The camp door crashed open.

Two guards rushed in. Yang Zicang, who had been hiding by the door for quite a while, bolted out like a rabbit, veered to the wall’s base. Sentries standing watch in the distance began rushing over, but the initial flurry of activity created a gap in the patrol net.

In the dim dawn light, Yang Zicang moved with the speed and agility of a beast darting through the forest. He easily swung into the treetops to evade the searching soldiers and slipped off the mountain without being spotted by anyone.

Soldiers in the camp nervously launched a search. People from nearby camps were also roused and questioned if they had noticed anything unusual the night before. But no one—not the questioners nor the ones being questioned—had any idea what was going on.

Except for two terrified military policemen and a sentry who was hurriedly being dressed in his uniform like a superior.

Sitting in the tent, Mù·Āilǐxī(Mu Erich) stared again and again at the modified withdrawal documents in his hand.

“A Fogfolk, it must be him—he’s not dead! “

Not only was he alive, but Mù·Āilǐxī(Mu Erich) realized, that Fogfolk had also taken an interest in the situation here! A shiver of alarm ran down his spine; that guy had unhesitatingly set his sights on this place. Did he have no scruples about the military at all?

No!

Müllerich answered for that Fogfolk, who had taken his king-granted ceremonial pistol, leaving behind only a single bullet.

If it were him, he wouldn’t have even dreamed of such things. But those bastards just went and did it without a second thought… How infuriating!

Shuff, shuff! He quickly rotated the papers in his hands, staring at the countless scribbled notes on them.

“Alright, fine. Once in a while, a slip-up like this can be understood, right? “

A decision took shape in his mind in an instant.

……

— “This is the 206th Army of the Third Fleet of the Duchy Translancia, Nan’yang. All citizens of Baoyu Village, this area is now under our command. You would be wise to cooperate. “

— “Anyone who incites unrest will be shot on the spot; those who follow will be conscripted as frontline laborers. “

From here, all that could be seen was a stretch of azure-blue waves along the shore, where several long, silver ships were anchoring.

However, the sound of the loudspeaker had already closed in. A unit of soldiers wearing uniforms with slanted/bold crossed sashes was herding the coastal people into the village.

“Feirheim’s troops are up in the mountains. “

— “They’ll be fleeing back home soon enough. We outnumber them one-point-five to one! “

shouted the dark red-capped soldier holding the megaphone.

Farther away, the faint sound of other loudspeakers could be heard, as if miles distant. Their weapons were outdated, but the loudspeaker’s volume was astonishing.

“Hello, hello! The 9th Special Regiment of the Kingdom of Felham’s Army, please take note! This is the 206th Corps of the Transian Principality’s Southern Ocean Third Fleet! This area has been taken over by our forces. Please withdraw down the mountain before 6:00 PM. After sunset, our troops will take up positions in the White Chaste Mountain Range. “

With those words, several cannons roared as they fired from the naval ships offshore, shells smashing into the uninhabited forest area, sending up plumes of smoke.

The entire afternoon was a chaotic mess, with everyone running around hysterically.

Many fled into the mountains, but weapons were set up on several peaks, and fortresses had been constructed. Unable to cross these barriers, the people scattered, lingering aimlessly in the forests along the coastline.

As it turned out, Felham’s soldiers did come down the mountain. They pressed forward like a net closing in toward the sea, fleeing refugees scattering in all directions as panicked wails filled the air along the way.

“What are they being taken away to do? ” Yang Zicang, hiding in a mountain hollow, asked the two men in front of him.

The old man looked at Yang Zicang, hesitating as if trying to say something but holding back.

“What else could it be? They’ll probably spend the rest of their lives as slaves in the mines, ” Long Mingjie sighed, shaking his head regretfully. “Too bad. If only they were as smart as us, they could have dodged this disaster. “

The old man finally couldn’t hold back and asked, “Little brother, what you said last night about that matter… Is it reliable? “

“Should be reliable. “

“Then when will it be done? Do you need us to help spread the word? ” Long Desi asked with a tone that carried a willingness to sacrifice himself. “Just give the word, and this old man will go all out. We can’t let our visitor think we lack grit, can we! “

“It’s already done. “

“Already done? ” The old man blinked in surprise.

Though he vaguely felt that men of the Fogfolk might have already set something in motion, nothing particularly unusual had happened today, had it?

Yang Zicang, holding a round brass object in his hand, glanced left and right with a faint smile. In the distance, a few people were still scattered and hidden in the woods, all betting that Fairholm’s soldiers wouldn’t bother climbing this rather steep cliff.

But then, little by little, these huddled people began to rise to their feet.

Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Long Desi stood up too. His son cast a puzzled look at his father, then turned his gaze to those in the mountain forest who now stood straight, staring into the distance at the departing soldiers.

The army heading toward the beaching landing craft had taken away only a sparse number of refugees—fewer than a hundred, it seemed.

“You, you… how did you manage that? ” The old man stared at Yang Zicang in disbelief, racking his brain but coming up with no explanation.

Long Mingjie was startled as he watched his father ramble on nonsensically, then a realization struck him.

