Chapter 185 The Choice

Xue Jin City was very large. Tourists from the Jiangbei area often needed a week to fully enjoy their visit.

Xue Jin City was also very small.

Gu Xiaoman had waited for six years, and finally spent only seven days walking through every corner of this ancient city.

Xiaoman had a very happy seven days.

Gu Shen took her to see many places that didn't exist in Zhongzhou. The Five Great Families maintained Nagano extremely well, and most of the historical sites were well preserved...

Chu Ling held an umbrella, and the three of them traveled together, creating a very warm scene.

It was a little like... a family of three.

But it was indeed very harmonious.

Xiaoman had already recognized Chu Ling's "sister-in-law status", calling her "Sister Chu" and sticking to her side every day.

Chu Ling also liked this pitiful, helpless little girl.

As for the "Lord of Wine"... that identity had already been forgotten in these seven days.

Along the Ning River, which ran through Xue Jin City, were deliberately preserved ancient buildings and old alleys. Here, "shop assistants" dressed as merchants from the old days shouted under the suspended drone electronic banners, holding events to attract traffic.

Many people were taking pictures, creating a lively atmosphere.

Gu Shen and the others walked into a popular restaurant along the Ning River. This restaurant retained the ancient appearance of a classical teahouse from hundreds of years ago, with four floors in total. The restaurant's kitchen had a bright, modern industrial style, but the decoration presented to the guests was one of green bricks and tiles, exuding an antique charm.

The restaurant's gimmick was "pre-ancient civilization."

At the top of the restaurant, banners fluttered in the wind.

"I wonder what A Fu would think if he saw this scene..."

Gu Xiaoman sat by the window, looking at the lively crowd below, and couldn't help but laugh, "Pre-ancient civilization was much more advanced than we are now."

Gu Shen also smiled, "I heard that the establishment of Nagano City dates back six hundred years. Perhaps many years ago, there really existed a 'pre-ancient civilization' here, completely different from A Fu's."

"That's true."

Gu Xiaoman sighed, "The world is so big, there are all kinds of wonders."

The more she understood the whole picture of this world, the more she knew how small she was.

The "starship" manufactured in A Fu's era was indeed shocking.

But beyond the Ice Sea, who knew if there were even larger and more powerful civilizations?

"By the way."

After chatting casually for a few words, Gu Xiaoman pretended to say casually, "Now that I've finished visiting Xue Jin City, I'm going to go back."

"Go back?"

Before Gu Shen could speak, Chu Ling asked, "Aren't you planning to go to the capital to take a look?"

After the Divine Infant was brought out from the Sangzhou Cave, it had been fostered in the capital's Flower Flag.

Every time she recovered and went south to the Ice Sea, Chu Ling would pass by the capital, and she would take a look...

She was also planning to take Gu Xiaoman to see that baby from back then.

"No..."

Xiaoman shook her head and smiled, "I know what's been happening outside these past few days."

The negotiations on Yuanding Island had ended.

In the past few days, shadows had occasionally swept over Nagano. Ordinary people might not be able to see clearly, but Gu Xiaoman's mental strength was strong enough, and she knew that the joint fleet of Central City and Nagano was returning...

The deep-water network had exploded.

Because the Guang Ming Bi Lei and the Source Tower's cloud ship fleets had not been heard from for a long time, and some people had discovered that the Storm Church was preparing to block the coastline.

The two envoys of the Source Tower had mysteriously disappeared.

Honglong and Zhuque had already lodged solemn protests, and the Zhongzhou Council had officially put pressure on the Holy City. The coastline of Yuanding Island could not be blocked... In a few days, the transcendents of the Source Tower would go south, and if the Holy City was prepared to resist, they might even send out a Saint.

Then the Upper City would also send out a Title.

In the face of absolute strength, even if Southern Continent joined the alliance of Nagano and Central City, it could only bow its head and compromise.

Gu Xiaoman knew very well that the key to this "conflict and dispute" was not the so-called "envoys"...

Honglong and Zhuque were just using the "disappearance of the envoys" to exert pressure.

The person the Source Tower really wanted to see was herself.

As long as she didn't show up.

Then things would escalate, and the blockade of the Yuanding Island coast would attract the two major alliances to keep adding fuel to the fire. If it really reached an irreversible extreme, it would be too late for her to reappear.

"Honglong should already know the news that you're still alive, right?"

Gu Xiaoman looked at Gu Shen with a smile.

"..."

Gu Shen's silence was the answer.

He looked at this clever little girl and couldn't help but sigh softly, "You guessed it?"

"Does this need guessing?"

Gu Xiaoman scoffed and looked at the scenery of the Ning River outside the window, "I'm also the future 'Lord of Wine', after all. The Source Tower is desperately trying to find out any news about me on Yuanding Island, while the Storm Church is desperately resisting. Seeing that the two groups are about to fight, even if you pretend to be calm on the surface, it's impossible not to panic at all... These past few days, you've been taking me sightseeing so leisurely, obviously you've already thought of a backup plan."

Gu Shen said with a smile, "Continue."

"Honglong, it can only be Honglong. The only one who can bring me back to the Source Tower safely and explain the 'cloud ship fleet' destruction accident, and completely reassure Qinglong... is him alone."

Gu Xiaoman stared intently into Gu Shen's eyes and asked, word by word, "Just like you asked him to take me away back then... there is no other explanation for this matter. You two must be in cahoots. If I'm not mistaken, he should have contacted you countless times these past few days, right? You're really able to hold your breath, hiding the news from the outside world and letting me eat, drink, and stroll around Nagano for seven days?"

