Chapter 1115

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"It's not far from Bailie. The Great Xia Nation at the westernmost end of the plains even borders Bailie." He Lingchuan remembered the history of Bailie quite well. "Twenty years ago, it even swallowed two pieces of Bailie's territory. Bailie took one back itself, and one is still in the hands of the Great Xia Nation."

"According to my earliest plan, Bailie was already in my pocket. But at that time, the State Preceptor of the Mou Kingdom specifically warned me not to reach out toward Bailie." He Lingchuan spoke of the past without any annoyance; no matter which world he was in, he ultimately had to rely on his fists to speak. He had been developing for less than a year; how could he have the strength to arm-wrestle with the Mou Kingdom? "Recently, I wanted to make a move on Bailie again, but the Mou Kingdom came to interfere again."

"Since that's the case, the plan for Bailie will have to be put on hold." But time was precious and could not be wasted. "I don't know much about this world; in the past, I just circled around the Yuan Nation, Beijia, and Lingshan. Now that I have time, I want to take a trip to the Flash Gold Plains to see the customs of the small nations."

This world was not composed solely of Beijia and the Mou Kingdom.

If he wanted to explore the truth of the world, he should first understand the full picture of the world—the deeper and broader, the better.

"Furthermore, taking Bailie is only the first step for us to step onto the land." Bailie was good, but Bailie was too small to contain his true ambitions. "There should be planning for the follow-up as well."

For someone like him, looking three steps ahead for every one step taken was basic operation.

The Soul-Sucking Mirror was startled: "You, you aren't thinking of anything regarding the Flash Gold Plains, are you? Didn't you just say that it's a land abandoned by heaven, where anyone who enters has to step in mud?"

"Long-term chaos must be governed. Yet the Flash Gold Plains has been in long-term chaos without being governed; that likely means something is stuck in this pattern, preventing it from taking effect." He Lingchuan picked up the small medicine bottle on the table and shook it upside down; there was the sound of water inside. This was what Lingguang had refined for him to refresh his mind. "Just like this bottle, as long as you pull out the stopper blocking the mouth, the medicinal liquid can naturally flow out."

Zhong Shengquan in the Panlong world also wanted to expand outward after consolidating the Panlong Wasteland, while the nations to the south were in utter chaos.

He Lingchuan had a premonition that as soon as he took Bailie, he would likely face this problem soon too. Because to the east of Bailie was the Flash Gold Plains, to the south was the sea, and to the west were the Qing Kingdom and the Mou Kingdom.

Calculating back and forth, it seemed he and Bailie could only expand eastward.

The predicament of Panlong City and Zhong Shengquan was like a rehearsal of reality.

Zhong Shengquan seemed still at a loss, and Lingshan had also once returned from the Flash Gold Plains in defeat, so what about He Lingchuan? Of course, this was not his urgent priority at the moment, and the many thoughts just flashed through his mind before settling down.

Observing the Flash Gold Plains with questions in mind might be more helpful to him.

"I've also heard that both large and small gods have planted their own forces in the Flash Gold Plains; a single country often has over a dozen types of temples." He Lingchuan stroked his chin. "I also want to come into contact with a few more gods and open up a few more sources of information; I can't be limited to one or two small gods like Shinan."

Shinan was not a good thing either; if He Lingchuan only came into contact with a few heavenly gods, being taken advantage of for being familiar would be a minor issue.

At the very least, Shinan still refused to tell him what kind of turmoil had occurred in the divine realm.

For such a world-shaking event, he just couldn't find a god to ask.

There were many small temples on the eastern islands, but most gods ignored him. Besides Shinan, he had also contacted two small gods, but there was no basis for mutual trust yet.

Likewise, the divine realm was not just a group of heavenly gods like the Lingxu pantheon.

Other gods could not reach their hands into Beijia, but in a place as chaotic as the Flash Gold Plains, it was relatively easy for them to build temples and develop believers.

Not all gods were high and mighty. If He Lingchuan first found a few with smaller status, he would have a way to communicate as equals.

"Then which mission do you want to start with?"

"This one." He Lingchuan picked up a thick envelope and shook it. "The theft case of the Mou Kingdom's tribute, which is the theft of the Bright Lamp Cup. Fang Canran said this case is relatively urgent; if I am willing to take on these missions, I must prioritize starting with this one."

The two missions previously completed for Lingshan had nothing to do with the Mou Kingdom.

This mission was different.

Doing one mission could earn two favors; it was very cost-effective.

He Lingchuan had designs on Bailie, so he very much wanted to get closer to the Mou Kingdom.

The deeper the relationship between the two sides, the harder it would be for the Mou Kingdom to turn against him later.

"Oh? Finally going on a long trip?"

Hearing this good news, Dong Rui specifically rushed over from Alfalfa Island and said excitedly, "I'm joining!"

He Lingchuan hadn't said he was taking him: "Shouldn't you stay on the island and study with focus?"

Did a shut-in need to go out and play? Did he?

"Occasionally, one must go out to relax and change one's direction and train of thought." Dong Rui was dead serious. "I've been diligent for over nine months; I need to relax my brain."

"You just want to go out and play, right? When you were in Beijia, you were shouting all day about finding a paradise to live in seclusion, saying this life was enough. Now that you've gotten your wish, why do you want to enter the world again?" He Lingchuan despised him. "Speaking of which, where are your research results? Bring them out!"

"Uh..."

"You spent several hundred thousand silver taels of mine; don't tell me you can't produce anything!" He Lingchuan's gaze hardened, and the murderous aura of a client emerged. "Otherwise, I'll turn you into feed for the Snail Toad!"

Dong Rui subconsciously looked toward the Ghost Ape.

It had just taken the figs handed over by Lingguang; the two monkeys sat side by side, eating fresh fruit, without even looking at him.

Dong Rui couldn't help but feel a bit resentful.

The Ghost Ape had changed; in the past, if it heard someone surnamed He threatening its master like this, it definitely wouldn't let it go.

Now? Now it just pretended not to hear.

He had no choice but to say: "The results are remarkable! If I hadn't modified and upgraded the Ghost Ape, causing its strength to soar, could the Great Dame and Second Dame have easily defeated True Lord Wood Lodging?"

The result of that battle was crucial for the Yangshan Archipelago, wasn't it?

"That was several months ago." He Lingchuan bluntly exposed him. "In these few months, haven't you tinkered with anything new? Where is my money? Did hundreds of thousands of taels go down the drain?"

"Of course there is. The bat has already been reborn; you will see it soon. I've also made some modifications to the Snail Toad." Dong Rui looked mysterious. "And that Child-Devouring Ghoul Beast..."

"Hmm, and?"

"Taking advantage of its hibernation, I made quite a few upgrades to it. More than half of those hundreds of thousands of taels of yours were spent on it." Dong Rui grinned. "But because of this, the time for it to be born might be delayed by... uh, a year or so. So, there's no need for me to keep guarding it here all the time."

He Lingchuan looked at him sideways: "Confess honestly, how much more of my money does it have to eat?"

Just this one Child-Devouring Ghoul Beast had already used up materials worth 180,000 taels before it was even born!

(End of chapter)