Chapter 1289
Chapter 1289 - 1275: Invasion Upgrade
1,350 words
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7 min read
Time waits for no one, and while Lu Ping’an was making his own plans, some changes were also quietly taking place.
Windis Fort, a name familiar to the sentient beings of Mercury 42... When at least three of the top ten massacres in this world are related to it, it’s unrealistic not to remember it.
This is the outpost of the Lava Clan, and also the artificial volcanic territory they created initially.
Even in the Deep Sea Era, this place was still a series of volcanic earth’s veins, with boiling seawater filled with countless pitch-black obsidian warships.
And with the decline of the sea level, this place has completely become a new mountain range.
At this moment, accompanying the opening of the great earth’s fissures were countless new lava marshes.
A huge spike slowly pierced through the entrance of the Exotic Realm, and the regular army of the Lava Clan’s main house finally began to step into this world.
"Roar, roar, roar!"
Following that, roars that shook the entire mountain range echoed throughout this world.
That spike? It was merely the horn of a giant beast, and when the black huge dragon finally poked its dragon head through the spatial rift, even the legendary Bloody Fortress Windis would shudder under its wings.
A decade slipped by in a flash, and to the long-living, it was merely a blink of an eye... And when the World Consciousness fell into slumber, and the spatial stability of this world was further weakened, those invaders from the Exotic Realm naturally deployed more heavy troops.
Evil Gods, Quasi-Gods, and even higher-level entities started to enter the battlefield, and this time, they were serious... With the authority of the world having slipped aside, competitors naturally went all out, attempting to completely seize and erode this world.
A decade’s time, while separating this world, had also made the invaders from the Exotic Realm even more eager for this piece of fat meat.
Especially with the confirmation that the World Consciousness had fallen asleep, and the authority of this world had started to crumble... Perhaps, they felt it was time to completely conquer this world.
The temperature of the volcanic territory grew higher and higher, countless spatial rifts and underground fissures were opened, and accompanying their entry were innumerable black giant beasts and warships.
New legions, under the control of the lords, completed their reorganization and formation, and this time, when the black tide surged, who could stand in its way?
The same thing was happening, not just in this region.
In a giant vortex deep within the deep sea Abyss, numerous sea life forms from the Exotic Realm burst forth, among which the most terrifying were nearly infinite numbers of "supersized octopuses."
This marked the arrival of the direct Family Clan of the Octopus, finally stepping onto the battlefield.
Their arrival also signified that the Octopus Forces were truly involved in this Plane War.
Unlike the previous "gradual Erosion," the diminishment of the world’s trial and the Plane’s resistance emboldened these adept invaders from the Exotic Realm to significantly raise the stakes without hesitation.
War inevitably broke out on countless battlefields.
It seemed that overnight, the entire world plunged into war, with bad news of battles happening everywhere... The few precious fruits of victory could no longer suppress the bitterness of the entire Plane suffering Erosion and continuous collapse.
"Tsk, three new war zones have opened up just this week... Things sure are lively."
The passage of time also changed the content of the Big Shots’ chat column.
Until recently, everyone was concerned with the various intelligence and trading of fragments... Although successful instances were rare, there were a few confirmed trades that had taken place.
But to Lu Ping’an’s surprise, unlike himself, a "disguised Big Shot," those Big Shots who had obtained the fragments should have had no difficulty in Ascension, but recently, not a single instance of godhood happened.
Is it impossible? Lu Ping’an felt it wasn’t; it was simply...
"When a company’s future isn’t clear, it’s better not to place heavy bets..."
These days, there had been noticeably fewer discussions about fragments, with more focus on frontline war intelligence. At the same time, more high-tier professionals joined the battlefield at the front.
At this time, Lu also noticed that some Earthlings’ long-term schemes in this otherworldly realm had their drawbacks.
"Everyone is only out for themselves..."
The Church, the invisible benefactor behind Salt City like South One Church, had already marked their territories these past few days.
Just like the hellish joke about the new technology’s rent turning into rent-seeking, "collecting rent" is always an irresistible stable income, especially when few Earthlings chose to support local powers from behind, providing technology/combat power support has become the norm.
From the outcome, it looked somewhat like the Feudal Era, with every family carving out their territory, stably securing income and local resources.
The decade had strengthened this system... but when faced with a powerful invasion, it was natural for each to conserve their strength, unwilling to fight a profitless war.
Now, those maintaining the frontline were mainly stakeholders, mercenaries, local idle individuals longing for progression, the Salvation Army... especially the Salvation Army, which was mainly composed of locals, had attracted countless talents yearning for the prosperity of their race over the past ten years and gradually became the main force in every war zone.
They vaguely turned into an embryonic form of this world’s "government," and the chat forum content that Lu Ping’an saw had those returning Big Shots not necessarily friendly towards it.
"A stable world government isn’t necessarily a good thing for some people..."
If they could lie down and collect rent from brokers and feudal lords, why should they haggle with a strong government?
What Lu Ping’an saw was that when some stakeholders talked about the Salvation Army, they did it without any disguise of disdain and disgust.
Were it not for the pressure from external enemies, they might have already taken action to some extent...
"...I actually quite admire it."
The development path that Lu Ping’an and his group followed, seemed like a "fair trade" but was actually a great disparity in profit... However, if the trading partner didn’t become prosperous, then even if they wanted to make money through trade, they wouldn’t be able to make much.
Lu Ping’an had even noticed that the Salvation Army had their own territory now, and among those announced as "friendly forces" and "long-term allies," Rebirth Commerce was one of them.
That meant, if Lu Ping’an returned and didn’t change direction, they would most likely remain allies.
"I’ll ask about the situation when I meet them..."
Lu Ping’an was quite interested in the Salvation Army, but his side couldn’t obtain any significant intelligence; it seemed that Salt City’s officials had tight control over it.
And the communication forums of the Big Shots were full of disdain for it, with most calling them "a mob"... Considering that it’s only been ten years, and the new generation could hardly be eighth or ninth-order, the Big Shots’ remarks seemed to make some sense.
But since they kept mentioning it, the Big Shots must have recognized the "weight" of the Salvation Army... A so-called weaker party riding the crest of the era’s trend isn’t hopeless. Its sheer existence can be frightening.
Probably every day, countless new generation individuals attracted to its ideals and objectives were joining.
What were their ideal objectives? They were quite simple and rough, yet very pure...
"Expel hostile invaders, establish a kingdom where everyone can laugh, a land of equality for all races..."
This was a goal that seemed simple but was incredibly difficult to achieve in reality.
Yet, Lu Ping’an himself was quite interested... He also realized that to participate further in this "game," he must cooperate deeply with local forces, perhaps the Salvation Army would be a good choice.
— End of Chapter 1289 —