Sakura Prayer, Serpent Hair Society headquarters.
Guan Tong, Shangyuan, Black Star, and White Star — the four members of the Trace Origin Troupe — were all present.
It had been a long time since they last gathered like this. Normally Guan Tong sought people out individually; group meetings were rare.
This time the gathering was Guan Tong’s idea.
“I called everyone here because Suroma has issued a Level Five Warrant against me.”
Guan Tong said it, while the other three sat at the table and listened silently.
“I think you all already know, this Level Five Warrant doesn’t only target me. It covers people associated with me as well. In other words, you’re all included.”
Shangyuan said, “Then what now?”
Her tone carried a hint of displeasure, as if she believed Guan Tong shouldn’t have said that out loud, as if they should shoulder this together without further comment.
Black Star also spoke up, “Troupe Leader, your problem is our problem. Whether or not we were marked as targets, we’ll take Bruce on with you.”
“Yeah, we’ve got nothing to fear!” White Star’s attitude was equally resolute.
“I believe you,” Guan Tong said. “But Bruce is ruthless. We must consider personal safety.”
Guan Tong analyzed the situation one by one.
“Black Star, White Star, your connections to me aren’t public, but Suroma’s intelligence department is formidable. They could uncover something.
You’re from Xisiya and spend most of your time there. Even if they find a link to me, Bruce is unlikely to send official armed forces openly… Yelanka would never permit such a military invasion. That would be tantamount to declaring war.
So if he wants to deal with you, he’ll most likely send assassins. Over the next period, you need to be on high alert for threats like that.”
Black Star and White Star exchanged a glance and nodded.
They knew Guan Tong was right. As intermediaries, they’d seen many assassination methods and had some defensive experience and ideas.
“Next is Shangyuan.” Guan Tong looked at Shangyuan. “When Bruce forced you to surrender before, he intended to deploy troops to attack Sakura Prayer. Although that plan was delayed, it’s certainly on the table and could be restarted at any time.
I think he will do it, not solely because of you or me, but for another purpose: to test the combat effectiveness of the war weapon legions and the modified Ascendant legions he’s built.”
Weapons of war are built to be used, and only combat can reveal their true quality.
Suroma once used war machines against a massive invasion by the Fire Thief Cult, and the results were remarkable.
Yet that cult army was controlled by Your Holiness Paul, relying on a willingness to die rather than intrinsic combat prowess — that “fearless in death” psychological advantage only works in human-on-human battles.
Against war machines that know no fear and feel no emotion, dying bravely achieves nothing.
So if Bruce wants verification, he needs a battlefield and an enemy.
Beixing, Xisiya, Lury… none are suitable. First, any action there would be without a clear casus belli; second, the risks are too high.
Only Sakura Prayer is different: its strength is weak, and Suroma can present the attack as “avenging Suroma’s people.”
Besides, Sakura Prayer’s population is concentrated in two cities, making it the most suitable enemy and battlefield for a military trial.
“Your answer is the same as before — you’re afraid,” Shangyuan said lightly. “No one in the Serpent Hair Society will fight to the last man.”
“Not as much as you would,” Guan Tong replied. “You’ll be staying in Sakura Prayer for a while. If Suroma wants a surprise strike, you’ll be able to respond first.”
Shangyuan stirred inwardly when she heard Guan Tong would stay temporarily in Sakura Prayer, but after thinking for a moment she said, “Troupe Leader, rather than worrying about us, shouldn’t we be more concerned about other people connected to you? Like that academy lecturer, she’s important to you, right?”
Guan Tong nodded. “I’ve considered other people. As you said, Shi Jingyi is indeed important to me.
But she’s a lecturer at the academy and is unlikely to be attacked unless Bruce decides to open full hostilities with Beixing… Even then, she has strong power to protect herself, and we keep in touch — we can provide support whenever necessary.”
Most of the people connected to Guan Tong outside the troupe were capable of protecting themselves, or had forces to protect them.
For example, Shi Jingyi falls within the effective range of the Level Five Warrant, but she is also one of the academy’s three main lecturers.
The academy is an official Beixing institution, and she’s a key figure. Attacking her would be tantamount to attacking Beixing’s authorities; only a decision to go to war would justify that.
Even hiring assassins would be astronomically difficult.
To carry out a sneak assassination, Shi Jingyi’s continuously circulating protective Mind Power shield would be a nightmare. Guan Tong had personally tested it; breaching that shield even for him required considerable effort.
And defeating her head-on… if any Ascendant had the power to beat Shi Jingyi in direct combat, they wouldn’t need to be an assassin — they could swagger into any country and be treated like honored guests.
Globally, perhaps only Guan Tong is so special: top-tier power while remaining on the fringes of groups — neither fully integrated nor completely severed.
As for others like Chen Na and Xiaotian, they belong to Beixing’s official system and have the government as a solid backing.
