Chapter 612: Ownership of the Calamity Shelter

Walking into Ninglan Township Fortress, at the most conspicuous central council hall, I saw the figure of Ninglan Qiuyue.

At this moment, she was standing on one side of her huge desk, her back facing my direction, listening to the report of another official beside her.

There was a thick stack of documents piled up in her hand.

Coming here felt like walking into a workplace where communication was very casual; dense whispers were the main theme here.

"Teaching Assistant Xiao Han, really sorry, please come to the reception room with me first. I'll go tell City Lord Qiuyue right away."

"Un, go ahead."

I nodded and didn't make things difficult for her.

After all, I was invited here.

If Ninglan Qiuyue was really busy, she wouldn't have needed to invite me over.

However, this also shows that as the City Lord, Ninglan Qiuyue is really busy with official duties.

Of course, it could also be that the recent movements in Ninglan New City were really too big.

Many reports needed to be read.

Grasping the information of an entire city is indeed quite pressured.

But... for Ninglan Qiuyue, who has the Seed of Great Knowledge, this shouldn't be a problem.

She only needs to use the Earth Vein Appraisal Spell to know all that information and reports completely.

However, I couldn't be bothered to understand what she was thinking.

After arriving at the reception room, I directly chose a seat to sit down first, then ordered a cup of black coffee, and started munching on the fruits on the side.

But these fruits... didn't seem to be specialties of Ninglan New City.

I thought the fruit platter in Ninglan Township Fortress would also keep pace with the times.

I peeled a tangerine, stuffed a segment of fruit into my mouth, feeling the sour and sweet taste explode in my mouth.

While feeling the stimulation brought to the taste buds by the chewed juice, I lightly sniffed the fragrance of the fruit.

This is the cultivation of taste and smell.

I haven't eaten much these days.

Only when I left Ninglan New City back then did I have a good meal.

Afterwards, because of research, I just dealt with it casually.

What I ate seemed to be just the fruits of some surrounding plants and some food in my storage equipment.

Those fruits I had never seen before brought me a brand new experience, and likewise brought a brand new mode to my Five Senses Enhancement.

That is... tasting.

An unknown tasting is enough to carry out a brand new and anticipatory cultivation experience for the five senses at once.

From the initial discovery, to the reachable plucking, then the light sniffing before entering the mouth, and finally tasting the flavor of the fruit and the refreshing sound of chewing the fruit.

General external stimuli seem unable to play much role in my Five Senses Enhancement.

The raising of the threshold during cultivation prevents me from generating new discoveries on daily repetitive content.

Perhaps the plants of the Expansion Realm are a breakthrough point.

If there is a chance, I now even want to taste what subtle differences there are in the meat quality of mutated beasts.

However, after waiting for a while, Ninglan Qiuyue finally arrived at the reception room before my black coffee came.

"Really sorry to keep you waiting for so long, Big Sis Xiao Han."

"Actually hasn't been many days. But looking at your appearance, you seem somewhat terribly busy."

"Yeah, the recent movements of Ninglan New City are really too big. Mainly cooperating with actions."

"Taking the liberty to ask, don't you plan to use the Seed of Great Knowledge to assist you in completing these affairs? Should save you quite a lot of time."

I suggested.

"Of course, I have been using it. But facing the information sent by those officials, in their eyes, if I did nothing and told them I understood, it would bring them unexplainable misunderstandings. It's not that they cannot understand the power of spells; this is just a most basic mutual respect. At least in Ninglan New City, this concept is hard to change in an instant."

"Alright, can see you are indeed very tired. Then since you are so busy, shouldn't need to call me over for a chat, right? What a waste of time?"

"Chatting with you, someone who can directly change the big situation, I don't feel is a waste of time. Even on the contrary, maybe it will save a lot of big trouble."

Ninglan Qiuyue chuckled lightly and also sat down beside me.

"Is it that serious? I didn't do anything. At best, I'm just about the same as an ordinary student, right?"

I shrugged and asked.

However, I did quite agree with this sentence of Ninglan Qiuyue.

Anyone sufficient to change the general environment needs to be understood.

Just as they said, an unstable factor must be included in the scope of consideration, even if she doesn't move there.

"Big Sis Xiao Han, you are still overly modest. Your reputation in Ninglan New City is not small now. As the first founder to establish a super-large shelter outside the city, after it is built, that Calamity Shelter will be enough to accommodate all refugees outside Ninglan New City. I estimate before long, the Calamity Shelter might become two new stars standing in the Expansion Realm alongside our Ninglan New City."

