In the silver-white, technologically advanced guest room, the deputy's expression was somewhat dazed, his steps hurried and rushed, stumbling as he pushed the door open.
This made the leader frown.
And with guests present.
He put on a stern face, "Calm down! I've said it before, no matter what unexpected events occur, you must remain calm and composed. Only in this state of mind will one not lose their footing or resort to foolish tactics."
Seeing the deputy take a deep breath and gradually stabilize, the leader continued, "Speak, what is the situation in Donghuang?"
"Donghuang..."
The deputy's breathing became rapid again, and after a pause, he said, "Donghuang withstood the super tidal wave, and... and almost without a scratch!"
*Crack—*
The stirring stick in the coffee cup was directly crushed by the leader.
His expression changed slightly, "Are you sure? Do not speak carelessly!"
The deputy said very seriously, "I have reconfirmed the intelligence multiple times, and it comes from several scouts, cross-verified, with a reliability of up to 99.9%!"
He presented the intelligence.
It came from multiple sources, not only detailing the situation at the western defense line but also at several other main defense lines.
There were even photos. Though taken from a considerable distance, the leader immediately recognized the ground full of craters and ravines, and the horrifying corpses tens of meters long lying across the land.
"Those are the remains of a Cataclysm-level sinister creature!"
*Bang—*
The white cup fell, shattering on the floor.
It was the coffee cup in the hands of the Tidal Messenger that had slipped unconsciously. Staring at the intelligence reports, his eyes were vacant, and his shock was undeniable.
"This is impossible, this is absolutely impossible..."
How could this messenger be more distraught than himself?
The leader was bewildered.
The Tidal Messenger flipped through the intelligence, and after a long while, he reluctantly looked up, "You do not understand the terror of a million-level sinister tidal wave. They cannot be killed even if they stand still and are slaughtered. Even if one could win, it would never be a victory without a scratch. It would come at an extremely high cost."
"And, that cost would be borne by whoever supported the Great Oasis of Donghuang!"
The Tidal Messenger's brow furrowed, "Is this all? Is there no more specific information on how the super tidal wave was eliminated?"
"This is all. After all, time was too short. However..."
The leader said, "It is still difficult to obtain detailed intelligence. The battlefield in Donghuang has already been cleaned up. Unless, we can find a way to trade for information with Donghuang."
The Tidal Messenger showed a flicker of interest.
The leader did too.
After concluding the reception of the blue-robed messenger, the leader immediately summoned several advisors to ask for their opinions.
An awakened subordinate named Burt said, "Leader, from the current situation, the Great Oasis faction that cooperates with Donghuang is likely stronger than the Tidal City-States, or rather, more willing to invest. Donghuang now also likely possesses more intelligence."
"I propose that we, under the name of the White Eagle Federation, convene a world conference on the topic of 'discussing the future direction of Blue Star'."
"Firstly, in today's increasingly severe global disasters, such a conference is very necessary; secondly, it can help restore the declining global influence of our White Eagle Federation; thirdly, it can use the pretext of the conference to try and obtain more specific news from Donghuang about the tidal wave battle; fourthly, it can be an opportunity to establish cooperative relationships with the Great Oasis faction that supports Donghuang, and even win over that mysterious faction to our side."
"We are indeed partners with the Tidal City-States, but that does not mean we cannot have a second partner."
This was a plan with four objectives.
The leader agreed.
"Proceed with this plan."
...
...
In the Water Marsh Base City, to the north, the Heartfire Training Camp area, shrouded in a faint white mist, resembled a fairyland.
Fang You sat in a pavilion, sipping tea, his gaze fixed on the empty coffee table in front of him, while he browsed the panel information.
He was organizing and statistically analyzing.
The harvest this time was immense. Excluding the substantial Destiny Points for which he had not yet drawn cards, the remaining items and resources could not be stored in a warehouse gathering dust. They needed to be quickly converted into more direct value.
"Sinister Crystals, currently 600,000 remain in total. However, 100,000 are allocated to Shallow Red as a precaution and cannot be used. The remaining 500,000..."
"Allocate 250,000 to the forging department. A portion will be used as reserve energy for the Sinister Crystal Cannons, and another portion will be used to have Master Wang Chui quickly manufacture a second and third Sinister Crystal Cannon, aiming to have them ready for the next city defense battle."
"Alright~!"
Xiao Huan said brightly.
Fang You continued to arrange things without looking up, allocating large quantities of Sinister Crystals to various production departments, leaving only a few tens of thousands for backup in a blink of an eye.
Skill Seeds, Cultivation Cards, and other items were quickly listed for exchange. Cultivation Cards could be moderately discounted.
Materials and Sinister Items, after being converted into finished products like potions and weapons, were also quickly put up for sale.
It was currently the post-war period, and there was a batch of eager Heartfire warriors ready to exchange for various items. The exchange list for Heartfire could not be empty.
Even with Xiao Huan assisting, staring at the flowing lines of data in front of him for too long made Tutor Fang's eyes a little sore.