Gu Shen picked up his chopsticks, pointed to the dishes on the table, and said with a smile, avoiding the question, "Eat what you should eat, drink what you should drink, don't take things to heart."

"Hey, are you kidding me?"

Gu Xiaoman put her hands on her hips and said angrily, "It's about to start a war outside! I'm anxious, why aren't you anxious at all?!"

Gu Shen picked up a piece of tofu, chewed it slowly, and said indifferently, "So, is it a war outside?"

Gu Xiaoman was stunned for a moment, "...No."

"Even if there is a real fight, it will be the Storm Church getting beaten." Gu Shen said calmly, "They deserve to be beaten anyway."

The destruction of the cloud ship fleet should have been the responsibility of the Holy City.

Because of his own reasons, the fleets of Central City and Nagano were spared.

But this matter couldn't be explained clearly. Rather than saying that the Queen and Bai Shu pulled the Storm Church into the group, it was better to say that Central City and Nagano took the blame for the Ice Sea mission in exchange for the Church as a "burden."

In the final plan, the only thing in Southern Continent that was useful was the Storm God Seat himself.

Gu Xiaoman had guessed correctly, but she had guessed one thing wrong.

That was that Honglong hadn't urged Gu Shen too much these past few days.

After Gu Shen took Xiaoman back to Eastern Continent, he contacted "064" Honglong through Chu Ling and told him the secret message about Xiaoman's safety. The most anxious after the cloud ship fleet was destroyed was Honglong, but after knowing the news, Honglong, the absolute actor, began to perform. The subsequent negotiations and pressure were all his pretense.

He would personally lead the team to break through the blockade of Yuanding Island.

At that time, Gu Shen would send the person to the Ice Sea again.

The handover mission would be completed.

Although the subsequent events on Yuanding Island had escalated in the past few days, Honglong had only sent Gu Shen some simple greetings.

He didn't mention the progress of the Yuanding Island incident at all, nor did he urge Gu Shen to hand over the person.

He just asked with concern where Xiaoman had been these past few days and whether she had had a good time...

That guy.

Was a real two-faced person who was cold on the outside and warm on the inside.

Honglong had always known that Gu Xiaoman's wish was to go to Nagano once... So this time, he wanted to make up for the part of Xiaoman's wish that he owed.

The meal was tasteless.

Gu Shen crossed his arms and looked at Xiaoman. The two of them stared at each other silently.

Gu Shen suddenly asked, "Do you still remember what I said to you on the Initial?"

Gu Xiaoman's mood was complicated.

"I remember everything you said."

She sighed softly and asked, "Which sentence are you referring to?"

"Do not step forward unless you have the ambition to support the heavens."

Gu Shen said seriously, "If you feel tired and don't want to bear the weight of the 'Lord of Wine', and want to stay in Nagano... now may be the last chance. I will ask Mr. Bai Shu to take action. You don't have to worry about the aftermath of the Yuanding Island incident. From now on, you only need to stay here. The chaos and struggle of the outside world have nothing to do with you."

Gu Xiaoman was stunned.

"But..."

She subconsciously wanted to say something, but the words came to her lips and then stopped.

She already knew Mr. Bai Shu and the Queen's plan, and knew that Eastern Continent and Northern Continent had decided to jointly crusade against the Source Tower--

These people had made so much preparation and so many plans.

What would they do if she retreated?

"Don't overestimate your role."

Gu Shen saw through the little girl's thoughts at a glance, "Before you become the 'Lord of Wine', you're just an ordinary person."

"If the sky falls, there will be tall people to carry it. Nagano has Mr. Bai Shu, and of course... it also has me."

He smiled and said, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not a noble person. In the beginning, I didn't think that I would become one of the tall ones. That's the key to what I said to you. If you decide to go back to the Source Tower, the next time we meet, you may become one of the tall ones. At that time, you won't be able to retreat even if you want to."

"..."

The flagpole outside the window fluttered in the wind.

Gu Xiaoman looked at the blue sky of Nagano, feeling a little dazed for a moment.

She liked this quiet ancient city.

But she didn't want to stay here for long. The blood flowing in some people's bodies was hot, and a moment of rest was enough.

She had only stayed for seven days, and had already begun to miss the days of sharpening her sword and preparing for battle.

Chu Ling looked at Gu Xiaoman's painful expression at the moment, which was half-confused and half-struggling, and finally couldn't bear it.

She tugged at Gu Shen and whispered, "Is it a little cruel to let her make such a decision?"

"Hey, you weren't like this to me back then."

Recalling the scene of her first meeting with Chu Ling in the 001 carriage, Gu Shen said unhappily through voice transmission, "Really... spoiling a child with too much kindness."

Chu Ling: "???"

After a moment of silence, Gu Xiaoman took a deep breath. She rubbed her cheeks hard to wake herself up, and then looked at Gu Shen squarely.

Gu Xiaoman said, word by word, "I want to go back."

"Really?" Gu Shen raised his eyebrows and asked, "There's no turning back from this."

"Turn back for what? You think too little of me!"

Gu Xiaoman snorted coldly and said, "What sky falling or not, tall or not, you're talking too complicated and too noble... I don't have any grand ambitions, I just simply don't like the Source Tower and want to take down the 'Wine Fire Seed', and then give Qinglong a hard stab!"

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(ps: Thank you to the alliance leader Zeng a Zeng! There will be four updates today! Asking for monthly tickets, asking for monthly tickets!)