Heavenly Ranking

Chapter 248 Borrowing a Sword
Starlight City.

Ji Qingqing, Yu Xiaoyu, and Jiang Xingyu, who was accompanying them, were all present.

Although Ji Qingqing became the garrison commander of Huanglong Cave, just as Xue Changfeng and Wu Sheng said, she didn't need to do anything on a daily basis.

The influx of hunters into Huanglong Cave has made it impossible to kill all the giant scorpions, blood bats, and skeleton monsters there.

In this situation, how were these monsters able to accumulate such a large number and spread to Blue Moon City outside the cave?

Since the monsters do not spread outwards, there is naturally no need for the garrison commander to take action.

At this moment, the group is selecting smart home devices.

Jiang Xingyu stood by and introduced the situation, while Ji Qingqing and Yu Xiaoyu watched from the sidelines, occasionally asking Ji Fuyou for his opinion.

And Ji Fuyou...

"Forget about smart home devices; try to avoid those with high technological content."

He said, "At least, in case of a power outage or internet outage, these things will still work smoothly."

Yu Xiaoyu nodded and agreed immediately.

But Ji Qingqing understood the unspoken meaning behind Ji Fuyou's words.

"Internet and power outage?"

She looked at Ji Fuyou: "Will things... come to this in the future?"

"Prevention is better than cure."

Ji Fuyou gave a brief reply without further explanation.

Ji Qingqing couldn't help but ponder.

At that moment, both her and Ji Fuyou's phones lit up simultaneously, and a message was pushed to them.

"A fog has appeared over Liujin City."

Ji Qingqing glanced at it, said something, and her expression didn't change much.

Golden City and Starlight City are not adjacent, but the straight-line distance between them is less than 150 kilometers.

The newly improved surveillance system of the entire Chu State, or rather the entire Federation, ensures that once fog appears in a certain place, the message will be sent to every hunter immediately in order to obtain their support.

Of course, most hunters who receive the news will not go there immediately.

Only local hunters will actually arrive at the scene immediately.

Or perhaps the fog was too dangerous and sent out a higher-level distress signal, forcing them to set off.

Ji Qingqing was no exception.

Such sudden fog is generally not too difficult to deal with, and local hunters can usually handle it.

Ji Fuyou, on the other hand, has been shrouded in mystery all this time and is unaware of the system's official operation.

But seeing Ji Qingqing's composed demeanor, he was still moved: "The whole prefecture is now coordinating defense? To what extent?"

"To what extent..."

Ji Qingqing found it difficult to describe, and after a moment she said, "Probably... everyone has already realized and accepted the existence of the mist. Whenever the mist appears suddenly and is abnormally thick, people will immediately avoid it and report it to the local association of spiritual beings as soon as possible."

As she spoke, she added, "That's why, even though the frequency of fog has increased significantly, it can still be nipped in the bud before it forms, so it hasn't caused too much panic."

Ji Fuyou listened and nodded.

Mobilize everyone's strength to defend against the fog...

It's indeed a good idea.

but……

"What about the mist in the wilderness?"

Ji Fuyou asked a question.

"no way."

Ji Qingqing shook her head: "Preventing the fog that appears around towns is already the limit of our current manpower. As for those desolate and uninhabited places... we can only suppress them for now and clear them out one by one when we have enough strength in the future."

"after……"

Ji Fuyou glanced at his phone.

The amount of fog will only increase in the future.

Until most of the Red Star was shrouded in mist, and the living space for humans was compressed to the extreme, they had no choice but to struggle to survive in base cities.

At that moment, another message appeared on my phone.

This is a push notification from a news app.

As for when he activated the push notification feature...

Who knows.

It's possible that it was already accepted by default when downloading this app.

The image above clearly shows news of a border clash between Black Gold and Dalian Merchants, which is said to have already escalated into fighting.

This kind of gossip made Ji Fuyou pause for a moment.

But then he thought of something, opened an app, and broadened his focus from Chuzhou and even the Federation to the world.

Previously, in order to ensure that he did not come into contact with higher levels and thus attract irresistible danger, he limited his circle to Chuzhou and even Xingguang City. He lived a comfortable and easy life, but he basically did not know much about the outside world.

Now, let's raise our sights...

He was shocked to discover that wars had broken out in many parts of the world.

Even the four poles of the world are no exception.

Griffins and the northern lands, and the surrounding countries.

Large countries and small countries.

at the moment……

Ji Fuyou returned to the previous information and then sought verification from other sources...

"Are Black Gold and Great Merchant really at war?"

Ji Fuyou looked up in surprise.

"The relationship between Black Gold and Great Shang has always been strained, with various frictions occurring frequently. This time... according to official statements, not long ago, someone from Black Gold infiltrated our Great Shang and persecuted and killed more than a dozen of our Great Shang's top geniuses on the Heavenly Ranking. This behavior naturally enraged our Great Shang, and border frictions are escalating..."

Ji Qingqing glanced at the news: "It's not surprising that they've started fighting now."

As she spoke, her expression remained calm and composed: "What does the Black Gold Empire have? It's just that it has a larger population. Our Great Shang Dynasty is the world's leading economic power with a GDP of 50 trillion, which is more than 10 times that of them. Our per capita income is also more than 10 times that of them. With our economic size, we can easily bring them down."

