Chapter 232 - 230: Arrival at the Advance Party Camp

The Hei Race, one of the stronger combatants among the Twelve Clans, had a clan territory far inferior to that of the Xi Race.

All clans relied on groundwater to survive, but not all were fortunate enough to possess—and continuously expand—an underground lake.

The Hei Race’s territory was situated on the edge of a cliff, surrounded on three sides by precipices to fend off the "Corpse Calamity." Their only water source was a spring no thicker than an arm, located in a deep pit at the foot of the mountain.

It had been crudely converted into a reservoir.

The entire clan of over 1,000 people depended on this single spring, and they had to haul water up and down the cliffs daily with stone ladles.

This was a necessary compromise in the dilemma between survival and safety.

Approaching from a distance, one could easily spot the figures of the Hei Race on the cliffs. Their black Curse Engravings transformed into tentacles or arms, helping them climb and rappel quickly.

Each clan’s Curse Engravings had their own unique strengths. It was hard to say whether their way of life created the Curse Engravings, or if the Curse Engravings shaped their way of life.

Recently, however, the Hei Race’s situation had improved significantly.

Many "outsiders" had flooded in, bringing precious resources and hope. The Hei Race had permitted their entry and initiated several cooperative projects.

They were highly vigilant at first but quickly realized the outsiders’ "wealth" and "power" far exceeded the imagination of the Twelve Clans, and they were swiftly won over.

At this moment, within the dust-blown territory of the Hei Race, Xu Mo was examining a newly produced topographical map.

The map had just been surveyed and drawn the day before. It was the product of immense effort, yet its scope remained limited.

Strange weather, interference with electronic and optical equipment, a barren land with no landmarks... developing an Exotic Realm was always fraught with difficulties, especially in the initial stages.

He drew an ’X’ over a certain area with a marker and turned his head. "Of the three people from our batch who got lost, two have returned. Only Yang Shen is still missing. This is the fourth day."

This was the conference room for the Yanhua Recon Team. The Clan Leader had vacated his largest house for them, and gathered below were all the team’s top brass.

Whether due to their strength or their position, they were the pillars of the operation here.

Deng Ming propped his face up with one hand. "Four days is a bit long. With the speed of an Innate Martial Artist, he could have run a few hundred kilometers by now..."

Xu Mo looked at a one-armed old man not far away. "Advisor Huo, are you sure we don’t need to send a search party?"

The one-armed old man was perfectly composed as he took a sip of tea. "The recon team’s resources are already stretched thin. Moreover, without a qualitative leap in our communication equipment, sending people out to search would expose them to the same dangers. According to the recon team’s regulations, it’s not a question of ’if we need to,’ but ’if we’re allowed to.’"

Huo Jun grinned, revealing a row of steel teeth. "Besides, I know that kid. He’s a natural. He’s probably off somewhere practicing his killing skills. It’s his first time in an Exotic Realm; how could he not rack up a few kills?"

Xu Mo nodded. "Then we’ll follow your decision. You are the ultimate authority here."

Deng Ming’s gaze darted between the two in disbelief.

"Seriously? Are you two for real? He’s a university student! Jiangti’s Champion Scholar! Aren’t you afraid Jiangti will come after you?"

Huo Jun said, "This will only help Yang Shen grow stronger!"

Xu Mo was even more direct. "There are plenty of Champion Scholars from Jiangti."

Deng Ming was speechless. "Fine, fine. And here I was, planning to go back and convince Xu Bamboo to come home. Now she’s a widow-in-waiting."

"One of you is his teacher, the other’s his uncle-in-law. The emperor isn’t worried, but the eunuchs are, huh?"

Xu Mo glanced calmly at Deng Ming. "Deng, I have no idea what you’re talking about... Anyway, this isn’t the time for family matters. Let’s get back on topic. The massive sandstorm three days ago was a bit unusual. Our equipment detected faint source fluctuations..."

Just as he was speaking, two people walked in from outside. It was Guan Mountain with his Living Blade.

