Chapter 2649 - 2650: Target?

With Veronia and the Mountain Patrol Hound mediating, the Bilu Mushrooms were initially a bit wary of Feng Yuan, but quickly they started fooling around with him, and Feng Yuan even seized the opportunity to tease them.

As they gradually got used to the pressure from the aurora overhead, the Bilu Mushrooms regained their usual vitality and began to play.

However, unlike before, this group of Bilu Mushrooms did not return to the farm, but instead frolicked around, spreading spores as they played, which made Feng Yuan stroke his chin thoughtfully.

Those spores were different from the ones the Bilu Mushrooms naturally produced. Feng Yuan could tell it was another special ability of theirs; besides scattering spores that acted as highly efficient fertilizers, the Bilu Mushrooms could also collect spores of various wild fungi in their caps and release them when needed.

Of course, their purpose was not to use their ultimate move but to cultivate mushrooms. Yes, regardless of whether the environment was suitable, the Bilu Mushrooms could force those collected spores to grow into mushrooms using their own spores.

The only difference was whether those mushrooms could exist long-term; mushrooms in unsuitable environments naturally wither, whereas, in suitable environments, they survive and resemble any normal mushroom.

Feng Yuan found it odd that they were currently cultivating mushrooms here, as this was not farmland—so why were they doing it now?

"Hallucinogenic, poisonous... all kinds of fungi used for defense."

With just a glance, Veronia understood what the Bilu Mushrooms were up to. Due to their frolicking, the spores were spread unevenly, making them more reminiscent of their natural primordial state, and the Bilu Mushrooms didn’t just scatter spores randomly.

They would only scatter spores suited to the environment, making the mushrooms appear as though they naturally grew there; even if someone accidentally encountered them, they wouldn’t necessarily realize it was a deliberate setup rather than an accident.

Of course, such minor tactics generally wouldn’t pose much trouble for the military, unless dealing with disbanded troops, yet even in such cases, it could delay them to some degree.

Veronia knew these little fellows weren’t entirely at ease; thus, they took these precautions. Still, it wasn’t a bad thing, as apart from having absolute strength, those who aren’t cautious in war may not have good fortune following them consistently, and might even pay with their lives.

Hopefully, this place doesn’t become a battlefield...

Gazing at the lush green mountains, a thought inexplicably arose in Veronia’s mind. Perhaps it was because she had spent so long with Feng Yuan that she always wanted to preserve the things she considered beautiful and precious. Yet, despite being a Divine Beast, achieving such a feat was impossible, or else things wouldn’t have been like they were...

"A mushroom defense line? But these mushrooms aren’t even Spirit Plants, right? They don’t offer much defense."

Feng Yuan spoke with some surprise, and Veronia glanced at him, replying irritably,

"Do you expect them to confront the enemy?"

"Hehe, definitely not, but their desire to set up a defense line is clearly useless."

"That’s not certain; some careless individuals may overlook threats from the simplest natural sources,"

Veronia smiled as she spoke, knowing she didn’t need to explain further—Feng Yuan could figure it out himself, and his questioning was likely due to laziness.

"Seems that way, but... never mind, I can’t help the whole Cha Mu Town even if I could help here. Let’s just let things take their course."

With a self-deprecating chuckle, Feng Yuan extinguished the thought that had arisen. The situation hadn’t reached that point yet, and he didn’t need to take action—for if he did, he wasn’t sure if his involvement would bring about worse outcomes.

After playing with the Bilu Mushrooms until noon, a rumbling in Feng Yuan’s stomach led him back to Bian Shui Fort, where lunch awaited him; however, perhaps due to the presence of Imperial People, the atmosphere within Bian Shui Fort was somewhat tense.

Feng Yuan wasn’t particularly concerned about it, as he would dare blow up any Imperial People who dared show themselves around him—not to mention Tamur and Veronia were present—Feng Yuan could annihilate an entire Imperial Army squad by himself without regard for the consequences.

Unfortunately, Feng Yuan’s reputation hadn’t reached these people yet, or they wouldn’t be so panic-stricken upon seeing him.

