The secret realm.
Fang You stood above the clouds, observing the Blue Star.
"The erosion speed of the anomalous world has slowed down slightly, but compared to the general trend of erosion and devouring, this slight slowdown is still a drop in the bucket."
"We still haven't found any clues about the Twilight Cult. They must be located in areas where order has completely collapsed."
Within the territory of Donghuang, order was maintained. If any cultists were active here, they would soon be discovered by the investigation bureau.
The nations of Langhua, Ri Luo, and Bai Xiong, as their order gradually stabilized and Xin Huo's influence grew within these three nations, it was not difficult to root out cultists.
However, these areas still represented only a very limited portion of the entire Blue Star.
The path to restoring order to the entire Blue Star was still long and arduous.
Major powers could offer support to sustain themselves, but smaller nations were different.
Especially Africa, which had long since lost order and was constantly plagued by anomalous disasters. Currently, the entire continent was the one with the most polluted areas.
How to deal with this was also a headache for Fang You.
"The cult priests need to be dealt with as soon as possible. Anomalous beings passively devour the Blue Star, but these priests are active. They can borrow the power of their evil gods through ritualistic strength. Each one of them is a potential major threat."
Yet, they were incredibly difficult to find!
Even though he had upgraded his 'Precise Detection' to the top level, Lv7, making many invisible anomalous beings no longer able to hide, he still couldn't find any cultists.
The Twilight Cult was discovered only after they caused trouble themselves.
If they hadn't, or if they had been more secretive, it was debatable whether they would have been discovered.
He had once purchased information on this matter from Yi Yue Luoxi, but there was none.
"A method to precisely track cult priests? How is that possible!"
"Let me guess, there are some cultists active in your world right now, right? But listen to me, don't go looking for cult priests. It's too dangerous, you can't handle it."
"Those priests are avatars of Throne-level powerhouses. As long as they endure the initial period of rejection and suppression by the world after their descent, they can recover to the strength of a Fourth Awakening, a non-human realm."
"My advice is not to confront these cults head-on. What's the point of confronting them? The world being devoured is already a foregone conclusion. Just avoid these cults. If you have the spare time, you're better off exploring the anomalous world more. Finding an oasis is more valuable than anything."
This was Yi Yue Luoxi's suggestion.
It was also likely the opinion of most oasis factions.
It was not wrong, as non-human level combatants were indeed extremely powerful. Currently, Xin Huo only had thirteen people who could stably deal with Fourth Awakening non-humans.
He could only find ways to track them himself.
"And Eternal Life Technology, the Truth Association. What are the true intentions behind these two factions? Are they pawns of evil gods, or other forces?"
He wanted to know.
If they were pawns of evil gods, they must not be allowed to exist. If they were backed by an oasis faction, depending on the other party's attitude and actions, cooperation, neutrality, or hostility were all possible.
But it seemed they were hiding quite deeply.
His Xin Huo had always disdained violence, so he could only proceed from other angles.
However, Xin Huo's reach now extended to many aspects beyond just power.
Fang You scanned the status of the Apostles, began editing tasks, and pushed them out through big data.
...
On the vast ocean, a massive cargo ship was slowly plowing through the sea.
If anyone had witnessed this scene, they would have been greatly surprised.
But there was no one.
Not a single ship could be seen in the vast expanse of the sea.
This was the norm nowadays. Some ships could still be seen near ports, but it was impossible in the open ocean.
The ocean was teeming with endless anomalous beings, and without regular cleanups, their numbers far exceeded those on land.
Gradually, the deep sea became a forbidden zone for human activity, and much of the maritime trade had already been interrupted.
Not just the oceans, but the land as well. Even a powerful nation like Donghuang could only maintain a small number of railway transportations, and each train was equipped with sufficient protective forces to operate safely and smoothly.
Routes to foreign countries? They were almost entirely cut off.
Only air transport remained relatively safe, but the cost of air transport was high, and many oversized and heavy objects could not be transported by air, making trade between countries increasingly difficult.
Recently, the global situation had worsened again. It was said that even air transport had become unsafe, with more and more flying monsters appearing.
Blue Star Village no longer existed.
Nowadays, the prerequisite for engaging in ocean trade was no longer possessing a massive fleet, but whether there was adequate escort power.
There were many companies with cargo ships, but very few had the escort capabilities to ensure the safety of cargo and personnel during ocean voyages.
In Donghuang, there was a security company, Pei's Security, that was gradually becoming famous.
"Director Pei, we owe you a lot this time."
"Not at all. It's been a pleasure working with you. We both got what we needed."
Pei Hongjing raised his wine glass, a faint smile on his face.
Unlike Yi Luoxi, who toiled hard to earn money, he had long foreseen the future trend: security.
As the external environment deteriorated, and cities became isolated from each other, the importance of long-distance security forces grew, much like ancient escort agencies.
Therefore, Pei Hongjing had long ago recruited awakened individuals from the public and, using Xin Huo's channels and resources, had trained some security personnel for Pei's Security.
