CHAPTER 200: CHAPTER 198: IN THE CAGE_1

After speaking, Yan Xing watched Arlanda quietly, waiting for her response.

He certainly knew the principle that evil must be eradicated. He was aware that his conciliatory policy might work for the Werewolf but not necessarily for the Elf. After all, the more backward a civilization, the more it values trust; the more advanced a civilization, the more it regards honesty as worthless. Although in the Western fantasy films and television series Yan Xing had seen, Elves were of high moral standing, friendly, and loyal, the character of the Elves in this world could not be conclusively determined so soon.

Of course, Yan Xing didn’t entertain the idea of reforming this Elf assassin; he was merely providing Arlanda an excuse for not killing her. A small fry—what good would it do to kill her? Better to let this bait linger in the Eternal Domain and see if any big fish would bite.

Yan Xing’s earnest self-praise was clearly quite misleading, yet Arlanda could detect his intention to recruit her. However, it also accurately pinpointed Arlanda’s current state of mind.

Two months of living here had made her grow fond of the Eternal Domain. If her assassination of Yan Xing succeeded, it would undoubtedly bring disaster to this territory. Therefore, when she was captured, she even felt a sense of relief. She and her sister were just insignificant lives in this chaotic world; if she died, she would no longer have to make such difficult decisions.

"I advise you to kill me now," Arlanda said. "I have reasons I must kill you, but I don’t want to bring disaster to this territory. If you let me live, I will certainly find another opportunity to kill you. Only with my death will everything end."

Yan Xing laughed. "No, in my territory, you will never have the chance to kill me. Serve your sentence properly; your kindness will bring you good fortune. Olaf, take her to Auntie Canola Flower. Inform the relevant personnel that Arlanda·Jade’s treatment during her sentence is to remain unchanged."

"Yes, Master."

Arlanda hadn’t expected Yan Xing to spare her life. She hesitated for a moment, then stood up and said to him, "You’re a good person, but you’ll eventually pay the price for your kindness."

As Olaf led Arlanda away, Yan Xing awkwardly rubbed his nose. Agh... I’ve been handed the ’good person’ card. So, what now? Should I proceed or not? Such a dilemma, truly.

"Chui Chui!"

"Master, Chui Chui is here."

Yan Xing ordered Chui Chui, "Find an opportunity to have a humanoid alchemical puppet install surveillance devices in her room and place bugs on all her clothes. No matter where she is, at least one high-altitude drone must monitor her. You’re responsible for collecting all information related to her."

In the consciousness space, Chui Chui stepped back. A shadow partially obscured her figure, and a slightly chilling voice emerged, "Yes, Master. Chui Chui will bring you... the intelligence you desire."

Yan Xing, long accustomed to Chui Chui’s penchant for disguises and role-playing, then asked, "When we captured the Lizardman prisoners, I asked you to develop an electronic restraining anklet. Have you finished it?"

In an ambush in the dense forest of the Thunderous Swamp, Yan Xing’s troops captured many Lizardmen. All these Lizardmen were sent to work in the fields. Managing ordinary Lizardmen was somewhat easier, but guarding Lizardman Beast Tamers became a troublesome matter. Yan Xing didn’t have enough heroes to guard other heroes, so he had Chui Chui develop a device to restrain them.

The shadow vanished as Chui Chui reported loudly, "Report, Master! The first-generation electronic restraining anklet has been fully developed and is already in use on prisoners working at the farms in Nuta City. The first-generation electronic restraining anklet is equipped with a Magic Energy-sensing Enchantment. It triggers an emergency program if it detects magic energy fluctuations from the wearer. An injector built into the anklet simultaneously administers a Ban-Magic Potion and an anesthetic, while also releasing a high-voltage current to forcibly stop the wearer’s movements. It’s also possible to program the wearer’s range of movement, restricting their activity area."

Yan Xing dared to keep an assassin in the Eternal Domain largely because he had Chui Chui. With round-the-clock, no-blind-spot surveillance and the restraint of the electronic anklet, if Arlanda still managed to assassinate him, he might as well give up on this whole ’other world’ gig. The only remaining question was what kind of big fish Arlanda, as bait, could attract.

The electronic restraining anklet was delivered to Arlanda’s quarters by Laura, a humanoid Alchemical Puppet. Chui Chui, controlling Laura, spoke through the puppet’s voice box to inform Arlanda about the anklet’s features, saying, "This restraining anklet is waterproof, heat-resistant, and cut-proof. You don’t need to pay much attention to it daily. As long as you don’t try to escape or attack my Master, it won’t harm you."

In this small cabin, the scent of thyme was pleasant, and everything appeared as it had been when Arlanda left. But for Arlanda, everything had changed.

Arlanda touched the restraining anklet fixed to her left ankle. It was a very sophisticated alchemical device and distinctly bore the characteristics of the Eternal Domain’s alchemical items. The alchemical puppet before her was also quite special. It moved as nimbly as a real person, performing actions only High-grade Alchemical Puppets could execute. However, Arlanda could sense that this puppet lacked an independent Magic Energy Core. Its power came from the Magic Energy Generator in the center of the Eternal Domain. Only Low-level Alchemical Golems used Magic Energy Generators.

"Who are you?" Arlanda asked the alchemical puppet. "I know you’re controlling this Low-level Alchemical Golem, and I can sense your presence when I’m near Yan Xing."

"Guess..." Chui Chui didn’t say much more to Arlanda, directly disconnecting her control over the puppet Laura. Laura instantly lost her animation and, following her programmed tasks, turned and left.

The door closed, leaving Arlanda alone in the room. Arlanda walked to the window and opened it. The outside wind blew in, causing her light green strands of hair to flutter. She closed her eyes, breathing in the air rushing in from outside. The scent, mixed with concrete, made her feel an indescribable kinship.

「Later」

After dealing with the assassin who had infiltrated the territory, Yan Xing didn’t waste too much energy on such a minor character. Since returning from the Thunderous Swamp, he hadn’t had a moment’s leisure. A myriad of tasks demanding his attention had piled up, making him sometimes feel like throwing in the towel.

But now, his "team" wasn’t just three people sharing a hot pot; it was a sphere of influence with nearly two thousand direct subjects and tens of thousands in its ancillary population, possessing vast territories.

Moreover, after negotiating and demarcating the borders with the Lizardmen, Yan Xing had formally assimilated all the Werewolf Tribes within the southern part of the Thunderous Swamp. His area of direct control expanded eighty kilometers northward from the edge of the Thunderous Swamp, increasing the Werewolf population under him by at least thirty thousand.

These Werewolf Tribes, now absorbed by the Eternal Domain’s sphere of influence, were still unaware they had effectively been transferred, so Yan Xing needed to inform them. This naturally required convening the Second Expanded Meeting of the First General Assembly of the Southern Thunderous Swamp Werewolf Tribes.