As Ji He's gaze passed through a colorful, twisted passage, the bustling city before him appeared, floating with countless pale green lights.
Looking up, he saw a train adorned with flowers speeding along a green vine-woven track high above.
Taking a deep breath, the coolness spread through his chest. Ji He could clearly feel the high quality of the spiritual energy in the air of this city.
This was Ji He's first visit to Elf City.
According to the records in the database, this city was an important stop on the path that Feng Qi took during his challenge to ascend to divinity, when he journeyed west.
The existence of Elf City showed that not all human forces from other regions had fallen. In particular, the Central District had established a new growth system in collaboration with domain life.
But seeing it with his own eyes was far more impactful than reading about it. It felt like stepping into another world.
The humans here wore completely different clothing styles from those in Star City, and the city's buildings and supporting facilities were entirely different.
Standing on the transport platform, Ji He looked around and suddenly remembered a line left by Feng Qi in the database.
It was Feng Qi's evaluation of Elf City.
["In the East, all our idealized visions for humanity can be found in Elf City, but Elf City lacks a future."]
This line vividly described both the prosperity and the tragic future of Elf City.
The prosperity before him was like a beautiful illusion, destined to shatter. At that point, Elf City would become a thing of the past.
The information gap allowed Ji He to see the end of Elf City in advance.
This would also be one of his negotiation trump cards.
At this moment, a figure flew toward him from the distance.
The newcomer wore a beautiful green outfit, her figure graceful, with delicate white skin and flowing light green hair. She landed gracefully and looked at Ji He before speaking:
"Welcome, distinguished guest from Star City. I am the messenger in charge of coordinating with Star City. I will take you to meet the Elf King."
Before arriving at Elf City, Ji He had already contacted the city's messenger, informing them that he wished to meet with the Elf King.
Ji He nodded and followed the guide, flying toward the center of the city.
The space station wasn't far from the heart of the city. When Star City planned the space station's location, the first priority was to ensure they could meet the Elf King as soon as possible.
After all, the Elf King's attitude was crucial for any potential cooperation with Elf City.
In fact, it could be said that it was a decisive factor.
How to meet the Elf King quickly had been the most important consideration when setting up the stable teleportation array connecting Star City with Elf City.
Following the guide, Ji He crossed a hillside covered in greenery. In the distance, a golden, towering tree came into view.
At that moment, the descriptions in the database couldn't compare to seeing it with his own eyes.
The Elf King stood like a golden mountain at the center of the city, giving Ji He a profound visual impact and a sense of security.
The sprawling branches of the giant tree formed a massive umbrella, enveloping the city.
Though the dense branches blocked the sunlight, they also scattered countless golden specks of light, illuminating the city below.
Led by the guide, Ji He stood before the Elf King and looked up at the towering figure.
At that moment, the golden specks of light in the air suddenly gathered before Ji He, forming a staircase leading to the Elf King.
Seeing this, Ji He immediately stepped forward, climbing the golden staircase.
With every step he took, golden ripples spread across the surface of the stairs, while the steps behind him vanished like smoke.
As Ji He ascended, the world before him slowly became covered in gold. Eventually, he found himself in a golden space, where an elderly man with a kind smile was waiting for him.
"Welcome to Elf City, distinguished guest from Star City."
"Elf King?!"
"Yes, it's me."
The white-haired elder nodded in response. With a wave of his hand, a stone table, stone chairs, and tea utensils appeared before him.
Ji He sat down in front of the Elf King, took the tea handed to him, and took a sip. Immediately, he felt his pores relax, and the mental fatigue and pressure lifted. He then looked at the Elf King and spoke:
"I hope that the Elf King will lend Star City a helping hand in this matter."
"Has Star City encountered some crisis?" The Elf King asked, slightly surprised.
"It's not a crisis; we plan to take the initiative."
Upon hearing this, the Elf King couldn't help but furrow his brows.
"You want to take the initiative, but you're asking Elf City to send forces to support you? That... seems a bit inappropriate, doesn't it?"
Ji He had anticipated the Elf King's dissatisfaction.
After all, the Elf King was only responsible for the humans within Elf City. From the Elf King's perspective, Star City's initiative to act while asking Elf City to provide soldiers would result in victory for Star City, but the losses would fall upon the elves themselves.
Ji He was prepared for this.
He pulled out a folded map of Star City from his pocket, unfolded it, and smoothed it out. Pointing to the location marked as "Rift Heaven Domain," he said:
"This domain is controlled by the Rift Heaven Divine Clan, which occupies the northern part of Star City. It has severely impacted our city's development and poses an actual survival threat. As long as this clan is not eliminated, Star City cannot be at ease. If Elf City is willing to send troops, I am prepared to offer two benefits to Elf City."
"Two benefits?" The Elf King asked, intrigued.
