Luo Weiya paused for a moment, his heavy gaze suppressing any noises of cheer that were about to emerge.
"Although you have reached the pinnacle of humanity in terms of combat strength, in my presence and on this harsh battlefield, you are still novices. Any negligence could pulverize you into dust."
Silence instantly fell over the hall.
Everyone held their breath, looking at the supreme human power before them.
"The words I am about to say must be deeply engraved in your minds. If anyone disobeys, I will intervene."
"Here, Star Ring Town is our sole stronghold. Please do not rest anywhere outside Star Ring Town, enter meditation, or actively recover Spiritual Energy. Your souls will deteriorate further."
"I am your highest commander, and my commands are the top priority. In any situation, obey my orders above all else, without exception."
"Next in line is Archbishop Horus, followed by Great Priest Megan. However, he is only responsible for Calier’s covert forces. If those three aren’t available, then follow the Guardian’s orders."
"To the west of Star Ring Town, one hundred thirty thousand yards away, is Tasnia Star City. No one, under any circumstances, is to approach within fifty thousand yards of it. The darkness lurking within Star City far exceeds what the scholars of Royal City previously thought; it was not destroyed by the endless dark tides. Approaching rashly before the Investigation Legion clarifies the situation inside could lead to unpredictable consequences."
"Our current location is on the edge of the Dark Great Plain, situated in the central part of the Dead Soil Continent, far from Trolian, far from the influence of Holy Fire, deep within the Dark World."
"Therefore, the intensity of the Black Fog is extremely high, and we possess very little intelligence. Avoid unnecessary movement outside the designated target areas."
Luo Weiya walked to the large table in the center, where a simple Fog Disk was laid out.
A flash of Spiritual Light passed by, and the Fog Disk was activated.
In the formerly empty Fog Disk, darkness converged from all directions, nearly submerging the small flame that represented Star Ring Town.
"This is Star Ring Town."
He moved his finger across the Fog Disk to another landmark.
"This is Starry Sky City, the ultimate goal of the battle."
"Under no circumstances should you step into the following areas; they are extremely dangerous and not within our clearance range."
"To the northwest of Starry Sky City, four hundred sixty thousand yards away, lies the Demon Tower."
"Directly north of Starry Sky City, six hundred thousand yards away, is Blood Lake."
"To the northeast, five hundred sixty thousand yards away, is Gray Mountain."
"To the east and southeast, the Dark Great Plain. You should know the horrors it holds; it’s what the guards of the North Wall are defending against."
"To the south, which is behind Star Ring Town, lies the Dead Ash Mountain Range. Refrain from trying to cross it. Here, we are quite far from Storm Pass; you can only lose yourself in the darkness."
Luo Weiya’s finger traced a circle around these areas.
"Here, this is our clearance range. Beyond this circle, we know nothing and it has no connection to this battle. Do not awaken those monsters we should not disturb. The power of Royal City is quite limited; we can only do what we ought to do. Do you understand?"
All responded in unison: "Understood, Fire Son, sir!"
Luo Weiya nodded, saying, "Good, our current mission is to eliminate all potential threats within this circle that might affect the Starry Sky City campaign before the Bright Festival arrives. The Investigation Legion’s High Rank investigation teams are scouting at full strength. We will act based on their intelligence. Everyone, please work together for the glory of humanity."
Everyone shouted together: "May the fire be passed on, may humanity endure forever!"
Their voices were loud and unified, filled with conviction.
Rod glanced around at these black-robed Shadows; most of their eyes were filled with fervor, and they didn’t seem to be pretending.
He wondered how they were trained beneath Stone City at the Calier Laboratory.
After scanning the group, Annie of Brittania was not among the team. These Shadows seemed different from her, appearing more well-trained.
Perhaps she’s in the next batch.
Rod thought, focusing his mind, turning his attention to the Dream Realm.
In the Dream Realm, Asa unexpectedly fell into a long silence. His inner activity was complicated; various thoughts flitted by without clear reasoning, indiscernible.
The Book of the Future was feeding, a small cluster of Spirituality gradually disappearing into its creases. It was using this method to restore soul, but quite slowly.
The Book of Knowledge was still repairing the Dream Realm. The Divine Mirror was mostly repaired, with fewer cracks, and the shattered glass was smoothing over.
The puppet seemed to finally be a whole again, its thick soul covering it, slowly seeping into its body.
In the Evil Ghost Stone Tank, both Humanity and soul covered it; a huge fleshy egg was pulsating. The Evil Ghost King was being reborn, but lacking a human soul as its core, the restoration was slow.
Rod possessed many powerful souls, but none were human.
The Dream Bubble had reversed direction and was flying towards the other side of the Light Country.
Their next move was to seek the remnants of an Ancient God, to free the spirit of the reborn Ancient God Heragotos and attempt to harness the powers it left behind.
There was still some time before the invasion of the Soul Devouring King. The Book of Knowledge told Rod that if, at the time of the stars’ return, the Dream Realm could not access Divinity, they might try to use the Dream Factory again to create Colorful Dreams, which could delay the invasion for a short period.