Aunt Huo’s gaze fell upon the broken puppet shell of Fengyun Tianxia. After a moment, her cloudy eyes suddenly contracted.
She reached out with withered fingers, hovering them over the shattered joints of the puppet, trembling slightly but not daring to make contact.
“This thing…” Her voice suddenly turned extremely dry. It was clear that her emotional fluctuation was so severe that she could not even maintain her basic composure. “Where did you get this?”
Cheng Shuili could not discern the exact emotion behind her voice.
“I saw it in a dungeon,” she said concisely, her eyes locked onto every subtle reaction from Aunt Huo. “It wanted to kill me, so I dismantled it. Aunt Huo, do you recognize this craftsmanship?”
Aunt Huo did not answer immediately.
Her hunched back seemed to stiffen for a moment before she slowly shuffled to the other side of the workbench. From the bottom of a dust-covered wooden box, she fished out a gray, tattered leather cloth. Only after wrapping it around her fingers did she dare to poke at the broken interface on Fengyun Tianxia’s neck.
Her movements were extremely cautious, as if she were touching something highly toxic.
“Recognize it? That is an understatement…” Aunt Huo’s voice was pressed extremely low, as if she were afraid of startling something.
She said a few more things, but her voice was too low and too blurred; even though she was so close, Cheng Shuili could not hear her clearly.
The small room fell silent again. Aunt Huo stared blankly at the half-puppet, as if she had encountered an old acquaintance’s belonging.
Cheng Shuili carefully savored her expression and remained silent as well.
After a long while, Aunt Huo finally spoke: “Didn't you ask me if I knew anyone who could make puppets? I do. It was the person who made this thing.”
The story behind this sounded extensive. Cheng Shuili checked the time and, confirming it was still early, shifted into a more comfortable position and said: “Please tell me in detail, Aunt Huo.”
This was the first time Aunt Huo had heard this form of address. She looked up at Cheng Shuili and, noticing that the person had changed her posture without any sense of formality, could not help but laugh.
The laughter carried a clear sense of helplessness.
Truly, how could such a human exist?
Just a moment ago, they were at each other’s throats, and in the blink of an eye, she could settle into the posture of a listener, as if the earlier emotions had never existed.
Yet, this almost shameless composure was something one could not bring oneself to hate.
Aunt Huo shook her head and sat down on a wooden crate piled with miscellaneous items, her movements slow, as if the memory itself had weight.
She did not start by talking about the person she knew, but first described the current state of puppets:
“Puppets were not as rare as they are now. Back then, various beastman tribes had their own inherited craftsmanship. Puppet arts sounded magical, but they were just a craft used to help people with heavy labor or to be made into playmates for children.”
Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the leather cloth on her knee: “But after the Rat King took power, everything changed. He saw the utility of puppets—tireless, absolutely obedient, and capable of performing the dirty, tiring, and dangerous work that living creatures would not or could not do.”
Aunt Huo suddenly looked up at Cheng Shuili. “You should be aware of the Rat King’s methods.”
Cheng Shuili was a bit confused. She was aware?
How could she be aware of things from countless years ago, even from before humans appeared?
“First, he rounded up the puppet craftsmen, then used coercion and bribery. Those who truly refused were framed and killed. Anyway, the Rat King had already covered the sky with one hand; no one could sanction him anymore.”
“And then… there was the monopoly.”
The moment the word monopoly was mentioned, Cheng Shuili’s spirit immediately lifted.
No wonder Aunt Huo said she was aware—this, she was all too aware of.
The Rat King’s playbook was so similar to the behavior of certain capital giants and industry oligarchs in reality!
They would first net technologies and talent in the name of cooperation and development, then suppress, exclude, or even erase those who did not listen, eventually forming technical barriers and market monopolies to hold all decision-making power and profits firmly in their own hands.
It was just that in this world, the Rat King’s methods were more direct and bloody.
Hearing this, Cheng Shuili also understood why the wolf and bear tribes had never mentioned puppets to her.
It was not that they did not know, but rather that after years of monopoly and purging by the Rat King, puppets had become the forbidden fruit and symbol of the core of the Rat King’s power.
Ordinary beastman tribes either could not reach them or were deeply wary of them, perhaps even believing this was one of the Rat King’s invincible trump cards; mentioning it was useless and could instead invite disaster.
