It was supposed to be Lungmen and Ursus posturing. Normally, Yan, as the 'old transparent' (background player), wouldn't usually get involved.
However, this time it really did have a tiny bit of a connection to the Seaborn. The matter was serious and precautions had to be taken, so Yan had no choice but to step in.
Because Ursus is located in the north and has no contact with the ocean, they don't understand the danger of the Seaborn.
But Yan is different. There are Demons in Saibei and Seaborn in the south. Although the Seaborn haven't made landfall yet, they must be guarded against. Therefore, many of Yan's inland regions understand that the danger of the Seaborn is no less than that of the Demons. If the Seaborn were to make landfall, the harm they'd cause might even exceed the Demons.
However.
Since this experiment came from Ursus.
This also served as a wake-up call for everyone.
Some country has started using Seaborn for related experiments. Some place has started courting death and trying to score big points.
Indeed.
It was just as Lucas Reeve had guessed from the beginning. After Siesta, the Seaborn officially entered the sights of Terra's various high-level powers. For the dull and arrogant high-level leaders in many places, fearing and preventing it before it happened was impossible. How to use such creatures to create even more powerful weapons to consolidate their superpower status or leap to become a superpower became the main concern for many countries now.
This was also what Lucas Reeve was afraid of.
The Seaborn crisis is descending.
And the various nations were still busy with their own boring struggles for supremacy, their eyes unable to see the danger in the distance.
Since Ursus set this precedent.
Lucas Reeve reckoned Ursus wasn't the only one. If there was Ursus, there were definitely other countries. As for which country was most likely... the first one Lucas Reeve thought of was Columbia. Someone inside Columbia must have already begun related experiments.
Yan and Ursus were still posturing.
If the one arrested was just some viscount or baron, Ursus might have just given up. After all, the Grand Dukes aren't stupid. They do want to start a war to divert their own internal conflicts and profit from it, but to them, Lungmen was a soft target, but Yan was not.
The Yan of the past could fight to a standstill with a peak-strength Ursus, let alone the current Ursus. The major Army Groups are controlled by different people, these great nobles disagree with each other, so they naturally don't have the same ruling power as they did at their peak. Moreover, the crucial armed forces, the core combat forces like the Emperor's Blades and War Casters, are all in the hands of the little emperor. If the little emperor didn't have these, he would have long since become a puppet in the nobles' pulling and hauling. Now, at least he still has some say.
They had no confidence in confronting Yan, and their own marquis was imprisoned in a Lungmen jail, about to stand trial.
These charges would be enough for the death penalty for a common person. But because the marquis's status was indeed very high, while not enough for death, Yan had every reason to give him a thirty-year prison sentence. Holy crap... thirty years!! Their own noble being imprisoned in another country for thirty years, Ursus would lose all face. They'd be mocked by their peers for thirty years.
So, these days, Ursus has been posturing with Yan.
The posturing of the two great nations naturally had nothing to do with Lucas Reeve and the others. After the whole incident concluded, Lucas Reeve went to the hospital again to check on the people bitten by the second-generation individuals. As expected, apart from the bites, there were no other injuries. This kind of half-assed, garbage experiment could only infect a second generation, and the second generation couldn't go on to infect a third. To be honest, this experimental product was really garbage.
Moreover, apart from the first-generation host being slightly stronger, the strength of the second generation was truly terrible. Anyway, three L.G.D. officers were enough to subdue one.
To be honest.
After witnessing the various combat weapons the Church of the Deep created using the Seaborn, and even modifying themselves, looking at this experimental product, Lucas Reeve felt it was terrible to the extreme. It was truly an embarrassment to the Seaborn. Luckily, the Seaborn don't have their own independent consciousness. Otherwise, if they knew someone used their power to create something so lame, they'd probably all collectively get high blood pressure from anger.
To thank Lucas Reeve for his help.
Officer Ch'en and Swire kept Lucas Reeve, Lin Qingyan, and the others for a banquet dinner. The banquet didn't use L.G.D. funds; the rich woman Swire was treating. At first, Nian suggested hotpot. Swire was about to nod in agreement when Lucas Reeve stopped her. If they really ate hotpot with Nian, probably no one else would get to eat. In the end, at Lucas Reeve's suggestion, they compromised on Lungmen's specialty cuisine.
