32: Chapter 32 Change?

[Jianmen Pass] once again held back the demon's pursuit, allowing Chen Aoyun's clone to break away from combat at the edge of the map, leave the scene map, and finally bring the 'tree of morning light' back to the Home Base.

After planting the 'tree of morning light' in the Home Base, the two areas, each with its divine tree, shone alternately within the Home Base. Chen Aoyun's clone dusted off its clothes and vanished.

On the Starlight Chessboard, Fan Ling was emotionally agitated,

"According to the known rules, once the 'circle shrinking' begins, the 'tree of dark twilight' can absorb the corruption brought by the decay, and the 'tree of morning light' can continuously spawn troops in the Home Base to resist the demons' invasion.

There are only five countries that possess the 'dual trees', plus our Dragon Country, that makes six. Adding in Sakura Country and Ottoman, which possess the 'tree of eternity', there are only eight countries in total.

In other words, in this Game of National Destiny, the top ten... no, the top eight are already securely within our Dragon Country's grasp!

This is the top eight! Since the Game of National Destiny appeared, the Dragon Country never dared to imagine such a high ranking, yet now we have actually achieved it. I even feel like it's somewhat unreal."

As he spoke, Fan Ling looked toward Chen Aoyun, and Chen Aoyun's remark, 'The top ten is enough? I don't think it's enough!', left Fan Ling so shocked he didn't know what to say.

"The top ten isn't enough, and neither is the top eight. I think it has to be at least the top three.

It's my first time acting as a [Strategist], so if I don't make it a bit dramatic, how can I establish my omnipotent persona? How can I build up the self-confidence of the people of the Dragon Country?!"

Sakura Country and Ottoman, having obtained the 'tree of eternity', are securely in the top two. Including the Dragon Country, there are six countries left that possess the 'dual trees'.

Although everyone has the 'dual trees' as a fallback, the cards in their hands are different. The Dragon Country interrupted its [Strategist] progression of the chess game midway, so we have almost no usable items. The other five countries, however, have completed many tasks on the chessboard previously and possess many items. Wanting to step on these countries and fight for third place is likely very difficult.

Fan Ling, in his joy, did not dampen the mood. Regardless of whether Chen Aoyun was boasting, he had already stuck a thumb right in front of Chen Aoyun's face. Nearby, Zhao Hongxiu and Xiao Zhenghong, in their soul states, were also filled with joy.

The top eight was already satisfying enough for them, though of course, actually squeezing into the top three would naturally be even better.

With the 'dual trees' planted in the Home Base, they were already emitting a strange radiance even before the 'circle shrinking' had begun.

The faint radiance spread outward and vanished once it left the range of the Home Base, yet it was still sensed by the 'neighbor' using some unknown method.

Knock, knock, knock—! On the Starlight Chessboard, a 'knocking' sound came from the neighbor next door.

There were a total of thirty participating countries in this Game of National Destiny. Besides the Dragon Country and Sakura Country, [Strategists] from other countries were also placing their pieces on the Starlight Chessboard, never regretting their moves.

The sound came from the left side; it was the [Strategist] in the 'neighboring seat' requesting a conversation.

They did not lower a 'curtain' to initiate a duel between [Strategists] like the Sakura Country [Strategist] had done, which indicated that the other party did not seem to be looking for trouble.

As a [Strategist], Chen Aoyun shifted his focus, and the invisible air wall between the Strategists disappeared, placing the neighboring [Strategist] before Chen Aoyun.

It was not a starlight projection; the other party appeared in their true form, seemingly to show sincerity.

A middle-aged man, not tall, wearing distinct national attire. Chen Aoyun saw at a glance that the other party was a person from Goguryeo.

"Hello, Strategist of the Dragon Country. My name is Yin Zhengxi, a Goguryeo Strategist. The 'circle shrinking' is about to start, so I will keep it brief... I sensed that your Dragon Country has two 'divine trees'. I hope you can let my Goguryeo have one. Uh, right, my Goguryeo already has the 'tree of morning light', so if possible, I hope you can give the 'tree of dark twilight' to me."

