Chapter 526: This Old Man Has an Idea
Morning court was a routine meeting held every day in the imperial palace of the Sun Moon Empire.
The ministers of Mingdu City had been attending such meetings ever since taking office, and long ago lost any sense of novelty toward them.
But today's court session felt especially different.
One reason was that the Imperial Tutor had actually shown up to court for once.
The last time the Imperial Tutor appeared at a morning assembly had been a very long time ago, so every minister looking toward the old man lazily seated beneath the emperor found the situation rather strange.
Why was he here?
As for the second reason, it was the content of the memorial submitted by the empire's prime minister, Zhou Yuan.
Han Shi would be closing tomorrow, and today would be its final day of business?
None of the ministers were unfamiliar with this restaurant, which had appeared a month ago and immediately triggered immense vigilance within the court. In fact, most of the officials present were regular customers of Han Shi.
As Han Shi gained more and more customers, these ministers no longer visited every single day, instead going every few days, so not everyone had seen the notice board outside Han Shi the previous night.
The moment Zhou Yuan spoke, the court inevitably fell into commotion.
"Silence."
Xu Haolong tapped the armrest of the throne, his expression turning somewhat solemn.
Why was this Han Shi always like this?
Every time he had already pushed it to the back of his mind, it just had to stir up trouble again.
Closing down?
There were only around three months left before Douluo Continent would discover the Sun Moon Continent.
At a moment like this, a restaurant that had come from Douluo suddenly shutting down—there was no need to even guess what that represented.
"The group from Douluo Continent is likely preparing to return," Xu Haolong said coldly. "Naturally, Sun Moon cannot allow them to leave. Although Han Shi has always been under our watch, they must have hidden personnel gathering intelligence in secret. We have no idea how much they have learned, so we would rather kill a hundred innocents than let even one slip away!"
"Your Majesty is wise."
Zhou Yuan cupped his hands slightly.
"This minister shares the same view. If they return to Douluo Continent alive, Douluo will surely learn of our plans ahead of time, which would greatly harm our grand strategy. If possible, we should stop them from leaving. If not…"
A trace of killing intent appeared in his eyes.
"Then for the sake of the Sun Moon Empire's great cause, we can only bury them here."
As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers all voiced their agreement.
Though they loved Han Shi's cuisine, one matter was one matter and another was another. In the face of affairs of such importance, personal feelings meant nothing.
Seeing that all the ministers shared this opinion, Xu Haolong nodded and was just about to arrange manpower in advance when he suddenly noticed a thoughtful look appear on De Hongchen's face.
His heart stirred slightly.
"What does Imperial Tutor think of this matter?"
"Me?"
De Hongchen raised an eyebrow, a faintly amused look appearing in his eyes.
"This old man visits Han Shi every day. The food there truly is excellent."
The moment those words were spoken, faint laughter spread among the ministers.
The Imperial Tutor's love of fine cuisine was known by everyone.
Xu Haolong shook his head helplessly.
"Imperial Tutor, what I'm asking about is Han Shi closing down."
"Oh, that."
De Hongchen shook his head.
"This old man only researches spirit tools. I don't concern myself with such matters."
Xu Haolong inwardly relaxed and was just about to speak when De Hongchen leisurely added another sentence:
"But have any of you considered why Han Shi would announce its closure in advance?"
The instant De Hongchen's words fell, the court sank into silence.
That's right.
If Han Shi really intended to flee, shouldn't they have left quietly while no one was paying attention?
Why would they deliberately announce it ahead of time—and even a full day in advance?
One day was more than enough time for the Sun Moon Empire to deploy forces and keep them from escaping.
"Your Majesty, I know the answer!"
Not long after, Zhao Zhiyuan's smug voice broke the silence.
"When ordinary restaurants suspend business or shut down, they usually notify customers ahead of time. That's why Han Shi put up the notice board in advance—"
"—Shut up, you idiot."
Beside him, Ye Changhong could not help but rebuke him.
"Is Han Shi an ordinary restaurant? Why would it need to follow so-called restaurant customs?"
After scolding him a few times, Ye Changhong stepped out from among the ministers.
"Your Majesty, this minister believes there is something suspicious about this matter. The other side may be planning to ambush us."
"An ambush?"
Xu Haolong narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"Among the people from the Douluo Continent, there is at least one Titled Douluo-level expert. This is something we all know. As for whether a Titled Douluo or a Level 9 Spirit Engineer is stronger, this minister cannot say for certain, but their strengths are undoubtedly close. In such a situation, if the other side fights desperately, they could heavily injure several Level 9 Spirit Engineers."
"And that is only the strength they have revealed openly. If they still have hidden personnel outside Mingdu City, then the casualties suffered by our pursuing forces may be even more severe. Our Sun Moon Continent already possesses fewer high-level combatants than Douluo Continent. If we suffer further losses under such circumstances, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Ye Changhong's expression turned grave.
