Tao Xian was still muttering to himself. All his actions were based on the "bizarre" list that appeared in his mind. He hadn't expected the princess to be so natural. However, Tao Xian was not at ease at all. In his previous life, he had been fortunate just to be a minor presence among people. It was awkward to admit, but this was his first time holding a girl's hand... Fortunately, Tao Xian had strong self-control. With a shift in thought, he was no longer anxious. Plus, the familiarity from the memories he had about Princess Ivy eased all his anxiety.
He was even communicating with Ivy in his mind while daydreaming. If necessary, he could add a few more threads...
"What kind of world did you travel to this time, brother?"
"A world... inhabited only by mortals. No transcendence, no magic."
"Then it should be very peaceful and warm."
"Not exactly. There are wars, deaths, diseases, and... hunger..."
"Is the situation there very bad? I sense that you're quite disheartened."
"It's just... a bit melancholic." Tao Xian missed home. Even when he closed his eyes in his previous life, he had yearned for home...
Ivy, understanding his sentiment, gently released his hand.
...
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The usually quiet clock rang three times in the afternoon, startling a flock of crows from an ancient locust tree nearby. Minister Li Si of the Military Affairs Department, who was reviewing new students' entrance exams, was interrupted by the clock's chimes. The sound of military boots clattering on the tiles echoed in the corridor. Then, a hurried knock came at his office door. "Report!"
"Come in."
"Minister, urgent meeting!"
Li Si, who was already standing at his desk organizing documents, was immediately assisted by a guard. The guard took the organized documents and Li Si moved to the mirror to adjust his uniform and put on his military hat. Upon leaving his office, the silent guard began reporting the specifics. "Urgent meeting. The conflict between the Life School and the Breeding School has escalated. Forty-two scholars from the Military Industry Department's Alchemy and Biology Divisions and the Military Medical Department have resigned. The Military Affairs Department has ten scholars applying for leave. The Biology Division of the Military Industry Department has shut down; our expert decryption team's effort to crack the 'Great Library Code' has been declared a failure; and the Mechanical School's experiments have also... been declared unsuccessful."
"What's the matter with the war clock? Right, has there been any movement from the Norton Palace?"
"Yes, Princess Ivy went out today. The location is unknown, and the intelligence source is a wasp; the clock rang three times in the afternoon, the reason is unclear."
At this point, both fell silent. Arriving at the meeting room door, Li Si took the documents handed over by the guard and entered. The room had the standard three security checkpoints for important meetings. By the time he entered, many officers had already arrived. His arrival drew everyone's attention. They all stopped talking, stood up to salute or show their respect. As he returned the salutes, he walked towards the third seat of honor in the hall. The Military Affairs Department is an important department within the War School. Although the Logistics Department manages military supplies, its overall power is constrained by the Military Affairs Department, which is further overshadowed by the enormous Military Political Department. The current head of the Military Political Department, the second-in-command of the War School, is Minister Qin Tai, a seasoned veteran with decades of experience in various departments. Li Si performed the school's ceremonial greeting to the elderly man, who nodded in response.
After Li Si took his seat, the atmosphere warmed up again. The deputies and ministers began to chat among themselves about the urgent meeting. Li Si and Qin Tai remained quietly in their places. Qin Tai was resting his eyes while Li Si continued to review and approve documents.
"Old Wu from the Life School has died."
"The head of the Medical Division?"
"Yes, the body was brought back in a black stone container."
"Did the Breeding School's people get involved?"
"We don't know yet. Autopsy and investigation are underway. The body was reported to be severely contaminated, making it very difficult to handle. The Military Intelligence Department has handed the body over to the Life School."
"Did this incident cause the conflict?"
"Probably not. They've maintained restraint for many years and wouldn't act at this moment... It's a time of internal and external troubles..."
"The Breeding School, ha, they've stabbed humanity in the back many times. They are heretical. They are on the verge of madness. I really don't understand how you accept them as a normal school."
