At this moment, a soldier from the Great Wall Guard pushed aside the tent flap and said, "Lord Bai, a dispatch has arrived from Chang'an City. Lady Mulan wants you to come over."
Bai Ye snapped back to reality, nodded, and then, much to the soldier's stunned amazement, put away the gashapon machine.
Mulan's tent was next door. As Bai Ye entered, Mulan held a letter and said, "It's confirmed, those mechanical figures were lost from the Ten Thousand Manifestations Guild."
Bai Ye said, "Oh?"
Mulan continued, "About a month ago, a batch of mechanical figures went missing in Chang'an. Lord Di of the Dali Temple has been investigating, but with no leads. I didn't expect those mechanical figures to appear at the Great Wall."
Bai Ye asked, "So, what do we do now?"
Mulan replied, "Chang'an has instructed us to handle it ourselves."
Bai Ye was speechless, "Isn't that a bit too perfunctory?"
Mulan sighed, "It's not that Lord Di is perfunctory, but Chang'an is going through a turbulent time. Many things have been happening in the capital recently, and the Dali Temple is already overwhelmed, unable to spare any personnel."
Bai Ye inquired curiously, "A lot has been happening in Chang'an too?"
Mulan nodded, then gestured towards a pile of documents to the side. "Yes, to investigate the mechanical figures, I've also gathered some intelligence from Chang'an. See how it's all piled up there."
Bai Ye looked at the files that resembled a small mountain and muttered, "This looks like no less trouble than what we have here."
Mulan agreed, "Exactly. So, it's understandable that Lord Di can't spare anyone and wants us to handle it ourselves."
Bai Ye nodded, casually picked up a file, and flipped through it. He then frowned.
"Hmm?" Bai Ye murmured, "The Heart of Dawn was stolen?"
Mulan nodded. "Yes, this matter is what's causing the most headaches for Chang'an."
"Just a moment," Bai Ye's eyes lit up. "Let me think, I think I might know something."
Bai Ye didn't know much about the lore of the Heroic Regions, as there were simply too many sub-regions within them.
In his previous life, Bai Ye had only visited Chang'an, the Land of the Fallen Gods, and…
The Primordial Domain!
The Primordial Domain was a forbidden zone. Its origin was the shattering of an item called the Heart of Dawn, which led to the opening of an interdimensional portal. A large amount of primordial energy surged out from the portal, forming the Primordial Domain forbidden zone, filled with illusions known as the Dark Heart Worlds.
Thinking it over, the situation made sense!
When Bai Ye had gone to the Primordial Domain in his previous life, it was around the mid-stage of the World Battlefield's progression. The Primordial Domain was already open, and one could simply enter.
However, at present…
Bai Ye pondered. With the current strength of the chosen ones, entering and exiting the Primordial Domain would be almost impossible.
After all, measuring by his current strength, entering the Primordial Domain would be a surefire death, and this was even with the advantage of his past life's memories.
Therefore, the Primordial Domain forbidden zone was definitely not open yet. But since the Heart of Dawn was related to the opening of the Primordial Domain forbidden zone, it meant…
"This hidden quest is actually a precursor to the opening of the Primordial Domain forbidden zone?"
Bai Ye felt he had discovered the key.
It was important to note that the Primordial Domain forbidden zone was not located in Chang'an City, but in a place called Glory Canyon.
While thinking, Bai Ye took out some files to examine and then said, "Show me the map of the Great Wall."
Mulan, though unsure why, produced a parchment map for Bai Ye.
Bai Ye quickly scanned the map and then took a deep breath. "I see. Their goal is to transport the Heart of Dawn out of Chang'an."
Mulan asked in confusion, "Hmm?"
Bai Ye said, "Give me a map of Chang'an as well."
Mulan handed him a new parchment map.
Bai Ye drew a circle on Chang'an's location, then cross-referenced it with the files, drawing more circles on the map.
Next, Bai Ye had someone retrieve the files related to the Great Wall from his tent. He constantly compared the incident locations mentioned in the files and drew circles on the map.
"The enemy's strategy is to wear us down. By constantly creating trouble, they hope to exhaust us, thus allowing them to transport the Heart of Dawn out of Chang'an," Bai Ye said as he drew circles. "Is the Dali Temple so overwhelmed that no one is dealing with the Heart of Dawn matter?"
Mulan replied, "It's not that no one is dealing with it. I heard Lord Li Bai is investigating…"
After speaking, Mulan paused and pondered.
"Your theory might be plausible. With only Lord Li Bai investigating the Heart of Dawn, the Dali Temple simply can't spare more personnel. However, what does this have to do with us?"
"That depends on where the other party intends to send the Heart of Dawn," Bai Ye said, continuing to draw circles on the map. "We'll have the answer soon."
A moment later, Bai Ye picked up the two maps, compared them, and smiled.
His guess was correct!
Bai Ye pointed at the map and said, "Look, this is the enemy's target."
Mulan glanced at it. "Glory Canyon?"
Bai Ye nodded. "Look at the map of Chang'an. Besides incidents within the city, there are almost no incidents on the southwest side outside the city."
Mulan nodded. "Mhm."
Bai Ye continued, "Now look at the Great Wall. Recently, horse bandits, barbarians, and demons have been appearing frequently, attacking merchant convoys and the Great Wall itself. The market at Jade City Pass is particularly active. There have been over a dozen incidents of merchant caravans being robbed. However, in the opposite direction of Jade City Pass, the northeast, there have been almost no incidents. Why do you think that is?"
Mulan narrowed her eyes. "East of the Great Wall, towards the northeast, is Glory Canyon."
"Exactly," Bai Ye said. "It's simple. They are causing trouble in Chang'an to transport the Heart of Dawn out, with Glory Canyon as the destination. And the trouble along the Great Wall is to prevent their plan from being exposed. The Great Wall can quickly dispatch reinforcements."
Mulan nodded. "So, the recent frequent incidents are all happening in areas far from the northeast. Jade City, being in the opposite direction, has had a lot of incidents. This way, even if they receive news, it would be difficult to gather manpower."
Bai Ye declared, "Correct answer!"
Mulan grabbed the map and said, "I'll go see Commander Li Xin immediately."
Mulan, with her decisive nature, grabbed the map and rushed off, leaving Bai Ye behind.
Meanwhile, Bai Ye received a notification…
"You have helped the Great Wall Guard uncover the secret of the mechanical figures. You have received a quest reward: Shadow Axe x1."
Bai Ye's hidden quest was completed!
The next second, a black battle axe appeared in Bai Ye's hand.
…