"Master, the Blacktail Swallow Legion has set their sights on us now, and we even killed one of their people. They won't let us go."
"I fear the repercussions will be endless..."
Miào Kě cautiously reminded him.
"Mhm, I know. It's either we don't fight, or when we do, we must ensure the opponent has no power to retaliate at all."
"I wonder how strong these Blacktail Swallow Legion members are. It would be great if they were all as simple as that masked fellow,"
Zhāng Chén pouted.
"We've found out. This masked fellow is called Bolantis. He excels in assassination and stealth operations, often striking from the shadows. Direct confrontation is not his forte, and... it's rumored that his strength is at the very bottom among the official thirteen members..."
Queen Ai Mi'er, the Enchanting Elf Queen, said with a solemn expression, holding the intelligence report from a scout.
In other words, Bolantis's strength just now represented the Blacktail Swallow Legion's baseline.
Everyone else would only be stronger, more formidable.
Perhaps in a one-on-one fight, none of them could defeat the current Zhāng Chén. But what about when they combined their strength? If they complemented each other's skills, who knew what terrifying power they might unleash.
After all, fighting against the Blacktail Swallow Legion was akin to facing the world's strongest forces.
"Are you afraid?"
Zhāng Chén asked with a smile.
"Of course not. Let alone the Blacktail Swallow Legion, even more terrifying existences wouldn't deter us. We will follow the True God with all our hearts!"
"As long as the True God can reclaim world order, the Elf race is willing to offer everything!"
Ai Mi'er, along with the other two queens, declared magnanimously, and then knelt on the ground.
At the same time, all the Imperial Guards in the plaza also knelt down in unison.
"We of the Cat-eared tribe are the same. We will forever follow the True God's steps, and obey the True God's will! Meow!"
The three little cats also knelt down.
"Mhm, you believe in me, and I will naturally ensure your races prosper and continue forever."
"Failure is impossible, and reclaiming the crystal is only a matter of time. However, before that, I need to investigate a period of history. Zhèng Hào, Bái Hànlín, Qīng Fēng, Ānjílì, Zhào Lóngchuān, Xiù Mǐn... Have you heard these names?"
"I want to know where their descendants are!"
Zhāng Chén said suddenly.
What came to mind was the offspring of his comrades left behind in the apocalypse.
After all, they were brothers who had faced life and death together. As an elder, he couldn't neglect his friends' descendants, could he?!
Especially with a major battle imminent, it wouldn't be good if they were harmed.
"Additionally... find historical records related to people like Xú Línnà, Táng Hòudé, Mò Pài, etc. I have a use for them too."
Zhāng Chén added more names after thinking.
"Historical documents..."
The Wood Elf Queen showed a pained expression at the mention of historical documents.
"What? Is there a difficulty? The elves have long lifespans. From ancient times to the present, only three or four generations have passed, so the historical gap shouldn't be too severe, right?"
Zhāng Chén asked in surprise.
"In theory, our Elven Kingdom should possess the most complete documents. After all, the oldest elders here are over four hundred years old, having practically witnessed the entire historical development."
"However, during the Dark Queen's era, there was a rigorous unification of scripts. All other scripts were forbidden, and eventually, the entire world had to unify into a single script."
"In this process, the Elven race was also forced to use the new script, which is why ancient Elven scripts are largely lost. Furthermore, all those who could write during that generation have departed this world."
"Therefore, while the ancient records still exist, no one can understand what they contain."
Ai Mi'er explained softly.
"Unification of scripts?"
Upon hearing this, Zhāng Chén's first thought was of the First Emperor, who unified scripts and measurements...
It was met with widespread complaints back then, but undeniably, it laid a solid foundation for the formation of a unified dynasty in later generations.
"Here, it's like this! This is the only surviving historical record from the Dark Queen's era. All subsequent historical books were burned. The older generation considered possessing items from the Dark Queen's era to be an ill omen."
"This book was preserved to this day only as a museum exhibit."
Ai Mi'er received an ancient book from the historian. The cover depicted a heroic figure radiating immense brilliance.
Despite centuries having passed, the colors on the cover were still well-preserved, though slightly damaged.
Opening to the first page, it read: "Title Page" in two Chinese characters.
"This... is Chinese? Could it be that the Dark Queen was from Dragon Country?"
Zhāng Chén couldn't help but feel a slight surprise.
When he went to the New World previously, he had taken all the powerful women with him, leaving no one behind.
Could it be that someone else had returned and re-established a dynasty?
But the timing didn't match!
The Prosperous Dynasty was managed by Zhèng Hào, Qīng Fēng, Bái Hànlín, and others.
These individuals had already reached the level of Supremes; even the ultimate monsters of the apocalypse might not be able to deal with them. How could survivors defeat them and establish a new dynasty?
Moreover, according to the approximate timeline, the Dark Queen's rise should have been about ten years after the Prosperous Dynasty.
Where did these people go ten years later?
And who was this rising Dark Queen?
Why did she push for Chinese so aggressively? Could it be that she herself was from Dragon Country?!
Seeing this book not only failed to resolve Zhāng Chén's doubts but made him even more confused.
"Dragon Country? Is there such a country as Dragon Country in this world?"
Ai Mi'er quietly asked the historian beside her.
The latter also shook his head in bewilderment.
Let alone the absence of Dragon Country now, there was no record of it in history either!
"This is an Elven historical document from the period before the Dark Queen."
Ai Mi'er then produced another book. This one was much more primitive, made from a mixture of leaves and wood pulp, with a beast-hide cover.
Opening this document, it was filled entirely with unknown Elven scripts.
Zhāng Chén looked up at Ai Mi'er, as if asking what was written on it.
She also shook her head helplessly and said:
"There is a gap between ancient Elven script and current Elven script, so even a single character might have a completely different meaning. Furthermore, many new characters have been created, and ancient scripts are practically untranslatable."
Zhāng Chén nodded and thoughtfully asked:
"If the Elven Kingdom doesn't have such historical documents... would any other country possess more complete records? Even documents from the Dark Queen's era!"
"There is one country as ancient as the Elven Kingdom, but it's in the Western Hemisphere, called the Valen Empire."