Lin Qingyan had been to Lungmen once, but it was Taihe and Zuo Le's first time in Lungmen. Since they hadn't tried it, they might as well eat some Lungmen specialty dishes.
After the meal.
Officer Ch'en had other duties, so she didn't continue to host them, returning to the L.G.D. to continue working overtime. As for lodging, the Lungmen government has a special guesthouse for distinguished guests. To show its class, the interior decoration and facilities were no less than a star-rated hotel... only distinguished guests could stay there. So, to make money, this place also operates as a hotel on normal days.
At first, Lucas Reeve and the others had wanted to return to Columbia. After all, [Stardust] was right outside, and it would be easy to go back. But since there was a special guesthouse, it would be a waste not to stay. Thinking about it, the group decided to just stay here for the night.
"Mr. Reeve."
In the huge public living room outside the guesthouse, Lin Qingyan suddenly appeared behind Lucas Reeve.
"Just call me Lucas Reeve. Calling me Mr. Reeve sounds so distant. We're not strangers."
"Yes, Mr. Reeve."
With Lin Qingyan's personality, she still couldn't omit the 'Mr.' Taihe and Zuo Le, who were sitting nearby sipping alcohol and soft drinks, had long noticed the strangeness between Lin Qingyan and Lucas Reeve. Neither said a word, just sitting there quietly. They looked uninterested, but in reality, both of them had their ears perked up, their attention fully focused on listening.
"I wanted to ask... what exactly are the Seaborn?"
"Er....."
Lucas Reeve paused. You came over so solemnly, spoke so solemnly, just to ask me this?
Taihe and Zuo Le were a bit disappointed. However, a strong interest rose in both of them simultaneously. They were part of Yan's mid-level core strength, not quite touching the high-level echelons yet. However, the three of them were basically all future high-level leaders, the future pillars of Yan. That's why the Grand Tutor deliberately sent the three of them over, not really to have them help solve the problem, but to have them learn and understand more about the world's secrets from behind the scenes. Having others tell you is never as profound as exploring it yourself.
"A special type of creature from the ocean."
"You should know about the ocean, right?"
"The land has living creatures, and so does the ocean. Moreover, the ocean and the land seem tobe two different worlds. The land cannot do without Originium, while the ocean has no Originium at all; they are two completely different worlds. These creatures called Seaborn rarely have individual consciousness. To them, they are just a single cell of the collective. They will do anything for the swarm. The powerful thing about this special creature is that they are endless. No one knows how many are down there in the ocean. Hundreds of billions? Trillions? Or tens of trillions...."
"Moreover, these creatures have an extremely strong characteristic: evolution. They can adapt to anything, allowing the swarm to evolve."
Lucas Reeve explained all the characteristics of the Seaborn he knew in full detail. Skadi and Laurentina even added some details midway. This allowed the three of them to thoroughly understand the terror of the Seaborn. If they really succeeded in making landfall, they might truly bring an apocalyptic disaster to the land.
"So, Ursus pulling a stunt like this is no different from a child playing with fire. There's a high probability they'll burn themselves, and it might even spread to the whole house."
The three of them couldn't help but frown. They now naturally understood the severity of the situation.
"Hah! I really thought there would be some passionate interaction since you and Lin Qingyan haven't seen each other in so long. I didn't expect there to be nothing."
On the soft, brand-name mattress in the guesthouse, Nian bounced non-stop, her mouth rattling on and on.
"Are you misunderstanding something?" Lucas Reeve looked at Nian, speechless.
"It is indeed a misunderstanding."
Nearby, Laurentina, walking barefoot on the soft carpet in her translucent black stockings, sat down on the sofa next to Lucas Reeve. She habitually crossed her legs, her perfect little foot dangling up and down.
Although they had their own rooms, they still liked to gather in Lucas Reeve's room to chat before bed.
"After all, that Lin Qingyan had a cold face for all of us, but the moment she saw you, she revealed a tiny, tiny smile. That's *so* misleading."
Lucas Reeve didn't want to engage with Laurentina's teasing and lay down on the bed directly.
"I'm logging off to switch to another account. Good night."
