In Banzhen City, some young Sakura Prayer Ascendants gathered in a large square, standing in several neat rows.
At the very front of the formation stood multiple Serpent Hair Society members.
The young Ascendants stared at those uniformly dressed Serpent Hair Society members, their eyes filled with envy.
Ever since the Twenty-Second Doomsday Rule had ended, the Serpent Hair Society had replaced Sakura Prayer’s official government, becoming the de facto ruling organization over Banzhen and Antu cities. After that, many local Ascendants wanted to join and become part of it.
This wasn’t just a matter of atomized individuals yearning for an organization; it was because during that Rule period, the Serpent Hair Society had actively organized defenses, protecting civilians from mutated plants. This behavior had convinced many people that it was a righteous organization.
Wanting to join a group that represented justice could be said to be an instinct of humanity. Even villains preferred to deal with good people rather than live in a Shura field where everyone was evil and others were all hell.
For this reason, the Serpent Hair Society received many applications for membership. Uenoshi hadn’t rejected them all; after screening, she accepted some new members.
She planned to forge the expanded Serpent Hair Society into a legion. This legion had two reasons for existing. First, to defend the twin cities of Sakura Prayer. Second, to serve the Troupe.
In her eyes, there was no question of whether this was right or wrong. If not for Guan Tong exhausting his Mind Power to destroy that mutated dragonblood tree, it was hard to say how many of these people would still be alive.
As repayment, it was only natural in her view that this legion should fight for Guan Tong when needed.
After Uenoshi appeared, everyone’s gazes focused on her.
Her entire body was covered except for her eyes, which only made people pay more attention to those mysterious, captivating green vertical pupils.
“Starting today, you are all members of the Serpent Hair Society,” Uenoshi said. “You will undergo combat training and be ready for battle at all times.”
“Yes!” everyone shouted in unison, their enthusiasm soaring.
After finishing her arrangements, she was about to go draft some training plans when she suddenly seemed to hear something. Changing her mind, she went to a quiet area.
When she arrived, Guan Tong was already waiting there.
“Troupe Leader.”
Uenoshi looked at Guan Tong, knowing he must have something important to discuss, otherwise he wouldn’t have requested a meeting.
Guan Tong didn’t beat around the bush; he got straight to the point. “On the 20th, Adam and I will infiltrate Wensilisa Castle. Our targets are Bruce and Han Qiu...”
“I’m coming too.” Before Guan Tong could finish, Uenoshi stated calmly yet firmly.
“I know, I promised you, didn’t I? But this operation will be extremely dangerous. We all have to be careful.”
He shared all the intelligence he and Adam had gathered with Uenoshi, bringing her up to speed.
After she heard everything, she said, “That means we can’t bring the Serpent Hair Society people along.”
Adam and Guan Tong’s plan was still primarily focused on stealth infiltration, not a full-scale frontal assault.
Under these circumstances, bringing more people wouldn’t be very meaningful, especially Serpent Hair Society members.
“Leave your subordinates in Sakura Prayer. If they go, they’ll probably have a hard time surviving, and I won’t be able to look after them.”
With only Adam and Uenoshi, Guan Tong could still manage to protect them a bit in a crisis. If there were more subordinates who weren’t as strong, he simply couldn’t keep an eye on them all.
Uenoshi nodded and asked, “When do we leave?”
“You and Adam will infiltrate the castle on the 19th. He’ll stay inside.”
Uenoshi’s expression shifted slightly upon hearing this. “I can fight alongside you.”
“Don’t misunderstand. Your mission is no less important,” Guan Tong explained. “If things go wrong inside the castle and a chaotic battle breaks out, Suroma’s government will definitely send reinforcements from the outside. Your task is to create chaos in the city center, forcing the Suroma government to split their attention between two fronts.”
Guan Tong had already thought out his arrangement for Uenoshi before coming.
Rather than having her enter the castle with them, it was better to have her stay outside as a diversion, creating confusion to mislead the enemy.
If crises erupted simultaneously in both the city center of New Covenant City and the castle on the outskirts, it would definitely delay the Suroma government’s decision-making, which would benefit the overall operation.
After hearing this, Uenoshi accepted the mission. “I understand.”
Guan Tong looked into Uenoshi’s eyes and said with extreme solemnity, “Uenoshi, you might find yourself in a very dangerous situation. The enemy could send both powerful Ascendants and intelligent war machines after you.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“You’re not afraid, but I am,” Guan Tong said. “That’s why I’m arranging a helper for you.”
“I...”
Before Uenoshi could refuse, Guan Tong summoned the Wordless Book shelter. As the door opened, a ferocious beast with sleek black fur and dark red pupils shot out like lightning.
“Coal Ball,” Guan Tong ordered, signaling it to sit. It obediently crouched its massive body and licked the back of Guan Tong’s hand.
“After the ‘Green Hell’ Rule ended, I got my hands on a strengthening item. I fed it to Coal Ball, and its combat power has been greatly enhanced. I’ll have it follow you and assist you in battle.”
“...”
Uenoshi had, of course, seen Coal Ball before, but she hadn’t expected that little thing from before to have grown into this “ferocious beast” level now.
“Will it listen to me?”
“Yes. After using several strengthening items, its intelligence has improved significantly. It can recognize people and obey simple commands.”
In fact, without Guan Tong’s direction, Coal Ball always behaved more docilely around Uenoshi than usual.
It was worth noting that due to the effects of the “Demon Monster Flesh” item, its personality leaned toward being irritable. It often showed aggressive tendencies toward other people.
As for its obedient behavior in front of Uenoshi, Guan Tong guessed it had something to do with her great serpent bloodline.
Normally, felines weren’t afraid of snakes, but Uenoshi’s deep-sea great serpent bloodline was rather special, carrying a hint of strange mythological flavor. This might have created some kind of bloodline suppression over Coal Ball.
Guan Tong thought this was a good thing; it would make it easier for Uenoshi to command Coal Ball in battle when he wasn’t around.
“Alright then,” Uenoshi agreed. “I’ll complete my mission.”
“I believe you. Once you’re ready, come with me to Suroma.”
“I’ll go assign some training plans for my subordinates, then we’ll head out.”
“Training?” Guan Tong asked out of curiosity.
“Combat. Combat with the discipline to obey orders.”
“...”
Guan Tong hesitated as if wanting to say something.
The Serpent Hair Society was, after all, Uenoshi’s own creation. He had said before that he wouldn’t interfere, and so he wouldn’t.
He waited for about an hour. After Uenoshi finished her arrangements, she entered the shelter.
Guan Tong used Body Swap to return to Adam’s farm stronghold. When the three met, Adam apologized to Uenoshi, “I’m really sorry for dragging you into such a dangerous operation.”
Uenoshi found it strange. “I’m participating in this operation for the Troupe Leader, not for you. Why are you apologizing?”
Ye Dang’s expression froze. He had forgotten that Uenoshi had already given him the cold shoulder before.
He knew that because he had once tricked Guan Tong, Uenoshi had never really liked him. That impression wouldn’t be easy to change.
He gave Uenoshi a light chuckle. “How about this: once the operation is successful, I’ll formally apply to join your Troupe. Then we’ll all be comrades.”