“What? Mr. Yang, they… this, did you do this? “

Yang Zicang tucked Aqiang’s “Distribution Beacon ” into the inner pocket of his clothes, his gaze locking onto the view beyond.

“I’m entrusted by a friend to help protect his villagers a little more. “

He looked further into the distance at a stretch of green grass slope shielded from the wind by a mountain hollow. The scenery there was rather beautiful, and because it was far from the village, traces of human activity were scarce, with only a few clumps of cow dung at the edge declaring that shepherd boys would often stop by.

“Let’s go there. ” Yang Zicang pointed at that place.

“What for? “

“I want to build a grave. “

-｛Distributor May Valkyrie indicated with rich experience that I have conceived yet another ‘Radian of Glory.’｝

-｛Distributor May Valkyrie gave me a Favorable Review.｝

……

Out at sea, two drowsy individuals each claimed a corner of the small boat.

“Old Thirteen… Why didn’t you get a boat with a sail? At this rate, we’ll be rowing till who knows when… ” Yao Xiaoqin grumbled lazily.

Anxi rubbed his belly, “I say, Big Sister, why didn’t you mention that back then? How about we sew a sailcloth out of our clothes? “

Yao Xiaoqin opened her eyes, thought for a moment, glanced at the man across from her, and suddenly said with a look of disdain:

“So you really want to sew a sail, not just get at my clothes? “

“You— you woman. ” Anxi pointed a trembling finger across at the other, biting back, “Ugh, who’d be after your old clothes? Fine, I’ll figure out something myself. “

He leaned half his body out of the small boat, placing both hands on the water’s surface. The originally turbulent waves had calmed. This was his model ability—making the churning water become still!

A single, unique ability!

“Are you testing it again? Besides making the boat tilt and spin, what else can it do? “

Anxi glanced at Yao Xiaoqin. “Then why don’t you perform another dance to cheer me on? Who knows, I might have a sudden power burst and actually push the boat forward? “

“Hmph, dreaming sweet dreams. But… if you really manage to bring me to Yang Buchen’s side, dancing ‘The Lament of a Millennium’ for you is possible, you know. Consider it my thanks to you. “

“The millennium? ” Anxi froze for a moment and turned to look at her.

The woman curled the corners of her mouth with a hint of pride, looking astonishingly beautiful.

Suddenly, a streak of light struck the man’s chest.

{Has your ‘radiance’ been born? }

“Born? It was born long ago, you haven’t taken off yet, hiss… ” Realizing the implication, Anxi gasped sharply.

Frantically, he glanced at his chest and nervously tried investing ten years of his lifetime into it. Immediately, he heard the “silver monocrystalline necklace ” start working.

This scared the man so much he nearly toppled into the seawater.

“Hey! Are you okay! I just said I’d dance a little, why are you that excited! “

“Who would… Ah, the dance is precious, but so is the radiance! Quick, look—my ‘Radiant Splendor’ has been born! “

Yao Xiaoqin’s little mouth parted in shock. She immediately looked at her own wrist and, after trying to invest a decade of life into the colored stone ornament band, she indeed heard a feeble, breathy mental voice!

“That fast?! “

Upon receiving Anxi’s Telepathic Link, She Liqi let out a “Pfft! ” and sprayed out the water in his mouth.

On the secluded island, She Liqi, in a deserted farmhouse, couldn’t care less about the teacup anymore. He casually tossed it onto whatever was at hand, and frantically grabbed a sword sheath’s leather buckle from his waistband.

｛I have invested 10N into the “Bai Bingzhu’s Dual-Crystal Hard Leather Sword Sheath “.｝

｛Bai Bingzhu’s Dual-Crystal Hard Leather Sword Sheath begins cataloging the life experiences worthy of my remembrance.｝

The low hum of “Working in progress ” echoed in She Liqi’s heart. Seeing his explosive state, She Liqing and the other two—inside and outside the house—seemed to realize something. Cursing “Damn, ” “No way, ” “Oh my god! ” they started investing TiSequence into their own strange and peculiar accessories.

-｛Distributor January: Bai Bingzhu is watching my moves.｝

-｛Distributor January: Bai Bingzhu Preorders to purchase the Light of Radiance gestating within me.｝

-｛Distributor February: Di’an is watching my moves.｝

-｛Distributor February: Di’an anticipates my supply.｝

-｛Distributor February: Dersi has raised the pre-order price for this share of my Glorious Light by 5%.｝

The pre-order invitations from their respective distributors resonated in the minds of all three simultaneously.

In just a few seconds, everyone in the room was either dazed, pleasantly surprised, or dejectedly sitting by the small table.

“Boss, this Yang Buchen is way too fast, we… we’d better not… ” The dejected man saw the Lynx King glaring at him fiercely and quickly changed his words, “…go through with that thing anymore. “

“Don’t talk nonsense. “

The Lynx King cleared his throat, put on a handsome expression, and walked out the door. “Brother Anxi, I just received news this morning that Teranasi’s navy seems to have also gone to Chairman Yang’s place. Could you ask him if he still needs us to gather information over there? “

Upon hearing the Lynx King’s words, the three people inside the room clenched their fists in excitement.