Chapter 504: Aftermath
"In a moment, I will have Zhongli Wu enter the palace for a discussion. Since Shrek Academy dared to send a group of powerful elders to attack the Sun Moon Empire's border, I will make sure they pay the appropriate price!"
A look of doubt appeared on Juzi's face as she asked, "Your Majesty, are you planning to have the Holy Spirit Cult attack Shrek City?"
"Of course not!" Xu Tianran shook his head, a helpless expression on his face. "Setting aside the difficulty of attacking Shrek City, based on the intelligence I've gathered from Zhongli Wu, neither Ye Xishui nor Long Xiaoyao would help me launch an assault on Shrek City.
After all, both of them have ties with Mu En. According to Zhongli Wu, even though his mother may be sharp tongued, deep down, she is just like Long Xiaoyao both of them still hold onto old friendships.
Of course, if the Sun Moon Empire's army were to lay siege to Shrek City in the future and gain the upper hand, Zhongli Wu might be willing to assist in the attack. But right now, we are nowhere near capable of surrounding Shrek City."
"Then, Your Majesty, what do you intend to do?" Juzi pressed on, determined to get to the bottom of the matter.
Xu Tianran extended his right hand, tapping his finger lightly on the table a few times, producing a crisp sound.
He then spoke, "Retaliating against Shrek Academy doesn't necessarily mean laying siege to or attacking Shrek City.
As far as I know, Shrek Academy gives its students long breaks from time to time so they can rest. And during their journey home, the Holy Spirit Cult's evil soul masters will naturally have an opportunity to strike."
"By the way, I can't shake the feeling that Shrek Academy had a reason for sending a group of elders to the Sun Moon border. I just don't know what their objective is."
"Objective?" Juzi furrowed her brows, pausing for a moment before responding, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, Shrek Academy likely took this action to pressure the Sun Moon Empire into releasing prisoners.
After all, the Empire and the Holy Spirit Cult jointly captured a large number of foreign competition teams, many of which included geniuses.
One could say that these teams are crucial to the three Douluo empires they represent their future. Since Shrek Academy and the three empires are closely connected, they naturally want these people freed to strengthen both the empires and Shrek Academy. I suspect that this group will continue to pressure the Sun Moon Empire's borders, so Your Majesty, the Empire must plan ahead."
Xu Tianran found Juzi's reasoning sound.
He said, "Releasing them is out of the question. If we let them go, they will inevitably oppose the Sun Moon Empire's future war efforts. Once war breaks out, they will unhesitatingly join the armies of the three Douluo empires to fight against us.
So, it would be better to keep them as hostages to deter the Douluo empires. And in the future, we could even use them as bargaining chips in war negotiations, leveraging their families and friends to make them serve the Sun Moon Empire instead.
As for the increasing pressure on the border, for now, we'll have Elder Kong handle it. Border security is crucial to the Empire's stability. If those Shrek elders attempt another incursion, Elder Kong and his forces will have to eliminate them."
Xu Tianran wasn't worried about his safety in Mingdu, even without Kong Deming's protection. He had others to protect him, including the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Legion the most elite legion of its kind, with three Rank 9 soul engineers among its ranks!
On top of that, there were other enshrined protectors in Mingdu, as well as his personal subordinates. His security was more than sufficient.
Sun Moon Empire.
Outside Sunrise City.
Elder Song and her group had yet to receive news of the Shrek elders' failed attack on the Sun Moon border.
They were currently queuing outside the city gate, waiting to enter Sunrise City.
Their investigation confirmed that multiple soul engineer legions were stationed in the city, along with numerous detection soul tools that could not only measure soul power fluctuations but also determine one's general soul power level.
Anyone attempting to force their way in would be detected immediately.
A successful rescue mission required them to enter the city undetected, and the main gate was their best option. Entering via the sky was impossible high altitude detection soul tools were everywhere, making it impossible to avoid detection.
Even entering through the main gate carried risks, though slightly less so.
After internal discussions, Elder Song and her group had devised a plan to infiltrate the city smoothly.
As time passed, the queue moved forward, and the group approached the city gate. Soon, Wang Dong, who stood at the front, was stopped by the gate's captain.
"Step forward. I need to check your soul power," the captain said with a friendly smile.
He wore a suit of chainmail, with a longsword at his waist. He appeared young, probably in his early twenties. Of course, the so called soul power check referred to the use of a detection soul tool at the gate to determine whether an entrant possessed soul power and to roughly gauge their level.
Sunrise City was under martial law. Anyone with a high soul power level would be taken aside for further interrogation.
To avoid drawing unnecessary attention, Wang Dong'er had smudged her face with dirt and donned ragged clothing, but her beauty and noble aura were impossible to fully conceal, drawing the captain's notice.
She hesitated for a moment, glancing toward He Caitou, who was dressed in luxurious attire, as if seeking his guidance almost as if he were the group's leader.
He Caitou's expression darkened as he stepped forward and said, "We are a group of six. Checking us one by one would be too troublesome. Just test us all at once."
The captain scanned He Caitou's imposing, dark skinned face altered through disguise and his heart skipped a beat.
He knew he had no choice but to comply. This man's dark complexion was a telltale sign of Sun Moon nobility.
Even minor nobles in the Sun Moon Empire were not to be offended, let alone one of unknown status. He was merely a gate captain, after all.
Thus, he respectfully replied, "Understood."
With that, He Caitou and the others stepped toward the soul power detection device. The device had a fixed detection range only those within that range would trigger its reaction.
At that moment, they were still two meters away from stepping into the detection zone.
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