Just as Shen Mu was pondering about the Green Leaf Group, at the Green Leaf Group's headquarters, inside the Wood Elf Village's Elder Treehouse.
Yang Di, the Wood Elf patriarch, Zhang Song, who was nominally the deputy director of the External Relations Department but was actually the main person in charge, and two other managers from the Security Department and Militia Department, had all arrived at the Elder Treehouse.
However, at this moment, their expressions were quite solemn.
"Confirmed?"
Yang Di slowly spoke, looking at Zhang Song beside him and asking, "That Human Lord named Shen Mu has really started to absorb Xue Zhigang's Orc Tribe, is gathering Blue Star Humans, and has also begun to develop in a corporate and standardized manner?!"
"Yes."
Facing Yang Di's question, Zhang Song nodded seriously, saying with great solemnity in his eyes, "General Manager Yang, according to the report from our insider infiltrated in Shen Mu's Human territory, Shen Mu has consciously begun to develop corporately."
"Then this is truly a troublesome matter." Yang Di's expression was not good.
Including the ministers around him, their faces were also a bit grim.
Because he understood that Shen Mu's purpose in gathering those Blue Star Humans was for Faith Power.
And once Shen Mu started collecting Faith Power and began to widely descend his Spiritual Realm forces from the Star Realm, it would be equivalent to the corporate and standardized development they had just mentioned.
At that time, for their Green Leaf Group, it would truly be quite awkward.
After all, once Shen Mu's Human territory began to gather Faith Power and became stronger and stronger.
Then, what should their Green Leaf Group do?
Just thinking about it, Yang Di could guess that at that time, he would definitely lead the Wood Elf Village to continue a head-on battle with Shen Mu.
And if they fell into a disadvantage, perhaps they would also have to deal with it like Xue Zhigang, who dealt with the Orc Tribe before, telling him about the relationship between the Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty's Skeleton Legion in the underground tunnels of Long City and their Wood Elves.
To use those Skeleton Legions, which might riot at any time, to deter this Shen Mu.
Otherwise, as Shen Mu grew stronger and absorbed the foundation of the Orc Tribe, he would begin to expand into the main areas of Long City.
Conflict would inevitably arise with them.
"It's all because of Faith Power." Yang Di sighed.
But to make him abandon those Blue Star Humans, and give up on continuing to gain a lot of Faith Power in the future.
He simply couldn't do it.
This was no different from surrendering.
Moreover, even after surrendering, their Spiritual Realm Lords would not have a good end.
After all, the reason they became Spiritual Realm Lords was because they were affirmed by the forces in the Spiritual Realm scenes or planes in the Star Realm above.
Only then could they become Spiritual Realm Lords.
Otherwise, it would be unrealistic to become a Spiritual Realm Lord on their own.
After all, for Yang Di.
He had been a Spiritual Realm Lord for nearly three years, so he understood very well that the Spiritual Realm Lord imprints cast down by the Spiritual Realm forces in the Star Realm were actually selecting Blue Star Humans.
Only strong, resolute, and test-passing Blue Star Humans would be chosen to become Spiritual Realm Lords.
Everything behind it was planned.
Just like those who become Spiritual Realm Lords will slowly transform into the Spiritual Realm creatures they chose.
Completing the soul-level resonance and physical changes.
All of this came with a price.
And now he had become the Spiritual Realm Lord of the Wood Elves, the patriarch of this village.
So he needed to take on the development of this Wood Elf Village and the existence of the Wood Elf race in the Blue Star World.
Therefore, he needed more Blue Star Humans to provide a continuous stream of Faith Power, and then allow the Wood Elf main camp in the Star Realm to descend more and more into the Blue Star World, into Long City.
Ultimately, they would build this place into an important branch or a crucial base for the Wood Elves.
In the upcoming large-scale descent of Spiritual Realm races from the Star Realm, making early arrangements and plans in the Blue Star World, it could be said that as a Blue Star Human, he would be the pioneer for the Wood Elf race.
Once the Spiritual Realm officially descended into this new world, he, as the pioneer, would also become a meritorious minister among the Wood Elves.
He would also be allowed, accepted, and completely transformed into a Wood Elf.
Formally becoming a member of the Wood Elves.
And if he failed to achieve all of this, then during the process of the large-scale descent of the Star Realm and the transformation of the Blue Star World into the Spiritual Realm.
He would not have played any significant role.
