"What do you think of the Mid-Continent?"
Puzzled, Ji Jue looked up.
Beneath the midday sunlight, Lyu Yingyue sat upright and austere. The faint, genial warmth usually on her face had vanished without a trace, replaced by an uncommon gravity as she awaited his answer.
"A quagmire, a hell, a battlefield, a plague, a slaughterhouse, a grave."
Ji Jue paused in thought, then shrugged. "—A cradle of turmoil forged hand-in-hand by the Federation and the Empire."
The continent at the heart of the world, once the very core of the Eternal Empire, held over seventy percent of the globe's phlogiston output and precious resources like nonferrous metals. Its landmass was double the combined expanse of the Federation and the Empire, yet its population was less than a fifth of the Federation's.
The world's most lavishly decadent plutocrats and its most utterly destitute wretches shared the very same paradise. Man-made heavens and man-made hells, the most extravagant lands of bliss and the starkest barrens—all existed there...
Or rather, such things existed everywhere; it was only in the Mid-Continent that the veil of deception had never been cast over them.
Understanding his point, Lyu Yingyue nodded and asked again, "And the situation there?"
"Murky, but obviously a powder keg already, isn't it?"
Ji Jue shook his head.
The land was vast, yet plagues and disasters ran rampant. Stripped of the Order of the Origin, it was a genuine age of the White Stag—a lawless wasteland. Seven or eight loose princely states, fifteen or sixteen radically distinct cities, and over a dozen ethnic groups with staggering disparities in religion, customs, bloodlines, and sheer wealth.
Endless legions of slaves and pariahs bathed in the desert sands, while lofty priests and state lords bathed in the sunlight. Amid their incessant scheming, the Federation constantly poured fuel on the fire.
With the old lord of the Red Nation dead, a new king had taken the throne, leaving the populace unsettled, while their bitter ancestral enemy, the White Nation, was rising again, bent on reclaiming its fallen state. The Rock Nation had long existed in name only, its subordinate warlords tearing each other apart. The Iron States scraped by without a shred of presence, and the Sand Nation had scattered in ruin, fracturing everywhere...
To make matters worse, lean years were approaching.
Natural disasters were growing increasingly frequent. The nomads outside the cities were already on the brink of starvation, yet the nobles within gave them no way to survive...
A succession of foul cults took turns stepping into the spotlight in a chaotic carnival of demons, with their leaders hailed as Saints to receive worship and faith.
At the thought, Ji Jue could not help but sigh. "In a state of misery like that, it wouldn't be surprising if the whole place exploded at any moment."
"Indeed." Lyu Yingyue nodded in agreement. "When the tension builds to this degree, all parties need a war as an outlet."
Ji Jue froze, doubting his ears. "Didn't they say the Federation wanted to maintain stability?"
Lyu Yingyue chuckled softly and countered, "Temporary or permanent?"
Realization struck Ji Jue, and he fell silent.
"In name, it's peacekeeping. In reality, it's just another round of suppression—like slapping an iron casing over a powder keg, then scoring fragmentation lines into the metal."
Lyu Yingyue sighed softly, shaking her head.
What seemed like wonderful peace and stability was merely pouring oil onto a blaze.
It was like drinking poison to quench a thirst.
A fleeting moment of calm, bought at the cost of endless peril.
All the Federation was doing was taking one massive bite out of the Mid-Continent's yields before everything fell into utter chaos, ensuring a bountiful harvest for itself.
Predictably, the Empire would follow close behind, wasting no time in plundering its own share.
"A war will inevitably break out, Ji Jue,"
Lyu Yingyue said slowly. "And this time, the scale might just spiral beyond control..."
Ji Jue shook his head involuntarily.
In the end, how could something like war ever truly be controlled? It was nothing more than lighting a fire and hoping it wouldn't burn yourself.
Yet, beyond control?
From whose perspective? Those trapped within could never control it, but those on the outside...
His mind raced, and shock struck him a moment later.
"The Federation will enter the war?"
After all, for decades, friction between the Federation and the Empire had played out through proxy wars. As the twin poles of the Origin, both sides had restrained their urge to clash head-on, opting instead for stand-in fights governed by treaties and mutual deterrence, or skirmishing quietly in small-scale friction.