"Shh! Don't say things that are not conducive to unity! Joanna, I know the Life School and them have 'incompatible ideas,' but the Breeding School has contributed. Also, this is a meeting room; grievances should not be aired here."
...
The door to the meeting room opened again. This time, everyone fell silent. Qin Tai opened his tightly closed eyes, and Li Si had long put down his pen, sitting up straight.
As someone in a completely different military uniform stepped into the meeting room, Qin Tai shouted with full force, "Stand up!"
Everyone in the meeting room stood in unison, the speed of their rising almost identical. A solemn atmosphere filled the room.
War School leader Su Le, his boots making a sound on the floor, walked to the head of the meeting table. He turned around, and all the officers in perfect unison paid the highest school honor to him by lightly striking their chests three times with their right fists.
"Please sit." Su Le responded with the same fist salute.
Everyone took their seats. "Let's start today's urgent meeting. The conflict between the Life School and the Breeding School has escalated, involving tens of thousands of scholars from both schools, with the impact affecting over two hundred thousand people. If it continues, it will evolve into a war. Minister Lin, what is the overall situation in the Military Medical Department?"
"Not very good." Lin Yue Sheng adjusted his glasses and continued, "Nearly ten top-level doctors from four divisions have resigned. The Trauma Division, due to a shortage of doctors, has already started a 12-hour shift system. The Mental Pollution Division is under immense pressure, and we've requested the Military Affairs Department's guard to be stationed. The Organ Cultivation Room is shut down, and as for medicines, some alchemical medicines are running out. This is the most pressing issue right now."
Su Le then turned his attention to Military Industry Minister Zhang Yan, who could only shake his head helplessly. "Too many people have resigned from the Alchemy Division. We cannot maintain production; the entire Biology Division has come to a halt. We can no longer sustain it. I will take responsibility for this. Please allow me to…"
Su Le waved his hand, interrupting him. "This is not your responsibility. I'm not here to assign blame." He then looked at Qin Tai from the Military Political Department. "Old Qin, can the Military Political Department intervene to coordinate?"
"It's very difficult. The conflict between these two schools has been long-standing. The Foreign Affairs Department has already sent greetings to the highest institutions on both sides, but the replies have not been good."
"Minister Zhang, why has it taken so long for alchemical agents to be produced mechanically?" Deputy Chief of Special Operations Ma Liangchen suddenly asked. Zhang Yan explained, "Neither the Life School nor the Breeding School scholars are willing to work with Mechanical School's technicians. They are even extremely resistant and refuse to provide preparation plans or alchemical books. On the other side, Mechanical School's technicians are also very reluctant to interact with these two schools. They feel that the theories of these schools are too specific and conflict too much with their own ideas. Moreover, they say they don't want to…" Zhang Yan's expression suddenly became peculiar, but he continued, "They don't want to end up with inexplicable growths in their joints or other structures in their machinery... which affects the lifespan of their prosthetics."
"Do these two schools really engage in such trivial matters?" Many attendees suddenly had this strange thought. Deputy Chief of the Military Medical Department Joanna seemed to read their minds and loudly said, "We would never engage in such trivial things. It's those petty mechanical workers who are deliberately making things up about us."
After Joanna's statement, an awkward silence fell over the room. Without the restraint of military discipline, the meeting would likely have turned lively.
"The Military Political Department will continue to mediate. We must avoid dragging this into a war unless absolutely necessary. The Special Operations Department, arrange personnel; we need more information. The Military Affairs Department, prepare for combat, including armed mediation and... potential prolonged warfare. The Military Industry Department will cooperate with you. The Military Medical Department, Xiao Lin, make sure to stabilize the scholars from the two schools who have not yet resigned. If there's anything needed, go to the Military Affairs Department; they will prepare it for you…"
After arranging each matter, Su Le began the second topic.
"The decryption of the Great Library code. We have failed."