Sipping on his lunch slowly, Feng Yuan took out his phone curiously; due to the ongoing encounters, related reports had been temporarily paused. Until the conflict reached a stalemate, frontline news wouldn’t be reported—otherwise, it would be like delivering intelligence to the enemy.

Of course, some information disclosure was necessary to reassure the public, but the intelligence was incredibly limited. Feng Yuan only knew that clashes occurred around Maomu City, but he couldn’t pinpoint where or understand the scope.

The official statement on small-scale skirmishes was something Feng Yuan took lightly, knowing better than to believe it; if the Imperial People didn’t aim for Maomu City, it would make sense—but if they did, small-scale harassment would be pointless.

Maomu City might have support capabilities, but Feng Yuan and his team couldn’t mobilize, so Maomu City’s support would be very limited, not worth the manpower to harass them.

As for the notion that the Imperial People were unaware that Feng Yuan wouldn’t leave Maomu City—it wasn’t impossible, yet... would the Mordan Empire leave such crucial intelligence undisclosed?

Feng Yuan didn’t doubt that the Mordan Empire could anticipate his movements. Even if they couldn’t precisely predict all his actions, they could accurately forecast those that were unlikely to change.

For instance, Feng Yuan almost never left Maomu City, believing the Mordan Empire was aware of this; if they knew but failed to warn other Empires, Feng Yuan was sure they would quickly be branded as traitors and eliminated.

Since they knew and still planned to act, they must have considered Feng Yuan’s likelihood to intervene—under such circumstances, small-scale harassment would be a joke.

But major harassment wouldn’t merely be a diversionary tactic—it wouldn’t be worthwhile; Maomu City wasn’t a military stronghold, so without any benefits from attacking Maomu City, they wouldn’t go through with it.

So, what exactly are they trying to achieve?

Feng Yuan first suspected that those people might aim at Yognot. Pondering, he decided to leave it be as they weren’t too far from where Yognot was located.

Normally, the calamities that came with Yognot’s awakening couldn’t be contained, but that didn’t mean he lacked unconventional means.

Thus, Feng Yuan wasn’t in a rush—even if their goal was to awaken Yognot, he was unafraid.

Unfortunately, Feng Yuan was unaware that their target wasn’t Yognot at all—awakening it would have no effect on their objectives.

"Indeed, they’re trying to tie up our forces; aiming at Yognot doesn’t seem right either."

Dou Yanlan analyzed the ongoing, unresolved battles, noting that the Imperial People wouldn’t typically engage in prolonged entanglement—they were here to keep their forces occupied.

Of course, due to insufficient intelligence, she couldn’t deduce much; she didn’t even know how many units were currently engaged against them.

Even though the higher-ups had compiled the information, it wasn’t possible to share it, as leaking the information would make it uncontrollable.

Based on the existing, limited intelligence, Dou Yanlan couldn’t draw definitive conclusions, and she hadn’t considered consulting Feng Yuan, as the current situation hadn’t deteriorated to the point of needing his assistance.

Retreating from the battlefield, Qi Chen watched Ah Mu intermittently command the Hao Chun Bird for aid; however, even with such efforts, and in the face of the opponent’s relentless engagement, Ah Mu and the Hao Chun Bird couldn’t swiftly break the enemy’s defense and disruption.

Should he resort to using the power of the Qi Realm?

Growing anxious, Qi Chen glanced towards Dou Yanlan; the current orders remained to prioritize safety while dealing with the enemy. Yet, if the delay continued, their advantage could gradually diminish, as their Beast Tamers would inevitably tire as the battle endured.

The opponents were different—the Imperial People had deployed regular troops. Despite being outnumbered, they were more capable in sustained combat.

"Orders from above! Let’s resolve the enemy quickly, complete the defense swap with the Third Legion in 15 minutes!"

At this moment, the Commander received the directive from higher-ups, his expression changing. Dou Yanlan pondered for a moment before turning to Cotton, saying,

"I’ll be relying on you."