CHAPTER 231: CHAPTER 231: WHATEVER YOU SAY HAPPENS

EDITOR: DRAGON BOAT TRANSLATION

Ren Xingmei had left the previous day. Early the next morning, personnel from the Tactical Bureau approached Ren Suo, requesting his assistance with an investigation. He wasn’t the only one—Gu Yueyan was also asked to go to Fragrance City.

Dong Chengling, upon receiving the message, voluntarily came over. "My Space Spells can pull you out in time if you fall into danger," she offered. "Plus, with you all gone, I won’t have to cook either."

Faced with Dong Chengling’s goodwill, the Tactical Bureau readily agreed. They genuinely needed her help and had been wondering how to ask.

Now, the Yangtze River Cultivators and the captain of the Tactical Bureau team were leading Ren Suo and Gu Yueyan, guiding them step by step as they ’approached’ the Secret Realm, observing if they exhibited any abnormal conditions.

"The space here is no longer a normal area; we’re temporarily calling it a ’Secret Realm.’" Ren Suo and Gu Yueyan, as informed parties who had been practically coerced into assisting the investigation, were privy to some information, so Qiao Muyi explained further.

"The intelligence we’ve gathered indicates three things: non-biological entities cannot enter, ordinary people cannot enter, and all attacks are ineffective. Only Cultivators who feel the call of the Secret Realm can enter unobstructed. There’s definitely a space inside, but its size is unknown. As for drones and other remote-controlled devices, they seem to hit an invisible barrier and are completely unable to penetrate the Secret Realm’s interior."

"To be safe, a Cultivator with a ’Cloning’ spell sent their clone into the Secret Realm..."

Ren Suo was somewhat surprised. "A Cloning spell? Does it create a body identical to one’s own?"

"No comment."

Qiao Muyi continued, "I can only tell you that after the clone entered the Secret Realm, it lost contact. Theoretically, the connection between a clone and its True Form is far superior to any existing wireless communication method."

"Moreover, even if a clone loses contact, it’s programmed by the Cultivator’s command to automatically return and leave the Secret Realm. However, this one didn’t reappear, even after the Cultivator could no longer maintain the spell."

"We need to know what’s inside so the Tactical Bureau system and the military can formulate a plan. But the interior is isolated from the outside and likely not freely accessible. Sending Cultivators in rashly would be tantamount to sending them to their deaths."

Qiao Muyi looked at the two of them. "The appearance of the Secret Realm is related to the supernatural event you both encountered on July 5th, isn’t it?"

Although phrased as a question, Qiao Muyi’s tone was declarative. Besides, if the Tactical Bureau system didn’t think it was related, they wouldn’t have hurriedly brought them here.

Ren Suo glanced at Gu Yueyan. She was blankly staring at the Cotton Candy, her face flushed, seemingly lost in thought. So, he had to answer, "It likely is. The Secret Realm gives me the exact same feeling as the Holy Grail I saw at the bottom of the lake that night—like it’s dangling a 99% OFF sign, full of allure."

Ren Suo’s analogy was simple and easy to understand. Li Dan said, "The Tactical Bureau believes you two might have a special connection to the Secret Realm, which is why they asked you to come. They aren’t asking you to risk anything, just to see if you can cause the Secret Realm to exhibit any changes."

Suddenly, the captain of the Yangtze River Cultivators spoke. "The Secret Realm is expanding."

"Last night, the Secret Realm hadn’t reached the shore. Now, you can’t even see the lake anymore."

Ren Suo found the voice very familiar. He turned to look and indeed saw Yuan Dang!

Compared to when they had trained with the civil servants, Yuan Dang’s round face had become more chiseled. He was significantly tanned, and his eyes shone with vitality. Noticing Ren Suo’s gaze, Yuan Dang gave him a slight smile.

"If you also can’t cause any change in the Secret Realm, then, despite the risk, our Yangtze Troops will have to go in and probe."

The Cultivator Captain turned his head towards Ren Suo. "Let us each fulfill our duties."

"Please don’t expect too much," Ren Suo said with a wry smile.

