Chapter 22: Framing

"What did you say?" Mede shot up from his bed, startling the beauty beside him.

"Hello, is that His Majesty the big brother? I am the Commander. I want to build a city on the outskirts of the Boundless Forest!" Shen Yi was not very satisfied with the Emperor, but he wasn't afraid either; as a fellow human, Mede wouldn't dare to deal with him openly.

Mede thought to himself, "Big brother? Since when did we become brothers?" After a moment, he replied, "Commander, my friend, building a city isn't that easy. Think about it: all the races are eyeing us like tigers. Although we won the last battle, our losses were immense. If you build a city now, the crucial thing is that I cannot guarantee your safety!"

The Emperor was learning quite fast. "That is no cause for concern for Your Majesty. My mind is made up. If anyone dares to come and stir up trouble, I will not let them off." Shen Yi hung up the phone.

Mede stared blankly as the "beep-beep" sound came from the phone. Clearly, the Commander had hung up on him. His expression shifted between light and shadow. He thought, "I haven't even settled the score with you regarding the Moon Shadow incident, and now you're building a city on me! And most importantly, you dared to hang up on me!" He truly didn't take the Emperor seriously.

By noon the next day, a giant steel fortress appeared one mile from the Boundless Forest. Thanks to Shen Yi’s heavy investment and the engineers working at full capacity, the project was finally complete. The massive steel gates opened automatically, and a torrent of thousands of Terran units began to move in. There were no traditional walls; the entire city was shaped like a bowl inverted on the ground. Five thousand Terran units occupied strategic positions within, and as the transparent glass panels on the outer layer slid open, deep, ominous gun barrels extended outward.

Ten Siege Tanks followed, entering the city and maneuvering into position before transforming into siege mode. Ten large glass panels opened, and the steel platforms beneath the tanks rose, lifting them like elevators to the corners of the city’s upper reaches to ensure maximum firing range.

Twenty Missile Turrets were already installed, rotating back and forth within the recessed steel plating, while fifty Ghost agents occupied vantage points inside to handle emergencies and ensure nothing went wrong.

Vulture hoverbikes darted around the city, laying spider mines. Each Vulture would return to the factory after placing ten mines to reload, making for a heavy workload, but for the sake of security, Shen Yi ensured the perimeter was thoroughly seeded with mines for any unforeseen needs.

The entire city was armed to the teeth; any invading enemy would pay a heavy price to take it.

This was the first step Shen Yi was taking toward the outside world. He didn't want to hide in the Boundless Forest forever, even if, for now, it was only his troops who had emerged.

Scouts from various races seemed to have reached a tacit understanding; there were no conflicts, only silent observation from their respective areas. What happened over the last day and night shattered their understanding of reality.

First, many puppets appeared. The scouts had retreated to observe from the shadows. Then, these puppets began laying foundations and constructing buildings at an unfathomable speed. In just one night and half a morning, a massive fortress stood before them, exuding a sense of profound solidity. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed it.

The scouts sent messengers back to report. This would be a feat that would shock the entire Eastern Continent.

Mede was in his study, reviewing documents on the Puppeteer. All the puppets that had appeared were listed in his secret dossier, densely packed with records of their functions, capabilities, and lethality. It gave Mede a headache. He thought, "Are these man-made? Even the gods wouldn't dare imagine such things. But for the Commander to be this flamboyant—I fear this is not a good sign." He narrowed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

***

The news swept across the Eastern Continent like a hurricane. Some people began to grow restless. If they allowed the Commander to carry on like this, there could be no talk of racial revival; the threat had to be nipped in the bud. Yet, they feared intervention from the Holy Dragon Empire and the Daxia Empire.

Within the territory of the Holy Dragon Empire lay Fragrant Wind Mountain, named for the perennial scent of the flowers that blanketed it. On the mountain stood a dilapidated pavilion. Though crumbling, one could still see it had once been exquisitely crafted. At that moment, an old man and a young child were sitting in the pavilion, sipping tea and enjoying the sea of flowers, as if waiting for someone. Neither spoke.

