Chapter 308

Regarding 【Permanency】, Su Nai had only mentioned it in passing, but Gao De had secretly taken it to heart.

Although there were no Fifth-Circle mages in the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe yet, in Gao De's view, that was merely a matter of time.

On one hand, Su Nai's progress in the "Greenwood Longevity Scripture," aided by both the plant essence provided by the Sixth-Rank Ice Jade Bingyu Wutong and her own super-strong mental power, could be described as changing day by day; she had now reached the late First Circle, and reaching the Second Circle was only a matter of a month or two.

At least before the Fifth Circle, for Su Nai, there would be no such thing as a bottleneck.

On the other hand, for Gao De, with Yujia Te Xila as a holy object, the Fifth Circle was absolutely within his grasp.

Even considering only himself, he had to start planning for 【Permanency】 early.

And "Astral Travel" was his opportunity.

Otherwise, staying in the Northern Realm forever, where would he have the chance to come into contact with outside mage organizations?

"I will not easily provoke high-circle mages." While his thoughts raced, Gao De nodded slightly, indicating that he took Su Nai's warning to heart.

"Is there anything else you need us to prepare for you before you leave this time?" Su Nai asked again.

"Not for now," Gao De shook his head.

The things he needed had already been prepared.

Because when traveling via the Astral Plane, one could only transport what one was carrying on their person.

So, in reality, there wasn't much Gao De could bring, as he had to consider the weight burden.

Moreover, it was still unknown where this Astral Travel would send him.

If he really brought a full, heavy pack, even if he could carry it, it would be inconvenient to move after the Astral Travel, and if he encountered danger, wouldn't he just have to abandon his belongings to save his life?

Considering these two points, for this first "Astral Travel," Gao De only prepared to bring a small amount of supernatural items that were small in volume, light in weight, but high in rank.

Once he was thoroughly settled and had a foothold, he could bring more things on the next "Astral Travel."

"You don't need to worry too much about my affairs here," Gao De paused, then continued: "Today we made Northwest Barley No. 1 public; Phoenix will not be peaceful from here on out."

"I have already made arrangements for catching the mice; as for the tigers, you will have to be the one to fight them."

For the Northern Realm, Northwest Barley No. 1 was like a "treasure" that could change the world.

Although the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe was the top-ranked tribe in the Northern Realm, faced with something so important, Gao De did not believe other Northern tribes would remain idle out of fear of the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe.

To say nothing else, the Frost Wolf Clan and the Winter Hammer were only slightly weaker than the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe, but only slightly.

Therefore, they would certainly have their own ideas, whether it be through covert means, directly communicating and negotiating with the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe to purchase Northwest Barley No. 1, or even joining forces to deal with the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe.

In this matter, nothing else would be effective; the only thing that would work was "force."

And Su Nai was the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe's greatest force.

Therefore, after the Harvest Festival, Su Nai would have to shoulder the heavy burden.

"My King, you need not worry about this matter." Su Nai gave a very simple answer to this.

Kason paced back and forth in the room, as if the floor were burning his feet; he simply could not calm down.

On the stone table in the room lay seven or eight golden wheat grains.

These were what he had struggled to catch when the Ice-born mages of the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe scattered Northwest Barley No. 1 to the crowd this morning.

There were ten or so in total; he had eaten some, and these were what remained.

Kason's gaze turned to these seven or eight golden wheat grains from time to time, and then he would walk to the doorway to peer out cautiously.

The streets were still bustling with people, each person wearing an undisguisable smile on their face, and what they were saying revolved around "New King Gao De," "Northwest Barley No. 1," and even something called the "Nongye Force"—in short, an atmosphere of joy.

Everyone was still immersed in the joy of Northwest Barley No. 1.

But Kason was different from them; there was no joy in his heart at all.

"No, there are too many people now, it's too conspicuous; I'll leave tonight," Kason pondered to himself.

That's right, he was going to leave Phoenix, and he was going to leave Phoenix with those seven or eight golden wheat grains.

Although the tribal leader's order was for him to remain undercover in Phoenix, observe any abnormal situations in the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe, compile them, and report back when people from the tribe arrived.

But the last contact was two months ago, when he had sent back the news about the new king, Gao De.

And according to the usual pattern, contact was generally made once every half year.

That is to say, he would have to wait four months before the tribe sent someone else.

But now, Kason couldn't wait another moment.

Having been an "informant" undercover in Phoenix for so many years, he knew very well what was light and what was heavy.

News as important as Northwest Barley No. 1, and he should wait four months for the tribesmen to come for contact before reporting it?

By then, let alone Northwest Barley No. 1, even the daylilies would have wilted!

