Gusna supported the soil from below, while Elizabeth planted the Tree of Life.
Almost instantly, a towering tree burst from the earth, its verdant branches teeming with vibrant life.
Xiao Xun felt the air become incredibly fresh, the spiritual energy taking on a tangible quality, it was so comfortable.
Xiao Xun nodded to Aries. Aries extended his hand, then pulled back, opening his palm to reveal the crystal-clear diamond now in his possession.
"We have what we came for, let's go!"
The King, seeing Aries about to leave with Xiao Xun, quickly reached out to stop him, "My minister and legion commander..."
"Rest assured, I guarantee they will reappear before Your Majesty safe and sound. Also, I borrowed this Tree of Life, and I will return it. You need not worry."
The King's expression was grim, but he gritted his teeth and said, "That's good then."
Having obtained the Tree of Life, Xiao Xun led Wikina back. Wikina seemed to be an old acquaintance of Gusna, and they chatted for a long time before leaving. However, Xiao Xun couldn't concern himself with that. He had already delayed too much and now only wanted to resolve the current issue quickly, otherwise, the improvement that Santi Roman had just seen would vanish.
Due to the promotion of greenhouse cultivation technology, the price of glass nationwide had increased significantly, and the world's largest glass manufacturer was in the Winter Kingdom.
This, in turn, led to increased shipping costs and security issues along the way. For the sake of the people's livelihood, Empress Sailerphies had built steel and industrial plants in all major cities.
Xiao Xun discussed the matter of manufacturing atomic bombs with Sailerphies, but received opposition.
There was no choice but to move the experiment underground, producing the parts needed for atomic bombs in factories set up across various locations, then shipping them to a central assembly point. The biggest problem now was that Zeppelin had not yet researched nuclear fission.
Xiao Xun had already made contingency plans. Originally, he intended to bring Guan Jiawen over directly, but the spatial ring had too many side effects. The only method currently capable of ensuring immunity from spatial compression was the safety suit on Sailerphies.
On one hand, there was spatial traversal with potential accidents, and on the other hand, no safety suit. What if the Empress was assassinated with a Lonowski rifle? Most importantly, he couldn't mention this to her. If he said he was bringing Guan Jiawen over to research atomic bombs, His Majesty would surely not agree.
Bose Adour thought of an excellent solution for him. "His Majesty certainly wouldn't be harmed by a Lonowski rifle in the original world. So, when His Majesty was in that world, you could ask to borrow that suit to let Guan Jiawen wear it, bring Guan Jiawen over, and then return the suit to His Majesty when His Majesty returned to the other world."
Xiao Xun's eyes lit up, "This method is good, you always have ideas."
"You just need to remember to return my ship, it's been so long."
Whenever this was mentioned, Xiao Xun would blush with embarrassment. That ship, though not large, would cost as much as a large aircraft carrier if an identical replacement were made.
With the war effort demanding funds everywhere, even building her a gold-plated vehicle was problematic, let alone a pure gold one.
Even a single item from the ship, Xiao Xun couldn't afford to compensate for.
Returning to the real world, Xiao Xun kept staring at Mu Jiahe.
Mu Jiahe became shy under his gaze and asked with a blush, "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"
"I want to borrow the safety suit you're wearing."
Mu Jiahe looked down at herself. "Borrow? This suit is yours to begin with."
Saying that, she took it off and tossed it onto Xiao Xun's shoulder.
Xiao Xun picked up the suit. "Aren't you going to ask me why I want this suit?"
"You must have a reason for saying so. This suit is an excellent defensive garment. If you're not wearing it yourself, you must be giving it to someone else."
The Empress was indeed the Empress, intelligent and sharp in her perspective.
"However, I must remind you, not everyone can go to another world. If a normal person were to travel to another dimension, the fatality rate would be extremely high, as they would be unable to withstand the pressure of spacetime."
"What kind of pressure?"
Mu Jiahe replied, "Instantaneous aging, or intracranial hemorrhage. The worst is vaporization, much like the items you brought across dimensions."
Xiao Xun nodded, but he still wanted to try. If it truly failed, he would take care of Guan Jiawen's parents.
After making up his mind, he drove Mu Jiahe's RV to a public parking lot not far from Guan Jiawen's location and called Guan Jiawen on his phone.
The call was answered quickly. "Hello? Is this Mr. Xiao?"
"Yes, is it convenient for you now?"
"Very convenient."
"Then let's go! I'm in the public parking lot across the street from you. The car is too big to drive in. Tell your parents nothing needs to be brought; everything is prepared over there."
Xiao Xun suddenly remembered something and added, "Oh, and remember to bring a piece of paper to write down your parents' bank card numbers."
Guan Jiawen walked over. To his surprise, she not only brought the bank card numbers but also two bottles of wine and two packs of cigarettes.
"Mr. Xiao, I'm not late, am I!"
"Why did you give me these?"
Guan Jiawen blushed. "This is a small token of my father's regard; he insisted on giving them."
"The gift you gave me last time, did you really have to return it to your parents, or was it given to the HR person from Santi Roman before?"
Guan Jiawen directly replied, "It was given to HR."
Xiao Xun shook his head helplessly, "Just leave them here!"
Then, he took out the safety suit from a box and handed it to Guan Jiawen. "Go to the bedroom in the back, draw the curtains, and put on the suit, making sure it fits snugly."
Guan Jiawen, though not understanding, complied. This was because during her HR training, the first lesson she learned was not to question her supervisor's requests but to simply follow them.
By the time Guan Jiawen changed, the car had already left the city.
Faced with this situation, Guan Jiawen felt uneasy, a mix of excitement and fear.
Xiao Xun glanced at her in the rearview mirror, his eyes falling on her striking legs. "Wear your other clothes as usual, just wear that thing close to your skin."
Guan Jiawen blushed and softly replied, "Okay," then went into the bedroom.
Xiao Xun drove the car back to the villa's parking garage and looked at Guan Jiawen, who sat in the seat, unsure of what to do.
"Have you changed?"
Guan Jiawen nodded. "Yes."
Xiao Xun extended his left hand, the one with the ring. "Come, hold my hand."
Guan Jiawen looked panicked but nodded shyly, gently extending her hand.
"Close your eyes."
Guan Jiawen closed her eyes, tilting her head slightly upwards, revealing her fair neck.
Suddenly, a powerful suction pulled Guan Jiawen in, causing a sensation of dizziness and disorientation.
Guan Jiawen felt as if her internal organs were being squeezed and compressed like dough, making her extremely uncomfortable. She wanted to open her eyes, but the immense pressure pinned her eyelids shut.
Just as she was about to lose consciousness, a bright white light flashed before her eyes, so dazzling that it pierced through her eyelids, making her even more dizzy.
"Ugh..."