The next day’s sunlight spilled through the bedroom’s glass window onto Qin Yu’s face.
Yesterday’s experience was still fresh in her mind, and her bottom was still faintly aching.
Luo Shangyu had already prepared a new set of clothes for her, almost identical to the previous set.
“Are we going to keep hunting Monster Dragons now?” Qin Yu sat up, looking at Luo Shangyu with anticipation.
Yesterday’s ordeal had been too frustrating. She needed to kill a few monsters to vent her frustrations.
“It might not be possible,” Luo Shangyu said, holding up a letter. “An urgent report from the palace. There is a very important military exercise scheduled for tomorrow, and we are required to participate.”
“Can’t we decline?”
“No.” Luo Shangyu shook her head.
“Sigh…” Qin Yu let out a long breath. ‘It looks like my vacation ends here.’
“What a buzzkill…” Qin Yu muttered as she put on her clothes. “First I get captured, and now I’m being recalled for an emergency…”
After the two of them finished breakfast, they packed up the tent.
“Let’s go.” Luo Shangyu led Qin Yu back the way they came.
Although they were returning by the same path, Qin Yu’s state of mind was completely different.
The excitement and thrill she had felt when they arrived were now nowhere to be found. Qin Yu walked with her head down, looking dejected.
A low dragon’s roar cut through the sky. Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu looked up and saw several Monster Dragons fighting to the death in the air.
In the midst of the fierce battle, a screech echoed from the sky.
Qin Yu looked up and saw a Monster Dragon that appeared to have suffered a fatal wound. It struggled to fly low over the forest, barely skimming the tops of the towering trees.
“Come on, let’s go pick up the scraps!” Luo Shangyu grabbed Qin Yu’s hand with delight and rushed toward the direction of the wounded Monster Dragon.
The Monster Dragon was heavily injured, and spots of blood rained down from the sky. Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu followed the blood trail for a long distance before arriving at a clearing in the forest.
In the middle of the clearing lay the dying Monster Dragon.
Qin Yu looked up at the sky visible through the layers of leaves and then at the broken trees on the ground. She immediately understood that the clearing had been formed by the dragon when it crashed.
Luo Shangyu raised her staff. With just one move, the Monster Dragon was finished.
She approached the Monster Dragon and used a dagger to cut open its body.
Qin Yu watched as Luo Shangyu spent a great deal of effort searching for a Dragon Crystal inside the creature’s body. She quickly lost interest in scavenging the loot.
Before long, Luo Shangyu pulled out a transparent crystal about the size of a fist from the Monster Dragon. It was faintly filled with the aura of spatial magic.
Luo Shangyu held the Dragon Crystal up to the sunlight. The crystal was crystal-clear and refracted the light, turning the surroundings into a brilliant, colorful display.
“Qin Yu, I’ll give this Dragon Crystal to you!” Luo Shangyu handed it over.
Qin Yu carefully took the Dragon Crystal and held it in her hands. It was slightly small and felt a bit cold, but its gorgeous colors made her like it very much.
“Thank you for the gift!” The gloom from earlier in the morning vanished instantly. ‘At least I’m not returning empty-handed.’ Qin Yu became much more excited.
The two of them quickened their pace, and within a few hours, they had left Salem Forest.
After half a day of flying at full speed, they soon returned to Yong’an City.
Standing in the main hall of the East Palace and watching the maids busy themselves, a sense of control welled up in Qin Yu’s heart. The psychological shadow cast by being captured and disciplined by Valya finally began to dissipate.
Since this military exercise was very important, an official had specifically come to the East Palace to brief Qin Yu on the details.
“Your Highness,” the official said, holding his tablet. “This military exercise will begin tomorrow and last for approximately half a month.”
“The method of the exercise involves entering a virtual world through a Simulation Pod. The principles of magic and physical sensations will be no different from reality.”
“Wait,” Qin Yu interrupted him. “Simulation Pods?”
Qin Yu had never imagined that the Phantom World would have such sci-fi technology. But on second thought, magic was much more useful than science, so the existence of a Simulation Pod was not that surprising.
“Yes, this is the latest product from the National Magic Research Institute. Currently, it is only being used on a small scale,” the official explained. “Specialized staff will assist your entry tomorrow, so there is no need to worry.”
Qin Yu nodded, signaling the official to continue.
“According to tradition, you will lead an army of 100,000, while a local general will also lead an army of 100,000 in a confrontation.”
“The location is random, and the identity of the opposing general is temporarily confidential. It will only be revealed to you tomorrow.”
“Mm…” Qin Yu stroked her smooth cheek, feeling she understood the specific details of the exercise.
Seeing that his task was complete, the official took his leave and exited the East Palace.
“Since the battle is in a virtual world, there is no need to worry about death. Therefore, the combat will certainly be extremely brutal,” Luo Shangyu noted.
“So what?” Qin Yu looked full of confidence. “Precisely because I don’t have to worry about death, I can let loose and act boldly, right?”
“Act boldly? Are you referring to the time you tried to launch a sneak attack from 1,000 miles away, only to get captured and forced to change gender?” Luo Shangyu stared at Qin Yu with a hint of a smile in her eyes.
Qin Yu’s face flushed red as her embarrassing history was brought up by Luo Shangyu once again.
“But this time I have you by my side. You’ll protect me, won’t you?”
“Not necessarily.” Luo Shangyu shook her head. “On the battlefield, high-tier Mages should keep a close eye on the enemy’s high-tier Mages to prevent the opponent from causing large-scale casualties to our troops.”
“So, I cannot easily make a move. Once I do, I’ll expose my position, and the opponent might find a weakness to defeat me. If that happens, our army will be in danger.”
“Fine.” Qin Yu shrugged, though she still seemed indifferent. “My own magical power is profound; I don’t need your help anyway.”
“Really?” Luo Shangyu chuckled. “I’ve noticed you only use Domain Magic lately; I haven’t really seen you use Elemental Magic! Is it because your skills aren’t up to par and you’re afraid to use it?”
“Uh…” Qin Yu was momentary speechless. Luo Shangyu was actually right. Her Elemental Magic was only at Tier 3, and her ability to use Domain Magic was entirely due to the accumulation from her past life.
Seeing Qin Yu at a loss for words, Luo Shangyu knew she had hit the mark. “Don’t worry, there are very few occasions where you’ll actually need to attack. Instead of thinking about that, you should consider who your opponent is and how to deal with them.”
“Opponent?” Qin Yu thought for a moment. ‘Qin Ling’s governance is fatuous, and many military officers have been marginalized. There shouldn’t be any generals with particularly outstanding abilities…’
Thinking that the opponent’s strength might be poor, Qin Yu was filled with confidence for the upcoming military drill.
Although Han Youcheng’s expedition could bring victory to Qin Yu, it was not a war she had personally managed.
Qin Yu hoped to use this opportunity to take her first step toward reviving the Chengji Empire and ruling the world.