41: Snow White Sends a Message

When Lilia rushed into the Main Hall, Shen Xiaochuan was looking at the financial panel on the table. Her voice trembled: "My Lord! Something happened on North Street, people are fighting!"

Shen Xiaochuan immediately got up and walked out. On the way, he heard that two wandering Believers had started fighting over a cleaner's position. One of them was pushed down, his forehead was cut open, and he was bleeding.

He strode into the crowd and pulled the two men apart with force. They were panting, faces red, still struggling.

The people around them remained silent.

Shen Xiaochuan spoke, his voice not loud but heavy: "Whoever started the fight will have their faith points suspended for three days. Go sweep the trash from all three streets; you can only get paid after you've finished."

He looked at everyone: "There are many who want to work. Those who don't, I don't need."

He then asked: "Is there anyone else who disagrees? Step forward."

No one spoke.

The injured man lowered his head and said: "I accept the punishment." The other man also released his grip.

Shen Xiaochuan said to Yang Lie, who was beside him: "Note down their names and assign the task. If this happens again, their qualifications will be directly revoked."

After speaking, he returned to the Main Hall. As soon as he sat down, the System chimed: [Received high-priority encrypted message, source: Zhang Heng]

Shen Xiaochuan tapped on the table, his gaze changing. He knew that Zhang Heng wouldn't contact him without a good reason.

He checked the communication logs and found that this message had jumped three times, finally connecting to a military encrypted channel. It wasn't fake.

He opened the database and entered "White Snow Princess." Information popped up on the page: Daughter of the Eastern Theater Commander, twenty-three years old, not a divine official. She once led a hundred refugees through the Zerg blockade in the war zone, earned merit, and received the Scarlet Flame Medal. Codename "Snow Wind."

He didn't reply immediately. After thinking for a while, he sent four characters via a temporary link: "Skydome not fallen."

A few seconds later, the other party replied: "Snow falls silently, wind rises from the east."

The rendezvous was successful.

Then the first piece of intelligence arrived: The South Alliance is building a "Faith Tracking System" that can use high-frequency signals to pinpoint the core location of special-grade divine kingdoms. Three Huaxia Deities have already been located and had their divine realms remotely attacked because they used public channels.

Even more serious, there was an internal leak. There was a red mark on the list—a Logistics Dispatcher who had recently been in frequent contact with foreign Deities.

Shen Xiaochuan finished reading and saved the information in the vault. He replied: "I want all the dispatcher's movements from the last seventy-two hours."

The other party said: "Retrieving now. In exchange, I want to access your defense System and share early warnings."

Shen Xiaochuan replied: "Allowed. But I only look at results, not promises."

The conversation ended.

He closed all public channels, leaving only core members able to communicate. Then he opened the Divine Kingdom overview, preparing to check troop distribution.

The moment it finished loading, he realized something was wrong.

Seven thousand Believers were missing.

They weren't dead, nor had they left; their status read "on an external mission." But he hadn't sent anyone out at all.

He immediately understood—someone had tampered with his summoning array permissions.

He immediately activated emergency protocols, disconnected external links, and rebound control. By the time the permissions returned, those seven thousand people had already been recalled and were standing in the Training Ground, looking bewildered and lacking proper equipment.

He rushed to the scene, stood on the high platform, and his voice echoed across the entire field: "From today onwards, everyone enters a state of combat readiness. I don't expect the enemy to play by the rules, so I won't wait for them to make the first move."

No one below spoke.

"You are Skydome City's first line of defense. If you don't want to die, obey orders. If you want to live, become stronger."

He paused: "For the next three days, training will be eight hours daily, in rotating shifts. Artisans will stop production and focus entirely on making weapons and armor. The Mess Hall will provide meals uniformly, with priority given to the front lines."

After issuing the commands, he turned and left. Soon, the sound of footsteps and commands echoed in the Training Ground, and order began to be restored.

Back in the Main Hall, he sat before the throne, and three treasure chests appeared before him. Two were grayish-white, and one shimmered with golden light.

He knew the golden chest was most likely to yield good things. What he lacked most now were things to improve his combat power; he had to quickly get useful skills or equipment.

He clicked on the golden one.

"Open."

A blinding flash of light exploded, illuminating the entire hall. Shen Xiaochuan raised his hand to shield his eyes. After the light disappeared, two items floated in the air.

A bottle of green liquid, labeled [Plant Growth Accelerator], stated to make crops grow ten times faster.

The other was a skill book with a lightning pattern on its cover, named "Thunderous Overlord Slash."

System prompt: [Obtained B-rank Skill Book 'Thunderous Overlord Slash']

Shen Xiaochuan picked it up and examined it. This was a melee skill that consumed double the stamina, could infuse a blade with high-voltage current, and split light armor with a single strike. It was suitable for charging.

He decided to learn it himself first.

Just as he was about to use it, footsteps came from outside the door. It was Lolia.

"My Lord, the sky-rending blade can now produce a hundred per day, but the Materials are almost used up."

"Go to the warehouse and allocate reserves, prioritize the front lines first."

He said, "Notify Zhou Mingrui to speed up the foundation construction of the Faith Gathering Tower. I will inspect it tomorrow."

Lolia nodded and left.

Shen Xiaochuan pressed the skill book to his forehead, absorbing it instantly. A hot current rushed down from the top of his head, straight to his arm. He raised his right hand, and a flicker of electric light passed through his palm.

He walked to the center of the hall to test the move. He unleashed a horizontal slash, and the air snapped with a 'crack,' like a whip lashing out.

This move was usable.

He looked out the window. Dawn had broken, and the Training Ground echoed with synchronized footsteps. The cleaning team also began sweeping the streets, clearing away remnants from yesterday's banquet.

Everything was under control.

But he knew the real trouble had only just begun.

He sat back on the throne, opened internal communications, and sent a message to White Snow Princess: "Have you found the dispatcher's whereabouts?"

While waiting for a reply, he looked at the Plant Growth Accelerator on the table. This item seemed ordinary, but if used on farmland, grain yields could increase severalfold.

Enough to sustain prolonged combat.

The screen suddenly flickered.

[Opponent replied: Found. At 3:17 AM last night, that person sent three data packets to a spy disguised as a merchant. The content is being decrypted, results expected in two hours.]

Shen Xiaochuan replied: "Send me the results immediately once they are out. I need to know who he meets next."

After sending, he stood up and picked up the thunder blade from the wall.

It was time to check on the Training Ground.

He walked out of the Main Hall, the sunlight reflecting a small gleam off his copper gear pendant. In the distance, the pile drivers at the construction site hummed, raising dust.

Seven thousand new Believers were already lined up, holding weapons, awaiting orders.

Shen Xiaochuan walked onto the high platform and raised his thunder blade.

"Now begins the first lesson."

He said, "How to cut off their heads before the enemy comes to kill you."