After a while, a figure draped in a black robe walked over from the distance. Wherever the figure passed, the flowers withered instantly. By the time they reached the pavilion, a trail of decay marked their path, as if the ground itself had been cursed. Seeing the old man and the child, the figure said nothing, simply sitting to one side without touching the tea, gazing into the distance as if the party was not yet complete.

Another while passed, and a familiar figure appeared in the distance, jumping long distances like a flea. After a few hops, he landed at the pavilion. As soon as he arrived, he bared his large mouth and said, "Everyone, you are all the high-high-high people of the... that-that-that race, right? I am the King of the Beast-Beast-Beastmen, Wo-Wo-Wo-Biao."

The old man looked at Wo-Biao with disdain, thinking, "This stuttering lion is the King of the Beastmen? No wonder the Beastmen keep losing battles... even giving an order must be an ordeal, right?"

The child beside him looked at the Beast King with curiosity and said, "Biao is good!" then covered his mouth with his small, fair hand to giggle.

The black-robed figure remained silent throughout, acting as if Wo-Biao were air. They didn't even move, though the air around them grew noticeably colder.

Wo-Biao felt snubbed, smiled awkwardly, and sat to one side to drink tea, waiting for the others. For a while, no one spoke.

Finally, the old man broke the silence: "Since most have arrived, I assume those who aren't here have no intention of coming. Let us discuss."

"Tha-tha-that's good, I-I-I think..." Before he could finish, the child interrupted. "Let's introduce ourselves first! Lion-head, you don't need to introduce yourself. I'll go first: I am Hu Yu, of the Fox clan from the Demon Beast Mountains!" The child then looked at the old man.

"The Elven race," the old man said. "Just call me Qi Mie. I just came up with it; consider it my codename. This old man is not talented, but I know a thing or two about fortune-telling. If anyone is interested, I can read your fortune." He stroked his beard, looking like a sage.

"I-I-I," Wo-Biao began, only to be interrupted again.

The black-robed figure spoke. "Keep quiet for now. I am Song Yuan of the Undead race. My point is simple: humanity has just suffered a blow to their vitality. This is the best time for our alliance to destroy them in one fell swoop. I truly don't know what you are all thinking!"

"I agree," Wo-Biao said this time without stuttering, surprisingly fluent.

"I agree as well, but what about the newly emerged Commander? I think we should cut off his arms first. There are too many unstable factors among humans, and they are extremely cunning," the old man added.

***

"The Daxia Empire has already begun to court the Dwarves. The situation is very unfavorable for us." Before the speaker could finish, a Western black dragon flew in from the distance.

The four of them stood up simultaneously. The dragon was fast, arriving at the pavilion in the blink of an eye. The wind from its wings blew the dilapidated pavilion away, yet the four of them stood firm like nails, unaffected.

The massive dragon head looked down at the tiny figures and growled, "Who among you knows how my son died?" As he spoke, his colossal body began to shrink, finally transforming into a burly black man.

"Demon beasts are nearly extinct on the Eastern Continent, Brother Black Dragon. It was the Commander in the Boundless Forest!" the old man said hastily.

"Right, right, right!" Wo-Biao echoed from the side.

"I hope you are not lying to me!" The black-skinned giant glared at them.

"We have no reason to lie to you. The demon beasts in the Boundless Forest have been almost completely wiped out. If you don't believe us, you can go see for yourself! The Demon Beast race no longer has a foothold on the Eastern Continent!" Song Yuan, the black-robed figure, added in a low, somber voice.

The black dragon looked at them; none of them were ordinary people, so they likely wouldn't speak recklessly. "Then I will believe you this once!" He turned, his body swelling until he transformed back into a black dragon. He set his course and flapped his massive wings, flying away.

Before he had flown far, a yellow column of water rained down from the sky. The four on the ground watched the dragon depart, speechless at the sight of the water. Was this... fertilizing the earth?

The black dragon flew to a cliff where a green dragon was basking in the sun. He landed beside her and opened his maw, saying, "I have found the news. Our child was killed by the Commander. Let us go and avenge him!"

A look of hatred ignited in the green dragon's eyes. "My child, Mother is coming to avenge you!"

With that, the two Western dragons took to the sky, carrying the pain of their lost offspring, and flew toward the Boundless Forest.