"Dang!" "Dang!"
The sound of the bells continued to resonate. Wen Xian turned to Li Xian and asked, "Did you guys make this happen?"
Li Xian responded while interpreting the war bell's message, "This is a war bell. It's... hard to explain. You can think of it as a kind of communication device. You can hear it because I've established a connection with the War School. The bell sound originates from there, but ordinary people wouldn't hear it even if they stood right here. Their... how would you put it? Their spiritual sensitivity isn't sharp enough."
Wen Xian's face grew serious as he asked, "What do you mean by saying the war is coming?" His spiritual intuition had been warning him for a while, although it had been vague and muddled, leaving him feeling that this kind of premonition was "superstitious." After all, Wen Xian was a young man who didn't quite believe in such things.
Li Xian replied matter-of-factly, "The School of Life and the School of Fertility are about to engage in a large-scale war between their factions. Their respective followers, the believers of their doctrines, are about to be dragged into the conflict as well. And across the continent, the devoted adherents who worship these schools as if they were faiths are ready to go to war."
Li Xian relayed the decoded information, and Wen Xian frowned, asking again, "Devoted adherents? Why don't you just call them the fanatics from the churches?"
Li Xian glanced at him and explained, "Every school has a certain taboo. Unless absolutely necessary, we avoid mentioning gods, even when referring to ourselves. To us, the word 'god' points to only one thing, and that thing is filled with malice."
After retrieving all the information, Li Xian casually walked over to the sofa and plopped down heavily.
Wen Xian found it strange. "That's curious. All the religious churches claim they can receive teachings from gods. Their pious saints often hear holy words from their lords during prayer. Are those all lies?"
Li Xian, lounging lazily, caught the apple Wen Xian tossed at him and took a hearty bite. "You folks on this continent? We, the War School, never interfere. Actually, no school is supposed to intervene, but some schools... let's just say they've been sneaking around, and we're aware of it. We just can't stop them. The School of Fertility has been meddling with your affairs the most, though most of their actions are focused on the seas. The School of Life, on the other hand, is the most rule-abiding. But because of the School of Fertility's excessive interference, they've been forced to get involved. Otherwise, your continent would have been crawling with three-legged golden toads and all sorts of bizarre creatures by now."
Wen Xian exchanged a quick glance with Ai Wei, and in that instant, they communicated silently. "How much of what he said do you believe?"
"Every word. He has no reason to lie, but he certainly has reasons to withhold information."
Both understood: Li Xian's words were all true, but he must have kept some key details hidden or perhaps deemed them inappropriate to reveal.
"Report!"
A voice rang out from outside the door—it was the princess's personal guard. The maid opened each door swiftly, allowing the guard, holding an urgent letter, to pass through. The princess's steward, Hu Yue, received the letter and passed it through the final door, which led directly to the princess's chambers. She then rang the bell signaling an urgent message.
The sound caught Ai Wei's attention. She quickly walked to the passage's entrance and retrieved the letter, reading it immediately. Wen Xian also walked over, and Ai Wei shifted slightly to allow him to see the letter as well.
Their actions didn't concern Li Xian much, as he continued to devour fruit. By the time Wen Xian returned, Li Xian had already downed several bunches of grapes, leaving Wen Xian stunned. "Your school seems to live quite austerely…"
"We don't need to eat. This method of energy intake is incredibly inefficient. But recently, I've come to appreciate the pleasures of eating. No wonder, back in the day... never mind, not something I should mention."
Wen Xian sighed in disappointment at the cut-off explanation. He then asked, "Now that your cover's blown, what's your next move?"
"I don't know," Li Xian replied nonchalantly as he chomped on a pear, his hasty attempt to catch the dripping juice adding a touch of comedic clumsiness to the scene.
"If you've got no plans, why not stay and help us?" Wen Xian threw out an olive branch, hoping to secure Li Xian's knowledge and information. Li Xian was clearly an elite among the mysterious schools, even if his skills as a spy left something to be desired. He held critical knowledge about the world's secrets and had an entire school backing his intelligence. The value he had already shown was immense.
"Stay? As your captain of the guard? No thanks," Li Xian scoffed, "That's too low of a rank for me. I only took that position to monitor her, but now that I'm exposed, what's the point of staying in that role?"
"Then, how about vice-commander?" Wen Xian noticed Li Xian pause for a brief moment before throwing another grape into his mouth. "Now that sounds more like it. But why not just make me the commander?"
"If you're the commander, what would I do?" Wen Xian joked, watching this "foodie" with amusement.
Li Xian swallowed the grape and countered, "You could be the consul. Overhaul the Norton system. And I wouldn't be a commander, I'd be called the General. Have the princess crowned as the official ruler of the country, call her the Queen. You'd be the Consul, Supreme Commander of all forces, Mayor of Norton, and Chief of the City Guard..."
Hearing the long list of titles, Wen Xian couldn't help but laugh, "Our manor is small; we couldn't fit all these people, and besides, where's the navy? We can't even see the sea from here, and as for the air force, there's no technology for that yet."
"Don't interrupt. Even if there's no navy, you can start with a river fleet. As for an air force, there will be one in the future—simple at first, but it'll be more than enough for the continent's wars. Aren't you trying to reorganize the army? I've seen your three regiments, and except for the so-called Guard Regiment, which is really just a battalion, the other two are full of useless fools. They've been infiltrated by spies from all the surrounding states. Those idiots don't even bother hiding while exchanging intel at the camp. Disgraceful. I, at least, waited until lights out to send my messages back." Li Xian's tone was full of mock outrage, enough to make anyone think he was the most loyal of officials.
Wen Xian was speechless at Li Xian's over-the-top performance. He couldn't help but feel this man had some comedic talent.
"Reorganizing the army can't be rushed, but it's definitely urgent. Even if your school's war doesn't happen, this continent has never been peaceful. Norton has been the only place of stability, but it seems that won't last much longer either. If you stay, you'll be the vice-commander. I need someone to help with the reorganization. How about it? This way, you can stay close to your two mission targets and continue your task." Wen Xian extended his right hand as a gesture of invitation.
Li Xian paused his fruit-eating, then finally shook Wen Xian's hand. "Deal."