"You should also be able to feel the Secret Realm’s allure, right? We only encountered that supernatural event because we’re Cultivators, not because we possess any special qualities."

Li Dan said, "Ren Suo, you were the first to suggest there was a problem here, to believe a secret was hidden. If you have any thoughts, please speak up. The Tactical Bureau trusts you."

The others were visibly startled. Only Qiao Muyi, who knew Ren Suo was a Researcher, wasn’t surprised. Even Gu Yueyan looked at him in amazement.

Li Dan felt the need to clarify. "I trust his judgment." He paused, then added, "Deputy Director Yu trusts him too."

Ren Suo had indeed helped the Tactical Bureau publish many critical papers. This strong support from the Tactical Bureau now gave Ren Suo the opportunity to speak his mind freely.

"I think, for now, we should wait."

The Cultivator Captain’s face showed a disdainful look. "That’s too cautious."

"The first thing we should do is gather intelligence and see if this kind of ’Secret Realm’ is appearing only in the Mysterious Country."

Ren Suo, privy to a broader perspective, slowly shared his thoughts. "Do other countries also have ’Secret Realms’? If they do, we could try to observe them with satellites—Secret Realms are too large to be hidden for long."

"Other countries as well?"

This idea was hard for the others to believe. After all, how could such a special event occur simultaneously all over Earth? Like a volcanic eruption, how could it happen globally at the same time?

The odds of a Secret Realm appearing weren’t much higher than those of a volcano erupting.

Ren Suo naturally understood their skepticism and continued, "Do you think this is a natural phenomenon formed by Spiritual Energy? But if it is, why then were Classmate Gu and I lured and nearly killed by it over ten days ago? And why did it disappear completely after the Tactical Bureau conducted a search?"

"I believe a more powerful will must be constructing this stage. Since such a magical Secret Realm can be created, this stage surely isn’t prepared for our country alone."

"The actors on this stage are likely all of humanity."

The Cultivator Captain shook his head. "That’s just your speculation."

Ren Suo chuckled. "Just as you discovered the Secret Realm at Ailan Lake, if other countries experience similar phenomena, news should quickly reach us. Secret Realms are too vast and visible; they can’t be concealed for long."

At that moment, Li Dan signaled everyone to stop. He pulled a rather bulky, brick-like cell phone from his pocket—it was huge compared to modern smartphones. Squinting his dark-circled eyes, he looked at Ren Suo and, after pondering for a moment, said,

"Tactical Bureau general message: Cambridge in Britain, Burzville in Australia, and the Federal Salt Lake in the Federation have experienced phenomena very similar to the Secret Realm. They all appeared between July 23rd and 24th, within a 24-hour span of each other."

Li Dan wasn’t just there to escort Ren Suo and the others. As part of the combat forces from the Lian River Countermeasure Bureau sent to Fragrance City, their primary purpose was to bolster the city’s Supernatural Combat Power.

No one would underestimate such mysterious and inexplicable phenomena.

The military had already bombarded the Secret Realm’s outer layer with heavy firepower, yet the realm remained nearly unscathed. Furthermore, only Cultivators could explore it. Faced with this situation, Fragrance City’s Tactical Bureau system had to prepare alternative plans—including mobilizing all Supernatural Combat Power in Lian Province.

Since Li Dan represented the combat power of Lianjiang City within Lian Province, no one doubted his words. Everyone turned to give Ren Suo a scrutinizing look.

"...I just got lucky and guessed right, haha." Ren Suo hadn’t expected such a coincidence and laughed it off.

"No wonder you’re the man Yu Kuangtu trusts," the Cultivator Captain said politely. "I apologize for my earlier rudeness."

"It’s okay," Ren Suo replied. "Your skepticism is normal. Even Yu Kuangtu and the others wouldn’t readily believe what I’ve said."

Li Dan shook his head. "No, I would believe you."

Qiao Muyi looked at Li Dan, somewhat surprised.

The Cultivator Captain nodded slightly to Ren Suo. "Yangtze Troops, Cheng Wenchao. I will seriously consider your speculation."