“So, the usable puppets currently circulating outside almost all come from the Rat King’s workshop?” Cheng Shuili summarized. “And this artisan you know was also once a member under the Rat King?”
Aunt Huo nodded heavily, then shook her head. Under Cheng Shuili’s puzzled gaze, she revealed a bitter smile: “She was, but later she wasn't. I only know that she fled, and I can tell this thing is from her hands, but as for other information, I truly am not clear.”
Cheng Shuili pondered for a long time and nodded: “Understood.”
She asked with a trace of inquiry: “Your relationship must have been very good?”
This question was truly offensive. Aunt Huo stared at Cheng Shuili for a long while, and seeing her firm gaze—plus being under someone else’s roof, she had to bow her head—she sighed and denied this statement with some helplessness.
“…It cannot be considered very good. We just had a few dealings when we were both in the beastman town, so we recognized each other. She had good craftsmanship, and sometimes when I needed special parts or to process some materials, I would ask her for help and pay some compensation. The friendship… was just superficial.”
Cheng Shuili did not refute Aunt Huo and asked in detail about the appearance and name of this mysterious artisan. After recording everything, she stood up to take her leave.
Aunt Huo claimed it was a superficial acquaintance, but when describing the artisan’s appearance, she unconsciously used many complimentary words, and even when she spoke the name, she could not help but blink.
Looking like that, how could it be a superficial acquaintance?
Aunt Huo and that artisan looked like close friends who had simply had some conflict or misunderstanding.
With this, Cheng Shuili was eighty percent certain she could bring this puppet master into her territory.
As long as she could find her.
This was a good thing. Cheng Shuili hummed a little tune as she toured her territory several times, picking and tasting fresh fruits from time to time, feeling quite at ease.
It was not until Yu Bing trotted over to find her: “Boss, boss! Something has arrived!”
She stopped in front of Cheng Shuili, bent over to catch her breath for a long while before straightening out her voice: “Again… that kind of… strange footprint from last time has appeared!”
Cheng Shuili did not understand the first sentence at all, but this second sentence made Cheng Shuili react instantly.
The footprints at the border.
She understood.
Last time it was because she connected to the wolf tribe’s territory, so this time… it should be the bear tribe, right?
Cheng Shuili did not rush to handle it, but instructed: “First, have people guard that place and do not let any bear-race beastmen pass through. If necessary, you can use force.”
The server merge test was happening in a moment; she did not have the time to deal with this matter now.
She just needed to have people guard the exit and prevent the bear-race beastmen from causing any trouble.
Yu Bing had never received such an order before; she was stunned upon hearing it and naturally had no clue how to execute it.
Cheng Shuili also knew that this person was the bonus item that came with a purchase. She waved her hand immediately and said: “Go notify the others—Wanyue, Xinxue, Ailin… anyone is fine, let them arrange it.”
“Okay… okay!” Yu Bing nodded in a panic and turned to rush toward a direction with more people.
Cheng Shuili watched her back and suddenly felt a bit uneasy, so she simply opened Ailin’s chat box and gave the instruction again.
Being disturbed like this, Cheng Shuili lost the mood to take a walk.
She returned to her vehicle, and just as she sat down on the sofa, she received a message from Wanyue.
【Wanyue】: Where does the boss want to eat?
This was asking her where the meal should be delivered.
Ever since she had a territory, there had been this routine inquiry before every meal. If she were eating in the vehicle, Wanyue would send the meal via the gift-giving system; if she were eating in the territory, she would have someone send it over.
After Cheng Shuili replied briefly, Wanyue immediately gifted the meal over.
The food was laid out on the small table in front of her, led by rice served in the golden rice bowl. Besides that, there were seven or eight dishes, all in very small portions, ensuring there would be no waste.
At first, Cheng Shuili was a bit puzzled, but knowing this was a sample made for the canteen, she said nothing more.
Being able to eat these things, she could be considered to have benefited from her members.
The exquisite taste reached her taste buds, and Cheng Shuili narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.
After finishing the meal, she opened the regional channel to take a look.
The closer it got to the server merge test time, the livelier it became.
Messages in the regional channel were scrolling by rapidly, and the dense text was almost overflowing the screen. Chaotic emotions were mixed together, with all sorts of statements being made. A glance was enough to make one’s head ache.
Some were showing off their hoarded supplies, declaring they would seize the initiative after the merge.
Some were huddled together for warmth, calling friends to form temporary squads.
