"Finally, it's done. Now we can begin."
With a satisfied smile, Daniel stood up, holding a golden magic circle he had just completed. Once this was finished, many of his previous plans could finally be put into action.
With this thought in mind, Daniel left the room and stepped into the courtyard. There, he saw four people playing mahjong in the pavilion: Nian, FrostNova, Hoshiguma, and Swire.
After arriving in Chernobog, Lady Wen Yue had decided to stay for a while, perhaps to spend more time with Ch'en and Talulah. As a result, Hoshiguma and Swire had also stayed, meaning that all three of Lungmen's top figures were now in Chernobog.
Lady Wen Yue had likely informed Wei Yenwu about this, so he hadn't raised any objections. After all, Lungmen had been developing for many years, and the temporary absence of its top figures wouldn't cause much disruption.
Moreover, with Chernobog's intervention, Wei Yenwu's plan to develop the slums had made some progress. The battle in Lungmen had destroyed many slum buildings, and Chernobog had taken in many Infected from Lungmen, greatly alleviating the pressure there.
"Nian, your movie is finished."
Daniel walked over to the pavilion and glanced at the Lungmen currency piled up beside the four players. FrostNova had the most, indicating that her beginner's luck was holding strong. Among the four, FrostNova was the only one who had just learned to play mahjong. She hadn't had the time or opportunity to play before, but now she was making up for lost time.
"It's almost done. Just a few more days."
After waking up this time, Nian had become particularly interested in movies. When she had last been awake, there had been no movies or television. So, Daniel had asked her to make a film. He had his own plans for this, including an Infected propaganda campaign. Unfortunately, entities like the Demons and the Seaborn couldn't be publicly revealed, or they would have made excellent final bosses for the movie.
"Keep up the good work." Daniel nodded to FrostNova and the others before leaving.
"This should do."
Daniel arrived at an underground training room reserved for Reunion's cadres. After surveying the area, he ordered the room to be temporarily sealed off. Then, he walked over to a wall and began casting the Undetectable Extension Charm with his wand.
"Farm, ranch, greenhouse, herb garden, training ground, industrial base... Ten should be enough."
Satisfied with the four doors now lining the wall, Daniel put away his wand and left Chernobog. He flew to a remote wasteland far from the city and began moving land, mountains, and rivers.
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
After three days of work, the ten expanded spaces were ready. Each had been transformed into a picturesque landscape, complete with mountains, rivers, and greenery. These spaces were now suitable for habitation, though Daniel didn't plan to have people live in them. They were primarily for production and manufacturing, fully industrialized and operated by robots controlled by Red Queen.
Each space was vast, roughly a quarter the size of Lungmen. Together, the ten spaces were larger than two Lungmens combined.
"Hey, why did you call us here? What's going on over there? Is this what you've been busy with these past few days?"
On the fourth morning, Daniel had gathered everyone: Nian, Reunion's cadres including General Hellagur and the Snow Squad, Rhodes Island's Amiya, Kal'tsit, and the Doctor, as well as Lady Wen Yue, Ch'en, and the others from Lungmen.
Nian was the first to point at the ten doors on the wall, her curiosity piqued. The others were equally intrigued. They were familiar with this underground training room and knew what lay behind the walls. They couldn't understand why Daniel had added so many doors.
"This is the foundation of Chernobog's future development. Now, it's time to witness a miracle." With a wave of his hand, Daniel opened all ten doors simultaneously. The sight that greeted everyone left them speechless.
"No way... Is this an illusion?" The Snow Squad members rushed forward, reaching out to touch the scene before them. One of them stumbled, nearly falling, as they realized it wasn't an illusion but a real, tangible space.
"Red Queen, explain this to them."
"Yes."
As Daniel spoke, a little girl in a red dress materialized in front of everyone. This time, no one was surprised. Red Queen's existence was well-known among those present, as she had been responsible for Chernobog's network infrastructure.
"This is the agricultural base. Its area is..."
As Red Queen explained, she used a holographic system to display the details. As she spoke, Patriot and the others grew visibly excited.
Although Daniel had previously assured them that Chernobog's problems would be solved, Patriot and the others had been worried about how the city would support the growing number of Infected. Chernobog had originally been an industrial city, relying heavily on supplies from other cities. Now that they had taken over, Ursus had cut off those supplies.
Even though Daniel had repeatedly said there would be no shortage of supplies, Patriot had still been concerned. But now, seeing this, his worries were put to rest.
"We need to talk." Kal'tsit didn't join the others in exploring the expanded spaces. Instead, she, along with the Doctor and Amiya, approached Daniel. Such a capability was incredibly important to Rhodes Island.
Lady Wen Yue also approached, understanding the significance of the expanded spaces. Rhodes Island needed this, and so did Lungmen.
"Don't worry. Since I called you here, I understand what you're thinking. Let's take it one step at a time. Kal'tsit, Amiya, Doctor, you can start thinking about how to arrange these spaces on Rhodes Island."
Daniel had anticipated their reactions when he invited Rhodes Island and Lady Wen Yue.
"Sorry, we'll take our leave now." Kal'tsit prepared to leave with Amiya and the Doctor.
"Kal'tsit, there's no need to rush. I'm not going anywhere."
"Sorry, I got a bit carried away."
Kal'tsit realized she had been too hasty, but it was understandable. This was incredibly important for Rhodes Island.
"From now on, you'll be responsible for protecting this place. I think you understand the situation here. I'll gradually bring in some livestock."
In Terra, aside from Originium beasts, there were few ordinary animals left. Many species had gone extinct, especially those that could be used for food.
"I'll make sure it's well protected."
