193: Chapter 193 Alliance Stability and Continued Development

The morning light had just crawled over the rocky ridge of the Main Peak in the Eastern Wasteland, and the stone steps outside the Council Hall were still damp with the night dew.

Chen Wuwang stood on the edge of the high platform, a strand of his silver hair whipped up by the wind, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye synchronizing and refreshing the spiritual energy fluctuation map of the entire territory.

The jade contract activated by that golden light last night was still embedded in the dome, its rune chain trembling slightly, like a bowstring that was taut but no longer humming.

The Cangling Clan's mecha formation appeared on time in the sky above the border of the West Ridge.

Three "Mountain Patrollers" landed steadily at the rift valley outpost; the cabin doors opened, and two armored Cultivators stepped out quickly, followed by a young recorder carrying a data box.

They did not carry banners, only the unified ring emblem of the Alliance branded on their shoulder armor.

"Cangling rotation team, ordered to take over the defense of the northern section of the West Ridge."

The team leader's voice transmitted directly to the central hub via the encrypted rune chain, "Inspectors Zhang Yuan and Li Tuo are at their posts, requesting calibration of the alert coordinates."

Chen Wuwang tapped his fingertip lightly against the Void Realm, and the handover area was immediately marked on the sand table.

He did not speak, only pushed a wave frequency over—that was the energy signature of the residual runes from last night.

Three seconds later, the Cangling team members deployed their detection Formation Plate, a circle of pale blue light swept over the ground, and several weak fluctuations were immediately locked onto.

"Two residual disturbance points discovered, already marked and sealed."

"Sample collection complete, no signs of active spreading."

"Confirmed as low-level mental interference residue, the source is consistent with the standard methods of Moyuan."

The messages were transmitted back one by one, broadcast live in their entirety to the terminals of every clan.

No one questioned it, and no one vied for credit.

Chen Wuwang watched the data stream jumping on the sand table, his lips pressed together, unable to force a smile.

Half an hour later, the "First Week Early Warning Report" was automatically generated and distributed to the encampments of the thirteen clans.

Opening the first page, there was a summary table: within seven days, level three or higher alerts were triggered four times, three of which were verified, and one was a false alarm—

The false alarm entry was clearly the Chen family's own Artifact Refining Workshop steam leak causing a Spiritual Pressure anomaly; the record was crystal clear, even listing the name of the supervisor on duty.

The Deputy Commander of Chiji Ridge stared at the Jade Slip for a full half-cup of tea's time, then suddenly grinned: "Not bad, these rules really don't shield anyone."

The young man from the Nangu Lin Family made a decision on the spot: "We apply to join the second batch of inspector training!"

As the news spread, the market area also came to life.

The originally deserted trading area now had several mixed patrol squads; Disciples of the Chuanyun Sect and merchants of the West Desert Sand Clan walked side by side, checking material lists while discussing where to build the newly established joint storage point.

At noon, the transport fleet arrived.

Six fully loaded cargo ships descended slowly at the outer port; the cabin doors opened, and crate after crate labeled "External Cooperation Resources"—Spirit Crystals, star-patterned alloys, and rare Ore cores—were unloaded in an orderly fashion.

This was not war booty, but the first stable input from cross-region trade.

In the afternoon at the hour of Wei, the resource scheduling meeting was held on time.

The Council Hall was packed with people, even the Elders of the Blacksmith Alliance who usually couldn't be bothered to show their faces had come.

Chen Wuwang stood before the sand table and directly pulled up the distribution model: "All materials are to be pooled into common storage, with distribution ratios calculated via a dual-track System of 'Contribution Value + Basic Needs'."

"Contribution Value comes from rotation days, task completion rate, and technical sharing items."

"Basic needs are determined based on population, defense line length, and production scale."

"Each clan will dispatch one verification representative, and the Supervisory Committee will oversee the entire process."

Someone frowned: "Then what if someone farms contribution?"