Then the fate of Wood Elves transformed from male humans would not be good either.
Even if they survived, they would be marginalized, never entering the center of power, and the future decision-making power of the Wood Elves would be completely unrelated to him.
And just thinking about the miserable state of being marginalized, Yang Di felt increasingly frustrated now.
"We need to think now about how we can protect the Blue Star Humans we currently have, to ensure they aren't attracted by that guy Shen Mu, to empower his Human territory, and to bring him a continuous stream of Faith Power."
Yang Di spoke at this moment.
"But General Manager Yang, that might be very difficult." A minister next to him slowly spoke at this moment, with a somewhat helpless expression.
He was the minister in charge of the Security Department, overseeing patrol and sentry duties, and primarily responsible for the troops of the Wood Elf race's main body.
At this moment, his tone was somewhat serious: "After all, that guy Shen Mu, leading his Human troops, has already defeated Xue Zhigang's Diesel Company and his Orc troops, and even destroyed the Orc Tribe. No matter how strong we are, we can't achieve that level."
"That's right, General Manager Yang, I agree with the Security Minister." The Militia Minister next to him also nodded in agreement.
The Militia Department was responsible for those external forces, the Militia troops formed by Blue Star Humans who had become Spiritual Realm Commanders.
Basically, they were similar to the Diesel Company's outsourced teams.
However, because the Green Leaf Group's repulsive force was not strong, and it was not as aggressive as the Diesel Company, it still attracted quite a few Spiritual Realm Commanders to join them.
Therefore, the Militia troops were basically considered the Green Leaf Group's flagship product.
In terms of tactical sequence, they were not inferior to the Wood Elves of the Security Department; in fact, in some tactics similar to defending positions or stabilizing front lines, they were even stronger than the Wood Elves.
After all, the Wood Elves' ranged archer troops were quite powerful, but in terms of close combat, they were still weaker than other races.
They were all quite clear about this point.
This was also why both the Security Minister and the Militia Minister respectfully presented their opinions to General Manager Yang.
Because they both knew how powerful the Pig-Headed People in the Orc Tribe were in combat, especially their close-combat ability, which far surpassed that of Humans themselves.
But even so, they were still utterly defeated by Shen Mu's Human troops, who directly pushed into the core of the Orc Tribe, even killing Xue Zhigang, the Orc chieftain.
This already demonstrated Shen Mu's strength and the might of his Human troops.
Now, asking their Wood Elves and other Spiritual Realm Commanders to clash with Shen Mu's Human troops would mean they would be fighting a force even stronger than the Orc Tribe. Of course, they would be wary and express their opinions, which also carried a sense of denial.
And feelings of wariness and reluctance to fight had already arisen in their hearts.
There was nothing they could do.
Yang Di understood this now.
Shen Mu had already annihilated the Diesel Company, and comparatively, the Diesel Company was about twice as strong as his Green Leaf Group.
This meant that his Green Leaf Group was two or three times weaker than Shen Mu.
Given such a disparity in strength, what could they do?
They couldn't possibly foolishly gather their troops, then declare war on Shen Mu, only to be utterly defeated and forced to rely on the Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty's Skeleton Legion in the subway tunnels for salvation.
Even if those Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty's Skeleton Legions did have intricate ties with the Wood Elves in the Spiritual Realm.
However, the other party had already completed skeletonization, had been necromantized, and could already be considered a special legion within the Undead Legion.
Even if the higher-ups had a natural sympathy for the former Wood Elf race.
But the future was already set.
That Skeleton Legion named Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty would definitely be completely controlled by the death spirit rules, and then transform into a true Undead Legion, attacking any living troops.
Even the Abyssal Demons and Hell Devil would be attacked by these Skeleton Legions controlled by the death spirit rules.
After all, the Undead under the control of the death spirit rules hated all living beings.
Even Abyssal Demons and Hell Devil were considered living beings, which is why they would be attacked.
So, if even the Abyssal Demons and Hell Devil, who were implicitly considered collaborators in the unspoken rules, would be attacked, then let alone their living Wood Elves.
At that time, they would also launch an attack, carrying out a complete slaughter against them.
Therefore, too much communication with those Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty's Skeleton Legions was not a good thing.
Once the higher-ups of those Skeleton Legions were completely controlled by the death spirit rules, they would come knocking based on their previous contacts, launching an attack first and utterly crushing their Wood Elf Village.
