Then let them offer their loyalty!

Qiu Tu's gaze lingered on the girl for a moment, then he looked up at Guan Xiao, and while stroking the cat's fur, asked, "This is...?"

Upon hearing this, Guan Xiao did not explain, but quickly stepped forward and handed Qiu Tu a letter.

Qiu Tu glanced at her with a puzzled look, then took the letter and began to read it quickly.

The letter was not written by Guan Xiao, but by Princess Xi.

In the letter, Princess Xi said that the girl's name was Luo Luo, one of her personal guards, who was not only very talented but also deeply trusted by Princess Xi.

Although she is only 17 years old, her strength has already reached the peak of the third tier.

With this level of skill and age, he would already be considered a prodigy even in the 6th Shelter, which is far stronger than the 8th Shelter.

But more importantly, Lolo's cataclysmic pathway and cataclysmic ability are very special. Her cataclysmic pathway is "order," and her cataclysmic ability is called "danger transfer."

She can set three safe locations and then move freely between them.

This ability is quite good, but... it's really just so-so.

However, she awakened a second ability when she reached the third tier.

Her second ability is... she can merge into the bodies of other Cataclysmic beings.

Once integrated into the body of that Cataclysm, that person will receive a certain boost from the Cataclysm power and... possess her abilities.

When these two abilities are combined, they create a very interesting effect: as long as you carry her with you, you can "absorb her" and then move to a safe area if you encounter danger.

It can be said that in certain critical moments, Lolo is a life-saving trump card.

And now... Princess Xi has given Luo Luo to Qiu Tu.

According to Princess Xi, she has regretted not cooperating with Qiu Tu during this period of time.

Therefore, she gave Luo Luo to Qiu Tu as an apology.

All Qiu Tu needs to do is cooperate with her and successfully bring down the Kou family so that her son can ascend the throne.

Then she would not only be willing to treat Qiu Tu with the respect due to a "national hero," but also grant him the title of "Chief Cabinet Minister," making him the nominal number two figure in the 6th Sanctuary.

Moreover... she will also give Qiu Tu a precious treasure called "Shan Gen".

To be honest, Qiu Tu felt no emotion whatsoever when reading Princess Xi's letter.

Because it's very simple. Don't be fooled by Princess Xi's gifts, her various courtesies, and the promotions she's offered. The real message from Princess Xi is that she's rejecting Qiu Tu.

Both being the second-ranking figures, Qiu Tu proposed the position of "Regent," a title associated with romantic escapades, while Princess Xi offered "Chief Cabinet Minister" and "National Hero."

Qiu Tu requested that Princess Xi accompany him, but Princess Xi instead sent a young, beautiful, and very capable girl.

More importantly... Princess Xi brought out a priceless treasure called "Shan Gen".

To put it slightly exaggeratedly, Zhao Ji was willing to make a move for this rare and precious treasure. Therefore, this is more than enough to pay Qiu Tu for his services.

Therefore, although Princess Xi came to seek cooperation, the terms of cooperation had actually changed completely.

In the past, Qiu Tu would never have agreed to a cooperation that involved altering his own terms.

But now... Qiu Tu, who is already on the verge of reaching the peak of the fifth rank and is about to advance to the sixth rank, needs the "root of the nose" right now.

Therefore, Princess Xi's final reward truly moved him.

The only problem is... where did Princess Xi get her nose bridge? She's not lying to herself, is she?

Thinking this, Qiu Tu read the letter again before looking up at the vibrant girl.

He folded the letter back to its original shape, then nodded slightly and said, "I've read the letter. But whether or not to cooperate... I still need to think about it."

"So, Lieutenant Colonel Luo, please take a rest first."

After saying that, Qiu Tu pressed a button on the table.

A moment later, Tao Yaoyao walked in and then led Luo Luo out of the office.

Seeing this, Luo Luo straightened up, politely saluted Qiu Tu, and then left with Tao Yaoyao.

After she left, Qiu Tu gestured to Guan Xiao to look outside, then asked, "What's going on?"

Guan Xiao had clearly read Princess Xi's letter and done her homework.

She even knew exactly what Qiu Tu cared about most.

So, with a charming smile, she walked behind Qiu Tu, obediently massaging him while explaining to him,

"Speaker, I am Lolo, whom I met on the road this morning."

