Anna Yang took a deep breath and glanced at Monkey with a hint of weariness in her eyes.
Monkey couldn't help but give an awkward smile.
Once again, silence fell between them.
Monkey was well aware of just how much work Anna Yang had taken on these days. Yet there was no one on Blossom Mountain who could replace her. Now, the entire task of refining elixirs for the hundred thousand demon cultivators rested solely on her shoulders—anyone else would have collapsed long ago.
But Anna Yang had persevered, working diligently day after day.
After a moment, she continued to stare intently at the pill furnace, occasionally channeling spiritual power into it.
"Did you come all this way just to tell me that?" Anna Yang gently wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Why not? That child is my godson."
"When Rhino's child is born, I'll go and see him."
"Thank you."
After that, the two of them crouched together again, peering into the pill furnace.
After a while, Anna Yang furrowed her brows and turned to Monkey. "You're still here?"
Her attitude was downright harsh...
Monkey scratched his cheek and grinned foolishly. "Well... It's been a long time since everyone gathered. General Lee is coming soon, so I thought I'd call Shortbeak and Louis Quickpaw over for a meeting tonight. We need to get everyone on the same page."
"No need. Just let me know once you've reached a decision." With that, Anna Yang turned back to the pill furnace, ignoring him.
After a moment's hesitation, Monkey nodded quietly. "Alright, I'll head out then."
And so their brief conversation ended. Anna Yang glared at Monkey's departing back, grinding her teeth in frustration.
As Monkey left the alchemy room, he looked up and saw Shortbeak arriving right behind him.
Shortbeak was landing on the distant tower platform, surrounded by a squad of guards. Among them was the newly arrived white-pigeon demon.
It seemed the other five demons still couldn't fly, so they must have been left for the mining crew to escort back.
In a blink, the two had landed at a spacious camp outside the city.
There weren't many demon soldiers guarding the place, but a long line of ragged outsider demons had formed. A toad demon in heavy armor, Rusty, walked up and down the line, cracking his whip at anyone who broke the rules.
"This is...?"
"The registration camp. All new demons must register here and wait for assignment. Based on your situation, you should go to the academy first, though you might qualify for advanced classes."
"Academy? There's an academy here?" Little White's eyes widened with excitement.
"Teaching has always been one of Blossom Mountain's top priorities. We don't require you to write poetry like humans, but if you can't read, how can you take on important duties?"
"Important duties?"
"If you perform well, you can be promoted—it's the rule. If someone does well but flunks the written test, it's a headache for the boss. Promote or not, it's tricky. That's why basic literacy is now required for new recruits. You'll understand all this later; it's hard to explain quickly."
"Got it."
Little White nodded and was about to join the queue, but Wendy pulled her back.
"This way."
She dragged her to a nearby tent.
Inside, a short sparrow demon in scholar's robes was sleeping at a long table.
"Wake up!" Without hesitation, Wendy kicked him, making the sparrow demon jump up in fright.
"Who? Who?" He rubbed his eyes, groggily grabbed his tall hat, looked at Wendy, then at Little White behind her, and asked, "Sister Wendy, what's going on?"
"Help me register her."
"But I'm off duty today."
"That's exactly why I came to you—otherwise, we'd have to queue according to the rules. Would you really let such a pretty girl stand in the sun waiting? Stop whining and get it done, or don't come to me for help next time."
Little White's heart ached, and she couldn't help but let tears fall, startling the two demons who didn't know what was going on.
...
Outside Monkey's study, Louis Quickpaw was about to ask the gatekeeper demon to announce him, when he saw Shortbeak hurrying over.
Before Louis Quickpaw could react, Shortbeak pushed open the door and strode inside.
Louis Quickpaw hurried in after him.
Inside the spacious, bright study, Monkey sat at his desk, reading.
Seeing Monkey, Louis Quickpaw immediately knelt and cried, "Your servant greets the King!"
Shortbeak, lacking manners, felt awkward and could only stand with a respectful gesture.
"Get up." Monkey waved to Shortbeak, put down the bamboo scroll, and stood up to ask, "What's going on?"
Shortbeak took the bamboo scroll just handed to him and weighed it, asking, "What's this about?"
Monkey took a deep breath and said calmly, "General Lee is coming. Within a few months, we may have to fight a decisive battle at South Heaven Gate."
The two present gasped, "So soon?"
"We all underestimated that guy. One hundred Peaches of Immortality, and he managed to get them so quickly."
Originally, we estimated General Lee would need at least two or three years.
"But... the firearms aren't ready yet!" Louis Quickpaw exclaimed.
"Looks like we can't rely on firearms this time. Prepare for war. Quickly select some of the new demons and try to build fighting strength in a short time. Those captured warships need to be drilled faster." Monkey turned from Shortbeak to Louis Quickpaw and continued, "As for you, those wings must be put to use immediately—the more, the better. This time, both General Lee and Nezha will fight in person; it's not like last time with King Broadgaze."
Just then, a clerk hurried in from outside and whispered a few words in Monkey's ear.
"What? Born?"