"Do you have such high confidence in the Calamity Shelter? Looks like your ambition is not small. However, you don't need to flatter like this. How the Calamity Shelter was built, I don't believe you don't know."

I waved my hand and said.

"I naturally know, but what is sung outside is your name. Who built it is not important; what's important is who the people sing praises to."

"Then push me to the front stage, acting as a mascot or a shield? Finally, you reach out to harvest the greatest benefits, and I bear all the hidden dangers?"

So this is the most disgusting part, right?

They take all the benefits, leaving a mess for me.

After all, I felt uncomfortable the first moment I contacted them, so I naturally speculated their intentions with the most sinister thoughts.

"This... how could it be! Big Sis Xiao Han, it won't be like this!"

Ninglan Qiuyue stood up directly, expressing her shock.

"Just sit down and talk. If you don't believe, then don't believe. Just like me, whatever they did to the Calamity Shelter, I couldn't be bothered to ask. Directly handed full authority to the seven persons in charge within the shelter. I don't even care whether they will betray me."

"This... do you really not care about anything? Then what if students from other Transcendent Academies seek you for cooperation?"

Ninglan Qiuyue asked.

"Other Transcendent Academies cooperating with me?"

"Un. You also know that the pioneering of this Expansion Realm is not only our Witch Academy; other academies are likewise. However, Transcendent Mentors seem to have had an agreement not to enter the field, so other academies must establish a stable teleportation channel to interface with their own academies, similar to Ninglan New City and the Witch Academy. If you build a large shelter first, then that place will be their first choice."

"But I belong to the Witch Academy, right? Do they dare to use it?"

"There is nothing in the world that interests cannot solve. The Witch Academy already has a Ninglan New City as a teleportation hub, while the shelter you built does not belong to the Witch Academy, unless you publicly state you voluntarily incorporate the shelter into the Witch Academy."

"Alright, then looks like you are very curious about my choice, right?"

Hearing Ninglan Qiuyue explain so clearly to me, I roughly guessed what she meant.

Should be curious about how I choose.

Choose interests to unite with other Transcendent Academies, or choose cooperation to attribute it to the Witch Academy?

However, no matter how I choose, it seems to have some benefits for them, just different coping methods.

If I directly announce this is the Witch Academy's asset, then as students and teaching assistants of the Witch Academy, they naturally reach out rightfully.

If I cooperate with other Transcendent Academies... I estimate they will wrangle over benefit distribution in the form of capital contribution.

After all, promoting the capital contribution and support of the Calamity Shelter can easily shake my prestige over the shelter.

After all, I didn't do anything, just fished for a title.

If they bite me back in the end... isn't it impossible?

Otherwise, why do they promote my name at this moment?

Isn't it just to push me down at the critical moment?

And in their view... I seem indeed to have no means to counterattack, because this is the fact.

Can't possibly hack them one by one, right?

That would be even harder to explain, and also violates the Witch's Contract.

And they also have very high contact and communication channels with those refugees about to settle in.

So if they use these refugees who will settle in the Calamity Shelter then to stir up public opinion, it's really hard to deal with.

After all, this batch of people will be the main population of the shelter then.

It's truly the magpie's nest occupied by the turtledove.

So ultimately, the seven persons in charge I chose, probably no one will submit to them either.

These days they have also contacted those seven people for a period of time.

Presumably, they can also see that these people don't have much leadership ability.

They are just ordinary people pushed up by coincidence, standing on the cusp of the storm.

And once I am not recognized in public opinion, they will have no status to speak of.

Finally, those teaching assistants will step forward to reach cooperation with other Transcendent Academies.

As long as they don't touch my bottom line, that Myriad Connection Main Network Tree, they are confident to "calm" things down.

At that time, regarding the teleportation channels of other Transcendent Academies, they will also be qualified to reach out and intervene.

At least in terms of intelligence acquisition, that would be spot on.

If I were them, putting myself in their shoes, I think I would probably do to this extent.

"Choice?"

At this moment, Ninglan Qiuyue was also stunned, then reacted quickly, "Sorry, I didn't mean that. I just wanted to communicate with you based on the intelligence I understand. Hope you don't misunderstand."

"Doesn't matter."