This was also why Yang Di had always avoided and subtly rejected those Skeleton Legions of the Black Arrow Tower Seventh Dynasty.
Cooperating with them was like playing with fire. If the higher-ups of those Skeleton Legions completely integrated with the death spirit rules, then their Wood Elf Village would be the first sacrifice.
"We must become stronger." Yang Di spoke at this moment.
“Of course, General Yang, you are right.” Zhang Song also slowly agreed at this time.
But looking at Yang Di and the two ministers of the Security Department and the Militia Department, who were so worried, a smile appeared on his lips: “However, perhaps we don’t need to confront them head-on, after all, we already have our own people infiltrated into Shen Mu’s human territory, as you all know.”
“Yes, we do know, but what if there are insiders? These spies are useless on the battlefield; they can only obtain some intelligence in advance.”
The Minister of the Security Department and the Minister of the Militia Department looked at each other at this time, with some helplessness in their eyes.
Just as they said.
Insiders, or spies, can at most obtain some intelligence. Of course, if they can obtain valuable and important intelligence, that’s quite good.
But now, anyone with a clear eye can see that the Green Leaf Group and Shen Mu’s new human territory will definitely clash.
After all, they both need to compete for Faith Power.
So now that they are on the weaker side, even if they know that Shen Mu is preparing for war against them, there is nothing surprising about it.
The current situation is that the strong take all.
It’s perfectly normal for Shen Mu to gather troops and prepare for war against them, especially knowing that there are about 15,000 to 20,000 Blue Star Humans in their Wood Elf Village who can continuously provide him with Faith Power.
In that case, he will be even more actively preparing for war.
The purpose is to come and snatch these 15,000 to 20,000 Blue Star Humans to become Shen Mu’s source of Faith Power.
Moreover, they also know that if their Green Leaf Group knew that Shen Mu’s human territory, which is in a weaker position, had so many Blue Star Humans, they would definitely actively prepare for war and then come to extort them by force or through war, transferring all these Blue Star Humans to their own territory.
After all, which Spiritual Realm Lord wouldn’t need Faith Power?
“So what should we do next?”
The Minister of the Security Department and the Minister of the Militia Department both looked at Zhang Song, who still had a faint smile on his face.
Apparently, they knew that this relaxed Zhang Song definitely had some ideas and plans.
“Tell us, Zhang Song.”
Yang Di, at this time, had some expectations for Zhang Song, whom he highly valued in the Green Leaf Group, nominally the Deputy Minister of the External Relations Department, but in reality also equivalent to the Deputy Minister of the Security Department and the Deputy Minister of the Militia Department.
He also wanted to know why Zhang Song was so confident.
“General Yang, and the two ministers, why was Shen Mu able to easily defeat the seemingly powerful Diesel Company?”
Zhang Song slowly spoke at this time, instead asking a question.
“The reason for this may be inseparable from Shen Mu’s gaining the support of a powerful human force in the Spiritual Realm, and from the very beginning, they gave him a lot of Faith Power, which allowed him to summon and bring down many elite human soldiers.”
The Minister of the Security Department spoke at this time.
And the Minister of the Militia Department next to him also nodded and said: “After all, there are really too few Spiritual Realm Lords like Shen Mu who, from the beginning, possessed a massive amount of faith points and could summon a large number of elite soldiers. If he fails, it will be a huge blow to that human force in the Star Realm. At least for now, very few forces in the Star Realm dare to use their already limited foundation to create a powerful Spiritual Realm Lord in a short period of time.”
These are common sense questions.
Now, the Spiritual Realm is still in the initial stage of slowly transforming the Blue Star World, and it has not yet reached the mid-stage where most of the Blue Star World has been transformed to receive it.
Although the mid-stage is about to arrive.
But it is still truly and thoroughly the initial stage.
Although gaining the upper hand earlier is a very good choice for any world.
However, the earlier one gains the upper hand, the more foundation and greater sunk costs one needs to pay, because now there is not much extraordinary power, and most of it is completely cold weapon combat. Once overly elite troops are deployed and suffer losses, it will be quite painful.
After all, those elite troops, once they appear in the mid-term when extraordinary power begins to emerge, will become the absolute main force.
If they die in this early stage where not much extraordinary power can be used, then these elite troops are just some elite cold weapon troops.
If they die, they die.
There is not much value.
