Chapter 306 - A Secretive Intelligence Dealer

“What are you doing?”

If it were anyone else, Manager Ying definitely wouldn’t bother, but it had a good relationship with Gu Qingyi. It originally planned to use this opportunity to leverage Xia’s resources to accelerate the awakening of its true form. However, why did Lu Ran insist on interfering in everything?

Manager Ying calculated in its heart...

Lu Ran’s resources +1. Kitty resources -1.

“Your crow is only level 40. What are you messing around for? Do you really think you can get its Legion Form to level 70 in just ten days?” Manager Ying grumbled in dissatisfaction.

“How is this messing around? Who said I’m planning to have my Dark Crow Legion go head-to-head with the black dragon? Stop only thinking about ganging up on it. It’s not alone either.

“Did you all forget? Dragon Palace is a deep-sea power that has gathered countless marine beasts. Other than a level 70 Black Dragon King, who knows how many subordinates it has? In terms of the number of Transcendent Species, the ocean definitely outmatches the land.

“The Merfolk Kingdom was such a massive force, and yet they lost to Dragon Palace. That couldn’t have been done by the black dragon alone, right? When the time comes, someone has to monitor this horde of marine beasts.

“Dark Crow can scout across vast distances, even across the ocean, to detect what’s happening in the deep sea. A little investment here definitely wouldn’t be a waste of resources.

“Moreover, say you manage to severely wound the black dragon, but it escapes into the deep sea. At that moment, the only ones who can quickly locate it and finish the job might be the Dark Crow Legion.” Lu Ran systematically laid out the strategic value of Dark Crow.

Manager Ying pouted.

It... kind of made sense?

“What is Legion Form?” Lin Nian asked.

What kind of ability is this that made Lu Ran so confident he could suppress countless high-level marine beasts as a mere level 3 beastmaster?

Lu Ran explained, “It’s a Legion-type trait. The more crows my Twin Crows command, the higher their level becomes. Right now, its base level is 40, but after dominating the crows in Green Sea City, it can transform into level 45. And that’s when the Transcendent crows in Green Sea City have barely undergone any advanced cultivation.

“Green Sea City is just an average city in a single province. Even within this small area, dominating the local Transcendent crows can push it to level 45. What if I expand the range? For example, if I search nationwide for high-level crows and attempt to dominate them?

“I believe that Dark Crow’s Legion Form could easily surpass level 50, or maybe even approach level 60. Combined with its long-range scouting and curse-killing ability, it might not be able to directly affect the Black Dragon King, but it can absolutely instill fear in its subordinates.”

“Oh? Oh! That’s the trait that dropped from the Legendary Ant Queen Secret Realm!” Lin Nian was surprised.

“Yeah.”

“It’s viable. Right now, Xia’s advanced combat power is still too scarce. Later, I’ll host another Twelve Zodiacs meeting for a vote,” Lin Nian said.

The old president had entered an ascension realm for a breakthrough, leaving her as acting president. Manager Ying claimed it could contend with the black dragon, and Lu Ran asserted that his Dark Crow Legion could strongly suppress Dragon Palace. She was willing to believe them.

As long as more than half of the Twelve Zodiacs agreed, then Treasure-grade resources stored in the alliance’s vault could be allocated to Manager Ying and Lu Ran at this crucial moment without issue.

To Lin Nian, this battle was inevitable. It wasn’t because she was eager to fight, but rather because the black dragon clearly didn’t take Xia seriously.

Whether it was to establish Dragon Palace’s dominance on the global stage or to showcase its own strength, the black dragon had placed itself in an extremely arrogant position. In truth, it did have the power to back that up. So far, humanity had yet to develop effective countermeasures against deep-sea fierce beasts.

Even against ancient species on land, humanity struggled to maintain control. It wasn’t that they couldn’t win, but rather that even if they did, the price would be too steep. If an ancient species charged into a human city, would they dare to drop bombs? Either way, the damage would be something no nation could afford.

The black dragon was likely testing the limits of human nations, preparing for a future invasion of the land. Thus, for the sake of future peace, Xia had to strike decisively and slay the black dragon, sending a warning to other ancient species.

If the beastmasters of Xia showed even a hint of weakness in this confrontation, it would only invite more trouble later. But if they succeeded in forcefully slaying the black dragon, any other ancient species thinking of extorting resources would have to reconsider.