After decades of this Cold War, everyone had grown accustomed to it. No one had expected a day when they would suddenly step onto the field!
But why?
The Federation's domestic situation was still relatively stable. Though internal conflicts were intensifying, the pressure had not yet reached a point where war was the only outlet.
The same was true of the Empire. Compared to its massive size, losing an emperor was hardly a catastrophe—and wasn't the man still hanging on anyway?
Why would it suddenly escalate to the brink of outright war?
"Hmm? Did I say that?" Lyu Yingyue looked as though she hadn't understood, her expression light and calm. "Perhaps you're overthinking it, Ji Jue. The Federation has vast territory and deep reserves. Even without the Mid-Continent and the Thousand Islands, it is entirely self-sufficient. What external needs could it possibly have?"
"You're right to correct me. I let my thoughts wander."
Ji Jue lowered his head, thanking her with utmost sincerity.
Overthinking? Perhaps. But who was Lyu Yingyue? If it were something she truly shouldn't say, she wouldn't slip up even in her sleep; ten Heart Pivots combined couldn't wring half a word out of her. Why would she drop such a hint to him?
It was simply that she couldn't state it openly.
Just as her question implied—with the Federation's vast wealth, abundant production, and the ability to sustain itself without the Mid-Continent or the Thousand Islands, why would it be so starved for a war? Where it once used clever extraction and exploitation bound by rules, it was now preparing to rob openly.
What was it after?
For an Origin power, sacrificing domestic stability for short-term gain was patently unwise. Once war began, everything within the established order could be flipped upside down... unless a gap had opened inside?
What sort of gap could be too massive to patch in the short term, yet so urgent that it could not be ignored?
Scattered guesses rose in Ji Jue's mind, only to dissolve just as quickly.
In the brief silence, he regained his composure.
Midtown was too far away.
Ji Jue had never been there in his life, let alone had any way to guess the thoughts of those lofty dignitaries. As for changing their course, that was pure fantasy.
The strength of the Origin lay in assembly. Once integrated, any individual standing in the way would not even amount to dust, crushed to powder by a single breath.
For now, the only thing he could do was prepare as much as possible.
Just like... wait...
He lifted his head, turning a sudden gaze of realization toward Lyu Yingyue: he wasn't the only one who needed to prepare!
"Sometimes, I really don't know whether being too clever is a blessing or a curse." Lyu Yingyue seemed to catch his realization, sighing with a wistful chuckle. "Clever children aren't very likable."
Ji Jue gave a self-deprecating smile. "Can't help it. I've been annoying people since childhood; I'm used to it."
Even though neither had spoken a word aloud, a mutual understanding had settled between them.
"Sometimes I think it's a good thing you're an artisan—immersed in research, paying no heed to worldly matters. Wherever you go, you'd be the most welcome person around. Who knew you'd stir up so much trouble even as an artisan?"
Lyu Yingyue shook her head with a sigh, stopped short, and suddenly changed the subject. "Haichao Armaments is about to undergo a new round of expansion."
"What do you need me to do?" Ji Jue asked.
"Nothing. You're just one artisan—having you wouldn't be too many, and missing you wouldn't be too few. That's your teacher's affair."
At that, the corners of Lyu Yingyue's lips curved into a faint smile. "If you really want to help, just do nothing at all. At the very least, don't go locking eyes on Xu Chaoxian when you have nothing better to do... The old fellow truly has the backbone of a mouse, and he was pathetic enough to begin with. It took ages for him to perk up a bit recently; what if you end up breaking him completely?"
Ji Jue fell into an awkward silence.
"Take a look at this." She picked up a folder from the desk and slid it across.
The moment Ji Jue took it, he saw the top-secret seal on the cover. A state-level classified document. In theory, someone like Ji Jue—skirting the fringes of the system—would be guilty of a crime just for thinking about looking at it.
The moment he touched it, the security bureau would likely be alerted.
Yet here in Lyu Yingyue's office, the seal remained dormant, as quiet as could be.
The document was not long, but its contents made a cold sweat break out across his back.
Beneath heaps of boilerplate about responding to an increasingly volatile international landscape, after mountains of justifications, it laid down one key proposition—the construction of a new harbor and garrison base to handle the maintenance of the Leviathan fleet and the construction of new warships...
