176: Chapter 176 Internal Troubles Within the Alliance, Conflicts Begin to Emerge

As the morning light just climbed over the eaves of the Eastern Wasteland Alliance Council Hall, and the dew on the bronze beast-headed roof tiles had yet to melt, Chen Wuwang was already standing before the stone steps to the side of the main seat.

He wore no battle armor, only a black fitted outfit, covered by a translucent spiritual energy protective armor, with a dagger hanging at his waist adorned with rune tassels.

His Mechanical Prosthetic Eye glowed faintly blue as it swept across the representatives of the various clans who were taking their seats in the hall.

Among these people were the grey-robed Daoist of the Chuanyun Sect, the one-eyed giant from Chiji Ridge, and an Elder of the West Desert Sand Clan wrapped in a gold-threaded turban.

They gathered in twos and threes, speaking in low voices, their gazes occasionally darting toward him.

Some nodded in greeting, others lowered their heads to drink tea, and some simply turned their faces away, pretending not to see him.

Chen Wuwang did not move, nor did he speak. His right index finger tapped lightly on the hilt of his dagger three times, as if calculating something.

"The Head of the Chen Family has arrived early," a purple-robed Cultivator said, walking up with a smile, holding a teacup. "Did you enjoy the victory banquet last night? I heard the city lit up with talisman fire lanterns all night long."

"My clan members were happy, so I relaxed for the night as well," Chen Wuwang said, taking the tea and sipping it. His gaze, however, drifted past the man's shoulder, landing on two middle-aged Cultivators in the back row who were whispering to each other.

Upon seeing him look over, the two immediately stopped talking; one stroked his beard with a dry laugh, while the other lowered his head to adjust his cuffs.

When the teacup was set down, the council bell rang.

After the twelve tolls, everyone took their seats. Chen Wuwang sat in the first seat on the left. A projection Formation Plate automatically rose from the jade table in front of him, displaying the meeting agenda: post-war inventory, defense line scheduling, and resource allocation.

The elderly man presiding coughed twice. "Yesterday, the Chen Family achieved a great victory, intercepting one Zerg smuggling ship, seizing over four hundred units of star-patterned stone, two mech wrecks, and several pieces of intelligence. Such an achievement is truly the pride of the Alliance."

Before his voice had even faded, a shrill voice from the lower right side interjected, "Credit is credit, but how these spoils of war are divided still needs to be discussed."

It was Elder Zhao of the Chuanyun Sect, with a gaunt face and an eagle nose, who had always looked down upon the Chen Family's use of mechs.

"We at Chiji Ridge provided manpower and effort, yet we didn't even get a decent piece of slag."

Another muffled voice rang out; it was the Deputy Commander of Chiji Ridge. "You Chen Family members have it good—new mechs, star-patterned stone—you've stolen all the limelight."

"Limelight?" Chen Wuwang finally spoke. His voice was not loud, but it suppressed all the noise in the hall. "Three days ago, who said, 'The Zerg smuggling route was cut off long ago, don't waste your effort'? Now you come to fight for credit?"

Elder Zhao sneered. "We are questioning the process. Your Chen Family monopolized the intelligence, you commanded the operation, and your people were the ones to move the spoils first. The Alliance charter is clear—major actions require joint discussion and decision-making, not one family calling the shots."

"Joint discussion?" Chen Wuwang tapped his finger, and the projection switched to the combat records. "Before departing, I notified all departments seven times, and no one responded. During the battle, I requested support three times, and none arrived. Within twenty-four hours of our victorious return, which of you sent anyone to receive the supplies?"

He stood up, his silver hair stirred by the draft, and the claw marks on his right cheek gleamed dark red in the light.

"The reason my Chen Family didn't wait for you is that I knew—we couldn't afford to wait."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

"That doesn't mean you can swallow all the benefits!" The Sand Clan Elder slammed the table and stood up. "At least thirty percent of that batch of star-patterned stone must go to the Alliance public treasury! Otherwise, who will work with you in the future?"

"Thirty percent?" Chen Wuwang laughed. The laugh was not loud, but it made several Cultivators in the front shrink their necks back. "Let me tell you, not a single screw's worth of this batch of star-patterned stone will enter the public treasury."

The whole hall was in an uproar.

"Are you trying to keep it all for yourself?"

"The Alliance is not your Chen Family's backyard!"