"After such a long period of time, I believe Qi Han and the people behind him must already suspect us. This may very well be a test. They want to see whether anyone in the imperial court truly knows that Han Shi came from Douluo Continent. If someone does know, then they can seize the opportunity to weaken the Sun Moon Empire's high-level forces. If no one knows, then they can simply leave safely."
Hearing this, Zhou Yuan raised his head and exchanged a glance with Xu Haolong, deep meaning hidden in his eyes.
That's right.
Qi Han knew the true identities of the ministers who dined at Han Shi.
The information Qi Han had unintentionally revealed to the secret agent named Fang Qing back then was more than enough to prove this.
However, neither Zhou Yuan nor Xu Haolong had informed any of the ministers about this matter. Originally, they had intended to see whether they could use the situation to their advantage later on, but since Han Shi never displayed the slightest abnormality afterward, the two had nearly forgotten about it entirely.
Yet Ye Changhong's words now suddenly reminded them of it.
This was not the "test" Ye Changhong imagined.
It was an obvious trap!
Han Shi had long since known the identities of the ministers, yet still deliberately announced the time of their departure in advance. Wasn't the purpose clearly to wipe out every force sent to intercept them?
How arrogant.
A chill simultaneously rose in both Zhou Yuan and Xu Haolong's hearts.
Facing the full might of an empire, they still dared to act so brazenly. Were all people from Douluo Continent this insane?
Now the empire found itself trapped in a dilemma.
Send a large number of powerful experts to hunt them down?
If that resulted in devastating casualties among the empire's top-tier combatants, then how would they face the Douluo Continent three months later?
Or…
Should they simply let them leave?
Xu Haolong clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with unwillingness.
Damn it.
Was the empire truly so powerful, yet still unable to do anything against them?
"Your Majesty."
De Hongchen, seated beneath Xu Haolong, observed the emperor's expression. A flicker of thought passed through his eyes before he spoke with a smile.
"This old man would like to ask—why exactly does Your Majesty wish to stop Han Shi?"
"Imperial Tutor already knows that Han Shi comes from Douluo Continent," Xu Haolong explained. "Their people have likely gathered quite a bit of intelligence in secret while in Sun Moon Continent. If that information is brought back to Douluo Continent, it would be extremely disadvantageous to us."
"I see."
De Hongchen nodded, then abruptly changed the subject.
"This old man feels that Your Majesty need not worry so much."
As he spoke, he slowly turned his head toward one of the people below and smilingly asked:
"This old man wishes to ask—when the Third Prince returned from Douluo, how long did it take?"
Xu Jiyun froze briefly before immediately replying:
"Imperial Tutor, my subordinates and I used spirit tools to accelerate our travel and rushed day and night at full speed. It took fifty days."
"And how long," De Hongchen asked leisurely, "does the Third Prince think it would take this group from Douluo Continent to return?"
"This…"
Xu Jiyun frowned and thought for a moment.
"Their overall strength is greater than the team we had back then, but without spirit tools to accelerate their ship, their efficiency would certainly be much lower. Even at the fastest, it should still take them at least two months."
"In that case…" De Hongchen smiled.
"By the time Han Shi reaches Douluo Continent, there will only be one month left before Sun Moon is exposed to Douluo. Your Majesty, how much can truly be accomplished in a single month?"
One month…
Xu Haolong's expression eased somewhat.
If the Douluo Continent learned of the Sun Moon Continent a month in advance, it would naturally affect the plan to some extent.
But compared to the possible loss of high-level combatants from intercepting them, it seemed somewhat acceptable.
"Imperial Tutor means… to let them leave?" Xu Haolong asked, seeming slightly tempted.
"This minister disagrees with the Imperial Tutor's view."
At that moment, Zhou Yuan suddenly spoke.
His expression looked somewhat grim, as though he had just realized something.
"Your Majesty, this minister has suddenly thought of another possibility. What the people from Douluo Continent take back with them may not merely be intelligence."
"There are no spirit tools in the Douluo Continent. If they bring back various kinds of spirit tools—or even methods for creating them—our advantage will completely vanish. The empire has countless Spirit Engineer academies. There is no guarantee they have not already acquired something. This would be even more terrifying than them learning of our deployment plans!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers immediately erupted into discussion.
Xu Haolong's expression also changed slightly.
They had lived on the Sun Moon Continent their entire lives and were long accustomed to the existence of spirit tools, but on Douluo Continent, every inheritance related to spirit tools had already vanished completely.
Although once the two continents officially began communicating, it was inevitable that spirit tool technology would gradually flow into Douluo Continent, now was absolutely not the right time.
