Veronia suspiciously looked at Feng Yuan and said,
"What are you planning now?"
"A little more insurance brings more peace of mind, and if nothing happens, even better."
Feng Yuan smiled without offering much explanation. After a while, he closed the Ancient Black Book, not continuing the topic. Veronia noticed that as Feng Yuan closed the book, it seemed to become slightly ethereal, leaving her unsure of what he was up to.
But being able to cause changes to the Ancient Black Book... could he have placed something dangerous in Maomu City?
Though curious, Veronia didn’t bother to ask, since in the current situation in Maomu City, no Divine Beasts would come here. Even if Feng Yuan did something, it presumably wouldn’t pose much trouble.
"Let’s take a walk by the paddy fields of Bian Shui Fort today; for transitioning... I’ll inform them in the afternoon."
Putting away the Ancient Black Book, Feng Yuan continued to eat and, recalling something, said to Veronia. Glancing at Feng Yuan, Veronia replied,
"Paddy fields? There’s not much fun there, it seems."
"Bilu Mushroom should still be busy there; I want to tease Bilu Mushroom."
Feng Yuan chuckled and said, regarding attractions... without considering the cultural environment, they seem quite similar. It’s only with the integration of culture and local Spirit Beasts that distinctive features emerge.
Of course, Bian Shui Fort is slightly lacking, after all. Previously, this was just one of the many common waterside villages in Cha Mu Town. Even after tourism development, it still seems lacking in features.
"Hmm, bullying Bilu Mushroom? You really are bad."
Glancing at Feng Yuan, Veronia didn’t say anything; it wasn’t Agunas, and Bilu Mushroom wasn’t just a wild Spirit Beast. Moreover, Feng Yuan likely wouldn’t really do anything bad to Bilu Mushroom, so she naturally had no reason to intervene.
Compared to Feng Yuan’s leisure, Qi Chen and his group were quite busy. Since not all the garrison troops had been recalled, to ensure safety, the scheduling intensity was naturally higher. Besides, everyone understood that if Maomu City wasn’t attacked, all was well; but if it was, it would undoubtedly be a desperate assault.
Therefore, everyone was on high alert, wary of a potential backlash from the Imperial people.
As for the Cha Mu Town leisure trip? Though some spoke privately of it, few paid much heed, seeing as the City Defence Army’s mobilization couldn’t be completely hidden. Moreover, to prevent a sneak attack, Maomu City was making large-scale garrison deployments.
No one needed to say anything; just by looking at the surroundings, they could estimate how much impact such a leisure trip would have on Maomu City’s defense.
Inopportune as it might be, they hadn’t failed to hear about this from Beastmasters who had opted out of the leisure trip. It was hard to believe that Maomu City, aware of a major counteroffensive, would still engage in such activities.
Not to mention, if they truly were, their secrecy would have to be extraordinarily tight to keep it discreet even with such wide-spread orders.
"Yanlan, do you want to get some rest first? Though it’s only three hours until we change shifts..."
Looking at Dou Yanlan, busy writing and sketching, Qi Chen remarked with some concern while checking information on his phone. Dou Yanlan, simultaneously recording, said,
"No need, I already rested at night, and I’m not sleepy now. If there’s a sneak attack... the Data Domain isn’t an impossible passage, and the special Qi Realm, in terms of stealth, is even stronger. If they find a way to traverse the Qi Realm..."
"Also, whether the Qi Realm Timeline might seize the chance to intervene is very crucial..."
Even without the Maomu Officials’ defense plan, Dou Yanlan deduced some potential defense loopholes based on her observations. Of course, she wasn’t confident in their accuracy.
Though she had previously tried to communicate with the Commander, she wasn’t a professional in this field and had long ceased studying it. Furthermore, this was a major official operation; even if complete secrecy was unattainable, some hidden measures would certainly be in place.
If Dou Yanlan could predict their arrangements, then those people might as well give up. Thus, she didn’t expect her analyses to be significantly useful, focusing more on potential details Maomu City might overlook.