"If we win this battle, one-tenth of the spiritual resources produced will belong to Elf City."
"Why only one-tenth?" the Elf King asked.
"Because the Mist Clan, the Silver Moon Clan, and even Winterfell City will also join the battle. The elves are only supporting forces. Offering one-tenth of the resources is already a very sincere offer."
"Is there another benefit?"
Ji He fell silent for a moment before meeting the Elf King's gaze and speaking:
"If one day Elf City is broken, I promise you, Star City will be your escape route."
Hearing this, the ever-calm Elf King's expression suddenly changed.
"What do you mean by that?"
"The situation in the Central District is clearly something you know better than I do. An Mu is growing stronger and has even taken control of the human army in the Central District. Over time, the advantage and disadvantage between you and An Mu are expanding. What if one day An Mu betrays you?"
Ji He's words hit the heart of the Elf King's pain.
An Mu was a being he personally nurtured and considered his most outstanding successor, with talents that far surpassed his own.
However, the fact that An Mu had already separated from his control was undeniable.
Right now, An Mu hadn't attacked yet because it was waiting for the right moment. Every passing moment meant An Mu's strength would surpass his, and the wait was for the perfect time to defeat him.
With the human forces under his command and his own growth potential, he was no match for An Mu.
When that day arrived, his defeat would be inevitable.
Ji He's words were a clear reminder that if Elf City were destroyed by An Mu, Star City would open its doors to them, offering refuge.
But there was one thing Ji He didn't explicitly state.
The Elf King, however, sensed it.
At that moment, the Elf King fell silent, and after a long pause, he raised his head and nodded at Ji He.
"Your request is reasonable. One-tenth of the resources, plus a retreat in the future. I agree that Elf City will send troops, but I hope that Star City will keep its promise. If Elf City faces a crisis of destruction, you must open your doors to us."
"As a member of the highest council of Star City, I guarantee that Star City will always open its doors to Elf City."
"Before preparing for war, contact the messenger. At that time, Elf City will send troops to Star City to prepare for battle."
"Thank you."
When the golden space before Ji He faded away, he found himself back on the ground.
Looking up at the Elf King, Ji He smiled.
This visit to Elf City had two purposes: one was to request military aid, and the other was to test the Elf King.
Feng Qi's evaluation of the Elf King in the database was: "A domain lifeform with feelings for humans."
But whether the Elf King was truly reliable, Feng Qi could not provide a definite answer.
In the previous timeline, the Elf King had paved a way for the humans of Elf City in a dire situation, but by that time, the Elf King had already reached a dead end. Still, many of the city's residents had hope for survival.
That was why Feng Qi described the Elf King as having feelings for humans.
However, in less dire circumstances, when the Elf King still had options, things might be different.
This question had troubled Ji He for a long time.
Could the Elf King truly be trusted?
The answer to this question didn't necessarily require Feng Qi to travel to the future to find out; Ji He felt that now was the perfect opportunity.
The conversation just now was a test for the Elf King.
The second benefit Ji He had offered appeared to be about providing refuge for Elf City if it fell.
But this benefit had a hidden issue.
The teleportation array connecting Elf City to Star City was clearly not large enough for the Elf King's massive form to pass through.
The Elf King had obviously realized this.
So, the true meaning of Ji He's offer was that, when Elf City faced destruction, the humans in the city could seek refuge in Star City, but the Elf King himself would not be included.
While the Elf King had remained silent for a long time, his final response gave Ji He the answer to Feng Qi's lingering question.
The Elf King's choice was to give the residents of Elf City a chance for survival.
As for whether the promise was reliable, Ji He didn't doubt it.
In this timeline, the Elf King had limited knowledge of Star City and didn't know that Feng Qi had the ability to traverse timelines. Therefore, the Elf King's choice reflected his true intentions.
The Elf King's decision also added strength to Ji He's plan for the future.
Before coming here, Ji He had considered many possibilities.
By offering Elf City a route of retreat, Ji He was not only testing the Elf King's true feelings for humanity, but he also had a long-term consideration.
If the Elf King agreed to the offer, then when the Dawn City was established, the humans of Elf City would join, significantly boosting humanity's overall strength.
Right now, Star City wasn't lacking resources but rather in the efficiency of resource conversion.
This was also one of the reasons Ji He had introduced the family planning initiative—having a large population could effectively convert resources into the city's overall strength.
As for the cultural differences between the residents of Elf City and those of Star City, this could be changed over time.
The Elf King's decision not only provided Elf City's residents a route of escape but also gave Star City a crucial opportunity to rise.
Ji He had received a satisfactory answer from this trip.
Back in Star City, Ji He immediately recorded this information in the database and sealed it with the highest authorization.
This information would later be handed over to Feng Qi, serving as a reference when planning new development strategies for the future.
Year 422 of the Dawn Era.
On this day, Ji He was reviewing data from the database.
