Mountain City.
Unlike the previous prosperity and leisurely atmosphere.
Due to the impending war.
The atmosphere within Mountain City was filled with a chilling and murderous intent.
The streets had checkpoints every five steps and posts every ten steps.
Patrols of the City Guard Army moved back and forth.
Even the busiest markets had significantly less foot traffic.
Most people stayed at home.
Martial Artists were actively preparing for battle, not daring to neglect for a moment.
In the battle against alien races.
The formal Martial Artist army generally formed the first combat echelon.
Civilian armies assisted from the sidelines.
Then, the City Guard Army and the Anomaly Bureau, who maintained the city in peacetime.
They formed the second echelon of combat forces.
Only when the Martial Artist army was defeated, or when a breach appeared in the city, would they step in.
They served as a reserve force for emergencies.
Of course.
By the time the Anomaly Bureau and the City Guard Army had to act, the situation was already very urgent.
The third echelon was made up of ordinary people, mechanized soldiers, and Mechanical Transformations.
Their combat strength was relatively weaker.
However, most of them were retired, disabled veterans.
Fitted with mechanical limbs by the Mechanical God Church, they still had the strength to fight against alien races and Exotic Beasts.
In addition to these three echelons.
There were various special forces.
Like the Extraordinary squads, the troops from the Church, the Blood Knight Order, and others.
These belonged to special forces.
They generally would not engage in direct combat.
Even if they participated in the war, they only handled some support tasks.
This state of martial law in Mountain City had lasted for half a month.
Shortly after Baiyu left.
The Shell People Race and the Demon Race began to assemble large armies and marched towards Mountain City.
Although transportation in the Spirit Realm was not well developed.
However.
Such a large-scale military movement would certainly not escape Mountain City's notice.
In Mountain City.
The highest leaders of each department had already gathered in the government building, holding meetings for several consecutive days.
But they still hadn't come up with a good plan.
After several days of stalemate, the situation finally experienced a turning point.
It wasn't that they had found a solution.
Instead, something major happened in Mountain City.
Although notifications had already come from Villiduo and the Imperial Capital, the entrance of the Legendary Ship, Erza, into Mountain City still caused quite a stir.
Only by arranging for people to disperse the crowd did they prevent further spread of the impact.
The Legendary Ship.
Mountain City had one in the past.
But during a past battle, Mountain City's ship was lost amidst the chaos, and no news has been heard since.
After many years.
The reappearance of a Legendary Ship in Mountain City naturally caused quite a commotion.
A few days later.
Baiyu returned to Mountain City.
Upon his return, before he could even reach the Violet Count's Mansion, he was summoned by several leaders of Mountain City.
As the Director of the Security Bureau.
He stood at the pinnacle of Mountain City's power structure.
The Security Bureau, Anomaly Bureau, and Armed Department.
These were the three major departments of Mountain City and the highest authority institutions of the government.
Most of Mountain City's affairs.
Were managed by these three departments.
However, the Security Bureau had been marginalized once and was far from the center of power.
Now the Security Bureau was beginning to regain its rightful power.
The government of Mountain City.
This was a discreet and solid building with a slightly retro architectural style, with red-tiled roofs and yellow beams, surrounded by rows of flower trees in various colors, blooming with fragrance year-round, breathtakingly beautiful.
The interior of this government building.
Baiyu watched the group of people before him argue heatedly.
"In my opinion, we should launch a direct attack! With Mountain City's forces, we can surely crush the Shell People Race's army head-on."
"I believe the Director is right, the Shell People Race and the Third Legion, Second Legion have been locked in battle for three months. They are already at the end of their strength. If they still want to open a two-front war, it's like a cornered beast's desperate struggle. We absolutely cannot back down."
Someone immediately agreed.
This person belonged to the Anomaly Bureau faction of Mountain City.
The general leader of Mountain City's Anomaly Bureau was a robust man, full of Blood Qi, and highly competitive.
He naturally advocated strongly for direct warfare.
On the other side.
The Minister of the Armed Department was an old general.
He had deeply furrowed brows, and his graying temples appeared even more weary.
"Chief He, this matter needs careful consideration."
After a long pause.
The Armed Minister slowly spoke.
He Jin was the Director of Mountain City's Anomaly Bureau, a Tier Two Martial Artist like Zhang Ruoxu.
A pillar of the Imperial forces.
Triumphant in battles, with a distinguished military service.
He held a high reputation within the empire and was once regarded as a top-tier genius.
After being transferred to Mountain City as the chief director.
He maintained a prominent status for years, feeling both worried and excited about the Shell People Race's attack.
This was a great opportunity for him to establish his achievements.
In his position, the only way to advance further was through military merits and battle honors.
So he naturally was keen on the war path.
Besides.
Mountain City's power was strong enough to not fear this war.
He couldn't understand why the Armed Minister, Qiu Yun, was so cautious.
Could it truly be that age had caught up with him?
Had he lost all his youthful Blood Qi and spirit?
"Chief He, do you really believe there's nothing peculiar about this attack?"
Qiu Yun's voice was slow, like that of an elder nearing life's end.
He Jin shook his head and said: "Minister Qiu, the Shell People Race has no way out now. Against the rightful power of a frontal assault, what schemes of theirs could possibly succeed?"
Qiu Yun sighed inwardly.
Although He Jin was already a Tier Two Grandmaster, his current age was still within the prime of life.
It was no surprise to Qiu Yun that He Jin would choose this path.
However.
This involved the war over a city, how could it be taken lightly?
Qiu Yun understood that he probably couldn't dissuade He Jin.
Indeed.
Before he could say anything, He Jin declared: "In that case, I will lead the command this time. Minister Qiu, you can assist from the sidelines, and if anything goes wrong, I'll take full responsibility alone."
Qiu Yun furrowed his brow.
To reach the position of Director in Mountain City, one was naturally not an ordinary person.
Behind He Jin stood the He Family.
The top Martial Arts Family of the northern heavens.
With opposition like this, Qiu Yun couldn't dissuade him.
Moreover, in this situation, the Anomaly Bureau had wartime authority.
While the two sides argued over the military map.
The Armed Department and Anomaly Bureau personnel were also constantly consulting, with discussions naturally revolving around how to respond to the battle.
Baiyu sat on one side, mostly silent.
He had the lowest power level here.
If it weren't for the presence of the Legendary Ship, he probably wouldn't have been invited to this meeting today.
Once their discussion neared completion.
He Jin finally noticed Baiyu's presence.
"Chief Bai, you are also part of Mountain City's decision-making body, what do you think should be done in this situation?"
He Jin's eyes lit up as he asked.
Originally, any major decisions among the decision-making body of three could be resolved by voting.
The Security Bureau had been too low-profile for so long that many people had forgotten this point.
He Jin's question.
Directed everyone's attention towards Baiyu.
