207: Chapter 206 Dream Grass Acquired

President Ye Wenyuan glanced at Lin Fan.

"It wasn't built on top of them. It was the five of them who established the Federation."

He paused for a moment.

"The prototype of the Federation was an agreement signed by those five people. The content of the agreement was simple—the five families would join forces to defend against external enemies. Resources would be exchanged, intelligence shared, and spoils of war distributed according to contribution. This agreement was later revised many times and gradually expanded into the constitutional framework of the Federation."

Ye Qing, who had not interjected until now, suddenly spoke up, "So from the very beginning, the five major families were not subordinates of the Federation, but its founders."

"To be precise, they are the Federation's partners."

President Ye Wenyuan corrected her, "Except that in this partnership, the resources controlled by each of the five families are different. The Qin Family controls the military power, the Lin Family controls the Armor Beast cultivation technology, the Xiao Family controls the martial arts system, the Luo Family controls Formations and technology, and the Bai Family controls Armor Equipment forging. Without any one of them, the Federation wouldn't be able to function."

Lin Fan sneered.

"So these five major families are actually keeping each other in check?"

"Yes." President Ye Wenyuan did not avoid the question, "For military Armor Equipment procurement orders, the Bai Family wants to monopolize them, and the Luo Family also wants a piece of the pie. When the Lin Family cultivates a new species of Armor Spirit, the Qin Family wants priority in contracting them for their own descendants, and the Xiao Family wants the same. On the surface, the five major families seem calm, but the undercurrents beneath have never stopped."

He picked up his teacup to take a drink, found it empty, and set it back down.

"But there is one bottom line that no one will touch."

President Ye Wenyuan's voice suddenly turned somber.

"When faced with an external enemy, the five families must present a united front. This isn't a moral constraint; it's a constraint of self-interest. That's why after graduating from school, the first choice for descendants of the five families is always to join the military. It's not for the sake of the Federation, but to ensure their Family doesn't lose face at the negotiating table."

Lin Fan thought of Patriarch of the Qin Family in the Secret Realm.

"For a special-grade Secret Realm, sending out a head of a Family... isn't that a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?"

President Ye Wenyuan glanced at Lin Fan and poured another cup of tea.

"The Qin Family controls the Federation's military power. Not 'a part of it,' but the vast majority."

He set the teapot down, his finger slowly tracing the rim of the cup.

"Nearly one-third of the high-ranking military generals are from the Qin Family. The remaining two-thirds are more or less connected to the Qin Family—either as collateral branches or descendants of former subordinates."

He laid out the Qin Family's Foundation in the military piece by piece.

After graduating from major institutions, the first choice for Qin Family descendants is always the army.

It isn't because they are more patriotic than others, but because of the Qin Family's rule—if you don't join the army, you aren't considered a member of the Qin Family.

Reclaiming a Secret Realm is a testing ground for Qin Family descendants; only those who survive are worthy of the Qin surname.

Accumulated over several generations, the Qin Family's influence in the military has permeated every level, from grassroots command to high-level decision-making.

Although the other four major families also have people in the military, they cannot compare to the Qin Family in terms of either numbers or the importance of their positions.

This was the path chosen by the Qin Family from the very beginning, and it hasn't wavered for hundreds of years.

"And Patriarch of the Qin Family's military rank is General."

Lin Fan remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

Lin Fan wasn't ignorant of what the rank of 'General' meant in the Federation military.

The highest military rank in the Federation is Grand Marshal, but that is an honorary title only awarded to the Old Ancestors of the five families, and they do not participate in daily command.

The highest rank with actual power is General, and there are no more than five active Generals in the entire Federation. Patriarch of the Qin Family is one of them.

"He isn't the top leader of the military."

President Ye Wenyuan picked up his teacup and took a sip; the tea had already gone cold.

"But he is effectively the top leader. He spent thirty years in the Military Combat Department. From deputy director to director, and from director to senior consultant. The current minister is his student, the vice-minister is his former subordinate, and of the five department heads below them, three are surnamed Qin and two are sons-in-law of the Qin Family's collateral branches."