This wasn’t just Xia’s problem. Every human nation would soon face the same challenge. The weak get beaten. They get treated as easy prey.

After some time, Lin Nian left. Manager Ying sat in its chair, deep in thought. It seemed to be imagining its battle with the black dragon.

At this moment, Gu Qingyi also finished contemplating and said, “Lu Ran... please help me. I need my Azure Sea Dragon to evolve faster.”

Lu Ran looked at her helplessly. “Your main focus is the Dragon Species. Even if your familiar evolves, it won’t be of much use against the black dragon—its bloodline will be terribly suppressed. And if you rush evolution, your familiar’s future potential will be limited. Why not just follow Lin Nian’s suggestion and act as bait?

“The main fighters in this battle should still be Manager Ying and its fellow ancient species. Once they eliminate the black dragon, we can use its Dragon Blood, Dragon Soul, and Dragon Pearl as evolution materials for your Azure Sea Dragon. Let’s see it act arrogant then.”

Gu Qingyi was shocked.

“Meow, meow, meow?” Manager Ying was stunned as well.

Just as it was about to say something, Lu Ran quickly reached out to pet it.

“Manager Ying, are you reliable or not? Do you really have confidence in taking on that black dragon?”

“Scram.” Manager Ying swatted away Lu Ran’s hand. “In a one-on-one fight, I can’t guarantee I’ll kill it, but sealing it? That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Huh? Sealing?” Lu Ran was puzzled.

Manager Ying explained, “Yeah, sealing. I can trap it in a domain—an isolated space—and keep it locked away for several years. Originally, this was my trump card for escaping. I’d seal my enemy for a year or two and run away. But it works against enemies too.

“If I seal it, doesn’t that count as resolving the crisis? By the time it breaks free, you all should have leveled up enough using Limitless City to crush it easily.

“Back then, I encountered a foe even stronger than it—a true Overlord. I couldn’t beat them, but I still managed to seal them away for two and a half years. When they broke free, I was already long gone from the Western Hemisphere.” Manager Ying giggled.

“Just how much have you been hiding?” Lu Ran’s mouth twitched.

This cat had previously claimed to be one of the weakest ancient beings, yet now it was casually talking about sealing a level 70 Black Dragon Abyss King? Sealing an enemy in an alternate space for two and a half years... just to escape? This cat is not normal. Definitely not normal. This domain ability is anything but weak. In fact, it’s absurdly strong. And yet, it’s been using it to run away?

Manager Ying huffed. “As an intelligence dealer, one of the fundamental principles is to never fully reveal your own information. Qingyi, just do as Lu Ran said. Don’t rush your evolution. You’re not needed in this battle, so there’s no need to pressure yourself.

“As long as Xia is willing to invest resources to awaken my true form, I’m confident I can deal with that big guy for you all. At worst, I can seal it for a year or two.”

“

Hmm...

” Gu Qingyi was momentarily speechless.

After a brief pause, she suddenly stepped forward and picked up Manager Ying, hugging it tightly and rubbing her cheek against its fur. A small smile played at the corners of her lips.

“Manager Ying... so you’re revealing your strength this time just for me?”

“

Ugh...

enough.” Manager Ying hadn’t expected Gu Qingyi’s embrace to be so overwhelming, and it grumbled through a muffled breath.

“Manager Ying, can you teach me that move?” Lu Ran asked enviously.

So this is where Manager Ying’s confidence comes from.

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

“I already told you, my domain isn’t suitable for you. It’s difficult to teach. It involves Space and Time!” Manager Ying said.

“Time? That’s it? I’ve got Time-attribute awakening resources right here.”

Manager Ying was taken aback.

On top of the tallest building in Mystic City, Lu Ran was gazing solemnly at the ocean. A summoning formation emerged. Two overlapping shadows appeared behind him.

“My King!”

The Twin Crows materialized, immediately bowing in respect. They could already sense the storm brewing and stared intently toward the sea.

“This is ridiculous.”

Lu Ran glanced down at the citizens below. The moment the Black Dragon King revealed itself, a nationwide panic erupted, sending people scrambling to stockpile supplies. Forget it. Maintaining order and calming the public was someone else’s job.

