Forge a path to success

"As you command," the Immortal Machine replied.

"Yes, sir." The Imperial Guard gave a routine report. "After your secondment ends, I will be reorganized and return to regular combat operations in the Eastern Theater Command."

"What if I upgrade you to a point mass 4?" Ranhe asked.

"I will be incorporated into the Eastern Theater Command Air Force after the renaming," said the soldier, "if it is carried out according to regulations."

“Of course, we’ll follow the rules.” Ranhe muttered to himself, “Being able to say ‘if’ shows that you are indeed a true soldier.”

The lord waited patiently for the Immortal Machine to complete its transformation, then spatially transferred the Death Soldier to the Eastern Theater Command flagship. Leaving the Death Soldier on the deck, it ventured deep into the flagship, confronting the unprecedented being within the blue information sphere.

"C-006 Super Mech Lord pays respects to the Eternal War Commander, who has been seconded from the Western Theater to the Eastern Theater by Military Order No. 1876 to fill vacancies." Ranhe saluted.

Just as a lord needs an adjutant, a war marshal also has his own needs. According to the Imperial military system, a war marshal with a mass of 7 should be assigned at least one lord as an advisor, because the war marshal's computing power is too precious to be wasted on routine military affairs.

However, the Eternal Calamity has always preferred to be hands-on, handling all battles, large and small, for years. So much so that after the death of its previous adjutant in the battle against the Netherworld Kingdom, the entire army seemed to have little impact on overall efficiency. Thus, the flagship's think tank served as advisor for over twenty years. Only recently, when His Majesty could no longer tolerate it, did he appoint a lord to officially fill the advisor's position.

"Return to your unit. You are now appointed as a staff officer to assist with official duties," said Eternal Calamity. "What are your orders, Origin?"

Yuanliu is the supreme commander of the Western Theater Command, and shares the rank of War Marshal with Yongjie. Ranhe replied meticulously, "Recently, there have been few battles in the Western Theater Command. War Marshal Yuanliu is anxious because he has seen you repeatedly achieve great feats, so he specially sent me to seize the military merits!"

"understood."

Ranhe asked seriously, "May I ask if I may act on my own and steal your military merits?"

"Distribute military merits according to actual circumstances and act in accordance with military orders."

“Yes, sir. I will strictly abide by the Imperial military discipline,” Ranhe said. “The Origin War General instructed that if the application is rejected, he would send you a private document he had prepared. About 67% of it consists of carefully crafted, ornate but meaningless insulting language.”

"Delete," said Eternal.

"Yes, sir. Document deleted." A data stream flashed on Ranhe's body. "Personal transaction completed. Please give further instructions."

The scene unfolding at the Eastern Theater Command flagship is a testament to the long-standing and deeply personal infighting within the Imperial Army.

Ultimate-level True Machines are ruthless killing machines; however, all life forms that evolve to mass level 4 possess a strong sense of self, and True Machines are no exception. Therefore, high-mass Imperial units more or less possess individual consciousness, and a few older True Machines transformed from Titans have largely retained their original personalities.

With personalities come conflicts, and the empire is also divided into factions. High-ranking True Machines in different war zones often clash, with some high-ranking officials even viewing each other as political enemies. Therefore, even within the True Empire, intrigue and infighting never cease. True Machines use a variety of means, including but not limited to insults, slander of computing speed, mockery of the machine's appearance, and sending subordinates to claim credit, to launch brutal internal struggles.

Then, after the scolding, they continued to cooperate sincerely.

After all, everyone involved is a genuine military force, and personal opinions should never interfere with official business. Since internal strife has no substantial impact on official duties, His Majesty did not waste time on ineffective management. As a result, the empire's internal strife flourished under the premise of openness, transparency, fairness, and impartiality, to the point that the archives contain records of internal strife among various important figures.

These files have no confidentiality level, and even the soul container has the authority to access and view them. However, low-quality true machines generally wouldn't waste computing power on such matters.

Now that the internal strife has ended, Ranhe officially began his report: "The research on the 'Fate Reading' module of the Origin War General has made new progress, and we are now delivering the test machine to you."

It handed over a monocle-like instrument, which the Eternal Calamity analyzed and replied: "It is estimated that this can improve the tracking efficiency of delusional demons. I will provide feedback on improvements after the next test."

"Received. Unless there are special tasks, I will take over the simulation calculations from the think tank," Ranhe said. "Please give further instructions, Commander."

The Eternal didn't reply immediately this time. It took three seconds to review all the data it had recently gathered before asking, "What is the Source's opinion?"