"Lady Wen Yue, don't worry. Lungmen has helped Chernobog a lot. I'll naturally do what I can to help." After touring the expanded spaces, Lady Wen Yue quickly left, eager to report the news to Wei Yenwu.
With Lady Wen Yue's departure, Hoshiguma and Swire also left. Lady Wen Yue had wanted to take Ch'en back with her, but Ch'en refused. Lady Wen Yue didn't press the matter, simply reminding Ch'en that Lungmen would always welcome her return.
The implication was clear: Ch'en was the next governor of Lungmen, whether she liked it or not.
Since she couldn't have children of her own, Lady Wen Yue had always treated Talulah and Ch'en as her own. This wasn't due to any issues between her and Wei Yenwu—they could have had children if they wanted. However, the current emperor of Yan had forbidden it. If Wei Yenwu had a child, that child would naturally be the heir to the throne. While Wei Yenwu had no interest in the throne, who could guarantee his child wouldn't? And even if they could, the emperor wouldn't allow any potential threat to his rule.
"Four? No problem."
When Daniel arrived at Rhodes Island, Kal'tsit had already decided that four expanded spaces would be enough. Strictly speaking, one large space would suffice, but Daniel had created ten for better organization. Since he could do it, he did. Rhodes Island didn't need to be as meticulous, and they didn't need a ranch.
"Perfumer won't have to complain about lack of space anymore." The Doctor was visibly pleased after seeing the expanded spaces.
"There's something else I'd like to discuss. Some Sarkaz Infected who want to live peacefully have asked to join Rhodes Island." Kal'tsit explained the situation.
"Sarkaz? So Mudrock was intercepted by Rhodes Island after all. My Sarkaz girl..." As Kal'tsit spoke, Daniel understood what had happened.
Just like in the original timeline, Mudrock and her squad, after leaving Reunion, had been ambushed by Leithanian Casters on their way back to Kazdel. They suffered heavy losses.
Determined to fight to the death, Mudrock was saved by the elite operator Logos, who happened to be on a mission nearby. Grateful for Rhodes Island's help and as fellow Sarkaz, Mudrock agreed to join Rhodes Island.
Even though Daniel's presence had saved Ansel and Yato had informed Mudrock about the changes in Reunion, Mudrock hadn't returned. It wasn't until she joined Rhodes Island that she truly understood how different Reunion had become. That was when she had this idea.
Not all Sarkaz were violent. Some longed for peace. The Sarkaz's bad reputation was largely due to the Kazdel Sarkaz who frequently attacked caravans heading to Laterano. Another reason was the Columbia Sarkaz, who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals, with many signing Red Contracts.
"No problem. Send them over, and we'll arrange their lives."
Although Daniel was a bit disappointed that Mudrock had been intercepted by Rhodes Island, he couldn't blame them. The fault lay with the Black Snake. If it hadn't been for his schemes, Mudrock wouldn't have left.
"Thank you. By the way, there's one more thing. Rhodes Island recently encountered some strange people. They seem completely unfamiliar with Terra and call themselves the Rainbow Six team. They claim to have come from the Scorched Earth. I suspect they're from another world."
Kal'tsit handed Daniel several photos. The images showed four heavily armed individuals carrying firearms.
"Their luck is terrible. Ending up in this world is like starting in hell. At least they didn't land in Ursus."
Daniel recognized the four from the photos. He knew a little about them, though he hadn't participated in the event where they appeared. He had only seen them as operators later and had a rough understanding of their background.
"Does this kind of thing happen often?" Kal'tsit continued.
"They're not like me. I came here intentionally. Their arrival was purely accidental and can't be replicated. It's unlikely anyone else will come."
Although Daniel said this, he wasn't entirely sure. Moreover, the appearance of Originium in the Rainbow Six world wasn't a good sign.
Under normal circumstances, a small amount of Originium wouldn't cause significant issues, as the real danger lay in its consciousness, much like Honkai energy. Honkai energy brought to another world would simply be a source of energy.
But what if the Rainbow Six world was a parallel world to Terra? That would be a different story.
"That's for the best. I don't want any more mad scientists appearing in this world. Even in a place like Sargon, they managed to create such monsters. I should be grateful they appeared in Sargon and not Victoria or Columbia. The disaster would have been much worse."
Kal'tsit showed Daniel several photos of terrifying Originium monsters.
"You should be grateful they didn't appear in Iberia or the Arctic tundra, where the Demons are. That would have been a real disaster."
Daniel agreed with Kal'tsit. If the scientist had appeared in Victoria or Columbia, where technology was more advanced, the consequences would have been far more severe.
Especially in Columbia, home to Rhine Lab. Based on Daniel's understanding of them, if they had met, the two sides would have hit it off immediately.
Unfortunately, the scientist, Levi, had only glimpsed a fraction of Originium's power and thought he had discovered the truth. He had rushed to begin his evolution, only to destroy himself.
Not everyone could be like the ancestor of the Thunderbolt, who had used Originium to achieve immortality. In a way, that was true evolution.
But it was fortunate that Levi had destroyed himself. If he had teamed up with Rhine Lab, they could have become Terra's version of the Umbrella Corporation from the games.
"You don't seem interested in them. I thought, as fellow travelers from another world, you might want to meet them." Kal'tsit seemed puzzled by Daniel's reaction.
"There's no need. Even if we could find their world through the place they came from, so what? I have no reason to send them home."
Theoretically, Daniel could locate their world and even send them back if he found the point of their arrival. But why would he go out of his way to help them? He wasn't a saint.
If their world had something of interest, he might have considered it. But unfortunately, it didn't.
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