I glanced at Ninglan Qiuyue.

Looks like it was indeed unintentional, "However, regarding the matter you mentioned, I likewise don't care. The Calamity Shelter won't belong to me. It likewise won't nominally belong to the Witch Academy, nor will it cooperate with other Transcendent Academies under my request. Can't the Calamity Shelter belong to the people of that civilization? We are rebuilding civilization, not building a cage for that civilization."

"Belong to... them?"

Ninglan Qiuyue was very shocked because she somewhat couldn't imagine Big Sis Xiao Han actually having this boldness to give up such a large benefit?

"Yes, why can't I? Just like you guys, why can't Ninglan New City belong to you, Ninglan New City? At least nominally, the Witch Academy just helped you rebuild it, but it doesn't belong to a part of the Witch Academy. Such intimate cooperation is because the City Lord of Ninglan New City, which is you, is... a student of the Witch Academy."

"Big Sis Xiao Han... to be honest, these words of yours touched me greatly. Also thank you for giving me an answer I was about to ignore..."

Ninglan Qiuyue slowed down for a while before finally speaking.

Ninglan New City blindly relying on the help of the Witch Academy was about to lose itself.

Even those newly appointed officials... also respected the Witch Academy very much, as if they had corrected their status, wagging tails waiting for the Witch Academy's feeding.

But many people seem to have forgotten the rights Ninglan New City strived for at the beginning, the things given up to ensure Ninglan New City's autonomy.

Now these people actually actively throw them away to exchange for benefits.

And she also thoroughly recognized her own value.

Letting Wan Shi Wu and the Witch's Secret Realm Club back her up like this... exactly because of what.

But can she say a "No" word now?

Seems she can't anymore.

Ninglan New City is developing rapidly; she likewise cannot call a stop.

Those relationships she once considered friends and connections, at this moment she saw the fangs revealed by the other party, but she had already eaten the sweet candy thrown by the other party.

Is this an equal exchange of value?

No, then regretting is an absolutely correct choice, but not now.

Because once she regrets, it means tearing faces.

The current Ninglan New City is not sufficient to bear their retaliatory impact.

Now she feels like dancing on the tip of a knife, but she hasn't been cut all over by those blades yet.

Because she knows it's not time to be harvested yet.

"You seem to have figured something out. Forget it, I can't be bothered to understand. Let's talk about something else. Speaking of which, to what extent have you explored the surroundings?"

"Un."

Ninglan also nodded, not dwelling on this topic, "Regarding the exploration of the surroundings, we have explored a very large area. With the ability of the Seed of Great Knowledge, you also understand this thing is very convenient, obtaining terrain appearance directly..."

"Indeed, basic ability of the Appraisal Spell."

I also nodded, not surprised.

Even where they explored to, I can know here through the Great Tree of Knowledge.

However, regarding those other Transcendent Academies without the Seed of Great Knowledge... I don't know much.

"Then did you find any very peculiar places?"

"Hm... dream overlap. Big Sis Xiao Han, do you know about this matter? This happened after you left Ninglan New City. That Nightmare Spell you created back then helped many people."

"This I know."

I nodded.

I even know that quite a few teaching assistants who learned the Nightmare Spell didn't publicize this credit belonging to me.

The intention naturally doesn't need guessing; they don't want my reputation to go up a level, making it hard for them to push later.

"Then regarding this matter, you..."

"Not interested. Let's talk about something else."

"Uh... alright. Then... Big Sis Xiao Han, you are familiar with the Myriad Connection Main Network Tree, right? Heard what you researched earlier seemed to be this... It seems there isn't only one."

"Oh? You found a second one?"

I was somewhat surprised.

According to the root network currently spread by the Myriad Connection Main Network Tree's extending roots, I confirmed that the locations of other Myriad Connection Main Network Trees are very far from here.

Combining with the regional development range they obtained using the Seed of Great Knowledge, their current exploration area shouldn't have discovered a second one.

"Oh no, we only heard news from those people's mouths. The name Myriad Connection Main Network Tree as well."

"Then forget it. Let's talk about something else."

I waved my hand, having no intention to understand deeper.

Likewise, I cut off Ninglan Qiuyue's intention to use this topic to guide to the situation of that Myriad Connection Main Network Tree I researched recently.

"Alright then, Big Sis Xiao Han, have you heard of the... Seed Bank left by that civilization?"

"Seed Bank?!"