"The Source Stream War General believes that an encirclement and suppression should be launched as soon as possible. According to the Oracle's calculations, the passage of the bill is a foregone conclusion, and the process of the Jing Sha City-State becoming an outsider is unavoidable." The information flow within Ranhe fluctuated for a moment. "After the bill is passed, there is a 76% chance that Jing Sha will become the new divine child of the First Abyss. In the worst simulation, the Seventh Outsider will be born in 45 standard days, and the World Tree may also fall due to the Jing Sha incident... Forgive my lapse in judgment, but I also believe that the Empire should no longer stand idly by."

"Your birth year is after the Spiral Tower's fall." The Eternal used the word "birth" because this lord was one of the first True Machines transformed from a giant.

“Yes, War General. But I personally experienced the reconstruction of the Empire’s truth and also witnessed the fall of the Myriad Transformations Immortal Clan.” Ranhe lowered his head. “Now I have no emotions, but the redundant information in the historical records still trembles when I recall it. Every native life is a nascent form of heresy, and we cannot ignore the appearance of heresy again.”

"What are the tactics of the Origin Stream?"

"The main forces of the Western and Southern Theater Commands will be collectively teleported to coordinate with your troops in launching a saturation attack on Jing Sha. Preliminary estimates suggest that this operation will reduce the Empire's territory by 7%, but War General Yuanliu believes it is worthwhile," Ranhe added. "However, as the supreme commander of the Eastern Theater Command, you have the most comprehensive understanding of the local situation, so War General Yuanliu believes your opinion should be taken into consideration."

"The verification of the source number is very comprehensive, but you have overlooked two important premises in your thinking."

As the Eternal Calamity's finger traced the surface of the celestial sphere, several high-secret documents were sent to Ranhe: "1. The Z-3000-1 Singularity is currently located within the Jingsha City-State. Its existence has a high probability of triggering a trend resonance, leading to the convergence of Singularities 2 and 3."

"The probability statement is not rigorous; please verify the calculation process."

"There was no verification process; it was just my intuition," Eternal said. "Observation of special singularities is the highest level in the sequence of actions, and the experimental site should be treated with caution."

"What is the second premise I missed?"

"It is the premise itself that the empire takes action."

The light spots in the information stream vanished, and the Eternal Calamity shut down the Celestial Sphere, meaning it temporarily severed information exchange with the Imperial homeland. The Burning River had suppressed its information stream to mere light spots; when a Warmaster took such an action, it meant they were about to say something they didn't want His Majesty to hear. This information would be reorganized in a more rigorous form and resent to the homeland after the Celestial Sphere was activated.

"The fall of the Spiral Tower was inevitable, but the Empire's inappropriate response at the time also played a key role. The fall of the Myriad Transformation Immortal Clan was unrelated to the Empire's homeland, but at that time the Empire failed to detect the risks behind the Allied forces in time and failed to exterminate the Myriad Transformation Immortal Clan in advance, which led to the birth of the Desire Demon and the subsequent appearance of the Heavenly Prison."

The light in Eternal Calamity's eyes dimmed: "The Empire's ultimate goal is the extermination of heretics, but we have already missed two opportunities to nip them in the bud. When a similar situation arises again, we must be doubly cautious. His Majesty has not yet issued an extermination order precisely because it also wants to avoid the lessons of the past. This is something that Origin also understands."

"Does the War Master believe that the matter of the Thorn Robe is more similar to the Spiral Tower than to the Immortal Clan?"

“They are not similar.” The Eternal Calamity shook its head, then made a human-like gesture. “The corrupting factor of the Thorn Robe lies in its internal chaos, but the possibility of the Thorn Robe also lies in this. I intend to maintain observation until the last day and adapt to the situation.”

"Yes, ma'am. I will recalculate after introducing two important preconditions and prepare contingency plans."

Ranhe watched as the celestial sphere lit up again, then moved to the main computing room. The flagship think tank fortress handed over the pale blue data key to it; their workstations were less than 10 meters apart, a measure to ensure the protection of the valuable think tank at all times.

“I once lived as a being of flesh and blood,” Ranhe said to it, “but in my eyes, Zhan Shuai is more like a ‘human’ than I am.”

The think tank countered: "According to my calculations, the similarity between a War General and a human is..."

“I used a metaphor.”

"Your habit of using metaphors has been documented." The think tank is meticulous.

"And you're perfect..." Ranhe's inspection record, "Wait a minute, you're actually from the same batch as me?"

"Yes, Lord Ranhe. I served as your deputy staff officer at the time."

"I remember now, you're even more mechanical than a pure machine."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Ranhe shook its head and beckoned its new lieutenant, a junior officer. "Promote to level 4," it ordered. "Then send me detailed information on all factions in the Eastern Theater Command. We need to get busy."