However, compared to a few days ago, the arm that was the Living Blade now had new black tattoo-like markings, a clear sign of some change.

"Advisor Huo! Professor Xu! Yang Shen is back! And he brought many people from the Xi Race with him! The Xi Race has expressed their desire to pledge allegiance!"

Huo Jun put down his teacup and laughed heartily. "I knew that kid wouldn’t just be sitting around! He’s been secretly trying to make a name for himself! Ambitious!"

Xu Mo pushed up his glasses. "He didn’t have the coordinates for the Xi Race, yet he still found them. That’s quite impressive."

The three of them walked out and, sure enough, saw a group of people entering the Hei Race’s territory, led by Yang Shen, who was carrying several large boxes on his back.

Yang Shen himself was feeling quite emotional. ’What a long detour this has been...’

"Recon team member Yang Shen, reporting in! Huo, it’s been a long time. And Professor Xu."

Yang Shen stood firm, offering a smile as he announced his presence.

"There were a few minor incidents along the way, but I brought back most of the supplies."

Huo Jun nodded. "How many did you kill on the way?"

Yang Shen: "Uh... I just got a little lost, that’s all."

"And then?"

"And then I took care of three of them along the way..."

Huo Jun nodded in satisfaction. "Very good! It seems you haven’t wasted the last six months. Sigh... My biggest worry was that you wouldn’t get a chance to kill anyone and it would hinder your progress."

Yang Shen had a moment of realization... Huo Jun had left in May, and it was now late October...

’So it’s really been almost half a year since Huo left...’

Afterward, they followed procedure: inventorying the supplies and debriefing. Meanwhile, the Clan Leader of the Hei Race began discussions with the people of the Xi Race, speaking in a local language.

They discussed things like the Xi Race’s intentions and the arrangements for the "Nameless People."

Back in the conference room, Yang Shen first caught up with everyone, especially Huo, whom he truly hadn’t seen in a long time.

He had imagined how the two of them would meet again. For instance, the Madman descending from the sky, brandishing a rifle, and emptying a magazine at him before shouting: "Surprise inspection!"

But he had never imagined it would be in an Exotic Realm.

The Madman was a Late-stage True Gang, theoretically weaker than both Deng Ming and Xu Mo, yet he was the commander here.

After the reunion, Yang Shen began his formal debriefing. Exploration in the Exotic Realm was managed like a military operation, and no procedural step could be skipped.

He explained in detail how he had gotten lost, including being ambushed by Temple Knights, being forced to kill three of them, and then stumbling upon the Xi Race’s territory by a stroke of luck.

Furthermore, he gave the Yanhua Recon Team a full report on the "new intelligence" he had acquired.

Namely, the matter concerning the "Dragon."

This decision might seem unusual, but it was actually very pragmatic.

He was one of the Yanhu People, participating in Yanhua’s exploration of the Exotic Realm. Investigating the truth behind his Uncle’s death was perfectly reasonable and didn’t conflict with the grand strategy.

Being upfront was normal; hiding it would have been inexplicable.

He couldn’t possibly kill all the Xi Race people. Even the Hei Race and the Mo Race knew about this; they were just holding back the information, waiting for the right price. Concealing the Dragon’s existence offered him no benefit.

On the contrary, if Yanhua took the connection between the "Dragon," the "Sea Beast rampage," and the "Rebel Species" seriously, it would make it easier for him to get closer to the truth.

Previously, the information about the "Dragon" had come from Jiang Xingjian and was not easy to disclose, but this time he could be open about it.

The only thing he "edited" was his own motive. He only said that he had always suspected the Sea Beast rampage that caused his Uncle’s death was related to the Gate of the Exotic Realm, and that he had accidentally learned this important intelligence from the people of the Xi Race.

As for the other details, they could take it up with the translation device. If anyone asked, the technology just wasn’t mature yet.

Inside the recon team’s command center, Huo Jun’s brow was deeply furrowed as he listened to Yang Shen’s report. Even Xu Mo had lost his usual composure.