After all, they might not know the special aspects of the Qi Realm. Even if she didn’t know the notification, she had inquired when visiting Meng Binglan before, and due to the dangers of the Qi Realm, not every research institute in Great Xia was authorized to conduct studies.
Rather, research on the Qi Realm was designated by higher-ups; other research institutes couldn’t and wouldn’t conduct such research—not to mention, Maomu City only had Meng Binglan’s institute.
She wouldn’t research it, and Maomu City’s officials likely knew little; they barely comprehended the Qi Realm, even having personally experienced it with Feng Yuan.
"An attack from the Qi Realm? Didn’t Feng Yuan say that possibility was low?"
Scratching his head, Qi Chen asked in confusion. Feng Yuan had mentioned this before, noting that due to the mental pollution within the Qi Realm, individuals from the Qi Realm Timeline found it difficult to invade the Main World via the Qi Realm.
Why was Dou Yanlan still considering this?
"I don’t know if the Anti-Divine Beast Rune can counter the Qi Realm’s forces, but as a core combat power of the Imperial Timeline..."
Because of her association with Feng Yuan, she had encountered numerous high-level forces across worlds. Thus, she wasn’t as clueless about these special entities as ordinary people.
By conventional standards, the Qi Realm should be on par with the Anti-Divine Beast Rune. Previously, Feng Yuan had merely negated the possibility of Qi Realm Timeline utilizing the Qi Realm to invade the Main World. Regarding whether the Imperial Timeline could exploit it, he hadn’t given an absolute statement.
Even if he deemed it unlikely then, his assumption was based on the Imperial Timeline invading the Qi Realm Timeline—should it be a core force of one timeline, initiating backlash upon receiving an invasion, and another disturbing by taking a route, perhaps these are not on the same level.
She was wrestling with the idea that if this possibility existed, and everyone overlooked the Qi Realm’s value to the Imperial Timeline, it could potentially form a defense vulnerability.
After all, based on past experiences, observing the Qi Realm, even where it encroached, wasn’t an easy task.
"What? Are there issues on their side?"
Noticing Feng Yuan put down his phone, Veronia curiously asked, because his face had turned a bit grim post-call. Moreover, he seemed to have mentioned something about the Qi Realm?
Could the Qi Realm Timeline also be resisting inactivity? But that wouldn’t make sense, do those folks have the capability?
Surely, it wasn’t that Qi Realm Dou Yanlan encountered yet another situation? But that explanation seemed implausible; a miracle couldn’t keep happening unless a specific reason was at play.
"No, it’s just that Dou Yanlan thought of potential defense loopholes and informed me."
Feng Yuan shook his head slightly and said. Regarding Dou Yanlan’s conjectures, he wasn’t sure either; theoretically, the Anti-Divine Beast Rune and Qi Realm should be equivalent in stature. However, due to the Qi Realm encompassing all timelines, Feng Yuan couldn’t precisely ascertain the positioning of that thing.
Judging by scale alone, the Qi Realm might rank akin to the Netherworld. Unlike the Data Domain, Dream Domain, and such, the Netherworld is indeed a domain, yet it isn’t viewed purely as one.
The sheer number of Divine Beasts residing in the Netherworld far surpasses that of any other domain, not to mention the unique functions the Netherworld possesses.
Whether the Qi Realm is comparable to the Netherworld, Feng Yuan couldn’t say. Granted, the Qi Realm’s power is substantial, but its side effects are also notably significant, and its overlap with many domains in terms of rules is uniquely remarkable.
"Qi Realm... defense loophole? Hmm? Imperial Timeline leveraging the Qi Realm? That possibility does seem plausible, the anti-Divine Beast’s power being on par with ours; if not used offensively and solely to resist the Qi Realm’s pollution, they might indeed pass through the Qi Realm unharmed."
Upon consideration, Veronia spoke with a hint of surprise; it hadn’t occurred to her before, but upon reflection, it appeared... not impossible.

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