Chapter 400: Twelve

Of course, Li Lie did not understand.

Was there something more important than Iron-Blooded City? What could it possibly be? Li Lie could not think of anything.

The sun exploding? Or a meteor crashing on earth? Or was it a cosmic typhoon?

How ridiculous!

All Li Lie knew was that once Iron-Blooded City’s defenses were penetrated, the people who were still living a life behind the wall would die and the rate of survival would not surpass 10%.

One would never know the horror of this planet without visiting Iron-Blooded City! The changes caused by the Purple Moon era were never minor, but the people behind the wall could not feel it.

Should the wall fall, humanity would face an apocalypse. The people who had survived the drastic shift of era and made it through the hardship to build Iron-Blooded City little by little were admirable heroes. With their sacrifices, Iron-Blooded City was given a strong base and became what it was today, but the sacrifices were only possible in that particular time period.

After the drastic change of era, although mankind might have suffered a catastrophic loss, a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. No matter how they suffered back then, mankind had a chance of making a comeback.

However, after a century into the Purple Moon era, the architectural marvel would have been impossible to complete. The insightful yet mysterious person who suggested building Iron-Blooded City was even more admirable given the current circumstances. The man who stood up with the suggestion was just an individual and not a group or any faction, yet none of the records mentioned anything about him.

Even idiots knew everything had to start with the beginning, yet this insightful person was never mentioned.

Li Lie was carried away by his thoughts. At that moment, a voice entered Li Lie’s ears. “I suggest we promote Li Lie as the chief commander of the teenaged Iron-Blooded Companies.

What?

Li Lie cleaned his ears at that moment as he thought he heard it wrongly.

Why should he have to deal with a bunch of kids? Furthermore, they were a bunch of kids who were known as geniuses and freshmen at the wall. Li Lie believed he might not have the patience, let alone the qualifications for the job. He should be on the battlefield, facing fierce enemies.

He wanted to object the suggestion at that instant, but he dared not and could not. The one who had suggested the promotion was General Yuan Zhen, his first teacher in Iron-Blooded City, and also his ex-superior. He was a teacher and a father-like figure to Li Lie. It would not be appropriate for him to go against him.

However, the suggestion would have to go through multiple levels of discussion and the rate of passing it would not be high either. Li Lie might not understand why his teacher wanted him to be the chief commander, but he was not terribly worried.

“Approved,” the Sun Marshal agreed without a second thought.

“Agreed.”

“Agreed.”

The Moon and Star marshals agreed to the approval as well.

Li Lie was dumbstruck all of a sudden.

What’s this? What’s going on? How can a serious decision be made within a second? Have they thought this through?

Swish!

He bolted up while his mouth was slightly ajar. He tried to say something, but everyone in the grand meeting room ignored him.

On top of that, the Star Marshal had officially moved on to the next topic: the investigation about the traitor and the spy.

Li Lie fell back in his seat. The next topic was a serious and heavy topic, so he should not interrupt it because of his personal request and emotions.

They might have won this battle, but many problems were exposed in the process such as the usage of super-advanced weapons being stopped…or was it? Strictly speaking, the usage of the weapon was not exactly stopped but since they required a huge amount of energy every usage, a standard operating procedure was needed to ensure its stability.

Looking at the matter from the surface, it was not stopped because it followed the normal procedures. However, a desperate situation required desperate measures. An emergency plan was prepared for unusual situations such as this battle. If the super-advanced weapon was deployed in time to assist the Iron-Blooded Company, the loss would not have been this severe, and that particular section of the wall would not have been endangered.

Things grew complicated and it made Li Lie frown.

As a matter of fact, the situation was anything but good! They were fortunate enough to win the battle and Li Lie was happy that he could come back alive, but factoring in all the strange things that had happened during the battle, things just got extra complicated.

Even though Li Lie was all brawn rather than brains and loved to solve problems by fighting rather than thinking, he picked up the smell of conspiracy in the air.

…

“Young Master Long, congratulations on your dream entry. It’s great! Even though you missed the first time, who’d expect you to go into the dream again so quickly?” The person who was speaking was calm and sincerity was injected in between the lines. His humble and appropriate tone did not sound like he was trying to flatter, and the timely praise even sounded comfortable to the ears.

Tang Long, however, did not feel comfortable at all. He sat there quietly, gazing at the moon outside the window.

There were no standard qualifications for when a Dream Seed could enter a dream, but according to the highest standard, which was popular knowledge, 16 years of age was the earliest one could enter the dream.

If Tang Long had not been caught up by a certain matter, he would have fit the requirements.

Unfortunately, that was before Tang Ling’s appearance. According to reliable sources, Tang Ling was not even 16 and he was already a Dream Seed!

Why? If that’s true, what else can I be proud of?

The smile on Tang Long’s face mocked his own existence.