As the Federation's ultimate strategic deterrent, the Leviathans were the very embodiment of the Federation's destructive power. The entire fleet was a war machine forged across generations with untold amounts of funding and resources.
Its maintenance was something ordinary shipyards could never handle.
And the resources required to construct such a harbor and base... Just thinking about it made Ji Jue's scalp prickle. Compared to that, the petty sums he had recently earned didn't even amount to a single cell on nine oxen.
The Federation was massive, so massive that once fully mobilized, it became a genuine monster. And when such a monster grew hungry, the sacrificial feast it demanded would be too vast for the world to bear.
And the construction of this harbor and base was already on the agenda.
Which meant...
Connecting this to Lyu Yingyue's mention of Haichao Armaments expanding, Ji Jue understood.
"Has site selection already begun?"
"Do you understand now, Ji Jue? Stability matters to us—it is critically important." Lyu Yingyue gave a slow nod. "War may be coming, but it cannot be now. At least, not before the harbor and maintenance base are completed."
Haizhou was not the only option. The Federation possessed a vast coastline, with plenty of locations to choose from.
And compared to Haizhou, which relied purely on geographical advantage, other regions were no less competitive. The strongest among them was without doubt Dongcheng, one of the four direct-governed cities, ranking second in the Federation in economic power.
What was a convenient location worth?
It was only a location. Once the geopolitical tides shifted, an advantage could instantly turn into a liability. Being closest to the Mid-Continent meant bearing the brunt of any strike, without the depth or defenses to absorb it.
True, from an offensive perspective, Haizhou was the best choice, but the best did not mean the most suitable... Politics was just that kind of absurd mess, caring only for allegiances and factional seats rather than right and wrong.
If Huangzhou prevailed in the factional clashes at Midtown, the garrison base might very well end up built in the middle of frozen snowfields.
And if tensions flared in the Mid-Continent and friction intensified, more people would lean toward moving the Leviathan maintenance base inland to Dongcheng.
Thus, Haizhou needed time—it needed more sunk costs!
Once the site selection and construction of the Leviathan maintenance base commenced, the entire province of Haizhou would reap the benefits. Haizhou's ties with the military would deepen once more, and possessing the maintenance base would naturally elevate its voice within the Federation.
Compared to a gale capable of lifting an entire province to the heavens, the current favorable wind Ji Jue was riding didn't even amount to a gentle breeze!
From a purely pragmatic standpoint, the one who stood to gain the most from this development was Ji Jue himself!
Once that gale blew in, the entity poised to make a massive fortune in an instant was Xinquan—an organization gradually seizing control over nearly half the wasteland's order and commanding an endless labor force of scavengers!
Therefore, peace was necessary, stability was necessary, and even drinking poison to quench thirst was necessary...
At that realization, a thought stirred in Ji Jue's mind.
"Why don't I go?" he suggested suddenly.
"Hm?"
"Since the Riot Cats are products delivered to the military for use in peacekeeping zones, it's perfectly reasonable for me to head to the Mid-Continent as a representative of Haichao Armaments to provide technical support and maintenance, isn't it?" Ji Jue said slowly. "If things get turbulent over there, I can at least be of some help."
"Very well."
Lyu Yingyue gave a slow nod. "Then you'll need to be careful. At a juncture like this, your identity might make you a thorn in many people's sides, you know?"
"Huh?"
Ji Jue was dumbfounded.
Not by the danger or consequences she spoke of, but by how easily she had agreed.
Even he didn't believe he was any sort of saint; wherever he went, things blowing up was par for the course.
The Mid-Continent was already a powder keg. If he went over and accidentally struck a spark, the entire place might go up in flames!
Besides, seeing the pleased, approving look on Lyu Yingyue's face, Ji Jue suddenly realized. "You weren't planning this from the very start, were you?"
"Haven't you always been quite interested in the Mid-Continent? Now that the opportunity is here, going to see it for yourself isn't a bad idea."
Lyu Yingyue smiled faintly, dodging a direct answer. "I remember you once put out a bounty for a wolf, didn't you? Did you pick up an interest during the rally?
"I hear quite a few remnants of the White Nation have been surfacing in the Mid-Continent lately. Perhaps you'll catch a few to study."
"...Indeed."
Ji Jue was silent for a moment, then gave a solemn nod. "You're right. Artisans do love researching strange, exotic things."
