Chapter 212 - 210: Letter from the Vast Sea
In the Outer Courtyard, beneath a green-tiled pavilion, Yang Shen and Shen Juanzhou sat across from each other.
Cao Wei attentively brought over tea and snacks, then stood waiting by their side.
The woman claimed to be Huo Jun’s colleague, and her military uniform seemed to confirm it. In Yanhua, impersonating military personnel...
...was a crime with a starting sentence of eighteen years or more.
But what confused Yang Shen was... if she was just delivering a message, why wear the uniform...
Shen Juanzhou surveyed her surroundings and remarked pointedly, "This place is quite beautiful. Yang, your circumstances seem a little different from what Elder Huo described."
’Huo Jun said Yang came from an ordinary background, was simple and honest—a model student.’
Shen Juanzhou’s gaze fell on Cao Wei in particular. ’To even have such an outstanding and graceful attendant.’
’She’s like a young lady from a wealthy family herself...’
Yang Shen nodded. "Huo has been gone for over four months. I’ve also gone from being a high school senior to a university student. Some changes are bound to happen. What message did you bring, Ms. Shen?"
"Things are a bit complicated, so let’s start with the simple part."
Shen Juanzhou took out an envelope and placed it in front of Yang Shen. The envelope was slightly wrinkled, not from age, but from dampness...
Yang Shen opened it. The handwritten letter from Huo Jun inside was very short.
"Kid, I got you a great opportunity. Hurry up and come kill people!"
Yang Shen: ...
"That’s it?"
"That’s it... which is why I had to make this trip in person."
Yang Shen pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling resigned to the trouble his own Madman had caused others.
"It seems you’ll have to fill me in on the details verbally. Is the information classified?"
Shen Juanzhou shook her head. "Two months ago, it would have been top secret. But it has since been declassified and is now semi-public. We’ve just been suppressing the media buzz."
"To put it simply, we have a special project in the Vast Sea, a joint development with nations like Magna and Europe. You might have heard news about it before."
Yang Shen nodded. "Indeed. People online were saying a new Exotic Realm was discovered... Based on the traditional calendrical cycle, everyone’s calling it the ’Noon Realm’."
"Right. Because I was involved in that incident at the Big Pharmacy in Jinshui District, I paid a bit of attention to it, but didn’t dwell on it."
Shen Juanzhou: "You’re right to think that way. The entrance to the Noon Realm is located in the center of the Vast Sea, extremely remote from all major powers. It’s over 11,000 kilometers from Yanhua."
"Due to geographical constraints, the three of us—Yanhua, Magna, and Europe—are taking the lead, along with some smaller nations. We’ve signed a joint development agreement for the ’Noon Realm’."
Yang Shen frowned slightly. ’So many powers squeezing into a single Exotic Realm?’
’This is probably a first in history.’
To date, a total of 17 known Gates of the Exotic Realm had appeared on Cyan Blue.
Almost every single one had appeared within the scope of human activity, or, to put it another way, within the territory of an existing nation or civilization.
This was why the appearance of an Exotic Realm could affect the rise and fall of a civilization. Each one belonged to a specific nation or power. Ownership and development rights might be transferred, but they were rarely shared.
For one to appear directly in the center of the great ocean that covered a third of Cyan Blue’s surface was a first.
No one was willing to give up the right to develop a new Exotic Realm, but it was too difficult for any single power to manage, as they wouldn’t be able to prevent others from interfering.
’This location... it’s as if it was deliberately chosen to force the major powers of Cyan Blue to cooperate...’
Shen Juanzhou said, "Previously, the situation was unclear, so the military took the lead. But now that things have stabilized, we’re starting various conventional projects. We’re currently recruiting members for the development and exploration teams."
Yang Shen took a deep breath. "To be honest, I’m extremely curious about the Exotic Realms. It’s a place most Cyan Blue Star People will never get to visit in their entire lives. But for a mission of such national importance, I can’t imagine what help I could possibly be. I’m surprised Huo even thought of me."
’He tells me to go, and I can just go?’
’Is Huo Jun some kind of Supreme Elder of Yanhua or something?’
Shen Juanzhou smiled. "First of all, anything related to an Exotic Realm is considered a ’matter of national importance,’ but there’s a difference between primary and routine tasks. After all, four months have passed, and rules have been established for many things."
"Second, I did bring a letter from Elder Huo, but he’s not the one who invited you. He just heard I had a mission that was bringing me back this way and asked me to deliver it as a favor."
Yang Shen asked in surprise, "Not Huo? Then who is it?"
"Xu Mo. I believe you know him."
Yang Shen was stunned for a moment. "Professor Xu Mo... is in the Vast Sea?"
"Correct. The special team I mentioned is actually for a joint scientific research mission. Professor Xu Mo is one of the main people in charge. He recommended you. Elder Huo found out later and asked me to bring you his letter as well. That’s the whole story."
Yang Shen’s brow furrowed deeply. ’Xu Mo is actually with Huo Jun?’
To be honest, ever since the semester began, he had been expecting Xu Mo to seek him out.
The current Patriarch of the Xu Family had never shown any interest in Xu Bamboo, but he was very interested in Yang Shen. Back then, he had identified the issue with the "Twin Dragon Jade" at a single glance.
He didn’t know what kind of ability from the Jade Viscera Realm it was, but it had allowed Xu Mo to directly pinpoint the power of the Curse Engraving, and he had immediately invited Yang Shen to join his research project.
After school started, Yang Shen had even seen the building for "Biological Research Institute No. 6" and had assumed the professor was right there on campus, just not showing himself as a way to play mind games with him!
’Turns out the man wasn’t even in Yanhua... but ten thousand kilometers away.’
’But that explained it. Xu Mo knew I had the power of the Curse Engraving, and since the Curse Engraving comes from the Noon Realm, it was perfectly normal for him to recommend me for this special team.’
Shen Juanzhou said, "I can only tell you the specific details of the mission after you agree to join. However, I can give you a heads-up on a few things."
The capable-looking, short-haired young woman with tan skin said solemnly, "We will first depart from Jianghuai Port and head to the Dongying Remnant Island to rendezvous with another group. From there, we will sail into the depths of the Vast Sea."
"This will be a very long journey. A conservative estimate is one to two months. We can help you handle taking a leave of absence from the university and the necessary travel documents, but you need to be mentally prepared."
This time, Yang Shen fell into an even longer silence, but Shen Juanzhou didn’t rush him.
The family’s prospects were on the rise, and his university life had only just begun a month ago. As the Patriarch, he had much to consider before leaving for such a long time.
So he asked a question: "Is this journey dangerous?"
Shen Juanzhou smiled. "Is there ever a perfectly safe exploration of an Exotic Realm? Even traveling by ship carries the threat of Sea Beasts... You are completely free to refuse; this is an invitation, not a summons. But if you ask me, where there’s danger, there’s also opportunity..."
As she spoke, the young woman in the military uniform held out an arm and rolled up her sleeve.
Yang Shen was slightly puzzled, but then he saw complex patterns emerge on her forearm...
The next moment, the intricate patterns converged, and a tiny tornado appeared in Shen Juanzhou’s palm!
It was only about six inches high, but it was swift and distinct...
Yang Shen’s gaze sharpened...
’The power of the Curse Engraving!’
’They’ve already researched it to this extent! It’s appearing on Martial Artists now!’
’The situation on Cyan Blue... is probably about to truly change!’