"Turning your back on us now that the battle is won?"

Chen Wuwang did not refute them; he simply raised his left hand and drew a circle in the air.

The projection instantly switched to a three-dimensional map, marking seventeen Spiritual Vein nodes in the Eastern Wasteland.

"Look closely." His voice turned cold. "How many secret tunnels have the Zerg dug in these three years? How many mining entrances have they infiltrated? Do you think they are after a few broken stones? They are after the lifeblood of the entire Eastern Wasteland's earth veins!"

He pointed his finger, and a red line snaked out from underground, leading directly beneath the Chen Family's main city.

"Last month, they almost blew up our main Spiritual Well. If it had been half an hour later, the entire city's protective formation would have collapsed, and it wouldn't just be Cultivators who died, but thirty thousand Mortals as well."

No one spoke.

"So, the reason I led my people to fight this battle was not to divide spoils, but to survive."

Chen Wuwang put away the projection and sat back down. "As for the star-patterned stone—half will be used to upgrade the defensive array, and half will be invested in the research and development of new warships. The blueprints will be made public, and the technology will be shared, but I will not relinquish the right of leadership."

"Shared?" Elder Zhao sneered. "Last time you said you'd share mech technology, but what happened? What we got were castrated versions!"

"Because you haven't even upgraded your basic rune furnaces," Chen Wuwang said calmly. "Technology is not charity; it is a threshold. If you can cross it, I will present it to you with both hands; if you cannot, even giving you the full set of blueprints will just be a pile of scrap metal."

He paused, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye sweeping across the hall. "Tomorrow, I will send someone to deliver a 'Joint Defense Upgrade Plan' to each clan. Those who are willing to keep up, let's go together; those who are not—please feel free to do as you please."

Having said that, he stopped looking at anyone, took out a jade talisman engraved with the meeting number from his robes, and placed it gently on the table.

The meeting continued, and the topic turned to patrol rotations.

Chen Wuwang did not speak again, only occasionally nodding or shaking his head.

His Mechanical Prosthetic Eye was running in the background, quietly recording every person's tone fluctuations, Spiritual Qi frequency, and micro-expression changes.

Three names were marked:

[Elder Zhao — Interest-damaged type]

[Chiji Deputy Commander — Status-anxiety type]

[Sand Clan Elder — Potential collusion type]

The rest were mostly silent. Some frowned, some sighed, some lowered their heads to drink tea, their eyes flickering.

Chen Wuwang knew what was going on.

Great merit overshadows the master; it has always been like this since ancient times.

He was not afraid of open spears, but he feared these hidden arrows concealed beneath the Alliance covenant.

The meeting ended, and the crowd dispersed one after another.

Some nodded when passing him, some walked around him, and others deliberately bumped into the corner of the table, making a harsh sound.

He ignored them and stood up to walk out of the Council Hall.

Outside was a long corridor with bluestone flooring, lined on both sides with iron-bone pines, their branches twisted like blades.

The morning wind passed through the pillars, carrying a hint of chill.

Halfway through, he stopped.

He raised his right hand and gently stroked the three claw marks on his right cheek.

The skin was rough, and the old wound had long since healed, but every time his emotions fluctuated, this spot would heat up.

"Too much limelight, a tall tree catches the wind..." he said in a low voice, as if talking to himself, "But if I don't fight, how will my clan members survive?"

His Mechanical Prosthetic Eye activated playback mode, and the images from the meeting just now flashed by frame by frame.

He clipped the statements of those three people, saved them into an encrypted data stream, and marked them as "To Be Investigated."

There was no anger, no impulse.

He knew that acting now would only make them band together.

Counterattacking now would only make him appear guilty.

He had to wait.

Wait for them to reveal their own flaws.

In the distance, the outline of the city walls was clearly visible in the morning light.

The Chen Family's factory district had already begun to operate; faint spiritual mist rose from the chimneys, and the low sound of forging came from the direction of the Artifact Refining Workshop.

There were his clan members, his Foundation, his future.

He could not lose.

Nor would he allow anyone to extinguish the hope that had just been ignited after the victory.

At the end of the corridor, the sunlight shone obliquely.

He stood at the boundary of light and shadow, his shadow stretched out long.

The jade talisman in his hand was gripped until it felt hot, and his brows were tightly furrowed, as if weighed down by an unfallen thunderstorm.

He did not take another step forward.