"Then go. Here is your employee badge. Starting today, you are the deputy director of the Research and Development Department at Haichao Armaments. Projects with close military cooperation generally come with a military rank, but the military's regulations are fairly strict, so they can only grant you an honorary rank of major for now."
Lyu Yingyue produced another stack of documents prepared well in advance and pushed them forward. "It's good for young people to go out and see the world. Harsh though the Mid-Continent may be, it tempers a person.
"Just one thing..."
She paused, the grave sternness on her face suddenly vanishing, replaced by an easy smile.
"Stay safe," she said. "Come back soon."
"Understood."
Ji Jue nodded, stood, bade his farewell, and left.
From beginning to end, neither had said anything more. There were simply too many things that needed no words.
Had she seen through his intentions? And if so, how much had she discerned?... None of that mattered. When the same silent accord took root in their hearts, there was no need to speak of anything else.
Beneath the afternoon sun, Ji Jue raised his head, gazing toward the rolling white foam along the distant shore.
After a long silence, he let out a wistful sigh.
Here he was, thinking he was already capable of standing on his own two feet—only to realize he was still being looked after.
*
"Right, I know."
Ye Xian's voice over the phone was as indifferent as ever; she had clearly been notified long before. "If you want to go, then go. Your path is yours to choose and yours to walk. Were you expecting to drag me, your teacher, along with you?
"If you really care about me, bring back some materials. Don't come to the workshop just to freeload food and supplies every time."
"Uh, right, of course."
Wiping sweat from his brow, Ji Jue heard the dial tone from the other end and let out a helpless sigh.
No one knew a son better than his father, and as his teacher, she understood what kind of bastard Ji Jue was all too well—pinching his muzzle shut before he could even bark.
He had originally planned to put on a show of tears, lamenting how dangerous the Mid-Continent was so his teacher might bestow some life-saving treasure.
Alas, none was forthcoming.
He would just have to figure out something himself.
"The Mid-Continent?"
Lu Feng, who had been picking at his feet and sunbathing in the guard booth, looked up with an expression of pure bafflement. "What are you jumping into that cesspool for? Tired of living?"
"Is it that bad?" Ji Jue asked in surprise.
"If you were going as a regular grunt, it wouldn't be so terrible. After all, if real fighting breaks out, it wouldn't be your turn anyway. But you're going as an arms contractor representative, right?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Then get ready for a first-class ticket on a pine box," Lu Feng said, rolling his eyes. "The ones who die the most in the Mid-Continent are mercenaries, followed by arms representatives like you... From the Federation to the Empire, arms manufacturers over there are locked in insane, cutthroat competition. Each is run like a petty warlord, each more overbearing than the last, and their methods for eliminating competitors are utterly unhinged.
"Still, if your mind's made up, go ahead. If you run into trouble, feel free to drop my name."
"Does that work?" Ji Jue asked, amazed.
"Works like a pile of dog shit!"
Lu Feng rolled his eyes. "If your luck holds and you run into one of my enemies, they'll just make sure you die an uglier death."
"No problem." Ji Jue grinned. "I'll make sure to drag you down as my cushion."
"Get out, get out, don't bother me."
Lu Feng waved him off in irritation. "You've got a good life, and you choose to leap into a cesspool... You artisans really have screws loose in your heads."
"Then I'll leave the house in your hands,"
Ji Jue said with a smile, waving goodbye. "Everything's stored at home. Just use your fingerprint for the basement. If needed, feel free to use whatever's down there."
"Heh, now that's more like it."
Lu Feng bared his teeth in a wide grin.
Only after Ji Jue left did he lean back in his chair, resuming his scrolling through short videos on his phone. Yet his eyes never truly settled on the scantily clad young women on the screen.
His mind had drifted.
People really were gluttons for punishment.
He was clearly living the dream life he had longed for, yet the moment he heard the name of his old flame, the armored interface at the back of his head began to itch...
"The Mid-Continent?"
he murmured under his breath. He switched off the screen, stared at his blurry reflection in the dark glass, gave a self-deprecating smile, closed his eyes, and let out a silent sigh.
"The Mid-Continent...
"What a bloody goddamn wonderful place."
*
"Ah, I believe I understand."
