Chapter 1031 six
Beneath Lake Crossing, an opening of the cube suddenly widened, causing a rush of water to flood in.
As calm as the surface seemed, the underwater current charged around like hidden flood dragons hiding in the dark. The moment this opening was breached, several Speed Boats jetted out like submarines, following these underwater currents until they blasted through the surface, appearing on the opposing side of the water barriers in a single blink.
Leonel appeared at the helm of one of these Speed Boats, his expression serious as the sleek watercraft accelerated along with the currents. He was under no illusions that this matter would be simple to handle.
…
On the other side of EarthX1, as Leonel had already guessed, the sparks of battle were already being slowly lit.
Much like the first Lake Crossing, this intersection of the West, North-East and South-East Rivers was likewise a connection of 'U' shapes.
It had to be understood that the reason Leonel had given the rivers these names were because of their locations on EarthX1. The three main rivers were like irregularly shaped circles claiming a section of the planet for themselves. The West river circled around basically the whole left side of the planet, and the remaining two followed the same pattern.
Ultimately, these three rivers met as a unit twice and these were easily chosen to be the best locations. As a result, a portion of the individuals who targeted EarthX1 shot for one of these points while another portion shot for the other.
The competition was fierce and the battlefield became no different from a powder keg ready to explode at any time, no single individual willing to take a step backward. Such a defensible position on a planet without large mountain ranges or valleys was about the best they could hope for. How could they allow others to have it?
…
"This is troublesome."
A familiar petite young lady of Radix family, Libli, stood in the depths of the forest, eyeing the second Lake Crossing through the foliage. Though the appearance of the others weren't yet obvious, she hadn't let down her guard, nor did she make any big movements just yet.
Much like the others, they had chosen a separate location on planet EarthX1 to build a temporary fort before sending a vanguard to scout out this region. There was no doubt that at least half of their most powerful warriors were here.
Everyone hid in the shadows, watching for the movements of everyone else, and none seeming to want to take the first step.
"Young Miss."
A middle-aged man of the Radix family stepped forward.
"Is the scouting complete?" Libli asked without looking back.
The middle-aged man reached out toward the air and allowed a dark gold moth to land on his hand. At first, it seemed no different from a member of the small creature race. However, upon second inspection, one would be shocked to find that the dark gold moth was actually not living at all! Rather, it was a delicately constructed mechanism of parts!
"We've deployed 9283 scouting units successfully and the planet has been mapped out to about 38%."
"38%? Good. Continue your report."
Libli nodded, satisfied with this result. It might sound like a small number, but 100% would entail mapping everything even down to the core of the planet. This would include the rivers' floors and potential hidden pathways as well. 38% was already far more than they needed.
"There are a total of six powers that have targeted this world, this includes all those that are potential threats. If non-factors are accounted for, there are as many as 31. However, much of this number either includes those who are acting on an individual or small scale basis, or they encompass families and organizations that have overestimated themselves."
"Detail the seven." Libli spoke coolly, clearly not caring for the full 31 number. It would be a waste of time to do so.
"Yes. The first are the Evergreen Goddess religion. They have set up a shrine at these coordinates… However, they don't seem to have made a move just yet and the scouts don't dare to get too close."
Libli's gaze narrowed. Religions were making their move as well, it seemed that they had to be cautious. There was no need to offend a God without reason and there was also no real conflict of interest at least for now. So long as the church didn't go too far, they could coexist.
"The second is ourselves. The third through fifth are all individuals that come from outside the Milky Way just like we do. There's the Rain family, the Umbra family, and the Florer family. The Rain family has set up their base at the north pole. The Umbra family has taken the south. The Florer family has taken the largest stretch of land, the Center Island, as theirs."
The Rain, Umbra and Florer families… Though the Libli hadn't had run-ins with them all, she knew them well as they knew her. They had all been vying for position in the Milky Way for a long while already. And, on top of that, they were as close to mortal enemies with the Florer family as one could get.
When it came to matters between the Florer and Midas-Radix families, their philosophies were too antithetical to one another to coexist.
"And the final?"
"They are the powerhouse of this quadrant. Well, not just this quadrant, but of this Galaxy as a whole. The Crars family.
"They have the most flexibility when it comes to this war. They have many worlds that they control near Earth's borders and are also under the most threat from Earth's current advancements. Earth's Fold of Reality missed them this time, but when Earth enters the Sixth Dimension, they will be finished. They have no choice but to go all out now … And their position is probably the most powerful on this world."
Libli took these words in and fell into deep contemplation.