"The System automatically identifies duplicate declarations." Chen Wuwang projected a set of data, "Last month, Leiyin Pavilion reported three patrols, but only one actually occurred; the other two were rejected. The records are all there, available for inspection at any time."

"Then what about small clans like us..." the representative of the Beipo Liu Clan spoke hesitantly.

"It is precisely for this reason that it is fairer." Chen Wuwang switched to a chart, "In the past, you couldn't get core supplies, but now, by running one extra trip to the border, you can exchange it for ten high-purity Spirit Stones. The production data of the automated Artifact Refining Workshop is connected to the distribution System; whoever works more, gets more."

When the meeting ended, the representatives of the thirteen clans pressed their spiritual seals onto the "Resource Allocation Memorandum" one by one.

There were no blood oaths, no spell contracts, only a single sheet of clear rules.

At the moment of signing, many breathed a sigh of relief, as if they had finally put down a stone that had been hanging over their heads for years.

In the evening, the workshop area was brightly lit.

The new assembly lines were already running, the spiritual energy furnaces were roaring, and the rune engraving tools were darting rapidly across the metal plates.

Several young apprentices were gathered around a "Night Watcher" Type III mecha under assembly, pointing and gesturing, one of them saying excitedly:

"I heard this upgrade uses a new type of alloy, doubling the defense!"

"That's not all." The Senior Brother beside him didn't even lift his head, "The power core has been changed, endurance increased from eight hours to twelve, and it can even be remotely awakened."

Transport mechas took off one squad after another, traveling back and forth between the clan encampments along fixed routes.

The once-severed transport lines were reconnected; the He Clan's Ore, the Sun Clan's timber, and the Wen family's herbs began to flow.

Prices in the market stabilized, and no one was shouting "it'll go up tomorrow" anymore.

Chen Wuwang did not return to the main manor.

He kept standing on the high platform, watching everything below.

In the distance, a group of youths were practicing basic sword forms in an open space; Chen Xiaodao's figure occasionally flashed by, offering a few pointers before leaving again.

The chimneys of the Artifact Refining Workshop puffed white smoke, mist rose slowly from the Medicinal Field, and the lights of the patrol mechas flashed rhythmically along the ridge line.

An old steward passed by, saw him standing alone, hesitated for a moment, then walked up: "Clan Head, dinner has been brought."

Chen Wuwang took the food box but did not open it.

He gazed at the jumping green dots on the sand table and said in a low voice: "Do you know what I fear most?"

The old steward was stunned.

"It's not the enemy attacking." He shook his head, "It's everyone getting used to stability, and then starting to bicker over who took half a Spirit Stone more or who missed a shift of guard duty."

The old steward was silent for a moment: "But it's different now. The rules are there, no one can act recklessly."

"Yes." Chen Wuwang finally smiled, "The wall has been built, and the roots have taken hold."

He opened the food box, which contained a bowl of steaming spirit rice porridge, a few side dishes, and a plate of pickled radish—worlds apart from the dry biscuit he had gnawed on in the ruins three years ago.

Laughter from children drifted from afar.

Several small children were chasing a returning reconnaissance drone, shouting "I want to pilot a mecha!" "I want to be an inspector when I grow up!"

Chen Wuwang took a sip of the porridge; it was warm.

He knew there were still people whispering privately about "how long these peaceful days can last," and he knew some Elders were still gathering at night, muttering "the Chen family is the Chen family after all."

But he didn't care.

As long as patrols were handed over as usual, alarms were responded to as usual, resources were allocated as usual, and workshops operated as usual—

Then it was not an illusion.

The wind truly could not topple a city that had already begun to breathe.

He put down the bowl, his fingertips tapping the edge of the table unconsciously, da, da, da, as if counting something.

On the sand table, a new patrol route had just lit up, starting from Cangling, passing through Chiji, straight to the South Valley, a complete closed loop.

A new day had begun.