*Tsk...*
Laurentina tsked and smiled charmingly. "You're a big man, just leaving your body here with a bunch of us girls. Aren't you worried we'll do something bad to your body?"
"Do whatever."
Lucas Reeve directly switched accounts and left.
With Lucas Reeve's consciousness gone, Laurentina lost much of her interest. If she were the only one here, she really would dare to do something bad. But there were quite a few people here. Even if she wanted to, Surtr and Skadi probably wouldn't allow it either.
The few of them didn't bother going back to their own rooms and just slept in the one room.
Lucas Reeve switched accounts and first went to check on Jessica. Since it was already late, Jessica was also getting ready for bed. After saying goodnight to Jessica, Lucas Reeve went to the Reunion Movement. Since the Reunion Movement had no nightlife, Alina was already asleep. Lucas Reeve didn't disturb her, and finally went to Sora's place.
He had to admit.
Today had been quite peaceful. Originally, Lucas Reeve thought that after Magallan arrived, something huge would happen. Unexpectedly, nothing happened. What a joyous occasion.
Sora got off work very late again today. He didn't hear the door open until around eleven o'clock.
Rope had been living at Sora's house for some time now and had gradually gotten used to this life, which was completely different from her original one in the slums. So... this is what milk tastes like. So... washing machines really are convenient. So... taking a bath is this comfortable. So... the air conditioner is actually kind of cold.
With nothing to do at Sora's house, Rope simply started doing the housework, taking care of tidying up and such while Sora wasn't home.
"You're home late today."
Seeing Sora return, Lucas Reeve's bear-doll account was carried by Rope to the entryway.
"Ooh! Bailey! Rope!"
A weary Sora hugged Lucas Reeve and spun around, then hugged Rope. She quickly took off her clothes and changed into loose-fitting pajamas.
"I can't help it. Didn't I take a month off before? So I have to make up for it during this time. And Sister Zhang also wants to find a way to restore my image, so I proposed holding a concert in the slums. A charity concert! That would definitely boost my popularity. And guess what."
Sora picked up the milk Rope had poured on the table in advance and chugged it in one go.
"What?"
Sora pouted: "Of course she rejected it flat out. Sister Zhang even said that if I proposed that abstract idea again, she would immediately resign and hang herself."
"That's impossible, of course."
Lucas Reeve said, sitting on the carpet. "If I were your agent, I wouldn't allow it either. It's not about the money, it's mainly about the danger."
Beside them, Rope, who was born in the slums, also nodded quickly. "That's right, Sora. I know exactly how dangerous the slums are. It's a chaotic mix of people. Holding a concert there really is... not just *very* dangerous."
"But....."
Sora was a little dejected. "It's my dream. I really want to bring my songs to everyone in the slums."
"Oh, right, Bailey," Sora said.
"I might have to go on a business trip in a few days. Sister Zhang feels my influence in Lungmen has pretty much reached its limit. To expand my popularity, I have to increase my influence in other places. So, for the next concert, Sister Zhang said she's planning to hold it in Siracusa, to attract more fans and step out of my comfort zone. This is a necessary test for all big stars. Sister Zhang says being famous in only one place just makes you a minor idol. To become a major idol, you absolutely must have fans all over the world."
"Eh... Siracusa?"
Lucas Reeve paused.
"Why of all places did you pick Siracusa? Siracusa doesn't seem very peaceful lately."
Sora shook her head. "I don't know either. Siracusa is a neighboring country, after all, so it's convenient to go. As for whether it's peaceful or not, Sister Zhang investigated and said there's nothing unsafe about Siracusa. Plenty of people from Lungmen are even going to Siracusa to travel recently."
In reality, Lucas Reeve wasn't surprised. Because Lucas Reeve knew the inside story, he knew the major ruling families were fighting. In fact, ordinary people had no idea. After all, the struggles between Siracusa's ruling families rarely affected the common people. For example, the fall of Wolf Fang had almost no impact on the ordinary people in Wolf Fang's territory. They did whatever they were supposed to do, went to work as usual, enjoyed entertainment as usual. The two sides didn't interfere with each other.
So, it was normal that Sora and her agent didn't know the real situation in Siracusa.