However, as long as they dare to deploy their elite troops, they will definitely form an overwhelming advantage in the early stage.
For some small forces with little foundation, once they encounter such an overwhelming advantage, they will be directly crushed.
For example, the Orc Tribe of the Diesel Company, which looks quite powerful now, but in reality, they are truly just some small forces of the barbarian system.
They are also some small forces that cannot be on the main stage.
It is only because of the Pig-Headed People’s strong bodies and combat capabilities in the early stage that they can gain some advantages.
However, once power begins to descend, the advantages formed by these strong bodies and combat capabilities will be leveled. At that time, let alone these Wood Elves, even those Halflings who are good at cooking, if some pass the magic examination and gain the ability of spellcasters, they can make these Pig-Headed People suffer.
Therefore, these Wood Elf Villages and the Spiritual Realm Lords descended by those major forces are all slowly waiting.
Waiting for the Blue Star World to be transformed by rules to be more suitable for Spiritual Realm creatures to survive.
Transformed to be more suitable for the manifestation of extraordinary power.
Transformed to be less like the Blue Star World, and more and more like the fantasy-side crystal wall system that once did not collapse.
So they are all waiting.
Now, if they invest too much of their foundation, they might break their rhythm later when the mid-term begins, and then they won't be able to keep up with the wave that becomes increasingly prosperous with extraordinary power.
That would also be a troublesome matter for them.
“Everyone, didn’t you really see how Shen Mu easily attacked the Diesel Company’s base camp?”
Zhang Song’s smile grew stranger at this time: “That was all thanks to my brother Zhang Bo, and Zhang Caidong, who acted as insiders and spies, actively opening the city gates, which allowed Shen Mu’s human troops to successfully launch a surprise attack and destroy the unprepared Orc Tribe.”
And while speaking, Zhang Song did not hide the intelligence he had given before: “Moreover, before the surprise attack, spies were used to cause infighting within the Orc Tribe, which led to them losing their organization and unity.”
“That is indeed the case.” Yang Di also nodded at this time.
Because that’s the fact.
“That’s right, we admit that too.” Both the Security Department Minister and the Militia Department Minister nodded, not denying the situation.
But their faces also showed a bitter smile.
The Militia Department Minister said: “But when Shen Mu’s human troops attacked, they still went through a very fierce battle to defeat those Orc troops, and according to the intelligence you obtained earlier, Shen Mu is also a spellcaster, capable of casting summoning spells and various recovery effects of nature-based skills, and his nature-based skills are even stronger than ours, the Wood Elves.”
It’s not ordinary to have a spellcaster appear in war.
And this spellcaster is also a restorative spellcaster, capable of restoring various injuries, stamina, and spirit to the troops, which is even more extraordinary.
They are well aware of how important a spellcaster with recovery effects is to a troop.
At the same time, their faces also carried a bitter smile.
“And when fighting Xue Zhigang, did you notice? Our intelligence has already mentioned the change in Xue Zhigang himself; he has completed some extraordinary transformation.”
The Security Department Minister and the Militia Department Minister both mentioned a term at this time.
Extraordinary transformation.
Generally speaking, extraordinary transformation can be achieved by swallowing crystal fragments, which is a high-frequency soul-level resonance.
It allows oneself to possess the innate abilities and combat capabilities of Spiritual Realm creatures that are more aligned with the transformation target.
Making oneself become like an elite among Spiritual Realm creatures.
But they all know that this is just a shallow extraordinary transformation, at most becoming the original form of one’s Spiritual Realm Follower.
However, extraordinary transformation is different.
It is said to be an extraordinary transformation that involves the physical body, soul, and even the professional level.
Once the transformation is successful, one can become an extraordinary person in the Spiritual Realm.
It is said to also possess the foundation to become a legendary-level powerhouse.
They don't know what legendary level is like.
But it is said that once one reaches level 10 and above, one will touch the legendary realm.
And after reaching the legendary realm, one can go a step further and possess demigod-level abilities.
And since the word 'god' already appears in 'demigod', it means they have already touched the secret of deities.
In fact, even legendary level already possesses a trace of power comparable to deities.
Of course, these have nothing to do with them now.
But the meaning to be conveyed is very clear: even Xue Zhigang, who had already begun extraordinary transformation, was completely defeated by Shen Mu and his troops.
Now, whether their Green Leaf Group can contend with Shen Mu.
It’s really debatable!