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"Husband, is this Celestial Dragon Lake? Is it possible to take a boat from here all the way to Jiangnan?"

"The water here doesn’t lead directly to Jiangnan, but to the Eastern Sea. If we circle around from the Eastern Sea, we can indeed reach Jiangnan..." Chen Qing smiled as he looked at his counterpart.

"Why does my husband keep staring at me like this?" Siao Mingxue asked, her face blushing slightly as Chen Qing continued to gaze at her.

That slight blush made Chen Qing’s heart skip a beat.

This girl had been calling him husband non-stop since they left the city, especially in front of Chen Ying, and she seemed to do it quite naturally. He had thought the once shy girl had transformed completely, but it seemed her cheeks were still quite thin...

Thinking this, Chen Qing glanced again at Chen Ying, who sat beside him with her eyes closed, resting her spirit. This fellow... used to have thin skin as well, but today, for some reason, she took the initiative to squeeze into this carriage, making the atmosphere incredibly awkward...

"Oh, I was just curious, have your eyes been that color ever since your bloodline awakened? It seems different from your aunt’s."

"About that..." Siao Mingxue touched her eyelashes, "The Empress Dowager said it’s because I’ve just awakened and I’m still unable to control my bloodline. Do you think it looks terrible, husband?"

"How could that be? They’re very pretty, it’s just that one could hurt their eyes if they look too long..." Chen Qing chuckled.

Siao Mingxue couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him, while the corners of Chen Ying’s mouth twitched slightly as she kept her eyes closed to rest. She didn’t understand why she had insisted on squeezing into the carriage. It was broad daylight; what could Chen Qing possibly do?

And even if he did do something, the other woman was the legitimate wife by law, what could she possibly say?

Seeing Chen Ying, Chen Qing also realized that the young girl had actually not slept at all, making him feel even more speechless.

The girl had come to the Capital City for his sake, risking her life at the hands of Wutu Gu.

If it were not for the Yaksha fighting desperately to protect her, she might have ended up working in the realm of the dead. ..

Should he... give her an explanation?

"Regarding that Wang Shiyu we talked about earlier, don’t you have anything you want to ask?"

"When husband is ready to talk, he will naturally say..."

The two women almost spoke simultaneously, then looked at each other and turned back to Chen Qing.

A drop of cold sweat ran down Chen Qing’s forehead; he felt more pressured now than when he had first faced Siao Mingxue...

"Husband, do you think that man can be trusted? Is he reliable for collaboration?"

After a few awkward moments in the carriage, Siao Mingxue took the initiative to ask.

"Reliable or not, I can’t be sure. Those people, in my eyes, are all untrustworthy, but trustworthiness and the decision to collaborate are two different matters."

"I see..." nodded Siao Mingxue, as if she was learning something.

Chen Ying then spoke up, "What does he want to collaborate on? What can he offer? What benefits can I get from collaborating with him?"

Chen Qing looked at Chen Ying; the pragmatism growing within her was more and more evident. The institute had grown a lot over the years, but because of its practical nature, it had shaped her character to not beat around the bush. Still, it was fitting for her to continue with academic work...

"Let me first explain the situation to you..." Chen Qing somehow produced a map, "This is Great Jin. After twenty years of the Royal Family’s management in Capital City, it has been recognized by the people of the world, possessing the main stream of fate. Capital City’s status is deeply rooted in people’s hearts.

Our Jiangnan holds a good commercial position, and even if we develop very well, it’s impossible to change the world’s current view in a short time.

Even though these past three years, Jiangnan produced the best Yin Yang Academy and had the best business opportunities, attracting numerous nobles. ..

"But in everyone’s eyes, it’s still just a place full of opportunities and prosperity."

"If no great disaster occurs and we live in peace, even if all the businesses of the world were concentrated in Jiangnan, we couldn’t become the second Capital City."

Hearing this, Chen Ying discreetly glanced at Siao Mingxue. Chen Qing’s words nakedly revealed his ambition to replace the Capital City, a blatant rebellion in the making. As a member of the Imperial Family, would she have any reaction?

But looking over, Siao Mingxue’s expression was bright and attentive, listening quietly; it seemed she did not mind Chen Qing’s intention to make Jiangnan replace the Capital City at all...

Seeing Chen Ying’s gaze from the corner of her eye, the corners of Siao Mingxue’s mouth lifted slightly.

The Empress Dowager had already asked her when she left.