In the dim, icy underground, at the deepest reaches of the rock strata, light flickered within the containment vessel. "In simple terms, now that your humble tool has outlived its immediate usefulness, you intend to abandon it in the lonely depths of the earth so that you may seek new pursuits and indulge in wild abandon, correct?"
"Pretty much, yes."
Ji Jue nodded, his hands never pausing as he continued connecting the intricate spiritus circuits, sighing with theatrical emotion. "Useless tools can only be discarded, it seems. Truly pitiful."
"It matters not. A tool is merely a tool, and this tool will remain eternally loyal to you, sir,"
Isis assured him evenly. "Once you foolishly get yourself killed out there, I shall send out your obituary and funeral invitations.
"Would you prefer cremation or burial for your corpse?
"Assuming, of course, that an intact body remains..."
"Dead is dead; does it really matter?"
Ji Jue considered it, then gave a careless shrug. "If you like it, you can keep it."
"That would be splendid." Isis offered a heartfelt plea: "Then please make certain you die in one piece. I shall be sure to treasure it dearly."
"Will do, will do!"
Ji Jue promised with a nod, taking a step back to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
It was stiflingly hot.
Beneath the surface of Punabantu, at the bottom of a deep well far below sea level, the heat was suffocating. Yet amid the silence, countless faint whispers seemed to ring out.
As if the stone were murmuring and the water were singing.
Wisps of illusory radiance emerged from the swelling leyline in the deepest strata, roaming and spreading toward distant reaches beyond Ji Jue's sight.
Thousands of spiritus circuits and countless materials had been installed into their respective positions, converging upon the central vessel to form an integrated whole.
Finally, the items solemnly secured in place were the Ascendance Grease and the Base of Equilibrium, traded from the Lou family. Thus, the secret rite of the Spirit-Setting Fugue was fully prepared.
Linked by Gas Alchemy, Isis would soon be implanted into the entire leyline, drawing upon the essence of boundless matter to achieve her final spiritual metamorphosis.
Serving as the primary vessel of the rite to sustain the entire transformation was the most precious prize recovered from Quicksilver's workshop—the control nexus of what had once been an entire Border Realm, a forty-one-kilogram ether crystal personally refined by the Sage.
And before that...
Ji Jue drew a deep breath, drew his bone blade, and with a reverse grip plunged it into his own body—not merely into his flesh and blood, but into the deepest core of his soul.
It pierced through the complex matrix cloaking his flesh and spirit.
From the exact center, at the innermost core, he meticulously split off the most intact branch—under the control of Deus Ex Machina, ignoring the agony that threatened to devour his consciousness and soul, he severed himself and his spirit once more, dividing out the most vital fragment and matrix branch.
Within that strand of crystalline spiritus, ribbons of silvery light danced.
The essence of Non-Offensive!
As Ji Jue loosened his fingers, it drifted into the air, soaring like a living creature before plunging into Isis's flickering radiance guided by the secret rite.
Fusing together into an indivisible whole.
From there, throughout the protracted metamorphosis, the union of the three phases of gas, solid, and fluid alchemy would gradually draw upon the leyline, binding matter and spiritus. Once the Spirit-Setting Fugue took hold from within the Highest Good, she would achieve complete rebirth and remaking.
"Go to sleep, Isis,"
Ji Jue said with a faint smile. "When you wake, you will be a sacred relic of the matrix."
"Wonderful, sir."
From the dimming light came a voice that sounded almost cheerful. "I can hardly wait to join you in slaughtering foolish humans!"
"Remember to leave half,"
Ji Jue warned sternly. "We still have a world to rule in the future."
At that, Isis let out a soft laugh.
"Then it shall be as you wish."
Ji Jue reached out, guiding the surrounding matter to converge slowly, sealing the final seam as he offered his farewell: "Good night, Isis."
The flickering spiritus gradually fell silent.
Calm and serene, it sank into the deepest darkness.
Yet for some reason, she felt neither desolation nor confusion this time. Instead, an unprecedented sense of anticipation stirred within her, accompanied by feelings she could neither define nor express...
Perhaps she ought to say something at a moment like this.
Yet what should she say?
Once more, before the darkness swallowed her entirely, she looked upon that smiling face so close at hand.
As though she finally understood.
"See you tomorrow, sir."
Isis closed her eyes.
Chapter 563