The crowd frowned in deep thought. In truth, by this point in the discussion, everyone had a good idea of how many slots were missing. The problem was that the Great Maelstrom appeared unpredictably, with its last appearance occurring decades ago. And now, rumors abounded that this time, the Maelstrom would be much larger than in previous occurrences. Families and clans with the qualifications to learn about this secret immediately sprang into action, desperately vying for more slots.
After the Battle of Unfallen City, it became even harder to keep this matter a secret, so when many families learned the reason, they too responded eagerly. As a result, there were as many families showing “sincerity” as there were fish crossing a river. This made it impossible to determine the allocation of slots based on sincerity alone.
At that moment, a stern, imposing man harrumphed, “Sincerity? Sincerity towards me does not necessarily mean sincerity towards you. How can we compare this? It’s all just a muddle. Furthermore, if sincerity is set as the foundation, won’t some families want to ‘supplement’ their sincerity?”
Several people in the conference room immediately furrowed their brows. Indeed, as this man said, the concept of sincerity was inherently vague. The real decision still rested on how much each person in the room was willing to support. If sincerity could change, it would introduce countless variables. Those in the lead naturally did not want any new complications, while those short on slots hoped to use this opportunity to turn the tide.
Various expressions crossed the faces of the gathered, as they quickly calculated their next moves. The remaining slots were few, and it was time to reveal their final cards.
Just then, the elderly man sitting at the center reopened his turbid eyes and swept his gaze over the crowd. Though he looked on the brink of death, everyone trembled and their faces paled when his gaze fell on them. One person’s chair even cracked open!
The atmosphere in the conference room changed instantly. Everyone reined in their aggressive postures and turned to look at the elder. This reminded them that the man in the center was truly the pinnacle of the empire. Compared to the Eternal King, one of the two Heavenly Kings and the current Emperor’s great-uncle, the power they wielded seemed quite paltry.
The Eternal King, in his slow, rusty voice, said, “The Great Maelstrom trip, to merely create a few God Generals, is that so important? Important enough to put aside the fate of the nation’s war?”
An old man in a marshal’s uniform sneered, “The war for the nation’s fate is just Lin Xitang’s one-sided view. Humph! With such little skill, he keeps misleading His Majesty. Now, the war has fallen to this state. We are about to be kicked out of the Floating Land, and what has the Empire gained besides draining resources and losing soldiers?”
But an old man sitting opposite him countered, “Marshal Lu, that’s not quite how it should be viewed. Since his youth, Xitang has shown exceptional talent, rarely suffering defeat, and his achievements in the Celestial Derivation Art are unparalleled. The war for the nation’s fate has only just begun. It’s too early to make such a judgment.”
Marshal Lu snorted coldly, “At this stage, who can turn the tide?”
The opposing elder laughed loudly and declared, “What Lu Junyi cannot do, Xitang might still achieve. It feels like just yesterday when Xitang first made a name for himself in the Yue Land, ha ha!”
Lu Junyi’s face turned green with rage. During the Yue Land campaign, he led the army, but it was soundly defeated by the dark forces. At the time, Lin Xitang was still young and only had a minor unit. Nevertheless, he boldly led this mixed group into battle. In several subsequent battles, Xitang used his troops with supernatural skill, winning every engagement and holding off the dark forces ten times his number, allowing the Empire to regroup and ultimately drive the dark forces out of the Yue Land.
This battle solidified Lin Xitang’s reputation as the Empire’s military god and paved the way for his ascent to marshal. However, the more Xitang’s fame grew, the more embarrassing it became for Lu Junyi.
The Eternal King sighed, and the conference room fell silent again. He slowly continued, “His Majesty has already approved the war for the nation’s fate, so no further discussion is needed. The slot issue has also taken too much time and must be resolved. Since most of the slots have been determined, the few remaining won’t affect the overall picture. Let’s discuss for another hour, until midnight.”
One hour? Time was indeed tight.
Lu Junyi, with a determined look, said, “I have an idea regarding the slots, which might add another slot.”
A single slot meant an opportunity to become a God General, and that was why these powerful figures were gathered here. All eyes immediately focused on him.
Lu Junyi stated, “The slot for Qian Ye from the Zhao Clan can be reconsidered.”
Everyone was shocked. The imposing man slammed the table and bellowed, “Nonsense! Because of Qian Ye risking his life against the Dark Lady, we have so many slots today. To take away his slot now, do we have any decency left? Shame on you, being a marshal!”
Lu Junyi, having anticipated this, remained calm and retorted, “Given Qian Ye’s current condition, will he even need that slot? Besides, the Zhao Clan already has Zhao Jundu and Zhao Yuying; do they really need a third slot? Are you sure?”