“Dark Crow, I’m lifting your restrictions. You may now expand your territory beyond Green Sea City. First to the province, then to the entire nation. Within seven days, I want you to recruit every Transcendent crow with decent strength across the country. Get as many as possible. Can you do it?”

“

Caw!

No problem, Your Majesty! Leave it to me!” Dark Crow’s eyes lit up.

“Go then.”

Dark Crow let out a sinister cackle before blending into the clouds. The blood in its veins surged with excitement. It had long wanted to expand its dominion over Green Sea City’s beast population, but Lu Ran had never given the order.

Lu Ran hadn’t done so either, mainly because the Beastmaster Association had initially only granted him control over Green Sea City’s wild beasts. But now, given the crisis and his elevated status, he was effectively equal to the Twelve Zodiacs—perhaps just one rank below them. Expanding his domain was entirely justified.

With Dark Crow as a Legion Overlord capable of perfectly commanding Transcendent crows, Lu Ran wasn’t worried about things getting out of control. On the contrary, this would only bring more stability. Watching Dark Crow disappear into the horizon, Lu Ran sighed internally.

If only the Crow Legion could enter Limitless City, I’d be unstoppable, but it’s not a big issue. Even if I can only dominate Blue Planet, that’s still pretty damn good. After all, Limitless City wasn’t the only source of resources. There were still vast, unexplored Treasure-grade resources on Blue Planet. For instance... Dr. Gu’s fortuitous encounters.

Lu Ran was certain Dr. Gu had her own extraordinary luck. How else could she have nurtured the Dragon Species? Finding a Treasure-grade Dragon Pearl fragment on the beach by pure chance was even luckier than him.

After Dark Crow departed, Manager Ying’s clone reappeared beside Lu Ran.

“What’s your next move to find the Divine Deer? Are you planning to use the Broken Horn of the Divine Deer as a medium? To be honest, our greatest hope still lies in the Broken Horn of the Divine Deer.

“Even if we directly invite the two Totem Guardians to join the battle, they might not agree. But if we can guarantee infinite healing, that changes everything.”

Currently, Xia had two active Totem Guardians. One was the guardian panda of the Youxiong Clan, and the other was the Transcendent Red-Crowned Crane, which had only revived in the past month.

However, persuading either of them to join this battle would be difficult. The Red-Crowned Crane simply refused to leave Xia’s land. It had promised to intervene only if Xia faced an extinction-level disaster. And the Black Dragon King, for all its terror, didn’t quite qualify.

Meanwhile, the guardian panda was still in recovery. Its agreement with Xia was free meals. Expecting it to fight in a weakened state just for some food was a tough sell. It could probably handle weaker enemies, but no one knew how it felt going against a dragon species.

Without a massive incentive, neither Totem Guardians were likely to risk their lives as the main combatant against the Black Dragon King.

“Forget about them for now. Let the Beastmaster Association worry about negotiations. We’ll focus on finding the Divine Deer. If we succeed, everything else will fall into place. We’ll work on multiple fronts. First, Manager Ying, you use the Broken Horn of the Divine Deer as a medium to search for it. Meanwhile, we’ll leverage faith energy.

“For months, the faith energy in Lu Village has grown significantly, but it’s still not enough. This crisis... well, I won’t say it’s divine intervention, but it does present an opportunity,” Lu Ran explained

“How so?”

“Right now, nationwide panic is at an all-time high. Soon, major news outlets will start broadcasting messages about the guardian panda and Red-Crowned Crane to reassure the public. I say... Why not introduce another Totem Guardian into the narrative? For example, let’s claim that the Divine Deer has been watching over Xia all along.

“Undoubtedly, in times of fear, people will seek peace. This will naturally lead to an influx of faith energy. With backing from the alliance, even the people of Lu Village will have more faith in the Divine Deer. Who knows? Maybe a sudden surge of faith energy will awaken it.

“And even if we don’t find the Divine Deer... I’ll just have Captain Doofus wear the Broken Horn of the Divine Deer, cosplay as a Divine Deer, and serve as a battlefield healer. Technically, that still counts as the Divine Deer appearing. It’s not really a lie.” Lu Ran smirked.

“The fuck?”

Manager Ying was stunned.

This... This actually makes sense? Is Lu Ran a genius?