Chapter 2190: Dong Rui on a Business Trip

So, the warring parties fought and negotiated simultaneously, sometimes battling, sometimes talking. One day, a proposal would come from them; the next, a message from us. All the while, soldiers were dying on the battlefield. It was, in essence, an incredibly tangled war.

However, it wasn't as if the negotiations made no progress at all. Occasionally, common ground was found. Mu Nation, for instance, had surrendered several strategic locations for the sake of an agreement, while Ya Nation had also made concessions on the terms multiple times.

Both nations had demonstrated sincerity, yet neither was satisfied with the other's sincerity. Consequently, negotiations failed time and again, and the war became an endless overtime match, leaving even onlookers yawning from boredom.

How had things progressively escalated to their current state?

If a remedy for regret existed, Ya Nation would certainly not have attacked Bailie in the first place, nor would it have clamored for revenge for the Third Prince.

If Helian Chuan were Mu Nation's Grand Chancellor, he would have been quite satisfied with such military gains. After all, Mu Nation had already expended considerable energy and human lives on the Ya Nation front; it was high time to cease hostilities.

After all, they were still fighting Beijia in the west. While inflicting harm, Mu Nation was also bleeding profusely itself.

When Helian Chuan explained the Ya-Mu War to his generals, he consistently emphasized that Mu Nation had, in essence, won a wrestling match against two adversaries this time, which was truly remarkable, as its opponents were Beijia and Ya Nation, making it a true two-front war.

Ya Nation was also well aware of Mu Nation's predicament and blindly believed that Mu Nation would inevitably succumb to Beijia's burden and be the first to withdraw its troops. Thus, Ya Nation stubbornly persisted until the enemy advanced deeper and deeper, occupying more and more territory, finally leading them to consider yielding.

Helian Chuan surmised that perhaps Beijia would not permit Ya Nation to withdraw either.

"Ya Nation misjudged Mu Nation's resolve," Helian Chuan told all his generals and the strategists, including Du Shan, who were present to observe. "Mu Nation has suffered two losses at our hands and can no longer afford to lose face. It needs a complete and absolute victory to legitimize itself!"

Ya Nation failed to understand that only a thorough victory could allow Mu Nation to maintain its dignity as a great power.

The most alarming fact was that Ya Nation had not yet realized Mu Nation's mindset had completely transformed and was no longer about "cherishing its feathers" as it had been months ago!

Du Shan also stated, "After Mu Nation replaced its Grand Chancellor, their policies changed. Ya Nation, however, failed to thoroughly study You Huan as a person and is consequently destined to suffer greatly from this oversight."

Indeed, the Mu Emperor had temporarily replaced the Grand Chancellor, appointing You Huan.

Mu Nation's major strategic shift began at that time.

"Former Grand Chancellor Guo Shaoping's governance was typically conservative and passive. During the war, he became overly speculative, unable to adapt to the intensity of combat or the later stage of great power maneuvering," Helian Chuan mused, stroking his chin. "You Huan, on the other hand, is ruthless in his methods yet composed, truly a man of talent. Old Du, you will be dealing with him from now on."

He was also very adept at making enemies from afar.

Du Shan chuckled, one corner of his mouth curving upwards. "I look forward to it!"

After the meeting concluded, Helian Chuan specifically asked Dong Rui to stay behind.

"You're going on a long business trip." This was the client's undeniable directive.

"Where to?" Dong Rui wasn't averse to a business trip. He had been cooped up conducting experiments for over half a year and felt as though mushrooms were about to sprout on him.

A change of scenery and some sunshine would do him good.

Only after everyone else had left did Helian Chuan approach the sand table and bring up a new map. "Over half a year ago, Naira Tian disclosed crucial information to me: the Celestial Palace established large-scale demonic puppet experimental grounds in two locations – the Thousand-Eyed Cave in the Nantao Archipelago and the Bottomless Lake by the Crystalline Mountain. Consequently, I dispatched numerous informants to investigate."

Dong Rui's eyes lit up immediately. "Am I going to both of these places?"

"Only one," Helian Chuan replied, shaking his head. "Both locations have very high security clearance, and it took Naira Tian considerable effort to uncover their existence, which shows the Celestial Palace's high regard for them. These two places are far apart. If you disrupt one, the Celestial Gods will quickly receive news. By the time you try to reach the other experimental ground, a comprehensive trap might be waiting for you."

"Which one do you recommend, then?" Dong Rui knew that Helian Chuan had likely made thorough preparations before sharing this information with him.

"The Thousand-Eyed Cave," Helian Chuan said, pointing to the terrain on the sand table. "It's not far from Mu Nation and located at sea, making entry, exit, and escape relatively convenient for you."

"Looking at the sand table, this Thousand-Eyed Cave isn't small at all. It's much larger than Cao Wendao's Crimson Lodge."

"It's deep within the Nantao Archipelago, isolated from the world and rarely visited by outsiders, making it an ideal experimental site. The Crimson Lodge, after all, is on land, and Blinggold is not very peaceful. If it were too large, it would easily attract attention. Didn't the disciples of the Crimson Lodge confess to you that the lodge was frequently targeted by thieves?" (Though these thieves never came to a good end.) "Furthermore, Cao Wendao made a mistake, and the Celestial Palace sending him to Blinggold Plains was a form of punishment; the funding he received was nowhere near as ample as for these two other locations."

"The Nantao Archipelago has indigenous people, three tribes totaling over four thousand individuals, who regularly provide logistical support to the Thousand-Eyed Cave, transporting food and supplies, and sometimes even moving out strange and unusual items."

Dong Rui's interest piqued at the mention of "strange and unusual." "Like what?"

"Experimental materials, perhaps," Helian Chuan chuckled. "If you lost a bit more weight and got a bit more tanned, you might be able to impersonate an indigenous person and infiltrate."

Dong Rui, having spent years indoors, had somewhat pale skin, unlike the island's indigenous inhabitants.

"Alright, I'll go check on the Celestial Palace's experimental progress." Dong Rui rolled his eyes. "But the Celestial Palace already wants to capture me; you're not going to send me to my doom, are you?"

"No," Helian Chuan confirmed. "Grandma, Blood Demon, and Real Person Jieshui will accompany you. Zhongli Zheng will also bring fifty skilled individuals to protect your safety. However, you must also be cautious yourself; most of the Thousand-Eyed Cave experimental site is located underwater." In other words, Wocan would have difficulty entering.

Dong Rui frowned deeply. "Are both of these experimental sites near water?"

"Yes."

"The Crimson Lodge is also by a large lake," Dong Rui mused, stroking his chin. "I originally thought it was for convenient access to water."

"The Thousand-Eyed Cave has several intricate formations arranged around its periphery. There are also avian sentinels regularly patrolling from high altitudes, and sea demons might even be patrolling underwater."

The more Helian Chuan spoke, the more curious Dong Rui became. "It seems the Celestial Palace has high hopes for that place! Wait a minute, why is the giant lizard coming with me too?"

Real Person Jieshui's true form was a massive fire lizard, who had pledged allegiance to Helian Chuan in the Upside-Down Sea.

"Did you think it couldn't touch water?" Helian Chuan chuckled. "The lava pool where it once lived was actually by the sea. Real Person Jieshui possesses several extraordinary divine abilities; take them with you, and they might prove useful."

The current environment of heaven and earth was still not very suitable for immortal activities. Real Person Jieshui usually shrank into a gecko, wrapping themselves in a pouch to hibernate.

Dong Rui could carry them in his satchel.