The imposing man sternly rebuked, “That’s your opinion, not mine! If we do this, won’t we chill the hearts of the Empire’s heroes? Who will risk their lives for the Empire in the future?”
Lu Junyi smiled, “Is it that serious? Qian Ye won’t need that slot, so it should be reconsidered. Furthermore, an additional God General would greatly benefit the Empire. Sir, you are overthinking this.”
Another elder stroked his beard and interjected, “Qian Ye also has a Sky Wind Cloud Pearl. Once in the Great Maelstrom, it can absorb void primordial energy and transform into a prime crystal. In terms of value, it is not less than a God General. However, the grade and ability of the prime crystal depend on the holder entering the Great Maelstrom. Given Qian Ye’s current condition, it seems he won’t be able to use this pearl either.”
Many immediately fell into deep thought. The value of prime crystals was self-evident. A powerful prime crystal was not inferior to a God General. Now, with Qian Ye in a deep slumber, it seemed the Sky Wind Cloud Pearl could be reassigned.
Sir Yan was furious, but he couldn’t stand up to the group. Thus, he could only look to the Eternal King, but the latter had lowered his eyes, appearing either asleep or awake, clearly not intending to intervene further.
When the first rays of dawn illuminated Unfallen City, Zhao Jundu slowly opened his eyes. He sat with hands on his knees, exuding an immovable mountain-like presence.
The woman appeared behind Zhao Jundu and said, “Everything is arranged. From today, Young Master Qian Ye will surely not be disturbed.”
Zhao Jundu exhaled and said, “I fear the enemy might not come from where we expect.”
The woman, puzzled, asked, “Do you mean…?”
Zhao Jundu didn’t answer directly but said, “Considering the timing, the news should be arriving soon.”
The woman didn’t understand, but a guard rushed in and reported, “Young Master, urgent report from the military!”
Zhao Jundu didn’t stand up, took the report, and instead of opening it, asked, “Where is the messenger from the military?”
The guard replied, “He’s waiting outside. He needs a response from you to return and report.”
Zhao Jundu nodded, opened the report, and read it slowly. Despite his growing composure, the content of the report still made his face change, and the room’s temperature plummeted with his murderous intent.
Though the report was brief, it took Zhao Jundu a while to finish reading it. Afterward, he handed it to the woman, saying, “Take a look.”
The woman, lacking Zhao Jundu’s composure, exploded in anger after one glance, “How outrageous!!”
Zhao Jundu had regained his calm and said, “This was somewhat expected, though I didn’t think they would go to such lengths.”
“Qian Ye risked his life to repel the Dark Lady, securing this victory and these slots. And now, while Qian Ye is still alive, they are already plotting to take his slot and the Sky Wind Cloud Pearl? What kind of shameless behavior is this?”
Zhao Jundu shook his head and sighed, “To some, dignity weighs heavier than mountains; to others, it is worth nothing compared to a slot.”
The woman, grinding her teeth, said, “Do they really think entering the Great Maelstrom guarantees a God General? If it were that easy, the Empire would be brimming with God Generals, rendering the rank worthless?”
Zhao Jundu, now completely composed, said, “But for some, it’s the difference between hope and despair.”
The woman, guessing something, snorted, “It’s probably the Song Clan’s wastrels, acting like desperate dogs. The Bai Clan isn’t much better; their old fogeys only live a few years longer than Lady Anyue.”
Zhao Jundu chuckled, “Critiquing government affairs can be a serious offense if overheard.”
The woman sneered, “Whoever dares to report me, I’ll kill them all!”
Zhao Jundu changed the subject, “How is Qian Ye?”
“Stable, no changes.”
Zhao Jundu nodded, “Good. We might not get the slot back, but no one will take the Sky Wind Cloud Pearl.”
“Who will infuse it, then?” She clearly knew the pearl’s secrets.
“If Qian Ye doesn’t wake up in time, I will.”
Her surprise was evident, but knowing Zhao Jundu, she realized he had already made up his mind and wouldn’t change it.
She sighed and asked, “How will you respond to the military?”
Zhao Jundu, having already planned his response, instructed, “Bring the military personnel in.”
Soon, a brigadier general and a lieutenant colonel stood before Zhao Jundu. Sending a brigadier general to deliver a message was quite a high-level arrangement.
The brigadier general, holding a higher position in the military, bowed respectfully, “General Jundu, have you read the report? Please give your instructions so I can return and report.”
Zhao Jundu waved the report, smiled, and rubbed his hands, turning the paper to ashes!
“Report? What report? I never saw anything.” The brigadier general’s mind went blank.
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