81: World Intelligence

Both worlds are planar worlds.

One world's main plane seemed to be engulfed by endless magma, the ground scorching hot, rivers of lava winding their way, and the air filled with a pungent smell of sulfur. From time to time, huge fire rocks would fall from the sky, splashing up towering waves of magma upon impact with the ground.

The main plane of the other world consisted of two interconnected continents at its center, occupying 50% of the entire world's area. Beyond these two continents lay a deep ocean, dotted with numerous small islands.

Brian saw the general situation of the two continents and immediately knew that the first plane was completely unsolvable.

A world entirely made of magma—perhaps robots could enter with a magic shield, but the energy consumption would likely be astronomically high.

He decided to abandon this plane.

He turned his gaze to the second world.

"Spirit Eye, retrieve the probes from the first world! We can give up on this world. Launch 12 more probes into the second world; I need more detailed information about it."

"Understood, Master. Operating now!"

Spirit Eye swiftly followed Brian's instructions, manipulating the planar detection transporter to retrieve the probes from the first world one by one.

Immediately after, she precisely launched 12 more probes towards the second world.

Before long, the retrieved probes emerged from the void and automatically returned to the planar detection transporter.

Ten days later.

"Master, all the detailed information about the second world has been transmitted back," Spirit Eye's voice echoed in the study.

Brian closed the magic crystal tome he was holding, stood up, and quickly walked to the projection device.

Ripples spread through the air, and the image of the second world gradually became clear, like a polished mirror.

This planar world consisted of two continents tightly connected in a gourd shape. To the north was the Canglang Continent, ruled by beastmen, while to the south was the Land of Dawn, home to human civilization.

Brian's gaze first fell upon the Canglang Continent in the north.

The terrain of this continent was like fur torn by a giant beast, displaying astonishing diversity:

The east was covered in rolling coniferous forests, where the howls of wolves echoed among towering ancient trees;

The west featured sheer, cliff-like mountain ranges, where eagle nests were faintly visible amidst swirling clouds;

The central part was a vast and boundless grassland, where golden waves of grass rolled in the wind, forming a spectacular "Sea of Grass."

Although this continent appeared unified on the surface, undercurrents of discord simmered beneath.

The Frostwolf Clan was the ruler, but there were also two larger clans: the Falconhawk Clan and the Icebear Clan.

They were not entirely subservient to the Frostwolf Clan.

"Each clan has its own way of survival," Brian murmured, noting the subtle interactions between the Frostwolf Clan and the other clans in the image.

When the Frostwolf Clan issued a hunting order, the Falconhawk Clan would dispatch reconnaissance teams;

When a difficult assault was needed, the Brownbear Clan would become the main force.

This relationship, both cooperative and competitive, maintained a delicate balance on the Canglang Continent.

The Southern Continent of Dawn presented a completely different landscape.

The terrain here was flat, like a meticulously polished chessboard, with cities and farmlands scattered like stars, forming a magnificent panorama of civilization.

Brian noticed that agriculture here had developed to an astonishing degree:

An intricate network of irrigation systems spread across the land like blood vessels, and giant windmills turned day and night, pumping river water to higher ground to irrigate the fields.

"There are at least seven kingdoms here," Brian counted the flags appearing in the image, noting that each kingdom had a unique architectural style and defense system.

The connection between the two continents was only three thousand meters wide, where humanity's last line of defense stood—Blizzard Fortress.

The fortress walls, like a giant's arms, were firmly wedged between the two continents. Its design cleverly utilized the terrain:

To the north was a steep cliff, and to the south was a bottomless canyon, leaving only the front accessible for attack.

Inside the fortress was a meticulously designed war machine.

The fortress walls were thirty meters high, built from a mixture of special magic stone and steel, making them impervious to even the most powerful beastmen catapults.

Every fifty meters along the walls stood an arrow tower, each equipped with ten crossbowmen and two heavy ballistas.

"The fortress maintains a standing army of fifty thousand, divided into three legions," Brian observed the troop deployment in the image, noting that each legion had distinct responsibilities:

The First Legion was responsible for frontal defense, equipped with heavy plate armor and long spears;

The Second Legion provided flank support, equipped with light leather armor and bows and arrows;

The Third Legion served as a reserve, ready to fill any gaps in the defense at a moment's notice.

Two kilometers behind the fortress was the larger Military City.

This city housed an army of five hundred thousand.

The city's scale was ten times that of the fortress, with walls winding like a giant dragon. Every hundred meters stood a watchtower, and every five hundred meters, a magic crystal turret.

The magic crystal at the top of the turrets emitted a soft glow, providing illumination and defense for the entire city.

The beastmen army was far larger than expected, at least five hundred thousand strong, including the elite "Wolf Fang Legion" of the Frostwolf Clan.

They would also periodically send smaller clans to form armies of over a hundred thousand to wear down humans and hone their own skills.

"In the event of war, Military City will immediately dispatch troops to support the fortress," Brian watched the human army's movements in the image, noticing their "three-line defense" strategy:

The first line was the fortress's standing army,

The second line was Military City's rapid response force,

And the third line consisted of reinforcements from various kingdoms.

This defense system demonstrated the wisdom of human civilization:

They maintained their independence while being able to unite at critical moments.

Brian learned from the intelligence that

there were some divisions between the kingdoms. Although they cooperated in the broader goal of resisting the beastmen, each kingdom harbored its own private intentions.

The kingdoms closer to the north seemed to care more about defense than those in the south.

"War is never just a military contest," Brian said thoughtfully, "Politics, economy, culture—every factor influences the direction of a war."

As the images gradually faded, Brian had already formed a complete picture of this world in his mind:

Two continents, two civilizations, constantly evolving within a delicate balance of war and peace.

And he was about to become a crucial variable in that balance.

The more he looked at this plane, the more he felt it held great potential, and he thought:

It seems I need to make a detailed plan!