Whether the Plague Hegemon and the Propagation Hegemon would return to the Six Rings World was something no one could say for sure at the moment, so a contingency plan had to be made for the return of either one of them.
Alice pondered for a moment and said, "If one of them returns to the Six Rings World, we will have no choice but to activate your 'Blackmail Plan', Captain."
The Old Warrior nodded in agreement. "Yes, apart from this move, we have no way to hold leverage over a Hegemon."
Hengo added, "But whether it's the grayish-white mist or the giant black snake, they are both Hegemon-level monsters. Apart from the Captain, the rest of us have no means to subdue them!"
'Arcane' looked at Shinji.
Shinji's 'Blackmail Plan' was indeed the only means the Six Rings World had to control the Plague Hegemon and the Propagation Hegemon, but the premise was that the Six Rings World could suppress the sealed grayish-white mist and the giant black snake.
However, apart from Shinji, no one else in the Six Rings World possessed such ability.
Meeting 'Arcane's' gaze, Shinji nodded. "Don't worry. If the plan needs to be activated, I will rush here immediately!"
Alice said, "Then what we need to do is establish an early warning system to prevent being caught off guard by a returning Hegemon!"
Hengo said, "My system has recorded the methods used by the Hegemon to invade the Six Rings World this time. Give me some time, and I will definitely be able to write an algorithm to provide early warning of a Hegemon's invasion."
"Okay, then the early warning system is up to you!" Pausing, Alice said to 'Arcane', "Just a warning probably isn't enough. The Supreme Mages' magic barrier is also key to delaying the Hegemon's invasion, so you need to communicate with the Supreme Mages regarding this."
"En!"
'Arcane' nodded repeatedly.
The Old Warrior thought for a moment and asked, "Even with an early warning and the magic barrier, how much reaction time will we have?"
Hengo estimated, "I can probably buy about three minutes of warning time here."
'Arcane' said, "If I activate the power of the 'Lamp' with all my might, combined with the Supreme Mages' magic barrier, I can probably hold on for a few minutes as well!"
The Old Warrior frowned. "Are these few minutes... enough?"
The group fell silent.
A few minutes would pass in the blink of an eye. Unless the entire Six Rings World remained in a state of constant combat readiness, it was unrealistic to complete pre-war preparations in just these few short minutes.
Shinji also had a bit of a headache.
There is a saying that one can be a thief for a thousand days, but one cannot guard against a thief for a thousand days. Even if he left a shadow clone in the Six Rings World, it would be difficult to cope with an overly complex situation.
Alice thought for a while and said, "Captain, I have an idea!"
"Go ahead!"
Alice said, "If we actively expose the 'Blackmail Plan' to the Hegemons, maybe we can solve this problem!"
'Arcane' was stunned at first, then realized, "You want to use the 'Blackmail Plan' to warn both the Plague and Propagation Hegemons? If they dare to act rashly, the Six Rings World will immediately activate the 'Blackmail Plan', causing one of them to inevitably suffer losses, thereby making them check and balance each other?"
"Yes!"
Alice nodded.
The others also understood Alice's intention at this point.
Announcing the 'Blackmail Plan' to the two Hegemons was essentially putting the threat out in the open, forcing the two Hegemons to monitor and restrain each other.
Shinji smiled. "Your method is very good. Letting them know what we intend to do constitutes a true threat! No, if it succeeds, this isn't blackmail anymore; it should be called 'Deterrence' to be more accurate!"
The Plague Hegemon and the Propagation Hegemon already had old grudges, and now after fighting fiercely, with new hatred added to old scores, the two sides were definitely in a situation where they would not rest until one was dead.
Under these circumstances, if the Six Rings World announced the 'Deterrence Plan', explicitly telling the two Hegemons that if the Six Rings World were to perish, it would definitely drag one Hegemon down with it, then a delicate balance would be achieved between the Plague Hegemon, the Propagation Hegemon, and the Six Rings World.
Because no matter which Hegemon came knocking first, the other Hegemon, to prevent its 'hostage' left in the Six Rings World from being swallowed by the opponent, would have to rush over to intervene. At that time, the Six Rings World would have enough reaction time to replicate this three-way melee.
After the discussion was settled, everyone attended to their own duties.
Alice was responsible for transmitting information spheres into the universe outside the Six Rings World, announcing the Six Rings World's 'Deterrence Plan' to the Plague Hegemon and the Propagation Hegemon.
Hengo was responsible for building the early warning system.
The Old Warrior was responsible for installing instruments to repair the shattered continental plates within the Six Rings World.
'Arcane' was responsible for repairing the spatial barrier and communicating with the Supreme Mages.
After the others left, Shinji stopped 'Arcane' alone and said, "Shion cannot stay here forever. You should understand this as well. So you must nurture the Six Rings World's own sixth Supreme Mage as soon as possible."
'Arcane' looked solemn. "I understand."
Shion was not a 'Lampbearer' and could not restrain her own pollution, so for the Six Rings World, Shion was also a source of pollution.
Although the Six Rings World was trying its best to isolate Shion's contact with the world to avoid the spread of pollution, Shion was, after all, filling in for a Supreme Mage. Simply by intervening in the magic barrier jointly built by the Supreme Mages, pollution was unavoidable.
Shinji continued, "I will take Shion away this time to reduce pollution. If war breaks out again, we will return."
'Arcane' was somewhat torn.
Shinji saw through 'Arcane's' worry. "Rest assured, all three parties suffered heavy losses in this battle. Even the Plague Hegemon and Propagation Hegemon in the universe need to rest and reorganize, so there shouldn't be any problems in the short term."
'Arcane' breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good!"
Shinji instructed, "Do not slack off. This recuperation period is crucial for the Six Rings World. It determines whether the Six Rings World can survive the next great war!"
"I understand!" After nodding, 'Arcane' bowed to Shinji again. "Thank you for your help once again!"
Shinji said, "Do you know the worlds of 'Ghost' and the others?"
'Arcane' said, "Alice might know."
The world to which a 'Lampbearer' belonged was each 'Lampbearer's' core secret, so unless it was someone they trusted very much, they generally wouldn't reveal it casually. Just like Shinji, who hadn't revealed the location of the Ninja World to anyone.
Shinji said, "'Ghost' and the others were my subordinates. Since they died in battle, I will guard their worlds!"
'Arcane' said without thinking, "And me too!"