"A Dragon? The Rebel Species created a Dragon?"

The gentle professor’s mind raced. "That’s impossible. Dragons are merely figures from myth and legend, a fusion of features from many animals with the abilities of some powerful Source Beasts added on. Nothing more."

With that, Xu Mo looked at Deng Ming, who had lived on the Dongying Remnant Island for a long time. "A three-headed Sea Beast, over a thousand meters long. Do such things exist?"

Deng Ming shook his head. "Forget a thousand meters; even three hundred meters is extremely rare. Is it possible the Noon Realm People have no concept of length and misjudged it?"

"As far as I know... humanity has never once captured a 300-meter Sea Beast in recorded history..."

The "Sea Cape" they had arrived on was only 180 meters long... Yanhua’s largest warship was just over 300 meters.

"There’s definitely something wrong with that number. Even if the Rebel Species could truly create such a thing, how could he transport it to the Vast Sea without anyone noticing?"

Xu Mo said, "Perhaps... it was sent over as a juvenile and grew slowly by feeding on the endless resources of the Vast Sea? After all, just because the Xi Race saw it seven months ago doesn’t mean the Rebel Species also arrived seven months ago. It could have been years, even decades."

Yang Shen interjected, "Regardless, the creature the Xi Race described is incredibly powerful. And the Hei Race knows the inside story too, but it seems they haven’t told us everything."

Xu Mo frowned in thought. "That’s normal. Don’t underestimate the cunning of clans that have struggled to survive in a place like this for hundreds of years. Right now, our relationship is purely cooperative."

Yang Shen suddenly asked a question. "By the way, what is the ultimate goal of the Noon Realm People in this cooperation?"

’These clans seem quite obedient.’

Xu Mo looked to Huo Jun. He was the commander here, whereas Xu Mo was merely the director of a research project. It was up to Huo Jun to decide if the question was too sensitive.

Huo Jun smiled. "It’s simple. They want land. Land on Cyan Blue. Almost every clan wants to move to Cyan Blue, to live in a place with sunlight and water."

"Of course, that’s impossible."

Huo Jun stroked his chin with his one hand. "People from every Exotic Realm—the Si Realm, the Fortress Realm, the Cyber Realm—they’re all desperate to get to Cyan Blue. But the one consensus among the nations of Cyan Blue is to never allow Aliens to reproduce and live on Cyan Blue in large numbers."

"It’s not just us; Europe and Magna wouldn’t agree either. A temporary accommodation would eventually become a hidden danger for future generations... Even on the Dongying Remnant Island, they just encourage interbreeding and then send the Aliens back. Only a tiny fraction are truly assimilated."

Xu Mo picked up the thread. "However, we can help the Noon Realm People transform their settlements, bringing them food, water, even electricity and a convenient lifestyle. They can still live in their own world, but their conditions will be much better."

"When it comes to individual exchange, we are of course willing to attract a small number of talented individuals. But to give them a piece of land on Cyan Blue... whether for founding a nation or for a clan to own, that is absolutely impossible."

Cyan Blue has no shortage of uninhabited land, but that doesn’t mean it can accept Aliens coming to its lands to proliferate.

"Of course, this process takes time. That is the premise of our cooperation."

Yang Shen nodded. "I understand."

With the digression over, Huo Jun slapped the table.

"I will send someone back to Harmony Island to report the ’Dragon’ situation. If it’s in the nearby waters, our sonar might be able to find it. True or not, we have to look."

Xu Mo was clearly also very interested in the Dragon. "In my research group, there’s someone named Liu Xi. She has mastered Martial Arts specialized for aquatic combat and exploration, and she’s from the ’Biological Domain.’ She can participate."

Huo Jun nodded. "Also, Yang Shen, the Xi Race has expressed their intention for deep cooperation. I’ll request a commendation for you. Well done, kid! You’re truly a good student who loves to kill!"

Yang Shen’s face scrunched up.

’Boss... please stop talking....’

’My stats are only a measly 22/0/33... It’s not that big a deal!’