The Imperial Capital Prison.
Xuan Niao sat on a stool, her hair disheveled. Before her, seated behind a long table, were three individuals clad in special uniforms, representing three inspectorates.
The Dragon Pavilion Inspector, the Glory Hall Inspector, and the Imperial Guard Inspector.
The Imperial Guard.
A similarly mysterious force, a clandestine unit that existed outside of electronic records.
While the Imperial Capital Defense Force maintained overt security for the capital, the hidden security was the responsibility of the Imperial Guard.
"General, I too wish to know why. Many days have passed, can you not tell us the reason? You must know that since the River Diagram Battle, we haven't had a successful capture of one of the Eight Divine Heavens. Now that we've finally captured the Red Lotus Demoness, you've let her go. Your subordinate truly cannot comprehend it!"
The Dragon Pavilion Inspector said with great helplessness.
The position of Inspector was established by the Glory Hall. Although the Glory Hall had no jurisdiction over the Dragon Pavilion, certain matters required their attention and obedience.
Xuan Niao remained silent. She glanced at the three men and then sighed, "I joined the army at sixteen, and now I'm thirty-six. Twenty years of military service have made me understand your determination to know. But I can also tell you that my actions were for the sake of the military."
This was the first time Xuan Niao had spoken during this period. They likely felt this was a good opportunity to open the dialogue and quickly signaled the Dragon Pavilion Inspector to continue questioning.
"General, can you explain?"
Xuan Niao looked at the three, then chuckled, "Let me ask you, besides the Dragon Lord, who else do you think can command the entire military? Those people in the Glory Hall's military department, if the leader is gone, who among you can control them?"
What they understood from her words was their own business. As for her own safety, it was never her consideration.
The Dragon Pavilion Inspector fell silent, then nodded slightly. He placed his Inspector's token on the table and said nothing more.
The other two inspectors looked bewildered, completely unaware of the meaning behind her words. In the end, they could only look at the Dragon Pavilion Inspector with great confusion.
Perhaps, only the Dragon Pavilion Inspector could truly understand what Xuan Niao meant.
"I understand, General. I assure you, on behalf of the Dragon Pavilion, I welcome your return."
With that, the Dragon Pavilion Inspector left directly.
Without looking back.
This left the other two inspectors utterly confused, having no idea what was happening.
Xuan Niao looked at the two, smiling in a way that made them feel a chill down their spines. They too quickly departed.
After leaving the prison, the Glory Hall Inspector still couldn't figure out what the two meant. He turned and asked, "Tell me, what was the meaning of their conversation? Do they just like playing cryptic games? Aren't the people of the Dragon Pavilion always averse to such communication styles?"
The Imperial Guard Inspector appeared indifferent, shrugging his shoulders. "It’s none of my business. It's a problem the Glory Hall needs to worry about. Alright, brother, I have to report back and then return to my unit."
The Glory Hall Inspector: "???"
Meanwhile, at the Imperial Capital's Glory Hall Military Department.
This was a comprehensive office that blended cutting-edge technology with decisive action.
On the large screen at the front, various combat and comprehensive information were displayed, a screen spanning over a hundred inches!
Arranged in a tiered, fan-shaped layout, numerous technical elites were seated before high-precision computers.
"Report, individuals from the Dark Hall have been spotted active along the River Diagram waterways. Based on their trajectory, they are only fifty kilometers from our Northern border!"
A technical elite suddenly stood and announced.
A four-star general at the front spat out a mouthful of water, his thermos scalding his hand as it dropped to the floor.
"Display on the big screen!"
Qin Hanlie looked at the entire map on the large screen, quickly moving to the back for the most direct presentation.
"How many people have been detected by satellite so far?"
Qin Hanlie spoke with a grave expression. The matter concerning the River Diagram Battle required his utmost caution.
"Currently, there are approximately fifty thousand. Subsequent numbers are unclear."
Qin Hanlie gazed at the map on the large screen, lost in thought. After a long pause, he let out a sigh.
"Connect the Glory Hall Elder Council."
The communicator in front immediately responded, then connected the elders via an internal line.
"Second Elder, there's an incident. The River Diagram waterway currently has a concentration of Glory Hall forces reaching fifty thousand, and it's unclear if reinforcements will be sent. Furthermore, we can only mobilize forty thousand troops for defense. If the enemy continues to reinforce, the Dragon Pavilion will have to be involved."
Qin Hanlie spoke directly into his Bluetooth earpiece, his gaze fixed on the map. He then instructed, "Project this screen to the Elder Council."
The Second Elder was in a meeting at the Elder Council when Qin Hanlie's call came through. He opened the projection.
Upon seeing the real-time images transmitted, the expressions of all the elders present became extremely grim, their gazes filled with solemnity.
It was only after the River Diagram Battle that their strength had gradually recovered. If the Dark Hall appeared at the River Diagram waterways at this time, it could only mean two things.
Either, they were putting pressure on Great Xia.
Or, they had already prepared for the next battle!
If it were the former, they could at least negotiate and ask the other party what they wanted. But if it were the latter, only the Dragon Pavilion could be called upon!
The key issue, however, was that Ye Longlin and the Glory Hall already had a rift between them. Even for crucial matters like revising the Military God Rankings, he arranged for his subordinates to handle them, only appearing himself.
Furthermore, his resignation a while ago had also caused considerable trouble for the Glory Hall.
It was very problematic.
"Observe for twenty-four hours. If any trend of enemy reinforcement is detected, report immediately!"
"Yes!"
After hanging up the phone, the Second Elder looked at everyone present and pondered for a moment, "What does everyone think?"
"The Dark Hall shouldn't initiate war at this time. If they were to start another war, they would definitely face international sanctions. The third world is ruled by the Dark Hall. Moreover, Xuan Niao releasing the Red Lotus Demoness recently, could it be related to this matter?"
"Impossible! We both know Xuan Niao's background. If she wanted to betray us, she would have done so long ago, not waited until now!"
"Then is it possible that Ye Longlin wants to completely resolve them after his departure?"
"Even more impossible. If Ye Longlin wanted to resolve them, he wouldn't choose this battlefront. Moreover, if he intended to resolve them entirely, there wouldn't be so few people."