At that moment, there was a knock on his office door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a fully armed soldier from the military department stepped in, his expression serious. He walked up to Ji He and respectfully spoke:
"Old Ji, the domain field has been completed and is now placed in the underground plaza of the Psychic Department."
"Take me there."
Upon hearing this, Ji He immediately stood up and spoke.
He followed the soldier from the military department to the underground plaza of the Psychic Department. There, he saw a colorful space crystal floating above the plaza.
Besides military members, there were also many members of the Mist Clan Elder Council present.
When the leader of the Psychic Department saw Ji He arrive, he quickly approached and began to explain the floating space orb.
From the leader's introduction, Ji He learned that the orb was constructed similarly to the space node orbs in the domain field. It could be carried around and activated by thought to open up, forming a domain field barrier.
"Old Ji, this domain field can be activated at any time. How would you like to proceed?"
"Send it to the military department. I'll arrange when to activate it."
After giving the instructions, Ji He turned and left.
Back in his office, Ji He immediately summoned the leader of the expeditionary force to inquire about the progress of transporting the Silver Serpent Empire's relics.
When he learned that most of the relics had already been moved, Ji He knew it was time to set his plan in motion.
This plan was to kill two birds with one stone: not only to destroy the Rift Heaven Divine Clan, but also to weaken the Silver Moon Clan's strength, putting the human race back in a leading position.
One and a half months later.
A domain field suddenly opened at the location where the human race had connected with the Rift Heaven domain field.
This immediately attracted the attention of Star City. The military quickly assembled an investigation team to look into the unexpected arrival of the domain field.
As usual, the Silver Moon Clan's emissaries stationed in Star City inquired about the situation from the military.
Star City and the Silver Moon Clan shared all intelligence about the surrounding areas. When the Silver Moon emissaries asked, the military did not give a clear answer, only stating that a domain field had suddenly appeared in the northern territory of the human race, and an investigation was ongoing.
Five days later, Star City brought back a batch of damaged equipment and machinery from the unknown domain field.
While researching these items, Star City handed over a portion of them to the Silver Moon emissaries stationed in Star City.
At first, the Silver Moon emissary did not see anything suspicious when they received the relics of the Silver Serpent Empire. But when they began studying the items, they suddenly realized something was wrong.
The familiar engraving traces on the equipment caused him to fall silent.
Surprised and confused, the Silver Moon emissary immediately took the relics back to Silver Moon City.
The Silver Moon Clan's Elder Council began detailed research on the mysterious items from the unknown domain field.
Just as the Elder Council was struggling to believe the findings, Star City sent over several broken stone tablets.
These damaged tablets left the Silver Moon Clan completely stunned.
Because the carvings depicted a history that the Silver Moon Clan had long lost, and the murals on the stone tablets even detailed the collapse of the Silver Serpent Empire into multiple factions.
Then came a shocking piece of news that drove the Silver Moon Clan's leadership mad.
Star City sent a picture showing a massive black machine—the very same ultimate weapon of the Silver Serpent Empire, created with the full might of the nation, a terrifying war machine comparable to a miracle.
Miracles have many functions, but few are suitable for combat.
However, this war machine was designed specifically for external warfare.
If the Silver Moon Clan could control this war machine, it would mean their rise would be unstoppable. Expanding their territory and acquiring resources would become as easy as breathing, and no nearby forces would be able to oppose them.
The temptation the ultimate machine posed to the Silver Moon Clan was even greater than that of a miracle item.
The Silver Moon leadership went completely mad, continuously sending inquiries to Star City, wanting to learn more about the domain field and expressing their desire to form a team with the human race to explore the newly arrived domain field.
While the Silver Moon Clan was losing their minds over this, Ji He arrived alone at the military department and called for an internal meeting.
This plan was kept strictly confidential, and only the highest levels of Star City knew about it.
The goal was to hook the Silver Moon Clan while preventing them from discovering through Star City's citizens or other channels that it was a trap specifically designed for them.
Now that the Silver Moon Clan had taken the bait, the next step of the plan could be carried out.
During the high-level military meeting, Ji He scanned the room, then softly spoke:
"Everyone, it's time."
The military leaders stood up, nodded toward Ji He, and then dispersed.
That night, the military gathered a secret team and set out to actively attack the Rift Heaven domain field.
The next day, at the northern front.
Ji He stood at the top of a towering lookout tower, gazing at the dark northern lands.
At dawn, a red sun slowly rose to his left, illuminating the world.
As Ji He's gaze swept over the northern lands, now cleared of darkness, he saw the Rift Heaven domain field, which had been dormant for years, rapidly expanding toward human territory. It was quickly connecting with the newly arrived domain field and beginning to swallow it.
The cold morning wind rustled Ji He's white robes as he stood alone on the lookout tower, hands clasped behind his back. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
The war was coming.