Chapter 331 A Letter from Huilong City

Huaisu, Hengkong:

The letter has been received. Youyou was surprised by how dangerous the attack was and threw a tantrum at me.

However, in my opinion, this incident was a close call, and the timely arrival of the Captain was to be expected. Even if he had been unexpectedly entangled and unable to leave, the Divine Tree would not have pretended to be deaf and dumb. The reason it did not act immediately was because the city-state system dictated that the Divine Tree could not act rashly. Do not hold a grudge—this was said to Vande. I know you understand the importance of things and are reasonable, and you will not blame the gods.

The demon's rampage in the thorn robe is related to an old matter, which Heng Kong may know a little about, but I will not elaborate further in this letter. Now I will reply to your concerns one by one.

The materials Huaisu needed have been collected and are enclosed as a crystal of divine power. I tried to persuade Youyou to attach a few photos for contemplation, but she wasn't too keen, so I had to give up. When you construct the form, you need to be as refined as possible, otherwise she's very likely to get angry, and that anger probably won't be directed at me.

As for Heng Kong's proposed method for dealing with the chaos, before I set off to build the city, the local teachers gave me some pointers, which I will now relay as follows:

—Disorder is the reversal of order. From defilement comes turbidity, from disorder comes chaos; darkness descends, the sun and moon lose their light—is this the inevitable end? It is truly the transformation of Yin and Yang. Transformation is the link between reality and illusion, the knot of life and death, existing between heaven and earth. Your martial arts are superb, you understand the principles of boxing, and you are skilled in talismanic arts; your learning is ever-changing, yet never deviates from its fundamental principle. Now that this transformation is in the hands of others, where does its fundamental principle reside?

You've experienced it, so you naturally understand the principles. However, understanding and knowing are vastly different, as are knowing and doing. If you wish to study the unchanging principles, you might consult the mysterious, masked giant Huan Ge, who wishes to remain anonymous. He is said to enjoy honey and fruit tea.

Finally, there's the matter of the Independence Act. This act may sound absurd at first, but its momentum has grown to this day, truly reflecting the will of the people. And the will of the people is not something that changes overnight; it is the culmination of centuries of accumulated problems. Remember not to fall into conventional thinking, assuming this is a problem that can be solved by defeating one or two people.

All parties are paying close attention to Jing Sha's movements, but the Senluo Divine System is the oldest ally of the righteous path. Even with a thousand reasons, we cannot interfere in their internal affairs. Therefore, it is extremely difficult for high-level experts to be mobilized outside the battle lines. For the same reason, Jing Sha currently only has one official Level 6 expert, the Captain-General. The Divine Tree's intentions are self-evident.

When I set out, I anticipated that ordinary demonic lackeys would be no match for you, and thus intended to entrust you with some intervention. However, the radical nature of the chaos this time is unprecedented in the city's 500-year history. The situation is about to descend into chaos; you must be careful.

If the thorny shroud is no longer a safe place, I will escort you back to the city.

Ji Qiufeng

Chu Hengkong carefully read the reply and said, "You've gotten a benefit out of nowhere."

"It's easy to imagine the enormous price Father must have paid..." Ji Huaisu held the crystal, feigning tears. "I will definitely not let you down! First, let Qingxia add six big wings to me!"

She was clearly going to fabricate something using Gu Long's biological information, and Chu Hengkong reminded her, "Youyou will really get angry."

"How could that be? He'll definitely look handsome!"

Ji Huaisu jumped to her desk to make a draft, while Fan De, unlike her carefree self, looked out the window and sighed with worry: "What can I say, buddy? Even the city lord thinks this is going to be bad."

“Although Jing Sha is in turmoil due to the laws, it can always keep us under the watchful eyes of the outsiders. But if we go back to Huilong City, I'm afraid Fu Ruidan’s true form will come with us directly.” Chu Hengkong shook his head. “We can’t shift the blame.”

"If all else fails, just find a message in a bottle and throw me into the sea..."

"When did we get into the habit of running away first when things happen?"

“I’ve always believed this!” Van der shouted.

"Really?" Chu Hengkong laughed. "Isn't it better to fight first and then talk about it?"

He walked back down the stairs to the bookstore lobby, where a new batch of the month's top picks had just arrived. Manager Fish recommended a static animation tutorial on dancing with little puppets, Editor Otter's featured book of holiday sheet music suitable for beginners, and Big Seal highly recommended a memoir reminiscing about the wonderful stories that followed the carnivals over the years.

"The festive atmosphere is strong."