He was at the forefront of the times.
Not only was his income substantial now, but he could also sign favorable terms with numerous international groups, using trade connections with these companies to collect various minerals and rare metals.
These were then submitted to the organization to earn contribution points, forming a perfect cycle.
Pei Hongjing had truly struck it rich.
Without leaving home, contribution points poured in. If Yi Luoxi knew, he would probably have his eyes pop out.
However, Pei Hongjing also understood that contribution points and wealth were ephemeral, merely things to be spent, just numbers.
His status within the organization was the most important.
While seeking benefits for the Pei Group and Pei's Security, Pei Hongjing had not forgotten Xin Huo's core tenet: passing on the torch, and ensuring humanity's eternal survival!
He always put the organization's missions first.
It wasn't just about earning contribution points, but also about earning favorable impressions, especially in the eyes of his mentor.
It had nothing to do with sycophancy, but simply about doing his best to contribute to humanity's strength.
At this moment,
The mission list in his mind refreshed. Pei Hongjing glanced at it and, without showing any emotion, asked the middle-aged man sitting opposite him, "I heard that Eternal Life Technology has recently invented a drug that can slow down aging?"
"That is indeed true."
The middle-aged man said, "Speaking of Eternal Life Technology, Mr. Pei, you've come to the right person. The outside world claims that Eternal Life Technology is funded by several large consortiums, but in reality, the core of Eternal Life Technology is related to a mysterious young man."
"This person..."
...
Eternal Life Technology, Underground Headquarters in Europe.
A young man with brown hair was examining a vial of medicine with an obsessive look.
"A drug that can invigorate muscle activity and make people appear younger. This is simply divine."
"The old fogeys in those consortiums will definitely be unable to resist it."
"And more importantly, power!"
The brown-haired young man clenched his fist slightly, feeling the surging power within him.
Anderson and Katrina of Langhua, the Holy Magus and Yul of Ri Luo, Roland of Torch Town, and a few other select individuals were recognized as world-class powerhouses.
But he was also one of them, and even stronger!
Eternal Life Technology indeed required funding from multiple consortiums to extend its reach everywhere, but he controlled the core technology and the core forces he had secretly cultivated.
In the future, he would inevitably gain complete control of Eternal Life Technology, elevating it above the mortal realm.
Perhaps one day, he could truly achieve eternal life!
The brown-haired young man's face was filled with fanaticism.
And all of this originated from a treasure, a magic mirror inscribed with profound patterns.
...
In the anomalous world, within a large oasis.
A shadowy figure with a blurred face and form stood before a waist-high magic mirror, licking his lips.
"Collecting resources solely through one's own power is nothing compared to cultivating representatives and letting the native forces collect them."
"By the time we enter this world, mountains of resources will be delivered to us automatically."
And doing all of this was not difficult at all.
Just revealing a little through the gaps in their fingers could make these natives run around in circles.
Moreover, they didn't have to face the claws of evil gods, and their safety was guaranteed.
If the natives were disobedient, they would simply find another one.
If the natives performed well, perhaps they could be invited to their oasis in the future.
No matter what they did, they would never lose.
This plan was perfect!
The figure in front of the mirror praised himself, saying, "I am indeed brilliant."
...
Time passed, and secret information from various places was presented to Fang You.
And at the same time,
The first phase of the foreign trainee program was about to commence.
Trainees from the nations of Langhua, Ri Luo, and Bai Xiong would fly from their respective countries on Xin Huo's special planes to a training base located in the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
As for why Xin Huo had airports and special planes in their countries, that involved a previous transaction.
It was not worth mentioning.
This time, Ri Luo nation had purchased 50 overseas training slots.
Among these 50 people, 30 were awakened individuals and 20 were non-awakened. The leader was not a master from the Night Watch department, nor even someone from the Night Watch.
It was a blonde young girl.
Her face was as delicate as a porcelain doll, her blue eyes like a clear spring, her long dress was elegant, and she exuded an air of nobility and grace.
She was the youngest little princess of Ri Luo nation!
She also possessed extraordinary talent, able to rival a Second Awakening with only a First Awakening.
This strength was sufficient for her to serve as the leader of this expedition. Most people had no objections. Those who did had no choice but to remain silent when they considered Princess Anna's status and the purpose of this trip.
Before their departure,
Yul, a high-ranking official from the Night Watch, said,
"Our purpose this time is to learn Xin Huo's advanced training methods, simultaneously deepen our connection with Xin Huo, and gain the friendship of Xin Huo's powerhouses."
The latter was more important!
Therefore, Princess Anna, who possessed noble status and considerable strength, was the ideal candidate.
It was both a learning experience and an exchange visit.
What could their Langhua nation compare to this?
As long as they could gain Xin Huo's friendship, and thus lean more towards their Ri Luo nation, wouldn't that be more important than the improvement of dozens of trainees?!
Study abroad training (x)
Enhance friendship (√)
The plan was complete!
"Princess Anna, this team going to Xin Huo for studies will be entirely under your charge."