“She produced the identification of the Royal Guard of the 6th Sanctuary and then handed the letter to me.”

"After reading it, I was somewhat surprised. But I was worried it was a scam, so I used my access to retrieve information about the shelter and then analyzed it."

"As it turns out, I actually managed to analyze some clues."

At this point, Guan Xiao asked, "Speaker, do you remember telling me that 'King Kang' is a near-6th rank?" (Chapters 528 and 530)

Hearing Guan Xiao's words, Qiu Tu, while enjoying her massage, gave a soft "hmm".

Guan Xiao said, "The shelter didn't have this information before, so there were many clues we couldn't understand."

"Ever since I learned of the King of Kang's strength, I have been searching for every possible clue."

"Then, we actually found some useful clues."

At this point, Guan Xiao explained, "The reason why King Kang was able to sweep across the Northwest region and almost reach the 'core area' was actually because he had powerful backers."

"He has a close relationship with a big shot at the Third Shelter."

"The big shot at the Third Sanctuary thought he could rule the entire Northwest region, so he provided him with a lot of resources and support."

"Among them is the precious 'root of the nose'."

"King Kang's strength had reached the peak of the fifth rank and the Nine Stars Alignment at that time."

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Two chapters, 10,000 words each. Requesting monthly votes.

Chapter 557 The Background of Rain Butterfly and Princess Xi (10,000 words, seeking monthly votes)

Hearing Guan Xiao's words, Qiu Tu nodded slightly, not surprised.

Of the eight human sanctuaries, all except the second sanctuary are located on the edge of the world.

Generally speaking, the earlier the serial number, the earlier the establishment time, and therefore the stronger the strength.

Moreover, thanks to the good example set by the First Sanctuary, each sanctuary, once it is on the right track for its own development and has enough additional resources, will support other human areas to establish new sanctuaries.

The reason for this is that... ever since the Cataclysmic Era, the entire world has been like a giant double-ringed jigsaw puzzle.

The center of the real world has merged with the "Boundless Heart Sea - Core Area" and occupied the center of the world.

Even if the humans who are barely surviving in the peripheral areas establish shelters, they cannot rule a narrow, circular area with just one organization.

Given the threats posed by the core areas and disaster zones, it is more urgent for shelters to expand inwards than outwards.

Therefore, this strange yet reasonable phenomenon of "one-to-one" and "multiple-to-one" has been formed.

Just like Qiu Tu, if he really does establish the "Ninth Sanctuary" as Yan Chen predicted.

He will most likely receive support from the 8th and 6th shelters.

Furthermore, if he could connect with the Third Shelter through Shen Lingshuang, he might even receive assistance from them.

It can be said that it was this spirit of "mutual help" and "passing on the torch" that enabled the eight shelters to be established in succession and to safeguard the last spark of human civilization.

Shelter 6 was indeed very strong at the time, and Shelter 3 was optimistic about it and provided it with more resources, which was quite reasonable.

After all... don't forget, Shen Lingshuang's father, Shen Yuzhou, the vice-chairman of the Supreme Council of the Third Shelter, recently visited the Sixth Shelter. (Chapter 458)

Thinking this, Qiu Tu nodded slightly and then asked, "And then?"

Guan Xiao gently pressed Qiu Tu's head back, allowing him to comfortably lean against her soft chest, and then continued speaking.

"And then... at that time, there were no 6th-tier evil gods in the Northwest region, and the 6th Sanctuary was constantly at war, so King Kang didn't have time to improve his strength, and thus he preserved the 'root of the mountain'."

"Until he reached the edge of the 'Cataclysmic Zone - Core Area,' angering the evil god within."

"Therefore, the 'Hidden Mist Society' dispatched the evil god Yaksha, who was only half a step away from the sixth rank, to deal with her."

"Yaksha led 'Yamane' out of the 'core area' and immediately hid to begin advancing to rank 6."

"By the time 'King Kang' realized something was wrong, it was too late. The Yaksha had already advanced to Tier 6, possessing an overwhelming advantage."

"The army is like paper in front of her, and even fourth and fifth-level experts are no match for her."

"King Kang had no choice but to be promoted during wartime."