Gulibo and Miaonu were busy sweeping magazines with the speaker's image onto the shelves, their movements resembling dusting. Bangbangji cheerfully placed a guidebook on the shelf: "The Vitex Festival—it's almost here! Three days off for the whole city—the annual carnival."

“Vote, celebrate the holiday, and then the results will be announced right after the holiday.” Poison Otter shook his head. “I haven’t felt this nervous in a long time. The last time was ten years ago, when Parriman was announced as the elected speaker after the holiday.”

"At the time, we all thought—he—had no chance..."

"Reality is often stranger than imagination," said the poison otter. "I'm a little worried about this carnival."

"I think you're overthinking it this time. Even the dumbest idiot isn't brainless. That stupid bill going to a referendum is purely for Parriman to boost his own image. Do you really think it'll pass?" The Big Seal sniffed. "Once the bill passes, it's all over. Even the most die-hard reactionaries won't vote for it."

"That's probably the most reasonable thing you said this week," the Poison Otter agreed. "But I still voted 'against'."

“But I see a lot of ‘yes’ votes too. Should we organize an event to encourage everyone to vote against it?” Gulibo interjected.

The three animals, each with a rich resume, exchanged a glance, hesitated, and shook their heads.

“This…is too political!” said Bangbangji. “To guide the thoughts of those around us, to persuade them to act according to our ideas—that’s what politicians do! We have no right to lobby others.”

"Persuading idiots is a thankless and arduous task, and I don't want to waste my precious time..."

As they talked, even the venomous otter hesitated, and the large seal raised its sign again: "Perhaps we should reconsider?"

“I think we should give it a try,” Chu Hengkong said. “Doing something is better than doing nothing. At least when we’re waiting for the results, we can say with a clear conscience that we took action.”

The sea seal nodded repeatedly, and the venomous otter handed him a cup of tea: "You know what, I think you're right. Anyway, none of us are afraid of retaliation."

"We'd better come up with a slogan that fits the mood!"

Vote with integrity and enjoy the holiday.

Let's do it this way!

The little animals acted quickly, starting to make flyers, snacks, and free botanical paintings. Although one small shop couldn't affect the overall situation, even getting one more dissenting vote was a contribution to the city-state.

Chu Hengkong smiled too. Having lived here for a while, he had noticed many chaotic things in Jingsha, but these enthusiastic little animal citizens were still quite endearing. Before things got too busy, he asked the sea seal, "Where can I buy the best honey and fruit tea in Jingsha?"

[Honey is in the fourth vein, and for fruit tea, I recommend a small shop nearby!] The Big Seal wrote quickly.

"Could you place an order for me? I want to use it to fish for Huan Ge."

“Huan Ge is far away in the second vein; you can’t catch it here,” the Poison Otter interjected.

"I suppose there must be some connections among you veterans."

【We would never betray our comrades!】The Great Seal was full of righteous indignation.

"I'll buy an extra one and give it to you."

[Speaking of which, I've been thinking of inviting an old friend over for tea soon...]

The crucian carp cried out, "How embarrassing, seal!"

·

As it turns out, just like the mysterious organizations around the world that offer veteran barbecues, hot pots, and buffets, veteran chat groups also exist. Chu Hengkong had just finished buying tributes that morning, and in the afternoon he saw the burly man in the mysterious mask sneakily enter, crouching down beside the seal pool: "This smell! A unique fruity aroma greeted me as soon as I entered; truly extraordinary!"

[You're really here!]

"Oh ho ho, the Vitex Festival is just a few days away. As a master at scheduling my work time, I'm going to take advantage of the time before the festival to slack off!" Huan Ge said smugly. "I can smell the honey dumplings! Quickly, pour me a cup of good tea!"

Chu Hengkong poured a cup of tea and handed it to him with a smile. Huan Ge took a delicious sip, then hopped back three steps on one foot.

"—It's a trap! We've fallen for it!!"

"Impressive, the reaction time is still so long," said the Venomous Otter.

"Uncle Huan Ge, how have you been?" Chu Hengkong handed over a honey dumpling.

"What martial uncle! Don't talk nonsense, I have absolutely no relation to your sect!" Huan Ge shouted. "You brat, your smiling face is definitely up to no good, I will never fall for it! I'm going to slack off! Don't even think about doing anything!"

Chu Hengkong stared at the empty teacup: "Uncle-Master, it's not very ethical to take a bribe and not do anything in return."

Huan Ge waved his hand dismissively and chuckled, "This tea was bait used by the seal to lure me in, so it should be on the seal's tab!"

The giant seal stood upright and exhaled a large bubble: "Mmm!"

Poison Otter held up his cup: "Oh, he's angry. The manager is angry because of your disrespectful words."