Hearing this, Lin Fan couldn't help but remark, "Then they might as well just rename the department 'Qin'."

President Ye Wenyuan glanced at him.

"Whether it's named Qin or not, what's the difference? From the minister to the doorman, they've all been part of the Qin Family's system. Even if you change the name, they're still doing the Qin Family's work."

Ye Qing leaned back in her chair, her fingers tapping lightly on the armrest twice.

"So the other families can't get a foot in the door of the military?"

"They can, but not deeply."

President Ye Wenyuan set down the empty teacup, "The Luo Family has their own people in the military, concentrated in the Formation engineering units. The Bai Family's people are concentrated in the Armor Equipment testing and maintenance departments. The Xiao Family's people are in special operations units. As for the Lin Family... the Lin Family never holds positions in the military; that's a rule set by the Lin Family's Old Ancestor. But they don't lack any necessary cooperation. After all, the Lin Family's Armor Spirit evolution research requires the Qin Family's actual combat data."

Ye Qing listened for a long time but was still puzzled.

"Dad, you still haven't explained why Patriarch of the Qin Family would personally visit the Secret Realm. Given his status, he wouldn't normally interfere in such matters, right?"

President Ye Wenyuan looked at her, "He didn't go there specifically. He was passing through."

"That day, Patriarch of the Qin Family was at a military base near Qinglan City on a mission."

"What mission?" Ye Qing asked.

"Xutai Society," President Ye Wenyuan uttered the three words. His voice wasn't loud, but Ye Qing's expression changed visibly.

Lin Fan's brow also furrowed.

"Patriarch of the Qin Family was following a lead on the Xutai Society."

President Ye Wenyuan's voice returned to its usual rhythm.

"A month ago, the Federation Intelligence Bureau intercepted a batch of live Armor Beast samples of unknown origin in the Eastern Border. They were genetically modified breeds with a certain catalyst for directed evolution implanted in their bodies. The flow of these samples pointed towards the vicinity of Qinglan City."

He paused, took a folded map out of a drawer, and spread it out on the table.

Several points were marked in red ink on the map, one of which was northwest of Qinglan City, near Qingyou Peak.

"Patriarch of the Qin Family wasn't at the military base near Qinglan City that day for an inspection. He was commanding a capture operation against a sub-altar of the Xutai Society. The operation was codenamed 'Nest Sweep'."

"Intelligence indicated that the sub-altar's stronghold was in an underground bunker fifty kilometers northwest of Qinglan City."

He pointed to the location of the red circle, which almost overlapped with the location of Qingyou Peak.

Lin Fan now understood. To Patriarch of the Qin Family, the matter of the Secret Realm was just something he did in passing.

The Secret Realm had appeared unexpectedly, and the military, caught off guard, could only apply for assistance from the nearby Patriarch of the Qin Family. For him, it was just a convenient task.

After finishing his explanation, President Ye Wenyuan took a jade box out of the drawer and pushed it in front of Lin Fan.

The jade box wasn't large, about the length of a palm and the width of two fingers.

Lin Fan opened it. Inside lay a plant—its leaves were long and thin like needles, the edges were silver-gray, and the veins were light purple.

"dream-slumber grass," President Ye Wenyuan said. "The one you asked me to help you find."

Lin Fan knew President Ye Wenyuan was intentionally changing the subject, so he took the opportunity to put away the final piece of Materials needed for Tongtong's evolution.

President Ye Wenyuan waved his hand and stood up from his chair.

"As for the Qin Family's affairs, it's enough that you know. Don't offend Patriarch of the Qin Family, and don't offend the Qin Family. As you are now, you cannot afford to offend them."

"I understand."

Lin Fan nodded. Much of what President Ye Wenyuan had just said were secrets that shouldn't be spoken of.

The reason he told Lin Fan was to make him understand the gap between the two sides.

Lin Fan was not an ungrateful person. Although Patriarch of the Qin Family had struck him with a palm, strictly speaking, he was indeed their savior.

However, one thing was separate from another. That slap... he would still have to pay it back.