"Ren Suo, Healing Cultivator from Heavenly Lotus Academy," Ren Suo introduced himself.

"So, do we just wait now? See how other countries respond to the appearance of the Secret Realm?" Cheng Wenchao asked.

Ren Suo immediately shook his head. "No! If our Secret Realm undergoes any changes, we can try to enter and investigate. We still know too little about these Secret Realms. While they’re in their normal state, we can afford to be patient, and other countries will undoubtedly be tempted to explore theirs."

"But if a Secret Realm changes, it might mean it’s about to disappear or transform in some other way. Even if I didn’t mention it, I’m sure none of you would miss such an opportunity."

Gu Yueyan, who had been listening to Ren Suo’s eloquent discourse, suddenly leaned over. "How can you be so sure the Secret Realm will definitely change? And what kind of changes? Isn’t its continued expansion a change?"

By then, their group had reached the edge of the ’Cotton Candy’ Secret Realm. The foremost Yangtze River Cultivators were only three steps away—practically courting death on its very brink.

They were now very close to the Secret Realm. Since it showed no particular reaction to Ren Suo or Gu Yueyan, the Tactical Bureau personnel and the Yangtze River Cultivators had abandoned the ’bait’ idea. However, Ren Suo’s remarks had captivated them, and Gu Yueyan’s question voiced their own unspoken doubts.

Of course, Ren Suo couldn’t reveal he’d learned from outsiders in the game levels that ’changes occur outside the Secret Realm when the boss is being fought.’ So, he improvised, "The Secret Realm’s expansion indicates it’s attempting to acquire more space—an autonomous behavior. Currently, it’s completely sealed, and not a glimpse of the inside has leaked out. You know the saying, ’Honest dealings are done in the open.’ Since this isn’t, we should proceed on the premise that the Secret Realm could lead to unpredictable catastrophic consequences."

The Secret Realm’s appearance was so enigmatic and its manifestation so widespread globally that it was hard to believe it was a good thing. The military and the Tactical Bureau system were indeed operating on this grim premise—otherwise, why would heavy artillery be positioned outside? It certainly wasn’t for a drill.

After uttering some plausible-sounding justifications to buy time, Ren Suo finally had a stroke of inspiration.

"With such supernatural, large-scale, and potentially disastrous events, don’t you think the Fairy Palace or other Supernatural Forces might intervene?"

Li Dan, Cheng Wenchao, and the others suddenly had a stern look in their eyes.

"If they do intervene, they might enter the Secret Realm without our knowledge—Supernatural Forces are notoriously elusive. When they fight or conduct other activities inside, the Secret Realm is very likely to undergo strange changes!"

Ren Suo continued, "Nothing is invincible. If the Secret Realm cannot be breached from the outside, then its interior might be its weak point!"

Gu Yueyan snorted. "That’s still just speculation, isn’t it? Too many assumptions. If you’re wrong about even one step, the change might not happen."

"Yes," Ren Suo nodded. "But I trust my research. I’ve studied the Fairy Palace and these supernatural phenomena for so long; I believe in my judgment."

After all, Ren Suo did spend an hour or two exploring the internal network every day, diligently conducting his research.

"If the Secret Realm changes, it might involve alterations in color and form." Ren Suo remembered the outsiders in the game saying the Secret Realm’s changes were very noticeable, so he tried to describe some prominent ones. "Like starting to roll or something..."

Ren Suo’s voice grew softer. He blinked, looking up at the massive ’Cotton Candy’ before them. Suddenly, it began to rotate. The iridescent light on its surface swirled faster and faster with its movement, until finally, it transformed into a deep, ominous black!

"It really... changed?" Cheng Wenchao and the other Cultivators widened their eyes.

Gu Yueyan instinctively grabbed Ren Suo’s arm. Ren Suo himself was stunned. Looking at the giant black Cotton Candy before him, he subconsciously checked his Equipment Slot—

He hadn’t equipped the ’Pure White Mini Holy Grail’! How could whatever he said come to pass?!