"Is the prophecy really that accurate? How long has this new king been here, and he has already brought such a miracle to the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe..." While waiting anxiously for time to pass, Kason couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Although the prophecy of the War Mother Eryinlaya had spread throughout the entire snowfield, other than the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe, the attitude of other Northern tribes toward this prophecy was actually unclear.

One-third of the people believed it, one-third didn't believe it at all, and the other third were half-believing.

And Kason originally belonged to the one-third who didn't believe it at all.

After all, if this prophecy were truly valid, the Ice-born shouldn't have fallen to this point step by step.

Furthermore, as a member of the Frost Wolf Clan, a rising star, Kason had a very strong sense of identity with his own tribe.

He had always regarded the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe and the Winter Hammer as "old antiques," merely relying on the glory of their ancestors to barely maintain their current status, with nothing worth praising.

Instead, the Frost Wolf Clan, which had relied on its own efforts to reach where it was today, was the true light of the Northern Realm and would sooner or later surpass these two tribes to become the number one tribe in the Northern Realm.

With this psychology of looking down on the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe, Kason naturally held a disdainful attitude toward the prophecy of the ancient War Mother of the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe.

But now, that soul-shaking scene from the morning was still echoing in his heart, unable to be dispelled, to the point where Kason's convictions were somewhat shaken.

In the long history of the Northern Realm, there had never been any food crop that could grow on the permafrost, yet the new king, Gao De, had only just arrived, and Northwest Barley No. 1 had appeared.

This perfectly matched the content of the prophecy.

"Could the prophecy be true?"

Soon, Kason firmly shook his head again.

"Impossible, how many years have passed since the era Eryinlaya lived in? Even if she were powerful, she absolutely could not have seen things so far into the future through a ritual spell!"

Amidst Kason's anxious and contradictory thoughts, time slowly ticked away.

"Knock—knock—knock!" Just then, Kason heard a knocking sound coming from across the door.

He walked to the window and looked out.

Two Ice-born mages wearing special animal-hide clothing were knocking on the door.

Seeing their iconic attire, Kason recognized their identity; they were members of the Security Bureau.

He had heard that this Security Bureau was like the Nongye Force, also a gadget cooked up by the new king, Gao De.

He didn't know what this Security Bureau was for; he only saw them wearing uniforms all day, not doing any work, just wandering around the city all day, supposedly patrolling. Patrolling? What a joke, Ice-born mages not going hunting but wasting time in the city?

It was as absurd as the Nongye Force—some time ago, the main work of the Nongye Force was leading people to reclaim the snowfield outside the city.

Reclaiming the snowfield, what a joke? What could they do after reclaiming it, grow moss? But after today, the disdain in Kason's heart had subsided quite a bit.

Because the Nongye Force's act of reclaiming the snowfield had already proven its rationality.

So, looking at it this way, perhaps this Security Bureau also had some uses he couldn't imagine? Thinking this, Kason saw the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing tribesman across the door open the door, and after saying a few words to the two Security Bureau members at the entrance, the latter hurried away to knock on the door of the next residence.

Kason didn't hear the content of their conversation; after all, they were a street away, and the Security Bureau members were all Ice-born mages with powerful perception, so he didn't dare get too close.

However, he didn't take this matter too much to heart.

Kason's mind was now entirely focused on Northwest Barley No. 1.

Finally, the sky gradually darkened, and the pedestrians on the street became sparse.

Kason no longer hesitated; he put on his animal-hide cloak, tied his belt, straightened his clothes, packed his luggage simply, took the seven or eight Northwest Barley No. 1 seeds, and walked out of his door.

In a version without a single error!

Somehow, the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing tribesman across the door happened to leave his house at this time, and he bumped right into him.

"Going out so late?" the other person asked in surprise.

"Just going out for a walk." Kason casually made up a reason that wasn't a reason, and without waiting for the other person to reply, he walked straight away.

He didn't care whether the other person believed him or what the other person was thinking; he was just an ordinary Enduring Enduring Zhenbing tribesman, not even possessing Ice-born blood.

Kason's identity in Phoenix was that of an Ice-born mage from a small tribe; this small tribe had perished in a beast tide more than a decade ago, and he was the only survivor. After losing his tribe, he groped his way to Phoenix and settled down there.

Of course, this was all fabricated, and there were many flaws; as long as one checked, they would know that the tribe he spoke of didn't exist at all.

However, in Phoenix, no one cared about his identity.

Kason walked along the street toward the city gate.

The snow on the main street had just been cleared yesterday, and in a corner of the main street, there was a complex of buildings that had just started construction a month ago.

