Chapter 1656: Reports |
Once the base was established, the gate stabilized, allowing more personnel to descend into the Primordial Timeline. All the people chosen for this conquest were the best of the best, and their operation displayed as much. Everybody knew what to do, allowing for the base to operate like a sophisticated but well-designed mechanism. Wan Yanmei and the other commanders held a meeting with a short, elderly man dressed in ordinary black robes, with well-maintained white hair and gray eyes that had no pupils.
"Well?" Wan Yanmei asked while sitting on the central throne with the other next to her.
"A powerful spell locks every ounce of information in this land," Fate Eye responded.
"Can you remove it?" Cui Yi asked.
"I could with the Metal Saint’s powers, but that will require much time, and its strength will be reduced," Fate Eye explained. "But if you want to completely eliminate it, we would need to conduct Operation Fate Embezzlement."
Wan Yanmei grunted.
"It’s always a tricky situation every time we interfere in a timeline’s River of Fate — even if it’s just a branch," Cui Yi stated.
"I am merely offering solutions. The choice lies with you," Fate Eye said nonchalantly.
"At the minimum, 50,000 Yuan Epoch."
"That’s too long," she muttered. Too much can happen in such a long period. Information is key in war, and spending such an extended period with the basic information Time Eater brought would be suicidal. Everything is proceeding smoothly for now, but war is one of the most unpredictable things in the world. And as someone who understood this truth, Wan Yanmeid did not want to jeopardize the mission.
"I can reduce the time needed if you allocate a part of the destiny gathered to my department," Fate Eye explained. "The more destiny I have, the shorter the process will take."
"Very well," Wan Yanmei nodded. Although this would slow down the time needed to complete the gate, the exchange is worth it since the gate will become useless if everybody dies and this mission fails. Furthermore, the situation can be remedied if they kill this world’s cultivator as fast as possible to take their blood, soul, and destiny.
Fate Eye saluted the group before walking out. Soon afterward, a woman with a translucent body, a blue hanfu, and deep red eyes, floated into the room. Yin Xiulan bowed before reporting her findings: "We have failed to contact the other pawns because this world is isolated by the Hong Protective System."
"Didn’t you receive the design for the system?" Cui Yi asked. He remembered this was a part of Time Eater’s report.
"We only received the surface-level of the design," Yin Xiulan replied as she glanced at Time Eater standing behind Wan Yanmei’s throne like a royal guard dog.
"And that wasn’t enough to find a solution?"
"The array is a brilliant design, and one of the best we’ve seen, but that is not why I currently have no way to deal with the problem," Yin Xiulan explained. "The creator seemed to have further improved on the design, and more importantly, Heavenly Dao has elevated the system into a Saint Array. So, if I want to deal with it, I will need to use the Metal Saint’s power."
"That’s not possible," Wan Yanmei stated. "The Fate Department has already been granted permission, and before headquarters can send another Metal Saint, we cannot weaken the current one any more than we have to."
"Is there a way for you to solve the issue without using the power of a Saint?" White Saber asked.
"Hmm," Yin Xiulan muttered. "The protection system allows citizens of this world to leave, depending on the circumstances." — She looked at Time Eater. — "Maybe I can use his identity to send something out."
"Isn’t my status revoked?" Time Eater asked.
"Yes, but I can still use the fact that you used to be a citizen to accomplish my goal," she replied with a small smile on the corner of her mouth and a look of great interest. A chill ran down Time Eater’s spine, so he swiftly asked: "Will it be dangerous?"
"I don’t know, but I guess we will find out."
"I —"
"Go with her and do as you’re told," Wan Yanmei ordered. "And you — keep him alive; he’s still valuable."
"When you say alive —"
"You know what I mean."
"What’s the fun in that?" Yin Xiulan sighed. "Come, follow me." Time Eater left the room in a dejected mood.
"Don’t go too far with him, or he’ll become an unstable variable," White Saber warned as he looked at Time Eater’s back.
"Does he dare?"
"Just because we control him doesn’t mean he’s loyal," Cui Yi added. "You should have experienced how some cultivators would rather choose death than humiliation."
Wan Yanmei thought briefly. "I will keep things measured." Cui Yi and White Saber nodded, and the topic ended. Another person entered the room, and a hint of displeasure flashed in their eyes. A young man with an exquisite face, arrogant smirk, and dressed in a luxurious gold and white robe, walked into the room. The interesting part is that his feet never touched the ground as they remained 2 inches above the floor.
The man’s entire demeanor or vibe screamed excessive wealth. Wang Wei once developed the ability to sense how much treasure someone has after he first saw Chen Chen, but his eyes would turn blind if he laid eyes on this man.
"Mei’er, you look as beautiful as the last time I saw you."
"Do I know you?"
Fan Leiwei’s confident smile immediately faltered. He had anticipated many responses, including reprimand for using such an intimate term, but he never thought Wan Yanmei would pretend she didn’t know him.
"Mei’er, there is no need —"
"Call me these words again, and I will have you imprisoned for insubordination," Wan Yanmei said. "This is not home, where your Fan Clan can cover the sky. This is a military outpost on an active mission — and not just any mission, but one of the highest order. If you cannot control yourself, I will use military law to kill you, and I promise that even your doting father will not be able to save you. Is that understood?"
"...I understand," Fan Leiwei responded with a stiff face.
"Good. Now, on to your report."
"The-The-Their time boat is a cheap copy, so I’ve already recreated a blueprint. As long as we find the material and grow it ourselves, we can add a cheap but numerous Time Boat Legion to our arsenal."
"That’s good to hear. You can have as many people as needed to search for the materials," Wan Yanmei nodded. "What about the puppets?"
"I’m still working on it, but from what I’ve gathered, they may have created a cheap method to rapidly produce a vast quantity of puppets. Their technique seemed quite unique, and once I’ve recreated it, the benefits will be immense."
"You should probably work faster," Cui Yi said.
"Oh? And why is that?" Fan Leiwei said with a vicious stare. He might be scared of Wan Yanmei because of her status as the First Commander and because of her family, but why would he care about someone like Cui Yi with no background or support?
"I noticed many of our boats and puppets were captured, meaning the enemy has the same idea as us."
Fan Leiwei wanted to sneer at these words. How could these people who have lived all their lives stuck in one timeline be capable of recreating the masterpieces of the Divine Timeline? These boats and puppets were the result of combining the knowledge of dozens, if not hundreds, of timelines. However, he remembered the uniqueness of the runes from the enemy’s boats.
Fan Leiwei was arrogant, but that doesn’t mean he was useless. As a matter of fact, his presence in this mission was proof of how capable he was. His knowledge and abilities granted him a keen eye for detecting talent. When he studied the boat’s runes, he peeped at a unique Rune System probably created by a very talented individual. While runes alone could not guarantee someone could recreate the puppet’s blueprints, he could not help but be worried.
"I’ll take your words into consideration," Fan Leiwei replied calmly. He then reported a few more things before walking out of the room.
"This went better than I expected," Cui Yi commented.
"He’s not stupid, so he should understand the importance of this mission," Wan Yanmei commented. Fan Leiwei’s arrogance was the result of his immense talent and his doting father, who is a Tribunal Saint. However, everyone who participates in this mission understands something: no one — no matter how good their relationship might be with the Highest Sovereign — will be able to escape if they mess up this mission. The Primordial Timeline Conquest was a double-edged sword, and everyone who signed up understood this concept.
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