Chapter 66: Doubt

“Dunzi, who are you talking to?” Just as Gu Zhuo paid and they were about to leave, an aged voice called out from inside the house.

“Father, someone’s here to buy our honey peaches. I’m going to deliver them and will be back soon!” the old man replied loudly.

Shuffling footsteps sounded, and a hunched old man emerged, squinting for a moment before instructing the old man, “Dunzi, come straight home after you make the delivery. Don’t linger outside just to gawk at pretty women. Be careful, or you’ll end up just like—”

Zhong Yuan had fled for nearly a whole day and night. By the time dawn was about to break, he passed through the Realm of a Thousand Arrays. As was his habit, he sent out his divine sense to scan the area.

It was a truly abandoned planet, and even its presence here was due to someone gathering it together with magical power.

Wangcai stepped out from behind Yang Lin, drew a metallic sphere from his pocket, and tossed it onto the ground. Several beams of light shot out from the sphere, arranging themselves into a three-dimensional map.

Jia Minghe believed the key to a decisive battle lay in drawing the enemy’s reserves into play; once those reserves were exhausted, launching a flank attack would yield the greatest chance of annihilation.

Though he was the emperor, even within his own empire, any decree he issued still required the approval of the Senate controlled by the grand houses of the realm, else it could not become law.

“See if there are any large islands along the Asian coastline, not too far from the shore,” said Xiang Qi. Since it was a strategy game, islands were easier to control than continents. If one could seize an island, it meant a solid base was secured.

Blackflame returned in defeat with his men. The losses to his troops didn’t trouble him much; what vexed him most was the loss of the trebuchet. He’d worked tirelessly to earn that siege machine, and finding another in the short term was out of the question.

Those nearby were clearly impressed by his boldness; not a single attendant had ever seen anyone refuse Princess Taiping’s requests so plainly. Even Xue Chongxun, though now an emperor, had begun by speaking softly to her. Yet, mother and son seemed cut from the same cloth.

Hearing this, Mi Lianzi showed a wry smile. Indeed, it was true—Suobulie had always been so considerate. She’d thought he was a soulmate, someone who shared her temperament, but now realized everything had been carefully planned in advance. All Suobulie’s gestures to please her were orchestrated, and the thought of it seemed so ridiculous.

After several rounds of firing, all the cannons were spent. Two barrels, cooled with water, cracked from the force of the gunpowder and were on the verge of exploding; the other two were warped beyond use. In the end, they had to cease the bombardment. The official report read: “Cannons possess great power, but cannot withstand prolonged use. New cannons break after just two firings and must be discarded.”

“Soil, stop complaining. Water always gets the upper hand—you know how it goes,” Wood said helplessly.

Shen Shisan even suspected that Wang Li had known from the very beginning that he’d become Xu Kexin’s landlord, perhaps even before Lin Lengyu did, simply because Xu Kexin lived at his house. Maybe Wang Li had planned her move from the start.

In demonfolk history, there were countless accounts of being saved by such creatures, escaping the attacks of primordial beasts. Thus, Sara always warned about them, and Xisa felt a special affection for the beast. Bai Moge knew he was being reproached for not heeding Sara’s guidance and rashly killing the creature, hence his explanation.

A stretch of ruins—after Polaris, the Five Sacred Mountains, and the Western Ox Continent had all been moved away, only blackened earth and gigantic stones remained. Not a trace of human life could be found, not for millions of miles. At that moment, eight enormous stones each bore a solitary figure seated atop them.

What the old man said was just as Xiao Han had expected. As the old man spoke passionately, a robust man entered through the door. After a brief glance around, he walked straight to Xiao Han and, lowering his voice, asked, “Are you Comrade Xiao Han?”