"In that case, it's a good thing. After all, smart people know how to read the situation," Hardy commented, arms crossed as she observed the surroundings.
She assessed the level of infrastructure, the appearance of the residents, and the commercial atmosphere—all of which reflected Loulan's national strength.
Of course, she also evaluated the geography to see if it was suitable for combat.
This was the instinct of a ninja who had been on the battlefield a few times.
Loulan looked prosperous for now, but it wasn't yet the metropolis she'd seen in the anime movies of her previous life.
There were no towering buildings—just houses with a distinctive Gobi Desert style, wide and straight avenues, and busy yet smooth traffic. All of this showed the Queen of Loulan's grand vision for the city's development.
But she wondered, after she had changed the future of this world, would Baizu still become an An Lushan-like figure and appear here?
Either way, it was best to gather some intelligence first.
---
Meanwhile, in the Loulan royal palace.
The Queen of Loulan, looking tired, was carefully reading a document. Suddenly, she turned to a nearby attendant and asked,
"What about the envoys from Sunagakure? Have they arrived in Loulan? Have you found out which jonin is leading them?"
The attendant replied, "Your Majesty, the soldiers stationed at the city gate saw four ninjas wearing Sunagakure uniforms enter today. The leader, after comparison, should be Jonin Fengshang Qianlan."
"So it's her. It seems Sunagakure is taking us quite seriously."
Within Sunagakure, Fengshang Qianlan's status was just below the Kazekage and the two elders—she was considered part of the upper ranks and carried significant weight.
"Have they requested an audience?"
"No, after entering the city, they've been wandering around and gathering information at taverns and other places. Your Majesty, do you think Sunagakure is…"
The Queen of Loulan slowly shook her head.
"If Sunagakure wanted to take Loulan by force, we'd already be dead. They're probably investigating the internal situation, preparing to take control of Loulan in the future."
The Queen closed her eyes in thought.
After years of war, Sunagakure was also exhausted. Now that they had signed a peace treaty with Konoha and freed up their hands, it would be all too easy for them to deal with Loulan.
But wars are fought for profit, and controlling Loulan is also about profit.
If they invaded Loulan, all they'd get would be a war-torn, ruined city. If she were in charge of Sunagakure, she'd want a prosperous Loulan that could bring great benefits to Sunagakure and the Land of Wind.
Sunagakure wants to control Loulan for its benefits. As long as she can offer enough to satisfy them, they wouldn't mind letting her remain queen.
But if that happened, Loulan's future development would have to slow down.
---
---
"Right now, the undisputed ruler of Loulan is the Queen herself. Thanks to the bloodline abilities passed down through her family, she can suppress the Ryumyaku and even harness some of its power. That's how Loulan manages to thrive in the Gobi and develop into a large oasis."
"There are three ministers with real influence in the country: the Minister of Finance, the Minister of State Affairs, and the Minister of Public Security. Their names are…"
"The estimated total population and military strength are…"
After an afternoon of investigation, the four gathered to consolidate their intelligence.
There was no sign of an An Lushan among the ministers—perhaps the future really had changed, and that incident wouldn't happen. Or maybe it was simply too early, and that person hadn't crossed over yet.
Either way, it was a good thing.
If An Lushan were here, who knows what kind of trouble he might cause.
But if he arrived later, by then Sunagakure would have fully taken control of Loulan, and the moment he showed up, Hardy would take care of him.
"No time to lose. Let's head to the palace and meet the Queen of Loulan. I've noticed some people in the city are already looking for us. We've lingered too long without going to the palace, and Her Majesty must be feeling the pressure," Fengshang Qianlan said, glancing at the sky.
"Sounds good. We haven't had dinner or found a place to stay yet. Why not let Her Majesty arrange it for us?" Baki patted his belly and followed along.
The Queen of Loulan had indeed prepared a lavish banquet for the Sunagakure group, with three ministers accompanying them.
"Honored guests, please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality," the Queen said with a radiant smile, raising a toast to Hardy and the others.
She was a woman with red hair, appearing to be in her early thirties, with delicate features, an elegant demeanor, and a graceful, dignified bearing—truly beautiful.
"My apologies, Your Majesty. Our village's wartime restrictions have not yet been lifted. While on duty, we must abide by the ninja code and cannot drink alcohol. We'll just have some food and soup," Fengshang Qianlan said seriously, pushing aside her wine cup.
"I see. It was thoughtless of me as your host. Allow me to drink three cups as a penalty," the Queen replied, gracefully picking up her cup and downing three in a row. Her cheeks flushed slightly, making her look even more charming.
At that moment, Hardy was carefully observing the Queen of Loulan.
Red hair is a relatively rare hair color; otherwise, Kushina wouldn't have been mocked by her classmates at the ninja academy for her red hair.
Rasa, as well as Sasori's mother, both possess some Uzumaki blood. Although they are not pure-blooded members of the Uzumaki clan, they also have red hair and possess much more chakra than ordinary ninjas.
The Queen of Rōran also has red hair—who knows, maybe she's related to the Uzumaki clan as well.
As he was pondering this, Hardy suddenly felt his foot being stepped on by Pakura, who was standing beside him.
"Hm?"
Pakura puffed out her cheeks slightly, eyes half-closed, looking like a little angry kitten. Then she quickly turned her head, put on a smile, and said to the Queen of Rōran:
"Your Majesty, you are truly beautiful!"
"This little girl from Sunagakure really knows how to talk. You're very pretty too!"
The Queen of Rōran replied with a smile.
No one else noticed the little interaction between Hardy and Pakura; they simply thought Pakura spoke up to liven up the atmosphere.
This girl...
She's quite possessive.
Hardy couldn't help but chuckle. He moved his lips slightly and used his ability to manipulate airflow, confining the vibrating air near his mouth into a thin line that transmitted directly into Pakura's ear, soothing her.
Pakura glanced at Hardy in surprise.
She had never seen Hardy use this kind of secret sound transmission ninjutsu before. Other than the Yamanaka clan in Konoha, she hadn't even heard of anyone else possessing such a technique.
After some small talk, the Queen of Rōran took the initiative to bring up the main topic.
In informal settings like this, discussing serious matters can often yield unexpected results.