Before Chen Aoyun could speak, Fan Ling jumped out from the side, "Give the 'tree of dark twilight' to you? Are you out of your mind? With the dual trees in hand, my Dragon Country is securely in the top eight. Why should we give it to you?"

Yin Zhengxi waved his hand, and various items appeared in front of him—all items he had previously obtained on the Starlight Chessboard. "I am willing to trade these items with you. They are all high-level items. I only want one divine tree in exchange; you will still have one left. With one divine tree plus these high-level items, if nothing unexpected happens, your Dragon Country can still take the top ten."

Fan Ling raised his arm, "Stop, stop, stop. Regardless of the grade of these items, there is no reason for our Dragon Country to trade, right? You could even try to seize it, but you cannot treat us like fools. Why would we trade the 'tree of dark twilight' for this random stuff?"

Yin Zhengxi said something shocking: "Because this Game of National Destiny has a 'second phase'!"

Remembering the special little notebook from earlier, the notebook recorded the rules obtained by the previous person from the Dragon Country, and it mentioned a 'second phase'. [Rule E: This Game of National Destiny will have a second phase]

Stopping Fan Ling, Chen Aoyun gestured for Yin Zhengxi to explain clearly.

Yin Zhengxi smiled and nodded slightly toward Chen Aoyun, then continued to explain the reason why he thought the Dragon Country should agree to trade the tree: "My Goguryeo should have obtained more rules than your Dragon Country. This Game of National Destiny has two phases. The second phase will open after the 'circle shrinking' begins. Countries that possess the 'dual trees' and those that possess the 'tree of eternity' will automatically participate in it. I am not clear on exactly what the second phase is, but I think the Dragon Country should not get involved. It's not that I look down on you as a new Strategist, but I feel that the Dragon Country's national destiny is currently at rock bottom, and everything should be based on the word 'prudence'. The second phase is risky; if you fail, you will be directly eliminated. The Dragon Country, with its national destiny at rock bottom, cannot afford to lose. Instead of taking the risk to hold onto the top eight, it is better to give one 'tree of dark twilight' to my Goguryeo; at the very least, you will still be in the top ten... Is my reasoning reasonable?"

Chen Aoyun pondered for a moment and then said straightforwardly: "It is reasonable, but only on the premise that what you are saying is the truth! What if the second phase is not as you described? You said that the second phase is mandatory for countries that possess the 'tree of eternity' and the 'dual trees', but in my view, the theme of this first phase is: 'survival'. The two countries that possess the 'tree of eternity' will most easily survive after the 'circle shrinking'. The shrinking circle cannot determine the winner between these two countries, which is why the second phase is needed. In other words, in my view, the second phase is a final showdown reserved for the two countries that possess the 'tree of eternity', and it has nothing to do with the Dragon Country, which only obtained the 'dual trees'. You possess rules that I do not know, and you want to use these rules to trick me into giving up the 'tree of dark twilight'. The probability of this is not zero, and in fact, it is quite high!"

Yin Zhengxi was quite easygoing and did not dwell on it too much. "Since you don't believe me, there is nothing I can do. But I hope we can keep this line of communication open. Once the 'circle shrinking' begins, you will know whether I am lying or not. Perhaps by then, you will be willing to make this trade with me, which would be good for everyone!"

His figure blurred, and Yin Zhengxi vanished from Chen Aoyun's field of vision.

"Is what this guy said true or false? If it is as he said, the deal he proposed is not unacceptable." Fan Ling did not speak, but Zhao Hongxiu, who was in a soul state nearby, spoke up after weighing the pros and cons.

Should they avoid greater risks by trading items to strive to secure the top ten? Or should they insist on keeping the 'dual trees' in hand to strive for the top eight or even a higher ranking?

Previously, the 1v1 duel between the Sakura Country heroic spirits [Fukushima Masanori] and [Zhao Yun] had disrupted Chen Aoyun's layout, letting Chen Aoyun know that while he certainly had an advantage in the Game of National Destiny, he could not ignore the variables brought about by the rules.

After suffering a setback once due to the descent of a Sakura Country heroic spirit, Chen Aoyun had become much more cautious.

"Let's just wait until the circle starts shrinking before deciding..."