Are we not from the same father? Or was Tang Ling’s nameless mother nobler than mine?

Impossible! At least, it’s impossible in my opinion! Mother’s genetic chain is one of the rarest there is. Even the Stardust Council is shocked by it!

What about Tang Feng then? I guess it’s self-explanatory. So, why am I losing to Tang Ling at everything?

Tang Long’s thoughts were stuck in a narrow dead-end, and because of Higan, he could no longer return to the peaceful path that he had once been on.

A glass of liquor was transferred into Tang Long’s hand. He looked up and saw Twelve’s smile.

Twelve had silver hair with a fair face, unusually reddish lips, amber-colored eyes that resembled a cat yet seemed abysmal at times, a solid nose, and a soft contour around the cheeks that made him somewhat cute. His facial features were somehow conflicting with each other, but when put together, they looked strangely soothing.

Some said Tang Long was handsome and Draconic Seven of the Stardust Sixteen was also a rising star. Although he was unable to compete with Tang Long, Seven could easily charm girls.

Only a handful of people knew that Twelve was actually better looking than Seven despite the former’s face being slightly softer and looking a lot more feminine. Maybe because of his feminine features, Twelve did not like showing his face and always kept his face under the dark hood.

Twelve was the one that Tang Long understood the least among the Stardust Sixteen, and he had great connections with all of them. However, Twelve was a little too mysterious, a little too introverted, and a loner.

“You need a glass of alcohol.” Twelve’s soft voice was as tender as his amber eyes and his smile.

“Higan…” Tang Long took a sip from the glass.

In fact, he had been awake for a while now. As the Dream Domain was known for its ruthlessness, the first dream always struck close to one’s heart. It was a test for the Dream Seeds.

Tang Long did not know whether he had passed it or not. He only knew the first dream was a forbidden topic among Dream Seeds. He also knew that his mind was still stuck in the dream to the point that he went blank until Twelve’s sudden appearance.

However, none of that was important.

Tang Long did not assume them of any importance. The first question that came into his mind was still Higan. Even though he knew what happened, he still wanted to know what followed. Would Twelve bring him the latest news?

“Higan left, but she’ll show up again.” Twelve’s voice was calm. It was his way of talking. Although the lack of necessary explanation made him mysterious, somehow it was appropriately soothing and comfortable.

“Mm-hmm.” Tang Long did not know what to answer.

“Actually, being 15 or 16 doesn’t matter. The Dream Domain remains a secret and is a taboo that is barely explored. Some Dream Seeds who entered the dream later than a 16 years old turn out to be better as well, and that’s a fact.” Twelve did not want to dwell on the topic about Higan, so he shifted it back to the Dream Domain.

Tang Long remained silent. He knew what Twelve was trying to express. Be it early or late, time was not the standard to measure the Dream Domain’s judgment or ratings.

The only rule of the Dream Domain that was circulating in the real world was that a top-tier genius would get two chances to enter the dream. Therefore, Tang Long was a top genius acknowledged by the Dream Domain. However, he could not free himself from the circle of comparison with Tang Ling.

“Young Master Long, you are the strongest. At least, that’s what I believe in.” Twelve sat beside Tang Long, his amber eyes reflecting the light from the lamp and making him mysterious and somewhat cold.

“I…don’t know.” Tang Long clenched the glass in his hand. The continuous attacks on his confidence had shaken his world and robbed his vigorous spirit.

“You have to know that we are still your followers.” Twelve’s voice turned soft. It felt weightless and a little strange as though it had magical powers to soothe one’s mind.

“Whomsoever makes you feel lost, he’s an obstacle that you must destroy without delay. Overcome it and everything will be fine.” Twelve curled his lips into a smile that held sincerity and encouragement.

“Mm-hmm…” Tang Long somehow felt comforted.

Twelve was correct. All he needed to do was to crush the demons in his heart.

Tang Long already had a life or death path with Tang Ling, so why was he so caught up in the comparison with the latter? Was he seeking consolation from the comparison and had somehow given up on the determination that he had set since he was young?

After all, Tang Ling and Tang Long were connected by a word closer than anything—brothers.

Tang Ling was Tang Long’s little brother. How would it feel to kill his own little brother?

Tang Long drained the alcohol to the last drop.

Twelve remained seated beside him and his faint magical power seemed to linger. The magical power prevented Tang Long from thinking and feeling unnecessary thoughts. What replaced the thoughts was a clear and determined goal—he must destroy Tang Ling.

…

Not all Decembers were as kind as December in Darkness Port.

Conversely, compared to the old civilization, winter in the Purple Moon era was harsh.

With the merciless cold, the raging wind, the endless snow, and the lack of proper food, many people had to survive through winter to be able to continue living.

A cart driven by West Mountain Yaks was rumbling forward slowly. It traversed across the snowy terrain like a boat sailing in a storm. How long more before it arrived at Darkness Port?