He stood up and stretched.
However, the work was not yet finished, and he could not rest.
"How is the preparation at Huangdu Base City?"
"The personnel there have all been relocated. Construction of the base city's defensive walls is currently underway," Xiao Huan said, tilting her head and blinking her large eyes, "Director Huang is also asking when we plan to activate the high towers of Huangdu."
The relocation of personnel and the construction of the Dawn Lighthouse had actually been completed long ago.
But the Water Marsh Base City faced the tidal wave attack. Regardless of the reason, it was impossible to light up the dawn of Huangdu.
It had to wait until the tidal wave was repelled.
Fang You dialed Liu Shang's communicator, and after a while, he hung up.
"To be on the safe side, the lighting of Huangdu's dawn will have to wait another two or three days. We need to wait for the cultivation of a new batch of special seeds."
Thinking of this, Tutor Fang also had a headache.
A single tidal wave defense battle had consumed a large number of special seeds. But this was necessary. Without the giant vine walls—there were also defensive lines in other directions, controlled remotely by Liu Ji and the others, on a smaller scale—the losses in defending the city would have been much greater.
This was also why base cities needed to build defensive walls.
The population base was here, and in the future, tidal waves would still occur from time to time.
"We don't lack Sinister Crystal Cannon energy now, and the warriors will recover quickly after resting. However, due to the vine walls, the lighting of the Dawn Base City will be delayed. And this is only the second one... it's taking a bit too long."
There was nothing that could be done about the delay.
The only good news was that after Liu Shang and the others rested and recovered, they could undergo the fifth awakening. As they grew stronger, they would be able to create more value for Heartfire.
He thought.
A soft "knock knock knock" sounded at the door.
A moment later, a beautiful woman in a white shirt walked in, "Tutor, the envoy from Sword Flower City, Miss Meitisha, wishes to see you."
The woman's name was Jiang Siyun. Her strength was not outstanding in Heartfire, but her business processing ability was good.
She was currently Fang You's assistant.
Xiao Huan was a virtual secretary, and Jiang Siyun was a physical secretary, though her workload was not heavy, as the vast majority of the work was handled by Xiao Huan.
Xiao Huan: (￣へ￣)~
"Bring her over."
...
Meitisha had come to say goodbye.
After her initial shock, bewilderment, and astonishment, her head began to ache about how to report. After much consideration, she decided to return to Sword Flower City.
She would explain and report in person, and then promote the cooperation between their oasis and Blue Star.
"I see..."
The tutor of Heartfire nodded, "Since you are returning, take more gifts. I'll have Xiao Yun prepare some portable food for you later."
"Have you redeemed your points yet?"
"I have already redeemed them. Thank you very much for your generosity."
Speaking of this, Meitisha showed a hint of reluctance.
Indeed, the benefits provided by Heartfire were too many. She couldn't help but envy formal Heartfire personnel like Shi Yunxi.
She felt like she was earning more working here than in Sword Flower City.
It wasn't an illusion.
Leaving was truly a little reluctant. However, she was from Sword Flower City after all, and it wasn't as if she wouldn't come back. After some deliberation, Meitisha made up her mind.
She didn't dare to take too many gifts, for fear... for fear that she would hesitate and falter.
Seeing her like this, Fang You's heart suddenly stirred.
"Are you interested in signing a contract with me and formally joining Heartfire?"
"Eh?"
"Don't rush to refuse. You must have seen clearly these past few days that we at Heartfire are a special organization. Besides the mission of fighting disasters and protecting humanity, other requirements are very lenient."
"You are from Sword Flower City, but you can also have another identity—an auxiliary Heartfire warrior. You can enjoy the benefits from Heartfire. Similarly, within Heartfire, there are awakened individuals from mysterious departments of various countries."
"As for conflicts of interest, you don't need to worry. These can all be written into the contract."
Fang You took out a contract voucher labeled 'Class B' General Contract.
It was listed very clearly.
The core point was only one: one cannot damage Heartfire's interests and must keep core secrets. However, at the same time, it would not force the contractor to do things that violate their own bottom line.
Other than fighting against sinister creatures, there were no other requirements.
This contract was as lenient as it could be!
And it was the same as what she had seen these past few days—all tasks were taken freely, with a sole focus on fighting sinister creatures and saving the world.
"But aren't you a Blue Star faction?"
"Our organization started from Blue Star, but we are not limited to being a Blue Star faction."
"Fighting disasters and saving the world is our purpose. However, disasters are not limited to Blue Star. The source of disasters is that unspeakable existence at the deepest part of the Sinister Realm."
"You want to..."
Meitisha covered her mouth, her eyes filled with terror.
The tutor remained calm, with a faint smile, "Someone has to fight against disasters. While slaying gods may be unattainable, if one doesn't even dare to think about it, how can miracles be born?"
"Our goal, you see, is towards the stars and the Sinister Realm..."
"To ignite an unquenchable fire."