Chapter 138 - 138: In the Dark? Strategizing!
Sensing that the atmosphere was a little subtle, Zhou Xiruo, who had just returned to her senses, hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Teacher Chen, don't be angry. Wang Xiao doesn't mean that. He wants to say that we've already grown up. There are some things that we need to experience ourselves."
Wang Xiao also realized that he had been a little rude. He softened his tone and continued, "Teacher Chen, I know you care about us, but if we want to grow, we can't always be under your protection…"
Hearing this, Chen Xue's heart suddenly skipped a beat. She suddenly recalled that she had said something similar to her father.
"This is to shoot oneself in the foot!"
Chen Xue smiled helplessly and sighed softly as she looked at Wang Xiao and Zhou Xiruo. "Alright, in any case, you're not my students anymore. I can't control you anymore… Do whatever you want!"
Seeing that Chen Xue finally agreed, Wang Xiao could not help but reveal a happy expression. "Thank you, Teacher Chen! I knew you would be reasonable!"
Chen Xue waved her hand. "There's no need to suck up to me. This place is not like those secret realms in school. There might be fatal dangers hidden everywhere. Let's find a safe place first."
With that said, Chen Xue walked forward along the ice crack. Wang Xiao and Zhou Xiruo hurriedly followed.
Not long after, the three of them found a hidden depression.
This was a corner formed by two ice ridges. Not only was its structure relatively stable, but the two ice ridges could also block most of the cold wind.
After confirming the location, Wang Xiao summoned the [Violent Lava Bear] and prepared to melt an ice cave in the depression. This way, it could allow the three of them to rest for a short period of time. Secondly, it could also be used as the location to place the [Secret Realm Locator].
However, Wang Xiao's plan was quite good, but he realized that it was not that simple.
The ice attribute in this [Large Secret Realm] was too rich. As soon as the level two gold [Lava Raging Bear] appeared, it immediately became dispirited.
In the past, it would only take a few claws to deal with the ice cave. This time, it took a total of three skills to barely deal with it. In the end, before Wang Xiao could return it to his territory, it dissipated into white light because its stamina was exhausted.
It was only at this moment that Wang Xiao understood that the words "the only fire-type mutated beast living in the extremely cold ice plain" in the introduction of the [Volcano Melting Lizard] were really true!
Fortunately, the ice cave was still completed. Although the area was not very large, it was enough to accommodate the three of them to escape the wind.
After that, Zhou Xiruo built a [Flame Magic Tower] at the entrance of the cave. Firstly, it could be used to defend and guard the surroundings. Secondly, it could also provide them with warmth.
After setting up everything, the three of them entered the ice cave to rest.
Wang Xiao took out the [Secret Realm Locator] and inserted it into the ground. When the signal light turned green, he looked at Chen Xue and asked in confusion, "Teacher Chen, can I ask you a question?"
Chen Xue looked at the red light flashing on the locator and did not even raise her head. "You want to ask why I'm doing such a thing, right?"
Wang Xiao nodded. "You're Commander Chen's daughter. Logically speaking, you don't lack money. Moreover…"
Wang Xiao deliberately did not finish speaking, but Chen Xue still understood what he meant and continued, "Moreover, private exploration of the secret realm is explicitly forbidden by the military. As the daughter of the commander-in-chief of the Kaiyang Military District, why should I 'help the evildoer' here?"
Wang Xiao smiled noncommittally.
Chen Xue sighed and looked at Wang Xiao. "Because this is one of my missions."
"Mission?"
Wang Xiao's heart skipped a beat. "Just like looking for a young lord with potential in the Kaiyang Academy?"
"As expected, you already know."
Chen Xue chuckled and paused for a moment before continuing, "Actually, the military has long known that the Lord's Shop is privately mining the secret realm—Take note that the military I'm talking about is not only my father, but the upper echelons of the entire Blue Planet's military."
Wang Xiao's eyes flickered. He was not too surprised. After all, when he saw the [Secret Realm Locator], he had already guessed that the military might already know. However, he did not expect the military to tacitly agree to such actions.
However, Wang Xiao had long expected this, but Zhou Xiruo was unaware. When she heard this, she could not help but ask, "Then why didn't you stop them? Didn't the military explicitly prohibit such behavior?"
"All I can say is that this 'prohibition' does not always apply."
Chen Xue smiled ambiguously. "Sealing the secret realm is for the safety of most lords. However, there will always be a few extraordinary lords in every generation."
"If they explore these secret realms, not only can they hone their personal abilities, but they can also collect resources to contribute to the Blue Planet. It's a win-win situation. Why not?"
Wang Xiao had long expected this and nodded. Although Chen Xue's words were a little different from Lin Xiang's, be it the Lord's Shop or the military, their overall thoughts were similar.
Sealing the secret realm was only to prevent ordinary lords from going in to die. However, the resources inside could not be easily given up.
"But I have a question…"
Zhou Xiruo raised her hand weakly. "If a secret realm is so dangerous that it needs to be 'sealed', wouldn't it be a huge loss for the Blue Planet if those powerful lords die here?"
"That's a very good question."
Chen Xue looked at Zhou Xiruo in admiration and felt as if she had returned to class. "Therefore, the military will send someone like me to secretly contact the Lord's Shop and work hard to be picked as a 'vanguard' for them to explore the secret realm."
"If I think that this secret realm is too dangerous and even the Lord's Shop doesn't have the ability to explore it, I'll think of a way to make the exploration mission fail. This way, they won't be able to obtain the coordinates of the secret realm and this secret realm will naturally be completely sealed."
"I see!"
When Wang Xiao heard this, he finally came to a realization. The things he could not figure out previously were also suddenly enlightened.
"What do you mean by 'I see'?"
Zhou Xiruo was still confused. "One moment, it's 'sealed', and the next moment, it's 'completely sealed'. Why am I getting more and more confused?"
"Uh…"
Wang Xiao hesitated for a moment and organized his words to explain, "To put it simply, the military has two criteria for the danger of the secret realm."
"The first requirement is relatively low. It's for ordinary lords. The second requirement is higher. It's for powerful lords."
"If the danger level exceeds the first standard, the secret realm will only be 'sealed' to ordinary lords. However, those experts can still enter and explore. Only when the danger level exceeds the second standard will this secret realm be completely abandoned."
Zhou Xiruo nodded as if she understood. Then, she looked at Chen Xue and asked in confusion, "Teacher Chen, what standard do you think this [Large Mystic Realm] is?"
"I—"
Just as Chen Xue was about to speak, a loud bang suddenly sounded from above.
The three of them subconsciously looked up and discovered that several cracks had already appeared on the top of the ice cave and were constantly expanding!