"However, Yaksha saw through his plan and launched a surprise attack on his advancement, causing him to fail to advance."

"If Kou Xuan hadn't plotted against Yaksha, almost causing her to perish, King Kang and the hundreds of thousands of troops of the Sixth Sanctuary would probably have perished in that battle."

Upon hearing Guan Xiao's words, Qiu Tu immediately had a guess in his mind. He said, "So... the 'root of the nose' that was left over when Prince Kang was promoted has been in his possession ever since?"

Guan Xiao hugged Qiu Tu's head, gently nuzzling him with her chest, and then said, "Probably."

"Logically, that is indeed the case."

"After all... ever since that failed promotion, King Kang's health has been poor. Even with the use of many medications, he has not been able to recover to his peak condition."

"He most likely wouldn't dare to advance to the 6th rank when he's not at his peak."

Qiu Tu nodded slightly upon hearing this, thinking that if that were the case, it was very likely true that Princess Xi possessed a "mountain root".

At least, Qiu Tu felt that Princess Xi wouldn't dare to deceive him.

After all, if he really helped her bring down the Kou family and support her youngest son to take power, then he would prove that he had the strength to overthrow the 6th Sanctuary.

In this situation, if she breaks her promise, Qiu Tu will absolutely not let her and her child off the hook.

'It seems... Shelter No. 6 is definitely worth a visit.'

Thinking this, Qiu Tu stroked the cat's fur while closing his eyes and asking with a satisfied expression, "Then... what's the deal with that Lieutenant Colonel Luo?"

Although Qiu Tu was a womanizer, he still had his own bottom line.

This kind of close bodyguard is far too sensitive.

If Qiu Tu didn't know the other person's situation, he wouldn't dare keep her by his side.

Guan Xiao truly lives up to her reputation as Qiu Tu's most considerate subordinate. She always thinks of Qiu Tu first, no matter what the matter is.

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's question, Guan Xiao gently brushed aside her long, cascading hair and casually draped it over one shoulder.

Then she said, "Speaker, in the past few days I have used the authority you gave me to retrieve all the information about Princess Xi's background from the shelter."

"Then we summarized, concluded, and analyzed. Among these, there happened to be some information about Colonel Luo."

Qiu Tu smelled the faint fragrance on Guan Xiao and then asked, "What's going on?"

Guan Xiao said, "Actually... Princess Xi is not a native of the area controlled by the 6th Shelter."

"She comes from a prominent family in the Northwest region and was well-educated and reasonable from a young age. After the Cataclysmic Era, her family, along with four other families, jointly founded the 7th Sanctuary. This made her status even more precious."

"But thirteen years ago, when the 7th Shelter launched an attack on the disaster zone, the operation was too aggressive. Not only did it fail, but the anti-government forces seized the opportunity to massacre hundreds of thousands of soldiers, capture more than a dozen cities, and launch a counterattack all the way to the shelter area."

This event, known as the "Partridge Terrace Incident," had a profound impact on the situation in the entire Northwest region.

"In the end, it was the 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th shelters that came to the rescue and helped the 7th shelter get through this ordeal."

"In the 'Partridge Terrace Incident,' the family of Princess Xi suffered heavy casualties, with her branch of the family almost being wiped out."

"Furthermore, the commander of that military operation was none other than the Xi Princess's family. Therefore... the Xi Princess's family's power plummeted."

"At that time, Princess Xi did something incredibly decisive, something no one else could have imagined. She came to the army of the 6th Sanctuary and, under the pretext of repaying a debt of gratitude, followed Prince Kang."

Qiu Tu nodded upon hearing this.

He had looked at the information about the shelter before, and he did remember that Princess Xi's information stated: Born into a prestigious family, her family later fell into decline. During her time in distress, she was rescued by Prince Kang and has stayed by his side ever since. (Chapter 490)

At the time, he was also curious: How could someone born into a prestigious family fall into poverty?

Moreover, Princess Xi only joined Prince Kang's family halfway through their relationship, so what exactly happened to her family that led to their downfall?

Now, all of Qiu Tu's questions have been answered.

It turns out that Princess Xi was born in the 7th Shelter, and her father was the head of the shelter.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu couldn't help but ask, "Then what does this have to do with Lieutenant Colonel Luo?"