It was said to be the new king Gao De's order, and no one knew what was being built, but a huge piece of open space had been requisitioned.

When he was almost at the city gate, Kason saw the guards of the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe.

He tightened the package on his body, feeling a little nervous—even though the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe never had a process of checking people leaving the city.

Just as Kason walked to the city gate, shouts and rapid footsteps suddenly sounded behind him.

His heart tightened, and before he could react, the two Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe guards in front had already closed in, blocking his path.

In an instant, Kason was surrounded.

However, Kason still held onto a fluke mentality, thinking that perhaps they weren't coming for him.

"Kneel down, raise your hands!" The next moment, his fluke mentality was crushed by the footsteps catching up from behind.

It was the so-called "Security Bureau members."

How was he exposed? While kneeling, a strong sense of confusion arose in Kason's heart.

He hadn't even left the city yet, and they could discover him; when did the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe have such powerful ability and efficiency?

Was this Security Bureau really that divine? City Hall.

A stone lamp stand stood in a corner of the room, with flames burning brightly.

The room was filled with the fragrance of herbs, which came from a type of moss unique to the Northern Realm; after it was air-dried and added to lamp oil to burn, it could emit a unique fragrance.

Su Nai sat on a stone chair, flipping through the parchment on the table.

This was Su Nai's office, right next to Gao De's office.

To be honest, the environment was very simple.

But in the Northern Realm, one couldn't ask for too much; elegance had nothing to do with this place.

She was reviewing the summary information of the Jin Hui Farm.

Regarding the Nongye Force, except for Gao De's initial guidance, the later coordination of personnel, specific handling, and so on were actually all handled by her.

This was the tribe's top priority, so Su Nai spent most of her time on it.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Su Nai put down the parchment in her hand and said softly.

"War Mother, we've caught another mouse, and this one is a big mouse..." The person who pushed the door and entered was her former supporter, the Fourth-Circle Ice-born mage Elder Elder Lanwen... no, he should be called Deputy Director Elder Lanwen now.

"Oh?"

"It's someone from the Frost Wolf Clan!" Elder Lanwen stepped forward and placed a package on the table.

"There is a scroll of parchment in the package, which records some information about the tribe, and there are seven or eight Northwest Barley No. 1 seeds. The person is still being interrogated; he doesn't have a tight mouth, so there should be other gains soon."

"Thank you for your hard work." Su Nai nodded slightly, while counting in her heart.

This is the seventh one... it's only been a day, and they've caught so many informants from other tribes, and even an informant from the Frost Wolf Clan.

"It's not hard work; we just received the news and were responsible for making the arrest..." Speaking of this, Elder Lanwen couldn't help but exclaim, "My King's idea is truly wonderful."

When the Security Bureau was first established, Gao De had a conversation with Elder Lanwen and Kaitelin about how to ferret out informants from other tribes hiding in the city.

In that conversation, Gao De believed that Phoenix was so large that if they wanted to rely solely on the Security Bureau for "supervision," let alone fifty people, even five hundred wouldn't be enough.

They had to mobilize the power of the masses and let all Enduring Enduring Zhenbing tribesmen become the eyes and ears of the Security Bureau.

Although he obeyed Gao De's orders on the surface, he was somewhat dismissive of it in his heart at first.

Not to mention whether the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing tribesmen had the heart to help them do these things, even if they did, how could they do it well? Since they could become informants, they must have a certain "professionalism," and how could ordinary tribesmen discover their flaws?

Thinking as he did, Elder Lanwen still followed Gao De's instructions and organized Security Bureau members to go door-to-door, urging all Enduring Enduring Zhenbing tribesmen:

There are many informants from other tribes in Phoenix who are plotting against the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe; if you discover any suspicious persons, report them to the Security Bureau immediately.

There is no punishment for false reports, and once verified, you will receive food rewards.

And the explosion of this measure happened today.

After the Harvest Festival, Elder Lanwen organized Security Bureau members to go door-to-door again, emphasizing: Northwest Barley No. 1 has appeared, and the Enduring Enduring Zhenbing Tribe will no longer have to worry about food, but those lurking informants must also be coveting Northwest Barley No. 1; you must be doubly vigilant, report suspicious persons immediately, and don't let these people harm Northwest Barley No. 1.

Better to report wrongly than to miss one.

With this, in less than a day, the Security Bureau received more than a dozen reports.

Although there were quite a few false reports, there were also no small number of real "mice."

"Bring into play the subjective initiative of the people."

The words Gao De said when he first entrusted this matter surfaced in Elder Lanwen's mind.

What a truly strange and difficult sentence to understand! (End of chapter)