Chapter 140: Xu Bancheng's Inquiry

Within the cave, the Crimson-Blooded Golden-Eyed Ape had also sensed the movements of the humans. Yet he seemed unwilling to come into conflict with them, and so he said once more, “I’ll leave these little monkeys to you. I’ll come looking for you again!”

As soon as his voice faded, the Crimson-Blooded Golden-Eyed Ape vanished, as though he had never appeared at all—just as before.

The reinforcements brought by Xu Bancheng, Wang Xiaomeng, and the others arrived as well. Lin Qiu explained the situation to them, then had the monkeys taken away.

In any case, it was unlikely that they could be allowed to continue wandering through the wilderness. Under circumstances like these, every animal possessing intelligence had to be placed under strict supervision, lest something like today’s incident happen again.

The forcible conscription of creatures with lower intelligence by those with higher intelligence was an extremely troublesome matter. After dealing with everything, Lin Qiu could honestly say that he still had no idea what was going on.

Outside the cave.

The people brought by Xu Bancheng and Wang Xiaomeng had already departed. Only Xu Bancheng remained, waiting for Lin Qiu.

“Is there something else?” Lin Qiu asked.

He knew perfectly well that Xu Bancheng must have something to say to him. Otherwise, he would never have stayed behind alone.

“Lin Qiu, how do you intend to deal with my sister’s feelings?”

Xu Bancheng’s expression was solemn, and his tone was grave.

He was no fool. Naturally, he could see that his sister’s feelings for Lin Qiu were far from ordinary.

Ever since her bond with Lin Qiu had been severed, Xu Bing had remained unhappy. Xu Bancheng had noticed it long ago. Now, it was time for him to speak openly with Lin Qiu about the matter.

“…”

At Xu Bancheng’s words, Lin Qiu fell silent.

To be honest, he had not yet decided how to handle the situation.

He understood Xu Bing’s feelings.

But what could Lin Qiu offer in response to them now?

Although he had risen to prominence in the ocean, once the Ocean Royal Clan fully awakened, his own circumstances would hardly be any better.

“I haven’t thought about it either,” Lin Qiu replied honestly.

There was no point in trying to deceive anyone about this. All he could do was speak the truth.

“Then I hope that, starting today, you will stop appearing before my sister. At the very least, give her a chance to let time slowly dilute her feelings for you.”

Seeing that Lin Qiu had no suitable answer, Xu Bancheng voiced the thoughts he had been keeping to himself.

“That isn’t impossible. But why did you come to the Ancient Demon Vine today? Given your personality, you shouldn’t have been willing to take such a great risk.”

Lin Qiu did not want to linger on the subject, so he changed the topic directly.

At his question, Xu Bancheng’s expression grew troubled once more.

“Someone is trying to stop the Iron Great Wall Project. That is why I thought of using the Ancient Demon Vine to increase my strength, so that I could prevent the Iron Great Wall from being obstructed.”

A grave light flashed through Lin Qiu’s eyes.

In his view, the Iron Great Wall Project was humanity’s only means, at this early stage, of resisting the invasion of the Ocean Royal Clan. He had never expected that someone would actually seek to hinder its progress.

At a time when humanity’s survival hung in the balance, were humans still fighting among themselves?

“Can you explain the situation in greater detail? I’ll see whether I can do something about it.”

After all, Lin Qiu had once been human himself. Naturally, he did not wish to see humanity wiped out during this global evolution. That was precisely why he had continued helping mankind keep pace with the process of evolution.

“Several countries besides the Dragon Kingdom do not agree with defending Earth to the death. They want the Dragon Kingdom to abandon the Iron Great Wall Project, join their so-called Noah’s Ark Project, and head into outer space.”

Xu Bancheng’s words were filled with disdain. It was obvious that he held the foreign powers’ Noah’s Ark Project in contempt.

In his view, humanity had originated on Earth. Unless the situation truly became utterly hopeless, there was no reason to even consider that so-called Noah’s Ark Project.

“Some people in the Dragon Kingdom’s leadership have wavered?”

Drawing upon Xu Bancheng’s words, Lin Qiu quickly guessed at the possibility.

After all, the Iron Great Wall Project required enormous amounts of funding and resources, while the completed wall might not even be able to withstand the Ocean Royal Clan’s assault.

“That’s right. That’s why I’ve been troubled by this matter lately.”

Although the Xu family wielded tremendous influence within the Dragon Kingdom, the country was not theirs to command alone. Trying to push the Iron Great Wall Project forward in the face of so much opposition would be extremely difficult.

Now that construction had reached the halfway point, Xu Bancheng was unwilling to abandon the project, no matter what anyone said.

“There isn’t much I can say about this. If you truly find yourself unable to deal with it, come and tell me.”

Lin Qiu pursed his lips, then returned to the ocean.

The old turtle in the City of the Other Shore had sent word that someone had arrived outside the royal city.

After returning to the City of the Other Shore, Lin Qiu looked solemnly at the old turtle and asked, “Who has come?”

“People sent by Biki’s father. They want to take Biki back from you.”

The old turtle informed Lin Qiu of the visitors’ identity.

Upon hearing this, Lin Qiu let out a cold laugh. Biki’s father was the lord of the Merfolk Royal City, while Biki was merely his illegitimate daughter. Most likely, he had stepped forward only to preserve his own dignity by demanding that Lin Qiu hand her over.

However, he had not come in person. Instead, he had sent one of his subordinates.

That alone revealed that the lord of the Merfolk Royal City held Lin Qiu in some contempt.

After all, Lin Qiu was now the lord of the City of the Other Shore.

If the lord of the Merfolk Royal City truly respected him, he should have come personally to deal with such a matter instead of sending one of his subordinates.

“I’d like to see whom he has sent.”

Lin Qiu was no fool. He understood the hidden implications perfectly well, and he immediately strode toward the city walls.

Outside the walls stood a swordfish who had taken human form, a long spear in his hand.

More importantly, an entire squad of fully armed warriors followed behind him. They gave the impression that, should Lin Qiu refuse to release Biki, they intended to storm the City of the Other Shore by force.

Their posture made it clear that they did not take Lin Qiu seriously at all.

“Who stands below the city walls?”

Lin Qiu’s voice carried a chill. At the same time, he ordered the old turtle to mobilize the defenders of the City of the Other Shore. Without the slightest courtesy, they filled the battlements with bows and arrows, clearly returning the Merfolk Royal City’s show of force in kind.

“Shen Jian, captain of the Merfolk Royal City’s guard. By order of the lord of the Merfolk Royal City, I have come to escort Princess Biki back to the city. This is the lord’s written decree!”