Chapter 1226: Chapter 1226

In the royal city of Shenghai Kingdom, there were now many unfamiliar faces. However, the citizens of Shenghai Kingdom paid them little heed, as they have seen too many well-dressed people here.

The spirit, vigor, and demeanor of the residents in the royal city has completely transformed from before. Now, even when walking on the streets, everyone holds their heads high and chests out, with a sense of pride emanating from within.

Of course, this wasn’t Du You’s true royal city, but rather the earliest established peripheral city, which had only been expanded. The real core location has always been kept hidden, with no one knowing where it might be. Usually, Shaliya lived within this royal city.

The royal city was now within their own territorial boundaries, and the various defenses around it were second only to the main body of their territory. The grand military parade was soon to commence, and many from different countries were gathering here.

"Such prosperity, who would have thought that a nondescript rural wasteland could be developed to this extent. If the nobles had known earlier that it could reach such heights, they probably wouldn’t have been so dismissive," someone mused. The source of this content ɪs 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖•𝗇𝗲𝘁

Thinking of the nobles within their own nation, each one lazy but lustful for territories, always desiring to acquire more land yet snubbing less desirable places. Don’t they understand that even the best territories were developed from barren lands?

"Your Highness Third Prince, reaching this degree of development is not something just anyone can achieve. If those nobles could do it, they would stand out wherever they go, not necessarily having to come to this place," a young man clad in luxurious clothes was accompanied by an elder with graying hair, who nonetheless addressed him with the utmost respect.

"Uncle Huoli, there’s no need to be so formal outside, just call me by my name," said the Third Prince.

"You are a prince of the empire, of noble status," Huoli said indifferently, and the Third Prince said nothing more.

"By the way, have we clarified the issue with the military forces within this city? Since Shenghai Kingdom dares to show off their military strength to everyone, it certainly won’t be insignificant, but I wonder to what extent they have developed. If Shenghai Kingdom has grown too powerful, it poses a great threat to us."

Humans are different from Beastmen; regardless of how powerful Beastmen may be, they are just like scattered sand, lacking excessive greed. The real threat is destructive forces such as Quicksand Empire, as well as powers belonging to fellow humans.

As humans, they can assimilate the land and citizens of others, and that is the most troublesome aspect. Just as they had always lived peacefully with their neighbors, but when the kingdom by the sea began its development, they felt it necessary to suppress it.

Huoli surveyed the surroundings; immediately, some people subtly shifted, separating themselves from others without causing a stir. In the bustling street, an isolated environment subtly took form.

Huoli lowered his voice, whispering, "Your Highness Third Prince, based on our investigations, there are no less than a thousand, close to two thousand tier-five masters just around this city. And that’s not counting the one thousand Flame Giant puppets. The strength of Shenghai Kingdom is not to be underestimated," Huoli’s vigilance towards Shenghai Kingdom could be said to be at its peak.

"Is that so? Then is it possible for them to have any tier-six existences?"

"Impossible, if they had any tier-six existences, they would have displayed them by now, and they wouldn’t come into conflict with our Divine Flame Empire. However, their ability to train tier-five experts is no simple feat."

This was a consensus between them. The tier-five masters that Du You displayed were always approximately on par with each other, as if carved from the same mold. While the Divine Flame Empire had many tier-five experts, each one had their unique characteristics. Even if the Secret Methods they cultivated were similar, their expressions of those methods could not be exactly the same.

That’s normal. Du You’s forces, however, seemed to be uniformly trained like soldiers in an army.

Thus in their hearts, Shenghai Kingdom definitely possessed a method for training high-tier military forces. They were just unsure before, but this military parade should confirm their beliefs.

"Heh, Father and my elder brother will certainly want to obtain this secret method from Shenghai Kingdom. But getting hold of such a secret method is easier said than done. The other party will definitely be unwilling, and when that happens, a confrontation becomes inevitable," said the Third Prince.

"What do you suggest, Your Highness?" Huoli seemed to understand something.

"Nothing much, just that having a common enemy could perhaps mean an opportunity to form an alliance."

Having said this, the two did not continue the conversation. After all, within the empire, the First Prince held the highest position, and with his upcoming northern campaign, he was bound to accrue significant merits, further solidifying his stance.

Moreover, with the power that the First Prince had cultivated over the years, and considering his own youth, it was impossible for him to ascend. Once the First Prince took the throne, his own survival would become difficult. He wasn’t a fool like the Second Prince; the First Prince would not tolerate his existence. If he wanted to live, his only option was to forge ahead without stopping.

Thus, cooperating with Shenghai Kingdom would be the best approach. But such matters could not be spoken aloud, for it could harm the interests of the Divine Flame Empire and even go against the will of the king of the Divine Flame Empire, so it was crucial not to give anyone a handle.

In his view, as long as Shenghai Kingdom did not have a tier-six expert, there was no cause for concern. Because the king of Shenghai Kingdom simply could not fend off a tier-six expert’s deadly assault, and this was the critical point. Strength was supreme, not just a mere saying.

Meanwhile, other major powers also began their investigations within the royal city of Shenghai Kingdom. Both overtly and covertly they probed, and Du You had opened up this time. Aside from a few particularly private areas, they were allowed to inspect anywhere. Even if they were discovered, Du You wouldn’t execute them, at most they would receive a warning.

Latter on, since they knew of Du You’s intentions, these investigators became even more brazen, and towards the end, a batch was dealt with.

This incident caused such a stir that even the northern Lion Clan sent emissaries. Despite their internal turmoil, they dispatched representatives, making one wonder their intentions - perhaps seeking an alliance?

What they likely didn’t know was that the weapons and provisions for the Fox People Clan were all supplied by him. However, Du You simply glanced at their representatives and then put the matter aside; Shaliya would handle the troublesome affairs for him.

Days passed, and soon the day of the military parade arrived. As his own parade drew others’ attention, the northern conflicts stabilized, affording Holy Fox City more time to prepare.