Ji Fuyou listened but did not refute.

What Ji Qingqing said was also the common understanding of almost all the people of the great merchant family.

As one of the four largest countries in the world with the highest GDP, Dashang's wealth far exceeds everyone's imagination.

To view black gold is to look at a bunch of barbaric and uncouth bumpkins. Even the Griffin, the world's largest industrial producer, and the United States of the North, which has the most military bases in the world, have a kind of arrogance that the rich look down on the poor.

In their view, the reason they didn't fight the black market was simply because they didn't want to dirty their hands by bullying these barbarians.

If things really get serious, we can just crush the Black Gold Empire with money.

but……

Ji Fuyou, who had chatted with Fengyulou and others about the world situation, knew that this was just a difference in perception brought about by the Shang Dynasty's propaganda in China.

In reality, the Black Gold Empire was not weak.

Its domestic political situation is extremely stable.

The royal family holds all power and can easily concentrate all forces.

In addition, the Black Gold Empire has been engaged in foreign wars for many years and has extensive military experience.

Moreover, its people are used to poverty and have a strong capacity for tolerance and adaptation to harsh environments and situations. Even if there is a water or power outage, it is difficult to cause social unrest.

In contrast, if the water and electricity were to be cut off in large commercial areas, the entire social operation would come to a standstill.

Moreover, the Shang Dynasty has not experienced war for a long time. Even though it has an absolute economic advantage, no one knows what the final outcome will be if a war really breaks out.

He looked at it and felt that the Federation's intention to clash with the Black Gold Empire on the border at this time, igniting the situation and even escalating the war, seemed to contain another calculation.

but……

War is dangerous and perilous.

I just hope he's overthinking it, and that the higher-ups won't joke about war.

"Ok?"

Ji Fuyou was checking the news when he suddenly sensed something and couldn't help but glance outside.

"What is she here for?"

After thinking for a moment, he stood up and said, "I'll go greet a guest."

"Go and do your thing."

As Ji Qingqing spoke, she quickly moved closer to Yu Xiaoyu and the others to start selecting furniture.

This time, they listened to Ji Fuyou's advice and prioritized safety and stability in their home furnishings.

……

Outside the hospital.

When Ji Fuyou came out, he saw three cars stop, and then figures got out of the cars one after another, looking around and maintaining vigilance.

Half a minute later, one person finally got out of the car in the middle.

It was Gu Yinbing.

A visitor who seemed quite unexpected to the seasonal floaters.

"Could it be that Gu Qing saw the pictures of those emeralds I posted yesterday, but couldn't get away right away, and wanted me to come and make a deal with her?"

He pondered for a moment, then went to the door.

But as soon as Gu Yinbing opened her mouth, he knew that he was overthinking things.

"Ji Fuyou, I want to cooperate with you."

This woman, with the air of a young lady from a wealthy family, got straight to the point.

"cooperate?"

Ji Fuyou glanced at her: "What kind of collaboration?"

"Hunting a strange beast."

Gu Yinbing paused as she spoke, then added, "A divine eagle located in the Black and White Sand Sea."

Black and white sand sea.

This is a newly established forbidden area.

Located west of Liusha City.

However, it is not very dangerous. The monsters living there are basically at the level of the giant scorpion in Huanglong Cave, or even weaker.

The reason the Federation did not stop the formation of this forbidden area is because it is too large.

This is the largest forbidden area since the Misty Forest.

However, the Misty Forest is vast because of the long period of time it has accumulated over time, while the Black and White Sand Sea, on the other hand, covers an area of ​​hundreds of kilometers as soon as it appears, and the large number of hunters entering it is simply a drop in the ocean.

In the end, the hunters of the Western Continent could only watch helplessly as this mist transformed into a forbidden land, shrouding the black and white sand sea.

but……

"Did your brother send you?"

Ji Fuyou asked a question.

Hearing Ji Fuyou mention her brother Gu Qing immediately made Gu Yinbing frown. "No."

She said directly, "I've come to seek your cooperation. The Divine Eagle flies extremely fast; even martial artists... even martial saints can't keep up with its shadow. Only those who are proficient in sword control and have superb swordsmanship can hunt it down..."

"I do not have time."

Upon hearing that Gu Qing hadn't sent her, Ji Fuyou refused outright.

"No time... then lend me your Wuji Sword."

Gu Yinbing said, "I encountered this divine eagle a few days ago. It was because my flying sword was not fast or sharp enough that it was able to escape. I'll borrow your Wuji Sword to kill the divine eagle and then return it to you."

These remarks...

Ji Fuyou couldn't help but think of Xia Feng.

The two are practically identical.

However, Xia Feng had ulterior motives for borrowing the sword.

But Gu Yinbing...

He believed that she hadn't thought things through when she said that.

Therefore, Ji Fuyou did not argue with her: "Master Gu's Blood-Drinking Sword is no worse than my Limitless Sword, go and borrow his."

"I'm not lending it to you for nothing. I can pay rent, and besides..."

As Gu Yinbing spoke, she glanced at Lin Zhongtian.

As soon as Lin Zhongtian made a gesture, a figure was quickly brought over.

“This person has been lurking around your place suspiciously, secretly monitoring you. I'll help you find him.”

(End of this chapter)