Bai Qiu first handed some Premium Black Truffles, Fragrant Gathering Fruits, and various other ingredients to Wang Shiyun.
“Wash these. I’ll be hosting guests later.”
With that, he headed off to clean himself up while opening the system interface, intending to privately message Zhang Shiyao, Ning Xingxue, and the others.
Unexpectedly, the contact person from the forum had already sent him a large number of messages, including details regarding his reward.
Bai Qiu skimmed through them.
The questions were mostly about where he had encountered the Two-Headed Hydra Serpent and whether he had killed it alone.
He typed out a detailed description of the situation and then added:
“By the way, there’s something I’d like to ask a favor about.”
The contact person was immediately confused.
Bai Qiu?
Asking her for a favor?
She was merely a lifestyle player in her twenties who worked on compiling the Monster Encyclopedia.
Her appearance was ordinary, and her level wasn’t particularly high.
She was very self-aware of her limitations and immediately explained as much, essentially giving him advance warning that she might not be able to help.
Bai Qiu wasn’t surprised.
“No problem,” he replied. “Just relay the message to Qin Baoguo. Whether he helps or not is up to him.”
His goal was simple.
He wanted Qin Baoguo to publish a special edition newspaper in advance, specifically reporting Bai Qiu’s slaying of the Two-Headed Hydra Serpent.
Of course, this wasn’t for fame, prestige, or showing off.
It was a warning.
First, the Hydra Serpents that had disappeared were indeed hiding and evolving.
Second, Two-Headed Hydra Serpents could cross the isolation barriers created by the System.
Every region needed to raise its guard.
According to information available on the forum, out of the 501 regions, 119 had already fallen.
That meant there were potentially 119 Two-Headed Hydra Serpents spread across the remaining regions.
Even though Bai Qiu had killed one, there were still 118 left.
A private message from Qin Baoguo arrived shortly afterward.
He agreed.
However, Bai Qiu was surprised to learn that Qin Baoguo’s group had also managed to kill a Two-Headed Hydra Serpent.
Compared to ordinary transcendent creatures, Two-Headed Hydra Serpents were considerably stronger.
The additional head granted them an extra skill and greatly increased their combat power.
After offering some brief praise, Bai Qiu said, “In any case, this is the only way we can force people to make a choice—whether to stay behind and guard their regions or leave.”
The conversation ended.
Afterward, Bai Qiu sent private messages to Zhang Shiyao, Ning Xingxue, the other members of their group, and everyone on his friends list who had reached Level 30 or above.
He invited them all to attend a banquet and discuss matters in person.
Before long, everyone had gathered together.
The food wasn’t even finished yet.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Bai Qiu opened the discussion.
“When the Shattered Celestial Realm opens this time, does anyone plan to stay behind?”
His voice wasn’t loud, yet everyone heard him clearly.
Most of the people gathered here didn’t actually know one another, but the atmosphere felt as though they were old friends reuniting after years apart.
His abrupt question caught everyone off guard.
In the end, Ye Lingtian was the first to raise his hand.
“I plan to stay in my own Safe Zone.”
Noticing the puzzled looks around him, he explained:
“I’m already Level 31. Sure, leveling is slow now, but it’s not impossible. In a month, I should still be able to reach Level 37 or 38.”
“Besides, my goal has never been to obtain heaven-defying opportunities.”
“I want to become a Regional Guardian.”
Bai Qiu glanced around.
Everyone else seemed intent on venturing into unfamiliar territories to compete for resources and opportunities.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Bai Qiu rhythmically tapped his fingers against the table, drawing everyone’s attention.
Then he recounted everything that had happened the previous day, including his worst-case scenario prediction.
The room immediately fell silent.
Many drew sharp breaths.
Expressions turned grim.
Even Li Zhongjun and Li Qingshan, who had previously been sitting quietly in the corner watching the discussion unfold, could no longer remain indifferent.
The two old men began exchanging serious remarks.
At that moment, Huang Hailing raised her hand.
“May I ask something?”
“How strong is a Two-Headed Hydra Serpent exactly?”
“Could we… defeat one?”
The moment she voiced the question, everyone’s gaze shifted toward Bai Qiu.
After a moment of thought, he replied:
“If you can kill one by yourself, then reaching the fifty-fifth floor of the Tower of Heaven shouldn’t be a problem.”
Everyone’s hearts sank.
In other words, aside from Bai Qiu, nobody currently possessed the ability to solo a Two-Headed Hydra Serpent.
Someone else raised a different point.
“All the regions on our side successfully defended themselves. Logically speaking, shouldn’t people in the other regions be the ones worrying?”
A large portion of the crowd found the argument reasonable.
After all, even if a few serpents wandered over from neighboring regions, the vast majority would probably remain near their original territories.
At that moment, Li Zhongjun spoke up.
“That may be true, but we must prepare for dangers before they arise.”
“This old body of mine can’t handle much more adventuring anyway.”
“I’ll stay behind this time as well.”
Then he paused and added:
“However… if only two people remain, we still won’t be able to change much when disaster strikes.”
Bai Qiu naturally understood what Li Zhongjun meant.
He clapped his hands.
Immediately, Wang Shiyun and Feng Yuling began carrying dish after dish onto the tables.
The first to arrive were large fruit platters.
At the base were D-rank fruits, piled high with various pieces of C-rank monster fruit flesh.
Among them were diced Fragrant Gathering Fruits, Narcissus Grapes, and other rare delicacies.
The fragrance emanating from the fruit platters quickly spread throughout the entire courtyard.
Everyone unconsciously swallowed.
Yet these were merely appetizers.
The true main course followed shortly after.
Plates of high-grade monster meat stir-fried with Premium Black Truffles were brought out one after another.
Expressions of astonishment appeared on everyone’s faces.
They could clearly feel the aroma stimulating every one of their senses.
It wasn’t that the two young women possessed extraordinary culinary skills.
Rather, the ingredients themselves were simply too exceptional.
Everyone was shocked by the sheer depth of Bai Qiu’s personal resources.
The primal urge to eat made some of them fidget impatiently.
Yet because Bai Qiu had not spoken, nobody touched their chopsticks.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please dig in,” Bai Qiu said.
“Don’t be shy. There’s plenty more where this came from.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he picked up his chopsticks and took the first bite.
In an instant, the courtyard seemed to erupt into a war over food.
Half an hour later, everyone was thoroughly full and satisfied.
Only then did Bai Qiu continue: “Back to the main topic.”
“For those who choose to stay behind this time, I’ll personally provide a bit of support.”
He began listing the assistance he intended to provide.
As he spoke, many people’s hearts began to waver.
First, a bottle of Mental Strength Potion.
Second, a Wind Spirit Hoverboard, along with 200 Wind Crystals to serve as backup batteries.
The package provided fifty hours of endurance and a travel range exceeding twenty thousand kilometers.
Third, one portion each of every C-rank-or-higher food item he possessed, including everything that had just been served at the banquet.
Fourth, a custom-made transcendent weapon capable of injuring transcendent creatures, tailored specifically to its user.
These were the gifts Bai Qiu intended to bestow upon those top-tier players willing to forgo the opportunity to enter the Shattered Celestial Realm to level up and gather resources.
His goal was simple:
To give them sufficient strength and reserves to remain behind and guard the region.
To ensure they could face whatever hidden dangers might be lurking in the shadows.
That was also the reason why he had invited only players of Level 30 and above to this banquet.
Players below Level 30 simply did not possess enough strength to justify staying behind.
Their presence would contribute little in the event of a true crisis.
— The end of the Chapter–
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