"What will you do if Chen Qing rebels?"

She answered herself: Chen Qing himself was born of rebellion, and the Empress Dowager helped him secretly; would she really mind that?

At that time, the Empress Dowager nodded: "It would of course be best if the Siao Family could secure the throne, but if not, we must not end up like the former Zhao Dynasty!"

The former Zhao Dynasty... was the Imperial Family, and their fate was to be utterly annihilated by the furious multitude of families!

With the support of the old Siao matriarch, she had a legitimate claim. As for that father who planned to marry her off to the Southern Barbarians—what did his betrayal matter?

If he had the slightest compassion for her and her mother, her mother would not have died so miserably!

"Do you mean to say that cooperating with the North can replace the Capital City?"

Chen Ying looked on curiously as well. The North was now a mess; even if what Wang Shiyu said was true, that he really used some means to save hundreds of millions of people from the mouths of countless giant serpents, the North’s reputation was now ruined.

The boldest of merchants wouldn’t dare come close—what was the point?

What was the significance of cooperating with Jiangnan? Was it for the sake of those people?

Now the population in Jiangnan is exploding, alright.

The Duke of Wei turned himself into ice back then, and the hundreds of millions of people from Beihai City have been brought over.

Now they are developing the West Sea Archipelago to deal with this population.

Every day, settling those people from the North has been a huge burden!

Chen Qing then said, "I just said, in times of peace, no matter how prosperous Jiangnan is, it cannot replace the Capital City. But if it’s not peaceful, then it’s a different story."

"What do you mean?"

"A great catastrophe is coming soon..." Chen Qing pointed to the map of the North: "The North will be the starting point of the disaster.

In at most half a year, a disaster that sweeps across the world will arrive.

By then, wherever can shelter the Human Race will be considered the true Royal City by everyone.

Once widespread chaos breaks out, the authority of the Royal City will rapidly decline, and the era of regional control will return. "

"An era of regional control..." Mingxue murmured as she gazed at the map.

Chen Qing also looked at the map. The initial form of various forces had started to emerge. One of the five major guilds chose the Imperial Siao Family, with Capital City as their base, planning to use King Xiang’s noble military forces as a second version to start the struggle for resources.

The four coastal cities, Jiangnan taking the West Sea Dragon Palace as its foundation; the Southern Sea was occupied by the Chen Family. Whether any guild would come to contact the Chen Family, no one was certain.

The Eastern Sea was occupied by the King of Qin, who until now had not made a single move, and several forces had suddenly quieted down.

But Chen Qing knew that it wouldn’t stay quiet for long.

The awakening of the Earth Spirit had already begun, and the strengths of the surrounding demons were growing stronger by the day.

In at most half a year, they would have completely advanced to a level the Human Race couldn’t resist. Worldwide chaos was just a matter of time, and the Siao Royal Dynasty simply couldn’t maintain control over the entire Central Plains.

At that time, whoever could become the Royal City in the hearts of the Human Race would depend on their own abilities.

"So the North is very important for this disaster?" Siao Mingxue was somewhat curious.

"Very important..." Chen Qing nodded: "The region of the North is actually larger than you imagine. It’s just that the further north you go, the colder it becomes, so many believe that the Northern Wasteland is the limit, but it’s not.

The entire land of the Arctic, and even the sea area it covers, are larger than the Four Seas as we know them! "

"Is that right?" Both Chen Ying and Siao Mingxue listened with bright eyes.

Chen Ying was driven by a strong desire for knowledge, while Siao Mingxue was simply fascinated by curiosity.

After being trapped in the Capital City for so many years, her dream was to travel all over the country.

Now, hearing that the world was even bigger than described in the books, she found it even more interesting.

"The reason no one knows about it is that the land of the Arctic is too cold to be suitable for living creatures..."

"Then what’s the point?" Chen Ying frowned.

"But if it thaws, that’s a different story."

"Thaws?" Both of them were astonished: "It... it can thaw?"

"Yes!" Chen Qing nodded: "It will happen very soon. The Arctic ice will melt, and the things sealed within will soon emerge. When that happens, the entire Human Race will have to face some ancient entities. The North will be the first to be hit. The forces behind those giant serpents in the North are not simple. Once they gain control over what’s inside the Arctic, then this world. .. will become theirs."

No one would have thought that the upcoming focal point would be the North, the second version’s resource-rich land as well—the cold and desolate Arctic would soon become the most appealing prize under the heavens!