Others were spreading anxiety, saying that they should be cautious in their speech after the merge; although they were all humans, it would certainly not be as harmonious as it was now, and they were talking about large-scale merging of suffering.
Cheng Shuili took a few casual glances and closed the regional channel.
After that meeting, the alliance of Dragon Country factions had been officially established.
There were thirteen Dragon Country factions in total. Cheng Shuili had pulled these leaders and those lone wolves into a group chat for mutual contact.
At this moment, the atmosphere here also carried a trace of tension.
“The server merge is about to happen. Although it is only for ten minutes, I feel like something big is going to happen.”
“Only ten minutes, what can you do? That much time isn't even enough for me to take a dump.”
This was a bit too vulgar. The group went quiet instantly. It was Zhan Lang who came out to pull the atmosphere back:
“Ten minutes is enough for people with intentions to do a lot of things. Don't forget, we discussed earlier that players from other regions, especially those hostile to us, might launch a surprise attack the moment the server merges. Duel cards or declarations of war… ten minutes is enough to fight a blitzkrieg.”
“Brother Lang is right; we need to prepare in advance. Leaders should best block the timing of duel cards to avoid being organized and ganged up on. As for declarations of war… I personally feel the possibility is low. After all, this is a major event involving hundreds of people; players from other regions won't be that casual, right?”
The group fell into a brief silence, and then, a message from Qingping Le popped up:
“We cannot rule out the possibility of a declaration of war. After all, it is ten minutes; for premeditated attackers, it is enough to cause the maximum degree of chaos and strike at our morale and organizational integrity. They don't need to pursue total annihilation, but rather to hurt us and make us passive after the actual merge. Don't forget, our Crow boss is the only player to have been announced across the entire server; she is a thorn in the side of many people.”
“Indeed, the Crow boss’s fame is too great. If I were a faction leader in another region, I would definitely take advantage of the ten minutes to attack Glory in unison. After all, two fists are no match for four hands; even if the Crow boss is powerful, if she is targeted by several factions at once within ten minutes, she won't be able to spare a hand for a while.”
【A Gentle Kiss】: And there is the issue of the price difference. There is no need for deep-seated hatred; the title of the strongest alone, combined with the fact that the only safe zone is in the Dragon Country, is enough for them to unite and take advantage of these ten minutes of the server merge test to give the Crow boss a slap in the face, or even find ways to severely damage Glory.
Although Cheng Shuili had anticipated this, seeing the discussions in the group full of worry and tension still made her feel tired.
Everyone’s analysis was reasonable, and the pressure followed.
As the primary target for focused fire, the burden on her shoulders was particularly heavy.
However, she had also been prepared for a long time.
Xinxue had long since ferreted out the faction rankings of other regions through other regional players in the safe zone.
This list was a potential enemy roster and a beacon, letting Cheng Shuili know in advance about these enemies hiding in the dark.
All preparations that needed to be made had been made; the rest was naturally for soldiers to be blocked by generals and water to be covered by earth.
Time passed quietly, and the moment the countdown hit zero, an announcement popped up.
【The first cross-region connection test, officially begins!】
【Duration: 10 minutes.】
The moment the announcement popped up, the regional channel, which was already boiling like a frying pan, was completely ignited, and the information stream scrolled wildly at an explosive speed.
“Holy crap! It really merged! I see people from other regions! My list suddenly has so many IDs!”
“You weaklings of the Dragon Country, are you ready to accept the baptism? Hahaha!”
“Lost lambs, only by conversion can you be saved. Friends from the East Region, join our Holy Light Shelter and share the peace.”
“Get lost! Pyramid scheme, get out! Holy light, I think it’s leftover rice!”
“Stop the nonsense! Where is the Crow? Where is the leader who claims to be the first person on the whole server? Come out and show your face? You didn't hide, did you?”
“Probably merging the highway. Heh, the tree is big and catches the wind; the Crow deserves this day.”
“What are you barking about! Is the Crow boss someone you can talk about?”
“Yo, the loyal dog has come out? It’s a pity that your boss is unable to protect himself. Our region has several big shots eyeing him; these ten minutes are enough for him to have a drink.”
“First in the whole server? We are the ones who beat the first in the whole server! Declaration of war! Declaration of war! Declaration of war!”
The regional channel… or rather, the messages in this brief world channel, happened to be stuck on this sentence.
Following closely behind were message after message of declarations of war from factions!
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