The journey continued in silence, and Wen Xian felt a sense of relief. If he kept chatting with this girl, he feared she'd see right through him. Besides all his past memories, Wen Xian now also understood that Ai Wei regarded each of his "slumbers" as a journey to another world. Every time one of these "journeys" ended, Ai Wei would personally come to meet him. The timing was never set, yet she always arrived the day he woke up, as if she had a precision beyond any surveillance camera, appearing exactly at the same spot at the precise second.
Today, when the conflict occurred, Ai Wei wasn't present at first. Yet, she appeared almost simultaneously with Wen Xian, even though her natural interactions made it seem as if she had been standing there for a long time.
"Is the captain of the Royal Guard named Li Xian?!" Wen Xian noticed the name. Besides the strange yet familiar symbols, the pronunciation was identical to the Chinese name "Li Xian," which reminded him of the HR person who tricked him into joining this mess, who also happened to be called Li Xian…
Shaking off some "unwelcome" thoughts, Wen Xian said, "He seems quite impressive." He glanced at Ai Wei and asked, "Where did you find such a 'youngster'?"
"The Royal Guard isn't under my command. You are my Captain of the Guard, after all, Captain." Ai Wei set down her teacup and added, "While you sleep, I let them be. I only learned the First Captain's name today."
In that moment, Wen Xian understood why, in his memories, he'd seen so many military inspections. The Princess didn't manage the army at all, leaving them to their own "wild growth." The composition of the military was just as varied as the waters of the Ganges. Although the Norton Empire had fallen, it had once been magnificent—so magnificent that no other power had rivaled it, even to this day. Every grand duke, landowner, and petty king, as well as future empires that achieved brief unity, all respected the last scion of this ancient empire. Simultaneously, they kept a cautious distance from her. At all times, rulers of vassal states swore to protect the rights of the Princess, and imperial leaders promised her ancestral lands and upkeep. They even helped maintain her Royal Guard.
Such favor wasn't just due to the lingering prestige of the Norton Empire. Even if the empire had been a great tiger, that tiger's bones had long since turned to dust. The true fear came from Princess Ai Wei herself. She was seen as a harbinger of doom. On the day the Norton royal family was wiped out, she was the only survivor. Since that day, aside from the Great Sage and Wen Xian, no one could physically touch her. Ai Wei carried a cursed "aura" that affected anyone who came into contact with her, draining their life. People who touched her died quickly, turning into a puff of white ash. Even the extraordinary, those with powerful abilities, could only resist the effects briefly. Many speculated that the extinction of the Norton royal family and the death of the Great Sage were linked to this princess, though these were just rumors.
Another factor was the repeated appearance of Wen Xian, the Princess's Captain of the Royal Guard. His deeds left an even greater impression on the world—defending the royal city with a small force, cutting down enemies like blades of grass, and some exaggerated accounts even described him hurling mountains at enemy armies, causing the earth to tremble and rivers to reverse course.
These various factors allowed Norton to persist to this day. Even now, the city still held control over the ancient capital and three surrounding passes. The capital was centrally located, with excellent water routes, making it a bustling hub of commerce. Norton still housed a population of hundreds of thousands, and this didn't even include the floating population.
All the surrounding forces wanted to investigate Princess Ai Wei's affairs, and the Royal Guard was their only lead. Norton was an open city, but Ai Wei's connection to it was severed. Visitors could gather information about Norton, but by funding the Princess's army, they could also infiltrate her forces.
The world was in chaos, with no unifying power. The last dynasty was short-lived—the founding ruler divided the land excessively. His death led to the collapse of the feudal system, and his dynasty perished in its second generation. From that point, chaos ensued, with every land under a different king. For the people of Norton, the disorder made life difficult, but it was still better than in other places. No matter how bad the chaos got, it wouldn't reach them.
"Well, I'll reorganize the Royal Guard." Wen Xian was quite content with this leisurely life in a different world. Apart from managing the military, there wasn't much to do. This was far better than the iron and blood of his memories, or the adventures with the Great Sage that involved encountering all sorts of terrifying creatures. This peaceful life, tending to the city and playing a farming game, was much more satisfying.
"Oh, right, here's something I'm returning to you." Ai Wei handed him a notebook with a worn-out sheepskin cover, giving it an ancient look.
It was the Sage's Notebook, a book passed down to two disciples by the Great Sage. It was said to contain all the Sage's knowledge and records of countless adventures. Rulers and extraordinary beings alike coveted this treasure.
Unfortunately, much of the knowledge in the notebook was tainted by strange pollution. Some sections were even written in otherworldly languages, making them incomprehensible to others. Due to the cognitive distortions it caused, even if the notebook fell into someone else's hands, they would treat it as mere scribbles from a child.
Wen Xian accepted the notebook. He remembered the writing being quite peculiar, but at the time, he had a translation guide to help him understand it. Overall, the book contained records of adventures with the Great Sage, which held more sentimental value than anything else.
But as he held it again, something felt different. Curiosity compelled him to open it, and suddenly a "beep" echoed in his mind. The pages flipped open to the first page, and Wen Xian's eyes widened in shock. "Is this… Chinese?!"
The sudden appearance of Chinese startled Wen Xian even more. The title on the first page read "Recipe for Gunpowder," which shocked him even more. In his memory, the first page had been titled A Mermaid Tavern Experience Report… How could it have changed?
Startled, Wen Xian let go of the notebook and pushed his chair back. The notebook didn't fall but instead hovered in midair, its pages fluttering…
Meanwhile, in the meeting, Su Le regretfully announced, "The attempt to decode the Great Library's password has failed. Despite exhausting our resources, trying trillions of combinations, we couldn't re-establish a link with the Great Library. We no longer have the resources to power up the star-class computer for another attempt. I'm sorry, everyone, but there's nothing more we can do."
The room fell into a somber silence. Everyone knew what this meant—the last hope was gone, and their homeland would remain only a memory.
"We could try gathering resources again," proposed the usually quiet Minister of Strategy, Olanrich, breaking the silence.
"We don't have the manpower," Li Si replied.
"They do," Olanrich countered.
"We can't interfere with them," Qin Tai objected.
"Special circumstances allow for exceptions," Olanrich insisted. "We aren't just doing this for ourselves."
"The other factions' attitudes are crucial. They might not—"
"They've already exceeded the limits of interference," Olanrich cut in, glancing around the room before turning to Su Le, who motioned for him to continue.
"We need to make them develop a centralized power that can advance to the information age, or even the industrial age. Once they reach that stage, we can ensure the purity of knowledge transfer and accelerate their civilization's growth. Once they take to the stars, the resource problem will be solved."
"I oppose this plan!" Joanna was the first to voice her dissent. "Their current state doesn't fit this approach. Even without considering the high death rate from war, the acceleration process is uncontrollable. Such a deformed civilization emerging into space would only feed them. Besides, a large population loss is something we can't afford. How will you make up for the lost 'cognitive space'? This is a reckless gamble, and you're staking more than just the game."
"I support Olan's plan. The Ministry of Military Affairs will assist," Li Si raised his hand.
"I agree," Qin Tai followed suit.
Gradually, over seventy percent of the officers raised their hands, leaving the dissenters like Lin Yuesheng and Joanna with no choice but to sigh in resignation.
"The decision is passed. Let's give the plan a name," someone suggested.
"The Chessboard Plan."
"Alright. The Chessboard Plan is officially in motion—"
Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!
A series of chimes broke through the walls of the meeting room, drawing everyone's attention.
"Five chimes! It's the Great Library!"