Within the Sun Moon Empire's plans was a proposal to use spirit tool resources and the manufacturing methods of low-level spirit tools in exchange for the various precious resources of Douluo Continent.
According to their intelligence, soul bones on Douluo Continent were far cheaper than in Sun Moon. If they could exchange outdated or unused low-level spirit tool manufacturing methods for large quantities of high-age soul bones, it would be an enormous profit.
But if spirit tool technology leaked into Douluo Continent ahead of time…
No!
Xu Haolong's expression suddenly became vicious.
No one was allowed to stop the Sun Moon Empire from making this fortune!
Yet immediately afterward, his face turned conflicted once again.
Stopping the other side would naturally prevent spirit tools and various Sun Moon Empire secrets from reaching Douluo Continent early, but it could also result in devastating casualties among high-level Spirit Engineers, affecting future plans.
If only there were a way to stop them, prevent secrets from leaking, and avoid losses at the same time.
But how could such a perfect solution exist in this world?
Even though he knew it was wishful thinking, Xu Haolong still could not help asking:
"Is there any method to stop them without causing casualties among our Sun Moon high-level forces?"
The court fell silent.
After a long while, one minister cautiously spoke up.
"What if… we deploy a Spirit Engineer Legion—mmph!"
The moment he finished speaking, another minister standing beside him—one who was clearly on friendly terms with him—immediately rushed over and covered his mouth.
Facing the angry glares of the assembled ministers, he laughed awkwardly.
"Brother Zhang probably didn't sleep well last night and is a bit muddle-headed. Please don't take offense."
What a joke—that was a Spirit Engineer Legion!
Yes, Spirit Engineer Legions indeed lacked true high-level combatants. Under normal circumstances, the commander of a Spirit Engineer Legion was only an eighth-level Spirit Engineer, and some were even merely seventh-level. As for the members, most were only around the fourth- or fifth-level range.
But every single Spirit Engineer Legion had been painstakingly built by the empire at immense cost, and the spirit tools equipped within them were worth astronomical sums.
With those top-tier spirit tools and more than a thousand Spirit Engineers starting at the fourth level, such a Spirit Engineer Legion could indeed eliminate the group from Douluo Continent.
But that Spirit Engineer Legion itself would likely be completely annihilated in the process.
Sacrifice an entire Spirit Engineer Legion just to stop Han Shi's people?
That would be even worse than sending in high-level combatants directly!
Disappointment could not help but appear in Xu Haolong's eyes.
After waiting so long, this was the only suggestion he received? Such a foolish proposal.
Did they truly have no choice but to sacrifice some of their top-tier forces in order to leave the enemy buried in Sun Moon forever?
"Your Majesty, if we're talking about avoiding casualties… it's not entirely impossible."
De Hongchen suddenly spoke, instantly rekindling hope in Xu Haolong's eyes.
"Imperial Tutor has a solution?"
"My method cannot keep all of them trapped in Sun Moon forever," De Hongchen said with a smile. "However… trapping them for a few years should still be possible."
"A few years would be enough!"
Not only was Xu Haolong not disappointed, he became even more excited.
With one or two years of time, all of the empire's plans would already be close to completion. By then, whatever Han Shi's people possessed would lose all value and no longer be worth worrying about.
"Imperial Tutor, what is your method?"
"Does Your Majesty still remember," De Hongchen said, a trace of nostalgia appearing in his eyes, "that before this old man became a Level 10 Spirit Engineer, I disappeared for eight years?"
"Of course I remember. Back then, didn't you say you had concealed your identity and wandered the world?"
"That was merely an excuse."
De Hongchen shook his head with a smile.
"In truth, during those eight years, I was trapped within a secret realm. This realm is not far from Mingdu City, but it requires an extremely special method to open, and under normal circumstances no abnormalities can be detected at all. I only entered it by accident through sheer coincidence. Although I obtained certain opportunities there, it still took me a full eight years to escape."
"This…"
Xu Haolong and the assembled ministers were all stunned. Even Yao Hongchen's face was filled with shock.
He had never once heard his father mention such a matter.
A flicker passed through Zhou Yuan's eyes before he spoke.
"Imperial Tutor, your meaning is…?"
"Precisely."
De Hongchen nodded.
"I can tell you the method for opening this secret realm. Once they enter it, they will definitely be trapped. Even with my current strength, I absolutely could not break free from it, so I believe none among them would be capable of doing so either. As for how you lure the people from Douluo Continent into the secret realm, this old man will not concern himself with."
Lure them into the secret realm?
Everyone's eyes lit up.
Compared to directly hunting and intercepting the enemy, this method was clearly far gentler while still achieving the same effect.
"Your Majesty, this minister believes this plan is excellent!"
Zhou Yuan spoke loudly, excitement visible in his eyes.
The Imperial Tutor even knew of such a secret realm. As expected, his depths were truly unfathomable.