After considering everything, Guan Tong still thought Shangyuan was the most at risk, which is why he decided to stay in Sakura Prayer for a while and wait for the situation to change.
But besides that…
Another figure surfaced in Guan Tong’s mind.
He felt that person was equally dangerous and information-isolated. He needed to meet them in person and tell them directly.
...
Evening, a small town on the Birahan Desert.
When Guan Tong arrived at the Children of Argan tribe, they were sitting around a homemade stove eating dinner.
They were happy to see Guan Tong. Camp Leader Jie stood up, waving a roasted sweet potato and calling, “Hey, friend, you’re here. Want to eat some with us?”
“Thanks, but no.” He declined Jie’s offer and looked toward the crowd at the Moon Key. “Can we talk privately?”
The Moon Key nodded, and the two moved a little farther away.
Before Guan Tong could speak, the Moon Key said, “That prophecy came true, didn’t it?”
...
“You and Adam did something major. We don’t use the online world here, so we didn’t know the outcome, but since you haven’t come for so long, I suspected.”
“It’s unfortunate,” Guan Tong said. “Adam didn’t survive. I buried his head in Banzhen.”
A trace of sorrow flashed in the Moon Key’s eyes, and for a long moment she didn’t speak.
Guan Tong didn’t rush to speak either.
The Moon Key needed time to process the bad news, and as the one who had to say it, he felt uneasy as well.
“I want to know how he died.” After a moment, she asked.
Hatred showed openly on Guan Tong’s face. “Bruce used Adam’s daughter, Ai Ya.
He transferred his son’s memories into Ai Ya, then manipulated her to use her ability to kill Adam… Adam saw his daughter suddenly, his mind blanked, his defenses slipped for an instant, and he was killed instantly.
I didn’t expect it either. When Ai Ya teleported in, I instinctively thought Bruce had taken her as a hostage. I never imagined she herself was the weapon.”
The Moon Key shook her head. “You can’t blame yourself. No one could have foreseen this. Even with my prophetic ability, I couldn’t have predicted it.”
...
“Shadow, there must be more bad news, right?” The Moon Key adjusted her emotions. “I can tell you came for another reason.”
Guan Tong: “That’s right. After that incident I launched a series of attacks to retaliate against Bruce… long story short, Suroma has now issued a Level Five Warrant on me. You’re Suroman, so you know what that means.”
When the Moon Key heard “Level Five Warrant,” she indeed showed surprise; she immediately understood why Guan Tong had come to see her.
“You think I’ll also be affected by the warrant?”
“Yes. Since I’m connected to Adam, and Adam is connected to you, Bruce could easily infer connections between us — which means you’re in danger now.”
The Moon Key frowned. “Before I left Suroma, Bruce promised me something. As long as I didn’t make prophecies related to him, he wouldn’t ask anything more of me.”
“What’s a promise from that monster worth?” Guan Tong said coldly. “He can lie to the whole world on camera. It wouldn’t surprise me if he broke his promise without a second thought.”
The Moon Key fell silent.
“To be safe, I’ll take you somewhere else. Those tribe members can come with us if they want.”
“They won’t agree. We left because we wanted to escape industrial society, and as their priestess, I won’t leave the tribe.”
The Moon Key’s voice was low but firm.
Guan Tong grew anxious and asked repeatedly, “If Bruce sends people for you, what then? Do you think you can protect yourself? Or can the tribe protect you?”
The Moon Key did not answer. Though she couldn’t verbally refute Guan Tong, she displayed a resolute silence.
Guan Tong had no choice. He couldn’t force her to leave against her will.
They stood in a silent standoff for a moment before Guan Tong resigned.
“…Since you don’t want to go, fine. But the Corpse Whistle should still be in your possession. If Bruce sends people after you, blow it. I’ll come to help.”
After saying that he vanished in a flash. The Moon Key remained silent for a long time before returning to the tribe.
Everyone looked at her curiously, wondering what had happened.
A girl named Lan asked, “Priestess Yue, you look awful. Did your friend bring bad news?”
The Moon Key glanced at Lan, then at the others. “If someone tries to capture me, you might be implicated. I plan to—”
“Yue, don’t say any more.”
Camp Leader Jie cut her off sternly halfway through.
“If you say you’re worried and want to leave us, we absolutely won’t allow it. You’re already one of us. Whatever danger comes, we face it together!”
“The leader’s right. Priestess Yue, you can’t go. We all need you.”
“Yeah, if there are bad guys, we’ll beat them together. Didn’t we do that before in the desert?”
At the tribe members’ words, the Moon Key felt her eyes warm. The tribe’s trust and care mingled with the sorrow from Adam’s death, making it hard for her to hold back tears.
She wiped the corner of her eye and said earnestly to everyone, “All right, don’t worry. I won’t leave. I’ll stay with you.”
“That’s the spirit!” Jie laughed twice. “Come on, the sweet potatoes are ready. Eat up.”